A passion for boats
We are in 2006. Richard has been a modeler for several years. He is regularly on board as a crew member, on old sailing ships during the Brest maritime festivals, or on a First 31.7 on the occasion of regattas. He would like his wife to discover sailing: he would like her to share his passion and accompany him in his adventures on the water.
Objective reached! Thanks to a first sailboat, a Dufour T6 in the Gulf of Morbihan, his wife is convinced. From then on, each of their future sailboats was chosen as a duo: a few years later, they bought a 9.5-meter Rush.
Choose a "last boat"
In 2015, the couple was looking for a new sailboat to purchase. Richard recounts, " I was 53 years old at the time. Knowing that this would be our last boat, my wife and I wanted to buy a comfortable sailboat, physically not too hard to handle ". An important criterion for him is to have a furling mainsail, even if he finds it difficult to make the change.
The couple hesitated between two monohulls: a Sun Odyssey or a Bavaria, both 37 feet long. The budgetary difference is notable: the Bavaria is 50,000 euros and the Sun Odyssey almost 10,000 euros more expensive.
Richard explains their choice for the Bavaria 37 in a two-cabin version: " My wife fell in love with the layout with the two seats in the saloon. For me, the boat had the advantage of having full on-board electronics, an autopilot, a Webasto heater, a convertible top and a bimini ".
And because they were also seduced by the real chart table offered by the sailboat and the more consequent storage space than on the second model, they bought the boat. This one is called The Moko . It came out of the Bavaria Yachts shipyard during the year 2000, when the production of this model was just starting.
The yacht is 11 meters long and 3.65 meters wide. It is equipped with a fixed keel giving it a draft of 1.85 meters and a sloop rig at the head. It is equipped with a Volvo MD 2030 sail-drive engine of 30 horsepower, two fresh water tanks of 150 liters each and a fuel tank of the same capacity.
The interior offers two cabins, a bathroom, a large saloon, a kitchen and a chart table area.
Following their purchase, Richard and his wife changed the sails, installed an alternator charger and new batteries, and redid the hood. They also removed the companionway panels and replaced them with two small doors.
Finally, they redid the insulation of the refrigerator to reduce the electricity consumption and switched all the lighting of the boat to LED.
Discover the territory through navigation
Today, Le Moko is based in Dunkerque. Richard and his wife sail in the North Sea and the English Channel, in Brittany, on the South and East coasts of England. On weekends, they often sail along the Belgian coast and the inland seas of the Netherlands. Their future projects include the discovery of Loch Ness, the Baltic Sea and Norway.
Asked about the boat's behavior, Richard says the Bavaria 37 is smooth at the helm, easy to handle with two people, and particularly maneuverable, including in reverse. According to him, with the furling mainsail version, you need a little air to feel it live. He notes: "It's not the fastest, and you can't expect to do better than 80° side to side if you want to keep the speed up. A reduction of the genoa is to be expected from 20 knots of real wind, because the boat heels easily. But with 6 knots, Le Moko has finally an acceptable average speed .
Comfort on board
Richard and his wife sail the equivalent of 7 weeks and about 700 nautical miles per year. He states, " Our boat is our second home, and we spend most of our weekends on board ".
According to him, the two-cabin version of the cruise ship offers comfortable living spaces: he appreciates the large aft cabin and the bathroom, although he regrets not having a separate shower.
The U-shaped galley is practical at sea and the addition of a strap makes it very secure.
Richard finds, however, that the mahogany woodwork makes the boat look darker. He advises," A brightening is to be expected with lighter cushion covers or the return of the ceiling to be painted white ".
A sailboat that would not have the reputation it deserves
Richard confides that he first became interested in the brand via forums, where discussions about the various models that came out of the yard were lively.
After making up his own mind, he states "I finally see a big gap between criticism and reality. I find this sailboat to be good value for money." . He adds with a laugh " So thanks to the haters, without them we would have missed out on a great opportunity!"
Six years later, Richard and his wife are still happy with their purchase.
He concludes " It is a boat that ages very well. No cracks have appeared yet, only the chalking of the gelcoat is starting to be visible." .
