I have found a Swede 55 that I plan to purchase and renovate. The short list is that the hull, decks, rig and interior are in good shape. It needs a new engine, electronics, pulpit and a few other things. I figure that the items needed will roughly double the cost above the purchase price. I will spend the next 2 years upgrading and sailing the boat on the lake.
In 2009 I plan to enter the Bermuda 1-2 race. This is a single and double handed race that runs from Newport to Bermuda and back to Newport. The first leg is single handed, and the leg back is double handed.
While the boat is definately an old school design, it is still pretty fast. It has a PHRF of 72, though the boat I'm looking at has a larger rig, so it may rate even faster. One just won the 2006 double handed transpac, and they are well proven ocean boats. From what I can tell they have excellent sea manners, which make them particularly well suited for single or double handed racing.
You only live once, so what the hell, why not live the dream...And yes I'm crazy.
YOu can find more pictures and info about the boat at: http://www.swedesail.de/en
![Image](http://www.infoasis.com/~latitude38/LectronicLat/2006/0706/July17/thecontessa.jpg)