... the more I love our e32-3. Yesterday had a chance to helm friend's Hans Christian 37... A thing of beauty. Long-range cruiser by design. Love the looks and the accomodations... Boat definitely lives up to all the hype. But...
I got a bit suspicious when the owner offered me the helm - all too happily... I was right.
Boy it is heavy! When the wind is steady this thing sails as a train on rails - she goes through waves and wakes as a hot knife through butter... But steady wind is a rare commodity on the SF Bay, so in gusts she requires quite a muscle to keep it on course. And if wind drops below 10 knots, she stops in her tracks. Alternative is to pull out a huge genoa to keep it moving, but then you need to roll it back 500 yards later when the wind comes back. Also, with a full keel, manuvering in close quarters is a challenge.
So at the end of the sail (after near-crash landing - the happy but very new owner is yet to adjust to the boat in tidal currents) me and my wife thanked the owner, looked at each other and came to the same conclusion - Hans Christian, no mater how great she is, is not a boat for us. The same trip from Brisbane to Bay Bridge would have taken us half the time, and while we'd bounce on ferry's wake, it may be more fun this way!
And to round it up, today my hands and back are sore from all the hard work
.
So, love our Ericson we do.
Regards,
Stan
I got a bit suspicious when the owner offered me the helm - all too happily... I was right.
Boy it is heavy! When the wind is steady this thing sails as a train on rails - she goes through waves and wakes as a hot knife through butter... But steady wind is a rare commodity on the SF Bay, so in gusts she requires quite a muscle to keep it on course. And if wind drops below 10 knots, she stops in her tracks. Alternative is to pull out a huge genoa to keep it moving, but then you need to roll it back 500 yards later when the wind comes back. Also, with a full keel, manuvering in close quarters is a challenge.
So at the end of the sail (after near-crash landing - the happy but very new owner is yet to adjust to the boat in tidal currents) me and my wife thanked the owner, looked at each other and came to the same conclusion - Hans Christian, no mater how great she is, is not a boat for us. The same trip from Brisbane to Bay Bridge would have taken us half the time, and while we'd bounce on ferry's wake, it may be more fun this way!
And to round it up, today my hands and back are sore from all the hard work
.So, love our Ericson we do.
Regards,
Stan
