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About Us – SV Free Spirit

Welcome aboard SV Free Spirit, a timeless cruising yacht with a rich history and an enduring passion for the open sea. Our journey began with the dream of sailing across the world’s oceans, experiencing new horizons, and embracing the freedom of the wind and waves. Whether you're an experienced sailor or a dreamer hoping to one day set sail, we invite you to join us on this adventure of a lifetime.

Our Boat: SV Free Spirit

SV Free Spirit is a classic Alden Dolphin 47, built for adventure and designed with both comfort and performance in mind. Designed by the legendary naval architect John G. Alden, the Dolphin 47 combines exceptional seaworthiness with timeless beauty. With its full keel, elegant lines, and spacious interior, Free Spirit is more than just a vessel—it’s a home on the water.

Though she’s built for bluewater cruising, her craftsmanship and character also make her a standout in any harbor. Whether at anchor in a tropical bay or slicing through the waves on a passage, Free Spirit continues to inspire all who come aboard.

Our Mission

At SV Free Spirit, our mission is simple: to embrace the freedom of the sea. We believe in the power of sailing to connect people to nature, to each other, and to the world in profound ways. Our goal is to share our passion for life on the water and to inspire others to take the plunge and explore what lies beyond the horizon.

We strive to be a resource for other sailors, sharing the ups and downs of our journey—from daily life aboard a classic yacht to the challenges and joys of long-distance cruising. This website is our way of documenting our experiences, sharing our lessons learned, and offering inspiration to those who dream of life at sea.

August 2024 - Updates

Another month with more progress... again moving forward is alway to goal... We have a targeted "soft date" to launch on our adventure and this now leaves us with just a few months to get the "life sustaining" items completed and done so we can leave.

We started out this month with a huge list and started it off with a weekend of beach time with some friends who have been gone for several months and just returned. What a welcome home party that was! Work this month was extremely limited as Andy's girls had to come home for college and return 2 weeks later back into their dorms. That essentially took out 2 full weekend this month so we squeezed in what we could when we could.

A new fresh water toilet was purchased for our cabin (it's yet to be installed but on the list "to leave").

Andy finished the bushing that was needed for the Auto pilot and today (8/24) is working on the wiring of the auto pilot. Once this is done, we can calibrate while in our slip. We will do the full calibration when the engine is running again and we can get off the dock for our 1st true shake down voyage.

The engine is and continues to be an ongoing issue. As of today (8/24) the engine is still not running. We have had to replace the 4 injectors and now the pump appears to broken so the engine is not getting any fuel to start running. Anyway once the wiring is done on the autopilot, we can empty the aft head "garage" and move all items back to their storage location under the bed.

I have gone thru and updated the perishable provisions list... again... and just need to get some filler items to top off. My goal this weekend is to get this boat ready to leave by next friday for the shake down cruise and fully test this girl out to see if we will need more time to make more repairs or if we are able to leave as planned.

Andy did get the GPS unit installed which goes to the navigation system and auto pilot. So once again, baby steps, it's all a move forward in the right direction.