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.

VIM Update

This morning I opened my inbox to an update and photo from one of our exuberant Sabre Spirit owners who has been enjoying bringing out VIM on breezy days in Marblehead, MA.  He writes that he and his daughter were sailing the boat by their house and his wife was able to take this shot.  The were powered up and probably at the borderline of reefing, but the boat is fun to bring out with friends and they continue to enjoy passing people in the bay.

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

Sail America Conference: Growth Through Innovation

The Sabre Sales Team is off to the Sail America Industry Conference tomorrow in Newport, RI. The conference is themed this year as 'Growth Through Innovation'. We'll be networking with people from all aspects of the sailing industry to talk about the future of our businesses. These are tough times, but we have a great product and we're looking forward to some good discussions and ideas. One of the workshops will be with author and consultant Nick Hayes who is currently writing a book 'Rescuing The Life Pastime, Why America Should Go Sailing'. He is going to be discussing why activities like sailing are losing participation and what can be done about it. This topic is fascinating to me, and I hope to the readers of our blog. What are your thoughts?

Look for our postings later this week for follow up on the conference!

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

38 years and 2600 boats later: Sabre past and present, side-by-each

We had a very special photo opportunity here in Raymond, ME recently. A few years ago, Sabre was able to take ownership of our original Hull #1 Sabre 28 - the very boat that Roger Hewson designed and built at our current facility back in 1970. PATIENCE has returned to Sabre for some TLC so she can once again be launched for sailing in Casco Bay this summer. She was ready to roll into our shop for prep work just as our Completion Team for production line 2 rolled out the newest Sabre Spirit, Hull #282 - getting ready to get on a hydraulic truck and be shipped off to her 'patient' owners in Marblehead, MA.
SABRE has a rich history and to date, has built over 2100 sailboats and over 500 motor yachts between PATIENCE and this latest vessel out the door.

Blogging about the yachting lifestyle

It seems like it was just yesterday that we came to know the word blog and it's meaning. In fact my lap top spell checker hasn't caught up with the latest internet verbage yet. Sabre Yachts is a company which goes about it's daily business with great integrity, working to the highest standards. We feel that our reputation is very strong but you never really know how strong your reputation is until you listen to what the world has to say about you. We are very excited to be joining the world of web logs and we are looking forward to the discussions which will be generated on our blog.