Dec.9, 2000 A Beneteau 361, “Nirvana”, out of Oslo, Norway completed the 2700 nautical mile last leg of the ARC from Gran Canaria to St. Lucia in 18 days 20 hours for an average of over 140 miles a day. They had sailed it from Oslo to Gran Canaria via England first. Their plan is to do a Caribbean circle before sailing back to Europe in a Year or so. I thought that might be of interest to you 361 fans. I asked what they thought of it as a sailer and the response was great off the wind but that it didn’t point as well as it reached and ran. Typical of most boats, actually. The father said his toddler son had his best passage ever. We’ll be hosting them onboard The Legend tomorrow after they have a chance to rest and clean up. Other larger Beneteaus have also finished in a fleet which is dominated by Oysters, Swans, Amels, and Hallberg Rassys. There have been surprisingly few catamarans to finish and the big monohulls have dominated, particularly Swan 67’s and Oyster 70’s. We’ve got a 61 foot Swan on one side and a 70 foot Oyster on the other - there goes the neighborhood. Luckily these people have not been boorish when it comes to making noise, because I like to make lots of it. In the meantime the marina is having a festival for the contestants so every day’s a holiday and every night’s a party here on the dock. Last night there was a big reggae concert, so in an attempt at cultural appreciation I used the opportunity to get in touch with my inner Rasta! Brian Pickton @ BeneteauOwners.net Aboard The Legend, party central, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
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Congratuations
Brian, give Nirvana my congratulations. I would love to talk to them about the trip and how they prepped the boat. Charlie Gruetzner Angels' Grace Beneteau 361
Brian, give Nirvana my congratulations. I would love to talk to them about the trip and how they prepped the boat. Charlie Gruetzner Angels' Grace Beneteau 361
Are Cruising Boats Getting Longer?
According to Sail magazine, Aug 2000, the average length of the boats in the 1999 ARC (Atlantic Ralley for Cruisers) was 46 feet!! This is a lot longer than the Lin and Larry Pardey boats. The article, "Moving On Up: Should you get a bigger boat?" has some very good reasons why a couple shouldn't be getting something in the range of 47 ft, the size of boat the authors had. They mentioned problems such as hauling sailbags, manhandling sails when the wind pipes up or under even not so severe conditions, reliance on mechanical aids, and docking, to name a few. If more crew is needed then one looses privacy. Some friends of ours sailed the South Pacific in their 32 footer and cut the trip short to come home and get something larger and more displacement and bought a CT-41. Comfort while sailing was a main factor.
According to Sail magazine, Aug 2000, the average length of the boats in the 1999 ARC (Atlantic Ralley for Cruisers) was 46 feet!! This is a lot longer than the Lin and Larry Pardey boats. The article, "Moving On Up: Should you get a bigger boat?" has some very good reasons why a couple shouldn't be getting something in the range of 47 ft, the size of boat the authors had. They mentioned problems such as hauling sailbags, manhandling sails when the wind pipes up or under even not so severe conditions, reliance on mechanical aids, and docking, to name a few. If more crew is needed then one looses privacy. Some friends of ours sailed the South Pacific in their 32 footer and cut the trip short to come home and get something larger and more displacement and bought a CT-41. Comfort while sailing was a main factor.
Smaller boats
Dec.12, 2000 Dear John and Charlie, A recent report on the size of boats I read recently indicated that the average size being manufactured is just over 40 feet. The smallest boat we've seen arrive on the ARC got in yesterday, a 30 footer out of Scotland with a crew of 3. The passage took 21 1/2 days. The boat is very simple with a tiller pilot, windvane and GPS as the principle cruising aids. I asked the crew for comments on the trip, how hard was it etc. and the response was that they found the biggest challenge was fighting the boredom of being at sea. This from a boat that had crew up the mast 4 times repairing parted halyards and disintegrating shroud while underway! Charlie, if you really want to check out how to prep a small boat for an extended voyage get in touch with Tom and Linda Waid at their web site "Voyage of the Bellatrix", about a 28 foot Beneteau and their Caribbean cruise in it . Tom has really done an excellent job fitting out there boat: SSB, windvane, watermaker, solar panel, tuba etc. it is well worth a read. They are at earthlink .net Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Dec.12, 2000 Dear John and Charlie, A recent report on the size of boats I read recently indicated that the average size being manufactured is just over 40 feet. The smallest boat we've seen arrive on the ARC got in yesterday, a 30 footer out of Scotland with a crew of 3. The passage took 21 1/2 days. The boat is very simple with a tiller pilot, windvane and GPS as the principle cruising aids. I asked the crew for comments on the trip, how hard was it etc. and the response was that they found the biggest challenge was fighting the boredom of being at sea. This from a boat that had crew up the mast 4 times repairing parted halyards and disintegrating shroud while underway! Charlie, if you really want to check out how to prep a small boat for an extended voyage get in touch with Tom and Linda Waid at their web site "Voyage of the Bellatrix", about a 28 foot Beneteau and their Caribbean cruise in it . Tom has really done an excellent job fitting out there boat: SSB, windvane, watermaker, solar panel, tuba etc. it is well worth a read. They are at earthlink .net Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Size Considerations...
My first cruise of any length was a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island on a 28' boat. My wife and I really had all the room we needed, but it did get to be a pain to move all the gear out of the V-berth every night to make the bed. Sure, a little more stability would have been nice. The boat handled some rough weather great, but lacked the things I want in a cruising boat, ala windlass, displacement, at least a skeg hung rudder, etc. What was our next boat? A 51' foot 52,000 lb ketch. Big jump! Lived aboard and loved the stability and sheer grandeur of the boat. But as John mentioned, there was the concern of equipment failures, singlehanding, etc. Had a great cruise up to Barkley Sound from Seattle with no problems, but decided that it was just bigger, more expensive (60 slips in Seattle aren't cheap!), limiting in terms of anchorages, and potentially more dangerous than we needed. I almost bought a Passport 40 last year but the deal fell through, so we now have a 36 footer. It's a little light for offshore work but is great for local cruising. I think the 36 to 40 foot range is what I'll be looking for when I get serious about an extended offshore trip... seems to be the best compromise between comfort, ease, performance and handling. Just my thought at the moment... who knows what crazy idea I'll have in a couple years! Trevor
My first cruise of any length was a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island on a 28' boat. My wife and I really had all the room we needed, but it did get to be a pain to move all the gear out of the V-berth every night to make the bed. Sure, a little more stability would have been nice. The boat handled some rough weather great, but lacked the things I want in a cruising boat, ala windlass, displacement, at least a skeg hung rudder, etc. What was our next boat? A 51' foot 52,000 lb ketch. Big jump! Lived aboard and loved the stability and sheer grandeur of the boat. But as John mentioned, there was the concern of equipment failures, singlehanding, etc. Had a great cruise up to Barkley Sound from Seattle with no problems, but decided that it was just bigger, more expensive (60 slips in Seattle aren't cheap!), limiting in terms of anchorages, and potentially more dangerous than we needed. I almost bought a Passport 40 last year but the deal fell through, so we now have a 36 footer. It's a little light for offshore work but is great for local cruising. I think the 36 to 40 foot range is what I'll be looking for when I get serious about an extended offshore trip... seems to be the best compromise between comfort, ease, performance and handling. Just my thought at the moment... who knows what crazy idea I'll have in a couple years! Trevor
Preping Boat for Bluewater
For Charlie's question about preping the boat for a bluewater trip there is a good resource available, in the event he hasn't seen it, a book written by Liza Copeland called "Just Cruising" which describes the Beneteau 38 they bought, modified and outfitted for bluewater cruising. Her husband Andy was a Beneteau dealer in Vancouver BC at the time they bought the boat so the modifications can be assumed to be from a knowledgeable person. Appendix C has an equipment list which would also be helpful to someone planning and pricing out a project.
For Charlie's question about preping the boat for a bluewater trip there is a good resource available, in the event he hasn't seen it, a book written by Liza Copeland called "Just Cruising" which describes the Beneteau 38 they bought, modified and outfitted for bluewater cruising. Her husband Andy was a Beneteau dealer in Vancouver BC at the time they bought the boat so the modifications can be assumed to be from a knowledgeable person. Appendix C has an equipment list which would also be helpful to someone planning and pricing out a project.
Who needs a 40 footer?
Dec.13, 2000 If there was ever a boat that could convince you that you don't need a 40 + foot boat for comfortable ocean voyaging the 361 is it. A capacious and comfortable cockpit, great layout for sailing gear and for the interior and lots of storage space. The moderate rig produces good sailing performance but is easy to handle short handed. I'm really impressed with what Beneteau has accomplished with this boat. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the legend, Rodney Bay St. Lucia
Dec.13, 2000 If there was ever a boat that could convince you that you don't need a 40 + foot boat for comfortable ocean voyaging the 361 is it. A capacious and comfortable cockpit, great layout for sailing gear and for the interior and lots of storage space. The moderate rig produces good sailing performance but is easy to handle short handed. I'm really impressed with what Beneteau has accomplished with this boat. Brian Pickton@BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the legend, Rodney Bay St. Lucia
Good news for 361's
This is such good news !! Over here people refer to Beneteaus as 'good for the Med' ( have to say I've experienced some of the worst weather in the Med that I have ever seen). Anyhow the crossing time is very impressive and makes me love mine all the more !!!
This is such good news !! Over here people refer to Beneteaus as 'good for the Med' ( have to say I've experienced some of the worst weather in the Med that I have ever seen). Anyhow the crossing time is very impressive and makes me love mine all the more !!!
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