Abstract: In a sailing vessel having a gunwale, a cockpit located in a rear portion of the vessel having a floor below the level of the gunwale and a companionway hood adjacent a front end of the cockpit having a height at least as high as the level of the gunwale, the improvement wherein the cockpit has three longitudinally extending sections, the central section having a height at its front end adjacent the companionway hood similar to that of said hood, the height decreasing toward the rear of the vessel, while the two side sections on either side of the central section of the cockpit have a floor which is approximately horizontal and below the level of the gunwale. Openings are provided in the front part of each of the side sections of the cockpit permitting access to the interior of the vessel.