Launch Day!
The day had finally arrived…Launch Day!
We would have loved to have been there to see our new Baruch launched but opted instead to maximise our available time on board in the Med and let Jason & Tony from Ensign Yachts keep us updated with lots of happy snaps of the launch and the other finishing touches over the next two weeks.
I must give a shout out to both Jason & Tony - the entire build process has been an absolute delight! So often I have found in the marine industry that what is promised at a sales level is not delivered operationally but this couldn’t be further from our experience. Actually the opposite was true with regular tips and conversations had about certain features that may work better for the choices we had made.
Nautitech manufacture around 50 boats per year of their standard range but only manufacture 2 x Nautitech 542s annually due to the custom elements involved. It is these custom elements that really allow the owner to create a boat that is tailored to their specific use. We opted to build a boat that was performance oriented while also sleeping maximum guests in comfort.
I was amazed to see that on the same day that Baruch was trucked to the water, the team were able to stand the mast and hoist sails to take her the short 7NM journey to La Rochelle where the works would be finalised. The feedback from the Nautitech team was that this boat performed very well due to the larger than normal square top mainsail we had worked directly with North Sails to supply. Providing sails from a supplier the yard doesn’t normally use proved to have a few challenges, not the least being working to ensure we didn’t have to pay tax twice when importing the sails to France and then once again when we return thy boat to Australia but eventually we got through the obstacles presented and from what we have heard - Im very happy we persisted.
After a week or so of a dozen workers crawling over the boat and each other each day, it was time to take Baruch for her shakedown sail. We would have LOVED to be there for this but I guess all good things come to those who wait! The sun was out, breeze blowing 15-20knots and with 10 POB and the speakers blaring “Thunderstruck” the GPS recorded averages of 14 knots boat speed and a few bursts over 17 knots….not bad for a floating house!! 20 knots boat speed should be achievable in the right conditions - that is going to be awesome sailing! Apparently there were a few surprised faces on race boats with all their crew hanging legs out over the side watching Baruch effortlessly overtake them.
After two weeks of flurry with Tony & Jason definitely earning their keep negotiating trades and supervising works, the boat set off bound for Gibraltar on Friday 19th July with Jason and some other Nautitech clients onboard for the 1200NM sail which will take around 7-10 days.
With Baruch on her way to Gibraltar, all that is left is for Team Watson to get there… and it would be fair to say we are all counting down the days and minutes! So until then - fair winds Baruch - look forward to seeing you soon!
