When Dan Prigmore and Marcia Hayes of Coconut Grove, Florida, ordered their Sabre 48 in 2011, they expected to cruise familiar waters—Maine and the surrounding New England coastline—just as they had on their Legacy 32. They wanted more space for friends and family and to continue bringing along their dog, Lola, so a larger, comfortable boat made sense.
“We thought we’d run the Sabre like the Legacy,” Dan says. “Doing anything else never occurred to us. But then people said, ‘You know where you really ought to go…’”
Since then, their Sabre 48, True East, has become one of the most widely traveled Sabre motoryachts. Over seven years they have cruised the Great Lakes, the Canadian Maritimes, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, the Bahamas, the Mediterranean and the canals and rivers of Western Europe. Those voyages gave them deep experience in long-range cruising, valuable lessons about how to prepare a boat for varied conditions, and inspiration to encourage other boat owners to explore farther afield.
Dan’s lifetime on the water began early. From an 8-foot pram as a child to chartering sailboats in the Caribbean during the 1960s and ’70s, he has long been comfortable at sea. He commuted by water in a twin-engine 30-foot Hacker-Craft and later owned Canim, a restored 1930 Ted Geary–designed 96-foot fantail motoryacht, which he enjoyed extensively before selling in 2007.
After those years aboard larger yachts and land-based travel in a GMC motorhome named True West, Dan bought the Legacy—True South—and used it for summers cruising Maine and the Bahamas. A meeting with Marcia, and her rescue Chihuahua-Terrier, Lola, changed Dan’s cruising routine. Marcia summed up her relationship with the water simply: “I like to be in the water, on the water or under the water.”
The Sabre 48 appealed because of two equal-sized staterooms, user-friendly systems and strong performance. Dan and Marcia rarely cruise at night, so True East’s 30-knot cruising speed gave them the ability to make open-water runs during daylight. “Generally, I don’t like to go more than 50 miles offshore,” Dan explains. “We chose an express cruiser over a trawler for its run-and-hide capability. In a three-hour weather window you can be pretty certain; in six hours you should be okay. After that, you have no idea.”
The Prigmores took delivery of True East in Fair Haven, Massachusetts, in 2012 and immediately pointed her toward New York City. From there they ran up the Hudson, transited the Erie Canal and spent a summer exploring the Great Lakes. They fell in love with Georgian Bay and the North Channel in Lake Huron and were pleasantly surprised by the clarity and scale of Lake Superior.
Meeting locals and following their recommendations shaped many of their routes. While traversing the Trent–Severn Waterway, a boater suggested the Rideau Canal, which became one of their favorite stretches. They enjoyed Ottawa’s beauty and were impressed by Canadian hospitality. “We adore the Canadians,” Marcia says. “They’re the nicest, most decent people in the world.”
Dan and Marcia operate the boat as a team, but refitting and outfitting True East became Dan’s passion. For the Canadian Maritimes he added a 12-volt watermaker, a life raft, jack lines and Type I life jackets. Later upgrades prepared them for longer and colder cruises: extended VHF range with a tall antenna, an aft windlass to enable stern-ties, 400 feet of anchor chain, and a more robust heating system. They also reworked storage, adding a second refrigerator and freezer in the lower “basement” area near the washer/dryer, pantry and space for a kayak, bicycles and provisions.
After a rough passage on the Columbia River—40-knot winds and a strong current that sent water over the bow—they made practical changes such as enlarging the swim platform scupper and modifying deck drainage. Over seven seasons they invested about $200,000 in upgrades: dual pumps and macerators, a rebuilt galley with a built-in coffee maker, and rerouted electronics. Dan moved from ActiveCaptain to running Garmin BlueCharts on an iPad for detailed navigation planning.
Trip planning starts in Google Maps to sketch a broad course, then BlueCharts for precise routing and port selection. The couple posts the itinerary to friends and family so guests can join for portions of a season. Typically about one-third of each season includes guests; the rest is spent as a private cruise for Dan, Marcia and Lola. Lola is central to life aboard—she has her own passport and microchips, and Marcia jokes, “She kind of owns me.”
Alaska ranks high among their favorite destinations. They particularly enjoy the triangle between Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka for its glaciers, whales, bears and scenic anchorages. Every cruising area brought its own challenges: storm-force winds on Lake Erie, a failed macerator in Prince Edward Island, and fuel issues between Newfoundland and Cape Breton. “You deal with the worst-case scenarios,” Dan says, emphasizing preparedness and a practical attitude.
After seasons in the Pacific Northwest, they shipped True East to Mallorca and explored the Mediterranean. There they discovered marina scale and a different boating culture—many European marinas employ professionals to handle docking while North American boaters often help each other. When weather forced them off the water, they toured Sardinia, Corsica and Elba by car and enjoyed regional cuisine instead of cooking aboard.
Dan and Lola off Elba, Italy
The couple at Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Locking through Canal du Rhone in France
On a canal near Strasbourg
When cruising inland in Europe they lowered True East’s air draft by removing roof gear to clear bridges. In the French canals, their Sabre felt nearly too large for some narrow, shallow passages; they once cleared a bridge by only an inch and spent long hours watching a depthfinder reading just inches under the keel. On one poorly lit, narrow tunnel they had to navigate without the spotlight they had removed to reduce air draft—a tense hour and a half that tested their seamanship.
Despite a preference for North American cruising, Dan and Marcia appreciate Europe’s unique experiences—such as marinas in the heart of Paris. “There’s a marina at the Bastille in Paris with two locks,” Dan notes. “You go through one lock and you’re two miles from the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. Go through the other and you’re on the Canal Saint-Martin that takes you through tunnels beneath Paris. It’s amazing.”
Their advice to other boaters is practical: both captain and mate should understand boat systems, communicate clearly, and maintain the vessel. “You have to be a little bit handy,” Dan says. “A diesel will run with cold water and clean fuel. Know how to change an impeller and fuel filters. Take care of your boat. If you ignore a boat, it’s not going to treat you well.”
Marcia sums up the attitude that has carried them through unexpected conditions: “Dan has a favorite expression: You learn nothing from success. When we first started doing locks, we knew nothing. But we weren’t afraid. Boating isn’t that different from a car vacation—go explore and get out there.”
This spring they plan to fly with Lola to Antwerp to resume True East’s European season. Their route will take them through Dutch canals to Scandinavia, then south along Norway and Denmark before leaving the boat in Stockholm. They have already sketched future plans to cruise the Baltic, follow the Danube to the Black Sea and explore Greece and the Adriatic in subsequent years. And if they feel ambitious later on, Dan admits with a laugh that they might even consider shipping True East to Australia.
This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue.