Impeccably well kept elegant cruiser from the revered Ta Shing yard, designed by Bill Dixon, this initial Taswell 44 All Season is an opportunity you don't want to miss. 

Contessa is a yacht that offers incredibly comfortable accommodations; and strength to voyage wherever one chooses. One will rarely see a Taswell 44 Raised Salon Cutter come up on the market; reason being that their owners love them, enjoy them and keep them. She was the Annapolis Boat Show Queen 2000. Her current owner has lavished Contessa with love and respect. 

999 Yanmar 4JH2-HTBE

Type: Inboard

Fuel Type: Diesel

Hours: 3470

Drive Type: Direct Drive

Power: 75 hp

Propeller Type: 3 Blade

Dimensions

LOA: 44 ft

Beam: 13 ft 8 in

Max Bridge Clearance: 64 ft

Max Draft: 6 ft

Weights

Ballast: 9,600 lb

Displacement: 29,000 lb

Tanks

Fuel: 120 gal Stainless Steel

Fresh Water: 150 gal Stainless Steel

Holding: 40 gal

Designer: Bill Dixon

Builder: Ta Shing

FULL SPECS

Contessa is a powerhouse of a sailor; fast, comfortable, beautiful and safe. A world voyager with the strength and beauty to make an owner happy on all fronts. Contessa is a yacht of the highest degree. 

She sports a midnight dark blue hull with white accents. She is a double spreader cutter with a Liesurefurl main with electric furling winch, and all headsails are on their own furlers. All lines are lead back in the safe and comfortable cockpit. She offers her owners and guests a comfortable and spacious two stateroom, two head arrangement with all of the creature comforts of home. Equipment wise, she has everything one would ever want and or need. Big Genset, air conditioning, heat, all of the creature comforts that make sailing and living aboard, a joy. Contessa has been kept in immaculate condition, making her a very special offering. She is truly in Bristol condition. 

Accommodations

Contessa, a Taswell 44 Raised Deck Salon, delivered in 2000, is one of the most comfortable, high quality designs ever built and has been impeccably maintained by her owners. There isn't a more spacious, comfortable, better finished, well-performing cruising yacht for shorthanded cruising under 45 feet. 

The interior features a large, bright, well ventilated raised main salon with a view. Moving aft is a generous navigation center to starboard and large galley to port. Both the navigation center and galley benefit from the extra light provided by the side and forward salon windows. Aft is a master stateroom with centerline queen berth and ensuite head with shower. Forward is a large guest cabin, guest head and desk. 

For anyone considering an extended cruise Contessa has all the luxury options. Examples are the Liesurefurl boom, self-tacking staysail, power halyard winch, Furlex headsail furlers, 8 kw generator, 75 hp Yanmar diesel, two reverse cycle air conditioning, and comprehensive electronics package with instruments at navigation center below and at the cockpit helm station on deck. When Contessa was built, many custom options were added. Examples are: lead ballast, massive teak and bronze rubrail, custom radar pole with outboard crane, extra galley lockers and storage, deck hatches with screens, a built-in swim platform accessed through the stern pulpit gate, dingy davits... the list is endless. 

Raised Main Salon 

Bright, spacious salon with L-shaped settee to starboard with varnished teak table. Outboard of the settee are two double shelf lockers and one lower locker with shelf above. Hull port between the two double lockers. The portside features a second settee with locker with sliding doors outboard along with a tall shelf locker and low shelf locker with hull port. Extra storage outboard and under port settee. Storage locker under navigation seat with book shelves on bulkhead . 

Interior 

Excellent lighting throughout includes: reading, fluorescent, and Alpenglow lights thru-out, red floor nightlights throughout, and under deck and variable controlled overhead halogen lights. Bulkhead and counter grab rails. Custom Grabrails added thru-out for safety. 

The master stateroom features a queen centerline berth with custom innerspring mattress. Tall hanging locker and seat to stb. Three lockers to starboard and bank of six drawers with three shelf locker above. Two hull ports, 2 trunk ports and deck hatch. Storage under and behind seat. 

The Owner's head has separate stall shower and engine access door. Corian counter, mirror faced upper locker and two lower lockers. Linen locker outboard of shower.   

The forward stateroom features a queen sized Pullman Berth to Starboard, drawers under.Tall cedar lined hanging locker, Bureau with three drawers and locker under. Mirror faced and louvered locker above bureau top. The forward head features Corian vanity and stainless steel sink, two hull windows, teak floor grating, handheld shower, linen locker, medicine locker and locker under vanity. Forward is lots of storage. 

• Honey teak wood styling: contemporary style with push button stainless latches, teak throughout, teak/holly floors
• Custom pearlized headliner
• Canalupi lighting throughout with dimmers, reading lights and art focal lights
• Corian countertops in galley and both heads
• Ultra-leather cushions on all seating
• 2 zone air conditioning/heat
• Hanging lockers with cedar lining and lights
• Engine room access doors in aft shower, walkway, gangway
• 3M break-resistant UV window glazing
• Teak Bi-Foldscreens on all overhead hatches
• Lee cloths on all bunks

Galley & Plumbing

• Custom Teak Cabinentry
• 3 burner Force 10 propane stove/broiler, galley exhaust hood
• Seafrost 12v plus 110v refrigeration/freezer
• Full size microwave
• Deep double stainless steel sink, filter on faucet, freshwater and saltwater foot pumps
• Corian/teak insert covers for sink stowed on under sink cabinet door
• Multiple cabinets for storage including tray cabinet under range, plate locker and cup locker, deep drawers
• 
  

Electronics & Navigation

• Excellent, comfortable nav station:
• Simrad (master) Multifunction display including AIS, chart plotter, GPS, radar, depth, and more
• Simrad IS20 wind instrument
• Standard Horizon VHF IC-M304 with masthead antenna
• Xantrex monitor
• Pioneer Stereo/AM/FM/CD changer/Aux input with speakers to select in salon and cockpit
• Fuel, Water, and Holding gauges for each tank (6 total)
• B&G depth with separate transducer
• AT HELM: Simrad MFD repeater, B&G depth repeater, Simrad autopilot, Standard Horizon VHF IC-M504 with stern antenna and hailer on mast
• Shakespeare amplified TV antenna of stern post

Mechanical & Electrical Systems

• Yanmar 75 hp diesel engine with two Racor filters (3500 hours)
• Two newer A/C units; One 16,000 BTU and one 10,000 BTU
• newer hot water tank
• 3-blade Maxi prop
• Tank level monitors
• Fresh water system pumped to fore deck washdown
• Engine room fan
• Remote oil filter-Oil exchange pump for genset and main engine
• Firebox fire extinguisher system in engine room
• Three fire extinguishers: fwd cabin, nav station, aft cabin
• 8kw Onan Genset (1300 hrs)
• 4 AGM 4-D batteries 
• Engine/generator dedicated starting battery, with crossover for emergency engine start (Group 31 AGM)
• Two 30amp shore power inlets
• Four 12v outlets
• Wired for cable 
• Pathmaker battery combiner
• Balmar high capacity alternator - 100amp
• Heart 2500 inverter/charger
• Heart Link 2000R regulator 

Sails, Rigging & Canvas

• Painted aluminum main mast with double, swept back spreaders for added stiffness
• Leather spreader boots
• Leisure-furl boom with full batten main
• Track for a spinnaker pole
• Internal halyards
• Storm track
• Spinnaker and spare jib halyard
• Furlex furlers for headsail (200S) and staysail (300S)
• Electric Anderson ST 46 main halyard winch- this is an upgraded power halyard winch under dodger to raise and lower Leisurefurl main
• Over-sized Lewmar ST 58 2 spd self tailing winches for easy single handed sailing
• Lewmar ST 40 2 spd winch
• Forespar rigid vang
• Custom main preventor system
• Insulated backstay antenna
• Adjustable split backstay
• Running backstays
• High cut 135% Jib and staysail with foam luff
• UK flasher 
• All lines led to cockpit
• Full companionway dodger with zipper window to bimini. Elk hide grab rail on aft end of dodger.
• Full cockpit bimini
• Window in bimini to trim sails
• Sun awning 
• Cockpit cushions
• Covers for hatches, teak seats and stern rail
• Covers for all winches and windlass
• Snap on canvas covers for dodger windows
• Standing rigging all replaced 2013

Hull & Deck

• Solid fiberglass hull with longitudinal stringers. Fiberglass sandwich deck with contrasting molded non-skid decks.
• Fiberglass nonskid Decks
• Dark Midnight Blue Hull
• White Inlay
• Bronze toe rail
• Teak cockpit floor grating (two piece)
• Custom double leaf cockpit table and triple drink holder
• Wheel pedestal (Elk hide wheel) with engine panel, single lever controls, compass
• Kato antenna post with outboard engine hoist
• Full canvas enclosure with polycarbonate windows and screens
• Cockpit cushions
• Gortex thread in canvas work
• Teak transom steps with lazarette, stainless foldaway swim ladder
• 2 custom teak stern seats 

Additional 

• Eprib
• 9'6" AB RIB Inflatable
• 9.8hp Tohatsu Outboard
• SS Kato Davits with cross support
• SS Outboard Engine Lift
• SS Stern Radar Port
• Swiflik MOM9
• Fenders
• Lines
• Jacklines
• Safety harness eyes in cockpit
• Six life jackets
• Emergency tiller
• Two anchors with rodes, 65# CQR on all chain, 45# Bruce with chain and rode
• Stainless steel anchor weldment with rollers
• Lewmar Ocean windlass with capstan (12v), in-cockpit control
• deck wash-down pump
• Whitlock reflex steering pedestal
• Custom hull color (midnight blue) and striping (white)
• Teak rub rail with bronze cap
• 2 electric, 2 manual bilge pumps, high-water alarm
• 3-blade Maxprop
• 2 Lectra San waste systems
• Fresh water transom shower
• Fresh water hook-up on transom
• Tri-color light at masthead 
• Lightning arrestor at mast head
• Propane stern grill with canvas cover
• Leisurefurl full batten mainsail
• Kyocera KC 130 TW solar panel
• Blue Sky solar controller 
• CO2 detector
• 4 deck lockers including propane locker (port aft) with two tanks

Contessa Recent Work:

2022-2023

Drew and tested engine and generator fluids

Stripped and varnished rub rails

Waxed deck and hull (sufficient time had passed since painting) and deck

Waterproofed bimini

2021-2022

Replaced staysail sacrificial cover

Replaced RO system with holding tank for forward head

Drained and refilled engine cooling system

Replaced generator water pump

Repaired/replaced selected engine/generator fuel valves

Lubed thru hulls

Painted underwater metals, replace zincs, paint bottom, lubed Max Prop

Waxed deck (hull not waxed due to new paint)

Stripped and rebuilt varnish on cockpit coaming

Tuned up dingy outboard

Replaced dingy

2020-2021

Replaced forward and aft Electro Scan systems

Replaced engine hanger bracket

Painted underwater metals, replace zincs, touch up bottom paint, lube Max Prop

Replaced dorade O-rings

Waxed deck (hull paint too new)

Varnished teak

2019-2020

Painted hull and replaced graphics

Replaced hose clamps on water lift

Replaced saloon "window" covers

Replaced genoa sheets

Cleaned turbo

Painted underwater metals, replace zincs, paint bottom, lube Max Prop

Varnished teak

2018-2019

Replaced cutlass bearing

Repaired drains in aft deck lockers

Installed redundant depth sounder system

Check for potential problems when using ground fault power pedestals

Lubed seacocks

Replaced anchor windlass

Replaced bolts on stanchon bases

Replaced damaged shore power inlet

Replaced cockpit manual bilge pump

Painted underwater metals, replace zincs, paint bottom, lube Max Prop

Varnished teak

Note: Contessa is hauled, shrink wrapped and inspected every year by Zimmerman Marine, Deltaville. Additionally, she undergoes extensive pre-haul and post-launch sea trails.