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Was pretty nice weather over in Brittany, but still quite chilly in the evenings - around 9-12C in the mornings. Glad the boat has a heater (Eberspacher D4).

 

Boat was mint. Commissioning took the best part of a week and a bit, primarily related to some custom extras taking a little longer to sort out (watermaker was faulty - hairline crack - so sent back to factory; Solar to Li battery setup somewhat tricky), me taking ages to put the child-catching netting all round the boat (what a pain in the ar$e!) and that Christina and the little one had quite bad ear infections for the whole first week which resulted in some pretty careful lounging around at the marina. Not really sailing conducive health.

 

Consequently the first week saw a total of 2-3h sailing wherein we simply tested the functionality of all sailing systems and running gear etc. Set up the NKE AP, tested AIS etc. (now visible on Marine traffic), and read a huge pile of manuals and documentation.

 

One thing I noticed though, is that with the Code0 and a full main, on a 12-14knt beam reach, the helm is perfectly balanced to the point of being able to let it go. The boat just tracks on not wavering - best not to fall in... 

 

Wednesday week ago, we took our leave of St Marine (check google maps) at 11:40 and beat out up to Penmarch, 16-19knt W by WSW. Up to 8.5knts over the water just slightly cracked off (48°T) for comfort. Around Penmarch, things got a little more exciting, as the forecasted 12-14 increased to 22-27 over the deck, threw in a reef, furled the jib and changed down to the Stays'l. Bore away a touch and made for the Raz with wind about 50-55°T. Seas were relatively uncomfortable as we bucked an outgoing tide (2.5knts) pushing up to Raz-de-Sien. Slow going and although not the most comfortable weather it was also not the worst and we needed to be in Brest relatively soon, so couldn't really wait another day for perfect weather. 

 

Wee lad succumbed to the uncomfortable ride at about 13:00, returning his lunch all over the saloon. Christina went below to take over from me, and promptly succumbed to the motion and the smell (first time ever seasick) - spent the next 8h puking... ouch...

 

Bore away to about 120-130T going through the Raz de Sien, by now with a 1-2knt tide with us, having timed our passage to take advantage of the ebb to flood "slack". And with 22-24knts of breeze sat nicely on 12 knts boat speed sliding North to anchor for the night in Camaret-sur-Mer at about 23:00 in the very last bit of light, using our spotlight to avoid anchoring on top of any crab pots laid in the anchorage. Ryobi ONE+ spotlight, insanely powerful.

 

Lounged around in Camaret-sur-Mer for a couple of days then caught the flood and a 10knt westerly for the 10 miles into Brest harbour where we hauled out for dry storage until mid July. 

 

Then drove 1200km home -  never again.

 

Notes:

  • Commissioning a boat from new is hard work. 
  • The heater is awesome.
  • Sitting around at anchor we use about 20% battery capacity in 24h. While sailing on AP with AIS and Plotter running that goes out to 25-30% for 24h with 12h sailing. Li Battery charges from 65-100% in about 30 min motoring (enough to warm up, get out of the marina and diddle around hoisting the main for the first time.
  • Kiddy safe netting is a pain in the butt
  • In marinas with a lot of current and wind gusts you can NEVER have enough fenders
  • Dodger is friggin brilliant
  • Boat is easy to sail fast
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The Doc is probably out sailing on that machine of his.

Bumped because we did another dinghy trip over to Windsor landing on saturday,Docs area. We met a lovely local woman, Betty, and chatted on her ramp about the goings on.

Latest in the news is that fish traps around the northern edge might have cultural significance, preventing the council developing road access to the landing they own.

It's kind of funny, like an episode of dad's army from the 70s.

Have ramp, have queens chain, ohhh...forgot to get a driveway across private land so we can get to it.

 

Now we've been here a little while we're getting to understand a little bit more of the politics in the inlet.

Existing boat ramps are under pressure or quite poor, even dangerous atvtimes,so the council and various lobby groups are seeking more or better.

That means Windsor landing because of the existing ramp, wharf and pontoon, and a massive reclamation for parking and ramps at Rangitane.

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Well, the Doc has been out and done some sailing, but he's more recently been spending his days at the hospital sitting in the neonatal unit watching his new (and incredibly tiny) second son. 1.9kg and a month early.

 

But it's true, I should post some photos and a few more words about the sailing.

At Windsor landing, Betty is lovely. She lets us use her ramp to launch our Welsford Navigator, and we can walk there in about 10 minutes. 

 

In general though, the public ramp down there is a bit of a disaster as it'll take considerable dredging to make it even a half tide ramp. The size of boat that can be launched would be limited. The easiest solution regarding building a parking facility would be to fairly purchase the empty section that people currently drive over (if necessary the public works act could be invoked I guess). This would spare the fish traps and all the cool natural features at the Northern end.

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So here are some general shots of cruising around Brittany.

 

 

Everyone here uses day shapes, even in designated anchorages. In fact the rules for lights and shapes are very well adhered to

gallery_123_40_5860841.jpg

 

Old fishing boats driven up on the shore in Camaret sur Mer.

gallery_123_40_4329718.jpg

 

gallery_123_40_1440979.jpg

 

Gratuitous summer shot... the water was 14 °C....

gallery_123_40_1224042.jpg

 

 

It's a really good cockpit for lounging and entertaining. Lunch somewhere in Isle d Glenan.

gallery_123_40_343906.jpg

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A well sailed local boat in L'Aberlach (sp?). They came steaming in like this, let the jib fly, rounded up and shot up into the wind coming to a stop perfectly beside the mooring buoy, which was neatly picked up and made fast. jib dropped and main then lowered all in about 2min. 

gallery_123_40_2417797.jpg

 

 

Coming into Lorient with all the IMOCAs coming out. pretty amazing boats.

 

gallery_123_40_2410343.jpg

 

 

Hauling out for winter storage. That's about half tide...

gallery_123_40_1859912.jpg

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Congratulations and thanks for the photos.

 

Further to Windsor landing and coincidental to our visit,and to pass on the latest news..... I read just last night of a Rahui placed on any development of the ramp area past what is there now because of the fish traps and proposed dredging, and the impact that will have on the inlet.

So that's actually big news and probably will kill the council plans there. That's good news for the locals I think, but it will mean more effort and weight behind the rather over the top plans for the Rangitane side involving reclamation of a rather astonishing scale.

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On 21/01/2020 at 11:58 AM, DrWatson said:

 

gallery_123_40_1224042.jpg

 

Wish I’d got my boat before kids, much harder the other way around. 

I have two comments about this photo...

The compulsory emergency ladder hanging out, same thing happens on my father’s boat all the time. We’ve solved it by removing the ring pull and replacing it with a knot that hangs down and doesn’t snag on the tender.

What is the stern ladder? Looks interesting.

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Yeah the compulsory ladder, while important, does have a tendency to pop open unless it's been packed away perfectly. 

The wooden boarding ladder is something I knocked up in a hurry as a temporary fix until I can make a super light one. We decided on the boat when C was 4 months pregnant. So we got the kids and the boat at the same time, pretty much. a little difficult, but hopefully it will be worth it when we're making family holidays when the kids a little older. But it came at the cost of not buying a house...

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20 hours ago, DrWatson said:

Yeah the compulsory ladder, while important, does have a tendency to pop open unless it's been packed away perfectly. 

The wooden boarding ladder is something I knocked up in a hurry as a temporary fix until I can make a super light one. We decided on the boat when C was 4 months pregnant. So we got the kids and the boat at the same time, pretty much. a little difficult, but hopefully it will be worth it when we're making family holidays when the kids a little older. But it came at the cost of not buying a house...

If the compulsory ladder is the same as the Dad’s on the Jeaneau, then it is relatively unsupported internally and will fatigue and break of when hit but an slightly lazy ferry from a local cafe

Please post pictures of your light weight solution when you get one made, intrigued to see what you come up with.

The family holidays will be AWESOME! 

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No doubt COVID has hampered cruising, but wondering how your experience of cruising the Pogo is going? 

As I get near to putting a deposit on a boat (unsailed and unseen) I’m getting nervous about such a leap from convention (Hanse, Jeanneau etc). I have no doubt she sails beatifully, but logistically will it cruise comfortably (I’m expecting glamping) and is there adequate storage etc in such a paired back interior.

Any insights would be much appreciated because clearly I’m not popping over to France to see one before I sign on the line, and nobody has one here in NZ

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14 hours ago, BigRed said:

No doubt COVID has hampered cruising, but wondering how your experience of cruising the Pogo is going? 

As I get near to putting a deposit on a boat (unsailed and unseen) I’m getting nervous about such a leap from convention (Hanse, Jeanneau etc). I have no doubt she sails beatifully, but logistically will it cruise comfortably (I’m expecting glamping) and is there adequate storage etc in such a paired back interior.

Any insights would be much appreciated because clearly I’m not popping over to France to see one before I sign on the line, and nobody has one here in NZ

There's actually pretty good stowage. Like with any boat, requirements for stowage vary depending upon how many crew and how long you wish to remain self sufficient and what level of cuisine you expect. What are your plans and expectations for duration? If you expect glamping then you'll be more than satisfied. Extended high lattitudes cruising with 6 crew, then it's likely not your boat. Ocean crossing with 6 adults and two kids? You might want a 12.50. Long distance family cruising with a happy partner? Absolutely the 36 will tick that box.

On Firefly, under the saloon berths is all stowage, and the saloon lockers hold a surprisingly large amount of food. We're still taking bottled water with us as well, primarily because CH doesn't want to trust the tank water yet as we've put so little through it, it's still a bit plastic flavoured, and with the little kids C's not taking any chances - even though it's all food safe plastic etc. So we go away for a week at a time with 4-5 Adults and 2 little kids, with likely enough food for 2-3 weeks and half the under saloon berth stowage is wine, beer and daipers - You victual differently for a week vs 4 weeks...

The wardrobe is easily large enough for all our clothes plus bedding. We've the optional wet locker in the stb cabin instead of the cabinet and seat - stroke of genius, as there's a heater outlet there to dry your stuff...

The lazzarette is pretty huge, and we cram quite a lot in there, including now the beaching legs... spare diesel, 2 anchors and associated ground tackle, + a bunch of other mooring lines and what not that you normally find in a lazzarette (also the Eberspacher diesel heater is mounted there.)

There's a huge sail locker forward, between the forward cabin and the anchor locker (same hatch) - you'll fit a code zero and an A2 in there. And the stays'l lives on deck in a deck bag if it's not on a furler (get the non-furling one - it's a great sail). So when we're cruising, we're not heaving sailing in and out.

There's no stowage under the forward berth, that's where the water tank is, and either side of it is permanent buoyancy foam. Likewise the aft half of the two aft cabins under the berths is foam - this could be easily removed as it's tied in with dynema lacing, but then you'd likely not have a boat that was buoyant when flooded. Under the first half of the berths in the aft cabins is stowage  - we stack bottled water there at the moment but that'll change. 

Also, there are long shelves in each cabin (2 in the forward) that also hold tons of stuff. Stowage will not be a problem for you I expect.

I don't think there's really any detracting factors for cruising. The cabin sole is the hull, so you have to step over the few massive floors that hold the keel assembly etc.,  - she's based on the class 40 style build after all...    . But there's ample headroom (I'm 6'2") and space enough inside because of 4m beam, it's like your normal cruising 40fter. I think you'd struggle if you wanted to have an air conditioner and a washing machine, or other ridiculous add ons though (and no way would Structures fit those for you unless you bought a 50 - they know what works...)

In summary, despite her lineage from racing boats, it's not like cruising in a carbon drum, sleeping on sails and squatting over a bucket while B00B00 hollers for trim over the noise of the stereo ;). I don't think she gives much if anything away in terms of comfort when compared to a Jenneau or Hanse etc. In terms of finish and comfort, miles ahead of the likes of the sunfast 3600  and the new 3200 - really miles ahead. If you're beating to windward against 25-30 kts for 4 days, likely the heavier boats will give you a slightly less bouncy ride, but once you crack off a bit...there's no comparison. Also, if you're bay hopping, you can sleep in until midday, have an easy brunch, and then still be the first boat in the next bay the next evening...

I have it on good authority that a shiny new 12.50 will be arriving in AKL before the end of the year... Although that boat is bigger than the 36, it would still give you an idea of the general layout etc. PM me for details.

If you are considering it, put the deposit down now to secure a build spot. It's fully refundable if you change your mind. You will liaise and work directly with the factory, to get your boat how you want it - no dealer intermediate.

 

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On 24/09/2020 at 9:48 AM, BigRed said:

As I get near to putting a deposit on a boat (unsailed and unseen) I’m getting nervous about such a leap from convention (Hanse, Jeanneau etc). I have no doubt she sails beatifully, but logistically will it cruise comfortably (I’m expecting glamping) and is there adequate storage etc in such a paired back interior.

Yeah it’s a ‘big gulp’ moment to pull the trigger on buying an oversees boat sight unseen but we’ve just done that very thing (not a Pogo tho)! In this respect Covid is both an opportunity and a pain - the opportunity is there are now some amazing deals to be had on nice boats stuck in places around the world where their overseas owners can’t get to them. Asia and Europe are hotspots for this right now. The downside is obviously the risk of buying sight unseen but some of the deals available make the risk worthwhile (in my view). But I might change my opinion once our new toy arrives. 😳

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On 24/09/2020 at 8:02 PM, DrWatson said:

There's actually pretty good stowage. Like with any boat, requirements for stowage vary depending upon how many crew and how long you wish to remain self sufficient and what level of cuisine you expect. What are your plans and expectations for duration? If you expect glamping then you'll be more than satisfied. Extended high lattitudes cruising with 6 crew, then it's likely not your boat. Ocean crossing with 6 adults and two kids? You might want a 12.50. Long distance family cruising with a happy partner? Absolutely the 36 will tick that box.

On Firefly, under the saloon berths is all stowage, and the saloon lockers hold a surprisingly large amount of food. We're still taking bottled water with us as well, primarily because CH doesn't want to trust the tank water yet as we've put so little through it, it's still a bit plastic flavoured, and with the little kids C's not taking any chances - even though it's all food safe plastic etc. So we go away for a week at a time with 4-5 Adults and 2 little kids, with likely enough food for 2-3 weeks and half the under saloon berth stowage is wine, beer and daipers - You victual differently for a week vs 4 weeks...

The wardrobe is easily large enough for all our clothes plus bedding. We've the optional wet locker in the stb cabin instead of the cabinet and seat - stroke of genius, as there's a heater outlet there to dry your stuff...

The lazzarette is pretty huge, and we cram quite a lot in there, including now the beaching legs... spare diesel, 2 anchors and associated ground tackle, + a bunch of other mooring lines and what not that you normally find in a lazzarette (also the Eberspacher diesel heater is mounted there.)

There's a huge sail locker forward, between the forward cabin and the anchor locker (same hatch) - you'll fit a code zero and an A2 in there. And the stays'l lives on deck in a deck bag if it's not on a furler (get the non-furling one - it's a great sail). So when we're cruising, we're not heaving sailing in and out.

There's no stowage under the forward berth, that's where the water tank is, and either side of it is permanent buoyancy foam. Likewise the aft half of the two aft cabins under the berths is foam - this could be easily removed as it's tied in with dynema lacing, but then you'd likely not have a boat that was buoyant when flooded. Under the first half of the berths in the aft cabins is stowage  - we stack bottled water there at the moment but that'll change. 

Also, there are long shelves in each cabin (2 in the forward) that also hold tons of stuff. Stowage will not be a problem for you I expect.

I don't think there's really any detracting factors for cruising. The cabin sole is the hull, so you have to step over the few massive floors that hold the keel assembly etc.,  - she's based on the class 40 style build after all...    . But there's ample headroom (I'm 6'2") and space enough inside because of 4m beam, it's like your normal cruising 40fter. I think you'd struggle if you wanted to have an air conditioner and a washing machine, or other ridiculous add ons though (and no way would Structures fit those for you unless you bought a 50 - they know what works...)

In summary, despite her lineage from racing boats, it's not like cruising in a carbon drum, sleeping on sails and squatting over a bucket while B00B00 hollers for trim over the noise of the stereo ;). I don't think she gives much if anything away in terms of comfort when compared to a Jenneau or Hanse etc. In terms of finish and comfort, miles ahead of the likes of the sunfast 3600  and the new 3200 - really miles ahead. If you're beating to windward against 25-30 kts for 4 days, likely the heavier boats will give you a slightly less bouncy ride, but once you crack off a bit...there's no comparison. Also, if you're bay hopping, you can sleep in until midday, have an easy brunch, and then still be the first boat in the next bay the next evening...

I have it on good authority that a shiny new 12.50 will be arriving in AKL before the end of the year... Although that boat is bigger than the 36, it would still give you an idea of the general layout etc. PM me for details.

If you are considering it, put the deposit down now to secure a build spot. It's fully refundable if you change your mind. You will liaise and work directly with the factory, to get your boat how you want it - no dealer intermediate.

 

Hey Doc, thanks for the insight and taking the time to put them down. Reassuring to hear stowage is better than it seems at first glance (online), and a 12.50 would make a lot of nice sailing up North. 

 

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I think she did the Tauranga race , there is so much to like about these boats -they fulfill the need for a lot of us for a cruiser/racer with some occasional great blasts possible -truly a Kiwi style boat for the future, in my humble opinion.😇

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2 hours ago, Psyche said:

nice boat, I like the swing keel for cruising

Having sailed an alloy 2 x swing keels CB yacht for the last 18 years I doubt I would ever go back to a fixed keel, They open up so many more areas to anchor or just sniff around. Up in the Islands the bommies that had the keeler skippers on edge were never on our worry list.

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Amazing amount of room for a 36’er 3 queen size bunks and really nice saloon 

plus goes up wind better than you’d think but it will be a weapon on a reach, could be hard to beat in a normal coastal 

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