The search started in earnest when we moved to Norway after backpacking and traveling for a year and a half. We ultimately looked actively for three long years! We’re so glad those three years were in Norway becuase it is a wonderful place to live and explore. The work life balance there is supurb and the standard of living high.
Traveling with a boat is a perfect way to explore. When you’re constantly on the move, it’s worth it’s weight in gold to have all of your things with you. On a boat, you always have all of your belongings and food with you, without having to carry them. Your can clean your own space, and sleep in your own bed every night! And on top of all that, you can be nearly self sustainable by making your own electricity, water, and catching/collecting your own food.
The places you can go with a boat range from in the middle of the hustle and bustle, to out on your own in some picturesque landscape by the coast. YOU choose. There is no road. YOU choose the pathway forward. Or… ehhhehemm… you choose the pathway forward together with the weather forecast. Hah!
So, the question is, what kind of boat did we want to buy??
That’s a hard one. At first we thought we wanted a nice, solid, older, good quality Swedish monohull.
However, after several years of sailing and looking for boats, we came to realize that a catamaran would be a safer and more stable place to make our home on the seas. The double engine provides redundancy if one breaks down, the construction of the Leopard catamaran hulls encorporate large enclosed pockets of air that keep you afloat even with major damage to aft compartments. They are underrigged so they don’t swing up towards the wind in large gusts. They don’t lean as much, if at all, because of their two hulls. They have escape hatches for entering into the boat if they flip, but a flipped Leopard is very rare. They feel more like a home with single or double steps instead of ladders. There is tons of light in the cabins and main saloon. The kitchen is large with plenty of room for fridges, freezers, and watermaker installations. There is lots of room for storage and new installations for blue water cruising needs, like inverters, extra solar, extra water and diesel tanks, as well as a dive compressor. Last, but not least, the seating area in the back by the helm (steering wheel) is enormous, and let’s be honest, that’s where you spend the most amount of time right? The Leopards from 2006 and later have hard tops over that area, making it safe, maintenance-free (no biminey replacements), and a stable place to install solar and zip up the sail bag from.
We ultimately knew we wanted a Leopard, but it was all up to the market and what was available at that time. We looked at several Fontain Pajots, Lagoons, and Leopards from 38 to 42 feet. We inspected and put bids on several boats before spotting our dream boat on the market in October 2020: a Leopard 43 from 2006. Oooo she was beautiful, and ticked all our boxes!
