Owning a Contessa can spoil you for anything else. These classic yachts are legendary for performance, seakeeping and safety.
So when we started looking for a bigger boat after 15 years' delightful sailing in our Contessa 26, Sundowner, the choice was strictly limited. It had to be a 32.
Even the name had its appeal to a crew of Times crossword addicts. And she was propped up on the hard about 100 yards from our berth in Hamble.
After inspecting a number of likely candidates around the Solent and beyond we finally found Cryptic. She had features which aren't found on all 32s - a lifting skylight in the main cabin, moulded-in cockpit step to help access to the main hatch, ''laid teak''cockpit seats instead of the usual plywood.
Even the name had its appeal to a crew of Times crossword addicts. And she was propped up on the hard about 100 yards from our berth in Hamble!
At the time she was in need of what our surveyor, the much-respected David Hopkins of Hamble, described as TLC. That is exactly what we have lavished on her for the last ten years.
We started with a list of work advised by ''Hoppy'', including a repair to some damage in the bow. It seemed only natural then to add a £5,000 respray of the whole hull, and she emerged from the shed looking sensational in deep Awlgrip flag blue.
Since then, major projects have included replacing the venerable Petter diesel with a brand-new 20hp Beta (another £5,000 bill).
An early priority was to modernise the galley so we could save money by cooking our own meals in harbour. We've had some fine dinner parties on board since but we have still to show a profit on that one! We replaced the old two-burner stove with a new Voyager 2000 cooker complete with oven. The food storage bin next to the sink was converted into an efficient fridge, and the original mud-brown galley surfaces replaced with white laminate, with a shiny stainless steel sink to finish the job.
A couple of windows were suspected of leaking, so we had all eight out to be sealed and put back. To add glitter to the cockpit all six winches were sent off for re-chroming. A folding cockpit table, which stows in the quarter berth, added to the amenities for cruising. So did a new stainless steel boarding ladder on the transom.
A new six-man liferaft brought peace of mind after the old one was condemned in 2007. The mainsail and furling headsail are put in for cleaning and checkover each winter.
Two or three years ago we invested in a second hand heavy-duty sewing machine and got busy making canvas gear - hatch covers, a cockpit sun awning, a set of fine slatted cabin curtains. But we wimped out iin 2009 when it came to a new sprayhood. That, like the boom cover, was trusted to professionals - another hefty bill but worth it.
Cryptic already had a cockpit tent, extending forward almost to the mast, which has provided shelter for winter working and extra accommodation for cruising. An infill converts the cockpit seats into one large double berth - she's been known to sleep eight adults and grandkids in some comfort.
In our ownership Cryptic has been used exclusively for cruising, making regular passages to France, the Channel Islands and the West Country, and by now she is exceptionally well equipped for the job.
But she still has a full suit of headsails, dry-stored and in excellent condition, should she be wanted to resume her racing career - plus a spinnaker and cruising chute, with all the appropriate gear.
