Delivering Alanui
Thanks, Peter, for the dissertation on how boats and folks within get
beat-up in 8' headseas. But, I didn't ask the questions you answered, and I'm still
looking forward to Mike, or someone who knows, addressing my question.
Regards,
John
"Sehorse"
What size vessel (Nordhavn or otherwise) would you
have set out in sooner,
without awaiting this window?
What attributes would this vessel have to have,
other than size, in order to
have departed
I delivered a lot of Nordhavns up this coast - the
same route Mike is heading. For me, the question
wasn't whether the boat could take it (it could), but
there's a lot of other ways to damage a boat besides
heavy weather. Most owner's don't just want their boat
to show up, but they want it to show up in roughly the
same condition as it departed (or better). You see,
the upright human form isn't very stable and tends to
knock into cabinets, microwaves, open a refrigerator
just as a wave hits to lauch a 6-pack of soda across a
sole, etc. Or drop binoculars onto a finely varnished
table. You get the picture. I was quite proud of my
"never an insurance claim" track record: I drove an
85-foot dinner cruise charter boat in San Francisco
Bay, and about 80,000 miles of deliveries, have done
dozens of lessons and boat show demonstrations, and
logged a ton of personal miles.
But probably the most prevelant weather-related vessel
damage during deliveries is from heavy spray - heading
north into 25 knots and 8-foot seas means there will
be a lot of spray over the bow. On lesser boats, it
seeps through windows, ports, and deck fittings and
destroys carpets, window treatments, wood finish, and
furniture. Technically, the boat isn't at a loss-risk,
but there is tremendous potential for moderate damage,
which really ticks-off owners.
At the very least, it's a complex equation of crew,
boat/equipment, route/safe harbors, conditions
(whether they're getting better or worse), and time.
It's the skipper's judgement call - and sometimes its
a hard decision.
[OFFLIST]
John,
I think that Peter is saying that the Nordhavn is perfectly adequate to the
task, but unless everything is truly made ready for sea, its interior might
suffer some damage from flying objects.
Off the record, Peter likes the Nordhavn 57 as his ideal vessel. Otherwise,
I'm confused. It is customary on a sailboat to secure everything prior to
getting underway. I regularly did that and usually forgot something!
It appears that transiting the West Coast involves waiting for weather
windows more so than here on the Right Coast.
My ideal boat is a Hand motorsailer 55 to 62 feet overall. My Uncle's
Matthews 38 was drafted into the ASW war off the NY/NJ coast. He tells me
that when it was too rough for his and other boats, they would say, "Send
out the Hand!"
I think that there is a 60 foot Hand at Bock's Yard on Adam's Creek and I am
going over to take pictures.
The boating oriented newspapers are great. It sounds like a real marine
community except for the part about wearing long pants to the city. {;^))
The blue covered Marine Directory does not sound like they are that dog
friendly. If they enforce the law as written, the Boyze would have to go
into quarantine. I guess that you are telling me that if the dogs don't
leave the marina - all is well. Remind me if you will, what slip fees for a
40 footer might be at your marina and the next one down in quality.
Thank you,
Ron
Thanks, Peter, for the dissertation on how boats and
folks within get
beat-up in 8' headseas. But, I didn't ask the
questions you answered, and I'm still
looking forward to Mike, or someone who knows,
addressing my question.
Didn't mean to sound "preachy" John, but there's no
simple answer to the question. I moved a lot of
Nordhavns up the coast (other brands too) and know the
coast and weather well (Alanui hit a fairly common
weather pattern, a bit more stationary than typical
for June, but the conditions were normal).
All other things being equal, bigger is better. How
big is big enough? There are a lot of variables. This
list (and others) focus on perfect storm
"seaworthiness." As a past delivery captain, I worried
about a dropped tool or soda can on a finely varnished
table with a repair bill that could crest $1000.
Just my opinion. I too would be interested in other
opinions.
Peter
www.SeaSkills.com
=======================
Peter Pisciotta
415-902-8439