Last year we ordered a new boat. The aim was to introduce another adventure outlet, to fit between the ski seasons and Alpine summer seasons. The pensions don't stretch to running a boat, so the solution was to buy something for the rental market, and use it occasionally ourselves outside the rental season. The Caribbean seemed like the perfect location because the rental season is December to March, so the boat could rent while we ski at home. For various boring reasons, the location choice drove the boat choice to be a catamaran.
A summer of research led to a boat model called TS42, from a small French yard called Marsaudon Composites. It is a cruising catamaran but, weighing in at about half the weight of a Lagoon 42, it is one which is very focussed on the performance side of cruising, rather than the comfort side. The hulls are slim so drag is low, but consequently the cabins (and beds) are narrow. The light weight further reduces waterline drag but this is achieved by dispensing with luxuries like air conditioning, a generator or american type fridge freezers. In short, the boat is more jet liner than cruise liner.
There are 2 small double cabins, one at the back of each hull. There is also a single cabin at the front of each hull. Between the cabins in each hull, there is a fairly Spartan shared bathroom. The bridge-deck between the hulls provides a spacious home for the living area/kitchen. This area opens with a roll-up canvas screen to the deck behind, creating a huge space (if the weather is kind). The foredeck is also large, but given over simply to net trampolines and foresails.
The build started in late December 2015. The current forecast is for launch on 18 May, with handover 2 days later.
The rental of the boat will be managed by a French company called Alternative Sailing (http://www.alternative-sailing.com/). They specialise in performance boats, so we hope they'll be able to find clients for our unusual cruising boat. They have a base in southern Brittany, as well as Martinique, so we have an opportunity to try to rent the boat out in France, before we make the Atlantic crossing in November this year. We agreed to make the boat available to Alternative Sailing from 1 July.
Thus, our opportunity to try out our new boat falls between the yard's handover on 20 May, and the handover to the rental management company on 30 June; we have just shy of 6 weeks. Currently our thoughts are to try to sail around Britain. We will set off whenever all of the paperwork is in place (insurance, registration for boat, radios, etc.), when we've bought and loaded all of the necessary safety gear (life raft, emergency beacon, survival suits, life jackets, etc.) and provisions, and when the weather forecast is kind. Of course we're hoping that will be 21 May, but that's perhaps not realistic. We plan to head for Lands End, then Wales, then work our way up to the west coast of Scotland. Once we get there it will be decision time; if things are going well, we'll continue round the top. If not, maybe we'll u-turn and head back the way we came. A third option might be to take the Caledonian Canal (Loch Ness) across Scotland to get to the east coast.
We hope that we'll be joined by friends for some/all of it. Of course it won't be easy because we don't know exactly when we'll set off, or when we'll arrive at our stopover destinations, or even where we'll go! However, if you have some time, are happy to be flexible and would like to join us, we hope you will!
A summer of research led to a boat model called TS42, from a small French yard called Marsaudon Composites. It is a cruising catamaran but, weighing in at about half the weight of a Lagoon 42, it is one which is very focussed on the performance side of cruising, rather than the comfort side. The hulls are slim so drag is low, but consequently the cabins (and beds) are narrow. The light weight further reduces waterline drag but this is achieved by dispensing with luxuries like air conditioning, a generator or american type fridge freezers. In short, the boat is more jet liner than cruise liner.
There are 2 small double cabins, one at the back of each hull. There is also a single cabin at the front of each hull. Between the cabins in each hull, there is a fairly Spartan shared bathroom. The bridge-deck between the hulls provides a spacious home for the living area/kitchen. This area opens with a roll-up canvas screen to the deck behind, creating a huge space (if the weather is kind). The foredeck is also large, but given over simply to net trampolines and foresails.
The build started in late December 2015. The current forecast is for launch on 18 May, with handover 2 days later.
The rental of the boat will be managed by a French company called Alternative Sailing (http://www.alternative-sailing.com/). They specialise in performance boats, so we hope they'll be able to find clients for our unusual cruising boat. They have a base in southern Brittany, as well as Martinique, so we have an opportunity to try to rent the boat out in France, before we make the Atlantic crossing in November this year. We agreed to make the boat available to Alternative Sailing from 1 July.
Thus, our opportunity to try out our new boat falls between the yard's handover on 20 May, and the handover to the rental management company on 30 June; we have just shy of 6 weeks. Currently our thoughts are to try to sail around Britain. We will set off whenever all of the paperwork is in place (insurance, registration for boat, radios, etc.), when we've bought and loaded all of the necessary safety gear (life raft, emergency beacon, survival suits, life jackets, etc.) and provisions, and when the weather forecast is kind. Of course we're hoping that will be 21 May, but that's perhaps not realistic. We plan to head for Lands End, then Wales, then work our way up to the west coast of Scotland. Once we get there it will be decision time; if things are going well, we'll continue round the top. If not, maybe we'll u-turn and head back the way we came. A third option might be to take the Caledonian Canal (Loch Ness) across Scotland to get to the east coast.
We hope that we'll be joined by friends for some/all of it. Of course it won't be easy because we don't know exactly when we'll set off, or when we'll arrive at our stopover destinations, or even where we'll go! However, if you have some time, are happy to be flexible and would like to join us, we hope you will!
GREATTTT !!!! go sailors , GO ! have fun ANDJoy ! cute new fashion Julie ... can t wait for the next post ; keep garbaging for the frogs on land !
ReplyDeleteEmmanuelle