Princess P42 Update

[Magnum]

Well, delivery on my new Princess P42 Flybridge has been delayed until Friday 16th April. Princess have said this is due to staff problems and have assured me there will be no further delays.

Anyway, as some of you may or may not know, I have never owned a boat of this size although I do have reasonable experience of much smaller craft. Over the last 6 months my wife and I have completed most of our RYA Shorebased Day Skipper Course (1st exam passed with flying colours) with the Navigation exam to be sat in a fortnight. Last Saturday we also both passed the VHF SRC course.

So, by the time she arrives we expect to have passed the Nav exam which leaves the all important practical qualification. When she leaves the factory she will be having some additional Furuno NavNet equipment fitted and extras such as hardwood chocks for the tender and LCD TV and DVD installed. After that I have hired an RYA instructor and professional skipper to complete our Day Skipper Practical course and give us at least some of the knowledge we require to enjoy the boat with some confidence.

This is the Itenary :-

Fri 16th - Handover in Plymouth
Sat 17th - Princess salesman to take us to Torquay
Sun 18th - Instructor to give full days tuition
Mon 19th - Instructor to supervise passage to Falmouth (Instructor has to be there on this day)
Tue 20th - Instructor to supervise passage back to Torquay
Wed 21st - Instructor to complete RYA Practical and give any additional tuition required

I think by the end of that week we'll have a good grounding in handling a boat of this size and as far as I'm concerned the training costs will be money well spent. If any of the more experienced members have anything to add to the above I' be happy to consider it.

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[Renegade_Master]

So by the time you become fully in charge of your boat you and your wife will have "freshly" completed Day Skipper Practical & VHF courses. I reckon you have taken all the sensible and appropriate steps for which I applaud you.

I would hope that all sensible people buying a boat of that size and value, would have the forethought to do the same but alas tis not always the case.

One small point which I am sure you have covered, stock up aboard on vital engine spares, i.e. fuel filters, oil, fan belts, impellors etc, not that you should need any for a while, but given that you will eventually, and it is best they are carried then, now is the time.
I wish you all the best with your new boat, I am sure you and your wife will get great joy from her Regards Clive

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.suncoastmarine.co.uk>Sun Coast Sea School & Charter</A>

 

[Talbot]

Congratulations on taking such a professional attitude to owning a boat. It is a pity that more people do not take this approach. Shore courses are a great way to ensure that the lessons to be learnt in the subsequent practical courses are better understood, and they are a nice way to meet other boaty types during the winter /forums/images/icons/smile.gif



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[DepSol]

If your lucky your instructor will be Simon Mayne of SD Marne.

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<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

If only all new owners had as much sense as you. Just be prepared for your detailed plans to be derailed by the weather!

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[Boating_Buoys]

I agree... well done you !!!

All I would throughly recommend in due course is the RYA Sea Safety course. It's only a day and costs about £75 I think.

You get to experience launching and being in a life raft (not a plesant experience!), bobbing about in lifejackets and launching flares etc.

It is WELL worth the money for the experience and extra confidence it gives.... and you get another certificate for your log book !


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[Boating_Buoys]

I agree... well done you !!!

All I would throughly recommend in due course is the RYA Sea Safety course. It's only a day and costs about £75 I think.

You get to experience launching and being in a life raft (not a plesant experience!), bobbing about in lifejackets and launching flares etc.

It is WELL worth the money for the experience and extra confidence it gives.... and you get another certificate for your log book !


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[tcm]

This is good stuff.

The freaky bit about these boats is inside marinas - bombing along at sea can be done by anyone over ten years old. So mebbe good idea to ask the instructor to take you in and out of most or all the ports and marinas up and down that coast, so that they aren't unknown scraey places to you. Like flying a plane, it's the last couple of inches before you hit the hard stuff that is difficult- so plenty of practise getting in and out of various berths - parking practice really.

As suncoast says, the spares etc is important too - so the instructor shd be able to run you through the boat showing all the important bit to keep an eye on in engineroom and elsewhere.

Depending on well you get on, you may want to hire the instructor again sometimes, praps for first crosschannel for another few days/week before you're feeling fully fit to go out alone.



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