 The Nonsuch class was named after the "Nonsuch" that was the first trading vessel of Hudson's Bay Company, which in turn was named after the Baroness Nonsuch (Barbara Palmer), a mistress of King Charles II of England.In the mid-1970s, Gordon Fisher, a respected Canadian sailor, commissioned designer Mark Ellis to create a design for a cruising sailboat which would have decent accommodations, but still be easy for a singlehander to manage.Ellis designed a Ljungström rig, modified with a wishbone boom, on a 30-foot modern hull with a plumb bow, fin keel and balanced rudder.