With seasoned experience cruising and racing sailboats, these owners joined the Hinckley family back in 2011 when they purchased a Talaria 44. Over the years this couple has had the opportunity to experience the range of Hinckley models through Hinckley Rendezvous, special events, and other Hinckley owners who have become great friends. After falling in love with the model attributes, they purchased their Talaria 43 Flybridge in the fall of 2019. They weren’t expecting their boat would play such a crucial role in their relocation from Annapolis to Boston during a global pandemic.
“When I was a little boy, my grandfather built his own 20’ cold-molded cabin cruiser and I would often help him work on the boat. Since I was roughly 5 years old, I have memories of walking the docks with him, and every time we saw a Hinckley, he would stop to explain to me how these boats were built and what made them special. As I got older, I wondered if I could do that?” It was a lifelong dream coupled with extensive experience owning boats and cruising the waters of the Great Lakes and the Mid-Atlantic that ultimately brought this couple to Hinckley.
Becoming great friends with their Sales Director, Jack Erbes, the husband joined Jack on several deliveries headed south from Annapolis—a unique opportunity to experience a range of Hinckley models underway with a Hinckley expert. During one of these deliveries, he knew there was just something unique about the Talaria 43. Following a Hinckley Rendezvous, the couple had a chance to sea trial the Talaria 43 Flybridge together, and they just fell in love with the T43 model. The comfortable, wide-open spaces for cruising and entertaining and the disappearing salon enclosure were just right for their cruising lifestyle.
When they purchased their Talaria 43 Flybridge, the boat was at the Hinckley yard in Portsmouth, RI. The Annapolis-based couple planned to come up to Rhode Island the following spring to deliver their T43 back home to the Chesapeake Bay. When COVID-19 hit in March, plans changed. With a job offer in Boston, they would be relocating from Annapolis. When the process of moving during a pandemic proved to be complicated, they decided to launch their T43 at the Hinckley yard in Portsmouth, RI, not far from Boston, and use their new boat as a home base while they searched for a new house.
The “home base” turned into a three-week stay docked at Hinckley’s Portsmouth yard and many excursions throughout Narragansett Bay. During this time, they put the Talaria 43 to the test and got to know every square inch of their yacht; thrilled they had chosen the flybridge model. “On a gorgeous day, there’s no place better to drive than on an open flybridge or even sitting in a marina. But, when the weather goes south, there’s no place more comfortable than the helm down below—where you are still part of the action. It just really is the best of both worlds.”
During their time spent on the dock in Portsmouth, the owners continued to develop friendships with the sales and service teams at Hinckley. The couple underscored how important the support from the Hinckley team has been to their Hinckley experience over the years. They said the following: “when you talk about the Hinckley experience—it’s the total experience. It’s the time you spend on the boat, but it’s also the time you spend developing these relationships and friendships with the craftsman, the service team, the sales team, and other Hinckley owners. The people involved truly make it such a rich experience.”
We look forward to seeing these owners on the docks this spring and hearing about their adventures exploring the shores of New England.
