Hey Tom,

...once the Trophy Girlfriend got the ring on her finger, it was time to step up to a 75' Couple's "Coastal Weekender", I guess... (grin)

Seems like just yesterday we were hearing about how a boat like GINGER had re-defined the daysailer, and was a finer reflection and refinement of how people actually use their boats:

"It's been a lot of fun to work with this client," said Stephens. "Ginger is the third boat that we have designed for him in the last several years, and he has given us the opportunity to explore this genre in new and exciting ways."

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that the artisans at places like Brooklin Boat Yard are fortunate enough these days to have these sort of wealthy patrons/Job Creators In Need Of Further Tax Breaks who appear to enjoy the "project" of Serial Custom Boatbuilding, more than actually sailing them... However, having recently read the feature on ISOBEL in BOATS INTERNATIONAL, I'm having trouble controlling my gag reflex... (grin)

With the sort of breathlessness that only the writers of megayacht magazine features manage to summon, the process of selecting the hull colour was detailed... Seems to be the latest trend, having Awlgriip or Alexseal mix a custom color just for you... The wife made the choice after reviewing reams of leather samples, a truly arduous process that was made to sound akin to shoveling coal for weeks on end... But finally, she somehow whittled it down to the One Perfect Colour - although, as of the writing of the article, she had not yet managed to decide on a NAME for the color... LMAO!

Please, Tom - you absolutely MUST get yourself invited to the party at which she REVEALS the name of the colour, we'll be waiting for your report with bated breath, of course... (grin)

Ah, well - at least for this boat, multiple trips to some freakin' marble quarry in the Italian Dolomites to select the Perfect Grade was not necessary... I'll admit, I'm completely OD'd on this sort of megayacht horseshit, after browsing my monthly diet of the few glossy rags I receive, I'm ready to hurl...

The article made it pretty clear that this is basically a boat for a couple, and their captain... The owner is completely dismissive of the potentially problematic nature of such an underbody for sailing in the pot-infested waters of Maine - "That's why the captain has a dry suit aboard, after all..." Or, discussing the extreme aft sweep of the spreaders, "No Problem, this boat will NEVER be sailed dead downwind..." Excuse me, has this guy ever actually sailed in Maine? Sometimes, there's simply no alternative, no sea room whatsoever for tacking a boat of that size and draft downwind...

Make no mistake, I really like the boat... However, in this day and age, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to separate these Latest & Greatest Boats from the people who commission them... Maine seems the perfect place for these projects, your long winters give these owners plenty of time to immerse themselves in The Project, and your blissfully short sailing season inhibits them from becoming bored with actually sailing them, at least for a couple of years... (grin)

The oddest thing, is that boat is not likely to really go anywhere beyond Penobscot Bay... (A primary reason for the square-topped main, after all, is to allow a sloop of that size to fit under the bridge over Eggemoggin Reach) I'll be surprised if this boat ever makes it further than Newport... NTTAWWT, of course... (grin)

Speaking of going places, I saw HERON out of Rockport in Bermuda a couple of weeks ago... Damn, that is a beauty, unfortunately I didn't have time to chat with the crew before they'd moved out to the anchorage...

best regards,

Jon