Boat memories: some of the things that have been logged in the databank over the years.

My brain is a bit like a hard disk, there is a finite speed at which it will work and how much information it can store at any one time. I am not completely sure why, but these boats and, more importantly these particular points about these particular boats are stuck in memory, unable to be erased.

Lazarra 84

Quiet, spookily quiet, I remember having to check on more than one occasion that the engines were in fact started. I remember a few other points too, like, the narrow side decks for such a large boat, the huge galley with island, the engine room, which is frankly outstanding and so well thought out. The captains and  crew quarters, nicer than most upmarket hotels, but, I cannot honestly remember a boat any quieter than this.

Ferretti 225

This boat will be forever logged in memory for a few reasons, it is classic looking, very much my style, the interior could have been from the seventies, eighties or nineties, the wood and leather hang together so hand in glove, a sort of shot of nostalgia mixed with typical Italian flair. If I were in the market for a large cruiser, I would seriously take a look at one of these. I don´t think they made that many, certainly I have only seen three. I remember it being one of the first larger boats I got to work on, I also remember that, bar none the 225 has the most comfy sofas on any boat anywhere, almost peanut colour, upholstered in the finest, softest leather.

Sunseeker XS2000

"Take it out and give it the beans!", you will hardly ever be given full reign like that. You are probably very familiar with Sunseeker but, possibly not so familiar with this low production number not so thinly disguised race boat, it has a twist though, teak decks, comfortable head, anchor winch and decent storage, these are no the traits of the usual single minded offshore style powerboat built with a single purpose, that's not to say this comfy extreme high performance boat cannot show the competition a clean set of props, because it can.

What marks this boat out in memory is how it all just works so well, given the performance available, you see Sunseeker, employed the help of a chap with a bit of know how in these things, his name was Fabio Buzzi, an Italian race boat driver, designer and world record holder of making diesel powered boats go at warp speeds. The boat was equipped with twin six cylinder Yanmar diesels and ZF Trimax surface drives systems combo with two speed gearboxes (fast and faster!).

The things that stuck in my mind were what I perceived as a huge turning circle, so much so, that at one point I though we might run out of water (we didn't, but it was disconcerting). If you are used to deep "V" style boats where they lean into the direction of turn, this boat will need some getting used to, it corners very flat, the stepped hull has little bow rise. For all the performance and top speed available, it is actually quite easy to drive, just remember not to switch the gearboxes at the wrong engine revolutions, it rides flat, doesn't slam and the bow doesn't stuff into waves and wakes of other boats (we were trying to do a comprehensive test), fond memories indeed.  

Absolute 70

Barcelona boat show 2008. This brand new 70 footer, quad engine sports yacht needed moving urgently to where it would be exhibited. The only person available at the time was me, I mean how hard can it be? I was familiar with the products from Absolute, this was different though, the biggest boat they had built to date. I had dealt with quad Volvo IPS boats before, the Lazarra LSX75, what I didn't know is when I went to get the keys, I would literally be on my own, the salesperson who was meant to be coming to lend a hand was not going to be available.

You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach, when something feels off, nerves, or that sense of possibly having bitten off more than you can chew? Well, I had it and, it was completely unfounded, for you see this 70 footer could not have been easier to handle. Huge hydraulic passerelle to get on board, doors on both sides of the wheelhouse, massive amounts of glass letting in copious amounts of light, the bright interior, I was now very calm. I started the motors, dropped the lines and set off, side doors open, when I got to where she would be berthed for the show, a quick look out of the side doors was all that was needed, there was a rear view camera installed but the large doors at the back, gave a great view for the typical Mediterranean style mooring.

So that is a good memory, given the keys to what was probably several million Euros of brand new yacht and told to get on with it, I will be honest, looking back, things could have not gone to plan but it all turned out just fine. The other memory of this beautiful Italian yacht was the wooden floor in the salon, not the usual smooth grain stuff, a sort of almost rustic finish, it blended well with the glass and white leather of the otherwise very modern design.

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