AruAruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta 2008
With winter now seriously here in most of the USA, I thought you might enjoy seeing how our Caribbean neighbors are doing. On the second day of the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta 2008, the fleet of 41 teams had to deal with tricky sailing conditions on the Caribbean Sea. From time to time, big clouds brought rain showers and gusts. That resulted in a shifty and variable breeze, which made it an interesting competition. Dutchmen Booth and Nieuwenhuis are still in the lead by one point, with Xander Pols and Frank de Waard (NED) in second position. Last year’s winners Eduard Zanen and Mischa Heemskerk (NED) climbed to a third place. Henk-Johan Hankart and the Grijpma brothers are first overall in the fleet of slower catamarans. Today’s weather required a lot more trimming and smart racing. The winning strategy was about getting the shifts and pressure right. Sunburned legs and arms had a rest, as it was mostly clouded. The morning breeze was about 8 knots strong, but in the afternoon it picked up to 16 knots and more. During lunchtime on the Aruba beach, the competitors could share their experiences and reconsider their tactics. Or simply enjoy the Aruba hospitality. Late afternoon, they decided to have their happy hour in sea, as the rain was pouring down in a tropical shower.




heads.

Early models had a 13 hp diesel, but the later ones had an 18 hp or 20 hp Westerbeke. Fuel tanks and water tanks are of good size, with the option on auxiliary tanks to increase capacity.

Overall, the Sabre 30 looks an excellent cruiser, well-made, with plenty of room for a couple to cruise extensively, or for family cruising. It should also behave very well in heavy weather.

Sabre has been building boats on Sebago Lake near Portland, since the 1970s, starting with a 28-footer and the Sabre 30 was introduced in 1979. Now they produce yachts from 36-feet upward – like many sail boat builders they found that the costs of building 28-30 feet was almost as high as for a 36-footer.

However, there are plenty of Sabre 30 around, and they still make excellent cruisers. Because the company has been making fiberglass boats since 1970, the quality is good, and you should be able to find a good model from the early 90s perhaps a Mark III for around $60,000. The 28-footers are generally quite old these days, but are a cheaper alternative.



Sabre 30 Sailboat Mk IIISpecification

LOA: 30'7”(9.3 m) LWL: 25'6" (7.8 m) Beam: 10'6" (3.2 m) Draft:  5'3" (1.6 m)  Displacement: 4.2 tons (4265 kg) Ballast:  1.7 tons ( 1725 kg) Ballast ratio: 40% Sail Area: 462 sq ft Engine: Westerbeke 20 bhp

There is also a company called Sabre Yachts at Highbridge, Somerset in the UK. This is a much smaller firm, which used to make a 27-footer and more recently a 35-footer which was actually a 32-footer with a scoop stern added to increase length.