"When you cease to dream you cease to live" - Malcolm S. Forbes

Everyone has a dream boat – the craft they see themselves sailing off into the sunset after all obligations are met. In the interim people my age (with obligations) satisfy themselves with kid-friendly one designs like a JBoat or, for cruisers, something like a Pearson or Island Packet built for sleeping bags and exploring local anchorages on summer weekends. But a big part of the culture of sailing is dreaming and we should all be allowed to indulge. On that note the new Friendship 40 is my “when I’m 60 years old and have sold my house for a condo on the beach, put the kids through college and want to go sailing” dream boat. Maybe by the time I’m that age I’ll be able to buy a used one at a (severely) reduced price because, like many dreams, she ain’t cheap. Yachting has a great review of her here. The Friendship 40 is designed by Ted Fontaine of the Fontaine Design Group. Ted used to be chief designer at Ted Hood Design Group, part of Little Harbor before The Hinckley Company absorbed it. I like the Friendship 40’s classic lines, her power sail handling (key for a 60 year old captain), the luxurious but minimal interior and the centerboard keel. Austral Yachts in New Zealand will construct the 40 to order. Anyone have a dream boat to share?