Westsail the World...
 

DECK DESIGN....
One rarely sees an enormous cockpit on a cruising sailboat, in fact, it is usually rather small with large drains. Acting like a bathtub in bad weather, too large a cockpit can easily be the cause of disaster at sea.
After the first storm a sailor encounters, he comes to prefer the lowest profile possible that will still give some light and ventilation below. The deck house can be kept to a lower profile and yet give good headroom if a sailboat has a full length, deep keel. The deeper the keel, the lower the cabin sole can be. Therefore, both the deck house and hull freeboard are lower, contributing to a graceful appearance and good sailing performance.
A deck detail that shows up on many veteran world cruisers, but rarely elsewhere, is high bulwarks. Almost a thing of the past on production boats, they give an enormous sense of security to anyone roaming the decks. High bulkwarks also mean higher lifelines. There are few second chances when one goes overboard on the open ocean. Westsails make sure you stay where you belong, on the boat.