LA VIDA OPERATION MANUAL NW Explorations | 1
1.0 Welcome Aboard
La Vida is an Out Islander 64 –a custom designed “do it all” long range expedition yacht. The
concept is “form follows function”, where function is living aboard, exploring, anchoring out,
fishing and diving. It is a yacht designed for the owner-operator, easily handled, rugged outside,
and complemented with luxury inside. She has a comfortable ride, is fuel efficient at
displacement speeds, and has a max speed of 19 knots to outrun weather, or reach a destination
fast when needed.
Her spacious layout includes a large salon for hosting, a king-sized bed in the master suite, a walk-
around queen in the VIP, a roomy galley with plenty of storage, a separate dinette, wide
companionways, and a large aft deck and fly bridge. For entertaining, she is equipped with a
wine cooler, freezer, a 5.1 surround entertainment system, and a whole yacht audio system.
There are five different operating stations with bow and stern thrusters to ensure easy docking
in any situation. Fully equipped with 6 Air Conditioning units, 2 generators, washer & dryer, and
an 800 gallon per day water maker makes La Vida a truly versatile expedition yacht, appointed
with everything you need to comfortably enjoy your cruise.
1.1 History
The Out Islander began with Greg Sturgis. Greg was the East coast Offshore Yachts distributor
for 14 years, the largest dealer for Rampage for 5 years, and a dealer for Islander and Tartan
sailboats in the early 1980s. His experience in building, outfitting, and delivering yachts led to his
interest in building the ideal yacht for his cruising lifestyle.
The late Tom Fexas is a nationally known yacht designer in Stuart, Florida. He first won acclaim
in 1978 with his “Midnight Lace” design, and had since went on to design many production and
custom yachts for Cheoy Lee, Palmer Johnson, Grand Banks, Mikelson, and more. Sturgis
contacted him about his idea of a swiss-army knife, do it all, rugged, but with a luxury interior,
yacht. After several years, the project got underway in 2005.
Greg’s history with Offshore Yachts led to his decision to have the yacht be built by Carmague
Yacht Co. in Taiwan. Carmague has built over 100 Offshore Yachts, where they are known for
their excellent workmanship and use of top of the line components. The result is a quality
expedition yacht that looks like a cross between a Nordhavn and an Offshore.
The Out Islander 64 is the last yacht design by Fexas before he passed in 2006, and it was unveiled
at the Miami Boat Show in 2009. It is an unmistakable Tom Fexas Design –a semi-displacement
hull that allows for long range capability or speed when needed. It exemplifies his deft touch of
designing yachts that do their intended job really well.
Unfortunately, this is the only Out Islander 64 built, as the 2009 recession hit the yachting
industry hard and the company never got off the ground. For more information, there are several
articles featuring the Out Islander 64 in the La Vida information folder.