Coming Back to Sail....

Nautorius

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Joined
24 Jun 2003
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Gibraltar, Small Boats Marina
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Well,

After 8 years mainly powerboating we have turned back to Sailing. This has mainly been as a result of our new location in Gibraltar. Over the summer we have spent a lot of time on Sailing boats of our friends and even helping buy them boats. In the end whilst looking at a boat for someone else I thought "Wow, this is just what we want" so I bought it!

We made a list and this is what we wanted; a simple to look after AWB of 40ft +, Good sailing ability and ease for one main sailor and inexperienced crew which meant a larger Roller Main and smaller 110% Headsail with the majority of sheets lead aft, Twin Helm possitions for ease of rear cockpit entry and entertaining, fully integrated electronics package, good shoal draft keel, beamy for anchoring comfort, American style galley, ensuite cabins......the list went on and on.

Having owned a Jeanneau Sun Odyssea, we this time wanted a Beneteau. We looked at Bavarias but could not find one that suited us as most were charter versions with 4 cabins. We decided we loved the Oceanis range and wanted a post 2001 411,423 or even a 473 at a stretch! We also realised that there was a charter market still down here so if we coded it we could make some money as well to offset costs. That re-focused the mind as a Beautiful Oceanis might get a little damaged so we ended buying this girl here
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She is 2006 Bene Cyclades 43.3 (3 Cabin Version). Amazingly she was speced right up with a way above charter spec.

Here she is on her mooring
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and a view from the stern
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She sails a lot better than expected and with a 4.45m beam she is a big girl.

Anyway now I just need the time to use her..

Cheers

Paul
 
In true Scuttlebutt style .... welcome to the light .... oh and - please sort out the starboard stern cleat ... an OXO (or subblte variations) are sufficient ... you're not a moboer now (lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/etc till the end of the line :p)

She looks great ... now - what speed do you get out of her?! ;)
 
In true Scuttlebutt style .... welcome to the light .... oh and - please sort out the starboard stern cleat ... an OXO (or subblte variations) are sufficient ... you're not a moboer now (lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/lockturn/etc till the end of the line :p)

She looks great ... now - what speed do you get out of her?! ;)

Thanks Guys,

The stern cleats are as a result of my 5 year old who insists on wrapping every spare bit of mooring rope or sheet around something to keep it tidy! Just look at the winches as well. I did sort them out after he went to bed.

She did incredibly well. We got 5.8 knots out of her in 11 knot winds. On the Sea Trial In a 35 knot wind with half main and half headsail we were reaching on 7.2knots...in very big seas!

Got to say she feels sprightly for a 17 Ton boat. I thought with the beam she would missbehave but actually holds her line very well at about 35 degrees off the wind. All in all a very competent boat. The interior feels huge as there is no 4th cabin so the saloon is bigger than most 50ft boats
AnteoSaloon.jpg


and she even has nice heads for SWMBO

AnteoHead.jpg


Being in the Med I wanted to minimise real teak so just a little bit brakes up the White GRP
AnteoCockpit2.jpg


The Main is in as new condition as it was a very lightly chartered boat that clearly only sailed on the Headsail. I thought the Winches would be underpowered (Harken 40 and 44's) but they are more than capable. She needs a bit of tweaking for next years Regatta but overall I am a happy person. My Last sail boat was 24.2ft so a bit of a Jump! She will be used all year as we live in apartment overlooking her. Can not wait to get off and explore the Atlantic Coast/Morocco and up into the Med.

Cheers

Paul
 
Only teasing!!

She looks really nice .. she should behave quite nicely until you heal over too far (by which time SWMBO will have complained so generally doesn't happen!) then she'll round up - if its anything like our Bav then it won't be a dramatic round up - just a gradual affair with no great shocks (other than the steering doesn't stop it!)

and plenty of room for them beers in the cockpit table ... nice!! :)
 
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