A "slight" change of plans - Day 247 - Norfolk, VA

We bought a new boat last Wednesday and we are very excited.  We chose a new 2010 Outer Reef 63 CPMY (Cockpit Motor Yacht).  It is spectacular.

2010 Outer Reef 63 CPMY

The 63 is a fast trawler that cruises very efficiently at 10 MPH (8.8 knots) while burning 5.5 GPH and, when required, can "fast" cruise at 16 MPH (at 41 GPH).  At 10 MPH, the 63 can travel 1600 miles.

For more information check out Outer Reef's website: http://outerreefyachts.com/index.cfm?p=yachts/yacht_photos.cfm&x=22&h=01

The boat is located in Seattle, hence the change of plans.   A boat of this size cannot be transported by truck or rail.  It has to move on its own bottom or be transported on a ship.  We have decided that it would be just as much fun to cruise the waters of Washington and British Columbia as the Atlantic waters to Maine.  So, one plan would have us take possession of the boat in mid July, cruise the north west and ship the boat back to Florida in November (2011) and then cruise north to New England for the summer of 2012.  Another plan would see us staying on the west coast and cruising the California waters during the winter.  Nothing is etched in stone.

The deal itself involves trading the 48 Sundancer. 

The short term has us moving the 48 from Norfolk,VA to Annapolis, MD via the Chesapeake Bay.  Then on Monday the 13th, I will fly to Seattle to survey and sea trial the 63, a two day project.  Then on Thursday, I will fly back to Annapolis for Outer Reef's survey and sea trial of the 48, which is scheduled for Friday (the 17th).  If all goes well, we will have a firm deal on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday will involve packing the boat.  Our stuff will be shipped to Seattle.

In a perfect world, we would depart for Chicago on Monday (the 20th) in a rental car and arrive on Wednesday.  Our plan is to spend two weeks in Chicago, visit with our friends and attend Stephen and Melissa's wedding on July 2 (Stephen Tangen is the middle son of my oldest friend in Chicago, Andy Tangen.  Stephen is the West Point Graduate who earned the Silver Star in Afghanistan.  We are very proud of him).  We would then continue on to Seattle in the rented car.

Note: We are considering the long drive so as not to traumatize the Furry Kid in the cargo compartment of an airplane.

More about the boat.  Some of you will recall the article "unbelievable coincidence" that we published on April 9 (see blog archive).  It was as a consequence of taking Diana to see a boat that I thought was an Outer Reef 63 that I met an old acquaintance from my childhood (who is now a barber).  While I did get a haircut that Saturday, we did not get to see the Outer Reef as it was in a gated community.

Several days later we decided it would be fun to see the Outer Reef and called the company to schedule a viewing of this privately owned yacht.  The broker, Mike Schlichtig, called the owner who graciously allowed him to show us his boat.  We spent almost two hours exploring every nook and cranny.  We liked the boat but at that moment were not ready to turn our world upside down and head for Seattle.  That changed over time. 

Again some of you will recall that we fell in love with another boat during the Miami Boat Show.  However, as much as we loved that boat, we ultimately determined that there were a seven features that we could not be comfortable with.  These were the engine room height (4 ft - can't stand up), the 10 foot cockpit (too long), the lack of cover over the cockpit (too exposed), the narrowness of the salon (too tight), the amount of bright work (too much costly annual maintenance), small guest rooms and, most critically, the depth of the salon seating (too short and, therefore, not comfortable). The 63 solved all of theses problems by adding 3 feet of overall length and slightly more than one foot of beam. 

Why a new boat you may ask?  While we love our 48 Sundancer it has its limitations, one of which is not having guest quarters.  Others involve having a combination washer/dryer (not useful for the amount of laundry that we produce), limited storage and outside space (the hardtop covered bridge and camper enclosed cockpit) that we hardly every use (mostly due to the heat).  Other factors include having to detach and attach the camper windows, constantly filling the 100 gallon water tank every 4 to 5 days) and a small refrigerator that is not frost free.  But the most important reason is pure lifestyle.

The 63 has an open floor plan creating a magnificent space between the salon, galley and pilot house.

Looking forward at the salon, galley and pilot house on an open floor plan

A galley equipped with GE appliances including stove, microwave, side by side frost free refrigerator, dishwasher and trash compactor.

A great pilot house with a chart table

A master stateroom with a king sized bed and real closet space and lots of drawers.

A VIP suite for guests that is larger than the 48's V-berth.

A magnificent hard-topped flybridge and boat deck that includes a 12 foot RIB (dingy) with a 40 HP engine (as compared to an 11 foot with a 30 HP on the 48's swim platform).

And a walk-in engine room with 6 feet of headroom and the ability to access the boats many systems.

All in all a magnificent yacht that will increase our enjoyment of the cruising lifestyle.

Written by Les