Seconds after I stepped from the warm cockpit of the Sabre 51 Salon Express into the cold November wind coming off Long Island Sound, I was chilled to the core. Sea mist hung heavy in the air off the Connecticut coast. I snapped a few photos and retreated to the salon, where the late-autumn sun coming through the windows bathed the cherry interior in a golden glow. It felt like walking into a ski lodge with a crackling fire.
I sat beside the captain at the helm, watching the horizon in the middle of our two-day sprint through a fleeting weather window toward Manhattan. Now warm and sufficiently full after a shared meal, I felt seriously comfortable on board. I dared not venture into one of the three staterooms belowdecks for fear I’d nap the entire trip away.
But the main reason for my comfort—besides the aforementioned calories— was the Sabre 51’s incredibly smooth running surface (the boat had just splashed a couple days prior) and its Volvo Penta IPS800 hearts. Despite the short, stacked chop, we sliced through the seas at 25 knots, a speed she seemed happy to hold all day long.
After a few hours running along the sound—which caused us all to remark on just how long Long Island really is—the seas laid down, gifting us an almost mirror-flat surface to skate across as the sun sank behind New York City’s skyscrapers on the horizon. Before turning into the East River, I ran a two-way speed test and carved some turns. The 51 didn’t bank hard; with Volvo Penta’s Powertrim Assistant engaged, the boat hardly heeled at all. It was yet another moment when I realized this boat was just plain comfortable.
Our top end was 32.7 knots with a coastal-cruiser-friendly range of 396 nautical miles at 25 knots. Sliding back to 10.8 knots yielded an extended range of roughly 540 nm.
I’ve been fortunate to cruise up New York’s East River a few times, and it never gets old. Humming along to boating legend Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” I took in the skyscrapers and thought about the millions of residents who call Manhattan home. So many people, and we traded wakes with only two other recreational boats. How lucky am I?
Just as the sky grew dark, we pulled into New Jersey’s Liberty Landing Marina. The captain used the Volvo Penta IPS system’s maneuverability to slide us sideways into an open spot at a face dock, and we tied up for the night.
Nasty winds would keep the 51 in New Jersey for a few days before the crew could head farther south, but if they had been departing the next morning, I would’ve been hard-pressed not to keep going with them. Fall cruising can feel downright magical when there’s not much other traffic around, and especially aboard such a smooth-riding, comfortable boat.
Sabre 51 Salon Express Specifications:
LOA: 57ft. 5in.
Beam: 15ft. 11in.
Draft: 4ft. 1in.
Displacement: 43,500 lbs.
Fuel: 600 gal.
Water: 160 gal.
Power: 2/600-hp Volvo Penta D8-IPS800
Info: sabreyachts.com
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of Passagemaker magazine.
