G
Guest
Guest
Hi y'all, here at Antigua, last week at British Virgin Islands. I'm hioping to learn to do the dive thing (as suggested by longjohn). It's a sunsail hol, nice weather etc. moderate dump but quite fun.
Last week we rented a 411 er beneteau? I think. We had lots of fun, including goosewinging down the drake channel at 11knots in a f6-7 at 8 am xmas eve. On the last day of seven, I was beating back up (that's sailing upwind sideways or tacking for powerboaties) and losing badly to another boat, so natch, engine on boompah and lookee some of the very best tacking in the world going upwind at 9knots. Just as we had lost track of who we were chasing, small boy came up to say that it was all wet downstairs. And sure it was. The floorboards were slooshing about. I did the dazed headscratchy bit, while Mrs S grabbed her chance to pack quickly - the boat was insured but the deposit on the dinghy was $400. I found the exhaust pipe all splooshing, puttit back on, then gave them some stick back at base for having a crap bilge pump which "had blocked it's filter" they said....
Anyway anyway.. these boats,as some of you may know, are owner-leased. So somebody buys them at discount less VAT....but...the boat we rented was just over a year old...and had done 534 hours..and the engine meter was broeken. Anothe one 3 years old had done 2,500 hours. Yikes. This seems monster hours to a mere powerboatie doing 200 hours on a keen solenty year, nearer 150 in the med. Is this Sunsail? Or normal for charter sailboats? Or normal for sailboats?
Last week we rented a 411 er beneteau? I think. We had lots of fun, including goosewinging down the drake channel at 11knots in a f6-7 at 8 am xmas eve. On the last day of seven, I was beating back up (that's sailing upwind sideways or tacking for powerboaties) and losing badly to another boat, so natch, engine on boompah and lookee some of the very best tacking in the world going upwind at 9knots. Just as we had lost track of who we were chasing, small boy came up to say that it was all wet downstairs. And sure it was. The floorboards were slooshing about. I did the dazed headscratchy bit, while Mrs S grabbed her chance to pack quickly - the boat was insured but the deposit on the dinghy was $400. I found the exhaust pipe all splooshing, puttit back on, then gave them some stick back at base for having a crap bilge pump which "had blocked it's filter" they said....
Anyway anyway.. these boats,as some of you may know, are owner-leased. So somebody buys them at discount less VAT....but...the boat we rented was just over a year old...and had done 534 hours..and the engine meter was broeken. Anothe one 3 years old had done 2,500 hours. Yikes. This seems monster hours to a mere powerboatie doing 200 hours on a keen solenty year, nearer 150 in the med. Is this Sunsail? Or normal for charter sailboats? Or normal for sailboats?
