Overview

The Southern Cross 39 was designed by Thomas Gillmer for the C.E. Ryder Corp to be a strong and capable offshore cruiser.  Double-ended, with an easy-to-handle cutter rig, an Airex-cored hull with cutaway forefoot and skeg-hung rudder, and a sensible deck plan and attractive and spacious interior, the Southern Cross 39 quickly established herself as a go-anywhere vessel, equally suitable as a coastal family cruiser.

NAVSTAR was commissioned in 1979 by Marvin Creamer, a geography professor at Glassboro State College in New Jersey, now Rowan University, and is hull #2 of the series. Creamer had her built in order to attempt to confirm the theory that it would have been possible for ancient mariners to successfully navigate and manage on long sea journeys before sophisticated navigational instruments had been developed.  He would be guided only by stars, winds, currents, and occasional signs of life.  Creamer departed from New Jersey and made landfall in Dakar on the west coast of Africa.  His return trip, via the Cape Verde Islands and Bermuda, was also without the use of traditional navigational instruments, not even a clock.  He successfully completed his round-trip historic trans-Atlantic voyage in 1980.

NAVSTAR's tall rig and 7.4 knot hull speed give her excellent cruising performance, either along the coast or offshore. Her buoyant stern and significant freeboard have proven to make heavy weather sailing safe and enjoyable. NAVSTAR's owner reports that her Airex-cored hull provides exceptional rigidity and resiliency, as well as both sound and thermal insulation and claims that she feels like a wooden boat.

NAVSTAR was purchased by her current owners in 2013 and has been thoughtfully and regularly upgraded.

Price reduced from $59,000 on 9/19/20!

Overview