Safari to Sail: Kenyan Leopard 44 Owners Enjoy Africa's Land and Sea
My wife and I currently use our L44 for family and safari friends on short outings here in Kenya. Being from a safari background, we love to fish, snorkel and explore off the beaten track [Piers] areas as much as possible. With her shallow draught (4’), Hide Away is ideal for this purpose and we have already taken her into some extraordinary places … at times we have had the depth sounder reading ‘0.0’ with no ill effects !! - Piers B., Leopard 44 Owner, Kenya
Like many new Leopard owners, Piers joined the delivery crew for the last leg of the delivery from Cape Town to his home base, taking an opportunity to get to know his boat in offshore conditions and learn from the professional crew. There's nothing like a handover at sea! Read about Piers' experience:
……’Our Leopard 44 named Hide Away was delivered from Cape Town to Kilifi, Kenya in February 2013. This was a tough journey of almost 3,000 nautical miles, mainly against the prevailing winds all the way. She accomplished the trip with no problems in just 22 days ! I joined up with the delivery crew for the last leg, sailing for two days from Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania) to Kilifi in Kenya . This was a ‘baptism by fire’ as we encountered very uncomfortable 4 metre swells just outside Zanzibar Island but once again Hide Away took it all in her stride.
Hide Away sails like a dream. She is spacious and easy to handle. We have not yet undertaken any major crossings but she is heading to the Seychelles in March 2015 which should be a great adventure.
Above all what we love most about the L44 is the revolutionary ‘open front cockpit’ design. The extra space plus the ability to have fresh air flowing through the boat at most times and in all but the very roughest of seas is unique and very special.
All in all, we cannot recommend our L44 highly enough. We love her and she is much admired by all !’ …….
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