Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Yachting

PAUL HAD A DREAM. He wanted to convert his beloved 34-foot 1967 Hatteras, Stolen Moments, to diesel power. He enjoyed fishing and cruising, but his vessel’s range was limiting, as was her 15-knot speed. He could have bought a newer, faster boat, but he had the one he wanted in every other respect. Her allfiberglass, 12-ton body could demolish snotty seas too. And she did over the years, including 8-footers during a voyage to Montauk, New York. She just needed some modernizing. The plan was to repower, retire and enjoy quality time on board Stolen Moments, preferably in a 12-month-a-year boating climate. I first met Paul when I was in my late 20s. He kept Stolen Moments in the same marina in Freeport, New York, where my dad kept his…

MY EYES GOT WIDE. Tucked along the quay at Key Largo’s Ocean Reef Club were 21 classic yachts. It was an eclectic collection of freshly varnished wood and historic interiors that, according to Ocean Reef Club’s Vintage Weekend founder Vicki Goldstein, was the “hero” of the show. “The collection this year was very strong,” she says. Even better, the yacht owners were happy to let enthusiasts step aboard. Lou Jezdimir brought Aurora II, his 1947 61-foot Trumpy. “This isn’t the biggest antique boat show, but it’s the best,” Jezdimir says. “The quality of the yachts are exceptional and, unlike some other shows, there aren’t ‘Do Not Touch’ signs on the boats. The owners want you to see their boats.” Jezdimir, who lives aboard Aurora II, says she was John Trumpy’s…

I KNEW WE WERE IN FOR A PASTING WHEN WE CLEARED race point lighthouse and exited Cape Cod Bay’s protected waters. A patchwork quilt of dark blues and frothy whites loomed ahead, and the bow of my father’s modified J/44, Southern Cross, crashed hard into a big, square-shaped wave. While my dad keeps Southern Cross in fine form, the year was 2004, and weather-prediction models — not to mention forecast-receiving equipment — were nascent compared with today’s options. Case in point: While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had accurately predicted one tropical storm’s path, it had miscalculated the trajectory of the storm’s closely spaced cousin, the trappings of which we were now “enjoying.” Since pressing on to Canada’s Bras d’Or Lake meant prolonged exposure to significant weather, we reluctantly…

NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE YACHTING WORLD FLEDGLINGS LEAVING the nest and learning to fly. More sunlight hours each day. Snowbirds cruising back home from Fort Lauderdale to Newport. All of these things are certain signs that summer has once again arrived, but perhaps nothing more mightily marks the occasion than the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix — the annual kickoff events to the summer yacht charter season in the Mediterranean. Cannes is scheduled this year for May 17-28, with Monaco overlapping May 25-28. Charter yachts are still accepting bookings for slips in the heart of the action, with some yachts able to welcome 100 or more of your closest friends aboard for a party at the quay. We hope you rested well this winter. It’s time…

A LOT OF BOATS AIM TO be do-it-all cruisers, but many end up falling just a bit short. But the sporty, well-rounded 35z from Downeast builder MJM Yachts looks like she might just live up to that billing. The first thing everybody’s going to be talking about is the vessel’s numbers: in particular, her speed and range. MJM says the 35z, when Hull No. 1 launches in June, will be a true 50-plus mph vessel (that translates to 44 knots for those of you playing along at home). That is some serious giddyap, and speed might not even be her most impressive number. At a 33-knot cruise, the boat has an estimated range of 304 nautical miles, or about the distance between Palm Beach, Florida, and Havana, Cuba, should you…

THE HORIZON ROLLED THROUGH ALMOST 25 DEGREES as Dirona, James and Jennifer Hamilton’s Nordhavn 52, plied the waters off Australia’s eastern seaboard in 2014. Despite the lumpy conditions, James’ job as a vice president and engineer for Amazon Web Services required that he remain online, even as Dirona’s active stabilization system and autopilot drives labored in the off shore swell. Luckily, the owners had spec’d a KVH V7 mini- VSAT Broadband satellite-communications system in 2010 — two years before their still-unfurling “oneyear” circumnavigation — and a fast data plan that allowed James to take calls and download email and documents, as well as navigational charts and GRIB-formatted weather forecasts. “I was amazed that the V7 antenna system was able to stay connected,” he says. “It’s impressive [that] it can keep…

VANQUISH YACHTS designed its Vanqraft 16 (V16) as a Mini-Me tender with serious family resemblance. Tom Steentjes, founder of the Dutch yard, created the V16 after a client remarked that the only tenders for larger yachts were RIBs and the main toys seemed to be limited to personal watercraft. That’s why the V16 fits into the garage of the Vanquish VQ75. “I decided to combine a tender and a water toy with the same lines as the bigger yachts,” Steentjes says. The jet drive on the V16’s 200 hp Yamaha is flush with the hull bottom, making the tender easy to load into the garage. At the same time, that Yamaha engine delivers a top-end speed of 40 knots, with a Veloce 260 hp supercharged version pushing the speed closer…

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY. IF YOU TALK to people in the marine community long enough, you’ll hear about the time a builder or broker, hapless or full of guile, bumped into a guy who seemed like he wouldn’t own a boat, but who happened to be quite the opposite. As I stepped out the door into the cold, dark flank of an early December night in Manhattan, I had no idea that this would be one of those times. I had been invited to try the Bowmore 50, a Scotch whose final 50 bottles recently hit the market. And Bowmore was doing it up: a vintage 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II awaited to whisk me away to my private tasting. The driver was a short and exceedingly gracious man of…

MOST YACHT enthusiasts know the famous mega-yacht Christina O. But did you know her tender was a Hacker-Craft? How about Talitha G? Or Odessa II? Yep, both had Hacker-Craft tenders too. And there are many more. WHOM IT’S FOR: The yachtsman searching for more than a ride to and from a vessel. This is for the guy who wants to make a statement about his passion for the pastime — someone who appreciates classic design wrapped in a modern build. PICTURE THIS: Your crew powers up the twin 260 hp VW diesels on this 32-foot floating limo, and you and 10 friends whisk away from the big boat at 35 knots for a day of exploring a new port of call. The excitement of a first visit is palpable. Maybe…

THE ALBURY BROTHERS Boatbuilding Company started creating boats on Man-O-War Cay in the Abacos in 1952, when Willard Albury founded the operation with his father and brother. The family’s round-bottom wooden vessels with wave-slicing bows soon became well-known for being seakindly. Albury grew to become such an in-demand builder that Jeff Lichterman wasn’t willing to go on the two-year waiting list when he wanted an Albury Brothers boat. Lichterman made the family an offer they couldn’t refuse: Let him build their boats in the United States on a larger scale, and they would get a royalty. After more than 350 boats in 13 years, the formula has proved a success. And even today, an Albury Brothers boat, now built in fiberglass, retains that round-bottom hull that runs softly across the…

MY PAL HAL IS A forward thinker. A futurist. He’s always sending me stories in tech rags, offering hope that computers will save us from ourselves. His latest contribution, a piece on driverless ships, caught my eye. Hal believes the biggest headache with boating is boaters, and he claims the problem will soon be solved. If you skipper any transportation device, you may have noticed that technology is creeping into your command. Surf or turf, vehicles and vessels are getting smarter. Hal says it’s just a matter of time before they all think for themselves. “Coyle, just imagine your boat shuttling you from Point A to Point B at a fixed speed,” he said. “There’d be time to take a nap or sip a cold one!” “I’ve witnessed skippers who…