Sold

Little Grace is going to a good home :)

 

Little Grace's new owners have had previous sail boats, one of which was her size, but presently have an open motor boat. She fits their requirements because they want to get back into weekend cruising and day sailing. However, their seaside summer cottage is in an area where their dock and the harbours they would like to visit are not very deep.  Therefore they appreciated the fact that Little Grace's shallow draft will open up these places to them. As a bonus, for me, they also appreciated the work that has gone into her refurbishment.

Little Grace will go back in the water this week and her adventures will continue, starting with being sailed to her new home, a trip that will take at least three days. The trailer will follow on the back of a truck at a later date.

The sadness of seeing Little Grace sail away will be sweetened by the knowledge that she is going to a good home. Sentimental and anthropomorphic though it is I can't help it, I'm sure anyone who has read this blog, or any sailor for that matter, will understand. 

Looking to the future  

In the meantime we have found our "new" boat. She is a Sunwind 26 with a sugar scoop extension. We were attracted to the Sunwind 26 because she was built to be a family boat, in fact that is what it says on the maker's plate.  She is old (= we can afford her) commodious, solidly built and has a good reputation.  Her previous owners, who had cared for her for 14 years, were selling because the three generations, who sometimes sail together, had outgrown her and they needed something bigger. 

As I understand it the sugar scoop/swimming platform extension was manufactured by another company and retrofitted.

This blog

Always intended to be about Little Grace's refurbishment and sailing qualities for the interest of other Hurley Alacrity and Vivacity owners, this blog comes to a close. It will remain on-line for as long as it is allowed to be; an archive that may be of help to someone, someday.

The new name for the  new boat?

What else could it be but Grace; she is calling and wants to go to sea.
Click here to see videos of her

Little Grace for sale

With some sadness we have decided that we have to sell Little Grace because, with a toddler to keep happy, we need a bigger boat. 

Whoever buys Little Grace will be getting a great deal because the price does not reflect the work and materials that have gone into her refurbishment, to say nothing of the value of her new sails and an engine that has had little use but that's the way it goes. 

You may think that I am bound to make the statements above but if it was just Tuulia and I to consider we certainly would not be selling. Little Grace has been great for weekend breaks and day sails. She can go where many other sail boats can't because of her shallow draft, which has meant we have been able to make full use of the limited range of destinations enforced on us by time constraints. Because of her size Little Grace is always fun, relatively quick and easy to handle; having to let her go is sad. On the upside I have learnt a lot during her refurbishment that will bring skills to future tasks on her replacement and have the memories of the time we have had on the water. 

You can see Little Grace's advert here:  

http://www.nettivene.com/en/purjevene/hurley/552651

Forepeak

Here are some photos showing the refurbishment of the forepeak and a view of the structure.

How it looked when the boat arrived

Carpet was added to the hull in 2009

Refurbishment restarts in 2011

 

 

Carpet lining replaced

 

You can see that the covers for the cabin seats have been replaced, as were those for the forepeak, which are under the sheet. The fill-in at the front of the berth is removable, as is the V fill-in (see first photo) above it. A waterproof bag with the third anchor (a grapnel) on a chain and warp and a drouge with a long line are stowed there, which means they are easily accessible.

The new fabric is waterproof but has a cloth feel

In use 2012