While going around at sea, I've had people in other boats approaching to have a closer look, some even asking what beautiful boat this was, since they do not recognize it, but merely having a resemblance with a Dragon. The funniest had to be when a Laser coach left his athletes to follow us for a while and even the athletes forgot their course and followed us.

At the Nautical Club, where I have the boat now, everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY goes out of their way to admire her and ask about her; the match racers from the Platu 25s, the Lasers, 420s and 470s athletes, the Optimist kids with their parents, the blue blazers Dragon owners, from the President of the Club to the cleaning lady. When prepping the boat to go out, there were 2 Opti kids’ parents that were constantly in our way, going crazy about her – so much so that they even apologized for being in the way but they could not help it… Obviously, I invited them for a ride!

People admire the teak deck, the carbon mast, go crazy with the high aspect rudder and the keel and wonder about the furling front sails. I even have a journalist calling me to write an article about her.

She’s really fast from open upwind to reaching, she just takes off with her asymmetrical spinnaker. One day, in really light airs, when every boat on the water, from 470's to Opti's, were stopped, she was going like a train and my sailing coach (former National, European and World champion in various classes, Optimist, 470, Lightning) who was with me had a grin from ear to ear, exclaiming more for himself than me: “WOW! She’s really fast, look at this!!!”

The fact that she can easily be sailed single-handed is a big ++++, i.e., the crew can participate as much or as little as he/she wants: I pushed her hard with my Lightning crew, doing some trapeze (no harness, so he eventually went into the drink…) and slowed her down a bit when my wife came for a ride with me, leaving me to do all the sailing and herself to appreciate the ride. I believe (and all that have sailed her until now share this opinion) that this absolutely should be stressed in our communication, since it is very rare (almost unique?) for a boat this size to have this capability of being sailed alone or "fully crewed”.

Warm regards from Greece
Roberto Rodrigues
Sun Sea & Sailing