WELCOME TO OUR SPRING 2009 E-NEWS!
Spring is in the air! And boats are launching at a strong pace at our yard in South Dartmouth.
I love this time of the year at the yard. So many happy familiar faces appearing right alongside each boat
we launch. It is such a pleasure to catch up with our customers to hear what they have been up to over the
winter and of their plans for the upcoming season. May I say what a welcomed break from the news!
This winter has been a busy one for all our teams at South Wharf Yacht Yard, Cape Yachts and Eastland Yachts.
Jeff and the crew at SWYY have accomplished many winter projects on vessels ranging from newly outfitted
Sabres and Beneteaus to refits on a Hallberg-Rassy, a True North and yet another Eastbay. Most exciting
for us is the deck restoration project that is wrapping up on “Taliesin,” a beautiful Concordia sailing vessel.
This certainly has been the winter season that employed all the wonderful talents of our team of skilled technicians!
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On the sales front, Cape and Eastland Yachts has done, and continues to do, a wonderful job of finding value
for our boat buying customers. We finished #1 in brokerage sales for all of New England in the 4th quarter
(as measured by YachtWorld.com) and the first quarter finished just as strong. This is a true testament to our
sales team’s knowledge, resources and determination. New yacht sales, while not at a pace we are accustomed to,
are occurring and more frequently than most would imagine. This is due in no small part to the tremendous incentives
builders have placed on boats that are in stock.
I must say that one of our most fun projects we accomplished over this winter is the tremendous success of
our Workshop Series. Over 300 boaters from as far away as New York and Maine participated in our weekly series.
Our gratitude goes out to all of our vendor partners and the folks who joined in at these events at the yard.
I am also excited to share with you that our Spring Sea Trial Weekend is happening this May 30th and 31st.
As the many folks that attend these events already know, this is a wonderful opportunity to sail or run a boat
that would normally be quite difficult to arrange. And even more exciting is the prospect that several of our
friendly competitors are also interested in participating with the boats that they represent! Imagine one
weekend that you could hop on board and sail boats from nearly all of the builders! We will keep you up to speed on
this as the event develops.
Please enjoy this issue of our e-news. As always, the articles are interesting and informative. I trust you will
find some value in your time spent reading!
Fair Winds,
Dave Nolan
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NEW BROKERAGE OPPORTUNITIES
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CAPE YACHTS 2009 FLOTILLAS
Summer is around the corner and it's time to have fun with family and friends, maybe make new friends, experience port of calls you've always wanted to visit, all while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow boaters. Cape
Yachts is offering two flotillas during the Summer of 2009!
The flotillas are led by experienced boaters and is headed by former Points East Owner/Publisher, Bernie Wideman. During the flotillas we have
planned shoreside activities that include tours of historical sites, dinners and presentations by local experts. Flotilla participants are also encouraged to participate in pre-flotilla organizational meetings and seminars on various nautical issues that might come up during the trip. Flotilla
participants receive discounts at harbors and marinas while on the voyage.
We look forward to cruising with you this summer!
Beneteau Southern New England Flotilla 2009
Dates: June 28 - July 4, 2009
Boats: 30
Cost: $225
Destination: Opened to all Beneteau vessels, we'll cruise the southern shores of New England beginning in Padanaram sailing to Cuttyhunk, to Martha's Vineyard, Block Island and then back to Padanaram.
Along the way we'll visit museums, historic sites and boatbuilding yards. Flotilla participants will enjoy discounts at marinas.
Please note: There is a April 30, 2009 deadline to sign up for this trip.
Boothbay, Maine Flotilla 2009
Dates: July 4 - 18, 2009
Boats: 30
Cost: $325
Destination: This flotilla is open to all and we're headed from southern New England, through the canal and up the coast to Booth Bay Maine. Ports of call include: Padanaram, Salem, Portsmouth, Biddeford Pool,
Portland, Quahog Bay, Bath and Boothbay.
Come Sail Both Flotillas!
Dates: June 28 - July 18, 2009
Boats: 30
Cost: $500 for both events
Destination: Combine both flotillas, mix with plenty of fun and enjoy an
incredible cruise!
Please note: The above costs do not include dockage/ mooring, provisioning or meals.
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CHARTER A BENETEAU
by Richard Barker, South Wharf office
After years spending every vacation racing in regattas around the globe and dragging myself home afterward with bruises of both body and ego I decided this year to charter a Beneteau in the BVI with family and friends. This was a first for me and I went not knowing how to relax or to not be uptight about the myriad of details that one encounters when putting together a racing crew and organizing all of the logistics needed to be successful on the race course.
Cruising the British Virgin Islands is not about being uptight, it's about taking it easy. It's about sailing when you want to and it's about enjoying the company on board and perhaps having a rum or two at the end of the day.
It didn't take me long to let the congenial people at the Moorings take care of the details. We chartered a 43 foot three cabin Beneteau for the six guests we had on board for the week. The boat was nicely equipped and well prepared by the staff at the Moorings. However we did arrive on the day after Christmas, which it turns out is the busiest day of the year. They turned over something like 180 boats that day and while it was a bit hectic, the staff remained cordial and helpful.
We got off the dock at around two in the afternoon and sailed from Road Town in Tortola to the South end of Peter Island about a 45 minute trip. We anchored in a delightful cove that was protected from both wind and waves. The snorkel gear came out and my daughters hit the water almost immediately. We got the grill and the blender going and our vacation was underway.
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SAILQUEST 2009
Jim Eastland, Eastland Yachts,
Essex office
Following the success of the inaugural 2008 event, the SailQuest boat show will return for 2009, running over the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd and will be hosted this year by Hellier Yacht Sales in New London, CT, a location with easy access from the New London Amtrak or the Long Island Ferry terminals.
A full range of major manufacturer boats will be on display, both on land and in the water, but SailQuest allows for a more personal and informative experience without the over-crowding typical of other boat shows and with knowledgeable brokers and manufacturer representatives present. Cape Yachts
and Eastland Yachts will be on hand displaying their Hallberg-Rassy 31, Alerion 20, Sabre 386 and Beneteau. Boats will be available for demonstration sails throughout the event, and boat show pricing and special incentives will be offered.
Parking and entry to the event are free, as are the seminars that will be run this year covering boat ownership alternatives, whether shared ownership, fractional or membership programs, and the various financing options available for boat loans.
At the end of the show on Sunday, May 3rd, there will be an appreciation cocktail party for attendees followed by an auction of selected boats with starting bids below cost price.
Both the seminars and the end of show cocktail party and auction will be held inside the Hellier facility so will not be affected by weather considerations.
The SailQuest event is sponsored by the Southern New England Yacht Dealers Association (SNYDA). For more information click here.
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ROBALO'S HYDRALIFT HULL
by Patrick Lane, CPYB, Cape Cod
office
The Hydralift Hull: What is it? It is a patented hull form that only Robalo can use. The hull uses planes that facilitate lift and in combination with a deep vee makes the Robalo one of the most sea worthy hull forms you can purchase today. The hull planes easily and places the spray where it belongs: behind the boat. Look at any Robalo at speed and you will see the spray well aft of the cockpit area and the passengers free from it. One of the big advantages that Robalo has over the competition is it's chine area. This chine directs the spray outward and downward for a dry ride. the chine also serves as a stabilizer while trolling or just sunning on deck. In a cross sea the Robalo hull form creates a sense of stability not found on the competiition. This feature is highly desireable when you spend lots of time at low speeds fishing in a chop or in rougher seas.
Why a deep vee hull? The Robalo hull has more angle than most of the competition. When a Robalo rises to meet a head on sea it slices through the water on the way down all the way back on the hull creating a soft reentry into the next wave. This lets you maintain a higher comfortable speed at a more economical engine speed without having to constantly change your throttle setting. Changing the throttle settings all the time is not as economical as a constant speed. This deep vee feature is nice to have when you need to "put the pedal to the metal" and get home to beat that oncoming squall.
Why a one piece boat? Robalos are built to stay together for the whole time you own your Robalo. when a Robalo is put together the solid fiberglass hull is joined together with a solid fiberglass one piece stringer system. These two pieces are chemically bonded with "Plexus." This material creates a chemical bond between the two parts of the boat that are most important to longevity. Believe it or not, some manufacturers still use wood in their transoms and stringers. Wood compresses, absorbs water/moisture and is generally a much costlier, higher maintanance boat construction material to maintain in the long run. When a boat is built with two pieces and glassed into place rather than chemically bonded, the glass taping can crack as the boat works in the water. A one piece boat won't do that. It stays together. In addition Robalos are reinforced with "Kevlar" to further add strength to the hull area around the keel. Robalo uses a ceramic type filler in the transom that doesn't compress, hold water or move around as it also chemically bonds with the fiberglass surrounding it.
Why sell a boat with lots of standard features? This is a good one. Robalos have more standard features than ANY boat on the market in it's category. Robalo doesn't have to include a battery charger in their boats or a sea strainer or raw water washdowns but they do. The principal owners of Robalo are fishermen. They are building the boats the way THEY would want them in order to go fishin'. This is the basic difference between Robalo and the competition. We don't design boats by committee or by the board of directors, We build 'em to go offshore, to fly fish, to Tuna fish or just pull up on the beach and drop a hook with the family.
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UPCOMING SHOWS AND EVENTS
» Volvo Ocean Race: Boston Leg
April 27 - May 16
» SailQuest
May 2 - 3
» Sea Trial Weekend
May 30 - 31
» Beneteau Rally 1
June 28 - July 4
» Maine Flotilla 2
July 4 - 18
» Buzzards Bay Regatta
August 7 - 9
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SWYY WELCOMES SEA TOW
South Wharf Yacht Yard is excited to welcome Sea Tow Cape & Islands to our yard in Padanaram! Sea Tow Cape & Islands made South Wharf the new home of its western dispatch center on April 1, 2009.
Capt. Curt Jessup recently purchased and merged Sea Tow Southern Massachusetts with Sea Tow Buzzards Bay to become Sea Tow Cape & Islands. The company serves boaters east of the Rhode Island border, throughout Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound.
"I look forward to continuing the former owner's tradition of superior customer service and am particularly excited about the relocation of our western dispatch center to South Wharf Yacht Yard," Capt. Curt Jessup said. "The resources they offer boaters and their dedication to customer service are unsurpassed."
To best serve boaters throughout the region, additional Sea Tow vessels will be docked at the Kingman Yacht Center in Cataumet, Mass., and MacDougall's Marina in Falmouth, Mass.
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WORKSHOP SERIES
by Mark Edwards, South Wharf office
Cape Yachts and South Wharf Yacht Yard are committed to delivering the best sales and service possible. Our mission is to "Earn the Relationship" and the very many sail and power boat owners we have helped along the way are a testament to our efforts.
As a thank you to our loyal clients and to add even more value to the relationship, Cape Yachts and South Wharf Yacht Yard have co-sponsored with Points East Magazine a series of seven free weekend seminars each Saturday starting in late February and running through the 18th of April.
Seminars have included Basic Diesel Maintenance with Mack Boring on Yanmar diesels; Onan generator maintenance with Mel Molgard of Cummins Northeast; Navigation Electronics by Bill Jones of Raymarine; Sail Care at the Doyle sail loft by Bill Ribar; and Summer Cruising rallies/flotillas by Bernie Wideman of Points East.
Due to overwhelming demand for the diesel maintenance seminar, Mel Molgard of Cummins Northeast agreed to return for a second Saturday. Each of these diesel seminars ran twice each day so approximately 120 owners were able to learn about their engines. The final seminar is all about outboard motor service and is being run by Cape Yacht's own nationally recognized Yamaha advanced certified mechanic Drew Mellody.
The responses to these events has been tremendous and the participants have come away with a better understanding of our great sport. Plans have already been made to continue this successful workshop series next winter.
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THE BRUCKMANN 34e
by Dennis Caprio, Yachting Magazine Feb. 2009
"The Bruckmann 34e is a pocket-size cruiser with a design that will put a smile on any owner's face."
During testing it became obvious that the hull design, a combination of special shapes developed by Mark Ellis over the years, have proved highly advantageous, Influenced by the work of C. Raymond Hunt, for whom he worked in the late 1960's, Ellis has developed a progression of these special shapes. The deep V and these unique aft sections, compliment today's quest for an economy of fuel consumption and a cleaner planet. This special hull shape allows the boat to simply glide, effortlessly; up on to a plane to speeds reaching 26 knots yet maintaining a plane down as low as 10.5 knots. This economy is obvious using but a little over 3 gallons per hour at these low speeds.
The Bruckmann 34e is a single engine design with a bow thruster. The hull is core-cell
construction in the laminate. This is uniquely a Bruckmann custom yacht. If one is not familiar with the work of Mark Bruckmann, an inspection of his work is a future treat. Mark Bruckmann is second to none in joinery and finish. The Bruckmann 34e is refined, understated and is a presentation of today's best technology and design.
She is truly a work of art, a long term value, and to quote Dennis Caprio, "I would not change a thing."
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SWYY OUTBOARD TECHS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE YAMAHA UNIVERSITY
Drew Mellody |
Marc Andre |
Phil Derrick |
Congratulations to Drew Mellody, Marc Andre and Phil Derrick of our South Wharf service team for their
successful completion of 5 Star Certification at Yamaha University.
A special congratulations goes to
Drew Mellody for completing the highest level attainable for Master Yamaha Technician. Drew was one of only
two techs that successfully passed this rigorous high level certification! Not only is Drew one of only 85
Master Techs in the nation; but, South Wharf is now the only shop on the south coast with three certified
Yamaha mechanics on staff full time.
There is no better shop to entrust your Yamaha powered
boat than South Wharf! Call us today at 508-990-1011 to discuss how we can help you have a trouble
free boating season.
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DESTINATION: WESTPORT, MA
by Mark Edwards, South Wharf office
We are blessed in southeastern New England with one of the finest cruising grounds in the world. Warm water and reliable breezes and destinations such as Block Island, Cuttyhunk, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, and Nantucket are all within easy reach. One stop-over most cruisers pass by however is Westport Harbor and they are missing a very special treat.
Westport is the western-most harbor in MA and is just outside the entrance to Buzzards Bay. Most cruisers skip this beautiful harbor because there are challenges. Visually, the entrance to Westport runs east and west so you cannot see an opening against the backdrop of miles of long beaches until you are actually in the entrance itself. A very large Point of Rocks on the west side of the entrance and another large rock on the east side stand guard against intruders. There is a wicked current flow and when the southwesterly breeze is up and the current is ebbing out, a cruiser may have to negotiate a couple of rollers. This same current can give one trouble when picking up a mooring. Because of the challenges, this harbor was once a safe haven for rumrunners and it remains today a quiet respite from the busy shops and tourist areas more readily accessible.
Once in the harbor entrance however, you will be rewarded for your perseverance. The channel is well marked and has been recently dredged. As you run into the river toward a transient mooring off F.L. Tripp's Boat Yard, you see lovely landscapes, a row of historic "boat houses," a stone castle, the Charleton mansion (now condos), and the Spindle Rock Club. Horseneck Beach is on your right and you see several miles of white sand beach and rolling dunes curve off to the east. Islands and ospreys are in abundance.
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MARKET TIMING
Is Now the Time to Buy Your Dream Boat?
by
Gene Magnetti, Eastland Yachts, Mamaroneck office
As the Fed prints money to bailout financial institutions, many economists are predicting a weakening of the dollar and a loss of purchasing power. Pumping more dollars into circulation without a corresponding increase in goods and services reduces the value of held dollars. Savers are penalized with the hidden tax called inflation.
Meanwhile, spring is here and many of us are looking forward to just getting out on the water and enjoying some time with friends and family as a healthy respite from the daily grind. Yet with the continuing reports of current bailouts and more on the way it's understandable that people are putting off making a decision on buying a new boat.
In fact it may make good economic sense to buy a high quality boat now. Considering the likely fallout of the Fed creating $trillions out of nothing will lead to significant devaluing of the dollar, converting depreciating dollars to a tangible asset like a quality sailboat - that can be used and enjoyed - is a good way to protect against the hidden tax of inflation.
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