Peter Martin
New Member
Sailboats
Looking for the more picks ahead.
Looking for the more picks ahead.
Boat in build pics (Squadron 78)
- Thread starter jfm
- Start date
jfm
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the good wishes. Here are a few notes and pics on final leg of delivery trip.
Shipping remained its haphazard self. I was told the unload would be 1400hrs on Thursday (last week). I knew from AIS the ship would dock during the night before so asked about an earlier unload but was told definitely 1400. I flew to Valencia the night before anyway. 8.00am the ship folks called me and said “Come now, we want to start unloading!” Jeeze! So I jumped in taxi and they called me en route to say "hurry up!". When we got there they had removed the cover and already had the boat in the crane slings (about 1000hrs iirc)
The unloading fortunately turned out ok but not thanks to the dimwit of a loadmaster (a Dutch guy hired by PSP). He had the slings in the wrong place so we had an argument about that but I got my own way fortunately (he was using the builders “sling here” marks, which are intended for a travelhoist where CoG doesn’t matter; here we were using a crane with a single piece of string to lift the boat where CoG is critical. The guys in Southampton had even marked it in chinagraph pencil to help this dimwit). Then it got worse as the crane driver lifted the boat a metre, it rotated a degree or two, then he decided to lower it, not lined up on the cradle. The dimwit loadmaster had his back turned and was walking off somewhere else so I sorted it out in my best Spanish (quite loud too) and stopped the boat 3 inches before it hit the cradle! Then it was lifted again, about 1m and paused, and some stevedore guy walked under it and removed all the wood blocks that were under the keel, and the dimwit loadmaster let him. I yelled at the dimwit (for about the 3rd time now; all our conversations had become yells) saying “Wtf did you let him do that for?” and he looked blank. Then the crane driver said he wanted to adjust something and lower the boat back to the cradle. The dimwit got my point now – you don’t remove the wood till you’re sure you don’t need it anymore. A 5 min argument ensued about them wanting to lower the boat and the loadmaster dimwit explaining they couldn’t because the wood had been removed. The cranedriver then said he was happy and put the boat in the water anyway. Phew. All’s well that ends well
When I went on board I was relieved to see the boat hadn’t seen any bad weather. This is the saloon. Those cushions on the sofa fall flat in heavy sea because they slide on the leather and I’d deliberately left them like this as an indicator, and they were still standing
Also, a quick chance to photograph the stabiliser decals made bythe excellent funkymonkey…
After a 2 hour delay for the paperwork we sailed in the sunshine out of Sagunto, escorted by a pilot
We had little fuel so went 70nm to Sant Carles de la Rapita, MDL’s marina in Spain. This is the entry to the marina
The whole SC team were delightful. Nicest welcome I’ve ever had into a port (I think Hurricane had organised some VIP treatment – thanks Mike ) We were VHFed by them by name before we’d had chance to call them, and were met by their tender and escorted in
Actually it was nice to have an escort because you cannot rely on your electronic charts (this one is brand new!)
We passed this famous ship on our port side…
Then a couple of hours on the fuel berth where the marina manager Nicolas came to meet us and welcome us to SC. Simon from SC marina even took us by car to the local supermarket for provisions. I also had a walk around SC’s boat yard – very impressive new facility. The SC team could not have been nicer and more welcoming. It was delightful and I’m very glad we chose to visit and meet their team
Next morning we left at first light because we planned 350nm in one day. Nice sunrise. There are lots of fishing pot buoys near SC so you have to have some daylight imho…
Passing Barcelona…
And this was the sea state most of the way – some long easy swell and little wind. I hope Hurricane gets the same when he crosses…
As it was so easy I decided to call in at Palamos, just on the corner before you start to cross the Golfe du lion, to buy 1500litres in case my calcs were wrong. I didn’t need it because I arrived in Antibes with 3000litres still in the tanks, but it was an easy stop to make and I preferred to play safe in a new boat. When we got there we saw the sorry sight of this sunseeker, a pred 84 or 92 maybe, that had burnt out on its berth 4 weeks previously, suspected electrical fire. No-one hurt except the boat. Chilling pictures
And then at about 1am we arrived in Antibes. Woohoo! Here is Match finally on here new berth in Antibes the next morning, all in great shape apart from needing a clean:
Well, seeing it there on its berth feels quite a big milestone. The end to what has been an incredibly enjoyable build/deliver project, and the start of (I hope) many miles cruising. And, apart from replying to any follow ups on here, the end of this thread. I’ve had a huge amount of fun watching this boat being built and specifying all the mods, and if I had my time over again I’d do the same – ask Essex Boatyards and Fairline to make me this boat. Fairline and Essex Boatyards really have been fantastic and all my dealings with them have been exactly how you’d want your customer/boat supplier relationship to be. Although this is the first trip I’ve done without a Fairline skipper or delivery skipper supplied by them, and it was only 420nm, the boat seems to be performing beautifully and despite being bigger than the last one it’s a piece of cake to drive and park. I love it. We have lots of cruises planned (starting next weekend!) so I’ll try to post some pics and reports during the season. If you see us around do drop buy and say hello.
Shipping remained its haphazard self. I was told the unload would be 1400hrs on Thursday (last week). I knew from AIS the ship would dock during the night before so asked about an earlier unload but was told definitely 1400. I flew to Valencia the night before anyway. 8.00am the ship folks called me and said “Come now, we want to start unloading!” Jeeze! So I jumped in taxi and they called me en route to say "hurry up!". When we got there they had removed the cover and already had the boat in the crane slings (about 1000hrs iirc)
The unloading fortunately turned out ok but not thanks to the dimwit of a loadmaster (a Dutch guy hired by PSP). He had the slings in the wrong place so we had an argument about that but I got my own way fortunately (he was using the builders “sling here” marks, which are intended for a travelhoist where CoG doesn’t matter; here we were using a crane with a single piece of string to lift the boat where CoG is critical. The guys in Southampton had even marked it in chinagraph pencil to help this dimwit). Then it got worse as the crane driver lifted the boat a metre, it rotated a degree or two, then he decided to lower it, not lined up on the cradle. The dimwit loadmaster had his back turned and was walking off somewhere else so I sorted it out in my best Spanish (quite loud too) and stopped the boat 3 inches before it hit the cradle! Then it was lifted again, about 1m and paused, and some stevedore guy walked under it and removed all the wood blocks that were under the keel, and the dimwit loadmaster let him. I yelled at the dimwit (for about the 3rd time now; all our conversations had become yells) saying “Wtf did you let him do that for?” and he looked blank. Then the crane driver said he wanted to adjust something and lower the boat back to the cradle. The dimwit got my point now – you don’t remove the wood till you’re sure you don’t need it anymore. A 5 min argument ensued about them wanting to lower the boat and the loadmaster dimwit explaining they couldn’t because the wood had been removed. The cranedriver then said he was happy and put the boat in the water anyway. Phew. All’s well that ends well
When I went on board I was relieved to see the boat hadn’t seen any bad weather. This is the saloon. Those cushions on the sofa fall flat in heavy sea because they slide on the leather and I’d deliberately left them like this as an indicator, and they were still standing
Also, a quick chance to photograph the stabiliser decals made bythe excellent funkymonkey…
After a 2 hour delay for the paperwork we sailed in the sunshine out of Sagunto, escorted by a pilot
We had little fuel so went 70nm to Sant Carles de la Rapita, MDL’s marina in Spain. This is the entry to the marina
The whole SC team were delightful. Nicest welcome I’ve ever had into a port (I think Hurricane had organised some VIP treatment – thanks Mike ) We were VHFed by them by name before we’d had chance to call them, and were met by their tender and escorted in
Actually it was nice to have an escort because you cannot rely on your electronic charts (this one is brand new!)
We passed this famous ship on our port side…
Then a couple of hours on the fuel berth where the marina manager Nicolas came to meet us and welcome us to SC. Simon from SC marina even took us by car to the local supermarket for provisions. I also had a walk around SC’s boat yard – very impressive new facility. The SC team could not have been nicer and more welcoming. It was delightful and I’m very glad we chose to visit and meet their team
Next morning we left at first light because we planned 350nm in one day. Nice sunrise. There are lots of fishing pot buoys near SC so you have to have some daylight imho…
Passing Barcelona…
And this was the sea state most of the way – some long easy swell and little wind. I hope Hurricane gets the same when he crosses…
As it was so easy I decided to call in at Palamos, just on the corner before you start to cross the Golfe du lion, to buy 1500litres in case my calcs were wrong. I didn’t need it because I arrived in Antibes with 3000litres still in the tanks, but it was an easy stop to make and I preferred to play safe in a new boat. When we got there we saw the sorry sight of this sunseeker, a pred 84 or 92 maybe, that had burnt out on its berth 4 weeks previously, suspected electrical fire. No-one hurt except the boat. Chilling pictures
And then at about 1am we arrived in Antibes. Woohoo! Here is Match finally on here new berth in Antibes the next morning, all in great shape apart from needing a clean:
Well, seeing it there on its berth feels quite a big milestone. The end to what has been an incredibly enjoyable build/deliver project, and the start of (I hope) many miles cruising. And, apart from replying to any follow ups on here, the end of this thread. I’ve had a huge amount of fun watching this boat being built and specifying all the mods, and if I had my time over again I’d do the same – ask Essex Boatyards and Fairline to make me this boat. Fairline and Essex Boatyards really have been fantastic and all my dealings with them have been exactly how you’d want your customer/boat supplier relationship to be. Although this is the first trip I’ve done without a Fairline skipper or delivery skipper supplied by them, and it was only 420nm, the boat seems to be performing beautifully and despite being bigger than the last one it’s a piece of cake to drive and park. I love it. We have lots of cruises planned (starting next weekend!) so I’ll try to post some pics and reports during the season. If you see us around do drop buy and say hello.
DTIM
Well-Known Member
JFM
Fantastic to see you in your home berth, I think the unloading would have added to my grey hairs. Loved this post from start to finish, very informative and great to see a great British boat, many thanks for your efforts and I wish you many happy hours on her.
Cheers Dave
PS if I ever get down that way I would love to pop by
Fantastic to see you in your home berth, I think the unloading would have added to my grey hairs. Loved this post from start to finish, very informative and great to see a great British boat, many thanks for your efforts and I wish you many happy hours on her.
Cheers Dave
PS if I ever get down that way I would love to pop by
wakeup
Well-Known Member
Many Congratulations
Jfm
What a great project. Delivered on time from inception to your berth.
Thanks for sharing the whole process with us.
I wish you many happy sea miles in Match.
Wakeup
Jfm
What a great project. Delivered on time from inception to your berth.
Thanks for sharing the whole process with us.
I wish you many happy sea miles in Match.
Wakeup
mjf
Well-Known Member
Brilliant - well done.
I would have had a 'bird' had I experienced the unloading pavala.....
Soooo pleased that all is well.
Not much margin left in the end was there??
I would have had a 'bird' had I experienced the unloading pavala.....
Soooo pleased that all is well.
Not much margin left in the end was there??
peterandjeanette
Well-Known Member
John.
What an amazing few months. Many thanks for keeping the forum updated with progress.
Enjoy your new boat - as I'm sure you will - and hopefully we'll look you up on our visit to SOF ( even though it will be in a boat with a big stick and lots of white flappy stuff ) during early September.
What an amazing few months. Many thanks for keeping the forum updated with progress.
Enjoy your new boat - as I'm sure you will - and hopefully we'll look you up on our visit to SOF ( even though it will be in a boat with a big stick and lots of white flappy stuff ) during early September.
Magnum
RIP
Fabulous boat and specification. Well done.
Now the real enjoyment begins. I hope you have a wonderful time on board
Now the real enjoyment begins. I hope you have a wonderful time on board
taz
Well-Known Member
Brilliant, the whole event from start to finish has been a joy to read and share with you.
But I have one question...............who is it rolled up in the tarpaulin? Picture 1 at the front of MATCH
It looks like someone is about to be disposed of, overboard
But I have one question...............who is it rolled up in the tarpaulin? Picture 1 at the front of MATCH
It looks like someone is about to be disposed of, overboard
Last edited:
devondancer
New Member
Congratulations on your arrival and thank you for the pleasure of following this thread. Rob.
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
Jfm, congratulations to you from me and the missus on completion of your journey from conception to reality. Its been fun hearing all about it on the forum and I hope and trust you'll have many happy miles on board
titanic
Well-Known Member
Jfm - congratulations and thank you for involving us all with the design and build of Match. This is a great tribute to Fairline, EBY, but mostly to yourself. Wishing you many enjoyable miles in her
jimmy_the_builder
Well-Known Member
Well done - she looks fantastic. And very comfortably berthed with lots of space on each side - nice! Wishing you many happy times on her.
Cheers
Jimmy
Cheers
Jimmy
MapisM
Well-Known Member
Well, that alone must give a "proper ship" feeling, surely!
Congrats and many thanks for one of the most interesting threads ever.
sarabande
Well-Known Member
the whole story ALMOST makes me want to give up sailing the 27 ftr, and take up being a moboist
Much happiness and many sunny miles to you and Match, for sharing the experience. Thanks.
Much happiness and many sunny miles to you and Match, for sharing the experience. Thanks.
SteveE
Well-Known Member
JFM, thank you for taking us through this fantastic journey, and for sharing your wisdom and insight in what can be achieved in collaboration with a quality boat builder and dealer… I hope you have may years of fun on Match and look forward to seeing more pics of her at play…
benjenbav
Well-Known Member
Congratulations, jfm, on a great project and thanks for sharing it with us all. May I join with everyone else in wishing you many, many happy hours and years of enjoyment with Match.
This thread won't be complete tho' until we have a proper night shot with the lumishores at full chat.
This thread won't be complete tho' until we have a proper night shot with the lumishores at full chat.
rwoofer
Well-Known Member
+1
(not wishing to repeat what everyone else is saying)
(not wishing to repeat what everyone else is saying)
crazy4557
Well-Known Member
Nooooooooo.....we can't wait many years for another thread like this one!! I've heard a rumour about a new Squadron 79 how about upgrading JFM??? That way we can all get another 'fix'!!! Perleeeease...
jfm
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone. Yes you're right BJB, and I will post a night time shot next week I hope with the lumishores on full chat. Hurricane's Jenny Wren will make an excellent photoboat!
Busy here cleaning. 3 dayworkers on board getting her shiny. As mjf said I don't have much margin timewise, as guests arrive Thursday afternoon. Jack Haines should be here, which means he will be posting Spot The Boat from Match. I might suggest he photographs a boat in Antibes and posts that
An interesting PS: remember that hull #1 of the Aquastar 74 (or is it 78?)? Called Trafalgar. Pics were posted on here. Navy hull with much varnish work, and pics on www.aquastar.gg? Well, it's my near neighbour. They have bought the berth 6 places to my port side and are going to be based here. I met the crew last night - very nice team. They drove the boat here from Guernsey a couple of weeks ago. Small world
Busy here cleaning. 3 dayworkers on board getting her shiny. As mjf said I don't have much margin timewise, as guests arrive Thursday afternoon. Jack Haines should be here, which means he will be posting Spot The Boat from Match. I might suggest he photographs a boat in Antibes and posts that
An interesting PS: remember that hull #1 of the Aquastar 74 (or is it 78?)? Called Trafalgar. Pics were posted on here. Navy hull with much varnish work, and pics on www.aquastar.gg? Well, it's my near neighbour. They have bought the berth 6 places to my port side and are going to be based here. I met the crew last night - very nice team. They drove the boat here from Guernsey a couple of weeks ago. Small world
Jack Haines
MBY Deputy Editor
I'll pack my largest lens.
Glad she got there safe and sound JFM, Match looks great.
See you soon!
Jack