So what do you think about Alma?

I hope that this small blog does help others with an interest in Luffe 44.

Please feel free to post ideas of what you want to see about the boat.

I would also be very interested to hear more from you if you own or have personal experience of a Luffe 44. How does your boat differ from our? What can we do to make our boats even better?

Sails

I talked about our new main and jib from North Sails earlier in the blog so I guess we better follow up with some pictures now. 

Here is a picture of the Carbon/Dyneema 3DL main from this summer. It worked wonderfully this year (second season). We had some issues with how the mast curve fit to the mast last season and I thought that we would have to adjust the mast curve.

Thanks to our sailmaker, Martin Angsell at North Sails Stockholm who came out and sailed with us on a very short notice early in the season we found that the mast had too little pre-bend in the lower section and by moving the foot back just a little bit the sail suddenly fit very well. In this very picture it looks like we haven´t pulled the cunningham at all though but don't be fooled. It looks and performs great!

This is a picture of the Dyneema/Aramid jib that is new for this year. Note that even though the luff of the jib looks loose we found that the jib was very sensitive to halyard tension and we had to be careful with too high tension. It is going to be very interesting to see how this jib holds up. It was made new for this year in 3Di and is roughly 10% larger than the old one. We decided to not put it on a furler since that in reality limits the selection of head sails for a cruising boat to one. Given how actively we prefer to sail we needed more flexibility.

The boat is originally designed for being raced with large genoas only but since we normally sail with much less weight on the rail than racing mode we designed the jib to work well already in low wind speeds but we added a reef for it to ensure that we could carry it through a large spectrum of wind. Above 25 to 30 knots we have a smaller heavy wind jib in dacron and below 8-10 knots we still use the one of the many Carbon/Aramid 3DL G1 that came with the boat.

Summer 2015

First full day of sailing out on the open sea on a three week trip around in the Baltic. Everyone is having a great time and we are enjoying the possibility to let Alma stretch her legs. For longer passages we take the dinghy up on the stern or place it on the deck of the boat to reduce the drag.

You may have guessed it already but the first trip of 2015 went to Gotland, an island roughly 70 nautical miles south east of Stockholm archipelago.

We had a great experience with wind ranging from very light in the beginning to double reefs in the main and reefed jib in the end. My 8 year old niece helmed the boat making 10-12 knots (with a little help from me).

The trip was very enjoyable with the exception that some water came in through the diesel heater exhaust. This was quickly fixed with some tape...

We stopped the first night in Lauterhorn on Fårö, just north of Gotland.The pictures are from the village of Lauterhorn just a short walk from the fairly exposed harbor.

Onwards to Lickershamn on Gotland. When we arrived a few days after midsummer there was only three boats and we all tied up along the pier.One or two weeks later when the normal summer vacation has started for Sweden the harbor would be full. Lickershamn has a nice and chatty harbor captain and well kept facilities with both showers and laundry.

It is also a great spot with easy and quick connection to Visby if you want to avoid the crowded harbor of Visby but still see the beautiful old town and the ring wall. Lickershamn also has the largest Rauk in Gotland, Jungfrun.

After three days in Gotland we sailed back towards the Stockholm archipelago. Now we had dropped off my brother and his kids and instead my parents tagged along for a few days. We had the good fortune to meet the Brig Stockholm heading south as we sailed north, what a beautiful ship!

We had good luck with the winds again and sailed straight up towards the northern end of Utö and stayed for the night at Björkskär just east of Utö. A beautiful evening with this nice sunset and a good dinner. Our friends with the red X312 Danmark joined us here and they sailed with us for the remaining two weeks of this first part of our sailing vacation.

Our good friends in their X312 Danmark (Yes, we know the name of the boat is odd but their kids insisted so that is the name).

These two pictures from one of our our favorite spots in Stora Nassa a group of over 300 islands concentrated in a small area in the outer parts of the Stockholm archipelago. This is a very beautiful but often very crowded part of the archipelago.

Our own secret spot in Nassa is difficult to get into so it is very unusual that we have to share if with anyone else. We really enjoy the solitude if we can get it.

Our Code 0 was a very well used and appreciated sail this summer. It was virtually never stored away under deck and as soon as the wind angle opened up it helped to give a really good drive to the boat. to compare it with the rest of the sails the Jib is 33 sqm, the Genoa 50 sqm and the Code 0 is 77 sqm and the largest spinnaker (S2) is 115 sqm.

Sofie is working the spinnaker, a North S2 of roughly 115 sqm. A great and versatile sail for light to medium winds. 

We continued across over the Åland sea to the Finish archipelago of Åland.

The first night we had a great time exploring Rödhamn that is the clud island for the Ålands Sailing Club. It has a great little sauna on the eastern side of the island. 

For the first time ever we continued around all of Åland (now with our friend Stellan and his two kids tagging along in Alma). We found some nice places up on the northern part of Åland that we had never explored before. Much less people than in other parts of Åland since it is a little more exposed and remote.

Just for a fun comparison, if you are alert you will notice that this is again a picture from our favorite spot in Stora Nassa. We came back to this same spot roughly 4 weeks later on a second sailing trip during this summer and you can now see that if you compare with the picture above the sun is already setting noticeably further south in early August.

Cockpit design quite different from other Luffe 44

Here you can see that our cockpit is quite different from the standard deep closed cockpit that other Luffe 44 has. A slightly shallower cockpit that ifscompletely open towards the aft. The whole cockpit was built using one-off building methods already when she was originally built. Backstay and Runners are all placed in the center to minimize any twisting of the hull.

The benches are only used while the boat is moored. During any other time we store them below. They are very light and well manufactured but unfortunately they are quite difficult to store away and we are planning on replacing them with another solution. More about that project another day.

The rudder is balanced and very responsive. Helming this size of a boat with a tiller could be quite difficult but not Alma, she is very well balanced and this far I have always been able to steer her with two fingers in any weather. The rope bags are huge, maybe slightly too large since they drag along the cockpit floor so we will see if we can make new ones for next season. If you look at the picture below you will see that the cockpit bags are covering the huge openings to the storage compartments on either side of the cockpit. 

The cockpit from behind. 8 Andersen self-tailing winches, ST 46. Two for runners, two for Mainsail, two for Genua and two for the halyards and other running rigging. The photo is a few years old and taken by the previous owner, Björn Svending. The navigation lights are now LED from Lopolight. 

Interior photos of Alma

Here follows some interior photos of Alma. Some of the photos are taken by me and some of them are taken by the previous owner Björn Svending.

The first two photos shows the main cabin. You can see the navigation table that just like in all other boats is used for just about everything except navigation... The electrical switch-board is another example of the high quality installations in this boat. Blue Systems largest switch-board leaves lots of opportunities for the installation to be very structured and easily maintained.

Please also note that both sides of the main cabin has pilot berths above and outboard of the settees. Great for sleeping during longer trips offshore but also great for storage when they aren't needed for sleeping. The backrests of the settees are removable and opens up either a very large single bed with storage behind or a quite cramped double on both sides.

The galley is slightly different than other Luffe 44 galleys. The entry to the starboard aft berths takes the space of the aft kitchen cabinet. Thus the amount of counter-top space is less but the floor space is a little larger. I don´t think that the amount of storage is very different since we have very easy access to the corner cabinet that is poorly utilized in the standard layout.

These two photos are of the forward cabin in front of mast and toilet. You will notice the multiple sets of sturdy frames that was built into the boat at Luffe Yachts since she was originally intended for offshore racing on the North Sea. All Luffe boats are very well built but Alma is exceptional and I feel very comfortable with her in any weather.

Notice the light streaming in from the large deck hatch, 70 x 70 cm! She has three deck hatches in the deck and superstructure and another six that provide light into the aft parts of the boat from the cockpit.

Here you can see the port aft berth behind the navigation table and the hanging locker for sail clothes. Lots of light streaming in from the cockpit.

The two aft berths are equally large and very suitable for two kids each. Two adults also works but it is a little on the tight side. Our kids love this place. It can be hard to get them out even during long slogs to windward when they are hanging out here together and reading.

Last but not least, the toilet. Luffe 44 has the largest toilet I have ever seen on a sailing boat. Lots of space and easy access to all of the installations. Underneath the sink is speed and depth sensors from Nexus as well as sea water and drain from the sink.

Pictures of Alma

What a beautiful boat! This is the photo that convinced us to buy her. The picture was part of the sales pitch on Blocket when the previous owner wanted to sell her. Luffe 44 SWE 39 is nowadays carrying the name Alma. Photo by Björn Svending

It rocks to have dinner on the rocks! Especially true when you are able to enjoy a glass of good wine with friends. Photo is taken in Söderarm in the north of Stockholm Archipelago one very beautiful evening in July 2014. We had just arrived from Finland this day after a long and fast crossing of the Åland Strait under Mainsail and Code 0 in 20 knots of wind.

Heading south towards Ålö under Spinnaker S2. We easily hit 8-9 knots in the light winds. Stellan Berlin doing the navigation. We always try to complement the GPS navigator with printed charts to provide a better overview.

Mooring for the night in Björkskär. We enjoyed one of many calm evenings with dinner on the rocks and the kids in and out of the water during the whole evening. We didn´t go to the sauna this time but have enjoyed the Björkskär sauna many other times. Many thanks to Lidingö kommun for keeping this valuable asset available for everyone visiting.

Another beautiful and peaceful night spot, this time in the middle of the Stockholm archipelago in the vicinity of Sillö. Next to us are our good friends in their X-312.

Our Luffe 44 Alma

Alma is a Luffe 44 from 1987 built at Luffe Yachts in Kolding, Denmark. She has sail number SWE 39 (originally DEN 39 with the name Bit).

Luffe 44 was originally designed to win what was back then the largest yacht race in the world, Själland Rundt in Denmark. This race attracted over 2000 yachts at its peak in 1984. The Luffe 44 was the outright fastest boat in both 1983, 84 and 85. Luffe Yachts keep designing and building high end sailboats in small volumes but these days their  priority has followed most customers towards cruising. The performance centric design of the Luffe 44 was the main driver for our decision to purchase this boat even if she is now an older boat.

She is obviously much narrower than the latest offshore racing boats but when you look at her underwater lines they are very sleek and fast. Fast and fun also upwind. 13.38 m long, 3.28 m wide and with a depth of 2 m. Official weight from the builder is 5.2 tons but most of them are in reality closer to 6 tons. Alma carries 100 m2 which is slightly more than other Luffe 44´s. Roughly 50 m2 in the Mainsail and another 50 m2 in her Genoa. Downwind we add another 120 m2 with the Spinnaker. She performs very well and we are very happy with both her speed and behavior. Not many boats in Sweden can keep up when you combine this boat with an active crew.

We purchased her in the spring 2014 and we enjoyed sailing her immensely last summer. We sailed around the Stockholm and Åland archipelagos. I will post some pictures from this first summer as soon as possible.

She has spent most of her life as a race boat and almost every aspect of her has been optimized for racing. Most if not all aspects of the boat and sail handling including the complete rig has been updated to the latest standard during the last 10 years with a new rig from Seldens, Harken blocks throughout and Andersen winches. Another great feature from her racing days is that we have 6 Genoas all in 3DL and 8 symmetric and assymetric Spinnakers from North that complement the picture. In spite of being a very demanding sailor I was very positively impressed by the conditions of these sails. I am convinced that most of these sails were used only a few times before we purchased the boat. I don´t expect that we will need to add this type of sails for quite a few years!

Since we purchased her we have added a new Mainsail, again a 3DL carbon/aramid sail from North. Just recently we also added a new Jib, this time in 3Di instead of the 3DL. It is going to be very interesting to follow the life of these two new sails and see how they age. I expect that they will be the most used sails on the boat since most of the sailing is done with our young family and thus we don't have as much weight on the rail as she was originally designed for. The Jib will be used instead of Genoa as soon as we have more than 10 knots of wind.

After sailing the first summer we found that a number of areas important for cruising needed attention, mainly to improve how she was to live on board during extended periods of time with a family and additional friends. With regards to the cruising improvements we have had help from Österskärs Marina during the 2014-2015 winter and they have helped out with a number of interior improvement, most notably new super efficient cool box instead of the old fridge that was very difficult to access when heeling over in the wrong direction. We have also added a vacuum connection for our toilet tank to be compliant with the new Swedish regulation and a whole host of other minor improvements to kitchen, storage and sleeping arrangements.

Looking forward to next season!