It can be a leap of faith to become the first person in the country to buy a particular type of boat. If, however, you have faith in the company behind the boat, the people you’re going to be dealing with and, of course, in the boat itself, is there any reason to hold back?
Back in 2003, Kathy Claydon didn’t think there was. The boat she had in her sights was the Arcona 370, then the newest model in a Swedish range that few people in the UK had heard of. Since then, Arcona has become an established and highly respected name among British sailors, helping to maintain the reputation of Swedish yachts in general for combining good performance with soundly engineered construction and an exceptionally high level of interior finish.
The fact that Arcona’s smaller models are built on an Estonian island (albeit one with a Swedish history) had no significant bearing on the way the boats were perceived in the early days – and nor should it. Other Scandinavian yards have also taken advantage of the boatbuilding skills offered by some of the islands in the Baltic. Arcona’s HQ was (and still is) in Gustavsberg, near Stockholm, where the Estonian-built boats are completed before being shipped or commissioned.
Kathy’s only problem at the time was that there were no 370s in the UK. She had sailed the 400 owned by the then UK distributor, Tony Bottomley, liked it and had faith in the construction, but a trip to Sweden was needed for her to see a 370 in the flesh, to visit the yard and to meet the builders.
FASTER IN STYLE
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