Baggywrinkle
Well-Known Member
The September Issue of yachting monthly contains 14 pages dedicated to the Contessa 32, and it's not the first time considerable coverage has been given to this and other classics from the 70s. The question I ask is why? Isn't there enough from the last 25 years to fill the pages of YM?
I get the nostalgic appeal, my Dad would have killed for one when we were cruising our Kingfisher 20 and Albin Vega around the West coast of Scotland in the 70s/80s. A Contessa 32 was an aspirational boat at the time, and obviously they still have a strong following. They were near the top on my list too when it came to buying my own family cruiser almost 20 years ago. That was until I actually went to see one. My significant other looked at me as if I was mad, and vetoed it immediately.
We are a family of 5 and I must admit, I was somewhat disappointed by the concept when I saw it in the flesh. Nostalgia is a funny thing .... lusting after a Contessa 32 from the cockpit of an Albin Vega in the 80s is a completely different experience to viewing a decades old example in 2010, after having just chartered a nearly new Oceanis 393 a few weeks earlier. When it comes to getting your wallet out and taking the plunge, nostalgia becomes a very poor argument indeed. There was no way in this world I was going to persuade my family to spend 3 weeks cooped up on a Contessa, despite having enjoyed even smaller boats as a kid. I wasn't completely dissuaded though, but after looking at a few other boats I had lusted after from the confines of our Vega, my nostalgia bubble well and truly burst. I came to the conclusion that offerings from the 70s/80s simply don't cut it by modern standards, and most are floating sheds in need of major renovation, the few remaining good, serviceable ones are in use and not for sale.
... but back to the articles. The new version "as tested" was £580,000
- and I noticed there was no "Alternatives to consider" section ... not even YMs most die-hard old salt could manage the mental gymnastics and "man maths" required for that price tag to make sense. There is a customer for it somewhere, for whom money is no object, and nostalgia is the only reason they need I guess. I also noticed that despite waxing lyrically about its offshore credentials, the water capacity was quoted as 75l and fuel at 60l, these seem woefully inadequate for a serious offshore boat (at 5l per person per day you've got 5 days of water for a crew of 3 - with no reserve - and you ain't going to get very far in 5 days) - I guess cult boats get a free pass for fear of upsetting owners associations, so are never going to get a critical review from the mainstream press.
My conclusion after reading all 14 pages is that a Contessa 32 is actually a perfect man-cave on water, a floating potting shed for single blokes to retire to, so they can re-live their youth, escape the family, and have minor adventures re-living the '79 Fastnet in their heads. Maybe with the company of a like minded masochistic crew. Got to celebrate the diversity of the sailing community even if you don't "get it".
I get the nostalgic appeal, my Dad would have killed for one when we were cruising our Kingfisher 20 and Albin Vega around the West coast of Scotland in the 70s/80s. A Contessa 32 was an aspirational boat at the time, and obviously they still have a strong following. They were near the top on my list too when it came to buying my own family cruiser almost 20 years ago. That was until I actually went to see one. My significant other looked at me as if I was mad, and vetoed it immediately.
We are a family of 5 and I must admit, I was somewhat disappointed by the concept when I saw it in the flesh. Nostalgia is a funny thing .... lusting after a Contessa 32 from the cockpit of an Albin Vega in the 80s is a completely different experience to viewing a decades old example in 2010, after having just chartered a nearly new Oceanis 393 a few weeks earlier. When it comes to getting your wallet out and taking the plunge, nostalgia becomes a very poor argument indeed. There was no way in this world I was going to persuade my family to spend 3 weeks cooped up on a Contessa, despite having enjoyed even smaller boats as a kid. I wasn't completely dissuaded though, but after looking at a few other boats I had lusted after from the confines of our Vega, my nostalgia bubble well and truly burst. I came to the conclusion that offerings from the 70s/80s simply don't cut it by modern standards, and most are floating sheds in need of major renovation, the few remaining good, serviceable ones are in use and not for sale.
... but back to the articles. The new version "as tested" was £580,000
- and I noticed there was no "Alternatives to consider" section ... not even YMs most die-hard old salt could manage the mental gymnastics and "man maths" required for that price tag to make sense. There is a customer for it somewhere, for whom money is no object, and nostalgia is the only reason they need I guess. I also noticed that despite waxing lyrically about its offshore credentials, the water capacity was quoted as 75l and fuel at 60l, these seem woefully inadequate for a serious offshore boat (at 5l per person per day you've got 5 days of water for a crew of 3 - with no reserve - and you ain't going to get very far in 5 days) - I guess cult boats get a free pass for fear of upsetting owners associations, so are never going to get a critical review from the mainstream press.My conclusion after reading all 14 pages is that a Contessa 32 is actually a perfect man-cave on water, a floating potting shed for single blokes to retire to, so they can re-live their youth, escape the family, and have minor adventures re-living the '79 Fastnet in their heads. Maybe with the company of a like minded masochistic crew. Got to celebrate the diversity of the sailing community even if you don't "get it".
