1. Strength and safety

Many yachts built in the 80’s and 90’s were built more solidly than many of the newer ones are nowadays so it gives me, as a mother, much more confidence in her strength to be able to cross oceans more safely.

She has a centre cockpit which means that my family are contained in the centre of the vessel, rather than at the back end so again, that made me feel she was the safest option we could choose, particularly in following seas.

She also has a roller furling main and foresail which means she is fairly easy to sail.

2. Ease of Living

Below I’ve listed some of the things that make living onboard Pierina easier for us, from MY perspective, than on many other cruising boats and makes it feel more like living in a normal house.

WASHING MACHINE 

There were only 2 things that I’d told Tim I wouldn’t do this adventure without…I really wanted  a water maker and a washing machine.As green as I was when I made that statement, I am so glad that I did because life would be very different if we didn’t have these!

It means we can do the washing whenever we chose and don’t have to spend so much time or money on laundries or carting heavy laundry bags to shore and finding a laundry and then have to carry it all back home via the possibility of a wet dinghy ride! …its just so nice to be able to do it at home.!

WATER MAKER

This means we should never run out of water which is critical especially when doing long passages across large oceans. We carry 550 litre (146 gallons). Im not the kind of person who can go without freshwater showers…a girl’s gotta have some pleasures right? I NEED my nightly shower!

SALT WATER FOOT PUMP IN THE GALLEY. 

This might sound strange to some people, but it means we save SO much water by rinsing everything in salt water first (in the comfort of my galley rather than on the back step as I see so many other cruisers have to do) which leaves more fresh water for us.

SUGAR SCOOP SHOWER AND LOCKERS. 

It probably sounds insignificant, but having a shower right as you step out of the water is so convenient and doesn’t wet the deck and we have the added bonus of lockers on the steps so our snorkelling gear goes right into those as soon as we leave the water, again, no mess on deck!!

NO TEAK DECKS. 

As much as I would prefer teak decking because it LOOKS so beautiful, they take time and effort to maintain, not to mention they get super hot on your feet! Less time maintaining the boat means more time for us to all be doing something TOGETHER as a family.

ROLLER FURLING.

We have roller furling on the main and the forestay so most of the sailing can be controlled from the cockpit (in theory!).

3. Layout

Pierina’s layout is just great! Unlike many yachts of our size, we have 3 cabins which is not only great because our kids get a bedroom each (and boy, do they LOVE making it their own space and the privacy!) but also because it means we can have guests and comfortably sleep 9 people if we include using the saloon. When we crossed the Atlantic Ocean we took on 3 extra crew and our layout worked so well for this. She also has 2 heads (bathrooms) so we don’t have to share with the kids!!

We have a spacious, bright saloon and had the lounge re-upholstered so we could really put our mark on her and instantly made her feel like our home. Our large table also means that we have plenty of room for homeschooling or having a tonne of kids over to play!

We have an aft master cabin which,as it turns out, is a prized possession!! It means we have a big, walk around island bed and have tonnes of space above our heads while standing! With a hatch plus 2 portholes we have good ventilation which means the world to us while we are in hot climates! I still go to bed every night thinking  ‘I LOVE our cabin!’…and that feels so good!

The galley is also aft which means its a kinder motion while at sea and easier for me or whoever is cooking, to make meals.

In other words, Pierina has all the elements to make for a great family sailing yacht!