So back in October 2021 we were inspired to make a big change in our lives. Still recovering from isolation from the previous years, we decided to take steps towards our future adventures, which meant getting another sailboat. After a couple months of looking we found what we believed to be the right vessel for us – but of course it came with a challenge. While we lived in Virginia, the boat was located in — Columbia, South America…

The Hunt…

We joined up with our trusty broker Terry Grimsbeek (an excellent broker with loads of sailing experience), who helped make it all happen for us. We flew to Cartagena, Columbia for a boat survey and luckily the survey went well. The boat only had had one owner who meticulously maintained her.

Fast forward a couple of months our offer was accepted, we took possession of our new ‘S/V Lil Rubber Ducky II’ and completed her maiden, long Caribbean cruise north.

Some of the Finer Details…

Our vessel is an owner’s version of the 2010 Lagoon 440. Basically an ‘owner’s version’ means that it has 3 cabin & 3 head layout instead of the more commonly found 4 cabin, 4 head charter layout.

Here some of the finer specifications:

2010 Lagoon 440 – Owners Version (3 Cabin)

• Draft – 4.27’
• Length – 44′
• LOA – 44.67′
• LWL – 41.83′
• Beam – 25.25′
• Mast:
  • DWL – 70.21′ (water line to top of mast)
  • Deck Ht – 62’4″ (deck to top of mast)
• Sails – Main Sail, Genoa & Asym Spinnaker
• Fresh Water – 210 gal
• Fuel Capacity – 95 gal
• 2x Inboard Engines – Yanmar, 54 HP
• Type – Saildrive
• Fuel – Diesel

So What’s Up With The Name?

Spoiler alert, yes, we did have a previous sailboat named ‘Lil Rubber Ducky’. She was a beautiful 1989 Jeanneau 51′ Sun Odyssey sailing monohull that we purchased as a former charter boat out of BVI. We had her for a couple of years, sailing her mostly around the Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico. Looking back we have lots of great memories and great experiences. (Maybe more on her later on.)

The name ‘Lil Rubber Ducky’ we know sounds a bit corny however it has stuck with us. In our minds our boat is there to take care of us and help show us the happier side of this world. Sort of like that imaginary friend that’s there for you sharing the highs (and lows) of life. We’re sure that our new ‘Lil Rubber Ducky II’ will be taking good care of us throughout our upcoming journeys.

Where we are now…

And now we’re preparing for our next chapter.

We understand we have lots of learning ahead of us. While (we think) we’ve had a decent amount of experience sailing over the years, our time on catamarans has admittedly been pretty limited. We’re reading books, watching every video we can find on YouTube with sailing families, and we’re sure to get great knowledge from fellow cruisers along the way. Luckily we have massive amounts of determination so we’re not easily discouraged. 😁

While we’re excited for future sailing ventures, many questions still loom like for many others that have yet to leave the anchorage. Money, will we enjoy this, will we be safe. We’re sure those questions will be answered quickly once we finally depart.

And, welcoming change and accepting challenges is what life is all about.  If we are not willing to stretch our comfort zone now and then we’ll never take the steps needed to reach our dreams.

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

– Wayne Gretzky