ROULEAU II is a very nice example of a Garcia Passoa (first launched in 2007) and was built in Conde-sur-Noireau, France by Chantiers Navals Garcia. Garcia is well known internationally for their skill in crafting aluminum sailing yachts; in particular, their round-hulled, shoal draft Passoas built by a highly skilled group of craftsman, some of whom have 25+ years with the company.

These yachts are prized by world cruisers looking to go “off the beaten path” for their safety and performance. The Passoa series of 46 to 52-foot designs was the most popular and produced model. This 47 has a retractable fin forward of the rudder and is described by SAIL magazine as a "French Metal Surfboard."

With the centerboard up, it's capable of drying out on a sandy beach. ROULEAU II is one of the last Passoa’s built by the original Garcia founders before the Grand Large Yachting Group purchased the company to build their Allures lines of sailing yachts and Garcia Exploration series.

ROULEAU II is optimized for high latitude/adventure sailing. By 2002, most Passoa’s were fitted with twin rudders and saildrives. With plans to spend time in ice filled regions, the original owner specified a traditional protected single rudder and aft trimming daggerboard instead of twin rudders. The engine uses a propeller shaft instead of a saildrive.

Fuel tankage was increased to 1000 liters (264g) to maximize range under power and provide heat in cold climates. An Espar hydronic heating system is backed up with a simple and reliable Taylor's bulkhead-mounted diesel drip stove with gravity feed tank. The mainsheet arch and hard top dodger along with canvas sides and back provide a fully enclosed watchstanding position.