hunter 34 tough boat

Joe Mullee · Dec 14, 2008

Good For You Peter

Hey Peter,

I'm glad you finally took the time to send us a post about your travels. I remember seeing your boat berthed right next to Richard Bennets H34 when I visited him in Solomons in the spring of 2007. If I recall correctly you both shoved off within a week of each other and both made it to Europe, each sailing solo. Two H34's from the same marina in Solomons Island, Maryland crossing to Europe within one week of each other. Wow!! Then you sail back to the Caribbean and onto OZ and beyond. Double wow!!

I hope soon you can take the time to give us a little more detail of your travels. Electronics, weather encountered, types of sails aboard, etc. Though I doubt I will ever cross an ocean in my Hunter 34 I always enjoy hearing about others who have ventured on to the high seas in any type of blue water voyage in one of our boats. Congratulations to you. Be safe!

Joe Mullee

BTW: For those who are interested Richard Bennett (sometimes using the name Hunter Voyager) is a regular contributor on this site. After sailing his Hunter 34 to his homeland in England in 2007 I believe he has sailed on to parts of Norway before returning to his home port of Lowestoft where he is now on the hard for the winter.

henkmeuzelaar · Dec 14, 2008

Wow.....you do have quite a story to tell, Peter!!
First of all, congratulations with your successful passagemaking!

We just sailed to Queensland for the second (and last) time to deliver our Hunter Legend 43 "Rivendel II" to a broker in Newport marina, near Brisbane. However, I doubt we would have been up to the challenge of crossing the Pacific in a 34-footer. Let alone, crossing the Atlantic twice as well and/or venturing into fairly high latitudes, such as Hobart.

Although I agree with you that many coastal-ready Hunters can be (made?) tough enough to permit ocean crossings, I am also well aware of the potential shortcomings of run-of-the-mill production Huntebenelinas when being considered as offshore passagemakers.

Somehow, you don't come accross as someone who is eager to share a lot of stories about how you prepared your vessel or how you dealt with some of the more difficult challenges underway. In fact, I admit to doing a bit of Googling in order to satisfy myself that your post is genuine, rather than an attempt at trolling.

Having established that, however, I want to point out that your impressive exploits put you among a very small group of 30-40 ft Hunter sailors who have ever completed such major ocean passages. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to share your favorite strategies and tactics with the rest of us in as much detail as you are willing to provide.

Fair winds,

Flying Dutchman

Dan Johnson · Dec 16, 2008

Wow, Peter!

Joe already said a mouthful! We've followed reports of your journey over the past months and to now hear from you about the fitness of the boat for the tasks you put her through is truely amazing.

Onward, Peter! We may not follow but we will surely pay rapt attention to your exploits!

H34 #113 on the hard in North East

gs · Dec 16, 2008

Hunter 460 Circumnavigation

Henk,
Here is a post that was on another website. There is a link at the bottom of his post to verify.

Abusing my boat
Posted By: Brett <Send E-Mail>
Date: 11/29/08 10:38p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

My wife and I have been cruising the South Pacific for the last year. We are 1/3 of the way done our intended circumnavigation in our 2000 Hunter 460. Before I left California I listened to many people warn me about taking my Hunter offshore. Most of them had never sailed a Hunter but for some reason seemed to think it would be a mistake to take this boat too far from land. Well after a year of cruising full time I am here to tell you, they don't know what they are talking about. We have sailed 'Fearless' from Mexico to the Marquesas through the Tuamotu, Society, Cook, American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, New Calidonia and now Australia. During this time we spent four straight days in 45-55 knot winds with 20 foot breaking seas. We have hit a reef in Fiji and gotten out and we have had sails slapping for days in light winds. We spent 22 days offshore going to the Marqueasa and through all this the boat had performed wonderfully. We have been around a lot of boats this last year. Most of them have been extensively upgraded for offshore use. I have yet to wish I was on another boat. Unlike the US Hunter has a fantastic reputation here in Australia. People are constantly coming by to tell me how much they like my boat. I am not sure how Hunters reputation got so bad in the States. I finally feel like people are seeing the boat I see when I look at it. I have probably done more miles than anyone in a 460 with the exception of Mike Harker, offshore.

http://www.fearlessmdr.com/

Franklin · Dec 16, 2008

A 460 is not the same as a 34. I wouldn't sweat doing it in either but a 460 would be much more comfortable and comfort sometimes makes a big difference in perception. 200 gallons of water to 65. 28' of water line to 40'. Mast head vrs Fractional.

However, it's nice to hear real stories of Hunter owners disproving the myth.

henkmeuzelaar · Dec 16, 2008

Anonymus,

Thanks for re-posting that message here. Although perhaps a bit OT, it was certainly interesting to Nelleke and me to realize that we must have missed these fellow Hunter sailors in Brisbane by an inch or so during the weeks we were there. Also, I can only agree with their observation regarding the much higher esteem in which many Aussie sailors appear to hold not only Hunters but the entire Huntebenelina family. When our broker there, an experienced sailor in his own right, there formulated the opening sentences for Rivendel II's "for sale" ad, I first thought he was giving in to the usual sales hyperbole when he described Hunters as "much sought after cruising yachts". In fact, I was afraid that this type of language might perhaps rub Aussie sailors the wrong way (i.e. along the vein of the much maligned "we go the distance" sales slogan here in the USA).

However, I soon discovered that he meant what he wrote. After all, this is the country that organizes the annual Sydney-Hobart race, generally considered to be one of the most demanding ocean races anywhere. Yet, over the past decade or so, Beneteaus not only have constituted one of the largest brand contingents (this year, there will be no fewer than 7 Beneteaus, second only to the Farrs, if I remember well) but even have managed to win the entire race (at least on corrected time)!
One reason for the popularity of Huntebenelinas in Oz may well be that the East coast tends to be a lee shore much of the time and that one thus may want to have a vessel with a modern rig designed to perform well against the wind in order to avoid becoming embayed between the many reefs and islands.

In order to return to the original thread, however, let me point out that a Hunter 34 has only a bit more than 40 % of the weight of a 460... Not to knock the impressive passagemaking achievements of the larger Hunters, of course, but what Peter Keating has done with the Hunter 34 would appear to be in a special class all of its own!!

Have fun

Flying Dutchman

Skipper5370 · Dec 16, 2008

As an owner of a Hunter 34 I am encouraged to hear that Hunters are capable of such serious ocean passages. However, I am interested to hear comments on the old salts' saying "a successful passage is due more to the sailor on the boat than the boat under the sailor".

henkmeuzelaar · Dec 16, 2008

Skipper,

In my experience there are three, more or less independent, categories of ingredients that go into making successful ocean passages that one has a fair degree of control over, namely:

1) technical knowledge + vessel preparation,

2) vessel design + construction

3) mental + physical stamina of skipper & crew

and then there is:

4) blind karma + unpredictable weather and other natural phenomena, over which one has absolutely no control.

If (4) is positively favorable, you may get accross safely with only one of the three group 1-3 arrows in your quiver;

If (4) is more or less neutral you will need at least two of the three group 1-3 characteristics in your grab bag; and

If (4) is positively bad, i.e. working against you, you are going to need all group 1-3 weapons in your arsenal (not that there are any real guarantees, even then......).

Have fun!

Flying Dutchman

Skipper5370 · Dec 17, 2008

tough boat

henkmeuzelaar,
Excellent analysis! These observations seem to bear out the simplified statement above. Points 1 & 3 pertain directly to the sailor while point 2 pertains to the boat. Although, the argument could be made that the boat is selected by the sailor. Of course karma controls us all both on the water and off.

Fred Ficarra · Dec 19, 2008

We sure like ours!

Richard Bryer · Dec 19, 2008

He's baaack

We were wondering where you had got to, Fred.

DJ Sailor · Jan 31, 2009

Bill Dunlop sailed across the Atlantic in his 9'-1" boat. He was lost sailing across the Pacific near Australia. Hugo Vihlen made it across the Atlantic in a 5'-4" boat. Tom McNally tried it and failed in a 3'-11" boat (how did he get any rest - a barrel would be bigger.)

Any boat including a bathtub could possible cross an ocean, though I'd like to do so in a better built boat than a H34. A H34 is a strong boat but there are too many design items that would increase the risk of anyone just sailing across an ocean (such as small cockpit drains, low cabin entry height [bridge-deck], vulnerable spade rudder, wire not tinned and vulnerable to corrosion, etc). The farthest I'd take my H34 is 600 miles to Bermuda and back. I'd still do a lot of modifications to Patchez before I would try it. A knowledgeable sailor would reduce the risk of safely sailing a H34 across the ocean, same as climbing a mountain without safety ropes. It can be done, but I don't take that much risk.

BTW, I had some new sails made by Jack Wong of Potomac Sailmakers that eliminated all of the excess weather helm. Patchez sails just great now, balances well, and is a pleasure to sail in all winds. Unfortunately and sadly, Jack passed away last year. He was a genius, a great human being, and is very missed by his friends and family.

HunterWanderer · Feb 1, 2009

Hunter 34 Ocean Crossing

I thoroughly enjoyed crossing the Atlantic singlehanded in my 34 at the same time as Peter.

Peter prepared his boat simply but well. No radar, ssb just a hand held garmin etrex and a few charts. He didn't intend to do much motoring so carried no spare fuel.

I had furuno 1623 radar, Icom SSB, Simrad autopilot, loads of deisel and extra water, a back up generator, airX wind generator, laptop with pactor 3 modem for on board emails and gribs, worldwide charts and a good sound system. ( Dolphins love Rod Stewart! )

Not only did Peter sail the atlantic but the pacific as well. He did get his girlfriend to join him halfway through and I believe they are still friends!

I don't think there are construction issues with the 34. As others have said you do have to act acordingly to conditions. Take a reef early ( and bare poles) . Have a drougue to put out in havy weather and put in the washboards when water is coming over the top. How difficult is that?

The rest of the time is great. Good accomodation and easy sailing ,

And a great community of other 34 owners . Thanks again Joe

Richard

Dan Johnson · Feb 1, 2009

Richard...

Rod Stewart? Really?

I gotta stop playing Buffett...

Keep extending the envelope...the armchair voyagers in the rest of us are humbly impressed!

Joe Mullee · Feb 2, 2009

Any Time Mr Bennett

nm

craig04 · Jul 7, 2009

Peter, I've been looking for you. Saw that castle brogo was for sale, would like to catch up with you. Craig

hunter 34 tough boat

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