SV Duende Origin Story - Part 1 of 4
Why such a big boat? Our decision to move up from our perfectly equipped 48-footer.
Hello friends and sailing enthusiasts! I’m so excited to present Shellphone Chronicles, our newsletter about life aboard SV DUENDE, our 80-foot expedition yacht managed by just the two of us.
To get this Substack party started, over the next week, we'll share a quick (daily) 4-post series to fast forward from when we bought our 80-foot expedition yacht through the extensive refit and early adventures aboard SV Duende.
Starting next week, we'll settle into our regular weekly posting schedule as we explore new islands and adventures ahead. If you're aboard for the ride, we're thrilled, this is Post #1 of our origin story.
If newsletters aren't your thing, no worries at all - you can unsubscribe with one click, no hard feelings.
Fair winds and welcome aboard!
Why such a big boat?
Our decision to move up from our perfectly equipped 48-footer
It was 2019, and we were enjoying our 3rd year in French Polynesia on our C&C Landfall 48 cutter. We’d lived aboard full-time since 2012, sailing the west coast of California and Mexico, crossing to the South Pacific in 2016. Recalada was a super comfortable, well-equipped boat, and she sailed like a dream - but we’d often thought about how nice it would be to have more room on board, and a more stable platform at anchor and on passages.
What would that look like? The first criteria was a longer waterline – which makes for speed and stability, and we believed we could easily manage a bigger boat if it was well equipped. We liked the idea of an aluminum hull – built for strength and low maintenance. We also wanted to live an autonomous lifestyle out of marinas, with the ability to provision for long periods of time, make our own water, and generate our own power – all of which allows us to explore remote areas and still maintain a high level of comfort and convenience. We weren’t actively seeking a new boat, but we were always keeping an eye on what was available.
And then, this. We found SV Duende listed for sale in Fort Lauderdale and immediately knew from the description that she was appealing. She was designed by John Alden, a famous designer of classic yachts, and she was commissioned by the original owner for a custom build at the Walsted boatyard in Denmark. Everything we read about her checked the boxes – 77-feet, aluminum hull, enclosed pilot house, well rigged, and equipped for long-range expeditions with large fuel and water capacity. We decided it was worth a trip to Florida to take a look.
Our first visit was nothing short of overwhelming. Duende was stunning. From the gorgeous interior spaces crafted from Danish teak, to the more-than-substantial rig, to the systems that keep everything running – it was clear that she had been built to the very highest commercial yacht standards. The original plans from the design / build were laid out on the salon table when we went aboard, and frankly that was one of the reasons that we ultimately decided we just might be able to take on this project.
Because beauty aside, there was no doubt that Duende was a project. She hadn’t been actively sailed for many years, and the deferred maintenance list was long and getting longer. From systems to cosmetics, there was a lot that would have to be done to make her seaworthy again.
Everyone said we were crazy – the boat was too big, it needed too much work, we were too old. We decided to return to Tahiti to think it over.
Thanks for being an early reader of Shellphone Chronicles! Post #2 of the origin story will drop tomorrow.
If at any point this newsletter isn't a good fit, feel free to unsubscribe using the link at the very bottom. No hard feelings!
So glad to be included for the ride!
Such an interesting story! I'm excited to going along for the ride!