TARA is a rock-solid expedition yacht, easily managed by two crew without the frills of today’s production vessels. Naval architecture was done by Ulf Rogeberg, noted as the original Deerfoot designer; he pioneered the use of a canoe-body shape as the most easily driven hull form. His sailing yacht designs carried relatively short, easily managed rigs yet outperformed larger yachts that required much more sail handling. TARA brings that concept into cruising under power with two relatively small (150 HP) diesels that provide a 9.5-knot cruising speed burning an astonishing 3.5 gallons per hour. At eight knots, TARA can cruise non-stop from the Caribbean to Maine. In the transition to ecologically conscious yachting, TARA is leading the pack.
For a short-handed crew or cruising couple, it is worth noting that TARA easily spins in her own length with a powerful thruster and the rudders sited well aft of the center of effort. Comportment around marina docks is far better than most 70+ foot yachts.
TARA’s interior is bright and open, finished off in Herreshoff style with mahogany trim and white panels, Sisal carpets, large windows and white headliners. Headroom is generous throughout.
The hull and deck are foam-cored fiberglass, molded by a prestigious New England shipyard, one of the finest composite shipyards in the US, painted with Awlgrip. TARA’s superstructure is a custom aluminum weldment that has been left natural. While there is no such thing as a maintenance-free vessel, TARA is very close to that ideal.