Preparing to fit out Pandora

Tomorrow I will head to the Annapolis Sailboat show to begin the process of fitting out Pandora as we prepare for heading out to spend much more time aboard once we "grow up".

It was last year in Annapolis when we visited the same show that Brenda, my wife and sailing companion of 30+ years, settled on Pandora, as our "ideal" boat. We were looking for a solid design with "pedigree" that could take us in comfort and safety to where ever we decide to go in the future. Our boat for the last 9 years, a 1984 Tartan 37 "Elektra" served us well. But, now we felt that we were ready to make the jump and trade up to a true live-aboard.

We decided while we were on vacation in Maine in August of 2006 that we wanted a new boat that was more substantial and with more comfort. Brenda, in particular, had a few specific requirements in our new boat. First, the boat had to have a bunk that wasn't "pointy". She had had enough of the V berth thing and wanted more foot room when she was in bed. She also was very big on having a head with a real shower with a door and separate from the rest of the head. Enough of soaking the whole place when she showered. Being able to use a hair dryer was a must and a microwave wouldn't be a bad thing either. Above all, she wanted a boat that wouldn't leave her feeling beat up after a day on the water. So many sailboat designs are great for an afternoon sail but not so great when the going gets rough.

For me, I wanted a boat that satisfied Brenda but that was also fast and powerful in a seaway. So often I had experienced situations where the seas kicked up, with the wind against the tide, only to find that we were bashing to windward (Yes, the wind's always from where we want to go) and making less than 5 knots through the water. That's extremely frustrating when you are trying to make distance.

We were fortunate to find someone who was very knowledgeable to help in our search. Our broker Pat Clark really understood what we were looking for and suggested a number of designs for us to look at. I had never heard of SAGA but after reading up on the design was instantly smitten.

In any event, we headed to Annapolis, saw our first SAGA 43 and knew right away that we had, indeed found our boat.