Ernst Van Der Linden – CAPE CODER in Dahouët

I’ve been sailing my 767 ‘Choutte & Co’ since July 24.

Three things really caught my eye: her quality as an integral dinghy with her retractable keel, her inverted bow, which I love, and finally her modern style with the intelligence of her very sporty and super-stable hull.

I really like the open stern, which puts you in direct contact with the elements, this dayboat is so original. My boat is exactly what I wanted. Customised to my specifications, the blue hull blends perfectly with the superb quality upholstery.

Not only is she magnificent from an aesthetic point of view, she also lives up to all her promises on the water.

She’s very seaworthy, very sleek and very reassuring, and we never get wet on board, even with Force 5. We went out with five people, including some novices, and thanks to her open cockpit, we were able to move around the boat with ease. With 6 on board, we’ll be just as comfortable.

She has definite performance potential.

I’m very, very pleased, because after racing dinghies for a long time, especially 470s, I’m rediscovering the elements and the feeling of speed with this boat, which starts off very quickly. She’s so easy to handle. We love the trapeze option.

The performance sails are just right. I’m enjoying the self-tacking jib and code 0, and of course my magnificent pink spinnaker.

With the hydraulic keel that’s quick to wind up and the electric motor that works like a charm and is easy to stow (perfect power and range), the boat is completely adapted to the conditions in Dahouët.

In my little port near Val André, I’m always meeting new crew who want to sail aboard.

While we’re waiting for a place, I’m at the dry port and we’re in the water in a few minutes with a tractor.

So I’m waiting for a coming weekend to reserve the tractor!

One last anecdote: my ship chandler loves the Cape Cod 767 so much that he’s put it in the background!

I’m really proud of this unusual daysailer. People stop to admire it all the time, and recently a gentleman was getting off a classic sailboat, and came up to me and said ‘you’ve got a boat that’s really out of the ordinary…’.

I agree 300%!

Ernst Van der Linden