tcm
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Boatone has the pictures, which only tell part of the story of our weekend trip to deliver our boat to Pisa for warranty work.
The pictures don't tell of how we wandered around Viareggio looking at restaurants that seemed to specialise in "Oggi". Coliholic was sure that this meant "eggs". But then another shop had Oggi over the door. I considred just going in and buying a few to try whatever they were, and Boatone said they came in packets of three. Or maybe I could ask for a bag of assorted oggis? Anyway, turns o0ut that oggi means "today".
On saturday after 130 miles from antibes we lurched around in Viareggio on the wall in a swell, but at least it was free. Should have stayed on the fuel pontoon and pretended broken engines. Livorno was 25 miles further, on Sunday, which Boatone and Coligholic investigated on scooters.
Monday morning a chap from the shipyard turned up. And he expected us to helm, so off we went up the canal industriale to Pisa, all very rivery on a bright sunny day.
The Cantiere di Arno shipyard remains astonishing. Yet another very nasty Leopard 27metre in build, this time with internals in black ash urgh. Two other 23meter boats in production, but with extra day heads, meaning quite small saloon, and a total of five bogs (3 x ensuite plus dat head plus crew) which seems a bit excessive.
Over lunch Coliholic and Boatone chatted to others, I talked to the boss. Turns out that scruffy but helpful Paulo is one of the two cousins who are directors of the shipyard. Also transpires that I am am the only owner of any leopard who has no full-time skipper, or who has returned with boat to the yard, ever. Much remonstrating with the shipyard foreman who says I should have a skipper, or someone I can trust, to check that all the work is done properly. I say that all the skippers seem do-nothing tosspots, and I trust the shipyard staff far more than any skipper. But the foreman himself used to be a skipper, also the very excellent Cesar who piloted us up the canal is a skipper too. Ok, I said, and I bet you were the best, hence now run a shipyard/ are chief skipper for shipyard whilst the tossers in antibes wash their own cars every day. Other skippers on board four other boats continue to do sod all afternoon. Cesar and I get on okay, and cesar agrees that most do nothing. He says he'll keep an eye on things, and asks that I lock up anything valuable. I give him the last bottle of fizz and tellim that this is the most valuable item.
The yard director told us that the yard was "our home" so we could just nip in and out every single boat as we wanted. Boatone found something that would come in handy for a little job he planned to do on his princess. The item in question might have been a 24m Open, and the job he planned to tackle was a straight swap.
All afternoon on Monday I went through the list. The free skipper provided with the boat did indeed turn up at the yard - but only one day before deaprture which was a bit daft. The yard direcrtors asked why I had never called them, to which I mumbled that I didn't know it was allowed. Mind you, difficult communications with fairly fluent french as a common language. But the yard had never been contacted about the boat.
They gave us a lift to the airport: Rodriguez do have an exclusive on the production, giaranteeing that they wil buy every boat. But er how could they just make any boat if it's all custom made? The boss said that if we ordered 10 boats then we could talk. We agreed to buy three each, and to help us out boatone said he'd buy four.
The pictures don't tell of how we wandered around Viareggio looking at restaurants that seemed to specialise in "Oggi". Coliholic was sure that this meant "eggs". But then another shop had Oggi over the door. I considred just going in and buying a few to try whatever they were, and Boatone said they came in packets of three. Or maybe I could ask for a bag of assorted oggis? Anyway, turns o0ut that oggi means "today".
On saturday after 130 miles from antibes we lurched around in Viareggio on the wall in a swell, but at least it was free. Should have stayed on the fuel pontoon and pretended broken engines. Livorno was 25 miles further, on Sunday, which Boatone and Coligholic investigated on scooters.
Monday morning a chap from the shipyard turned up. And he expected us to helm, so off we went up the canal industriale to Pisa, all very rivery on a bright sunny day.
The Cantiere di Arno shipyard remains astonishing. Yet another very nasty Leopard 27metre in build, this time with internals in black ash urgh. Two other 23meter boats in production, but with extra day heads, meaning quite small saloon, and a total of five bogs (3 x ensuite plus dat head plus crew) which seems a bit excessive.
Over lunch Coliholic and Boatone chatted to others, I talked to the boss. Turns out that scruffy but helpful Paulo is one of the two cousins who are directors of the shipyard. Also transpires that I am am the only owner of any leopard who has no full-time skipper, or who has returned with boat to the yard, ever. Much remonstrating with the shipyard foreman who says I should have a skipper, or someone I can trust, to check that all the work is done properly. I say that all the skippers seem do-nothing tosspots, and I trust the shipyard staff far more than any skipper. But the foreman himself used to be a skipper, also the very excellent Cesar who piloted us up the canal is a skipper too. Ok, I said, and I bet you were the best, hence now run a shipyard/ are chief skipper for shipyard whilst the tossers in antibes wash their own cars every day. Other skippers on board four other boats continue to do sod all afternoon. Cesar and I get on okay, and cesar agrees that most do nothing. He says he'll keep an eye on things, and asks that I lock up anything valuable. I give him the last bottle of fizz and tellim that this is the most valuable item.
The yard director told us that the yard was "our home" so we could just nip in and out every single boat as we wanted. Boatone found something that would come in handy for a little job he planned to do on his princess. The item in question might have been a 24m Open, and the job he planned to tackle was a straight swap.
All afternoon on Monday I went through the list. The free skipper provided with the boat did indeed turn up at the yard - but only one day before deaprture which was a bit daft. The yard direcrtors asked why I had never called them, to which I mumbled that I didn't know it was allowed. Mind you, difficult communications with fairly fluent french as a common language. But the yard had never been contacted about the boat.
They gave us a lift to the airport: Rodriguez do have an exclusive on the production, giaranteeing that they wil buy every boat. But er how could they just make any boat if it's all custom made? The boss said that if we ordered 10 boats then we could talk. We agreed to buy three each, and to help us out boatone said he'd buy four.
