Our boat

Welcome aboard the s/v AbbyGale, our 1985 Endeavour sloop rigged center cockpit sailboat. The s/v stands for sailing vessel, sloop rig means one single mast, and the center cockpit is just that, in the center. She is 40 feet long and weighs 25,000 pounds. An amazing 8,600 pounds of lead is in the bottom of the keel for ballast. The hull speed, which is the fastest a displacement hull (which this is) can travel through the water, is 7.5 knots or 8.7 MPH. Not a screaming fast vessel, but hey, its a sailboat.

Resting at anchor

The engine burns less than 1 gallon of diesel fuel an hour when making a little over 6 knots. We generally only use the engine to get into, and away from the dock, or operating in the crowded Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW). We also use the engine while waiting for a draw bridge to open. Once we get into open water the engine is silenced and the sails raised. It is amazing how peaceful and quiet it gets when all you hear is water slipping past the hull.

Starting at the bow, or forward end, there is a bunk there, referred to as a Vee berth. That is because of the ‘V’ shape due to the hull widening as it goes aft. We generally use this area for storage when not occupied by visitors. There is also a forward head (bathroom) complete with a shower. We have a 10 gallon hot water heater on board that is heated with shore power, 110volts, when at the dock. When we are underway the cooling water from the engine provides the heat, and great caution must be taken as the water temp is up to 170F.

Looking aft towards the galley

Next is the main salon, or living room. This is where the First Mate (Abby’s) quarters are located. We spend most of our below deck time here. The galley, or kitchen, is located on the port side. We have a 12 volt reefer and a propane 3 burner stove. The double galley sink has fresh or salt water available for washing.

Main salon along with the First Mates quarters

Coming aft down the starboard side is our pantry, work bench, navigation station, and storage bins. The engine room access is in this passageway as well.

All the way aft is the master stateroom. We have a nice full sized pillow top mattress that sleeps wonderfully as we gently rock at anchor. With the deck hatches open we sleep with a soft breeze most nights. There is another full head (bathroom) adjoining this stateroom as well. Just about every inch of space is used in some way or another for storage. Keeping tabs of what is where can be a daunting task at times. Most of our time completing a project is the simple act of finding what we are looking for if it hasn’t been touched in a while.

She is a very comfortable sailing vessel and solidly built. The boat will handle much harsher weather than what we are willing to sail in. All in all she has been a very seaworthy home while encouraging us along the way into greater adventures.

Back at the dock