A smooth handover

At the end of July, Drew and his wife Eloïse picked up Adèle 1 from the port of Les Sables d’Olonnes, on the west coast of France. This is where new Lagoons under 50ft built at the Belleville factory are launched and commissioned.

Picking up a boat on the other side of the world can be daunting, but the handover process overseen by The Multihull Group was smooth from start to finish.

TMG Yachts European team member Tom Barker was on hand to take Drew through the features of the newly designed Lagoon 42. Tom’s role is to check off the delivery and perform the final handover. This includes a review of the electrical equipment, the generator charges, the water systems and boat layout. Tom also showed Drew how to operate the navigation and sailing equipment, making sure he felt comfortable with everything.

This is a key part of the handover service from TMG Yachts – to make sure owners are comfortable with their new yacht and get the most out of it as soon as they take to the water.

Why the Lagoon 42?

When deciding what boat to buy, Drew did his homework and shopped around.

“We looked around quite a bit, and investigated the opposition! We went for the Lagoon based on a number of things. The 42ft is the right size for us, and she has a good feel when under sail. The combination of layout and space was just what we were looking for. She has a good mix of features the we wanted in a catamaran…

…Importantly, the Lagoon 42 sails well short handed. I am used to a large monohull, sailing single handed. Comparably, the 42 is extremely easy to sail.

The 42 is a very, very nice boat. I’d be hard pressed to fault it. Usually with a new boat, after a while you find things you’d like to be different, but there’s little of that with the Lagoon, it has been very well thought through.”

Advantages of a European Pickup

Drew runs a busy facade engineering company called DHC – the company logo can be seen on Adèle 1’s eye catching sails. His packed schedule usually only allows him to manage an ocean crossing every 5 or 10 years – he has ticked off both the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic. But the European pick up option will give him the opportunity to complete 2 crossings in the next 6 months which he is really excited about.

“I think it’s a fascinating and great way to live… I had the choice to wait until semi-retirement in a few years or to just go ahead and do it. And I am lucky to have the choice of setting the boat up so I can work anywhere in the world.

You never know what will be in 5 years, your health and circumstances can change at anytime. I would say if you want to do it, just do it… So many people put things off until retirement, and then can’t achieve their dream when they get there. I’m happy with my choice, It stretches you a bit and you juggle a lot of things, but with good people like Tom Barker and the team at TMG Yachts, you can follow your dream”.