Pearson presented the Countess 44 as a vessel that marries the virtues of a fast, able sailing yacht with the plush accommodations of a luxury motor-sailer—a full-powered auxiliary that, in the builder’s words, “sails like a queen.”
Design and Construction
The Countess 44 has a hand-laid, solid-fiberglass hull and deck. Her hull carries a long keel with an attached rudder. At 44.5 feet overall with a 12-foot beam, she has a length-to-beam ratio of 3.70, making her slimmer than 82% of all similar sailboat designs.
Displacement is 25,000 pounds, including 8,000 pounds of lead ballast. Her 29% ballast ratio is higher than only 14% of comparable designs. A displacement-length ratio of 440 places her firmly among “ultra heavy cruisers,” heavier than all but 1% of similar boats.
The YachtDatabase review gives the Countess 44 a capsize screening value of 1.64 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 40.68. That comfort figure is better than those of 95% of similar sailboat designs. Her immersion rate is about 1,277 pounds per inch.
Rig and Handling
The Countess 44 carries a ketch rig with more rig than 69% of all similar sailboats. This indicates that she is slightly overrigged, with a sail-area/displacement ratio of 14.70. Her theoretical hull speed is 7.4 knots.
Pearson described the boat as high-powered and claimed that she speeds through calms or headwinds at eight to nine knots. Her mast rises just over 52 feet above the waterline.
The standing and running rigging dimensions are substantial. The mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards are each 33.4 meters long and 14 mm in diameter. Sheets are 16 mm, and the mainsheet is 33.9 meters long. A wetted surface area of about 398 square feet reflects the long-keeled hull form that underpins her motion profile.
Accommodations
The interior emphasizes elegance, convenience, and space. Its centerpiece is a large, commodious deckhouse that provides picture-window living while under sail. Fresh-water capacity is 184 US gallons, supporting extended cruising, while the overall layout reflects Pearson’s aim of providing motor-sailer-grade living quarters afloat.
The combination of a beamy yet comparatively slender hull and a dedicated deckhouse gives the Countess 44 a residential quality that is unusual in a sailing yacht of her length.
Verdict
The Countess 44 is a limited-production, Alden-designed ketch that combines heavy-displacement cruising stability with a ketch rig carrying generous sail area for her weight. Her deckhouse living and Pearson’s stated eight-to-nine-knot pace through adverse conditions define a particular kind of luxury cruiser, now rare on the used market.
Her ultra-heavy-cruiser classification and modest ballast ratio involve trade-offs in outright sailing agility, but her comfort numbers are exceptional for the class.
Pros
- Exceptional motion comfort, exceeding 95% of similar designs
- Distinctive Alden ketch rig with an overrigged sail plan for her displacement
- Large, picture-window deckhouse with liveaboard-style accommodations
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck built by Pearson Yachts
Cons
- Ultra-heavy displacement limits responsiveness and speed potential compared with lighter cruisers
- Low ballast ratio relative to peers, higher than only 14% of similar designs
- Fewer than 100 built, with specific parts and survey familiarity less common
