May 26, 2017 (on my 74th birthday)
On February 10, 2014 at around 5:00 PM, Diana and I officially became the proud owners of OR63063, the 63 foot Outer Reef Long Rang Motor Yacht that we had contracted to build 14 months earlier. Now, as she sat in our Sarasota "winter" slip, we were celebrating our third year of living aboard this magnificent yacht.
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| Guided Discovery at Marina Bay Marina on the day we moved aboard |
Sea worthiness:
In an email to ABT TRAC that sung the praises of their stabilizers, especially in heavy seas, I proposed that ABT, like Outer Reef, could make use of my experience as marketing material. I provided them with the following list of blog articles that chronicled our "high seas adventures."
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| Pilot house navigation system showing Sirus Satellite Weather on all thee screens L to R: Precipitation, Forecast (highs, lows, fronts) & Sea Conditions (wave heights & direction, wind speed & direction) |
May 2016: Hingham Bound: Spoke Too Soon (10 to 12s following seas off Cape Fear)
Nov 2015: Snowbirds Fall Migration: Weather Surprise (10 foot head seas off New Jersey)
May 2015: Onward to Hingham: Dealing with Tropical Storm Anna (10 to 12s off the starboard bow at Cape Hatteras)
Nov 2014: Crossing Cape Hatteras in a Raging Storm (7 to 9 foot seas off every point of sail)
I don't go looking for high seas adventure. However, I've been accused, including as recently as yesterday, of being a bit of a risk taker. To this I must plead guilty with mitigating circumstances (i.e., previous experience with the boat in heavy seas). There is no question that in May of 2015 when confronting the prospect of sitting for 8 or more days waiting for the very slow moving tropical Storm Anna to leave the Caribbean and move north, I chose to round Cape Hatteras with a forecast of 6 to 8's. Oops. Turned out they were 10 to 12s and we had them for almost 12 hours. The Outer Reef performed flawlessly.
Living Aboard:
We moved aboard three years ago. At the time we had a lovely town home in Chicago's beautiful Lincoln Park. By early summer we faced the reality that since leaving Chicago on October 3, 2010 to do the Great Loop that we had only used the town home for a total of 9 months over four years. Further, we were enjoying life on the 63. This prompted our decision to sell the Chicago property, which thanks to Diana's hard work was accomplished in less that 60 days. By September of 2014 we were living aboard full time.
What's it like to live aboard a Outer Reef 63 foot motor yacht full time? I answered this question two years ago in an April 2015 article entitled "Living on a 63 Outer Reef." This extremely detailed article describes every space on the boat and how it is used.
We have approximately 700 square feet of living space, 400 on the main deck and 300 down below. Add to that the outdoor space, 150 feet on aft deck and the 450 feet on the flybridge and boat deck.
Essentially we have a living room that comfortably seats 8 people, a full kitchen with every appliance found in a luxury home, a pilot house that serves as an office or eating area, a master bedroom with a king size bed, a bathroom, two closets and plenty of storage, a second bathroom and two additional bedrooms with even more storage. We even have the equivalent of a basement with even more storage organized as closets and secured containers.
We do not have a lot of stuff. During the process of selling our Chicago town home we divested ourselves of furniture, clothing and stuff by either giving it away or donating it. The donations amounted to approximately $50,000 at retail. I can barely remember what we gave away.
That said, we have everything we need including plenty of clothing. In my case, I could still give some away. Most important, and this is one of the things I love about living on a boat, it's all perfectly organized and I know where everything is located (well almost everything)
Life style:
Essentially the 63 provides a comfortable home on the water with spectacular views. This is true in both Hingham and Sarasota.
In Hingham, at Hingham Shipyard Marina, we have the T-dock located at the west end of the marina. This affords spectacular views from every window. Astern, to the west, we view an uninterrupted 3/4 mile view of Back River. Forward from the pilot house we have a 3/4 mile view of the entrance to Hewitt's Cove. To port, we look at a condo development across the river in Weymouth and to starboard we have a view of the condos and restaurants at Hingham Shipyard.
The marina's location at the Hingham Shipyard, affords access to 7 restaurants, three markets (Fresh Market, Trader Joes and Stop & Shop, retail stores including a bed Bath & Beyond and the ferry to Boston (35 minutes thank you).
In Sarasota, at Marina Jack, we have a view of Bayfront Park to the west and the city to the east. Most important, Marina Jack is located at the edge of downtown Sarasota with its restaurants, Whole Foods market, movie theaters (plural), opera house and theaters. Within walking distance is the Van Weazel performing arts center. Marina Jack, named the number one marina in 2015 by Marina Dock Age Magazine is a first class facility with three restaurants literally at the end of our dock.
And we have a car. Except for the fact that we live in a marina, we have a pretty normal life in both places. But that also deserves a comment. Living in a marina places us in a community of people with similar interests. We know almost everyone on our dock in both Hingham and Sarasota.
Did I mention that we have great weather all year round. Hingham gives us a late spring, summer and early fall. Sarasota provides 70 to 80 degree days November through March.
Outer Reef:
And finally, we come to Outer Reef, the builder of the 63. The relationship with Outer Reef has far exceeded my expectations, which were high from the beginning. Building a yacht is a big deal especially for first timers like us and doing it outside of the country (in Taiwan) just adds to the stress. That said, Jeff Druek, the owner of the company, Mike Schlichtig, our broker and later Outer Reef's general manager, and Deborah Manzi, the head of design, guided us through the process and helped us make spectacularly good decisions about every aspect of the yacht. We have no regrets.
Prior to entering into the building contract, I did my homework and talked to a number of Outer Reef owners. To a person they told the same story. They loved their boat, they felt they got more than they bargained for, they stated that Outer Reef had lived up to its warranty obligations and then stepped up to the plate by providing warranty coverage beyond the stated one year limit. Every statement that these owners made applies to us.
Most important, I have ongoing access to Captain Randy Ives, Outer Reef's Warranty Manager. In fact he's number 4 on my speed dial. Whenever I have a question, Randy is there to provide an answer. Randy spent days during commissioning training me on the boat's systems. I have pages of notes that I still use from time to time. To quote American Express, the relationship with Outer Reef is priceless.
Written by Les.
What's it like to live aboard a Outer Reef 63 foot motor yacht full time? I answered this question two years ago in an April 2015 article entitled "Living on a 63 Outer Reef." This extremely detailed article describes every space on the boat and how it is used.
We have approximately 700 square feet of living space, 400 on the main deck and 300 down below. Add to that the outdoor space, 150 feet on aft deck and the 450 feet on the flybridge and boat deck.
Essentially we have a living room that comfortably seats 8 people, a full kitchen with every appliance found in a luxury home, a pilot house that serves as an office or eating area, a master bedroom with a king size bed, a bathroom, two closets and plenty of storage, a second bathroom and two additional bedrooms with even more storage. We even have the equivalent of a basement with even more storage organized as closets and secured containers.
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| The salon comfortable seats 8 people |
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| Master Stateroom |
Life style:
Essentially the 63 provides a comfortable home on the water with spectacular views. This is true in both Hingham and Sarasota.
In Hingham, at Hingham Shipyard Marina, we have the T-dock located at the west end of the marina. This affords spectacular views from every window. Astern, to the west, we view an uninterrupted 3/4 mile view of Back River. Forward from the pilot house we have a 3/4 mile view of the entrance to Hewitt's Cove. To port, we look at a condo development across the river in Weymouth and to starboard we have a view of the condos and restaurants at Hingham Shipyard.
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| You can see our T-dock in the photo (center right) |
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| Diagram showing Hingham Shipyard facilities |
In Sarasota, at Marina Jack, we have a view of Bayfront Park to the west and the city to the east. Most important, Marina Jack is located at the edge of downtown Sarasota with its restaurants, Whole Foods market, movie theaters (plural), opera house and theaters. Within walking distance is the Van Weazel performing arts center. Marina Jack, named the number one marina in 2015 by Marina Dock Age Magazine is a first class facility with three restaurants literally at the end of our dock.
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| Marina Jack surrounded by Bayfront Park and downtown Sarasota |
Did I mention that we have great weather all year round. Hingham gives us a late spring, summer and early fall. Sarasota provides 70 to 80 degree days November through March.
Outer Reef:
And finally, we come to Outer Reef, the builder of the 63. The relationship with Outer Reef has far exceeded my expectations, which were high from the beginning. Building a yacht is a big deal especially for first timers like us and doing it outside of the country (in Taiwan) just adds to the stress. That said, Jeff Druek, the owner of the company, Mike Schlichtig, our broker and later Outer Reef's general manager, and Deborah Manzi, the head of design, guided us through the process and helped us make spectacularly good decisions about every aspect of the yacht. We have no regrets.
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| October 2013 - Mike and I visit Tania Yacht Company in Taiwan - Karl Lin and his management team |
Most important, I have ongoing access to Captain Randy Ives, Outer Reef's Warranty Manager. In fact he's number 4 on my speed dial. Whenever I have a question, Randy is there to provide an answer. Randy spent days during commissioning training me on the boat's systems. I have pages of notes that I still use from time to time. To quote American Express, the relationship with Outer Reef is priceless.
Written by Les.
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