PassageMaker

An electronic beep raises my hackles. I scan the helm and multifunction displays for something amiss. I then realize the sound is the coffeemaker signaling that its job is completed, and my cup of joe is ready. I collect and bring the steaming mug back to the helm, then settle into the double companion chair under a crimson light. I note that it is just after 3 a.m.I’ve been on watch for about 45 minutes, scanning the displays for commercial traffic or any other signs of life, but all is quiet. I look out the forward-facing windows onto the ink-black night as a mellow following sea gives the 47-foot trawler gentle waves to surf down. My two traveling companions snooze belowdecks; it will be another few hours before I rouse…

Remember when you were a kid, and you returned home to an interrogation by your mother?“Where were you?” “Nowhere, ma.” “What were you doing?” “Nothing.” And you were being completely honest. You had just been enjoying the nowhereness of wandering and enjoying, whether it was at the playground to see what was going on or just to inspect an anthill. I’m a fallen-away pilot who switched to soaring when I found myself spending too much time chatting with air traffic control (which sounded just like my curious mother): “Where are you going? What are you doing?” One of my favorite things about flying, aside from looking down on crowded freeways, was the “$100 hamburger.” That’s pilot-speak for getting into the air for no particular reason. It actually means flying a light plane for an hour or…

You might be moving up in size from an outboard-powered sport boat. Or, maybe it’s time to downsize into a smaller boat. Either way, the Rover 29 might fit your needs. It’s for cruising with a friend or spouse, or for cruising solo. It could handle three or four people in a pinch, but just for a single night.Originally, I used my little tugboat TugZilla as the basis for this new cruiser. TugZilla is 26 feet long, and I have run her many hundreds of hours, but I wanted a bit more length to play with on a fresh sheet of paper. I penned a double-ended design that measured 29 feet long, and I gave it a couple of twists. I increased the width of the rear house to stretch almost…

After missing the latest iteration of Marlow Yachts’ Voyager line flagship, the Voyager 100V, at last year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (Marlow decided to jettison its quays among the trawler set, opting instead for a spot on the outer face docks), I recently met Senior Yacht Broker Eric Gervais for a walkthrough, partly with the intention of comparing her to Hull No. 1, Ice, which I toured in 2019.Like that vessel and all Marlow yachts, her hull is cored and vacuum-bagged with Kevlar and carbon fiber, following Marlow’s proprietary Full Stack Infusion. It’s a one-shot, hull-and-deck bond that helps to create an optimal strength-to-weight ratio. The builder also kept weight down in the skybridge via extensive utilization of carbon fiber. Finished in midnight blue, with hullsides that mimic wood planking,…

John and Chorlette Copolla were making good time on their offshore run south last fall on Greyback, their Kadey-Krogen 55. The counter current near shore was stronger than expected, and the seas less than forecasted. In these ideal conditions, they decided to continue overnight to Charleston, S.C., where they would arrive the next morning. The only drawback with the revised plan is that they would arrive a day before their reservation at the marina. John figured they would just anchor upon arrival and take their slip at the marina the next day. The popular anchorage in the Ashley River in front of Charleston’s marinas is well known to have debris on the bottom, so John attached a trip line to the anchor’s crown. It would allow him to pull up…

Whether you are shopping for a new or previously owned boat, relying on a professional surveyor or trusted friends, you should never fall in love with any boat before your due diligence is complete. The new ride has to be as good as, or better than, the boat being replaced. I think of this initial due-diligence period as a pre-survey, like dipping a toe in the water before jumping in.On a recent jaunt with a friend to do a pre-survey on a 10-year-old, 40-foot cruiser, he told me the boat was the right size for his growing family’s needs. He said he passed the boat every day at his marina, on the way to his 35-footer at the end of the dock. He liked it because his goal was to…