The Fog Warning: Recent Episodes
None
… for a reason.
Last week I had the pleasure of coordinating a professional photo shoot for my 2017 Alerion 41 brokerage listing. In my experience there is no way to make a poorly maintained boat look good, not matter how talented the photographer. But a great photographer can transform one kind of art (i.e. a floating, obsessively-maintained yacht) into art you’d be truly delighted to hang on your wall.
This is why I called in one of the best photographers I know, Patrick Sykes, to memorialize Serendipity for you, my loyal readers:
Now, in truth there ain’t much for me to do much doing photo shoots except stay out of the way. So I spend that afternoon going through the owner’s manuals. I was particularly interested in two of Serendipity’s features – the Hoyt Jib Boom and the Harken 46RWC self-tailing, electric rewind winches. So indulge me, if you will…
The Hoyt Jib Boom
Alerion Yachts was an early adopter of the Hoyt Jib Boom. What I like most about this feature, particularly in my light-air Long Island Sound waters, is its “light-air extender.” It holds the jib boom out when sailing downwind on light-air days. It uses a small gas spring cylinder under the deck to push, and hold, the jib boom – and the jib clew – out when running.
How does that magic occur? Well, the Jib Boom looks like it’s deck-mounted, but it actually passes through a deck-mounted upper bearing and extends down to rest on a second bearing mounted on the hull structure. A gas spring cylinder (much like the one you’ll see in Serendipity’s photos, holding up the engine hatch) is also mounted under the deck, with its forward end attached to the arm.
When the jib boom is on centerline, the gas cylinder is fully compressed. When the jib sheet is eased, the cylinder extends and pushes against the arm and the jib boom rotates. Ease the sheet completely, and the cylinder continues to push against the arm, holding the jib boom out, away from the boat.
Downwind, the jib boom becomes a self-tacking whisker pole and makes sailing wing-on-wing a snap. There’s no need to go forward – trim is adjusted from the cockpit using the jib outhaul and sheet. To jibe, just trim the jib sheet until the boom is centered; then snap the jib sheet (or head up/down a little, as the case may be), ease the sheet, and the extender system will push the sail/boom to the other side.
So with the Hoyt Jib Boom, even wing-on-wing, you maintain proper jib leech tension. And in light air, the boom is pushed forward for maximum efficiency.
Overt the years I’ve heard jib booms (as far back as the 1920’s) derided as “deck sweepers” that sailors have to watch out for when they go forward. But to me, they serve as a secure handhold and bracing point when I’m on the bow. I just love the concept.
Cooler than cool, it you ask me.
Harken 46RWC Self-tailing, Electric RewindOh how this would have made my earlier sailing life so much easier – two speeds when either winching in, or easing out!
If there is a disadvantage to his system, I can’t see it. If you can, by all means launch a flare and I will publish your comments.
In Closing…Where does all leave us today? Three points to make forthwith:
1) The wonderful new photography can be seen in detail on the just updated Yachtworld listing for Serendipity:
These photos are the clearest proof I can offer you (short of your actual visit) of the kind of open checkbook maintenance that Serendipity has enjoyed. Here is just one of many examples I can offer – she recently had her rig re-painted, in full. Why? Because her owner wanted to eliminate any trace of normal halyard slap against her mast. We should all maintain our yachts so diligently, no?
2) When you add the Harken’s trimming functionality to Alerion’s Jib Boom self-tacking capability, this Serendipity becomes a true gentlemen’s single-handed yacht.
3) Come see for yourself! To meet me at her Mystic marina, just launch a flare. Or if that is not advisable, I suppose you can just call me at 516-816-1703.
See ya [soon]!
Big Wave Dave
The post They call them pro’s … appeared first on The Fog Warning.
Personally, I’ve never bought into that whole “The two happiest days of a boater’s life are….” line. I sold my sailboat two seasons ago, and still miss her mightily. Yes, it was the right decision at the right time, as I wanted to devote more time to writing my novel (you can find Chapter Three here, which may be an especially fun read for the sailors in the room). But selling my racing trimaran…
…. was very far from being one of the two happiest days in my life.
I broke into the boat biz back in 1998 selling sailboats, and listing and selling brokerage sailboats remains a passion of mine. This week, friends, readers and loyal clients, I have a wonderful brand new listing to share with you:
A 2017 Alerion 41Serendipity is a one-owner 2017 Alerion 41 in spectacular condition. Her owner is a long-time reader of The Fog Warning Blog (although like [too] many of the 10,000+ readers of this blog, we never met in person until recently), and when he decided it was time to make the move from sail to power, he was nice enough to, as I am known to say, “launch a flare.”
Here’s a wonderful video to round out your tour today:
Knowledgable yachtsmen and women know that they can count on …. three fingers? … true yacht-quality sailboats that can be easily single-handed without sacrificing performance. I put Alerion at the very top of this list. As does famed sailboat designer Robert Perry, who has written:
“I’d be wholly content on the Alerion 41 for two weeks. Even more content for three weeks!” To Mr. Perry’s opinion I’ll add these reviews…
Blue Water Sailing: This boat was designed to be singlehanded, which meant that the helmsperson alone can raise and trim the mainsail and set and trim the jib. * The entire process takes less than three minutes. * The helmsman literally only moves a couple feet from the helm. * Harken Rewind reversible self-tailing winches are mounted to port and starboard of the helm accompanied by sets of line clutches that enable the helmsperson to trim or ease nearly every line on the boat. And all these lines are led under the deck, and have built-in stowage in the cockpit to keep them out of the way while leaving the boat with an overall clean look.*
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Unique to the 41 is a smartly conceived anchor locker with a retractable anchor and roller that easily folds back into the anchor well. This compliments the overall look of the boat by not spoiling her sheer, while providing the functionality of a sturdy anchor and windlass setup for cruising.
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When it comes time to work on the engine, the floor of the cockpit raises up on gas springs, creating easy access that would make doing the necessary pre-sail checks a simple process. A removable panel also creates a standing and working space, so servicing the engine can be done efficiently.
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Alerion came up with one of the best looking and functioning stern platforms I’ve come across. What appears to be a large lazarette on deck actually folds up and aft to create a platform that a stern ladder can then articulate from. The overall look of the platform doesn’t detract from the boat’s appearance at anchor and is probably the perfect height for a family to get in and out of a RIB.
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What struck me the most about Alerion’s newest ride is the attention to detail throughout that remains loyal to the company’s history and principles.
Cruising World: Her proportions seem just right. Keeping her freeboard relatively low takes full advantage of the lovely sheer line, which is the key to creating a “buy me” first impression, and gaining headroom via the superstructure gives the thoughtfully designed interior a chance to seal the deal. Elliptical portlights, and teak eyebrows and handrails reduce the perception of height.*
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My favorite feature is the convertible nav station at the after end of the starboard settee: Remove the narrow cushions, raise the desk to its proper height and lock it into place. This arrangement assumes that the owners will navigate most of the time via electronics, though the desk will accommodate a book of paper charts.
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In a moderate breeze, the A41’s high-roach main and nonoverlapping jib, set on a Hoyt Jib Boom, hustled us close hauled at 8 to 9 knots and about 30 degrees to the apparent wind. The helm remained light and well balanced, and once we were in the groove, she would nearly steer herself. Tacking merely required turning the wheel.
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One of the things I look for in the stateroom berths is whether one or two people can sit up and read in bed. It’s a small thing but it speaks to an attention to detail. It’s designed so the V-berth has sort of an opening space and your back rests really nicely against it. So that kind of ergonomic luxury is built in.
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My immediate reaction stepping aboard was the quality of the finish and the systems installations. The interior cabinetry, the fiberglass work, the way the wiring was laid out, they just did a great job building this boat. It was special, and it deserved our recognition.
Sail Magazine: The hull and deck on the Alerion 41 are built using the SCRIMP approach to create a light but stiff laminate that includes a balsa core with carbon reinforcements in high-load areas, such as winches and cleats. The outer layer is vinylester to resist blistering. All bulkheads are laminated to the hull to provide additional stiffness, and the deck is attached to the hull with adhesive on an inward-turning flange. The through-bolts that secure the toerail add additional strength to the assembly. Overall construction quality is exceptional, as good as you’ll get in any builder. * Once the sails were up, the boat took off. Her narrow hull created a forgiving motion in the light chop that I suspect will also translate into an easy motion in heavier seas. The boat tacked through about 80 degrees and easily topped 9 knots on a close reach in 18-plus knots of wind. When the puffs hit, the boat would heel, load up and then dig in as the 6ft keel and ballast bulb asserted themselves. All the while, the helm remained balanced even with the main strapped in—another plus for shorthanded crews. This is not a boat in which you have to continually play the sheet to keep from rounding up in the gusts. * The engine is located under the cockpit sole, where the teak flooring lifts up on a hinge to reveal not only the engine, but a person-sized standing pit. Step down into the sole, remove a lightweight divider, and you’ll have full access, yet another clever feature aboard this boat. Though the engine is centrally located, noise levels were negligible in the cockpit and below.*
Ocean Navigator: The cockpit is enormous and provides spacious, comfortable seating with the boom high and out of the way. A removable cockpit table allows for entertaining in the cockpit. A properly proportioned coaming offers security and with a comfortable backrest. * The Edson helm pedestal is positioned at just the right height for maximum visibility over the low profile cabin trunk. An emergency tiller is located below the helm seat for easy access.*
In Closing:Where and how, you may ask, can you meet me aboard Serendipity? She can be seen at any time after June 7th. She will spend the summer moving between Mystic and Sag Harbor. I’d be happy to pick you up at Logan, JFK or Laguardia airports, for your easy-as-pie viewing day.So to schedule your viewing, just ….. launch a flare!
And to read more about her, here is her Yachtworld listing.
As always, thank you one and all for sharing some of your nautical hopes, dreams and schemes with…
Big Wave Dave
The post That “Two Happiest Days” Myth… appeared first on The Fog Warning.
Some exciting news today, presenting my loyal friends, clients and readers with a true value play. The Florida owner of this pristine 2018 Long Island Yachts 25 Runabout…
… has just dropped her price by $10,000. With a replacement value of $336,000 (and a projected new build time of eleven months) this [now] $225,000 brokerage model is a very rare opportunity. I am certain she will be the subject of my next snoozeagram, so now is your opportunity to ruin the day of all my otherwise snoozing clients!
If you would like to see her (and you should) just launch a flare.
Meanwhile, here is her complete listing.
Ciao for now, one and all. However much on the run, I always make time for you.
Take care!
Big Wave Dave
The post Now is the time… appeared first on The Fog Warning.
Right off, a cheerful welcome to all my long-time friends, fans and clients. But an especially joyous greeting today to all my brand new fans. I am excited and humbled to report that my last blog post, The What and the Why, has been read by an amazing 200,000 people so far. You can re-read (and re-watch) that story right here:
I was so pleased that more than a few of these new readers made a point of finding me at the Newport and Annapolis shows. To all those I had the pleasure of connecting with aboard our J Craft Torpedo 42 ….
…. it was great to see you. And to all those I didn’t,
Well, at least Fort Lauderdale!
The Lauderdale Show…
….. runs from October 25th through the 29th.
You’ll find me most of the time at J Craft’s IYC display, shown here:
The opportunities I have for you at and around the show are legion…
I. Vicem YachtsMy old friends at Vicem Yachts (I sold my very first Vicem way back in 2004) will be displaying this stunning 3-cabin 2021 58 Flybridge at the show, and I am happy to report that she is actively for sale!
She’s a hardtop, as you’ve just seen. She has Volvo 735HP engines with just 337 hours of use. She has bow and stern thrusters, of course, as well as a watermaker, Satellite TV, a way-cool electric Sureshade overt the cockpit, a 13.5 kw Onan genny with 415 hours, and underwater lights.
Her asking price is $1,950,000.
I’ve calculated her replacement value down to the the last dollar, a spreadsheet I’m happy to share with you. But that $3,250,000 total means that this 2021 build represents a 40% savings over a new build. Not to mention the savings of an 18 month build time.
If you’d like to see here at the show, I’m your guy. Just give me two hours warning.
Speaking of Vicem history, I ‘m just back from my 30th trip to Istanbul …..
…. overseeing the construction of the most exciting of my too-many-to-count builds – this stunning, highly customized V82 Express:
Her design brief is fascinating and her deliverables are groundbreaking – not just for Vicem, but for any builder in the industry. Her specs, design, and construction methods are innovative in many ways, and state-of-the-art in many others.
I look forward to sharing these stories with you at the show. But even more, I look forward to sharing the completed yacht with you in person at the Newport 2024 Boat show.
She is truly a “hopes and dreams” yacht come to life. But then again, with some $80,000,000 in delivered Vicem’s to my American clients, making my client’s hopes and dreams come true is just another day at the office for Vicem and I.
II. Long Island YachtsLong Island will not have a boat at FLIBS this year, but I’ve got other bites at the Dutch apple pie for you.
First, please remember I have a brokerage 2018 Long Island 25 Runabout for sale in nearby Naples….
….and she is fully viewable during the show. You can find her complete Yachtworld listing right here.
Secondly, long time readers know how eager I’ve been to bring Long Island Yacht’s first Hardtop model to America. And now I can:
It’s sort of an industry-insider secret, this: It is awfully hard to design and build a hardtop model that is both attractive and functional. Here’s but one example of many: When it comes to marrying form to use, windshield wipers are a freaking challenge to get right. It takes a firm aesthetic sense, plus tip-top engineering. And to my eye “get it right” is exactly what Long Island has done here.
Like her? You should.
Want her? You should.
AND…
You can have her NOW!
Yes, the above shown new yacht is sitting in Rotterdam, ready to ship to your dock in a matter of weeks. Lest you end up on the wrong side of my next “snoozeagram,” I urge you to call me today to hear how we can make this happen for you. Because with delay…
You snooze, you lose!III. J CraftYou just know I have a J Craft/Fort Lauderdale angle for you today. Several, in fact!
First, a party invite for you…
I’m going to assume you are already familiar with La Maison Blanc, the amazing waterfront home that is serving as our our show headquarters during the show. After all, anyone and everyone who comes down the ICW admires her, as do all who stare across at her from the Lauderdale show docks.
I first saw La Maison in the early 2000’s, when she was newly built for Blockbuster’s founder. She immediately brought to mind that great line from The Great Gatsby:
“If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay. You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.”
If you would like to meet me at our HQ, that is exceedingly easy to arrange. Just give me a call and we can head over by J Craft or by car. Hard to resist, no?
And for your private viewing of our J Craft at the show, just schedule your time with me here:
As for the latest J Craft news, I have some good times here for you. Check this out:
- Our new website, with a way-cool video intro.
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The latest review, in the October edition of Boats International:
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And let us not forget Sounding Magazine’s contribution to our oeuvre…
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And lastly, for the audio portion of tonight’s entertainment, check out this fascinating Power and Motoryacht podcast that covers J Craft from bow to stern:
So that there is your Fort Lauderdale report, loyal peoples. Clearly, lots to think about, enjoy, and most of all, to SCHEDULE!
But until I see you again, I’d like to leave with this: Looking around the world this week, clearly these are grim times. “Times that try men’s souls,” as Thomas Paine once observed during wartime. I offer up against this tide a small bit of hope from my younger days, with its message of let’s “keep on keeping on.”
See ya.
dave
The post Thrills and Chills, Shows and Tells…. appeared first on The Fog Warning.
My Clients I learn from my clients every single day. The range and diversity of their business and yachting experiences; the knowledge and insights they generously share with me – it all contributes greatly towards why I love my job so much. That, and getting to be on the water 200 days a year….. […]
The post The what and the why [Part I] appeared first on The Fog Warning.
My two lawyer-children tell me that there is an exception to the hearsay rule of evidence called an “Admission against interest.” If you are saying something that hurts your case, the law assumes you are telling the truth. Makes sense to me. Well, here is my admission against interest: I’m just not that good at […]
The post Pay to play? appeared first on The Fog Warning.
I’m sorry for being out of touch, loyal clients and followers. I’ve been on the run – seven days a week- finding myself now about halfway through for what will be a four-month, flat out sprint ending at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. I’ve never had a better time, as for the last few weeks […]
The post Great boat, great price, great timing… appeared first on The Fog Warning.
Every once in a great while (and certainly not often enough) I come across a yacht that sails right up to that fine line between new and brokerage yacht condition. Getting there takes a skilled and committed team – a great boat, a great owner, and a great shipyard. But the results make my heart soar. And soar it did yesterday when I had the pleasure of sea trialing this just-on-the-market 2006 Vicem 54 Classic. I had the pleasure of selling her when new, and I fully expect my pleasure will double down this time around!
Say hello to Karinneh!
The above photo’s don’t quite do her justice, but these drone videos take up the slack:
She’s waiting for you in Rhode Island. Her price is $875,000. I thought long and hard before I came up with my closing statement here, one to support my usual “You don’t want to be on the wrong end of my next snoozagram.” I stand by it fully:
You will likely never come across a yacht that comes as close to as-new condition as Karinneh.Here is her Yachtworld listing:
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2006-vicem-54-classic-8876995/
I’m off to Europe tomorrow to meet with my builders. I’m back sometime between June 3rd and the 5th. Launch a flare, and I will launch all boats.
Promise!
Big Wave Dave (’round about ’06, when I sold her new)
The post Up to the line… appeared first on The Fog Warning.
I. Stairway to Heaven…Last week my regular tennis partner returned one of my better top-spin forehands with an uncharacteristically (for him) short ball. Ah, I thought, time to rush the net! Now, in my mind I ran up on it like a cheetah at full throttle. But a friend (sic) recorded my approach on his cell phone, and all I saw was a lumbering water buffalo, slow and late. They say over the age of 45 that it’s “knees and speed” that go first. This is one reason why over the last few years I’ve taken a personal interest in how builders can improve cockpit access to their yachts. Very recently, J Craft’s tack, one fully consistent with that I call their “no-compromises” approach to yacht building, has been firmly toward this goal. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with the overall industry approach.
Nineteen out of the twenty builders that have chosen to improve cockpit access have done it this way, with inward-opening cockpit side doors:
Inward-opening doors are easier to engineer and cheaper to build (I would say the cost is in the low five figures). Personally, Safety Dave is not a fan. These doors just seem too vulnerable to breaching in a collision with another boat (or even a dock piling). Putting a 24″ wide hole in the side of your cockpit, inches above the waterline, is my unhappy thought for the day.
Alternative approaches, while safer, are harder to find. They require a kind of engineering and build quality that is expensive, complicated, and prone to misalignment. This runs up against one of my guiding principles in yacht evaluation:
KISS – More than a rock band, a best practice! Zeelander’s approach is with massively engineered, double-cantilevered stainless hardware (a work of art, really) on their Z55, and my guess is the cost is 5X the inward-opening approach:
Now, truth be told, the very first time I ever docked the above boat I put an nice scratch in the cockpit door (it’s flawless Volvo IPS Drive joystick not withstanding). That expensive mistake (repairs to metallic paint jobs are very costly) taught me that outward opening doors present two complications:
- When folded open, flat and outward, the door protrudes from the side of the hull about five inches. Coming into a dock, carefully placed fenders are especially critical because the door will touch the dock before the hull. That was my sad experience; But,
- If you want to open the door after you are tied up, usually you are too close to the dock to swing the the door out to its fully open position. It takes some jockeying of boat and lines to get everything functional again. No system is perfect, clearly. As we used to say back in the 70’s, TANSTAAFL:
Hinckley’s approach is to use a complicated sliding arrangement that I will peg at 7X the development cost over inward-opening designs:
I haven’t used it myself, but it appears to be an elegant solution (albeit one with internal, hard-to-service-and-access hardware). This tradeoff leads me, once again to ….
So, your promised J Craft solutions? First, for stern-to docking most clients opt for the remotely operable, retractable passerelle option. “Passerelle,” as in French for bridge:
Here is a clip from the factory a few days ago, showing the passerelle’s seamless operation:
https://www.thefogwarning.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/J-Craft-Passarrelle-.mp4You can find the price of the passerelle option when you “build” your own J Craft using the wonderful Configurator program, by clicking on this stunning creation:
For side-to docking, J Craft is now providing as standard equipment a lifting stairway entry to the cockpit (shown here in an earlier incarnation):
One railing is shown in this photo. J Craft is adding a second railing, adjacent to the cockpit sofa. The whole stairway will be hinged at the top, and when easily swung upward on high-power pneumatic struts it will provide access to the technical spaces down below. And finally, an elegant matching [folding] step-stool will be provided dockside.
IMHO, no muss, no fuss and your Stairway to Heaven. I expect applause from knees everywhere.
II. Your Sea Trial OpportunitiesTo see and operate the passerelle (and all other “no compromises” features) with your own eyes and hands, our summer schedule has now locked in. So lock in yours, s’il vous plait!
J Craft’s Torpedo demonstrator yacht, Natalia, arrives in NY on June 21st. You will find her, and us, as follows:
From June 21st through July 2nd J Craft Natalia will be docked along the lower edge of The Sag Harbor Town Dock:
From July 2nd through July 6th she will be in Nantucket, on the outermost dock (outlined in Black):
From there she goes to Martha’s Vineyard from July 6th through the 10th, docked on “ego alley,” i.e. the Mad Max Marina in Edgartown. Natalia will be docked where the yellow sportfish is shown here:
Then, from the 10th of July straight through the end of August J Craft will be entertaining their clients on Shelter Island, J Craft’s home away from home in the Hamptons. J Craft’s amazing house, complete with private dock, will showcase Natalia just yards from Shelter’s #1 hotspot, Sunset Beach:
J Craft’s Hampton’s home will offer a St. Tropez vibe befitting Natalia’s prior homeport:
And her dock offers all waterborne visitors a low-tide draft of 7 full feet:
In early September J Craft will head to The Newport Boat Show, from September 14th through the 17th. If you would like to reserve your time with J Craft, by all means launch a flare. I genuinely expect it will be a highlight of your summer.
See ya there!
Safety Dave
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I. Sold!I have found that long-time readers of The Fog Warning Blog (since 2009!) fall into one of two camps when they receive one of my “snoozeagrams.“ They are either happily curious or crushingly disappointed. My apologies today to the latter group, because …. You snooze, you Lose!
Yes, I am extremely excited to report that I have sold J Craft’s next available new-build delivery.
This particular model, hull #23, will be delivered to the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo this Fall. Her happy owner was inspired by photo’s of one of our more storied J Crafts, Temptation.
My client went to our Configurator (as can you, my loyal readers) to design, price and schedule this beauty:
If you look closely the only principle difference shown with Temptation is his selection of teak cockpit floors. And, of course her name – She will be known far and wide as La Torpeda. And La Torpeda’s 650hp IPS engines will move her to and from Key West at a stunning 47 knots!
II. Scale (and not) ModelsTo tide her happy new owner over until his Fall delivery, at the conclusion of the Palm Boat Show this week I brought for his safe keeping our boat show display scale model. She will live in the salon of his impressive motor yacht until his own custom [very carefully packaged] model arrives this summer:
Most owner’s elect for a scale model (matching everything right down to the name and hailing port) in one of two sizes (or, as shown here, in both sizes):
Pardon me for this, but while on the subject of scale models, I would be remiss in not sharing with you some famous non-scale models:
Back in the day, a clearly very jet-lagged Paul Newman posed for this Venice pic, in a widely-seen Riva ad:
And here’s J Craft’s take on this, with Jude Law in Monaco:
And here’s a few more:
Prince Carl Philip’s dad, by the way, is the owner of J Craft hull #1. Because ….
Which is why, as I never tire of repeating:
J Craft – Built first for royalty. And now for you…III. Your OpportunitiesAs mentioned above, La Torpeda will deliver to the Ocean Reef Club this fall. If you would like to experience one with your own eyes (and hands) before that, well, that’s a problem I can certainly help you with.
Natalia, our 2012 demo boat –
– arrives in New York in mid-June. She will:
- Spend most of the summer at J Craft’s private house and dock in the Hamptons;
- Be our luxury chariot for our outing to Nantucket for the Fourth of July weekend;
- Followed the following week by our display in Martha’s Vineyard;
- Become available for the entire world to see at the Newport and Annapolis boat shows; before,
- Ending our season at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show.
More to the point, lest you end up on the wrong side of my next snoozeagram, the next available delivery slot would deliver you J Craft (following some 8,000 build hours) to you next Spring:For more details, and to schedule your private experience, just launch a flare. But please don’t forget that our resident Vikings at the factory –
– would welcome your presence at any time. I am there about every six weeks, and would be happy to give you a Class A tour.
In any event, I look forward to seeing and talking with you….
Enjoy!
Big Wave Dave
The post You snooze, you lose! appeared first on The Fog Warning.
I. Big News from France, and your Save the Date!I figure I have about eighteen months before I am dislodged from my throne here as publisher of our industry’s best and most-widely read yachting blog.
Now that throne is not as high-and-mighty as you might expect, as there are simply not that many quality yachting blogs. And great ones? Well, you tell me! But as my loyal clients, readers and friends know, I just love to write. But for the last ten days I have been playing around with the widely commented-upon new ChatGTP AI-driven writing platform, and I see that in the not too distant future most yacht brokers will be able to publish some pretty good blogs. I suppose I will have to challenge myself to write better. But you know what they say …. pressure makes diamonds!
That said, today’s blog post though is far more about videos than words. And boy, do I have some great video for you! Let’s start with Motor Boat and Yachting’s exhaustive review of the J Craft 42:
And if you would like to read it’s written version, here ya go:
Here’s another stunning video for you, this one from J Craft’s Chanel ad series. It’s a very telling story: Chanel’s ad agency spent a good bit of time last summer plowing through the south of France looking for the ideal yacht to showcase their new campaign. If you’ve spent a summer day in St. Tropez, you know that it is wall-to-wall luxury dayboats –
All day long there is an endless procession of luxury dayboats from the likes of Wajer, Zeelander, VanDutch, Pardo, Riva, and you-name-it yachts. Chanel had no lack of choices. But clearly they made the right choice here:
There are always no less than six J Craft’s in St. Tropez:And I am very excited to report that number is about to drop to five!!!!Loyal readers of The Fog Warning Blog will remember this post, announcing the rare entry of a 2012 J Craft 42 onto the Brokerage market. Click below for your re-read:
Click away…Well, if I may riff on one of the funniest films I know, your next available J Craft is ……. coming to The Hamptons!Yes indeed, Natalia –
– the storied St. Tropez-berthed Torpedo that has recently come on the brokerage market – is now shipping to America in search of her next owner! She will arrive in Sag Harbor this June, where she will proudly serve as our ambassador to our US clients. As such – unless you buy her first – we expect she will spend the summer exploring the waters from The Hamptons to Montauk to Martha’s Vineyard and beyond, before being displayed at the Newport Boat Show.
Natalia’s provenance is both striking and instructive. She was first built as a luxury dayboat tender to the 87 meter Lurssen superyacht Ace. Although to be strictly accurate, technically she served as tender to Ace’s tender, as she was stored aboard Ace’s Damen 67m service vessel. You can see the fleet (and Natalia) in this video here:
After nine years in that capacity, and upon Ace’s sale, she was bought back by J Craft. Now, interestingly, there is a new Lurssen Ace (84 meters, I believe), and she has a new J Craft tender as well! To me it is instructive when a no-compromise superyacht is paired with a no-compromise tender. Twice!
Natalia is now being prepped for shipping, including all new varnish work and some new upholstery. She will arrive in a condition that will exceed the expectations of her next owner. And if you would like that to be you, we would very much like to speak with you! Natalia’s replacement value is $1,950,000 (just launch a flare if you would like a copy of her line-by-line accounting). But as you will see on this Yachtworld listing, she represents an enormous opportunity THIS SUMMER at $1,100,000.
Click Away…Towards this end, Radenko Milakovic (the owner of J Craft) and I will be fully available to meet you at the Palm Beach Boat Show, running from March 23rd through the 26th. While we will not have a J Craft physically at the show, you can find us (with Natalia’s scale model) at the elegant (and very well-stocked) IYC display. Radenko has several hundred hours of Natalia-time under his belt, so he is the perfect person to speak with. Just launch a flare to schedule your appointment with us. A good time will be had by all.
Before I leave the wonderful word of J Craft today, I thought I’d present you with a little pop quiz, and my thoughts on an interesting dynamic. Below are two photo arrays that come from J Craft’s Configurator module. So many of my clients jumped on the Configurator when I started publicizing it in December that it almost broke their internet! As clients began to “build” their own yachts online, I sat back and saw a distinct difference between the way European’s custom build their J’s, and the way Americans do. Look at these two representative arrays, and take a guess which were build by my European clients, and which by Americans:
Array #1:Array #2:I will share the winning answer to this little game on a future blog post. Meanwhile, feel free to write or call me with your guess. Even better, jump on the Configurator yourself and build your dream boat. I’ll post all configurations, and the world will see exactly what kind of J Craft American’s truly love.
II. And the Dutch Video?No words here, loyal clients. Because this video shows LIY’s new and bold direction much better than any words I can write:
III. And the Turkish Video?And Vicem Yachts? Last month I published the first-ever photo of their brand new 65 Flybridge. Now, just click below for an exciting video that makes their case far better than my writing can:
Click away…So there you go! I look forward to seeing you at the Palm Beach Boat Show. Meanwhile, keep those cards and letters coming….
Big Wave Dave
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I. “Q is for quality!”As I mentioned last year (in my most widely read blog post ever, “Really now, what is a dayboat?” ) a cool thing about the European yachting scene is that you’ll find an ancient harbor just about every 20 miles along all coastlines. I’m told this was due to the unstoppable ambitions of the the Roman Empire. Well, as your European luxury dayboats specialist, I do my best to poke into as many of the smaller, out of the way harbors as I can, always searching for unknown builders I think American yachtsmen and women would appreciate.
Last summer I found myself prospecting around in just such a hole-in-the-wall harbor on the North Sea, and was thrilled to discover two pieces of buried treasure that have been on my mind ever since: They would be The Qnautic 52:
and her smaller sister, the Qnautic 39:
I tracked down their builder, a commercial workboat outfit, to ask about their unusual name. They said, with clear and seemingly well-earned Dutch pride, that…
“Q stands for quality!”Well, they got me there! Long time readers of The Fog Warning Blog know that our whole raison d’être is to discover, understand and promote quality yachts – especially ones that most American yachtsmen and women are unfamiliar with. I am humbled, still, by the joys of first bringing Vicem, J Craft and Long Island Yachts to greater American consciousness. It is without question the favorite part of my favorite job.
So, you may ask, Qnautic’s comes from a commercial builder? Yes, and more to the point, a North Sea commercial builder by the name of Windcat. Their boats are designed and built to deliver maintenance crews to offshore oil and wind platforms every day, in any weather. As I have come to understand ….
“When a crew absolutely, positively has to get to work 50 miles out in the North Sea, they choose a Windcat.”To my eye, so far, that’s the DNA that has flowed down directly to their Qnautic 39 high performance RIB:
And, with some tweaking by Vripack (Wajer’s designer!) to their Qnautic 52:
I will say that these Qnautics, in my brief look last summer, impressed me. The 52 design, to my eye, answer in the affirmative a tough question in our industry:
Can a luxury dayboat be both sexy and … muscular? I think so, but without high-impact sea trials there is no way to tell. So this week, on my way to the Dusseldorf Boat Show I am stopping in Loosdrecht, Holland to run these beauties hard. A full report will follow, but meanwhile feel free to weigh in with your thoughts and observations. Because the other thing I love about my job is how much I learn from my clients. That happens every single day.
II. The Düsseldorf Boat ShowIf you haven’t had the pleasure, the Düsseldorf show is the largest indoor boat show in the world:
It’s five massive halls are big enough to display (indoors!) yachts up to 33 meters. How do they move yachts this big up the Rhine, and then indoors? Glad you asked:
I will be at the show with my friends from Long Island Yachts. We are meeting there to work on this year’s production and delivery schedules. Like every builder on the planet, a certain normalcy is returning to shop floors, after the COVID sales-boom and its attendant supply chain challenges. But executing on that requires a lot of rational thinking, and I look forward to being part of the process. What can I say but that I love this stuff!
Much of that planning relates to what very well may prove to be the best-selling Long Island Yacht in their history, their 29 Runabout:
In a few weeks I will have photos of the first 29 Runabout Hard Top, so please stand by. Meanwhile, if you are in Europe next week, by all means come see me at the show.
III. Big Boats?Now, a few closing words (and images) about “quality” before I take off….
I ran into a longtime Fog Warning Blog reader at the Mexico City airport last week (of all places). I was wearing my well-worn Vicem hat, and was thrilled to be recognized. I was speechless when she immediatley quoted my two eternal questions of yachting to me:
“What makes a boat great, and why? Who makes a great boat, and how?”Well, exploring the answers to these questions – my mission statement if you will – was born way back in 2003 when I first discovered Vicem Yachts. Back then, honestly, I did not not what quality was. But I knew if I were to succeed in this biz, I’d have to figure that out. Now, twenty years later, it is so rewarding to see how they have grown, and how much I am still learning. Vicem currently has an incredible eighteen yachts under construction, with another one set to lay her keel in a few weeks. And as one begins, another one ends! Just today I received this amazing set of photographs of their latest splash, a Vicem 65 Flybridge. I don’t normally post a photo array this broad, but in honor of my twenty year anniversary with Vicem, here ya go:
The Exterior:The Decks:The Salon and Helm:The Galley:The Master Cabin (aft of the galley):The VIP Cabin:And, most strikingly, their way-cool convertible cabin:If you would like to see this latest example of Vicem’s custom work, she will be in America in a month or so. Just launch a flare to book your private tour. But meanwhile, come see me in Düsseldorf!
Big Wave Dave (back in the day).
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Some twenty + years ago, finding myself a woefully under-educated newbie yacht broker, I dedicated myself to reading every boat review I could find, sail and power, past and present. A few hundred hours later I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t come across a single negative review anywhere, with the big-flashing-light exception of Practical Sailor, a no-advertisement, subscription-only journal.
Such is the power and reality of ad dollars, I concluded.
Now, while absolute objectivity in business is an impossibly high bar, my disappointment in our industry led me fifteen years ago (!?!) to launch the Fog Warning Blog, directing it towards answering what I saw as yachting’s pivotal questions:
What makes a yacht great, and why? Who makes a great yacht, and how?Today, on this last day of 2022, I find myself better educated about both yachts and publishing. I may even have, dare I say, a more balanced understanding of the entire boat review ecosystem? Because these days I find that reading between the lines of reviews from the best magazines, crafted by the very best journalists and editors, I can distill which boats they don’t like, and why (especially if I know the reviewed boat well).
Which all brings me to Bill Springer. Now, while I have never met him in person, I have been a studious fan of his work for a long time. He’s what sportscasters used to call “a wily veteran.” Back in the day I found his reviews in Cruising World magazine a breath of fresh air, because he [respectfully, tactfully] had a flair for calling ’em as he saw ’em, both balls and strikes. I am pleased to see that he is still reviewing boats, now as Senior Contributor at Forbes Magazine.
And from Forbes today I bring you Springer’s astonishing review of the J Craft 42 Torpedo. What can I say but that he still calls a strike when he see’s one:
“In fact, all I can say from firsthand experience, it’s hard to find another design that combines the elegance, craftsmanship, comfort, power, control, seaworthiness and the almost mystical X-factor that J Craft Yachts do.”
I called his review “astonishing,” above. Let me know if you agree:
Want to embrace your own “inner James Bond?” Then join me at the end of January at the J Craft factory in Gotland, Sweden to see where and how all the magic happens. I fully expect that you will find yourself agreeing with Springer’s conclusion:
“As one of the lucky ones who’s been able to test drive 100’s of new boats over the last twenty years or so, I’ve never experienced anything as satisfying or stimulating as the feeling of speed and style that I felt at the helm of the J Craft Torpedo.”
In advance of a trip to Sweden, I’ll suggest two ways to begin your digital explorations. First, this wonderful Torpedo photo gallery:
And second, the listing for my 2012 J Craft Torpedo, Natalia, currently (not all that far away from Gotland) in St. Tropez:
Whether it be Sweden or France, just launch a flare for all the details of our yacht-exploring itinerary.
In closing, I wish you all a wonderful New Years Eve (as you’ll see below, my celebration has already begun in Mexico City) and a wonderful 2023. And stand by next week for news of the rest of our January trip, which will add Rotterdam and Düsseldorf to the mix (and perhaps, Istanbul?).
Enjoy!
Big Wave Dave
The post No bad boat reviews? appeared first on The Fog Warning.
Our listing for Natalia, a 2012 Torpedo 42 Luxury Dayboat, presents the rarest of opportunities for those knowledgeable, discerning yachtsmen and women looking for immediate delivery of one of the world’s premier yachts: How rare is rare? Well, only once every four or five years does a brokerage J Craft come on the market. This fine […]
The post Rarer than rare… appeared first on The Fog Warning.
I know a terrific delivery Captain, a Vicem specialist (I suppose I am too, in a different way) who taught me alot over the years. On Vicem’s alone, my guess is that he has 10,000 delivery miles under his belt. He told me once that the toughest conditions he ever experienced was bringing this boat, […]
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Well, we wrapped up a record-setting (really, truly) northeast boat show schedule, and later this week we take our Long Island Yacht 33 Runabout to Annapolis! The trip south provides you, my loyal clients, with a few last opportunities to sea trial this wonderful luxury dayboat before she goes into winter hibernation. Here’s how […]
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I was so pleased and proud that our Long Island Yachts 33 Runabout was nominated for the Newport Boat Show award for “Best New Yacht of the Year.” For a small European builder, presenting at their very first US show, to get his sort of respect and attention is a remarkable accomplishment. Kudos to […]
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A week in the life… for the week of your life? I’m off to Europe on Monday for a truly yacht-filled week, and I thought I’d share my planned adventure with you. I expect that for my my loyal friends and clients this trip in particular will launch your nautical dreams and schemes. First stop: […]
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I. The Best Six Minutes of Your Day I mean it. Give me 6 minutes out of your life to watch this moving video. I’ll be surprised if you call to argue the point: Ok, thanks for the time. Now, was I right, or was I right? It was an easy call for me, supported […]
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… and now for you! For you, that is, after these short detours captained by Chanel’s top supermodels: Chanel could have chosen any luxury yacht in the world to anchor their new campaign to. Chanel chose J Craft The J Craft Torpedo 42, specifically. And here at The Fog Warning, I follow suit (no […]
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I. My best sea trial ever… I have just returned from a wild ride – Two back-to-back trips to Europe in twenty days, with sea trials and factory tours in Holland, Denmark and Sweden. You’ll hear more about this in the following weeks, but for today I’d like to focus on a [provably] remarkable sea […]
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I. From the Land of Vicem… The Palm Beach Boat Show approaches! Yup, you’ll find me at the Vicem Yachts display at the Palm Beach Boat Show from March 24th through 27th. We will have three Vicems displayed at the show: The Vicem 65 Flybridge: The Vicem 58 Classic: The Vicem […]
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I. The Limits of Marketing. I have a client, the owner of a global company (you all know his name) who told me something last week that brought me right out of my chair: “Marketing is just a tax on unremarkable products.” I asked him if learned that at Harvard Business School. You’re going […]
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I’ve been watching three themes that have gathered speed and power over the last two years. While they were set into motion before the pandemic, COVID has clearly increased their RPM. Today I invite you to explore what they can mean to your yachting life, and how The Fog Warning can help you navigate through […]
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…. I’m back with Vicem! Yes, loyal clients, it is true. After a nine-year break, I am beyond thrilled to be reunited with my old friends in Istanbul again! Long-time readers will recall that I worked directly with Vicem for nine years, up until 2012. During that time I was honored to have sold more […]
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It is no secret that September is just about the busiest month in the boat biz on both sides of the pond. Racing around as I do, I’d like to take a jet-lagged moment to fill you in on some fun stuff. First, our CT-bound Long Island 33 Runabout is just five or six weeks […]
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I. Fancy Free Clearly, good things come to those who wait. And with Western Europe finally open to vaccinated Americans, off I go. If Europe is in your travel plans this month, let’s try and get together there. Here’s what can be in store for you: Our first stop is Napoli to learn more about […]
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