SV Ponyo
PONYO is a 13.80m ketch built in Denmark in the 80s and we found her (at that time she was still called Thor) in Fethiye, Turkey – badly neglected. Despite of being a deck salon yacht she is very seaworthy. After Ric sacrificed the first part of his sabbatical in Turkey refitting her, the family spent last summer on Ponyo, getting to know her, taking her out to play in the waves and slowly reviving her.
In the summer of 2016 we continued the refit with the dedication of our boat wizard Giorgos who spent months to get the engine back into shape – unfortunately to no avail as we soon had to find out. Ponyo’s old Arona had to be replaced by a Volvo Penta that cost us an arm and at least one leg. Ponyo also got a brand new anchor winch, a new gas stove and we revived the fridge. And we finally installed an autopilot!
The name PONYO is the title of a Hayao Miyazaki movie about a fish girl who wants to see the world. All four of us are huge Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli fans and Japan has been one of the aspired destinations from the very beginning when buying a boat was still a pie in the sky.
Some numbers:
LOA (Length Over All): 13,80m (45 feet)
Beam: 4,45m
Draft: 2,20m
Sail area: 117m2
Hull Material: GRP with a balsa wood core
Layout: Ketch, Decksalon, 4 cabins, 2 heads
Engine: Arona 75hp Volvo Penta 75hp
Building Year and Place: 1984 in Denmark
Ponyo – our 13.8m Ketch