Rivendell is a 1981 Tayana 42 center-cockpit cutter.
She's a tried and true cruising boat, having already circled the
globe once.
While living on our Alberg 35 Pelican in
Seattle, we started thinking space was getting a little tight.
We loved Pelican and had the most amazing adventures
sailing her to Mexico in 2002, but living with two cats, a dog
and two humans on what is the smallest 35 footer you'll ever
meet was just getting kind of crazy. We knew either a farm
or a bigger boat was going to be in our future....
One rainy Saturday in
January, we stopped by the brokerage firm a friend works for in
Lake Union to say hi and check out this interesting boat we'd
seen on
Yachtworld. The first time we stepped onboard
Rivendell we were goners. It was like all those dreamy
conversations we'd had about our someday ideal cruising boat had
materialized in front of us.
She has our very favorite
cruising layout -- a large aft cabin with a queen bed, and
center cockpit high off the water where one can sail without getting
(really) wet (impossible on an Alberg 35 in any winds over 10
knots). Best of all, we have an extra v-berth that is
always available for friends, when the cats aren't wrestling up
there.
The head is forward with a small
sink; aft is a large shower -- especially nice when we want to
wash ourselves in a crowded harbor and don't feel like showering
naked in the cockpit....or when it's pouring outside.
In the
walkthrough to the aft cabin, opposite
the engine compartment (wherein lies our blue beast of a Perkins
4-108) is a workbench complete with vice, a counter smooth with
years of oily projects, and ample storage for all tools and
spares.
In the main salon is a roomy navigation station to
port of the companionway steps, and a very functional galley to
starboard. A large u-shaped dinette is across from a long
settee. The table extends even further to those sitting on
the settee for eating. Dinner for 10, anyone?
Not only
is Rivendell the most comfortable liveaboard boat we could
imagine, but she sails like a dream too. Even in the
light airs of Puget Sound she easily reaches 6 knots and no
doubt will cruise along much faster in some heavier stuff.
Her roller furling genoa and lines led to the cockpit make her
easily handled and her hank-on staysail with removable stay gives her a versatile
sailplan for all conditions.
The Numbers
For those of you who like real specs, here they are:
Year
built: 1981
Hull Number: 29
Yard: Ta Yang Yacht Building Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Designer: Robert Harris
Length Overall: 41'-9"
Length at waterline: 33'
Maximum Beam: 12'-6"
Displacement: 29,150
Draft: 5'-10"
Ballast: 11,800
Sail area: 1,009 sq. ft.
Fuel: 120 gallons
Water: 200 gallons
Engine: Perkins 4-108 diesel (50 h.p.)
What does "Rivendell" mean?
Rivendell is the mythical elven forest city in J.R.R.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. A place of peace and
natural beauty, it is how we imagine heaven; so does
Rush, our favorite Canadian band. Why, they've even
written a song about it, and in fact
the lyrics are what convinced us that "Rivendell" is where
we want to be.
