Darren was instrumental in helping me experience the joys of sailing and the cruising lifestyle. We first met at the Seattle Boat Show, where I was captivated by the beauty and elegance of the new Marlow Hunter sailing fleet. I was just approaching 40 and in the midst of a life and a career transition. I hadn’t really sailed, much less owned a boat, and I had this romantic dream of living on my sailboat while building the skills required to safely explore the beautiful coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.
When I shared my vision and budget with Darren, he suggested I take a look at a 1998 Hunter 380, which he mentioned would be the perfect live-aboard yacht with excellent sailing performance. She was the first boat I had ever looked at closely – it was love at first sight. I kept on searching though and spoke to many yacht brokers along the way. Darren never pushed, but was always available to answer the numerous questions of this first-time sailboat buyer.
A few months passed before he and Lawrence suggested I come up and take another look. When I finally decided to pull the trigger, they walked me through the entire process, including arranging repair work and delivery to my current home port in Washington State.
Darren and the entire Specialty Yachts team were professionals throughout the process, but they never lost their personal touch. Two months after closing the purchase, I singlehanded my new sailboat 60 miles across the Strait of Georgia to join them and fellow Hunter owners at this year’s Thetis Island Rendezvous; it felt like reconnecting with old friends.
I have been living aboard for four months and sailing the Gulf Islands and San Juan archipelago every chance I can get. The experience has been nothing short of amazing and I credit Specialty Yachts for helping me purchase the perfect boat for my newest adventure!
Kiran Patankar – Hunter 380 “Boatisattva