Having been committed sailors for more than 30 years and the current owners of a beautiful Dufour sailing yacht, we never thought owning a motor boat would appeal to us. But after a couple of frustrating summers with either no wind or too much wind and the occasional ‘mechanical’ failure of our own bodies, we felt it might be time to at least consider it.
The final straw came in 2018 after a particularly gruelling passage across the North Sea. It took us 11 days to sail from West Mersea, Essex, to Holland in the height of our so-called summer – a passage that would normally take us 11 hours. Eleven days of rough passages, rain, wind and heavy swells. It was pure misery. Even the dog had had enough and was now showing considerable reluctance to ever go aboard again. We decided there and then it was time for a change.
By now we were in the south of Holland and getting fed up with waiting for bridges to open. Our mast gave us an air draught of around 60ft, which effectively meant that we were bridge-locked from many of the nicer parts of the country, unless we went the long way round via the main waterways where we’d be sharing the water with massive commercial barges. So we passed the time looking at Dutch motor cruisers instead.
It was like learning a whole new language. We were used to a comfortable and sea-kindly Dufour 38 Classic – a straightforward production boat with basic systems and no bells and whistles. That’s what we understood and what we liked.
Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting.
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Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
