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Text by : Cindy and Peggy, new owners of an Xc 38
The Annapolis Sailboat Show 2015 brought the new X-yachts into our world and our eyes got big. We had seen older X-yachts - in fact, there was one on our dock for a number of years - one of the older models with the huge wheel which was almost taller than my partner Peggy at 5’1”. They just weren’t an option for us; however, we did get to know the owners and were well aware of how well these beautiful Danish-built boats sailed.
Shortly after the boat show not one but two XP44s appeared at our marina. One of them was at the end of our dock (was it destiny?). The owner was very excited about his new acquisition and eager to share. He invited us aboard. He was happy to have us examine every nook and cranny which we did - something you can’t readily do at the boat show. He also raved about his visit to the factory in Haderslev, how he saw first hand the process and how well built they are. It was magical. Both Peggy and I fell hard, totally smitten. Every time we were at the marina we would wander over to sneak another look and pine.
We have sailed the Chesapeake Bay for 20+ years and were on our 3rd racer/cruiser -always with an eye out for the next one. As so many do, we dreamed of taking our sail-ing to the next level, going outside the Bay to explore coastal cruising, but neither of us was willing to do it in our tender 31’ boat. Oh sure, many sailors cross oceans in small-er boats, but we’re not that intrepid. Couple that with the realization of the inevitable; we’re not getting any younger! How much longer would we really be able to sail? How many women sail by themselves in their 70’s? If we didn’t make the move soon, it was-n't going to happen.
We were hooked from the moment we laid eyes on the XP44 model. However, we felt that 44' was just too much boat for us, a 38’, on the other hand, would be ideal. We went to talk to the X-Yachts dealer in the Mid Atlantic, Forbes Horton, of Forbes Horton Yachts to tell him how impressed we were. X-yachts appeared to have everything we wanted. There were no work arounds, no compromises. Our experience with the broker we had worked with up to this point had been "there is always a compromise with boats". It seemed, however, that every boat we looked at - new and used - had some “fatal” flaw. He would come up with promises, work arounds and repeat the mantra that no boat can have everything. Luckily for us, he was mistaken.
So what was our “impossible-to-meet” list of requirements? We wanted a boat that per-formed as well or better than our previous boats but had the stability that would give us confidence and comfort to cruise the coast. We wanted a boat that would handle all conditions well, both in fair and foul weather, but also keep us competitive in those in-formal beer can races with our friends. A roomy comfortable cockpit and a much roomi-er v-berth were musts. Another major consideration was having a boat that we could continue to sail as long as our health allowed as we "matured". We found it in viXen, our Xc 38. She has completely exceeded our expectations. As one of our seasoned sailor friends commented, “she just looks right moving through the water”.
X-yachts, like many of the newer boats, have the twin helm helm wheels, stern perch seats, a large fold-down transom and a life raft box. One of the unique features on X-yachts is running the halyards, control lines and sheets recessed under the deck, giv-ing a very clean, uncluttered look with fewer things to trip over. The cabin top is virtual-ly flat, again, making it very comfortable to walk on or just hang out while at anchor or under sail. The most amazing part is that it is an extremely comfortable boat inside and out, with ample seating area and a sizable, sturdy fold-out cockpit table - it is absolute-ly, without question, the best cockpit we found on any sailboats we tried in all of our searching. We compared the construction with all the other newer sailboats in our ma-rina and there simply was no comparison.
We could go on about this, but there are so many other things we love about this boat. Don’t let me forget to mention that there are 3 sets of winches, the main sheet winch can be managed from either side and is right in front of the helm along with the button for the electric jib winches giving the person at the helm quick and easy access for any adjustments.
Additional features that we chose were already built into their pricing lists such as an in-boom furling mainsail (absolutely LOVE this!), and several different electronics packages with alternative placement options (not forced to have a gigantic pod in front of the helm obscuring visibility). These options were not readily available from many of the other boat manufacturers. We were told that it could be done but they would have to get back to us on the price. In other words, they could possibly do it but they hadn’t thought of it yet.
There are so many fabulous things about this boat and we have not even said any-thing about the interior yet! It is light, spacious and modern with extremely comfortable microfiber cushions. The galley is nicely laid out with a stylish tinted glass splashback. We opted for the top loading fridge/freezer along with the front loading refrigerator for ample food storage - both can used as a freezer or refrigerator, simply amazing flexibil-ity to fit our coastal cruising as well as the Bay. The v-berth is heavenly. There’s lots of storage throughout and she's beautiful.
The last point we will mention is the turnkey approach to the commissioning. The boat is fully commissioned in Denmark and loaded on a cargo ship. Ours arrived in Balti-more, was hoisted by the crane and lowered into the harbor alongside the cargo ship. We descended the Jacob’s ladder to board her, started the motor, released the lines, motored to Annapolis and slept on board in our slip that same night. Forbes worked with us to put the head sail and canvas back on the next morning, then he got the pro-pane tank installed and we went sailing! We really are over-the-top happy with her. One thing Forbes said especially stood out to us early on in the process: “I love selling X-yachts because they sell themselves.” We wholeheartedly agree.