Millennium Dragon was built in 1998/1999, commissioned in 2000 and fitting out was completed by September of 2000. Serious off shore sailing began during the winter of 2000/2001 with the first 5 month cruise to the Bahamas. We lived aboard for several years until purchasing a dock with a house attached in Punta Gorda Florida. Kathy and I moved into the house in February of 2002 and have used the Dragon only for short (3 to 6 weeks) cruises since. In the past several years we have only done some day sailing. As a result the original Dave Calvert sails remain serviceable for coastal cruising for the next several years. The electronics were purchase when the boat was being built prior to commissioning. The electronic, although aging, are serviceable. If, however, I or a new owner were planning an extended off shore, down island or transatlantic/transpacific cruise, new sails and electronics should be considered.

I have researched the issue of new sails and the electronics I would put on the boat if I were planning such an extended voyage. The information below will give any prospective buyer a refitting measuring metric benchmark regarding the cost of new sails and new electronics.

The Dragon presently wares racer/cruiser sails that were built by Dave Calvert using a blended cloth designed for cruises who do some racing. They are reasonably durable and have held a very fast shape but are now 9 years old. I would consider replacement with sails made using heavy weight Dacron built with a double layered leach in the main. Mack Sails, a Florida loft, builds these “bullet proof” sails specifically designed for cruising. The cost is significantly less than the high tech racing or racing/cruising sails available. Although they may not be as fast as their higher cost high tech material counterparts, the heavy weight dacron sails have the durability to make up for the disparity. Dacron sails do stretch but the sail maker stated he has taken stretch into consideration when building the sails. The shape resulting from the usual wind pressures experienced under cruising conditions is very efficient. Stowing (“flaking”) a Dacron main in the “rain gutter” boom should be easier than stowing the stiffer high tech racing cloth main. Of course, the “hard top” bimini does make flaking and stowing the mainsail much easier.

The following PDF file is the quote for a new suit of wings for the Dragon. The quote is for main, jib and screecher. Millennium Dragon also has a spinnaker that is in very good condition as it has seen little use over the past 9 years. The quote from Mack Sails totals $12,585.00 and may be reviewed below.

MACK SAILS QUOTE

The above quote for Mack Sails was received based on the original sail measurements provided by Dave Calvert and used to obtain a SW Florida PHRF rating. This document is presented below.

MILLENNIUM DRAGON SAIL MEASUREMENTS

ELECTRONICS AND INSTRUMENTATION

The Dragon has two VHF and one SSB radios. These Raytheon and Icom units work well and should for many years to come. If (and when) they fail, reasonable cost service should be available in most of the civilized world. A Raytheon L750 Fish Finder provides depth, speed, log and water temperature data. It should remain functional for many years. The Autohelm autopilot is functional. Service and parts are readily available. The Raytheon Pathfinder RL70 radar is serviceable but, like the Raytheon L750 Fish Finder is an older technology and not fully integrated. I use a portable GPS that will not be staying with the boat.

The Dragon is not fitted with wind instruments. I always believed Bob Dylan was right: “You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.” The rotating mast made such instruments impractical and virtually impossible to install at the time the Dragon was built. I do have a hand bearing compass, ribbon on a stick and hand held wind speed indicator I use for my US Sailing Principal Race Officer volunteer work but have very rarely used them while cruising. For sailors who want wind direction/speed information, new wireless system technology is available from Tacktick sold through all marine outlets like West Marine and on line distributors (http://www.tacktick.com/page.home). A wireless wind direction/speed sending unit and a wireless fluxgate compass could be mounted on the mast. Data from this pair is transmitted to the wired Garmin master unit and displays. The angle of the mast is compared to the heading of the boat and the wind direction is adjusted. A trick set up if you prefer looking at displays rather than seeing the wind on the water and feeling it on your cheek.

The upgrade that makes the most sense is addition of the Garmin GPSMAP 5212 Network Chartplotter with touch screen interface West marine #8826380 with the Garmin Radar also sold at West Marine and other Internet providers. West Marine price for this combination is about $5,500.00 US Dollars. These units may be interfaced with the Raymarine Autohelm autopilot now on the Dragon.