OWNERS’ EXPERIENCES
S/Y OLIETA (2008)
Mike and Carol Perry bought Olieta in October 2019 and currently keep her in the UK, although they plan to move out to Greece soon. She is a three-cabin two-heads model launched in 2008. Asked how she has been so far, Mike said: ‘I have not had sufficient opportunity to sail her much just yet, but the construction appears to be of good quality. However, the previous owner had severely neglected her and much time has been spent on repairs and renewals. So far, I have had to fit new running and standing rigging, have the Webasto heater and the bilge pump rebuilt, fix a domestic water leak (filter fitted after the pump, strangely, causing it to jam with debris), remake all the electrical connections and fully service the sails and furling systems. ‘The windlass also disintegrated on first use,’ Mike added, ‘and the engine, with only 950 hours use, now requires a full overhaul of its fuel system. ‘Our first big purchase was a bespoke cockpit enclosure. I have also fitted carpets and a new sprung mattress in the master cabin while we lived on her during the first lockdown.’
Mike started sailing 60 years ago in dinghies with his father. He then spent the next 45 years racing dinghies throughout Europe, starting with National 12s and then graduating to trapezing asymmetrics. For the past 20 years, he has cruised Greek waters, crewing for friends and family. In the 2000s he had a share in a Beneteau 321 in the Ionian, before purchasing a Bavaria 38 in the same area in 2011. Mike continued: ‘Carol, my wife, is my regular sailing partner (not crew, because she is more than that to me). We are often joined by family, including grandchildren and friends. We cruise the Ionian if our guests are less experienced and further afield for the more adventurous. ‘My reason for choosing Olieta is perhaps curious. Late in 2018, I came across a Dufour 425GL for sale and I was struck by her lines. Moving forward to May 2019, I was sailing in the Ionian and met up with sailing friends at a favourite mooringrestaurant. With them was Alan, the owner of a Dufour 425GL. In conversation it transpired that Alan had also competed in National 12s in the 1970s and we must have competed against each other. He had gone on to be a professional sailmaker. So, if a professional sailmaker chose the Dufour 425GL, that was a pretty good endorsement for me. ‘Olieta is presently in the UK and was our home while we were between houses. Subject to circumstances, we will sail her out to Greece in 2021 or 2022. I have only properly sailed her on my delivery trip from Ipswich to Brighton, but I was extremely pleased with the performance, which was balanced and responsive. ‘So far Carol and I have only had one opportunity to take her out this summer and this was a long weekend to Chichester with no wind. We are both pleased with her but still need more time to adjust to her extra size. I was a little surprised at the amount of prop walk going astern, by comparison with our Bavaria, which had effectively the same saildrive. Having twin wheels makes access to the dockside so much easier, particularly when Med mooring, and allows Carol to see more easily from the helm.’ When asked if Olieta is comfortable to live on for extended periods, Mike exclaimed, ‘Very! We were liveaboards during the lockdown. She has a very similar layout to our Bavaria 38, but the additional space makes it so much more comfortable. Now that we are retired, we will be making an extended cruise in the next year or two. But before we depart, we shall be adding radar, AIS, solar charging and perhaps a wind generator.’
S/Y CDREAM (2010)
Cdream is owned by Derek and Glynis Beaumont and kept on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. She has the three-cabin layout with two heads, plus reversible air conditioning throughout, LED lighting, carpets for the winter, a full bimini and Tek-dek in the cockpit. They have been sailing for 50 years, their previous boats being a Westerly Konsort and a Westerly Vulcan. ‘Under sail, the Dufour 425 performs extremely well and she is surprisingly fast,’ says Derek. ‘We sail mainly as a couple and find her easy to handle thanks to everything being controlled from the cockpit. Her only fault is she doesn’t like to reverse to starboard under power. ‘She is very comfortable living aboard and we also have the conversion for an extra double berth in the main saloon.’