Hello All!

My sincerest apologies for the lack of posts recently but with all the sea trials and boat movements going on at the moment it’s been rather hectic at work! Add to that all the prepartions for the Brixham office Grand Opening & Demo weekend on 6th & 7th April and you’ll have some idea as to why the posts are a little thin on the ground at the moment.

Do come along to Brixham if you get a chance, as it will be a great weekend out, with boats to try, experts to chat with and even a Raymarine VHF handset to win in a draw.

Anyway, to make up for the lack of posts, here are two new ones together:  A new skipper’s tip and the SC35 handover in Jersey which I completed in August last year.

Don’t forget to keep dropping by, as I’ll be posting more skipper’s tips next month and the Grand East Coast Tour is the next big adventure to come…

I have to say, February wouldn’t normally be my first choice of month to go boating on a lake in the Swiss Alps but when an opportunity arises to go to a part of the world you’ve never been to, it would be churlish to say no thanks – even when the temperatures are down to -9 by virtue of the freezing wind whistling down from Russia.

My mission, and I chose to accept it, was to sea trial F48-003 before we handed the boat over to the dealer and the customer.  Some of you may have already heard about my trip on F48-001 down the east coast of the United States last year – this will appear as soon as I catch up with last year’s adventures – so it was good to get back on a boat that I have a particular soft spot for.

Before we could contemplate doing any testing the 48 needed to be lifted off the truck, have the pods fixed back on, and the flybridge put back together.  Once the boat was ‘whole’ again we used a massive mobile crane to lift her into the water.  I have to say I always find this process unnerving – seeing 20 tonnes of motor cruiser dangling in the air is quite something!

The following day we zipped across the Luzern area of the lake to fuel up and then headed south.

We had to deliver the boat to Alpnachstad, where the Swiss dealer Ivo Herzog has the most fantastic facility.  Talk about German efficiency, these guys take ‘attention to detail’ to a new level.  Apparently there are approximately 100,000 boats on Lake Lucerne and from what I saw, most of them were at Ivo’s yard in Alpnachstad.

Here are some of the smaller ones, suspended above the lake, for obvious reasons and at least a hundred or more were on the hard standing out the back of the main workshops.

I love this little one in it’s own garage…

The testing went surprisingly well.  I say surprisingly because the lake is fresh water and this characteristically has a detrimental affect on performance. However, we were getting 30 knots SOG (speed over the ground) with full water tanks, waste tanks, fuel tanks, equipment and 4 crew on board – the F48 proved itself to me yet again – I love this boat!

Actually, the testing went so well, that we ended up with some spare time and after much discussion as to what to do with the rest of the day, we headed into the mountains to get a look at the scenery and see if we could find some skiers.  You will probably find this hard to believe but the British contingent did not have a skier amongst it’s ranks and we were really keen to see what all the fuss is about.  So, we set off for the hills…

We eventually made it to the top of one of the passes at a small mountain village called Melchsee Frutt.  There were lots of skiers, snow-boarders and tobogganists, whizzing about the place, all looking very nonchalant with their appropriate clothing on.  I must admit that, had I anticipated having the time to visit a ski resort I would have packed more suitable clothing, specifically any other shoes than deck shoes, which are fabulous on wet decks and pants on snow!

I think this means, ‘I’m turning left’ but not being a skier, I couldn’t swear to that…

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I’ll be putting the ‘Grand East Coast Tour’ up soon but first I think we’ll stay on this side of the ‘pond’ for an SC35 handover in the Channel Islands.

Keep popping in to make sure you don’t miss out on the gripping story of, ‘Sealines in the Mist’!!!

Here’s some interesting news which I’ve just come across; Sealine are updating the model range to make the ‘name’ truly reflect the size of the boat.  I’ve inserted the information below for everyone to see:

SEALINE UPDATES ITS MODEL RANGE

Sealine has today (13^th February) announced changes to its model ranges in line with both current and future product development programmes. The new badging, which becomes effective this week, will reflect the true overall length of each boat

Commenting on the changes Bill Griffiths Managing Director of Sealine said

“It provides an important opportunity to offer consistency across all of our markets and brings to an end any confusion over the true size of each of our models. This initiative is part of a continuing programme of repositioning Sealine in line with our growing range of high quality, high spec and engineered innovative luxury motor boats. We have added new finishes and materials across all our ranges as well as some unique features which we believe offer today’s boater something that is truly different. I believe this new badging will help to redefine us further in our new direction.”

The Sealine models will be changed as follows:

The T Series, T50 and T60, will keep their existing model names. A new Sealine brochure is now available as a CD or download and the Sealine website is being updated to reflect the changes.

For further media information please contact Sue Hardwick on 020 7499 8600 / 07710 260743 or email susan@hardwickpr.com

February 2013

Breaking news:   Sealine take US journalists by surprise

July saw me in Fort Lauderdale in the United States of America.  This was to be an important trip for me, with a lot riding on a successful outcome.  We are introducing our latest models into the American market and we had arranged for the key US yachting press to come and try our new boats.  We are very proud of our boats and this was an opportunity to demonstrate our latest offerings to the discerning US boaters.

The journey started on a typical overcast, damp and cool UK summer’s day but by the time we‘d landed in Miami that seemed like a world away as we stepped off the plane into a typical south Florida summer’s day – sunny, damp and very, very hot.  It was about 90 °F (in European money that’s about 32 degrees Celcius).  We all know what hot feels like, as most places in the world experience temperatures like this from time to time but it’s the humidity that’s the killer; my clothes miraculously turned themselves into wet blankets the moment I walked out of the airport terminal.

However, by the time we’d made our way onto I-95, the a/c had kicked in and we were beginning to feel more relaxed.  Using my advanced skippering skills to good effect, we missed the turning for Port Everglades. It was only by sheer luck and much gnashing of teeth that we managed to find US-1 and finally the street which our hotel was located on.  We stayed in the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina for a very good reason – the boats were to be based in the hotel’s very own marina and even better, they were to be moored either side of the bar!!  Can you see the food & drink connection popping up again?

SC42 & C48 at the bar

The next couple of days were spent getting everything organised for the arrival of the press; brochures, promotional material, food, booze and something else… now what was it?

Yes, of course, the boats!  We had a T50 an absolute favourite of mine, the very distinctive C48 and the fabulous SC42.

On Saturday morning we fetched the boats from Harbor Towne Marina, where we have an office and some moorings.  After doing our checks and sorting out who was taking which boat (I chose the SC42) we set off along the ICW to move the boats to their positions.

It was a splendid day and it seemed that every boater in Florida had decided the same thing – there were boats of all sizes making their way up and down this marvellous inland waterway.  You know, when it’s blowing ‘old boots’ out at sea, you can still make your way up and down the east coast of America as if nothing in particular was happening weather-wise.  Sadly, you’ll have to spend a good proportion of the time chugging along at 6 knots but if you remember my Windermere experience, then you’ll remember that this isn’t such a bad thing – get that roof open, slap some meat on the BBQ and get those tunes playing.

(If you happen to be reading this in Florida, then that’ll be Jimmy Buffett of course)

 This isn’t Jimmy Buffet; at least he says he’s not…

The following day, our first member of the US boating press was arriving.  So I got up bright and early – 4am early actually; I was still on UK time – to find that it was another fabulous, RAINY, Florida day!!!  What was happening?  I didn’t order rain!  Oh well, never mind, I’m used to rain; it happens most of the time in the UK.

We timed the run on the first boat, the C48, to perfection.  It was simply rain and wind.  Gunner loved the boat, as was to be expected – it’s hard not to love the C48, with its dashing good looks and at nearly 50 feet with IPS 600 drives on, it handles lumpy weather with quiet nonchalance.  We subsequently found that ‘quiet’ is the operative word – doing a noise level check proved that the decibel level inside the C48 on a lumpy sea, roof open or not, was only 68dB.  I have to tell you that this figure is absolutely amazing – 76 is normally considered to be more than acceptable, so 68 is extraordinary!

The timing for the run on the T50, however, was not so good.  The rain had become a monsoon.  Now, it’s all very well tying up to a cocktail bar but when it’s so tight that you can’t get a business card between the boat and the mooring piles it’s not a good idea to drive from inside…  By the time we’d finished our run on the T50 which, by the way, performed equally as well as the C48, I looked like a drowned rat.  I’d figured out that wearing a shirt would be pointless but out of respect for the natives and a sense of decorum I chose to keep my shorts on – imagine the carnage that could have been caused by other water-users glimpsing a nearly naked, sodden skipper at the helm of a 50 foot motor cruiser, hurtling up and down the channel to Port Everglades in a downpour of apocalyptic proportions; the damage to our respective countries ‘Special Relationship’ would have been incalculable!

Thankfully, the SC42 had a roof and we managed to complete the testing without any of the previous rain issues rearing their heads for a second time.  Needless to say, the SC42 performed as it should have. The credit for the boats all performing well in this foul weather has to go the magnificent hulls and the way they take rough conditions in their stride.  As a matter of fact Gunner was delighted; apparently, it’s not often he has the opportunity to test boats in bad weather and the results made it easy for him to write a glowing report of just how fantastic Sealine boats actually are when it’s rough at sea.

 This is what is known as testing…

The subsequent days were more typical of Floridian weather and journalist after journalist came, tested and went.  Each one declaring their surprise and delight at just how good our boats really are.  They loved the handling, of course, but also the many details and innovations.  Everyone was impressed with the feeling of quality and craftsmanship that runs right through each boat.  The T50 and C48 were instantly spotted as being perfect cruising boats, especially the C48 with the ability to shelter from the searing summer heat and yet having the option to open the boat up and make it feel more of a sports boat. The SC42 undoubtedly stole the show though and was informally crowned ‘Party Boat of the Year’ – on one trip out I had to resist the urge to steer east and head off for an afternoon anchored at the Bimini Islands which, I have to say, was very tempting.

So, finally, when everyone had said their goodbyes and gone their separate ways, we took the boats back down the ICW to Harbor Towne Marina and put them to bed. (Tied them up and plugged them in to the shore power).

It had been a good few days and proved to us that our assumptions were correct – America loves Sealine!

Keep an eye out for my next adventure on the Captain’s Blog which is going to be all about an SC35 handover in Jeresy.  Also, check in regularly to see the next in the series of skipper’s tips.

I’ve found some more pictures to share and a couple of these will need to be identified if you can.

So, who figured out that the mystery Sealine in Images – Oct ’12 was an SC42?

For this months mystery boat, I’ve got a stern view of a flybridge reflected in the water.  If you need a clue; there is one of these for sale outside the front of the Sealine South Coast office at Hamble Point Marina…

Another little tester for you – where was this shot taken?  The fact that the boats are moored up ‘stern-to’ is a good clue!!

Some self indulgence now.  I took this shot last summer in the Solent.  She’s one of the J-class yachts practising before the race the following day.

… and here’s a RIB making it’s way up the Hamble River.  If you don’t recognise this part of the Hamble, that’s because it’s North of the motorway!!

If you have any boat pics, unusual boats or point of view, any partial shots that we could use for the mystery boat shot or just shots of you and the crew out on your boat, then let me know and I’ll post them on the Blog.

Happy boating, Rich -)

Fantastic!  Dan from Windermere Marina in Cumbria (https://twitter.com/DanTheMarinaMan) has sent me two shots of boats covered in snow – thanks Dan!

Look at those icicles!!

The water coming out of the anchor locker drain has frozen and attached itself to the lake – crazy!

A bet Dan’s not the only person with shots of boats covered in snow.  Come on folks, dig those pics out…

“Every day before you go out, you must check your engines…” This is what I tell my students when I’m training.  It is actually very sound advice, but how many of us actually follow proper procedures every time we go out?

I am definitely guilty of just hopping on a boat, turning the keys and driving off – I know the boat has recently been checked by someone else, I know I’m only moving it around to the hoist, and I know I’m in a hurry but that doesn’t make it right.

I’ve seen another very skilled boat handler, do exactly the same thing, only to have the engines stop just as he moved off the berth; the fuel shut off switches had been turned off.  We never turn them off, nobody I know ever turns them off, as far as I am aware they’re only there so that they can be turned off in an emergency but the owner of this boat had turned them off.  As Roger glided across the channel towards the boats moored on the other side his heart must have missed a beat or two.

All credit to Roger though. He knew exactly what the problem was, turned on the fuel valves, started the engines and missed the other boats by inches… Roger’s years of experience had introduced him to most of the things that are likely to trip you up when you’re trying to be professional and cool.

The question is, how would you have coped in that situation? I’m not certain I would have immediately thought of the fuel shut off valves.  I suspect I’d have leapt to the front of the boat and prepared to fend off.

The moral of the story has to be, ‘Carry out daily checks’. Especially if you have decided to heed my advice from my previous tip and you are keeping your boat in the water over the winter months

• Always check your engines before starting a journey, especially at night
• Enter fluid levels and rectified faults in the ‘Deck Log’ before you setoff
• Keep a selection of spares and tools on the boat at all times
• Turn on and check all your navigation and anchor lights
• Check all safety equipment, e.g. life-jackets, flares, life-raft
• Make a VHF radio check on Ch. 80 to your marina

Unlike our fellow boaters, who enjoy the delights of gliding along at 6 knots under the power of the wind, we have two (sometimes one) dirty great lumps of engineering supremacy drumming away in our bilges.  They are the only means of propulsion available to us and as such we have a duty to understand how they work and more importantly, to know how to keep them working.

Regular servicing is, of course, essential. However, that alone will not prevent the occasional glitch. We must monitor our engines to make sure that we notice the first signs of something going awry and see that it is dealt with straight away.

Daily engine checks should include: checking the level of engine and gearbox oil, are the raw water filters clear of debris, do the engines have enough coolant in the freshwater system and are the belts all at the correct tension.

Look after your engines and they will repay you with mile after mile of trouble free boating.

Hello all.

Just a quick note to say that I am going to be at LIBS between Friday and Sunday.  Drop by the Sealine stand (A250-6) if you want to let me know what you think of the Blog or even just to say hello.

I will be putting a new ‘Skipper’s Tip’ on the Blog next week, so keep a weather eye out for that.  Then at the end of January I’ll put my next ‘Big Adventure’ from last year up, which will be the press event I attended in Florida in July…

Don’t forget to come along to the Sealine South Coast demonstration weekend at the Hamble Point Marina near Southampton on 26/27th January.  Also, don’t forget to let me know if you have anything interesting you’d like to share with the other followers.