Soul Balladeer

Enjoy our lady’s theme song while you read….scroll down left margin to music player….click play…Cheers

I remember the first day I stumbled across a Hans Christian. I was looking at a Mason 38 to possibly purchase and met with the owner on a cold autumn evening at the base of Second Narrows bridge in North Vancouver. The year was 1991. It was damp that night, and the warmth of the Mason was inviting.

Conversations circled around living aboard, and ultimately led me to ask, “Why are you selling her, you seem very attached ?” It was then that I heard the words… “Hans Christian”.

The owner had just made an offer on a HC48T that had keel damage. He offered to take me over to see his new found love and as luck would have it, she was in the same marina.

I will always remember that first encounter….her lines were classic….a rare blend of beauty and strength…

Of course owning a Hans Christian was well beyond my chequing account.( I mention chequing because saving was a novel concept at that point). Nevertheless, her image would haunt me throughout the next 21 years.

Anyone that has spent any amount of time in the PNW has probably learned that yes, ….it rains….. it rains a lot ….and sometimes it is sunny and then….it rains a lot again…So…I’m the guy that won’t go in the water at the lake in the summer because it’s too damn cold….How would I ever be able to cope? You get wet when you sail…correct?

Then I made another life altering discovery…..The Hans Christian 44 Pilothouse. 🙂

She takes all the beauty of the HC traditional design and adds a very key element( for me)…….WARMTH.

The more I learned about the 44PH, the more I realized that she was the best of both worlds.

I began chasing the dream…again….I met with Jack Hall of HC Thailand. As luck would have it, I worked in Ban Chang which was 15 mins from the HC yard so I pestered Jack numerous times over 5 years, and saw firsthand why the Hans Christian name is coveted the world over.

Jack has dedicated himself to upholding the superb build qualities of these fine yachts.  The more I learned about the HCPH, the more I knew I would love to have one.

I’ve since introduced  Denise ,my better half, to my love of Hans Christian yachts. Denise has accepted this other woman in my life and finally, we have just recently purchased our ” Soul Balladeer”

So…..Stop by every now and then…we’ll be adding pages and comments as things unfold…