The SAONA is a Beneteau Oceanis 411, built in 2001 in France. She is an oceanic sailboat, which means safety, comfort, and great habitability. With a length of 12.34 meters, she has three double cabins and two bathrooms.
Upon entering, it’s hard not to fall in love with her interior, cozy and welcoming. The layout is simply perfect, and the wood is very elegant. The main space is dominated by a table surrounded by sofas on the starboard side and a fully equipped kitchen on the port side.
The cockpit is spacious and it has a table that comfortably accommodates the entire crew. The cockpit is where we usually share all meals on board and where we hide from the summer sun.
Regarding to the safety equipment, the SAONA meets all the Spanish safety requirements. It has life jackets for children and adults, three first aid kits, a lifebuoy, six fire extinguishers, flares, and rockets…
She doesn’t go anywhere without its connection to land, an auxiliary boat with a length of 2.80 meters and a 5 HP engine.
And it has a curious story.
In 2018, I told Marc that if we ever had a boat, I would like to call it SAONA (it’s the name of a cove in Formentera). A few months later, searching online, we found a boat in Belgium, suspiciously cheap and without any photos. Without hesitation, we asked the owner if he could send us some photos to get an idea of the condition of the boat, since at that time our budget was very limited and we couldn’t invest in improvements. “It’s like all the boats, if you want to see her, you’ll have to come,” was his response. So a few days later, we were on a flight to Brussels. We arrived at the port of Blankenberge, and not only was the boat impeccable, but it was also already called SAONA. It was love at first sight. Since then, it has been our floating home, where Oli and I live all year round.
