1986 Endeavour 42
When looking for our floating home, we had a few requirements beyond priority one, which was, of course, sailing capability! For example: Alan could not bear the thought of having to duck under doorways or in passages, so full headroom throughout was mandatory. I could not imagine one of us having to climb over the other to get in and out of bed, so a centerline berth was required. Alan wanted larger, I wanted small enough for us to handle alone. 42′ was a compromise, and the Endeavour 42 is particularly well laid out, having the feeling of being a larger space than it is. We also wanted a center cockpit design. And we plan to spend long periods off the grid, so solar and wind power were important.
After searching the Texas Gulf Coast (we first got on an E42 there.) We searched the internet. We went to Windsor, Canada to look at one. We went to California. We made a road trip of the entire coast of Florida. After getting on and off dozens and dozens of boats, we had decided the E42 was most likely “it”, and we made an offer on one. To our chagrin, that offer wasn’t accepted. But, as always, there was a reason for that, because Consort came up for sale on our way home. There was just one catch: she lay in Guatemala.
She had traveled the Caribbean from Florida to Venezuela, and appeared to be well equipped to continue on. She was cutter rigged, our preference. She also had some unique modifications that added to her stiffness and open water reliability. This all sounded very promising, but what if we went all that way and found her not as described? (not that boat ads are ever misleading…) How could we be sure? Alan set off on an email conversation with the owner, and he answered each of our questions patiently and with photos when requested. Eventually, we were as comfortable as we could be from 3,000 miles away.
Once we felt relatively certain she was the boat for us. We booked our flights to Guatemala, with the intention to sail home if all went well, and have a nice trip if it did not. At least it would make a good story, right?
Things went well enough that the rest, as they say, is history. The trip back to Texas confirmed that she was more than seaworthy, as we did not have the luxury of waiting on the weather and endured some rough conditions. Consort took it all in stride. She is a gracious and kindly girl, and treated us well as we learned all her systems and characteristics.
OVERVIEW
DESIGNER: Johan Valentijn
PRODUCTION: 1985-1991
HULLS: About 257 made
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 42’3″
LWL: 33’4″
BEAM: 13’0″
DRAFT: 5’0″
DSPL: 25,000lbs
BALLAST: 9,000lbs (internal lead)
MAST: 61’1.5″ DWL
SAIL AREA: 788 sq ft
Back in Texas, we began a thorough refit to update and make her our own. We have since moved aboard, and feel right at home. We have crossed the Gulf of Mexico to Tampa Bay, Florida and then on to Marathon in the Florida Keys. We have been thoroughly impressed with her performance in all conditions we have encountered, and look forward to many more miles under her keel.