Table of contents for Nov/Dec 2019 in PassageMaker

‘Dad!” shouted Rollo, our 20-year-old son, as he pointed at a thick, gray mass moving toward us over the water. “Is that a fog bank?” We were aboard our Fleming 55, Play d’eau, anchored in Havre Gosselin, one of the halcyon bays off Sark in the Channel Islands. We’d just eaten lunch under clear skies and a scorching hot sun. “Can’t be,” I said. But it was. Within minutes, we were engulfed. The thick, wet, cold fog obliterated the other anchored boats in a gray soup. Visibility was zero. And we had to get back to base. We packed up, turned on the radar and started creeping the long 8 nautical miles back to Beaucette Marina. Although the targets were few, it was harrowing avoiding them—so much so that once…

Outer Reef has long been known for building seaworthy passagemakers that can head off shore for long distances. The 640 Classic Azure is the builder’s first attempt at producing a yacht for a different style of cruising and entertaining. “The launch of the new Outer Reef 640 Classic Azure is largely in response to requests from our discerning clientele who desire the perfect yacht for Med cruising and beyond,” European Sales Director Trevor De Faoite said, adding that the owner of Hull No. 1 plans to combine family and corporate entertainment on board. In many respects, the 640 Classic Azure is yet another of Outer Reef’s beacons of sane, sensible yachting. Her style harks back to builds of the past, with a high bow and built-in flare, and a hull…

SWATH* UP CLOSE *Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Motion is one of those things you learn to live with when cruising, as the boat rolls and pitches in the waves. There are solutions out there, such as fitting the boat with gyrostabilizers or, if you are old-fashioned, flopper stoppers. You can also take seasickness pills, which I find a great benefit. But there is possibly a better way to reduce uncomfortable motion. It uses technology that dates to the 1930s and that promises a relaxed ride in adverse conditions. It’s called SWATH, and it’s starting to make its way from commercial vessels into the cruising-boat marketplace. SWATH stands for Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, which is a complex name for what is simple, logical technology. A boat rolls and pitches…

Back Cove Yachts has revealed its newest outboard-powered model, the 39O. With a cruising range of more than 300 miles and a top-end speed of 37 knots, the 39O has a hull design that includes Back Cove’s Trailing Edge Lifting Surface for improved handling and performance. The first hull will have twin 425-horsepower Yamaha outboards, and optional power installations can reportedly provide top speeds in the 40-plus-knot range. According to the builder, the 39O cockpit is designed for entertaining, with transom gates to port and starboard, a U-shape settee across from an aft-facing seat, and a central table for alfresco dining. Stowage below the cockpit is sized for water toys and gear. The 39O sports an enclosed, climate-controlled helm deck for protection from the elements. Social living areas include a…

Vesper Marine has launched Cortex, the first VHF radio with touchscreen handsets, an integrated Class B SOTDMA smartAIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring. The Cortex, which the National Marine Electronics Association named named best new product, has a touchscreen handset designed to be as intuitive as most smartphones, including a feature to make direct DSC calls. The unit also shows crossing situations, navigation light sectors and possible trial maneuvers. Its man overboard button activates a track-back mode, with the MOB waypoint displayed on NMEA 2000-connected multifunction displays. Cortex comes with a premium subscription plan that includes a telematics component for controlling systems such as refrigerators, ice makers, lights and heaters. New features will be downloaded automatically to the Cortex Onboard App via Wi-Fi. vespermarine.com…

Cruising powerboats require high-capacity fuel tanks. These tanks generally come in one of three materials: aluminum, composite or steel. With proper maintenance, any of these tanks will provide decades of service. While composite (fiberglass and resin) tanks require little or no attention, an aluminum or steel tank can fail (start to leak) in less than five years. In most cases, once a fuel tank starts to leak, it must be replaced. That process often requires removal of engines or a generator, cutting apart the old tanks, and fabricating and installing replacements. In some cases, joinery must be removed, and cabin soles cut apart. Depending on the size of the boat and the work required, tank replacement can cost roughly $30,000 to $60,000. Given the cost, it pays to do everything…

Stability. Spaciousness. Livability. Ease of operation. All of these characteristics make power catamarans worth a look, but perhaps the most important advantage they have over similar-length monohull cruising yachts is fuel efficiency, which can be up to 50 percent better. While switching from a single engine trawler to a twin-engine catamaran does increase the initial investment, and while the wider beams of larger powercats demand special berths, these boats offer livability and accommodations that same-length monohulls simply can’t match. Here’s a look at what’s new in power catamarans for the upcoming season. AQUILA 70 Following the 2019 debut of its smallest vessel, the 32 Sport Power Catamaran, Aquila is preparing to launch its largest-ever vessel, a 70-footer. The 70’s styling resembles that of the Aquila 44 and 48, both of…

Ford and Janice Griswold were out on Puget Sound in Washington state, relaxing aboard a friend’s Polycraft 60. It was July Fourth a half-dozen years ago, and the experience was magical: great weather, comfortable cruising, boats of all kinds everywhere they looked. “We looked at each other like, ‘Oh my God, this is so cool. We have to figure out a way to do this,’” Ford recalls. They started shopping boat shows. Janice had grown up on the water, cruising as a child aboard her parents’ Uniflite 36, while Ford’s grandfather had been a commodore of the New York Yacht Club, giving Ford the chance to hang out as a kid with the crew of the America’s Cup yacht Courageous. The couple, as adults, felt like they could hold their…

Singer Patti Page notched a chart-topping hit single in 1953 with the novelty tune “How Much is that Doggie in the Window?” With the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show upon us and other shows just around the corner, we’ll be seeing lots of doggies in lots of windows. Temptation is everywhere in the form of sensuously curved hulls, mirror-polished stainless steel and acres of flawless teak. Before you make the leap to ownership, though, the primary question you need to ask yourself is not, “How much is that yacht?” Rather, you should be thinking, “What am I willing to exchange to make her mine?” The cost of ownership is not to be confused with the purchase price. Opinions differ among yacht owners and brokers on what constitutes a reasonable amount…

Marine technical systems author, lecturer, teacher and consultant Nigel Calder plans to partner with energy systems provider OceanPlanet Energy. Created by former ocean racer Bruce Schwab (the first American finisher of the Vendee Globe solo around the world race), OceanPlanet provides energy storage, charging, monitoring and system design and support services for marine and off-grid applications. For more than 30 years, Calder, Passagemaker’s technical editor, has played a leading role in adapting hybrid technologies to boat propulsion and electrical systems. That work led to the award-winning Integrel generator replacement technology, which OceanPlanet will distribute. “OceanPlanet is a company with a ton of practical experience and hard-earned knowledge, an energetic leadership, and numerous ideas for improving boat energy systems,” Calder said. “It is my pleasure to join forces with OceanPlanet to…

When you’re a few miles off shore on a pretty day, standing on deck with the sun warming your face and a soft breeze ruffling your hair as you squint at a sparkling, empty horizon, it’s easy to sense a primal connection to our oceans’ vast and seemingly endless beauty. You feel, in that exhilarating moment, as generations of seafarers before you must have, too. After all, the view looks much today as it did 500 years ago. Of course, perspective is everything. Salt water covers approximately 139 million square miles of the Earth’s surface. But that’s nothing compared to its volume of approximately 320 million cubic miles and average depth of almost 12,100 feet. Most of the ocean is miles beneath us—even circumnavigators have seen just the barest glimpse…

VEDETTE NAVIGATOR 35 LOA 34ft. 11in. Beam 12ft. 9in. Draft 3ft. 6in. Displacement 26,014 lbs. Construction steel Engines (standard) 1 x 150-hp Volvo Penta Speed (max.) 9 knots Fuel 92 gal. Water 105 gal. Info vedette.nu Placement of the master stateroom is standard, and a guest stateroom under the salon is optional. The helm station forward in the salon can be on centerline or off set, and woodwork and furnishings are the owner’s choice. The hull is constructed from steel, and the paint has a deep, rich gloss that’s far beyond anything that can be achieved with fiberglass. The hull is a multi-chine design with a chine that runs well aft. The propeller is in a semi-tunnel that keeps the draft low (3 feet, 6 inches) and helps to create…

For 36 hours, Marsh Harbour was the worst place in the world for a living being, with the possible exception of an exploding volcano. On Sept. 1, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Abacos Islands of the Bahamas with Category 5 force. For 36 hours, Marsh Harbour was the worst place in the world for a living being, with the possible exception of an exploding volcano. The death toll for the Abacos and Grand Bahama island, where Dorian hit next, was expected to be more than 1,000, with 70,000 homes and buildings destroyed. Astoundingly, a handful of cruisers remained in the Abacos, suffering through a 20-foot storm surge and four and a half days of winds from 50 to 225 knots. Joe and Sandra Chilberg were among them, with their…