Now that heavy construction is over, Sasha and I are settling into a more normal routine.  

Wake up, work out, have breakfast, head to work.  

Though, some parts of our morning will never quite be totally normal.   

A few days ago, I jammed the main halyard in the top of the mast when I was using it to open the back hatch.  So, part two of my workout was climbing the mast to fix it.  This was the first time I really missed power winches.  Getting to the top of the mast has never been such a work out, I literally had to climb. 

Here is what "catching up with neighbors on the way to work" looks like for us.  

Not too shabby.  

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We installed some new hoses in the steering system and in the process needed to top up the hydraulic fluid.

This was a good trial to see if we are building in such a way that systems are available for maintenance. 

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Here is a master list of S&S 5.5-Meters sorted by name, design number and year.

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Here's a nice looking ketch that is pretty old school for 1980 but a nice looking cruising boat nonetheless. She's a lot of boat with four cabins plus crew in 73' overall.  The design was never taken beyond this very preliminary stage.

Principal Dimensions

LOA 73'-0"

LWL 54'-6"

Beam 19'-0"

Draft 9'-0"

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This beauty, contrary to other KER, will be a relatively affordable boat: It is not a carbon one but an Eglass cored boat with aluminium spars standard (carbon option) and everything was made to bring the price down without compromising too much performance. The price without taxes will round 145 000 Euros.

It has a moderate beam hull (3.36m), a not very deep torpedo keel (2.00m), it will be relatively heavy (3750kg) and that means probably a very big B/D ratio that will be put at good use upwind by the typically Ker designed transom (without chines). A boat that will be more at ease in crewed racing than on solo or short crewed racing.

It has a powerful engine (30hp), an interior that allows offshore racing (3 double berths and a good galley) or even some spartan but certainly fast cruising.

The boat is manufactured by McConaghy in China and I bet it will be a success. There are already several commands. It is not only beautiful as it will be certainly fast and with a contained price: a great combination ;-)

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It starts at 13.00, 31 December, a good way to start the year :-) a non stop circumnavigation race for duos on IMOCA racers (Open 60's). Unfortunately not many teams, only 8 and not all top teams. The good news is that Spaniards are really on the short crew/solo racing. Half of the teams are Spanish and that is a first: a duo circumnavigation race that has not a majority of French teams!!! Not yet favorites, but as Alex Pella showed on the Route du Rhum, it is a question of time.

The favorites are the usual, even if many top sailors are not racing this one. They are two: Stam/Le Cam and Alex/Ribes with an outsider on his first big circumnavigation race, Riechers, here teaming with Audigane. No favorites among the Spanish? I don't believe so...well, if Pella was on Neutragena maybe an outsider but it is Altadill that is the skipper, teaming with Muñoz. Great sailor but more of a team player than a solo/duo sailor, but maybe he proves me wrong.

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This is not my usual mood when it looks like a bomb went off in the boat, but today is different.  Today, I'm unpacking boxes and starting to move into my galley!!  

Most of what I'm unpacking are wedding gifts that I've not seen in two years.  I left some of the wedding cards in the boxes as little reminders.  I'm such a girl!

Yes.  I'm pretty stoked about my new dutch oven.  

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A pity they show so little footage from the bad weather part: they wanted to make a balanced movie with all parts of the race but it is a pity the movie to be so small. Certainly they have much more footage from the stormy part. What they show is just great ;-)

And another one taken by one of the fastest boats on the race (it appears also on the official video) the cookson 50 Cantankerous they were only 22th on IRC but this year big boats had no luck because they get much more light wind and less strong wind than the smaller boats. Anyway to give it a measure of their speed, that can be seen on the movie, they were among the first boats to arrive only beaten by the Maxi Esimit, the Mini maxi Shockwave and Ran and narrowly by the 60ft Wild Joe but they beat the B2  (a very fast TP 52), the VOR 70, three VOR 60, an Open 60, a Swan 82 and a 60.

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Boats can be and are regularly built using an existing design. This is a cost effective way to obtain plans for a proven boat. Click here for an example project. To build a boat from one of our existing plan sets a royalty must be paid. Please contact us for a quote.

In many cases existing plans are modified or updated. For example a classic sailing yacht originally designed and built using carvel planking will often be re-engineered and updated for cold molded epoxy construction. Another common example may be modifying an interior arrangement to suit one's particular needs. Please contact us for further information.

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There is another little Hanse, a new 315. I confess that I did not take a second look at the boat when I saw it the first time. Sure it is a nice little boat but nothing specially attractive or looking anything out of the ordinary. So, why am I posted about it?

Because I start reading several test sails from magazines from different countries and all test sailors are unanimous in referring that the boat really sails very well and it is fast for a non performance boat. Looking again we can see some details that are very interesting like the control of the boom near the steering wheel, a traveller there, the option for a rudder or two wheels, a self tacking jib, a good B/D ratio for the type of boat, type of keel and draft and a very attractive price starting at 60 000 euros.

The Hanse 315 has also a very nice light and bright interior and it is no wonder to have been nominated for the European boat of the year contest. It would not surprise me if it won it on his category. Sometimes simplicity and effectiveness are underrated, sometimes not.

http://www.yachtingpartners.com.mt/yachts/hanse-315/

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After the bottom paint is on We remove the tape and let the paint bake for a few hours in the mid-day sun.  Bottom paint dries fast so this afternoon I'm going to tape off the boot stripe and get it painted on, too.

Boot stripe is done!  The exterior is one step closer to being water ready.
 Whoo hoo!

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This is not a new boat, it is an older Gib Sea 126 (43ft). Normally I post about new boats but this thread is about interesting boats and I was so impressed with the condition of this boat when I saw it at Vibo Marina that surely it is for me an interesting one...at that price.

The Old Gib Sea have the reputation of being very seaworthy boats, with their cutter rig and all. This one comes completely equipped for cruising, with solar panels, wind generator, rigid dinghy on davits (not that I like the dinghy). The condition of the boat is just unbelievable...it looks like new.

The owner and seller offers an incredible warranty on everything for two years and the asking price is 85000 euros. Probably less on a direct sale (see the email on the boat photo).

https://m.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=292237
So if you want to go cruising and don't have the money for a new boat this seems a great opportunity. Not a paying add this, just my desire to pass valuable information to fellow cruisers that read this blog. If you buy it please just let us now. 

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New York was full on Pizza R&D.  I was reading a book that was given to me by a former charter guest titled

One day we made sauce, another day we talked about book keeping and price setting.  

At the end of four days, we signed our diplomas!  

And officially graduated from pizza school!  

Our instructor, Anthony, was a blast to learn from.

We were actually a little sad to leave.  

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When he came out ahead of that storm and managed to keep about 100nm to his closest pursuer, Guichard, on the faster and bigger Spindrift trimaran, I thought that all he had to do was to control that advantage and with a bit of luck, the faster boat would not be able to catch him before the finish. But that would not make Peyron style, so he just kept pushing like a kid and finished with an advantage of 180nm!!!!

 Peyron showed not only that he is a great sailor (we all knew that) but that at 55 he his still in shape and has an incredible endurance. I believe he won the race on the first days on that big storm, that he described as "hellish conditions". Alone on that multihull he, and all the younger skippers on similar boats, did not sleep practically for 48 hours. He said that the only time he tried to close the eyes at the wheel and have a brief nap, he woke up alarmed with the boat high on the air on the way to a capsize. He says he got some more grey hair with that :-) How can a 55 year old guy have the same endurance as a 30 year old guy? That one beats me, unless Peyron is a very special man, one of a kind and I believe that is the case.

He did not only beat them all as he beat the race record for almost 2 hours (7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes, 32 seconds). I believe it was for doing this that he pushed like a mad man on the last 500nm when he had the race already controlled. He did not only want to win, he wanted the race record too. Crazy man, it is too much for a 55 year old guy, except that he did not know that, so it had no importance at all. LOL

The funny thing is that he was only racing that trimaran by accident: Not finding any competitive boat, and that means that the sponsors did not believe him to be still competitive at the highest level, Peyron that likes to race, was going to make the race, for the fun of it, on a very old and small trimaran, on the Route class, this one:

Armel Le Cleash, another top younger racer, was entering the race on a competitive trimaran sponsored by the ones that had sponsored Peyron for years, Banque Populaire. Then Armel hurt badly an arm...and they had to look around for someone able to sail the big trimaran solo in a competitive way...and the best option seemed to be old Peyron. So almost without preparation here he goes from a small old slow tiny catamaran to a huge fast one, sailing the Route du Rhum on a competitive boat...and the rest is history ;-)

Images Caribbean Skyview premières images de... by routedurhum
Une incroyable arrivée de Loïck Peyron ! by routedurhum

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Three great movies: A kind of Middle Sea race surfing best off, Concise, the Ker designed 40class racer blasting downwind and a kit surf movie, a great one: Gorgeous scenery, great sailing fun, beautiful girls. Those guys seems to have it all ;-)

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This was the second Charisma for this particular owner. Constructed of welded aluminum, she was built by Minneford's Yacht Yard of City Island, New York. The boat was launched in 1975. Charisma was designed under the I.O.R. Rule as an Admiral's Cup racer.

Here is an article from Yachting magazine about the boat. Please double click for zoom.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 54'-2"
LWL 42'-0"
Beam 14'-0"
Draft 8'-6"
Displacement 40,000 lbs
Ballast 18,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,251 sq ft

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On the class with more boats and where the competition is harder, the 40class, Alex Pella did not only win the race but also beat the record by one day and five hours. The boat was designed by Gonzalo Botin, the brother of Marcelino Botin and built by Longitud Cero. A completely Spanish team, from the sailor to the builder, passing by the designer, beating all the French on the biggest French Transat. That's a hell of an accomplishment and also one that means the French are not alone anymore in what regards top solo sailing and top racing solo boats design. 

Regarding design, several designers have tried including Ker, Owen and Clarke and Rob Humphrey but the  honor of having designed the first 40class racer  that beat the French designed boats on the bigger Transat, is for  Gonzalo Botin.
The name of Botin partners is not very well known out of the racing world but if I name some of their designs I believe that many will recognize the boats because they are winners: Caro, the Knierin 65 performance cruiser that beat all the race boats and won the last ARC, Beau Gest, the 80ft racer, the Grand Soleil 50, the VOR70 Camper and many top TP52 among other great boats. One of the more exciting and best NA teams around.

Alex Pella is a great sailor having taken part in two IMOCA seasons (2009 and 2011) and that, for lack of budget that would allow him a competitive boat, has passed to the 40class. He has been a top contender on the previous Transat, did not win  because he had to stop at La Coruna to repair a rudder  but after that he made an incredible recuperation to the first places, finishing second very near the first (with Pablo Santurde).

42 year old Pella, is at the top of his abilities as a solo racing sailor and it would really be a shame not to see this all Spanish team enter the next Vendee Globe. I really hope that this great victory can contribute for a Spanish national support that allows them to enter the next big solo race with a top boat, a Botin designed one, built in Spain.

Une course parfaite ! Arrivée d'Alex Pella... by routedurhum

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Enterprise (US27) was designed and built to compete in the 23rd America's Cup of 1977. She was constructed of aluminum by the Minneford Yacht Yard of City Island, New York and launched in 1976. The syndicate was establised by the Maritime College of Fort Schuyler, New York.

The design was based on extensive tank testing using large format models of 1/3rd scale, a practice that was started for the testing of Courageous for the 22nd America's Cup of 1974. Initial tank testing used 1/8th scale models of 8' length overall. After analysis the larger 22' models were built and tested to better verify results and to eliminate problems associated with scale effects. Earlier testing of previous 12-meters had relied upon models of 1/13th scale or 5' overall length.

The boat could not beat Courageous, S&S design #2085 and Courageous was selected to defend the Cup. Here is an image of Enterprise during trails sailing against
Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 67'-0"
LWL 48'-0"
Beam 12'-6"
Draft 9'-0"
Sail Area 1,808 sq ft

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Satanita is a sister to the famous