YOUR INPUT
INDEX
ANNOUNCING SELENE SEATTLE
GREETINGS TO ALL SELENE OWNERS,
Exciting things are happening on the West Coast. For the past eight years Friday Harbor Yachts has been the number one Selene dealer in the world. With your help FHYS has been blessed with unprecedented sales, incredible events and most important a great fellowship of Selene Owners. FHYS has also enjoyed a close relationship with Jet Tern Marine and Howard Chen.
In order to make all of these good things grow to even greater heights reorganization is in play. A new company has been formed, Selene Seattle. Located on Lake Union, Selene Seattle will open Jan. 1 2007. This company is owned by Howard Chen and Brian Calvert. Brian will be the general manager. Howard is the majority member and CEO. Selene Seattle will be the West Coast Distributor and Northwest USA Dealer. Dan and Jan Fogle will be part of the new company and work as consultants, utilizing their years of Selene experience.
FHYS will operate next door to Selene Seattle and continue to serve its existing clients with the same dedication that has made it the number one dealer. Dan, Jan, Gary and Brian are all fully committed to maintain FHYS until all ordered boats are delivered and commissioned. Howard Chen has pledged to honor all existing FHYS contracts, deliver the ordered boats as per contract and as per productions schedule. The reorganization is seen by all to be a positive step and we are all working to make the change a benefit to ALL Selene owners.
Selene Seattle will have a full time Service Manager. The Service Manager will have the ability to handle immediate warranty and service issues, supervise work done at the now seven Selene Authorized warranty locations and respond to emergencies. The SM will also be available as a consultant to our customers for technical, maintenance, and operational advice.
Selene Seattle will be joined by several top quality new salespersons with long term experience in both new trawlers and brokerage boat sales. Sasha Calvert will assume the position of office manager. She brings experience of working with the Washington State Department of Revenue and Bank of America, along with the wealth of knowledge she has learned working with Jan Fogle at FHYS. We will be announcing the remainder of the staff soon. I know you all will agree we have created the Dream Team.
We are all very excited about the future of Selenes and are confident that this change will benefit all of the Selene family. We look forward to serving you.
Happy Boating,
Dan Fogle
Jan Fogle
Howard Chen
Brian Calvert
Solo to Selene "Conversion"
When Jet-Tern stopped building the 43 and 47 Solo's I became concerned about owning a boat from the defunct Solo lineage. Even though the 43 and 47 Selenes were the same boat as the Solos, there was the chance that future resale could be adversely affected by the fact that very few Solo's were built. After some discussions with Howard Chen, Howard provided me with a "kit" of parts to convert my 43 Solo, hull number 14, to a 43 Selene, hull number 14. I replaced the name plate mounted on the aft wall of the pilothouse, the step plates in the side boarding door cutouts and the door cutout in the transom and the Solo crossed flags emblems on the port and starboard sides of the pilothouse. The photos below show the items I changed.
The "SELENE" nameplates on the sides of the pilothouse are gel coated fiberglass pieces that I mounted in frames made of Starboard plastic and attached with screws in the areas where the crossed flag "SOLO" emblems used to be located. Jet-Tern also provided a gel coated fiberglass "SELENE" to be used to replace the "SOLO" on the swim step. I plan to frame this in Starboard plastic and attach it with screws like I did the ones on the sides of the pilothouse. Howard suggested that I might want to replace the external plates on the hawes pipes with the current production plates that have the "SELENE" name cast into them. Athough the internal cutout is the same size as the original Solo plates, the width of the flange and the fastener hole pattern are different so I decided to not change them.
Dick Johnson
43 Selene, Hull # 14
FREE HAUL-OUT AWARDED
BY LACONNER MARITIME
LaConner Maritime owner, Ed Oczkewics, has provided a free haul-out for a Pacific NW based Selene for the second year in a row. This photo shows Jerry and Linda Dow, owners of Island Star, 53 Selene hull # 2, drawing the name of the lucky Selene owner from the box being held by Ed. This years winner was Larry Emel, owner of Happy Days, 47 Selene hull # 10. Thanks for your support Ed.
From: Roger Menendez
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2003
16:09:19
To: marilyn@homebay.com
Subject: Maiden Voyage with Western
Flyer
Hi Marilyn,
It was a pleasure to meet you in Sidney last
week. I was delighted that you took the time to come and visit with Helena
and I over that wonderful lunch.
Well, I thought you might be
interested in learning about our experiences last week, from the time
we left you in Sidney until our return home yesterday. I suspect that some
of the other Selene owners might find our "adventures" amusing if for no
other reason that all of it happened to a crew that had never been on the
water on anything larger than a canoe! And Royal Caribbean, of
course. So feel free to post this on the website if you wish.
After
spending 2 months at Philbrook's boatyard in Sidney where Solo Too became
officially Western Flyer and where several modifications were made, my
daughter and I were reacquainted with the Solo 02-43 on 15 March. The plan
was to wait for Clark to arrive from Friday Harbor that morning and have
him chaperone us back to FH. Unfortunately as you well know, the weather
up there had been rather stormy all month and up until that day, there
were gale warnings still posted. So Clark decided to come on Sunday, the
16th, instead. We pulled out of Philbrook's as soon as he got there around
1100. After a refueling stop at Van Isle ( on the recommendation of the
boatyard I only took 150 liters, just enough to get us back to the US), we
left for FH at 1200 under beautiful calm weather.
The trip was
uneventful and since we made very good time, we took a little detour
around to Orcas and back out through Wasp Passage. This gave me a little
more time to get to know the boat. We arrived at FH at about 1530 and
pulled right into our slip. While under way, Clark had phoned ahead to
Customs to let them know we were coming and to get a case number. Because
of the work done at Philbrook's, they suggested that I stop in the office
the following morning to show them the bill for all the materials added. I
assumed ( and we all know what that stands for!) this was a routine thing
and didn't give it a second thought. Boy, was I in for a shock!
That
same afternoon, Brian Calvert announced that we were going to head out to
Stuart Island the next day where he and Sasha were going to go diving and
we would just have the day to explore the island and do some hiking. So
while Clark took the boat over to the fuel dock, I dutifully trekked to
the Customs' office to file my declaration.
As soon as the
inspector and port director heard me say I had come in the day before, he
inmediately became hostile. The fact that we had called ahead and had a
case number assigned did not seem to improve his attitude much. After
glancing at the bill from Philbrook's, he asked me if I knew wether the
two major items installed- Webast furnace and ESI fuel polishing system-
were made in the US. I told him I thought they were since the companies
were based in the US but that I could not swear to it. I told him the
Webasto I thought was made in WA state and the ESI was definately a
company in Virginia. So he gets on the web and looks up Webasto and gets a
German website, then he checks ESI and says to me it was made in New
Zealand. At this point he starts accusing me of making falls
declarations and promptly announces that I need to list on a separate
sheet of paper every item over $50 installed by Philbrook's and indicate
weather or not each one of them was made in the USA! This for a 4
page list of over C$50k. Since he appeared to be very serious and was now
shouting at me, I called Philbrook's on the phone and got the
administrator to fax over a complete list of materials but, of course,
without any specific indication as to weather the items were US, Canadian,
or foreign. They told me that it would take hours if not days to come up
with such a breakdown. At this point Brian- now inching to get going on
our first "solo" trip- asked how much the tax would be for the entire cost
of materials. It came to $210 which I opted to pay rather than loose the
rest of the day trying to break it down by country of origin. I left in
complete disgust at the way they had treated me, on my first experience
with Customs as a new boater. Not a very good feeling knowing how much
money you have spent to get to where we are!
Several hours later and
while cruising to Stuart, I got a call from Philbrook's confirming that
the Webasto and ESI were both built in the US. So now I have no
recourse but to file an ammended declaratrion to try to recover my money.
It burns me to give the government one penny more that I have to. I will
also write a letter to the Port of Friday Harbor and to the Customs
Service to file a complaint against the officer involved. How's that for
your first experience as a new boater. Not bad for my second day on the
water.
As soon as the ordeal at Customs was over, we headed out to
Stuart under very good conditions. I followed Brian in his boat and got a
chance to try most of my electronics including radar, autopilot, Capn pc
navigation, etc. We got to our destination at Prevost Bay and with Brian
shouting commands from the dock I parrallel parked it on the first try. It
does take a bit of getting used to steering with one screw and a bow
thruster but on the 43 is managable. It backs up pretty streight which
makes it more predictable.
We spent the next few hours hiking and
taking pics for the folks back home. When Brian and Sasha returned from
diving, it was almost 1800 so we decided to spend the night. At about
0400, I was awakened by the wind and the creaking of the dock. It was
blowing at 15-20kts. Brian checked the airport weather at FH where it was
gusting to 40 also from the SSE, so we decide to wait it out a bit. By
1000, it was pretty calm in the bay and it had dropped to 15 or so at FH
so we decided to make a run for it. Things weren't too rough until we got
around Stuart and close to Spieden Pass. At this point instead of our
heading into 3-4 foot seas, conditions changed to very confused seas with
8-10 foot swells. I just simply steered manually into the waves with Brian
a couple of hundred yards ahead of me. Compared to Brian's smaller boat,
the Solo took it like a champ. Waves were coming over the bow and crashing
onto the pilothouse with regularity without us feeling more than a bit
uneasy, this being our second experience on the water! We had slowed down
to about 5.5 knts so it took us a bit longer to clear the channel enough
to get into calmer waters. While about 5 miles out from FH, we had
noticed a ship out by the entrance to FH just off our port which had
remained in that position the whole time we were within range, a good
45 minutes. We were now close enough for me to see through the binos that
it was a Coast Guard cutter. Just as I noticed the boarding craft
leave the side of the cutter carrying 5 or 6 guardsmen- I forget
how many now- Brian comes over channel 9 to tell me it looks like we
are going to be boarded by the CG! Sure enough, they pull up on our stb
side and after slowing down to bare steerageway, they come on board and
announce they are to conduct a routine documentation and safety
inspection. Well, that took about an hour, so during this time Brian
had gone on to port and gotten hold of Clark, who brought him back
out to our boat.A t that point, he took the helm and brought us back to
our slip. He did say we could have probably been cruising for 50 years and
never get boarded by the CG but, hey, we are different.
I am still
wondering what the passengers on the ferry that had lined up to watch the
whole thing must have thought when they went by. Probably that we were a
bunch of drug runners or terrorists at the very least!
I am happy to
report, though, that we passed the inspection without a single defficency,
thanks to my wife, who is a trained paramedic and had taken the precaution
to supply us with fire extinguishers, flairs, etc. Thanks
to her effords, we now have the covetted yellow copy of the CG form and
are in their system as having passed. No nasty letter of defficency for
us!
The presence of the cutter USS Osprey out of Port Townsend in FH
created quite a commosion around the town and brought out the local
news reporter who interviewed us and the guardsmen for the local paper.
All in a day's work.
The next couple of days we had lots of wind still
but I was able to have Brian take me in and out of the marina several
times to where I know feel I can do it by myself, albeit very
slowly!
We have made our reservations for the rendezvous and look
forward to seeing you all there.
We are looking for someone to buddy up
with us for our first cruising trip next summer. We would like to spend
2-3 weeks anywhere on up to Desolation Sound sometime in mid
July.
We feel very fortunate to have purchased a Selene, and in
particular, this Selene that had been so extensively customized by the
previous owner. All I could think about while in the middle of those rough
seas was what you told me in Sidney, Marylin: " your boat can go through
anything"!
Best regards,
Roger, Helena, and Debbie.
From: david morthland
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2003
21:14:49
To: Marilyn Copland
Subject: Re:
Welcome!
Thanks for your prompt reply. Yes we are hull No 4.
my questions are:
1. .do you have a water maker ?
2. if so what is
the make and Model.?
3. what is the capacity per hour?.
4. did you
tie it in to your heads flushing system in order to have
fresh water
going through them.
5. Are you Happy with it?.
6. Who do you
recommend for installation?
7. and if I am not being to nosy, the
approximate cost?
8. Any other suggestions.
(David Morthland
would like information regarding watermakers before he makes the big
decision.......)
From: DnnLEml@aol.com
To: shipyard@pub.dgnet.gd.cn Sent:
Wednesday, January 22, 2003 12:04 PMSubject: Thank You! 47010
Dear
Howard:
I wanted to take this time to let you know just how happy we
are with our new boat. 47010 is such a beautiful boat we are ecstatic. In
the process of building our boat you have become more than just the
builder of our boat. You have become a most treasured friend.
We would
like to extend our thanks and appreciation to each and everyone that
worked on our boat. I can see that they took special pride and paid
attention to detail in producing such a fine boat. The cooperation and
immediate action anytime we communicated with the yard are deeply
appreciated also it really kept us in touch with the construction of the
boat. Susan was always there to send us pictures of the progress. This
really helped us feel that we were a part of the process. Nothing we have
seen compares with the quality of the finished product and was so much
more than we expected. We want everyone in the yard to know just how happy
we are with this wonderful boat you have made for us. Please convey our
pleasure to everyone involved.
Respectfully,
Larry and Donna
Emel
"HAPPY DAYS" (47010)
Susanna and Jake Maizel
"Anna Mary" Hull #7
email:
jmaizel@mindspring.com
Jake and I are relatively new to the water
having owned a 32' Eagle trawler for only 9 months before seeing and
falling for the Solo 43. Hull #7 (Anna Mary,"AM") has 1 head and an office
space in the master cabin. The AM has taken us safely through Cheasapeake
bay chop (8' on the beam at one point) and made us love being on the water
enough to plan for serious cruising. We are both full time scientists at
the National Cancer Institute but winding down. Following the Club's early
postings was very helpful. We enjoyed very much meeting owners of Hulls #
1 and 4 as well as new (to them) owners of Hull No. 6. We are wintering in
Baltimore in the water. We visit every weekend to check on the AM and
enjoy exploring the city. Hope to meet as many owners of these beautiful
boats as we can and share experiences and information.
Susanna and
Jake
From: "Lamont Machamer" <montyjmac@hotmail.com>
To:
<igyacht@netvigator.com>; <andycutt@netvigator.com>
Sent:
Friday, June 28, 2002 6:55 AM
Subject: Bon Vivant
Since the Bon
Vivant has reached a destination where full day or multiple day
passages are behind her, I've been able to reflect and truly enjoy
the yachtsman's' life, radiant sunrises and sunsets, crystal clear
waters, stretches of white sandy beaches void of masses of burned, suntan
oil smelly tourists, tropical reefs loaded with fish, sipping rum and
coke cocktails with lots of ice on the flybridge. To be an
owner/Captain of such a vessel and experience this life style is truly
magnificent. I can only wish that these experiences would
continue.
Of course non-of this would have been achievable if not for
the seaworthiness of the Bon Vivant and the individuals who contributed to
her design and construction. The BV is a great boat! She handles seas
from all quarters well, maneuvers well, exudes seaworthiness from her
high bow, Portuguese bridge, pilothouse, walk around deck, and quality
construction, to name just a few. She's roomy, comfortable, and a fine
looking ocean going vessel.
If I were to start over what would I
change? In addition to the options the BV is already complimented
with such as the wing engine, bow thruster, Naiad stabilizers, fuel
polishing system, anti-lightning system, advanced grounding, and extensive
electronics, navigation and communication equipment, and the
current/modified charging/monitoring system, I'd go with the 47'
"Blue Water" option. This would include upgraded ventilation in
the enlarged engine room, minimum 1600 ah battery capacity, utilizing
the enlarged ventilated commissary for battery storage, heat
sensitive
items, pumps or/and for better access to the enlarged e/r
(all those a/c/freezer pumps are impossible to service) move the Grunert
out of the commissary and in the galley for convenient and efficient
operation. I would also consider a second smaller generator to power
the water maker and at least one a/c unit (the lower) from dusk till
dawn 24/7. I would spec all engines to use the 900 series Racor
filter in order to eliminate the inventory/stocking nightmare of spare
filters. And most important of all for this long range "Blue Water"
option package, I would not decrease tankage but increase it to a
minimum of 1,000 US gallons or 3,780 liters.
I hope this brief synopsis
will be considered to further improve the satisfaction and enjoyment that
I have realized aboard the Bon Vivant.
Regards, Lamont Machamer
5/27/02 Question about battery hook up on the Solo 43:
Is there an on board way to make the main engine alternator charge
the two 8 D "house" batteries? I am only interested in keeping my house
batteries from discharging excessively while under way. Also, what system
has been worked out for lightning protection?
Peter & Stu Egeli egeli@olg.com
Dear Marilyn: Thank you ever so much for the web site
material. We just brought our Solo (#4) back up the ICW from Jacksonville
to Maryland. We had take Palette down there last fall and during the
winter spent about 6 weeks on her. She will be hauled and painted
next week and then we plan to head for Maine in July and August.
Peter and I are always eager to hear information on the Solo and have
enjoyed and evening with Peggy and Karsten Malmos (#1) and
meeting with Susanne and Jake Maisel (#7) when we were in Solomons last
year.
Once again, thanks for keeping us informed. Best, "Stu" Egeli
(Stu is part of a family name, Betty-Stuart)
From: Lamont Machamer <montyjmac@hotmail.com> To:
pernoud@fidnet.com <pernoud@fidnet.com> Date: Thursday, January 31,
2002 11:22 PM Subject: S4316 MV: Bon Vivant
1-20-02 I arrived in
Hong Kong 1-10-02 after an 18 hour uneventful, but very sleep full flight.
I actually slept 12 hours in total! The next day I headed to mainland
China ( PRC Visa required) to see the Bon Vivant. Not surprisingly, the
boat was behind schedule. We probably will not sea trial her till the
first of February in Hong Kong. I plan to return to GA. after the sea
trial but prior to departure to the Philippines. On my return to H.K. we
will immediately depart to the Philippines. There are many systems on the
Bon Vivant that the yard has never installed, so this lack of experience
slows the process. But they work feverishly! During any one time there
would be 15-20 people working on the boat. I count the shoes on the aft
deck, and divide by two to get the head count. Pictures to follow. I have
free access to the yard, and have settled in to the daily program. I take
lunch with the managers, and play ping pong afterwards. I can even beat a
few Chinamen! Ping Pong is a national sport here, and most Chinese play it
and are good. The food "at the dorm" is fantastic, whole steamed fish,
lots of steamed vegetable, and stir fry. I peeked in the kitchen and did
not see " The Bamboo Steamer"! I am going to send Elena in the kitchen to
learn how to cook all this healthy, tasty food. Elena arrived 1-18-02
after a 20 hour flight. It was a 7 hour flight from Montreal to Vancouver.
Elena, Andy, my first mate and I went on a cruise around the waters of
H.K. to a boat show on 1-19-02. We all had a great time, and we will all
get along just fine.
1-23-02 The progress on the Bon Vivant is now
proceeding at a lighting pace. Today I counted four workers in the master
stateroom, two in the head, three in the engine room, three in the saloon,
one in the lazarette, one in the pilot house, two or three on the fly
bridge, and two buffing the hull. I can always be found somewhere aboard
watching the action, figuring where every wire, hose, or cable leads.
There working everywhere, sometimes in some corner or in the engine room
with little or no light. This morning when I first went aboard, all the
florescent work lights were gone! I started yelling "where are the lights"
then did a charade and didn't get a response, then went to another boat in
the yard and commandeered a light. By the time I arrived back on the BV
all hands were equipped with lights. However, there never seems to be
enough lights for all areas, so one of my tasks is to allocate the limited
supply of lights as I see fit. The workers in the engine room get top
priority, the clean-up crew last dibs.
Mr. Howard Chen, managing
director of Jet-Tern Marine would come aboard a couple times daily to
check on the progress on the boat and for us to discuss any items that
require attention or other suggestions. Today, for example, we decided to
fabricate storm covers for the four saloon windows and the two large pilot
house windows, raise the main radar mounting platform, discussed the
lightning protection system, and what seemed to consume the greatest
amount of time, the placement of the LPG box, fly bridge speakers, and
engine room door "hooker" as Howard called it.
Lunch comes quickly and
for me I head up to the dorm for the best Chinese food I've eaten. The
management live in a very comfortable dorm with their own private rooms,
all meals provided. Today Elena was in the kitchen early learning how to
prepare Chinese food. She even prepared a dish today! After lunch, I play
ping pong. My forehand smash is getting mean and my backhand not too bad.
After ping pong I'm on the BV till dinner at 5:00 pm, and will eat dinner
at the dorm then a little more ping pong and back on the BV till 7:00 or
8:00. When I finally do leave the yard for the hotel, the workers are
still feverishly working.
1-27-02 I'm beginning to feel like the proud
owner of a serious offshore trawler. As the planned sea trial date is
tomorrow, the Bon Vivant is looking good. The final coats of varnish have
been spayed on the Cherry Wood panels. All the doors, cabinets, mirrors,
lights, and fixtures are in. Mind you, several water intakes, exhaust
manifolds, autopilot, a few more batteries, need to be connected, but with
20 or so aboard burning the midnight oil, lots can be accomplished. Even
Howard seems pleased with the results.
1-31-02 Since my last entry of
1-23-02, so much has transpired that I don't know were to begin other than
to say I'm now a very proud owner of my 43', 26 ton dream boat. The Bon
Vivant was launched in the Pearl River at the Shatian container port in
the P.R.C. at 7:45 p.m. January 28, 2002. She floated beautifully with
about 4''of bottom paint above the water line at the stern and about 8''
at the bow. She carried 800 gallons of fuel, of a maximum of 920, 400' of
3/8 chain in the locker with a 75# CQR. Both fore and aft water tanks were
full, and during sea trials we carried about 14 hands on deck. She was
loaded. The single Cummins 180hp diesel swung the four bladed NiAlBr
D32P20.5 E.A.R. 0.65 No: 8287 prop at 2500 rpm which is the maximum rated
rpm medium continuous duty for 18 of 24 hours producing an average speed
of 9.5 kts. The Yanmar 40hp 3JH3BE swung the Martec twin bladed folding
prop at 3700 rpm achieving an average speed of 5.4 kts. Enough of the
technical stuff, let me tell you some of the story.
The day before sea
trial it was time to load the anchor chain and anchor aboard. One of the
supervisors came aboard and asked me how much chain from the barrel I
wanted on the boat. I looked at him funny and said " all of it" I secured
the bitter end of the chain to the locker shackle with 5/8 nylon line,
having them mark each 50' pulled through. Most of the people that build
these boats, don't really have the concept of their use. I on the other
hand, would never think of taking any boat out without an anchor,
especially for a sea trial.
The Bon Vivant was trucked to the
container port from the marine yard on a trailer bed. My vantage point was
on the fly bridge, where three Jet-Tern employees would use modified dock
hooks to raise the low laying cables running across the streets. This
procession was quite a sight, and crowds would gather watching this
monstrous boat being trucked through the streets of China. Every now and
then I would blow the ship's horn, in glee and satisfaction.
Needless
to say, a Chinese container port is an extremely busy place. The main
loading crane was loading two 40' containers at a time, a diesel tanker
pulled up along side and loaded us with fuel, and the delivery crew of
Jet-Tern were busy getting the main engine started. I was fortunate to see
them bleed the fuel lines, a task that I'm sure I'll be doing many times.
For about an hour before the Bon Vivant was hoisted in the water, I was
running around testing plumbing lines, light switches and watching the
frantic work in the engine room. Soon, our welcome would be over as other
ships wanted our space, and we were the little guy. A huge ship docked
just behind ours leaving maybe three feet. Another was going to dock in
front, and Mark, Andy, and I agreed there wasn't enough room. Mark even
yelled in Mandarin that he wouldn't fit. But he kept approaching and it
was obvious that he was coming in. I told Tee that we better get the
engine started soon. The engine did start, and before I knew it our lines
were cast off. I took the wheel and gave the bow thruster a few bursts. I
was piloting down the river without navigation lights watching the traffic
when all of a sudden the engine dies. The Yanmar wing engine was not ready
for service, and we had no nav lights. People were on the fly bridge with
flashlights signaling our presence to the busy shipping traffic. I
reminded Mark about the anchor and about ten minutes later, after repeated
attempts to restart the engine, Mark said " It gets shallow where we were
heading, if we don't get the engine started soon, I'll drop the hook." I
gave him a small flashlight to go check the anchor and windlass. Soon we
did start the engine and proceeded to the Don Guan Shatian Marina Club
without further incident.
The next day we did the full sea trial,
testing the Cummins main, Yanmar wing (get home) 12kw Westerbeke genset,
56,000 btu reverse cycle a/c.,steerage, etc,etc. The Naiad authorized
dealer from Taiwan was also aboard checking the Naiad 252 system. Jet-Tern
paid for his hotel & food, and I paid for there daily service rate
plus all travel expenses. I insisted he check my system as this was the
first Naiad installation Jet-Tern had done. It was also to be there first
installation for the HRO 12Vdc water maker, Yanmar get home, flow meter at
raw water intake, SSB Icom Tuner with Dynaplate for ground, thru hull
transducers for the depth and forward scanning sonar, custom built (out of
Tavernier Fl) dive ladder, mounting of a Bauer SCUBA compressor in the
lazerette, mounting brackets for an oxygen and Helium bank system on the
aft deck, complete ABYC lighting protection system with 6mm X 1.5 '' dual
cooper strap grounding , the latest in raster scan chartless navigation,
and numerous other but less complicated systems. Jet-Tern has done a
fantastic job! In fact, the next night,
1-30-02, I hosted a
appreciation party for about 70 Jet-Tern employees complete with a speech,
lots of food and beer, Karoke, and fun. When I got to the Marina, they had
put decorative lights all around the exterior and up the mast shrouds, and
even a "disco" colored ball on top of the mast. I can not thank enough all
the people that have made this dream come true. The design of the 43 has
been the accumulation of five generations of the Halvorsen family in boat
design and building. Mr. Mark Halvorsen of Yardway Marine,
www.islandgypsy-solo.com and all the employees of Jet-Tern Marine Co.,
www.seleneyacht.com . I personally feel that the 43 reflects the soul of
the Solo and spirit of Selene. And for me. It's not about the destination,
but rather all about the journey.
Dear Greg,
We just recently took possession of Solo 4308
in Newport, RI and would like to be added to your list of members. We plan
to 'winter' in Warwick, RI before moving the boat in the spring to her
permanent home at Spicer's Marina in Noank, CT. We plan to do local
coastal cruising in the New England waters for the next several years
before heading south to Florida and beyond.
We would enjoy
hearing from any other Solo owners.
Corey & Linda Bernabucci
"Live Wire II" Hull #8
Hebron, CT
860-646-5655
email: clbernabucci@worldnet.att.net
From: shipyard <shipyard@pub.dgnet.gd.cn>
To: Greg
Pernoud <pernoud@fidnet.com>
Date: Thursday, November 08, 2001
9:40 PM
Subject: News Letter Nov.08,2001
Dear Greg,
I
just came back from a 10 days trip to USA, I had been Ft. Lauderdale Boat
Show, Maryland & Seattle. Our Selene-5002 attended the show offered by
our Southeastern distributor, Marlow Marine, a lot of visitors on board
Selene-5002 and gave us a very good compliment, I believe she is the most
popular trawler at the show, we had a very successful show. When I was in
Maryland, our Maryland dealer Mr. Matt Gambrill drove me a night sight
seeing around the Washington DC, we visited Capital & White House
& took a nice dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill, it just located near by
the White House. In Seattle, Brian Calvert pick me up by his new private
air plane, I visited Selene-4707 & 5302 both boats were at the local
marina for installing the navigation equipment, Selene-4708 had arrived at
Friday Harbor, Mrs. Marilyn Copland, the lady owner of the boat met me on
boat. She was very pleased with the nice quality of Selene-4708. Marilyn
is the first lady skipper of the Selene trawler, she will launch out a
voyage to bring her back to Canada.
Marilyn told me she is ready for
the venture cruising with Selene. Please kindly receive the attached
photos and letter from Marilyn. Best Regards, Howard Chen / Jet-Tern
Marine
Ciao, #4708, became Canadian two days ago. Brian Calvert and
I brought her across the strait from Friday Harbor. Now the Canadians get
an opportunity to see how fantastic the Selene trawlers are! Howard, thank
you for your wonderful silverware gift. It is beautiful and of such great
quality.....very fitting for such a fine ship.
Peter and I look forward
to many years cruising in the Pacific Northwest in our new incredible
Selene trawler.
A dream come true! Thank you.
Marilyn (Copland)
Subject: Jet-Tern Visit
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 00:07:16
-0500
From: "Peters, James A" <AKRADIO@compuserve.com>
To:
"Mr. Howard Chen" <shipyard@pub.dgnet.gd.cn>
Dear Sandy,
Kathy and I would like to express our gratitude to
you for the very enjoyable day we had with you on our visit to China. We
both had a great time, I especially enjoyed the folk dance show at the end
of the day. We would recommend a visit to the "New World" park to anyone.
When Howard returns from the USA please relay to him how much we
appreciate his generosity . We realize the time he spent with us as well
as the time you, Tee, our driver and the rest of the staff at Jet-Tern
spent with us is a very valuable resource, not
to mention all the cash
expenses he paid for. We also enjoyed our visit with Tee and after meeting
him we are confident that "Yankee Girl" will turn out perfect. He seems
very competent and shares Howard's desire
to build the best boat
possible. I called Peter as soon as I arrived home and advised him to
contact you about the stove.
Also please advise Tee that I was
informed the proper length for the flag staff is 48" not the 42" I
estimated. If it is not too late please make it 48" long, thank you.
Best Regards,
Jim & Kathy Peters
P.S. Perhaps some day you
may have the opportunity to visit Chicago, if so please give us a call as
we would like to show you around our city.
From: "Peggy and Karsten Malmos"
<malmos@waterw.com>
To: "Sue & Jake Maizel (Solo#7)"
<jmaizel@mindspring.com>, "Stu & Peter Egeli (Solo #4)"
<egeli@olg.com>
Subject: Fw: Vessel Stability
Date: Sun, 16
Sep 2001 16:56:41 -0700
Dear Sue, Jake, Stu and Peter.....it was
nice to meet you all in the Solomons the other
weekend. We hope a
rendesvouz can be arranged before ourselves and #6 head "South" in
October.
I don' t remember with whom the issue of added weight on the
fly bridge was raised, but I
promised to check it out with a good
friend of mine who is a naval architect by education
and trade. Below
follows his response.
Sincerely,
Peggy and Karsten Malmos
(Solo#1)
From: <NILSENKSHG@aol.com>
To:
<malmos@waterw.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 7:23
AM
Subject: Vessel Stability
Karsten,
You had asked me to
comment on a statement you had heard (probably over cocktails) that
the
more weight you add on the upper deck (boat deck) of your Solo the
better the stability of
the vessel will be. This is not true. Weight
on the upper deck will raise the center of
gravity(G) which will reduce
its distance from the metacenter (M) and thus by definition will
reduce
initial stability. The distance, GM is a measure of initial stability.
Another measure
of stability is the range of positive stability or
righting arm, in other words, the range of
heel angles where the vessel
vill try to right itself. At some angle of heel the righting arm
goes
from positive to negative and the vessel turns turtle. Yet another measure
is the
integrated area under the righting arm curve. Both of these
will also decrease with a higher
center of gravity. The confusion may
stem with the fact that a vessel with excess initial
stability (high
GM) will have a short roll period and will thus have a "snappy" or "jerky"
roll
motion in a seaway. A vessel with a lower GM will have a longer
roll period which is considered
to be more comfortable. I do not know
what the initial stability of the Solo is so my comments
are only
general.
Hope I've added sufficiently to the confusion. Let me know if
you have more questions regarding
this. It's probably easier to
explain this over a piece of talking paper.
Best regards,
Hans
I'm Gary Parker, gary@elliottbayyachtsales.com). I own
Elliott Bay Yacht Sales, located at Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle,
Washington; please refer to our web site
info@elliottbayyachtsales.com.
I retired from Reynolds Aluminum,
1998, due to my wife's terminal illness. She told me to buy a
live-aboard and go cruising. Actually, I went a step further and this
spring bought Elliott Bay Yachts Sales (206-285-9563).
On August 27th,
"Doane Victory", hull Selene #4707 was delivered to me in Seattle. I
will live aboard at Elliott Bay Marina as our offices are located
there.
4707 has a flag blue hull, the Marlow master berth
conversion, a John Deere 6081FM3 330hp engine, twin disc transmission with
twin-disc electeronic conjtrols, no built in settee dinnet, a
Copperpoxy bottom, and all granite counters in the salon. She is also
the first boat to have the "Diamond Sea-Glaze dutch doors.
I'm
installing a Webosto Hydraunic heating system with an "Everhot", a 380
gallon a day water maker, a "Ample Power charger/inverter system, a Trash
masher, and active fin stabilizers.
Please add me to your list of
members and advise all that I'd be more then happy to show the boat to any
interested parties as we are now working with Friday Harbor Yacht Sales as
an agent.
Thank You
Gary I Parker
Elliott Bay Yacht Sales
Dear Greg:
Your name was given to us by Peggy and
Karsten Malmos. We bought Solo43 # 4 on July 5th from Calvert Marina and
would like to be added to your list of members. I sent this information
before but do not know if you received it so I will repeat:
"Stu" and
Peter Egeli
Westbank, Drayden, MD 20630
301-994-0173 Fax:
301-994-9710
e-mail: egeli@olg.com
Name of boat: Palette
We live
on the St. Mary's River (off the Potomac) and welcome any Solo voyagers to
our pier. Our plans now are to take Palette to FL this winter,
but to
return to home frequently. Please add our information and thank you for
helping all the Solo owners keep in touch. Sincerely, "Stu" Egeli
9-21-01
Dear Greg,
Its been a long while since we
last e-mailed, so an update is definitely in order. In fact the good news
is that I am the owner and soon to be operating captain of the Solo 43
hull #16. I will be taking delivery in Hong Kong during the first of
January 2002. I recently returned from a tour of Jet Tern Marine hosted
by the gracious Mr. Mark Halvorsen, where I saw S43016, S43015, S4707and
even got a photo-op quick cruise in the Selene 5302.
The Bon Vivant is
equipped with the Naiad model 252 stabilizers, Sleipner (imtra Side-Power
SP 155) bow thrusters, HRO 12vdc 170-gpd-water maker, Yanmar 40 h.p. get
home engine, Paratech Sea Anchor, Racor dual fuel filters, Racor dual fuel
filters as fuel polishers, Fireboy 400 cu. ft. e.r. auto extinguisher,
up-graded a/c, Heart 3000 watt inverter, fresh water wash down fore, aft,
and head, office option (no tub ladies!), HID manual search light,
additional 200 a.h. house battery bank, additional 200 a. h. battery bank
(under the master bed)dedicated for the thruster, windlass and
electronics, flow meter at raw water intake with alarm, Balmar 210 a.
upgraded alternator, Charles Marine isolation transformer(120/240vAC;50/60
Hz input-104/208vAC output), galley, bar, bathroom corian top/tile floor,
full carpeting in saloon and below decks, aft saloon door centered
allowing port/std. settee (also smaller saloon cabinets), drive saver
unit, Simrad AP 200 auto pilot, Furuno 1942 MK2 radar with 4 array,
Furuno 1721 7 LCD with 17 radome, custom Forespar mast (with two
radar platforms, lighting protection, steadying sail, electric winch),
Icom M710 SSB, Pactor modem,weaterfax software, dynaplate grounding
system, Navigator 800 PC with built in GPS, MaxSea software, British
Admiralty ARCS charts, back-up laptop, Icom GPS, 17 LCD monitor,
Interphase side scan sonar, Furuno FCV600L Fishfinder(wreckfinder), custom
dive ladder, Bauer SCUBA compresser, O2 and He cascade system, Zodiac YL
310 R tender, Nissan 18 h.p. outboard, and a host of other stuff. I guess
you could say" the loaded model". All the above items I sourced and
purchased here in the U.S. and had shipped to Hong Kong. The yard quoted
installation only.
My cruising plans include the Philippines Jan.-Mar.
then on to Palau then the Caroline group, notably Chuck (Truck). After
that either the Marshalls, Solomons or north eastern PNG (Bismarck Sea)
then to Irian Jaya and continuing throughout Indonesia, Singapore,
Malaysia, Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal, into the Red Sea, through the Suez
and into the Med. There is no time line other than try to avoid cruising
peak typhoon seasons.
I am having the boat registered/ documented in
Canada so I can fly the "Maple Leaf" rather than the "Stars &
Stripes". Not that I am unpatriotic, but peace of mind goes a long way. In
this respect, could owners of "sister ships" of the Solo 43 give me their
USCG documentation number, or "form submitted to the USCG for
documentation"? This could bypass the requirement of Canadian boat
inspection, remember Im taking delivery in Hong Kong.
I would again
like all to know how pleased I am in working with Mr. Mark Halverson. You
can imagine all the e-mails throughout the course of this project, and all
my inquires were answered promptly. Price negotiations and the normal
"give and take" were handled fairly. It has been a lengthy process
however, from the time the yard received my deposit till time of expected
delivery will have been almost 11 months. At this time the yard will be
installing all the above extras including the electronics. I will keep
members and other interested parties informed and updated. I will be
starting an Internet community shortly at:
http://www.communities.msn.com/traveldivestuff/
Greg, you may post this
letter in the Solo member net. Complete member info as follows:
Mr.
Lamont J. Machamer
1127 White Circle
Marietta, Ga. 30060
Hi Greg, we have delivered Selene 5302 "Island Star III" to
Friday Harbor, for her new owners, Jerry and Linda Dow. The Dow's will be
moving aboard soon as this is thier new home. We have completed sea trials
and find the boat to handle very well. the findings are as follows:
1600rpm-8.4 knots; 1800rpm-9.2 knots; 2000rpm-10.1 knots; 2200rpm-10.5
knots; 2400rpm-11.0 knots; 2600rpm-11.4 knots; 2770rpm-11.9 knots
Hope
all is well, see you soon,
Dear Jim,
Dick Johnson is a PHD for the aerodynamic, the
former chief design engineer of Boeing, with a 28 years career in Boeing.
One of the three major designers of the Boeing-747 & 777, leading a
5000 engineers team for several projects. He retired at age 55, but he
still act as a senior consultant for Boeing, He had put many idea &
suggestion into his Solo-4314, some of that I had adopted into the
Selene-43' design & of course will apply on your " Yankee Girl ", and
I believe now Dick & Stepheny is enjoy their cruising on the " Rturn"
at Friday Harbor.
Best Regards,
Howard Chen / Jet-Tern Marine
"Peters, James A" wrote:
Dear Howard,
It's
good to hear from you, thanks for the e-mail. I will have to contact Dick
Johnson and let him know how happy I am with his design work.
I would
like the boot top line to be blue, similar to 4308. The bottom paint to be
black.
The items on your Selene upgrade list are all important to me
also. Items # 1, 2, 3, and 9 have already been discussed and added on our
previous upgrade.
Item # 11 was included on my initial order at the
suggestion of Peter V.
(a) Please install the AGM batteries on all 5
batteries instead of just the bow thruster.
b) The leather sofa has
already been added and priced into the order.
Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10,
12, and (a) will be new additions to my order.
Thanks again for the
note, It's good to hear the engine is being installed, I hope it goes
smoothly.
Best regards,
Jim Peters
Greg
Our Selene arrived last week. We offloaded her from
the ship in Seattle, added some fuel and motored for 7 hours to Friday
Harbor. She performed flawlessly. The sea gods in the Strait of Jan de
Fuca even
gave me a little demonstration of the sea keeping ability of
the Selene 43. The 6 foot swells on the beam and even a heavy following
sea for about half an hour were not a problem Very "soft" ride and
the
following seas were a non event. She is everything we expected and
more. The quality of the fiberglass and joinery is outstanding. Howard and
his crew really did a nice job.
Stephanie and I moved onboard the first
day and started outfitting her. I was particularly impressed with how
clean the hidden spaces (where I spend most of my time installing things)
are. There is no construction
debris to be found and most areas are
painted white. What a pleasure to work in that environment. The mast and
boom from Forespar are "in transit" somewhere. After they
arrive and
are installed we will move her to our home port, John Wayne Marina in
Sequim. I have attached a picture of SOLO Too moored alongside her
younger
sister, RTURN.
Dick Johnson
Dear Howard
We took delivery of S43014 on June 8. We are
so pleased with the boat. The features, layout and quality far surpassed
our expectations. You and your employees should be very proud of your
accomplishment. Please express our appreciation to them and congratulate
them on their fine work. The few problems we have found on the boat have
been minor and minimal effort was required to correct them. One thing that
I would suggest is that you perform an extensive leak test prior to
shipment. We found several water leaks which have now been corrected. Both
of the aft windows in the pilothouse and the overhead hatches in the
pilothouse and master stateroom leaked. One issue that we have not yet
resolved has to do with the propellor. would like your advice on this
matter. The maximum engine rpm under >load for the Cummins 330B should
be 2800 rpm. The engine on our boat has a top rpm under load of about 3050
rpm. This implies that the propellor is not putting enough load on the
engine. This can be corrected by increasing the propellor diameter or
pitch. What would you recommend we do? Please include specific diameter or
pitch suggestions.
Once again I would like to thank the employees at
Jet-Tern for building such a fine boat for us.
Regards,
Dick and
Stephanie Johnson
from San Diego, CA to Friday Harbor, WA
SOLO TOO VOYAGE
TO FRIDAY HARBOR
Stepping out of the Oakland Airport we felt the
warm air of May in California as we trudged out to the street to meet Bill
and Sharon Dawes, Solo 4315 owners. The Dawess gave us a lift to
Sausalito where we met up with Greg Pernoud on Solo Too. Clark McAlpine,
director of the Friday Harbor Whale museum and ex coastguardsman joined me
on this trip. After a quick introduction to the boat and the crew, we cast
off the lines at 1800 hours on Sunday, May 20, heading for Friday Harbor.
No sooner had we left the dock than an immediate course change was made to
miss two gigantic Grey Whales who had stopped by on their annual migration
North. The Whale sighting being a good omen we eagerly headed to
sea.
Just as we left Sausalito and headed to the Golden Gate, we hit
the fog, which was to be our companion for the next 20 hours and much of
the trip. I was at the helm, and clearly saw the magnificent Golden Gate
Bridge in the radar, but that is the only indication of its existence we
where to see, the bridge and the sea beyond where totally engulfed in the
famous San Francisco Bay Fog. We trailed a medium sized freighter in to
the shipping lanes, monitoring VHF channel 13 for shipping information. As
we entered the series of Buoys that lead the way out, the fog got even
thick, we went buoy to buoy until we where clear of the harbor, al the
while the short rollers increased in size the bow rising and dropping
gracefully into the fog. Clear of buoys we headed North to Pr Reyes and
into darkness. Getting used to traveling in darkness and in fog is a
trick, the horizon is nonexistent and no point of reference is to be
found. We went strictly on instruments.
At 2200 we passed our first
obstacle, Pt Reyes. As we left the protection of the lea side of the point
the seas picked up, in the 10-15ft range and closer together, causing the
boat to stall on the uphill and lunge down the backside, but never
slapping or losing her bight into the seas. As we rounded the point and
tucked back in the seas mellowed and we headed for the next challenge, Pt
Arena.
There are two ways to make the next point, as the crow flies or
hug the coast. The first is quicker but always rougher; the later is a
little longer but a smoother ride. I, being a pancy at heart, hugged the
coast, keeping just a few miles off shore on the long stretch past Bodega
Bay to Pt Arena. We crossed the point at daybreak, always the best time,
and enjoyed light a light breeze and large rolling swells as we passed the
magnificent landscape.
We continued in the fog for the mourning,
Greg had recovered from his near single-handed trip from San Diego and
Clark was becoming very accustomed to the seas. As the day progressed the
sun ate up the fog cover and we where now in glimmering blue seas and
bright sunshine, yahoo! The warmth drew us to the upper bridge fro sun
bathing and welcome knaps in the sun. The night before we had struggled
with a faulty port navigation light, with no results, I was not looking
forward to another night of being obscure to on coming traffic! The final
solution was a jury rig replacement, but it worked. The reprieve from the
fog and the settling in that occurs on the second day of any passage
heightened our spirits and our appetites. Clark and Greg proved to be
experts at turning a frozen dinner into an epicurean delight.
As we
watched the splendor of the sun setting in the Pacific we surely could
hear the faint hiss as it dipped into t e sea. The night that followed
provided a brilliant display of celestial wonder. A moonless night at sea
is the best stargazing on earth!
I was on watch as the Sun rose
over the California hills, by this time we where just north of Eureka and
the weather was holding, sun out, slight southerly winds and ever present
rolling swells from the northwest. Our timing could not have been better,
we where heading for the dreaded Cape Blanco for the preferable early
mourning passing.
Cape Blanco is the most feared stretch on the coastal
trip by my experience; I have been thrashed there on every trip and heard
the sad tales of folks cowering in the small anchorage that is provided by
its lea. Leaving the temporary calm of the lea, your heart pounds as you
sea the white foam erupt as the seas pass by the awesome rock formations
that protrude from the sea up to eight miles from the coast. This time all
my fears were for not. The wind was calm and the seas were near flat. We
acted like goofy tourists rather than men facing a threatening sea. We
took pictures of the rocks, pictures of each other and the rocks and more
pictures. We even went so far as to shut down the engine just past the
Cape for and engine check and filter change, an act I thought a little
presumptuous but oh well.
Our blissful day in the sun soon passed as we
slipped back into the Oregon fog. As We passed Coose Bay the fog was back
for good. We had let our course wonder off shore a bit in the interest of
shortening the route, only to find us in the grips of a 2+ knot southerly
current. I brought us back into the 30 fathom line and our speed picked
back up to near nine knots. Sundown brought the fleet of salmon trollers
heading for port and across our course. At one time I had the Furuno radar
down to a two-mile range and had fifteen targets in sight. The tracking
feature of the Furuno was a real help, locating the targets like a video
game and letting the radar determine their course and speed. We weaved
through the fleet, all fifteen, and never saw a boat!
Once again our
timing was superb, or real lucky, we hit the southerly portion of the
Columbia River entrance at sunup, and slack tide. The sky was steel gray
but we had at least one half-mile visibility. Mammoth figures appeared out
of the west as the shipping traffic headed for the famous Columbia River
Bar. We headed up the long Washington Coast rising and lowering in the
swells. The sky cleared just enough to give us the treat of seeing our
last sunset at sea for this trip.
The night brought the roughest
weather we had seen on this trip, fifteen knots and stacking seas made for
a bumpy but not uncomfortable night. The timing, or luck, kept with us. We
headed for the whole in the wall just as the sun rose and Cape
Flattery stuck its welcome head out of the clouds. The passage inside
Tatoosh Island is a thrilling sight for the first time travelers; Greg and
Clark were amazed by the seas crashing into nearly submerged rocks on our
starboard and the raged cliffs of Tatoosh on our port. The passing through
Whole in the Wall separated us from the Pacific Ocean and plopped us into
the familiar Straights of Juan De Fuca. All that was reminiscent of the
great ocean where the residual westerly swells that diminished to calm
water as we headed home. The timing, or luck, ran out, as we bucked a
three knot current, only finding relief by hugging the Vancover Island
shore, not a bad shore to hug view wise. We meandered through Race
Passage, past Victoria and then could see Home as Cattle Pass materialized
in the distance.
The welcoming committee came out in style. First a
dozen Dahls Porpoises, jumping at our bow, escorted us. Then came the
big boys! K Pod, a family group of Orcas were foraging just outside of
Cattle Pass and as eager as we were to get home, we just had to stop and
partake of their slender.
We pulled into Friday Harbor on Thursday at
1500, just 95 hours from our departure. We cruised at nine knots in flat
water, some less in current. The Cummins 180hp diesel had run at 2100rpms
the whole trip burning just over three gallons an hour. The only thing
that broke in over 800 nautical miles was one light bulb. The Naiads
stabilizer system had been great assistance as had been the fantastic
Furuno radar and the computer navigation system. All in all the Solo Too
had performed outstandingly well and the trip was a real pleasure. For
Solo Too it is off to the next adventure.
Capt. Brian Calvert
Hi Greg,
It has been awhile since I have contacted you as
I have not had any news to report. But, I have been following your
adventure to Friday Harbor through Brian. His report of the trip to Friday
Harbor on the Solo/Selene site and
your comments are really great.
Linda and I will be going to Friday Harbor soon and we will see your "Solo
Too". We will be looking forward to meeting
you there this summer when
you return. Let us know are your plans for the PNW and we will plan a
visit?
Our Selene 5302 is still at the factory. We are having trouble
getting any firm shipping date. The April date has come and gone as you
can tell, maybe in July??? Howard is slow to respond if at all to our
request for shipping
info. This is one area that he could improve on in
my opinion..
Dick Johnson has his Solo 43 here at John Wayne Marina in
Sequim now and it looks very nice. We had a look over the weekend. The
quality of his boat was apparent everywhere we looked and we came away
really enthused about ours. We have sold our house and are quite anxious
to get settled in our new home "Island Star 111" .
Hope all is
well,
Jerry
Aug 21, or there about so I am told. That is if everything
goes well. I am considering staying longer at Friday Harbor.
I don't
think you will ship this 43, much less a larger Solo/Selene by land too
easily. I looked into it and they are too big. Taking them apart is not
easy and I don't think you would want too.
DYT is a very professional
yacht transport company. A Norway company I believe. Going out of
Vancouver. I'm thinking of Merit Island, up by Cape Canaveral for moorage.
I have family in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Orlando is only 1.75 hrs
flight for me from St. Louis MO. Convenient. Sounds like you have some
ties down there too. Good ones at that!!
Later,
Greg Pernoud
Dear Greg
My name is Capt Jerry L Chitwood, I own a
fleet of Grand Banks Trawlers in Sarasota Florida located at the Hyatt
Sarasota Hotel.I have been there 24 Years. I am expecting to take dilivery
in Florida of Selene 50' Hull #2 in late July. I am looking for an owner
to own the Yacht in my Charter fleet. This is the least expensive way to
own a Luxury Yacht. Mr Howard Chen asked me to contact you to join your
Selene/Solo Club. Also Howard advised I should give you my Web site
address which is chitwood-charters.com. I have not installed the Selene
yet. Once I have it I will. I look forward to hearing from you or my Phone
# 941 383 5232. All the best.
Capt Chitwood
hi Greg,
the site looks great, glad our buyers are
participating. We where honored with the top Selene sales award for 2000
by Howard Chen at the Seattle Boat show. Howard presented FHYS with a
model of a 53 Selene as an award! We plan on a Solo/Selene rondezvou in
the Fall, hope you are here! thanks again for your good work, Brian
Calvert
Dear friend mina-san,
My Solo is now safe
arrived at Isigaki island in Okinawa on April 15th. Today
I have just come back to my office where is calm on the land
because of you. I heartily appreciate for your kind assistance that
you have gave me in HK. I specialy thanks to Howard who send me two
engeneers to HK to install rader and GPS navigator and so on. Tee san
and Toung san have soleved all the inisial setting up.
I started my
cruising back to Osaka in Japan from HK on April 10th on Solo 4313 with 2
other crew members. I knew I need good luck to go to the open sea for 2500
miles on the ocean. First 3 days after leaving HK was rainy gray
seas. Wind blows up from the East to force 6. I had to slow down to 5
knots to reduce punching bow. Solo starts rolling hard after wind
shifted to North. Because we are heading for the East to Taiwan. Waves
rise up as high as the upper deck, 4 meter. I felt happy that I did not
ask Howard about the limit of stability before leaving HK. The 3rd
day at mid night, we were approaching at the southmost tip of
Taiwan. Suddenly we are lighted up with the strong searchlight.
Hei, Stop! Who are you? We are Taiwan coast gourd!
No, Please
don't come alongside in such rough water.
I could see the person has a
gun but I had to say. I remember that I have my Japanese flag
onboard. And I rush back to my sail bag to take the flag back and
waved to show them.
Are you Japanese?
Yes we are heading for
Okinawa from HK!
O.K. Go out, go out!
Yes sir!
After rounding
Taiwan, the weather started to be moderate. And the 6th day after leaving
HK, Isigaki island appeared right on our bow. After staying 6 days without
trouble on the ocean with Solo 43, I know that Solo is a real ocean
trawler. However I did not hit perfect storm, she did much better than I
expected!
I will take 3 more weeks to register Solo at
Okinawa and will start 2nd leg to my Home. Please wait
for the next report to you again! I have no photo for this time
because I had to give my digital camera to the sea.
I thank you
again and wish you fair winds,
Aoki, Yoh / Aoki Yacht
Corp.
www.aokiyacht.com
aoki@aokiyacht.com
Dear Mr Pernoud,
VIANAUT is going to introduce the
SOLO® and ATLANTIQUE® lines in Europe, and we need your assistance. This
shall be the first time Passagemakers are launched in EU, and we are ia
preparing our own internet portal, etc. to familiarize the Europeans with
the concept. We have SOLO® 43-17 on order as our initial stock
boat.
As you would expect, we are very curious as to the SOLO® 43's
behaviour and characteristics. It has not been possible to make a trial
run in Hongkong so we've got no clue of noise, sea abilities, etc. We
understand SOLO® Too is well equipped, ia with stabilizers. Could you
possibly try to describe your vessel and especially your satisfaction with
the performance with/without stabilizers?
Thanking you in anticipation,
and wishing you good trawlering in beautiful an Diego!
Best
regards
Bent Tolstrup
Dear Mr. Tolstrup,
Thank you for your request about the
Solo 43 and stabilizers. You may know about the Solo Voyager/Selene Club,
a web site of solovoyagerclub.com is a site where you may find some more
information. To answer your question however is easy. Put them ON!! I can
tell you that they make a huge difference while on the ocean. Even in 3 to
5 foot seas the difference is amazing. If I have the stabilizers on in
lets say beam seas, and then I turn them off, things in the boat start
flying off table tops shifting around in cabinets and you start to grab a
hand hold to stabilize yourself. To give a specific example, I have
telephones on board. Standard business type of corded phone. With the
stabilizers on the hand set stays perfectly still.
With them off, at
times they fly off the base. It is one of the best investments on the boat
that I have made. I have enough trouble with people getting sea sick even
with the stabilizers, I would not want to see how many of my guests would
get sick without them. I know it would be a much larger number of people
and that is no fun for them. So, if you ask me, which you are, my advice
is definitely put them on if you are planning on cruising on the ocean. Of
course you are that is what the boat is built for.
Check out the web
site, give me your name address, boat name (I know now 4317 is for sale)
but I can add you too the club member list if you want.
Greg
Pernoud
What a great idea.....count us in!
My name is
Marilyn Copland. We are waiting for our Selene 47 - Hull #8
which we purchased from Brian Calvert at Friday Harbor Yachts. We
expect delivery in May.
My husband, Peter, and I live in Victoria,
British Columbia. In fact, we live on th sea facing San Juan Island only 8
miles in front of our home. I was set on getting either a 42' Grand Banks
or Island Gypsy. In August, we went over to check out a used Island Gypsy
at Friday Harbour and from there we had an appointment with Grand Yachts
in Bellingham to view their GB line. To make a long story shorter, Brian
wouldn't let us leave until we went through the Selene 47 that he had just
sold (and why the Island Gypsy was for sale)! We fell in love with the
Selene and bought it the following week.
Next week we are going down
to the Seattle Boat Show and hope to meet Howard Chen, who is flying over
for the show. A Selene 47 will be at the Show.
In March we are
going to Hong Kong to check out our new babe in gestation at Jet Tern
Marine.
We plan on doing most of our cruising in the San Juan, Gulf
Islands and Desolation Sound areas. The following June 2002, we plan on
cruising to Alaska with my identical twin and her husband from White Bear
Lake, Minnesota. Skip and Marge Johnson recently sold Johnson Boat Works.
They built scows. (In fact, Skip's grandfather built the first scow which
is in the Smithsonian Institute). This will be their first trawler
experience and we are all looking forward to the trip.
I would love to
know the electronics you have chosen for your Solo and any other relevant
information you care to pass on. Did you have a get-home engine installed?
I should mention, my husband began our trawler search only mildly
supportive of my passion. When we found the Selene, he became wildly
enthusiastic. Peter is a great navigator. We have boated in these waters
for the past 10 years and before that, back East. But the Selene will take
us to a new level! In the meanwhile, I am taking additional courses - just
passed the Cdn Power Squadron course before Christmas and hope to do the
Advanced Piloting next Fall along with Marine Maintenance. Not that I want
to do the work, but do want to have an understanding and be able to handle
emergencies. Again, thanks for putting together a great idea. Marilyn
Copland Home Bay 5345 Parker Avenue Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8Y
2N1 tel: 250 658 1075 fax: 250 658 8099
Dear Mr. Pernoud
I'm from Atlanta and just spent some
time in San Diego during the recent boat show. Had I read the members
site, I could have called you there. I was in San Diego looking at the
Nordhavn 40. I have seen Solo hulls #1,#4, and #7. #7 does not have the
owners tub/shower but the master state room is larger, It's between the
Solo 43 and the Nordvavn 40 for me. I have read lots of reports about the
40(current owners) and would appreciate it greatly if you could tell me
what you think about the experience you have had with your 43,the extent
of your cruising. I plan to take mine throughout thr Pacific. Looking
forward in hearig from you.
Regards,
Lamont Machamer
E-mail: kmgarden@bellsouth.net
Dear Mr.
Machamer,
Yes I am sorry you didn't call me too!! I just returned from
there on Sunday night. I took the SOLO, Too down to Ensenada to have the
bottom painted. I had six of us on board and we had a great cruise!! I
would have loved for you to see the boat. Also, I don't know which
Nordhaven you were looking at, but there is a good friend of mine at the
Sheraton Marina as well with his Nordhaven 40 and it is for sale. He
purchased it new and was so disappointed with the workmanship and what was
promised and what was delivered that he is selling his Nordhaven 40. I can
put you in touch with him if you are interested!!
But to answer your
question let me point out the major differences as I see them. First of
all the Nordhaven is very small compared to the Solo 43. I would guess it
is only about two thirds the interior size if that. It does not have the
openness and airy look that the Solo has. To me, it is confiding and
crowded with more than two people onboard. I can have six onboard and no
one is stepping on anyone. I have had six onboard on several occasions for
over 4 days each and was pleasantly comfortable. One of the major
differences is the flybridge. This on the Solo adds a whole other large
area that people can go, I personally had to have a flybridge, because I
like the outside cruising when in nice weather. The Nordhavens don't have
them and if they do they are small and make the boat look funny. The
finish work on my SOLO, Too is far superior to any Nordhaven 40, I admit
that I had some extra work done, but so be it, its what I wanted. The
Nordhavens have more standard "safety gear" like submarine hatches and
dogged doors, small windows and Plexiglas over the saloon windows. But it
does not have the walk around that the Solo has for protection and ease of
handling. I personally use the boat for pleasure cruising. I find nothing
pleasurable about going through a hurricane in either a Solo or a
Nordhaven. I am committed to staying far away from them and I have for my
entire life of cruising and don't plan on getting caught in one ever.
Given that, all the hoopla that the Nordhavens have to me are overkill, as
the Solo is a big heavy sea going vessel that will withstand more that I
ever will anyway. Why would one give up all the space and comfort of the
Solo to haul around all the submarine stuff of the Nordhaven that you will
never use. To me it was quite a simple choice, but then I think the
Nordhaven people like to sell you on the safety items that you should
never have to use. That is, if your skills are sharp enough to keep you
away from hurricanes. I also, know that Howard Chen will stand behind you
in the event you have problems, whereas from what I have seen and heard
from at least two 40 owners and two 46 owners, the Nordhaven people are
terrible to deal with. You must speak to someone who has purchased one and
is not a spokesperson for them. I ran into four of them in Ensenada
Mexico, all doing their ninety day time down there to avoid taxes and none
of them were happy with Nordhaven. I have had problems too, don't get me
wrong. But most of my problems stemmed from a bad dealer, once I got to
the builder my problems got resolved one way or another. I would not buy a
Nordhaven just based on what I know about their quality and their
unwillingness to fix problems with their boats. There was an owner of a
Nordhaven 62 who was also unhappy with Nordhaven!! He spent millions and
was very dissatisfied. He was on his way back to Dana point when I saw him
in Ensenada! Maybe they made him happy, I don't know, as I have not seen
him since. Call Lawrence Cohen 720-635-3040.
Well, as I said, I can
write a book on the subject, but those are a few of the most important
items behind my decision and knowledge of these two boats. If you do
decide to get the 40, Lawrence Cohen has one for sale in San Diego. Let me
know if you want more information, I'll do what I can for you.
Best
Regards,
Greg Pernoud
Dear Lamont,
I changed the electrical system. The one
that comes with the boat assumes you will run your genset all the time.
Which is not bad, but I wanted to be able to cruise and anchor without
running it. I upgraded the inverter/charger 3000kw inverter and a 130 A
charger (Heart) and a back up 40 A Phase three charger. I replaced all the
electrical switches in the engine room and replaced the two 8D batteries
with 6, 6V tall approx 280A batteries. This gave me about 1400 AH's of
battery. Then I upgraded my alternator to a temperature compensated 180 A
output. This allows me to run my electronics while cruising without the
genset running, and charge the batteries at the same time. The system
works great now. I am thinking of putting another 1400 AH's in the bow
where the batteries are for my bow thruster. This would make a great
system that you wouldn't have to run your genset but everyother day or so.
With what I have, I can make it through a day before having to run the
generator to recharge. If I am running electric heat, I have to charge in
the morning.
I have a three blade prop and I can only turn up to
2300 rpm's, and I get up to about 10.5 kts. It is my understanding that a
screwdriver can increase the output of my B6 Cummings engine, and with a
few added parts increase it even more all the way up to about 450 hp. I
have not done that, I don't like burning the fuel and I don't need the
little bit of speed you would gain, but I am sure it would turn that prop
as fast as you would want it too.
The Grunert freezer is great!! No
doubt about that, I love it on long trips and it stays cold for a long
time with maybe once or twice daily recharging.
The plumbing I
replaced. I did not like the salt water system, yes it did work but I come
and go on the boat and it sits for periods of time and I can't stand the
smell of the standing salt water. I put in electric heads that are much
more quite and use fresh water that never smells. I have an 1800 g/day HRO
watermaker onboard. I also got rid of the salt water wash down on the bow
(for the anchor) and made it fresh, and added a hose outlet fresh water
next to the hot and cold shower off the stern in the cockpit. This way I
can use a hose both aft and forward for fresh water wash down without the
dock. The water pressure aboard is fantastic. I have never seen better on
any boat, ever. Its a large pump.
I have made every change that I
wanted. I have made a lot of changes as you can see. I have also added a
huge amount of electronics, I have redone the three entry doors (to make
them seal better), I have had my bar counter top remade because the
dealer cut into it, I have had a lot of varnish work done due to some
overspray on my boat. I believe that the builder has corrected most of
these problems by now.
The gelcoat work was poor in areas, rough. The
scuppers need covers, which I still need to cover. I have the covers but
have yet to install them, I did place a gasket on the lazarette hatch.
This was leaking large amounts of water when in rough seas. The water
would come in through the scuppers and roll over the hatch which leaked
until I put the gasket on, now it does not. But I still think I am going
to put the covers on anyway.
Well, there is probably more that I have
done, but that should give you some insight as to what to expect. I think
that the latest models are greatly improving all the time. My boat is
really a custom boat at this point.
Keep in touch,
Greg Pernoud