I think a split rig is a good choice for this hear ship. I'm partial to a ketch for a shorter boat. Easier to single hand I think. Kendall has the real experience here with these sailer types.

A bout twenty years ago I built a 38' eastern rig shrimper to be used as a research boat off Sea Brook NH for the power co. Normandeau and Assoc. christened her The Seneca and they took delivery in Baldwinsville were the boat was built. The Skipper wanted a sea trial of sorts before he took her home but where he wondered in march in the middle of NY State could he get a decent try out of the little ship. We said Lake Ontario and he laughed at the notion of a lake holding any juice that would adequately trial the boat. We took her out of the canal and into the harbor and said "OK Scott, theres the Lake , it your boat." It had been blowing twenty from the west all night and the lake was building. The harbor mouth opened into a western exposure and the second she left the soft side of the sea wall we hit 14' with 100' between the peaks. The bottom of Mexico Bay is very shallow and the water builds quick there. Scott saw all ne needed of of Lake Ontario in less than 15 minutes. He surfed the boat into the harbor and we retired to the Music Hall for Coffee and Whiskey. Bringing a smallish boat about in those conditions wasn't the safest as Kendall will tell you and had we had to go more than 1000 yards with that kind of following sea I'd wonder about our returning.

Any body who says the Great Lakes ain't much has never seen them nasty.

Don