Posted on behalf of Scott and Mary Flanders by Scott Bulger, List Administrator -----Original Message----- From: Scott Flanders M/V Egret [mailto:ZJL6511@sailmail.com] Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2004 2:25 AM To: passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com Subject: Egret Introducing Egret, Nordhavn 46 hull number 74, flybridge Scott and Mary Flanders, Ft Lauderdale, Fla Mary and I were liveaboards from August 01 after delivery of Egret and retired April 02. Egret sailed between the Dominician Republic and Nova Scotia following the sun until joining the NAR 2004 crossing this summer to the Med. We are currently in our winter port of Barcelona. Our previous longest passage was a spring journey from Ft Lauderdale to Nantucket. Our future cruising plans are cruising the Med next summer, wintering in Turkey, cruising the following season in the Med and leaving in the fall for a recrossing of the Atlantic. I was fortunate enough to spend my working career in the marine wholesale parts business spending all day in boatyards and boatbuilders in the south Fla area. We also owned a small boat building business for a number of years before retiring. In searching for a boat I had an advantage most people don't have in observing what was important to us in design vs cruising plans from a construction and maintainance level. Another consideration was the total cost of ownership: initial cost, maintaince and repair, and resale. I discounted steel after years of repair observation, did not want a used one-off because of resale and thay are all a 'hull number one'. I know from our own company the first boat we built was as good as we could make it but 50 hulls later they were fine tuned and polished even though the hull didn't change. In order from this turning into a novel our choice is obvious and we are very happy. We have owned a number of other boats, primarly for fishing and Bahamas cruising, one trawler (32 Grand Banks) but have no other offshore experience. Scott & Mary Flanders scottflndrs@yahoo.com (winter) ZJL6511@sailmail.com (cruising)