8/17/06, 1982 S2 7.3, Oriental, North Carolina, $6,900, price reduced 5/8/07 to $5,500, ad expired

S2 Yachts has a great reputation for making solid, safe and fast sailboats. The 7.3 is a 24-foot "cruising" model with a large cockpit, numerous big-boat features and a comfortable cabin that sleeps four.

"Sweet Freedom" is a well-engineered boat with a roller-furling jib and all lines led aft into the cockpit, making it easy for one or two people to handle. She has a deep keel (with a four-foot draft) that makes her very stable even in strong winds and large waves, and enables her to sail upwind fast.

This boat is fully-loaded with everything you need for coastal cruising, including:

Sweet Freedom also has a heavy-duty, custom trailer (valued at about $2,000) with tandem axles and very good tires that tows well. The trailer has a slippery plastic board under the keel, along with pivoting roller arms (see pic), that allows the boat to eaily slide off the trailer. The trailer does not have an extension, but I have launched it numerous times on standard boat ramps with a two-wheel drive pick-up.

Also included in the price is also an 8-foot hard-shell dinghy that is almost new, and is a joy to row or tow behind the boat.

Sweet Freedom was sailed exclusively in freshwater until this year, when I moved her Oriental, NC, the Sailing Capital of the Carolinas.

Like most older boats, Sweet Freedom needs a few minor repairs, such as fiberglass and wood-work touch-up, and will soon need a few upgrades, such as a new outboard engine.

I have owned Sweet Freedom for nine years, and enjoyed every minute. I am only selling her because I have recently started a business that I need to focus my attention on.