|
SOME FIGURES:
- We cruised a total of 2100 miles, versus a
theoretical distance of 1800
- The voyage lasted 35 days, corresponding to a gross-average of 60
miles per day, stopovers included. In reality, we did not
sail at all on 10 days (due to victualling, rest and sightseeing), therefore the
net average has been in the range of 80 miles/day (stopping overnight about 50%
of the times). This corresponds to a potential average of a little
above 100 miles/24 hours.
- We motored for about 220 hours, corresponding to more than half the
total mileage: quite surprisingly, this did not happen mostly in the
Mediterranean as expected, but also in the Atlantic!
- The fuel consumption has been around 2,5 liters/hour:
excellent, although helped by the spot-clean hull, and it must be noted that we
never pushed the engine above 2000 rpm (against a theoretical cruising
regime around 2500 rpm); this gave us a cruising speed between 5 and 6 knots,
depending on sea-state, and therefore a mileage of about 2 miles per liter.
- water consumption (from the tanks) when sailing was in the
range of 30 liters per-day, without any special effort and not including
drinking-water (bottled).
We never used the watermaker, mainly to spare ourselves the burden of the
periodical washing and pickling which becomes mandatory after the first use.
These data give a theoretical motoring range of nearly 500
miles (including the 40 liters in canisters) and 12/15 days as
far as water is concerned (also including the 2 canisters).
Not bad for extended coastal cruising, as it would imply a restocking stop-over
every 10, maybe even 15 days, but definitely not enough for major passages.
Why these data are
so important? Explanation HERE
THE VOYAGE:
The data show that it was a fairly fast, albeit feasible,
trip, certainly helped by the boat's great comfort.
Obviously we would have liked to stop more often and for longer periods, but
nevertheless we managed to do some sightseeing and to get at least a general
idea of the places we visited.
We have been disappointed by some places such as the galitian
Rias, often spoiled by ugly construction and by the ubiquitous
fish-farms. Furthermore, fog certainly did not help to cheer up the
ambiance!
We remain undecided about the northern Portuguese coast which,
from a distance, did not look particularly attractive. On the contrary, we
enjoyed the visits to Cascais, Lisbon and Lagos.
VOYAGING PEOPLE:
In the Atlantic ports, as well as in Gibraltar and - only case
in the Mediterranean - in Palma de Mallorca, we often found ourselves moored
among "voyaging" yachts, sturdy, comfortable, clearly equipped for
extended living-aboard. We felt "club members", and
not, as it often happens in the Med, sort of "poor relatives" amidst
shiny megayachts!
Furthermore, ports do normally keep places for transiting yachts, unlike far too
many places in the Med where all places are kept by local yachts (or charter
fleets!).
THE BOAT:
Having well in mind that every boat is a compromise, the
results (both positive and - sometimes - negative) were basically in line with
our expectation:
Pro's:
- great strength and security
- excellent maneuverability
- excellent on-board comfort: spacious, soft-moving, with a lot of storage
spaces
- excellent performance and handling under strong wind conditions
- very good course stability
Con's:
- modest upwind performance (especially with medium-light winds)
- mediocre performance with light winds (it's under-canvassed!)
- frequent need for paint touch-ups
- small dents and scratches to the hull cannot be easily repaired
We also got confirmation to something we expected:
- boat size is at the upper limit of what we can handle as a couple: all
rope-handling needs the help of winches, and unavoidably every maneuver becomes
slow
- the ability to reduce the draught by lifting the keel comes handy, while the
ability to take ground will probably almost never be exploited
SYSTEMS:
This trip gave us the first feedbacks: flying colors for the
autopilot, the water-cooled refrigerator, the radar/chartplotter display in the
cockpit, the Navtex receiver, while the batteries and the charging systems will
need revising.
This subject is covered in depth on the "Field
experience" page.
| 
