Buying a boat – Always an exciting moment in a family, the elders want to go cruising, the young want to race and everyone wants to enjoy a casual Sunday evening sail. My uncle has always been a passionate sailor and that is what got me into becoming one right from the age of 8.
We had a seabird, Grey Eagle, that was known among everyone in the sailing community. This boat was very dear to my uncle, and then me too! When my uncle decided to replace the boat I was very excited…
Obviously, there are a hundreds of choices out there but we came down to a seabird again. Why a seabird? Isn’t it just perfect? It is not the fastest but it is certainly stable, smooth and spacious! A perfect boat that fits into both cruising and racing! I have grown up sailing the seabird and to have a more improved version sounded fantastic. XS Marines’ flexibility allowed us to bring out a perfect combination of colours, sails and interiors that matched our taste. At every step of the process, being involved felt amazing, considering the fact that I am the youngest in the family, I was thrilled to be an integral part of the decision making process- right from the seating to the sails. I attended all the meetings to finalise the various components and materials that needed to be ordered, and the tiny details that we had to look at were just amazing. The more I looked into the process, the more I couldn’t wait for launch day.
Every few days we would make a trip to the boatyard and look at how our boat was coming along. The hospitality, clarity and flexibility there allowed me to fully understand the smallest and innermost components of the boat. I learnt quite a lot about how boats are built, and how much precision is needed for the job. When the boat was ready we fixed the launch date as 14th December, 2013. A day I will never forget. It was amusing to see the massive group of workers pushing that trolley in the water as we launched the new Grey Eagle into the water. Her sails are from Lee, fittings from Harken but I can proudly say she has been manufactured from scratch right here in India. She sails faster than the wind and it feels like you’re always flying over the water. Seabirds are fantastic and I would recommend one to whoever is looking for an ideal boat for the family or for racing purposes.
Anshul Davda
