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X-Yachting 2013
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118 x-yachting 2013 we began our search for a
new
boat that could accommodate these items, and it was the x-65 which ticked all the boxes. the factory worked closely with us to make modifications including changing the forward cabin to include an office area, fitting led lighting throughout, adding lithium batteries, and even a wine fridge – along with solar panels neatly embedded into the teak deck. we opted for a three cabin layout so that we have one guest cabin and a second that is a double bunk cabin – essential for when on passage – plus lots of storage in the all-important ‘garage’. the other key point was that she had to be sailed comfortably two up. although we will often have company on board it was imperative that systems be manageable by two so that we could enjoy our
new
home on our own or invite non-sailing guests along, without the pressure to always have additional crew hands. the choice of a name came easily. she had to have a lady’s name and so we chose ‘katherine’ after a small township in the northern territory of australia
where
our business had started, our children were born and we spent many great years. katherine held a lot of good memories for us and we hope this will follow with our
new
katherine . we decided early in the build not to ship the boat back to australia, as we had done with our x-50. the small glimpse of denmark that we had seen when sailing in the gold cup at copenhagen in 2008 had whet our appetite and so we chose to stay and cruise the baltic. in april 2012 we found ourselves back at haderslev taking ownership of our
new
yacht. on saturday 21st at noon we dropped the mooring lines and headed out from the factory. it was an emotional moment when, after two years of planning, we were on our way. baltic adventure the highlight of the very first day was the fact that sailing in 15 knots of breeze with just the jib saw our top speed reach 10 knots, and we both agreed we could cruise the world this way, if only someone could just turn the temperature up a little! our first destination was aeroskobing, a pretty town with lots of the buildings dating back to the 1700s that was quietly hibernating before the enslaught of summer visitors. next were the traditional danish marine towns of svenborg and marstal, after first negotiating a 33-metre bridge. given that we have a mast that requires 32 metres of clearance it was a little close, but thankfully uneventful! then on to the island of bornholm and its neighbour christanso,
where
we felt a bit like we were walking through the film set of the hobbit. further north we arrived in sweden and the renaissance town of kalmar, then visby on gotland island and onto mariehamn in
aland
,
where
we were able export the boat from the eu and re-enter her as an australian vessel. it also gave us a glimpse of the
aland
archipelago.
aland
encompasses about 5,000 square miles with around 6,500 islands intersected by thousands of miles of (just!) navigable channels. i don’t think i’ve ever seen so many cardinal markers in one place at any one time. from
aland
it was back to stockholm,
where
we were joined by two more australians for the next leg of our journey. we also took another
new
family member onboard katherine – a tomtar, or a gnome which according to swedish folklore is ‘a protector of sheds and outhouses’! our tomtar was promptly renamed ‘bruce of katherine’ moored up in copenhagen the tender ‘garage’ was a key reason for choosing the x-65
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