Jonathan's interview,
Sweden, Nauticat 44

- Where are you from?
- I am from Stockholm, Sweden.

- What kind of boat do you have and what year of production is it?
- I have a Nauticat 44 right now and this boat is from 1984.

- How long have you been sailing in general and, in particular, on this boat?
- I spend more days and nights on board than I do in my apartment all year round, so I am on board both in winter and in summer.

- What area do you prefer to sail in? And what is your favorite place for sailing?
- I love the Baltic Sea here just because of the archipelago and the endless number of islands to explore. I don't really like long passages, but I enjoy hopping from island to island, and Sweden, of course, is perfect for that. But also, areas like Croatia, the countries in the Mediterranean sea have got a lot of islands. So that’s the type of sailing I enjoy.

- How much did you use the sails and how much time did you use the engine in percentages during your trip?
- First of all, there are usually a lot of people on board, and secondly, we like comfort. We definitely use the sails when we have a good opportunity, though we also use the engine.

- How often do you spend your time on board during the year?
- I do not sail very often. I view it from a safety perspective, but also from a purely social perspective.

- Do you prefer to sail alone or with family and friends?
- It is so much more fun to sail with a group of people and share new experiences together.
For every summer, I make a big Excel spreadsheet covering 5-6 weeks and I mark out when everyone is hopping on and or off. So, it usually turns out to be somewhere between 15-20 people who are hopping on and off for different lengths of time, and different types of people - everything from girlfriend to parents, siblings, a lot of friends and, of course, my cat. She’s along for the trip too.

- Tell us your story about trips. Which one has impressed you most?
- Yes, the one of the best sailings we had with this Nauticat might have been the first week after I bought her. I bought this boat up in the North of Sweden along the coast; way up North in an area called the High Coast. I had been up to do a review of the boat and to check her out, to lift her up on land and check her out under the waterline. When it was time to actually pick her up and take her back down to Stockholm, I went up together with seven other friends and we sailed the boat down during a week along the Swedish coast to Stockholm. We sailed during the day, at night, through storms and fog and it was just a fantastic experience to get to know this new boat in all types of conditions. It was probably one of the most memorable weeks.

- Were you satisfied with your Nauticat boat in hazardous climatic conditions?
- Oh yes, I have absolutely been satisfied with that! It is a great boat for everything, except maybe the very coldest months in Sweden. November, December, January are significantly cold, but in other months it works perfectly.

- Could you describe some of the pros and cons of the boat from a personal point of view?
- Oh, there are so many advantages. I love the amount of space this boat has, and the saloon which has a 360-degree view of the sea is the main selling point. Most modern sailboats today have very small windows so if you are not outside of the cockpit basically you do not have a view at all, but with the Nauticat you have got a beautiful view and it is absolutely fantastic. Besides, Nauticat has a lot more character than a regular sailboat .
When we sail into a harbor, we always get a crowd which comes to admire the boat because it looks so different and so much more beautiful than the regular plastic white sail boats.
Also, it is a big, heavy, sturdy boat. A Nauticat boat is very secure and extremely safe.
On Nauticat neither me, nor any of my passengers have ever been seasick.
The boat feels very secure and has a real proper wooden railing, so it is very safe and secure for adults and smaller kids as well.

- So, given your general experience with Nauticat yachts, would you recommend these yachts to others?
- I think that the older Nauticat models were a little more distinct. They are the most beautiful ones. Moreover, I think that Nauticat a little bit lost its way when started making sailboats that looked more like any others sailboats unless like a typical Nauticats. Therefore, I want Nauticat to go back making more distinct boats with the high deck saloon and with the wooden trim, since that makes Nauticat boats more distinct. I think that’s the soul of the brand.

- What did you change when you were refitting your boat and why?
- I love the way this boat looks. I love cell lines ever. I would only make some upgrades, certain remodels, for instance a roller mast or rebuild the interior. In general, the way my Nauticat looks is perfection, so I would only change the internal function. Last year I changed all the electrical navigational equipment and the next step will be to work with some of the layouts.

- Let us talk about your plans for the future. Have you ever traveled around the world?
- I left an idea traveling around the world, as I said I do not really like these long passages. Though something that is more realistic and closer in time maybe is to escape the Stockholm winters. So, one of my dreams is to go down through the canals of Europe, as then you will get both protection from all the high waves, if you go around threads on the outside but also get to see a lot of the exciting cities and it is always close to points where I can pick up and drop off crew, friends and family.

- What does yachting mean to you?
- I would say socializing and spending time with my family and friends, exploring new islands and new areas.