English
The Sweden Yachts 390 must lie high on any list of the most beautiful production yachts ever built. Her stunning looks, outstanding build quality and delightful sailing characteristics put her in a class above most other yachts of her size. Egret is a particularly fine example. She has been lovingly cared for and comes with a comprehensive inventory. Her electronics have been kept up to date with the latest technology and her mechanical systems have been replaced or re-furbished as required, for example the sail drive seal was replaced the winter before last. The teak decking still looks smart and the rig and sails are in good shape. The hull topsides are shiny with very few blemishes and the bottom, including the keel and rudder, is smooth and sound. Inside the cabin, the joinery work looks amazing, the settees and bunks are upholstered with top quality fabric and the cooker has recently been renewed.
Egret is currently UK registered with British VAT paid status. In addition, because tax was originally paid in Sweden and she was located within the EU during the Brexit transition period, she is also eligible to claim EU tax paid status. She is located at Hayling Island, Hampshire.
Egret is very well equipped for cruising or racing. The SY390’s cockpit and rig is specifically designed for short-handed sailing, for example the primary winches are within reach of the helmsman, yet still works well with extra crew on board. She has well organised sail control systems, with all halyards, reefing lines and control lines led back to the cockpit. Six additional clutches were fitted to allow this facility. She sports twin spinnaker poles, twin spinnaker halyards and proper, racing quality, sheets and guys. For cruising, she benefits from large fuel and water tanks, a wind generator, twin alternators and an ample battery bank. A rare feature is her Single-Side-Band radio, an essential communication aid for ocean crossings.
Sweden Yachts’ hulls and decks are very stiff and well insulated against both cold and heat. They have a very easy motion at sea and are a delight to steer. The helmsman’s seat either side of the wheel, leaning against the padded backrests, must certainly be a contender for the most comfortable of any yacht. She is also very manoeuvrable under power, both ahead and astern, with the added bonus, on this particular boat, of a bow thruster. Her Volvo 2040 engine has proved to be extremely reliable, starting on the button and running very sweetly. It has the great advantage over more modern engines in that it uses simple technology with readily obtained spares, so can be fixed almost anywhere.
Egret’s present owners have improved and maintained her carefully, and replaced equipment as necessary in order to to keep her in a smart and seaworthy condition. A Raymarine Axiom plotter and Quantum radar scanner were installed in 2018, the sail-drive main seal was replaced in December 2022, and a new motor and controllers were fitted to the windlass in 2024. Other improvements over the last few years include the replacement of seacocks and through-hull fittings, a new automatic bilge pump, complete replacement of the standing rigging, a new rigid vang, autopilot drive unit and stack-pack. The mainsail and genoa are in very good shape and the teak decking still looks good, with plenty of thickness remaining.
Egret has never knowingly suffered any major collisions or groundings, apart from the loss of her rudder as a result of a collision with semi-submerged debris or a whale. (This snapped off at the designed “weak point” below the bottom bearing.) A new rudder and bearings were supplied by Sweden Yachts. The hull is epoxied and Copper-coated to provide long-lasting protection and antifouling properties. In the spring of 2024 this was over-coated with International micron 350 self-polishing paint to provide additional resistance against the severe fouling conditions experienced locally.
Egret has the preferred saloon layout featuring a larger table. There are two double and one single sleeping cabins, and a bright and spacious heads compartment. The mahogany (type) joinery is in excellent condition, and the cabin sole has been re-varnished. The berth and settee cushions are covered in a high-quality, predominately blue, fabric (not original), and those in the saloon have the option of protective, brighter blue-and-white striped, removable over-covers. The curtains and loose cushion covers have recently been replaced in a toning red fabric. A much admired feature is the Stelton satin-polished stainless-steel oil lamp, created by a leading Danish designer, hanging in the saloon. The galley is well laid out with twin sinks, Corian worktops and an Eno cooker, new in 2017. The large fridge is very efficient, having the benefit of a keel cooler. There is a recently made cockpit enclosure and spray-hood, with new hide coverings to its frame and also the steering wheel.
Owners’ Comments
We set our heart on buying a Sweden Yachts 390 because of their stunning looks and outstanding reputation. Victory, as she was then named, was by far the best of the three that we viewed. The vendor had owned her since almost new, sailing her in Scandinavian waters during their short summers and storing her in a heated shed every winter. (The very first owner had only kept her for a year or so before ordering a larger Sweden Yacht!) The yacht was equipped with most of the optional extras from new and had been exhibited by the builder at several boat-shows.
We sailed her home from Sweden in the summer of 2007, and re-named her Egret because we felt that her original name might not go down well when sailing in the waters around Portsmouth! We have cruised extensively across northern Europe and undertaken a four year circumnavigation following the classic trade-winds route. We occasionally took part in club racing, and won the Sweden Yachts regatta at Cowes in 2010. We saw no evidence that the wing-keel version performs any less well than the deep fin version, and of course the former has the great advantage of significantly shallower draft when cruising. Most of our sailing, whether racing or crossing oceans, has been done double-handed. Every winter she has been stored ashore under a framed tarpaulin tent.
Egret has proved to be the perfect boat for our purposes, but now, after nearly eighteen happy years, we have decided the time has come to seek out new owners to appreciate her. We will be looking for a smaller sailing yacht before we get too old to enjoy the change!