Sorry to keep you all on tenterhooks
But we have now lived almost two years on Caos and we've felt that although our boat has proven to be the most reliable, safe and comfortable boat on the planet, there were a couple of things that could have made our life just a bit better:
- Additional space for all of our things. And we're not talking only shoes anymore, it is Alex massive amount of tool boxes that takes most space, all of his surfboards (and he wish to add more to the quiver), we also got the diving equipment, hundreds of books, loads of galley and cooking utensils and all kinds of other things we carry around here. Alex also bought Caos before we met and before this tour was planned and I think that he never really could've imagined to have to fit all of those things, one woman and her wardrobe and go sailing around the world with that boat when he first bought it.
- Additional speed and pointing ability. Since Alex been racing quite a lot in his youth, he hasn't been too happy when other boats have passed us by when sailing. It will be a new interesting life here for us where I hope to see him less frustrated and more relaxed while sailing.
- Different design and more possibilities to redesign a boat more suitable for our personal preferences.
So we've been looking for something unique, something with beautiful lines, plenty of space and longer LWL. And we've found it all in this beautifully gracious boat.
What we will be missing though, and what our Caos possesses, is the comfort at sea. The Hallberg Rassy boats are made and designed to live on, and being very very comfortable while doing so. This Herreshoff on the other hand, is fast and offers a total different sailing experience but wasn't made for the exact same purpose as the HR352's and therefore we will have to adjust our life on water to suit the features of this new boat.
There is this deeper draft to consider, the cockpit is not as protected as the one on Caos, the galley is much larger but on the other hand it isn't as usable in high seas as is the galley of Caos and so on. There are quite some new challenges with this new boat that's for sure, but we are convinced that with Alex passion and skills for building and designing we will be able to adjust her to our personal comfort and style. This new boat gives us a wonderful project and a challenge that we've been dreaming of for a very long time.