About T-Fish

Hallberg Rassy (HR) is a well-known Swedish shipyard producing high-quality blue water yachts (these are yachts built for serious off-shore sailing - 'blue' because of the water colour of the open ocean). Compared to boats from other shipyards, HR yachts are costly but nonetheless widely used by 'live-aboards' and circumnavigation crews because of their proven quality, comfort and sturdiness.

copy from the expose of the pre-owner

The HR 352 (hull length: 10.54m, beam: 3.38m, draft: 1.67m, displacement: 6.7t, - designed by Christoph Rassy / Olle Enderlein and built from 1978 - 1991) manifested the success of the HR shipyard with more than 800 units built. Her sailing qualities are outspoken, in particular in  heavy weather conditions, thanks to a semi-long keel and a perfect balanced rudder protected by a skeg. Further adding to the safeness at sea is a powerful engine (55 hps which is about twice as much compared to other boats of her class) and a center cockpit with a fixed window which perfectly protects the crew. The interior is comfortable with a walk through to the aft cabin and offers ample storage room and sufficient space for 2-3 adults for long-distance cruises. She also can be easily handled single handed (which means sailing alone, without crew and has nothing to do with a physical handicap). Compared to modern-designed yachts, she is a bit slow in light wind conditions but shows her quality in stronger winds. Thanks to her seaworthiness and comfortable interior she is a very sought after model on the second hand boat market and therefore tends to keep her value for many years.

HR 352 side view from: http://www.hallberg-rassy.com/hr352/

T-Fish:

2007, Porto

We bought T-Fish (hull-no: 733, built year: 1989) as her 3rd owner in 2004 and since then continuously maintained and upgraded her. She was in pristine conditions, fully equipped and very well maintained, like new, although she had already 15 years 'on her keel'. This justified the high price we paid which in fact was higher than her original price but we do not regret it! Think about it - she was 'as new' and had the look, size and quality of her legendary successor, the HR36 which at that time was new about double the price of what we paid for T-Fish. True, we could have bought a new, modern designed yacht of her class for the same price but I am not sure we would have done all the adventurous trips with such a boat. She never let us down and always conveyed us a sense of security and trust.

2012, Sardinia

And still today, with about 25 years on her keel, she still is in excellent condition and looks superb (I know this is a man's thingy). Take a look at the pics on this site.

So far goes my rationale justifying buying T-Fish but I have to confess that there was also the issue that 'men tend to loose their mind when falling in love'! Most likely this applies to all boat owners (and other expensive man's toys). If you consider buying a sailing yacht, see my opinion here: To-Buy or Not-To-Buy: That is the question!, although I know, it will not prevent you from buying if there is already a bond of affection in place and, of course, if you can afford her!

What's about the Name?

saloon (with a hungry crew)

Strange name for a boat, isn't it? A boat is supposed to swim on the water and not under the water as fishes do. Well, curiously we asked the pre-owner and found out that apparently her 1st owner baptised her Two-Fishes, after a well-known resort hotel in Kenya which burned down in 1999.

Galley (with smutje at work)

As the first owner intended to keep the name for his next boat (I wish he had better experience with it than the hotel), the new owner simple deleted 'ree'  of the Tree and 'es' of the Fishes, assuming that this would please Neptune and temper his potential rage (as you likely know, boat names are related to their soul and never, ever should be changed!). Well, I must say - it worked!

Cruising with T-Fish:

Here a list of sailing trips we did with T-Fish since we bought her:

• 2004: Holland, Ijsselmeer and West Friesland Island (Terschelling, Vlieland,...)
• 2005: Holland, Belgium, France, Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderny), Holland
• 2006: Holland, Germany, Denmark (Borkum, Helgoland, Cuxhafen, Kiel Canal), Baltic Sea (Danish South Sea Islands), Holland
• 2007: Transfer to Italy: Ijmuiden, English Channel, Camaret Sur Mer, Porto, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Corsica, Elba, Rome
• 2008: Rome, Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Giannutri, Giglio, San Felice Circeo, Ponza, Palmarola, Ventotene, Ischia, Capri), Rome
• 2009: Rome, Sardinia, Maddalena Islands, Corsica, Rome
• 2010: Transfer to Tropea, Calabria, Italy, and Aeolian Islands (Stromboli, Panarea, Salina, Lipari, Vulcano, Filicudi)
• 2011: planned was a trip to Sicily which we had to skip because of a engine problem. Short trips to the Aelian Island over long week-ends
• 2012: transfer to Southern Sardinia (Vulcano, Ustica, Villasimius, Teulada, Sant'Antioco, Carloforte,  North of Buggeru)
• 2013: spring: transfer back to Tropea via Ustica, summer: Egadi Islands (Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo) and along the North Sicilian coast (Trapani, San Vito Lo Capo, Isola delle Femmine, Cefalu) and via Vulcano to Tropea
• 2014: summer vacations on the boat in Tropea with two shorter trips to the Aeolian Islands
• 2015: Pentecost: Stromboli and Panarea - Oct: transfer from Tropea to Rome
• 2016: Pentocost: Rome - Anzio - Ponza - Nettuno - Rome; Summer: Rome - Santa Marinella - Gianutri - Giglio - Talamone - Elba (Porto Azzuro and along the south coast to Fetovaia) - Giglio - Rome
• 2017: living on T-Fish and commuting between Rome and Brussels on week-ends, teak deck restoration - transfer of T-Fish from Rome via Porto Vecchio and Porto Torres to Fertilia (Sardinia) - as a new home base while I moved back to Brussels
• 2018: besides a shakedown cruise along the western coast of Sardinia T-Fish stayed in Fertilia and we were busy moving back from Brussels to Rome.
• 2019: Spring - a sailing week with a friend from the US and Charly from Fertilia to Bonifacio with very good sailing conditions - Summer: Ferilia - Asinara - Castelsardo - Santa Teresa Gallura - Isole Maddalena - Costa Smeralda - Olbia - Golfo Aranci - Porto Riva di Traiano (current home base)
• 2020: Riva di Traiano - Porto Ercole - Giglio - Gianutri and later Riva di Traiano - Palmarola - Ponza - Riva di Traiano 
• 2021: Riva di Traiano - Olbia - Golfo Aranci - Costa Smeralda - La Maddalena - Alghero - Asinara - Castelsardo (for the winter) 
• 2022: Castelsardo (Sardinia) - Mao (Menorca) - Ses Saline (Menorca) - Ciutadella (Menorca) -  Port de Colom (Mallorca) - Cala Sa Nau (Mallorca) - Cala Mondrago (Mallorca) - Las Isletas (Bucht westl von Palma, Mallorca), Palma (Mallorca) - Ibiza Stadt (Ibiza), Sant Antoni di Portmony (Ibiza) - Port de Miquel (Ibiza) - Valencia - Columbretes - Peniscola -Valencia - Cabo San Antonio - Cap Negre -Moraira - Denia - Valencia - Denia - Tabarca - Cartagena - Cabo de Gata - Almerimar - Fuengirola - Gibraltar - Porto Santo - Funchal - Porto Santo (1888 nm about 3500km)
• 2023: Porto Santo (Portugal) - Madeira - Porto Santo - Santa Maria (Azores, Portugal) - Sao Miguel - Terceira - Sao Jorge - Faisal - Santa Maria - Porto Santo - Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) - Marina del Sur, Teneriffa - Hierro - Marina San Miguel, Teneriffa - San Sebastian, La Gomera, - Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera - Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) - total 2253,9 nm about 4057km
• 2024: