Why did you sell your Swallow?

[Graham W]

After all these years, I still can’t envisage selling my BR20.  I bought it new in 2010 and it’s still going strong.  It’s not used as extensively as in the good old days when I used to trail it across Europe.  But it’s still being modified, with more electronics than ever and the imminent installation of Bentley boards https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,2800.0.html.

I really like the look of the new BC21 but unless I win the lottery it’s out of reach financially and I still prefer having a boat without a lid.  I’ve also considered trading down to a much lighter BR17, which would be easier to manhandle in and out of an awkwardly shaped driveway.  The better alternative is to grub out some obstructive hedging on the drive when my wife’s not looking!

[Llafurio]

I sold my open SR and BR Raidboats, because I no longer do Sail & Oar raids.

I am selling my BRE, because I no longer plan to sail that around Ireland. -Family, dog, age.

I am also selling my BRE, because for what I do locally, a lot: fishing, whalewatching, pubcrawling, cooking, snoring, I found a better suited and more comfortable old shallow draught keelboat. Which I beefed up with a modern BR rig, to have the best of both worlds. Very happy with that now.

IMO one should sell boats when other people could make better use of them.

Claus Riepe

[Sea Simon]

Sold my BRe to buy a (used) BC26. Seeking more comfort in my oldish age...
In that respect, a major leap forward,  perhaps too much in 26ft? I could live without  a porcelain sea toilet (c/w holding tank) and running hot water... at two basins.
Yet it still sails well and has proven competitive in club racing - even sailing single handedly.
We did OK at Mylor Raid 2023 too, mostly against BC23s (no other 26s, but one Coast 250) - but not on handicap, otherwise we would have won almost everything (see my other post re RYA/RORC crazy handicapping of Swallow-style water ballast boats!).
We this year have added both symmetric and asymmetric spinnakers...

Boat lives afloat all season, my nerves (nor my car) wouldn't stand towing it about.
My car struggles with even the MT trailer at (I  think?) >1T and almost 30ft long.
Luckily MT trailer storage is "free",  and not in my garden!

From what I've seen online, I do like the new BC 21. How much? I've  seen no prices.

[Graham W]

I do like the BC 21. How much? I've  seen no prices.

According to yacht.de late last year, a basic boat with just sails (no trailer or engine presumably) would be £28k.

[garethrow]

I sold by Storm 17 reluctantly due to decreasing agility and stamina and progressed to an 'easier' BR20. I really miss the Storm which I think is very under rated. She is drier and more comfortable than the BR20 (or at least the epoxy ply version is) and at just over 200kg is easy to handle on land / retrieving etc. She is a delight to sail and a light touch helm quickly tells you if you haven't got something trimmed quite right. We found though that the combination of no water ballast plus no slab reefing (making reefing relatively hard work) was getting to much for us after a couple of hours in a stiff breeze.

I am curently reading Roger Barnes' book on dinghy cruising and wish I had come across his recommendation of how to rig a gunter spar with a track and second halyard to enable much easier reefing before specifying the Bermuda rig of our BR20. Such is life.

Gareth Rowlands
GRP BR20 Halen Y Mor