After a ton of research and test sails we decided to purchase a Hanse 400E some years ago. The idea was to do some cruising with the family. We decided to keep the boat on Pittwater as we enjoyed the more tranquil environment even though we lived in the Middle Harbour area.
A few years down the line we moved the boat to Middle Harbour as it was closer to home and decided to try out a few twilight races. The racing bug soon bit and we started doing some Wednesday races as well as some major regattas including the Hamilton Island race week. Of course with wanting to go faster we upgraded the sails and some of the gear on the boat. We also improved our performance having learnt to sail the boat a lot better by having regular crew and having experienced sailors coaching us from time to time.
We soon realised that we could not improve the performance of our boat and decided to find a faster boat but with the proviso that it had to be comfortable. On searching the web we came across a few boats that suited our budget and requirements. We eventually settled on buying a second hand X 41 yacht which was listed for sale by Performance Boating.
I contacted Ron Jacobs of Performance Boating and started the ball rolling. We decided that it would be prudent to sell our boat first before committing to a new one. Thankfully with the input on presentation and the expertise of Ron at Performance boating even in the tough economic environment we sold our boat in no time.
Soon afterwards we bought our new boat through Performance boating. A few weeks on and we are very pleased with our purchase. What a pleasure now going head to head with the boats that used to leave us for dead.
Throughout the whole process we have had fantastic service from Performance Boating and felt that everything we discussed and agreed upon was delivered in a very professional manner. I had forgotten how much detail is required in the sale and purchase of yachts.
We are looking forward to many years of racing and occasional cruising in our new toy.
Shaun Lane ( co owner).
PBS has a wide selection of cruiser/racers and racing yachts on our books at this link.