#9: S/V Felicity, Unveiled

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for . . . drumroll, please . . . a blog about the actual boat we’ll be building! That’s right, folks—no abstract musings in this one. I’m going to dish on the real deal. I know you’re as anxious as I am to get to the good stuff, so without further ado . . . anchors aweigh!

Alas, we have renderings of Felicity! Keep in mind, there will also be as many solar panels as possible, railing, plus a dinghy, but this is the gist:

This year, we worked with Schionning Designs to customize a 49-foot-long Arrow 1500. It’s considered a performance catamaran, which translates to less motoring and more sailing in light wind. After we finalized the design, we waited to find out when our kit would arrive. At the beginning of this month, we were overjoyed to have learned that we did not miss the boat: our files were indeed cut and stocked in a container just in time for a scheduled cargo ship to pick it up in South Africa. The bones of Felicity should be in Houston, Texas, by mid-December!

The estimated build time is 7,200 hours (3.5 years if only one person works 40 h/wk on it), but with our modifications such as adding a front cockpit and first-timer experience, we might be looking at a bit longer than a total of 7,200 hours. Or maybe not . . . our kids are pros at Lego creations, after all! Speaking of a front cockpit, that’s something that’s not in the 1500’s original design, but in addition to the typical rear cockpit, Nick and I wanted direct access through a door facing the bow in case of emergencies. Also, it might be a great place to lounge, plus it allows for more light and ventilation into the berths on both starboard and port.

The rear cockpit features starboard and port helm stations, with helm seats that Nick designed. (See rendering below. Cute, huh?) We opted for wheels that can swing in or out, depending on weather conditions and whatnot. And there will be plenty of sitting room for everyone onboard to hang out with the helmsman.

The port side can sleep six, with a head, sink, and shower. Upstairs in the salon, there is room for a large freezer, a dinette table that could store our house bank batteries underneath the seats, a U-shaped galley, and a nav station facing the bow before going down the steps to the starboard hull.

We wanted the starboard side to feel like a master suite, so it has just one queen bed, an office space toward the bow, and a head, sink, and shower toward the stern.

Well, that’s the main idea of what Felicity will look like, assuming we put her together according to plans. Fingers crossed it all goes swimmingly! If you want to check out more details about the original Arrow 1500 design, check out Schionning Design’s website: https://schionningdesign.com/arrow-1500/