Yawn or Scream with delight ?

In the days when the America's Cup was played out in Newport, Rhode Island we all knew it was happening and we read the details of every race in our daily sports pages. Sadly, in most major cities today, the sports columnists don't cover boating and the main stream media focuses more on the price of the boats and the wealth of the owners than they do on the sport itself. And, so much has been written and spoken about the law suits surrounding the upcoming America's Cup that most of us have trouble staying aware of the realities of what is actually going on.

And what is going on is nothing short of amazing.  Whether you are a sailboat owner thinking that 8 knots is really cool or a powerboat owner who thinks that sailboats take forever to get where they are going, the new AC boats are a revolution in sailing.

Imagine a sailboat that can sail at 30 knots in 10 knots of wind. Yes I am serious. Then close your eyes and imagine a rigid, winged shaped spar that is 190 feet tall and replaces traditional sails. Yes these are the boats that will meet in Valencia, Spain from February 8th to 12th to vie for the "Aulde Mug".

The boats are BMW Oracle, a 90 for trimaran, versus Alinghi 5 a 90 foot catamaran. The tri does have some incredible technology on board her and right now has the technical edge in the contest. Folks used to say that watching the Cup on TV was like watching paint dry. Well, at these speeds you may not have time to go back to the fridge for another cold one in case you miss the action
 

The (Boat) Show Must Go On

In the deep, dark days of winter it's both hard and easy to think about the boating season and all of the pleasures it has to offer.

It's hard because you know there are 16 more weeks before the season starts again but it's easy because when you are passionate about boating (as I and my family are) all one has to do is summon a memory of time on the water and the darkest, snowiest day can suddenly become warm and bright.

One sure way to rev up your boating enthusiasm is to attend a boat show. Not only are there boats to see, there are new electronics to check out, items to purchase for your boat's stores and at many shows these days there are seminars to attend that will make you a better boater. January through March are the best months of the year with shows in London, Toronto, Seattle, Cleveland, New York, Miami, Boston, Maine and Palm Beach (to name but a few)

The 2010 versions of these shows are well worth attending for us as boat builders. There is no better opportunity for us to put our best foot forward and show the boating world what we do so well. We can meet prospects, talk with existing owners and do some professional development by checking out what our competitors are bringing to market.

For our customers there has rarely been and will rarely be as good an opportunity to check out what is new and see what manufacturers are offering to entice you to make the step to a new yacht. There are excellent buys to be found on 2009 inventories and there are exciting new developments to see in design and technology that may also encourage you to think about something new at your dock for the start of the 2010 boating season.

So if the dark days of winter are getting you down and boats are what truly make you happy, check out our show calendar and come on down. We would love to see you.
 

Sabre Yachts 40th Anniversary Rendezvous

What an exciting time ! We look forward to next summer and the celebration of 40 fabulous years of Sabre Yachts, and we want to pass the word to as many owners as possible. This celebration will include our sister company Back Cove Yachts and their many owners.

Plans are taking shape and more details will be published as we get closer to the event. The plan is to gather at Wotton's Wharf in Boothbay on the afternoon of July 9th. From there we have a series of events and meals planned for attendees. With 40 years of history there will plenty of old images to show, great stories to tell and memories to recall.

Keep an eye to the blog for details as they firm up and most importantly plan to be in Boothbay Harbor, Maine in July 2010 !
 

Sabre 40 Sedan

It's been a while since Ilast blogged about the new Sabre 40. Tooling is almost ready now and will start shipping from Florida to Maine next week. Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" the engineering department is preparing everything from woodwork to bilge pumps so that the first boat can go on line in December. Public enthusiasm for the boat is high with seven boats now sold to retail buyers and many more sold to dealers for their inventories.

It goes without saying that the boat market is tough right now but designs like this one that create new enthusiasm and excitement, help keep our yard busy. Our Zeus experience on the Sabre 42 Express has been fantastic and we are really looking ahead to sea-trialing this Zeus design next spring.

Next week I'll post some performance expectations for the new Sabre 40. I think you'll like the promise of better fuel economy and great perfomance in this stylish design.

Video of the Zeus Pod Drive System...Amazing!

I know many of you have been wondering just how much these new Cummins Zeus Pod Drives have boosted the maneuverability and performance of our 42 Express motoryacht.  We have posted both running and docking footage on our website - but you can just use the links I've provided.  The videos are high res - so they take a few minutes to load, but are completely worth it.  I can tell you from being 'the model' on the back of the boat while Bentley made those sharp turns - I barely had to hold on.  The ride was unbelieveably smooth.  Earlier in the week I had been driving the boat through those turns, so I now know what it feels like as both captain and crew - equally fun.  Enjoy!

http://www.sabreyachts.com/motor_yachts/sabreline42_express/product_reviews.php

Blessing of the Fleet

Last week, I attended an exlusive Boat Show event at Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth, RI.  Friday brought a perfect hot summer evening giving our local dealer, Boston Yachts a chance to exhibit their fleet of Sabre and Back Cove Motor yachts, with 5 models shown.  The Back Cove 29 and 33 sitting next to the Sabre 34 and 42 Express models were backed up by our flagship of the 52 Salon Express.   From the dock, we could see many people up on the hill enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the tent.  A perfect summer evening in Rhode Island.  Having the vantage point of looking over this fleet of stand-outs, the crowd soon began trickling down the dock to get onboard.  This not being a traditional boat show, we had many yachting newcombers who were amazed at the interiors of these boats that they had been looking at from above.  Carnegie Abbey had arranged for a blessing of the fleet, and we all were happy to see a memebr of the chuch adorned in robes come down to give his blessing on these vessels  and for whomever is fortunate enough to step aboard.

Sabres in British Columbia: A refreshing view

On a hot steamy July day in inland Maine, seeing cooling images of these 2 Sabres crusising up in British Columbia can cool me right down. Here are 2 Sabre Sedans fuklly kitted out for distance cruising.  They were both doing just that when they discovered each other in the Prince Royal Channel on the British Columbia Coast, north of Cape Caution.  The McKeon's in COAST STARLIGHT were on their way down from Prince Rupert, the last stop in BC before Alaska while BOJANGLES was in the headed north to Glacier Bay, Alaska.  What stunning cruising grounds and a neat story to find a sister ship in such remote waters. 

Have any of you run into another fellow Sabre in your own travels and shared a moment like this?  Let us know, send a picture!

blogged by, ~Sarah

Lucky Us

All three of us fortunate enough to be aboard the 42 Express Zeus boat on this mornings' sunrise photo shoot in Casco Bay agreed that if only every work day could begin with a sparkling 3-hr cruise zipping through stunning coastal Maine scenery... the world might just be a better place.  The shoot was done by our very good friend and photographer Billy Black and his assistant Gretchen and onboard with Bentley and I was Power Cruising magazine's editor, Chris Cornell. 

Last summer, the majority of my Maine on-the-water-time was spent either racing or on evening sails on our company Sabre Spirit.  Not that those evenings didn't give me a lifetime of images I carry with me, but this mornings' ride on the 42 Express comfortably running out the fog at 27 kts cruise speed and seeing the sun come up against our rocky cliffs rivaled any sunset I've had under sail in these same waters.  I think we even impressed a few of the lobster boat fleet that were out working their traps.  I know we gave some of our local island residents a nice view to gaze on over morning coffee as we gunk-holed into a few secret spots for some still shots.  We picked back up to head home and I was trying very hard to be a stoic model adding some personality to the shots for the photographer, but its hard not sport a huge grin when you can sit there easily as your boss pulls a 4-boat-length hard over turn at full speed and your only concern is that the sun is now facing the opposite way and you'll have to move into better light for the pictures.  pinch me, really.

Look for this article and photo spread in the upcoming Power Cruising as well as other press coming out in Yachting and Soundings on the newest Zeus driven Sabre 42 Express.

~blogged by, the providential Sarah (with pictures to come soon, I hope!)

Sabre Sail and Motor Yachts On The Move! Newport to Bermuda AND The Great Loop Cruise

Last week brought some very exciting news back to the factory from 4 Sabre owners who have really been putting the miles under their hulls. 

3 Sabre sailboats completed the prestigious (and this year, patient) Newport to Bermuda Race.  ESMERALDE, a 2005 Sabre 386 owned by Bruce and Dorsey Beard from RI raced for its second time the 635 mile trek in the double-handed division and placed a competitive 5th place on corrected time.  Well done Bruce and Dorsey, I was tracking you all the way.  Peter and Jane Sollogub, Sabre 402 Owners will be joining the Beards for cruising in Bermuda...a  great reward for the challenging trip.  Two additional Sabre sailboats joined them in the impressive 200+ boat fleet.  IL BODACIOUS, a Sabre 402 owned by Jeff Urbania and FREEDOM, a Sabre 452 owned by Cary Thompson competed in the 14-boat deep Cruiser Division.  Excitedly, these boats took first and second in class, with IL BODACIOUS beating out FREEDOM by a few hours on corrected time.  We want to congratulate all 3 of the boats that raced!  Impressive feat and more impressive finishes.

The sailboat crowd aren't the only ones putting the miles to their hulls and loving every second.  We received news from Sally and Oliver Miller that on June 24th after 296 days away from home, they completed a lifelong dream cruise covering 5268 miles of the Great Loop in their 2006 Sabre 47', ONE OLIVER II.  This cruise track took the Olivers (and adorable puppy, Marina) on a circumnavigation of the Eastern States of the USA.  Their boat blog chronicles the trip in great detail with pictures and stories and stats on mileage and fuel consumption.  This is a must-read and make sure to leave them a comment on their message board welcoming them home!

If any of you are considering a distance cruise or race, I'm sure these proud Sabre owners can be a good resource to you. Let us at Sabre know of your own travels aboard whether close to home or far away.

Blogged by: Sarah

Maine Built Boats on Sabre

I like movies on rainy Fridays. Since thats what's going on today up in Raymond, here is a great short clip of footage from the shop put together by an organization Sabre proudly belongs to; Maine Built Boats.  This is partnership non-profit that promotes the classic heritage and future progress of boatbuilding in Maine today.  Enjoy! ~Sarah