The flagship of the Sabre fleet, the new Sabre 66 luxury express is the largest, most powerful, most sophisticated, and the most yacht-like Sabre yet. It more than lives up to its name, Dirigo, which means “I lead” in Latin; Dirigo also is the motto for the state of Maine, where all Sabres are built. I was fortunate enough to test hull number one on its maiden delivery. As we cruised off the northern coast of Florida, the twin Volvo D-13 diesels and IPS 3 pod drives burned 60 gph at an easy 27 knots. Living onboard is easy.
A U-shaped settee in the cockpit faces an adjustable hi-low table that can be extended to become a sunpad. The Sabre 66 has a large salon is filled with light from side windows and a super-sized skylight; a long settee is on the port side facing an entertainment center. The helm deck features an L-shaped settee to port and two matching Stidd helm chairs. The galley down is at the foot of the stairs, with everything you need for a long cruise. The midships master stateroom is huge, with 6′ 4″ headroom. The VIP is forward of the galley and a third stateroom is in the bow. All have ensuite heads and showers.
A high-tech electronic switching system controls most of the systems on the boat.