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You’re in a steep following sea or crossing a bar, wind against tide. The steering and speed is insufficient, it all goes wrong and you broach. Then what? Have you ever been in a kayak and ventured out beyond a few yards of the beach? If the answer is yes then I am guessing you also have a view on the meaning of yacht boat stability. In the ultimate I’d say it’s a none linear process. You can wobble a bit, lean a lot then when that become too much, you flip. And the beautiful world goes to rats in a handbag. Big Boats Stability Oceangoing vessels are stable on account of both design (and load schedules) and rotational inertia. It takes energy to get them going over and when they do they tend to roll back in slow motion. Calculate the load schedule incorrectly and the motion of rolling can become very uncomfortable, on occasions rather than coming back they adopt a list that does not self-correct and you’re on the local news. I once sailed with a cargo of rolled steel , Pohang (Korea) to Botleck (Netherlands). The cargo was dense and low in the holds’. Wave derived rolling was slow on the way over and quick on the way back. Quick enough to make us stumble and even filling the wings tanks with ballast could not completely eradicate the vomit inducing motion. So the corollary of this? Stability in important but so is a comfortable motion. Smaller Boat Stability The next thought on this subject is that yachts are regularly knocked down. Dinghies on a daily or hourly basis then lessening with size. This may cause irreparable rigging damage but very few will not bring themselves upright at some point (unless the keel falls off but that’s a rather extreme case). In more technical terms they have no “angle of vanishing stability”. The motorboat equivalent would be exemplified by a rescue lifeboat, Pilot Boat or Coast Guard cutter. Knock them over and they will roll back. The exact opposite is a catamaran, very stable until it goes, and at that point, it will never come back. There are rules around this angle depending on where the vessel is certified to operate but let’s leave it at this for now. Self Righting Have a look at the enclosed graph and illustration. This is a GZ curve otherwise a graph of the horizontal distance between Centre of Gravity and Centre of Buoyancy. As Vanguard heels, the centre of buoyancy shifts creating a righting lever. The graph shows that, for this yacht at any angle between 01 and 179 degrees, the righting lever remains positive. It’s effectively zero at 0 and 180 degrees and a maximum at 90 degrees (where trawler yachts typically wallow if flooded). We may be battered and bruised, if not scared whit less, but our own “rubber duck” will always come back if we prepare correctly. All boats will have an angle of vanishing stability. It is a derived but variable figure that may/will change in reality. Put the yacht over and then a majority of the accommodation becomes subject to hydrostatic pressure. Additionally, HVAC vents, engine room vents and tank breathers become subject to down flooding and wo-betide anyone with an unsecured port or hatch. Buoyancy will reduced by flooding as will the righting force to bring you back. This is the reason a modern motorboat tends to wallow on it side when knocked down, (probably doomed). So in the design, you should consider the: forces necessary to make the vessel heel over forces resulting from that heel that will bring her upright again potential motion when rolling in a seaway potential of flooding to ruin your plans Yacht Stability - Summary In my early years at sea, I learned respect for my colleagues, and I learned also the limit of our own capabilities. When leaving port, we prepared for Standby and then prepared for Sea. When at sea, we prepared for bad weather. When the weather got really bad we prepared for the unknown as best we could but never to meet our Maker. Preparation will save you and it starts with the design you pick and its suitability for the use you envisage. Vanguard and the XPM78 Explorer Yachts are built tough to survive in a tough world. I am not a Naval Architect and leave the mathematics to those better qualified. I do though have direct experience influencing my opinions and this is a platform to express those thoughts. I hope you enjoy the thread. Read also: Thoughts on Yacht Stabilizers

Vanguard is for sale. 7,450 nautical miles proven. Florida to Greenland and back. Above 70°N. Hurricane Erin survived. Documented in real time, not in a brochure. Sale notice — Vanguard is not for sale in US waters. Transfer of ownership is arranged via the Bahamas. Buyers should consult Northrop & Johnson for the procedure. Enquire via Northrop & Johnson → At a Glance Type: Explorer yacht — XPM 78 Designer: Artnautica Builder: Naval Yachts (2023) Hull: Aluminium, ice-reinforced Length overall: 23.86 m / 78 ft 4 in Beam: 7.41 m Draft: 1.22 m Displacement: 66 GT Propulsion: Hybrid diesel-electric, no standalone generators Engines: John Deere 4045 Cruising / Max speed: 9 / 11 knots Range: 3,000 NM at displacement speed Classification: MCA Category 2 Cabins: 3 Lying: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sale terms: Transfer via Bahamas — not for sale in US waters Asking price: On application — contact Mike Finnegan at Northrop & Johnson Why This Boat Is Different Most explorer yachts in this size class are theoretical. They were drawn for high latitudes, fitted out for them, and then taken to the Bahamas. Vanguard wasn't. She was built around three commitments and they have all been tested. Hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, no standalone generators. A single integrated power architecture means fewer prime movers, fewer maintenance hours, and fewer single points of failure. Hotel loads run from the same lithium battery bank that supports propulsion. The Praxis Automation system manages it all. After 7,450 NM in 2025 the architecture earned its design choices — the simplification is a working asset, not a marketing line. Aluminium hull, ice-reinforced. Coatings are sacrificial. Structure is not. We have grounded intentionally on remote anchorages, navigated brash ice and growlers in Disko Bay, and held position in winds approaching 100 mph during Hurricane Erin. The hull came home unmarked where it mattered. MCA Category 2 classification. Built and maintained to a commercial standard at the owner's decision to provide an improved level of safety and protection given the cruising grounds. Not a survey-truck arrangement — a genuine compliance position. Proven, Not Theoretical The 2024–2025 seasons were the proof: 2,000 NM logged 2024 — Turkey to Spain 7,450 NM logged 2025 — Florida to Greenland and back Above 70°N sustained operations Hurricane Erin weathered at sea Greenland — Disko Bay ice navigation, three months of a five-month voyage Intentional groundings in remote anchorages, recovered without damage No mechanical failures that prevented passage Every mile is documented on ExplorerYacht.com. The blog isn't a marketing afterthought — it's the operational record. A buyer can read what worked, what didn't, and what was changed afterwards. This is rare. Most listings ask you to take the brochure on trust. Read 10,000 Nautical Miles Later — Our Refit Systems Summary Each system has its own technical post on ExplorerYacht.com. The summaries are short on purpose. Propulsion: John Deere 4045 main engines paired with electric drive. Single integrated power system. No generator-set complexity. Electrical: Victron components, lithium battery bank, redundant DC architecture. Hotel and propulsion share a managed bus. Navigation: Furuno suite, redundant plotters, Starlink for connectivity, Iridium for backup. HVAC: Webasto, optimised in 2025 for 50% power reduction without comfort loss. Watermaking and tanks: 4,000 litres capacity, fitted and proven across the 2025 season. Refit and maintenance log: Documented continuously since launch. Refit History — Honest She's a two-year-old explorer yacht with a heavy operating profile. The refit history reflects that. These are not repairs in the conventional sense. Extended heavy loading exposes design truths quickly, and we have addressed them as they emerged. The 2025 post-season refit covered HVAC optimisation, electrical and control refinements, new commercial deck hatches, tender repairs post ice exploration, hull cosmetic restoration after ice impact, propeller replacement to improve efficiency, engine and driveline service, engine electrical starter system upgrade, watermaker servicing, and a full systems audit. The work is documented post by post — a buyer takes on a yacht with a known maintenance footprint, not a hidden one. Photography Full photography gallery available on the Northrop & Johnson listing — 47 high-resolution images including aerial drone shots, interior, helm, engine room, and exterior detail. Enquire All enquiries handled by Mike Finnegan at Northrop & Johnson. Captain Chris Leigh-Jones is available to discuss operational specifics with serious buyers via the broker. Email: Mike.Finnegan@northropandjohnson.com View the full broker listing → She is a working tool, not an idea. She has been everywhere this page says she has — and the blog has the receipts. If you want a yacht that has done it, not one drawn to do it, that is the difference.

Observations from Two Seasons | ExplorerYacht.com The 2025 season covered just over 7,500 nautical miles, bringing cumulative total to over 10,000 NM across two seasons. From tropical Florida through the North Atlantic, into northwest Greenland, and home again. Intentional groundings in remote anchorages. Sustained hurricane conditions. Brash ice. Winds approaching 100 mph. Distance matters less than the operating profile. Extended heavy loading exposes design truths quickly. These are not repairs in the conventional sense. They are observations followed by engineering responses. Stabiliser Design – Sacrificial by Intent One stabiliser operating tube was missing after haul‑out in Fort Lauderdale. The Magnus Master stabiliser architecture is designed so the operating tube fails before load transfers into the hull shell. That is precisely what occurred. No hull deformation. A replaceable element absorbed the energy. Electrical Systems and Galvanic Discipline Abnormal starboard anode consumption traced to incorrect alternator wiring created a permanent path to earth. The onboard monitoring system caught it early. Two new shaft seals were fitted with dual‑feed configuration, allowing independent water supply when operating electric drive without engine cooling water. Lesson: continuous galvanic monitoring is not optional on aluminium vessels. Hatch Design Under Green Water Load A boarding sea in the Gulf of St Lawrence overloaded the engine room hatch. Lightweight specification proved insufficient. All hatches are now replaced with cast commercial‑grade watertight units, mounted with aviation‑grade fasteners to control galvanic interface. Expedition hardware must be specified for impact load, not convenience. Coatings vs Ice Intersleek coating performed well in the Mediterranean. Ice contact was different. The upper 500mm was heavily abraded, but the aluminium beneath showed no measurable deformation. Coatings are sacrificial. Structure is not. Interior Systems in Real Sea States Clip‑secured ceiling panels failed in sustained steep seas. Panels are now mechanically secured. If the hull tolerates the load, the interior must match. Propulsion Reality vs Theory Operational data confirms: twin engines at ~60% load deliver 8–9 knots with full electrical supply. Folding propellers showed no measurable efficiency gains. Adjustable‑pitch propellers are now specified, tuned to Vanguard’s power curve. Propulsion efficiency should be data‑driven. Exhaust Preload Geometry Original exhaust design lacked sufficient bolt stretch under torque, leading to minor leakage. The system is being redesigned with correct preload geometry and improved service accessibility. Overbuilding mass is not the same as engineering preload. Structural Reflection After 10,000 cumulative nautical miles: No measurable hull deformation No cracking No plate distortion No frame movement Ice contact, hurricane seas, repeated heavy impacts the structural envelope remained intact. Systems required refinement. Structure did not. A Personal Note For years I accepted risk as a personal decision. A vessel changes that equation. When responsibility extends to crew and family, tolerance for ambiguity narrows. Assumptions must be tested. Weaknesses removed. Convenience yields to specification. These seasons exposed lessons plainly. The measure is not whether those lessons appear but how you respond. The responses are now engineered into the boat: redundancy, fastener choice, preload geometry, hardware specification, and mechanical securing where clips once sufficed. The miles were demanding. The outcome is a vessel stress‑tested honestly and refined deliberately. That is what 10,000 nautical miles should deliver.

Artnautica designs span from the LRC58 and 65 feet to the two heavyweight XPM models at 78 and 85 feet. A total of 14 long sleek Artnautica hulls are now sailing or in production, with the second LRC65 signed in December 2022. Five LRC58s are now sailing from yards in the Netherlands and New Zealand. The LRC58 is a long-range cruiser for coastal and near-sea cruising in comfort, speed, and superb economy. This is the story of such a trip on LRC58-03 Britt; she was also featured recently on YouTube. Short form Story - 1650NM N Sea and Baltic at < 1 liter fuel per NM. Some dodgy weather, happy Dutchmen, great trip! Below is the Long Form Story by Rob Westermann, Artnautica Europe. Summer trip to the Baltic from May 21 to August 1, 2019, of Britt, a single engine 90 HP LRC58. Britt sailed the first step of a return trip with two crew in three days (90 nm, 76 nm, 53 nm) from the isle of Vlieland, The Netherlands, to Kiel-Holtenau and onwards to Stockholm, Sweden. The engine ran for approximately 230 hours, and a distance of about 1640 nm was covered. Britt's bottom was not cleaned since the bottom growth was marginal (with a clean bottom, however, we expect, on average, to sail 0.5-1 kn faster). During the first half of the trip, the weather was wet and cold, and sometimes windy. We used the heater frequently; welcome to the North Sea! The second half of the trip was much nicer. There were a lot of headwinds with force varying between Bf 0-6 (0-27 kn) and Bf 7 (28-33 kn). Vessels behavior & handling We added cleats to the port and starboard aft deck, which is convenient when maneuvering in locks and docking. Since we encountered some stiff winds, the somewhat overrated Sidepower thruster proved a good choice. Twice we experienced sustained winds of Bf 6-7 (27-33 kn). Once because we were denied a berth in Heiligerhafen (Holy Harbor sic!), we had to retreat to Fehmarn Isle, and the second time on the North Sea, approximately one and a half hours to enter Lauwersoog (with wind against the current). On both occasions, Britt handled this type of weather and accompanying wave patterns nicely and with an excellent SOG of about 7 knots which were very good for our morale. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8VY6p1t_rJQ On July 27, the weather forecast in the morning was for Bf 6 (22-27 kn) and later for Bf 7 (28-33 kn) from the East. We left Gedser Denmark at 08:15 and did a downwind run of 38 nm. The engine ran at 2150 revs. The waves at the stern were huge, and Britt sailed up to 9.3 knots in the surfs though the course stayed true with no tendency to bow steer beyond a few degrees either way. Around midday, we arrived at Heiligenhafen, but we were denied a spot in the harbor. So we went back upwind another 10 nm before we could safely find a berth. And guess what. The wind was blowing at Bf 7 (28-33 kn), so Britt got a beating for an hour and a half. We still managed to do 6,5, to 7 knots SOG. I estimated the wave height to be over 2 m. But everything worked out fine, so we now could add another experience to Britt's track record. On July 31, we did the last track to NL on the North Sea from the German isle of Norderney to Lauwersoog (roughly 50 nm). The weather forecast was for Bf 3-5 (10-20 kn) SW at the start and Bf 4-6 (15-27 kn) SSW at the end with rain showers and most likely more wind. We started at 10:00 in the morning, just 1,5 hours before high tide. The engine ran at 2175 revs. Around noon, the current changed so we could benefit from the ebb tide towards NL. The plan was to be at the channel entrance around slack tide. Unfortunately, the wind was against the tide, so while the wind was at Bf 4,5 (15-20 kn), it worked fine. However, around 14:30, we ran into a heavy squall (30-35 kn), and the waves started to build up accordingly (>2 m). Again Britt got a beating for 1,5 hours, but actually, she did fine. as wavelength was better (read longer) than in the Baltic. We did slow down a bit (2000 revs) for 15 minutes or so to adjust for the head seas. We entered the harbor shortly after 17:00, so we did the 50 nm run in just over 7 hours. Quite a good one. In the harbor, customs visited and told us that a commercial motor catamaran had a very rough time in the same weather. I had seen it doing 15 kn via AIS on a similar track. She had to back down in speed and retreat to Lauwersoog. Britt did roll but not excessively, so we did not deploy the stabilizers. While pitching, in most cases, Britt sailed easily thru the waves. However, if a couple of large waves were close to each other, she would slam with her forefoot. I suspect this behavior will not happen out on the ocean with its longer wavelength. Overall fuel consumption is a little difficult to calculate as we used the Kabola diesel boiler for heating and hot water. However, we estimate something less than 1 liter per NM from previous and subsequent voyages. This is affected by sea state, hull condition, speed, and significant weather..... but it has always remained at the level of background noise rather than major operating costs. Rob Westermann, owner of LRC58-03 Britt Performance of Specific Yacht Systems Yacht stabilizers (active fins from Matns) The stabilizers were not used a lot. The motor vessel Britt's (15 tons and 95 cm draft) movements resemble the movements of the sailboat Britt (35 tons with 140-280 cm draft). Using the stabilizers, however, does make a difference. It should be added that Matns still needed to guide how to adapt the fins except for setting the fin reaction time and letting the system adjust to the wave direction. The waves were frequently very short and steep in the Eastern part of the Baltic. In some tracks, we had to change our course because of the wave pattern produced by the wind to let Britt create better behavior for the crew. The track from Karlskrona to Kalmar was an example. See the track from CE above. Yacht main engine (Beta Marine 90 HP) We burned roughly 2100 liters of fuel (for a trip of 1640 nm). The generator only ran for two hours, and the Kabola also uses fuel. The Kabola is used daily for the galley, shower, and heating of the wheelhouse and salon. In most cases, the engine ran at 2150 revs, amounting to 8-9 kn SOG give or take, depending on the wind direction and current. At the start, the fuel tanks contained +- 2800 ltrs, and the water tank (1100 ltrs) was kept full throughout. Solar panels for an explorer yacht Before the start of the trip, four Panasonic solar panels were installed (combined output of 980 Wp). On sunny days at the dock and with the panels positioned correctly relative to the sun, the panels quickly cover the daily power need (about 120 Amps @ 24V). Yacht navigational systems The Furuno instrument set works as it should, except for the AP, which produced the Drive Unit Failure error frequently (on average once a week vs. two times last year). This is a nuisance because the unit has to be switched off and on again while sailing. After posting this error on the USA Furuno forum (search for autopilot and nickname Britt), this issue was solved at the end of our trip. The upside is that I now know the Furuno AP settings intimately. Designer's note, Dennis Harjama, Artnautica Yacht Design: "Sounds like you have had an eventful journey on Britt. Glad to hear she is handling it well. You are right; in ocean waves, there is no banging from the hull. Like you say, short waves in succession can lift the bow enough so a wave can hit the hull near amidships, where there is less V in the transverse shape."

No one likes to question their judgment; why should we when we are all possibly perfect? Such reflection could perhaps be used to create a few road signs, guiding others away from the same potholes? As we near the completion of our hull, it's time to do just that. Here are a few examples; there are plenty more where they came from. Forgive the artwork, "Dall-E", artificial intelligence, as in "a Redneck carrying a book.". Personalities I'll start quite close to home, understanding the characters in the play. I'm a bit impetuous, have a chronic dislike of detail, and am primarily unmotivated by finance, though, to be fair, it's a good measure if not a good reason for work. These are not the finest qualities one would seek in a project manager, so I avoid the role. My English vocabulary can also land me in unexpected trouble. All those colloquial words and phrases do not translate well across the Atlantic or to an overworked Turkish shipyard owner. So in dealing with matters procedural or commercial, it is best to stick to plain English and to follow up to ensure an understanding exists, "yes" may not mean "YES." Timing We had some excellent advice from a Yacht Broker early on in this journey. He intoned that if a couple has not previously sailed and wait until their mid 50's before starting, then it's probably too late to enjoy the experience. A good part of your life expectancy will pass just learning what it is you want or like. We had a chance at this journey 12 years ago when selling a UK-based company I had started some 20 years previously. Maybe I should have leaped and had a different life journey. However, here I am at 62 and just passed my yearly medical, so there is still time. But think about it, building a yacht is a time commitment. A few compromises might get you on the water far faster. As another example, we specified the navigation and communications equipment early in the build process. Comms seem to be changing by the minute. In the intervening time, both Starlink and OneWeb appeared on the scene. We now have both Iridium Sailor 4300 and OneWeb satellite communications systems. That's probably an unnecessary duplication and pending results with OneWeb; we may remove the Iridium system at some point. We could have avoided this by waiting until the last six months of the build timeline. Verification Did I say that Project Management is not my favorite sport? Our yard, Naval Yachts, has four or five builds in process at any time. Priorities shift, and there is a tendency to answer the loudest voice in the room. My mistake was believing in progress when it slowed to a near stop in the fall of 2022. That has probably cost us some four months on the project timeline. A time that is impossible to claw back so close to completion. The answer is to monitor more regularly in a "trust but verify" scenario. There is no need to shout, but make your voice heard regularly. Impetuosity The word always reminds me of a song from Walt Disney's Jungle Book. It manifests in need to do something in the belief that it's both justified and valuable. So I found an excellent instrumentation company in Belarus. They supplied four CAN Bus-enabled diesel fuel flow meters at a great price. Drop shipped to Praxis in the Netherlands for integration into the monitoring system. The only issue is that there is already a fuel flow rate signal in the John Deere J1939 engine CAN Bus signal, so they were unnecessary. $1200 of funds "down the pan". Be careful what you wish for. Delusion Believing one's own mantra is a minefield for the unwary, and just such an event happened with our steering system. What started as a simple idea became ever more complicated as features were added, and the scope of various suppliers became better understood. "Complicated" and "steering" should not be in the same sentence; it should not be that way. When one key supplier introduced late-stage change, the edifice crumbled, and complications became apparent because there was no easy, quick fix. I then compounded the mess by indecision and leaving our Owners Rep to try devising a fix. The solution was to take a step back from the detail and develop governing rules around what was needed. Only then could we logically reconfigure the components and obtain sign-off from all the contributing parties. Sometimes, we have to clean up our own mess. Expediency Vanguard will look different from all the FPB'esq designs; she does not have the iconic derricks used for paravanes and launching the tender. So the simple answer is to fit a knuckle crane like many other small commercial vessels. But think about it; they are heavy, something like 900kg on an already packed hull. Secondly, and perhaps scarier, at some point, Sebrina or our 14-year-old son, Rhys, will have to operate it. The crane cannot freely rotate 360 degrees, there is a lot of structure in the way, and one robust whack from a 900kg hydraulic crane supporting a 1,400kg tender will not be pleasant. We caught this one in time and researched further. The solution is now a 60kg reinforced carbon fiber derrick with a bi-directional electrical winch. Take time to think about more than functionality; consider how your selections will be misused in practice. Painting! We are painting the hull. Of the 18 FPB and now 14 Artnautica designs out there, only one is painted. Ours, Vanguard. Instead of hiding with all the fishing boats, I will now have to wash and paint a bright, shining orange hull and fret at the prospect of every scratch. My beautiful wife, Sebrina, has a skill set in interior design; I was reminded that it's her journey too. Love hurts but she will look nice. Chris & Sebrina Leigh-Jones We used to build custom homes on the US Atlantic Coast. I would often tell client that the short term trauma of a build will, in time, be replaced by the pleasure of ongoing ownership. Maybe I should listen to my own words?

Installation of John Deere 4045 diesel engines is now underway on our expedition yacht, allowing us to examine the seawater intake system design in detail and finalize the various components. To our slight concern, we noticed that the existing sea water intakes looked very useable from within the engine room, but the outlet fell some 8" below the lightship waterline. Any rolling or seaway would likely result in unwanted air entrainment. In the drawing the purple pipe is the initial position at 8" immersion, red pipe approximate final position at 39" immersion. These things happen occasionally and we had time to make modifications. We repurposed the existing inlets as overboard discharge points for the various ship systems. So nothing is lost in cost or time. Turning firstly to the consumers, we have two John Deere engines, a Dolphin watermaker, Webasto HVAC condensers, and an SW washdown. The engines are the largest consumer with a 2" or 50mm cooling water line. Seawater intake Filter We also consolidated all seawater inlets in a single location and to have a duplex sea suction filter arrangement capable of complete flow demand through either filter. Every hull penetration is a potential point of failure, so it is best to minimize those we have. Seawater Intake System Requirements A second seawater intake system requirement was to meet the conditions stipulated by UK MCA Category (0) Classification. They are prescriptive. Variations are allowed and subjected to a time-consuming approval process, and as we do not have the luxury of time or surety of success, it was prudent to comply. Comply with what, though? We looked at quite a few examples covering FPB 70, Bering 70, Fleming 65 built to ABYC or EU standards but none gave guidance for MCA (I believe one FPB was built to Category (0) though information is hard to track down). All ship side valves must be fire rated, a.k.a; remain in serviceable condition under a 30-minute exposure to extreme heat. That means the only option for us was metal valves. Our preference for fiber-reinforced composite valves such as TrueDesign or Forespar would not be allowed due to missing certification. Seawater Intake Pipeline Design The same stipulation applied to all piping and the sea suction filters (outer container only). We have an aluminum hull. Electrolytically compatible aluminum valves are unavailable, so bronze or stainless steel was the next choice. Read the literature, and you will find both being used successfully and less successfully, plus all points between dependant on anodes, passivation, isolation, or other random reasons. Our pipework was also limited to metal or fire-rated exhaust hoses (typically those blue silicone ones). This also thankfully removed the need to consider bronze and mixing metals within a system. Read also: Aluminium, Fiberglass, Steel or Wooden Hulls? "From MGN 280 - UK MCA Category (0); 5.8 Materials for Valves and Associated Piping 5.8.1 A valve or similar fitting attached to the side of the vessel below the waterline, within an engine space or other high fire risk area, should be normally of steel, bronze, copper, or other non-brittle fire resistant material or equivalent." S/S 316L can be subject to crevice corrosion, especially under anoxic conditions. Welded construction also has a weakness in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) that are less resistant to corrosion; overall, this made us nervous, given the location below the waterline. We eventually found a seawater strainer using cast instead of fabricated construction, free of HAZ zones and made from AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel specifically for this application and superior to 316L in all ways. We can further isolate with the butterfly valve liners being a rubberized material and fitting insulating washers under clamping nuts. Sometimes fortune smiles on us! Cast stainless steel 3" sea suction strainer with a composite basket (middle example, bottom inlet). Seawater Intake System Design - Our Final Vanguard Yacht Design Our final seawater intake system design allows for operation under a single or duplex sea suction filter, either one feeding both systems or isolation of a single system with the other remaining in operation. All valves directly connected to the sea will be stainless steel body & composite coated butterfly types.. These are open/shut with no flow control requirements and low maintenance. A flexible seawater inlet that reflects standard commercial practices from much larger vessels. This is the final arrangement utilizing an empty and accessible space under the floor plates. The sea suction was repositioned lower in the hull, providing for around 1M (39") of immersion, a distinct improvement on 8". If we sit the hull on the bottom under any circumstances, they best be shut. Apart from that, we should be good to go. We located two 3" seawater suction strainers at Fisheries Supply. Each can handle 2.5 times the maximum flow needed, so we should be protected from weeds, plastic bags, or slush ice blockage by their volume and slow flow rate. An air supply point is available for clearing the worst of it, and they can be isolated at sea for servicing. We did consider placing them such that the open end was above sea level, though for the location, that would result in the clutter in the engine room, so we opted for valve isolation instead. So there you have it. Our seawater inlet and filtration are flexible and tucked into an unused part of the engine room floors. It is fully stainless steel and fire rated in compliance with UK MCA commercial requirements. Finally, some thoughtfully placed additional anodes will protect it from galvanic corrosion. Chris Leigh-Jones Years ago, I worked voyages down the coast of West Africa. A frequent stop was Apapa, the port for Lagos, Nigeria. Modern ships by the day's standard, with engine rooms unattended at night. Woe bedites the duty officer who did not prepare that machinery space for bed of an evening. Sea suction filters and bilges were the prime suspects; plastic bags would ruin a good night's sleep for the former. I doubt that situation has improved over the intervening years. Polish built MV Sherbro, sister ship MV Shonga of Elder Dempster Lines, Liverpool. 9340 GRT, on the EU/West Africa trade. Acknowledgement "The Allen Collection". Read also: Wet Exhaust - Developing Basic Design Rules Read also: Yacht Fuel and Water Tank Capacities

Naval Yachts' Vanguard boat impresses in sea trials, exceeding estimated cruise speed and showcasing her wave-piercing design. A promising choice for boat enthusiasts and potential buyers. We have spent the last 6 weeks visiting friends and family; Naval Yachts have had a free run at completing Vanguard. This week, they crossed a significant milestone and began initial sea trials. A three-hour run after a long day but sufficient time to demonstrate a future promise. This is how it went. Initial sea trial results Sea state - calm Wind - light Load condition - Arrival but without permanent ballast. Trim - even keel Hull - 3 months in still seawater, probably mucky Note: The trim and rudder position remain to be optimized. Both engines were running at a similar speed. Stabilizers folded and inoperative. engines @1000 rpm @ 6,7 knots (also max speed for hybrid drive) engines @1500 rpm @ 9,8 knots engines @1680 rpm, and the speed was seen as 11.3 knots The predictions from Bruntons were remarkably accurate and better than for an equivalent fixed pitch propeller. More on this when additional detailed data is available inc one engine operation. The Vanguard's performance was impressive, aligning nicely with the predictions from Bruntons. However, it's worth noting that these predictions assumed a single engine running while we had two engines operating each at a lighter load. The Naval Architecture calculations indicated we should achieve this on a single engine, so that will be tested in the coming weeks. The typical direct correlation between shaft speed and load is removed as props are self-pitched. We still need to verify if the load display is calculated from engine speed or fuel rack position. Regardless, Vanguard exceeded our estimated cruise speed by 1.3kN at about 60% installed power load factor, with plenty of additional power to spare. It's safe to say that it was a successful day. Does she make waves? Wake at >11 knots. Swim platform remained dry, trim approximately even keel. The next test was to look at how Vanguard slipped through the water. Her sister ship, Mobius, was remarkably hydrodynamic in that regard. Those big white bow waves you see in magazines may look dramatic, but to my eye, they represent wasted fuel. Nothing is for free in this world. So Vanguard was operated at three speeds, rising through the load range to just over 9 knots before they ran out of time. See the video below. The bow wave was virtually non-existent. This wave-piercing design is an arrow! Some stern wake at higher speeds, but again, not much. Also, the stern has little to no tendency to bog down at higher speeds, with the swim platform staying dry throughout. Many displacement hulls will try to climb their bow wave when pushed hard, but not so with Vanguard, at least not so far. Video showing wake performance at circa 4.5, 8.4 and 9 knots. Note very little bow and side waves. Make waves = burn fuel! More data on fuel consumption to come when available. Ongoing Insurance Woes! Lastly - Insurance is proving to be an issue right now. US Nationals with a US-owned yacht is a troublesome mixture. Our go-to of Pantaenius no longer insures in the USA. I will blog when we have made more positive progress. Chris Leigh-Jones A few other things transpired this week but the above is the major news. Wishing everyone reading a very happy 2024. The crew and builders of Vanguard.

We have progress to report this week. Our Explorer Yacht, Vanguard, looks like Santa and his Merry Helpers have descended in hopeful anticipation of an imminent Christmas. Twenty-odd Turkish Tradesmen working in Naval Yachts are installing electrical cabins and drive trains. So here we go! Yacht Engines Let us start with the yacht engines. Vanguard carries two John Deere 4045 engines rated for continuous operation at 160hp each, EPA Tier III compliant. Pretty small by most measures BUT, we have a very slippery hull! That is 100% redundancy for propulsion with independent service and control systems. In a similar configuration as the FPB 70, each engine can run 24 hours a day at full load, so we have no fear of long ocean crossings. Attached to the flywheel is a mechanical clutch and a hybrid 1.4:1 step-down drive from EscoPower. The purpose of this drive is similar to a PTO (power take-off on a gearbox). It lets us operate our electric drive train at a higher speed than the engine, so we get a smaller motor and can operate at a decent torque well below the engine's idle speed. This drive outputs through a 2.46:1 Twin Disc reversing gearbox connected to the propeller drive shafts via a universal coupling from Bruntons. A mechanical shaft break also allows the Bruntons propellers to feather when unused. FPB 70 and 78 used ZF gearboxes; we selected a comparable Twin Disc as the down angle was more optimized for our needs allowing the engine installation at an angle nearer horizontal. Below are photographs of how this fits into the engine room. The engines are painted white, and both gearboxes are dark grey. Staying with the engine room, we also installed two 25 KVA (kilovolt amps or 20kW) dual-function transformers. Enclosures will be custom-made to save space. These filter the 3-phase line voltage output from two equally significant 25KVA High-Frequency Power Converters. These HF units take 600 VDC from the power storage batteries and drop the voltage to a more useable 415 VAC, 50 Hz 3 phase. The resultant sign wave is not very clean; a transformer cleans this noise. Their second task is acting as isolation transformers between shore power and our electric systems to prevent ground current circulation and protect our hull from galvanic corrosion when connected to the dock. With these, we can use commercial marine berths and their 3-phase power facilities to charge our primary batteries whenever needed. They are also typically a lot cheaper per day than the big fancy yacht berths, and we can hide amongst the commercial harbor craft and fishing boats away from the madding crowd. Read also: We Come to the Subject of Yacht Engines Yacht Cabins - Yacht Saloon Of more interest to my wife Sebrina is the progress with the saloon. The installation has begun on the galley and the remaining furniture. Our recent yard visit was timely as we needed significantly smaller window mullions. This was especially true around the helm station and an unapparent issue from the drawings. With some prompting, Naval Yachts came up with a viable solution, and the space now looks considerably more open with good visibility around the helm. Behind all this is not wasted space, whether HVAC units (Webasto), wiring, plumbing, or storage as necessary. We also started to mock up the screen positions for the main helm but have yet to approve just how they will be finally mounted. Our inspiration was an exhibition display unit we saw during a recent visit to Praxis, and it retains an open feel to the setup. Read also: Explorer Yacht Main Helm Design Read also: Designing an Explorer Yacht Helm Well, I expected a short Blog, but it is longer than intended and gave me a chance finally to "dweeb out" on the mechanical specification. More on this in the coming weeks as we approach our launch date. Chris Leigh-Jones Time is running short for me as I will leave the USA for Turkey in late May, with our family joining in mid-June. Tasks take forever when time is endless, but not now. We have rented out our home from June onwards. It presently sees a growing pile of US-sourced equipment and our belongings to ship to Turkey. Insurance and vessel registration (Jersey Registry) is in hand. I also upgraded my US Coast Guard 50T "6 Pack" qualification to Master 100T, Near Coastal. Read also: US Coast Guard Certified Training 6-Pack and Seamanship Sebrina is worried it may make me insufferable; she can be annoyingly intuitive.

As the Fall sets in, it's time we started preparing to depart for Fort Lauderdale. We spent 10 weeks in The Ballaeric Islands, friends and family joining us with only a short flight from the UK. My first trip here was exactly 40 years ago, "Pontinental Package Holidays"; my second is now wrapping up. A very different era, in a different world, seen through different eyes, how our lives have changed. For anyone transiting the Western Mediterranean, Palma really is a glorious stopover. Large marinas are less costly than many. A cosmopolitan population, good subcontractors, and English as a common second language. The weather is kind, the scenery beautiful, and the food to die for. The latter may happen as we have frequently overindulged. We have explored two large islands and multiple ports, the biggest two being Palma and Mahon. Multiple anchorages and about 500 miles of cruising in mostly short daytime hops. In my naivete, I regarded cruising as getting from A to B, but it's generally not so. Being at A or B with a transit in between is more to the point and far more relaxing. We are not on a ferry or on a fixed-liner schedule. The best weather has varied from an almost mirror-flat calm, the roughest passage a Force 6 gusting 7 with 3m seas on the nose. Mostly, it's been much less than that, aided by Windy and Predict Wind. A typical day starts with a "Hello" or "Good Morning" in four or five languages before the first coffee. We have conversed with ex-UK Marines, Liverpudlains from the MCA Training Center, Belgian racing yacht captains, Australian, Dutch, and German wanderers, American youth in search of adventure, Russians and Ukrainians in search of peace, Thai, Ghanaians, Cubans, Columbians, Italians, Chileans..... you name it. Steaks and salads, Tappas and Currey's, English Breakfasts or French Croissant, Italian Pizza or Columbian "who knows what" all helped down with local Cervasa or Spanish Riocca. Castles and Cathedrals, cafes and cellars, cliffs and bays, windmills and parklands, I need to get started on the contemporary art pieces that seemingly litter Palma. Beautiful or, as often, thought-provoking. My wife, Sebrina, has had a well-earned rest and some pampering. Our youngest son, Rhys, can now competently handle our tender, stern-too-mooring lines and is learning right next to me daily, along with his schoolwork. We have caught up with all but two of our children, friends, and relations from our scattered diaspora, even with Malaysian friends who visit locally by chance. We have found space to get into the details on Vanguard. Work once less important has risen up the fix-it list. Thanks to Darren from Hartnell Marine Electrical, our biggest wiring demon has been finally laid to rest. (Vessel Management Cabinet). Our tank sensors work reliably for the first time; batteries charge and discharge in the background, and solar behaves and is much more productive. Drawers stay shut; ceilings stay up; showers drain; sinks have stopped smelling; and tanks pump. Lighting and entertainment system automation now works! We even tick off all but 5 of the MCA Category (0) survey requirements from an initial list of 60 failures when delivered by Naval Yachts. Subcontractors here are easy to find, generally responsive, and professional. It is a good place to get work done, especially as the season winds down. And best of all, AMAZON.COM exists here; it's beautiful! We had zero trust in our fuel tank gauges throughout the 3-month journey from Turkey, culminating in extreme range anxiety. Now that the tank gauges operate reliably, we striped each fuel tank until the transfer pump lost suction or the indicator read zero, whichever was first. I now know that our two service tanks and four fuel wings tanks can all be emptied to "zero" on the gauge with a small reserve, and the transfer pump never lost suction. What we see as a fuel reserve is real and can be accessed. Another reliability box ticked. Onward to Florida In the midst of all this happening, we needed to decide how to get Vanguard to the USA. An island hop from the Ballaerics to Canaries, Cape Verde, and the southern Caribbean. Putting her on one of the many transatlantic delivery vessels that run this time of year to the Islands and Florida. Given the cost of going on her own keel, her newness, and my existing range anxiety, we opted to cheat and send her via a larger hull. ETA Fort Lauderdale is the last week in November. The marina is booked thereafter, and we will travel down to the Caribbean early in the New Year. Chris Leigh-Jones

It's about small victories. 'It's about the journey', they say. Cliche, I know. But, whoever sat down with old sailing pals and reminisced tales of the time they made it to port? Stories that pull us all together in nostalgia are those of the hilarious and the victorious. Those moments make us. We develop through them and revel in their memory. Last week I was sailing with my friends George and Matt in the Ionian. They were first-time sailors but long-time travelers keen to seize all they could. As an instructor previously, I'm conscious when sailing with family and friends not to act like one. I don't want to change the dynamic, so we sort of relax through the learning process, picking it up by "feel" without rigorous instruction. I try to be just a signpost on board, pointing out the answers to their questions, which they find buried in their initiative. 'Small victories' - they're personal. I like to point out phenomena once everyone's running the boat independently - I have 'told' them nothing. They own their knowledge. S*$t happens Anyhow, it's a poor philosophy to apply when using the Jebasco heads. That requires some 'leading by the nose', mind the pun. "Pump enough to clear the pipes, no loo roll, and leave the tab on empty". That'll do. The Hallberg Rassey 42 we sailed sends the pumped-out waste up over the inverted U-bend into the stainless steel holding tank. Then straight out through a seacock near the keel via the engine room. There's no option to divert around the tank. On day three, we learned - it was blocked. By day 5, it was full. The smell permeated the hose. And the overflow pipe to starboard was leaking unattractively. And the plain bad vibe of having 40 immovable litres of waste behind my bunk bugged me. But we were not to be defeated. There is always a way. On day 6, we set out from Fiskardo to beat this issue. We found a shoal on the chart far enough from land to make a mess, and shallow enough to anchor. We ransacked the boat for suitable equipment to empty the Rassey's bowls. First, we rigged the powerful electric dinghy pump to a long hose, and duct-taped to the end a rubber plunger fitting to cover the sea cock hole. I googled up and went over the side to locate the sea cock. Matt rigged a line from a station to hold onto in the water, so we could relax enough to take a deep breath. 2m under the boat, working, with the anxiety of 40 litres of horror unleashing, under pressure, into your face, required good breath holding! We had a long swig of George's "Monkeys Shoulder" whiskey on deck, then he and I dove in. We took turns, one going under, one floating on the surface as a wingman, watching for accidents while communicating to Matt on deck with the pump (and a camera). The air pump looked impressive underwater, but wasn't powerful enough once tightly sealed over the sea cock. We swapped it out for a pump action plunger. I would have loved to have seen it through the eyes of one of the spectating fish. The technique was to relax above and, on a huge breath, duck dive under, keeping one hand on the hull to protect our heads. Get to the sea cock, located by the keel, and seal the plunger over it. Draw down the piston handle to apply suction, making it fixed enough to hang from. Then flip your body upside down, putting your feet on the hull, and, with two hands, pump the whole device like mad with very, very tightly pursed lips, until you run out of oxygen. It took half an hour and about 8 dives between us. On the last, I relaxed well, with my fingers wedged into the heater exhaust outlet and limbs floppy. I dove down, felt good, and had a lot of oxygen. I put all my strength into the pump action plunger this time. The handle snapped and cut my finger. I turned upside down, feet on the hull, and pumped; I had air still. And then it erupted. A brown volcano billowed into the sub-marine sky. It was biblical. I was just quick enough to miss the torrent of horrors, and we surfaced. Fists in the air. Cheering in victory. Heads back under to witness the event, then cheering again; it was a joyous achievement! We climbed aboard, Matt poured Ouzo into my cut finger and into a barnacle knick on George's hand, and we all drank another whiskey in good spirits. With fewer limits we create more memories Of all our 'lads abroad' antics, this became our most treasured story of the trip - a combination of hilarious and victorious. We broke through the limiting 'uh oh's and 'don't know's. We became a team. Bound in solution, in Team Spirit. We own that knowledge now, which we found in our own intuition through trial and error. A small victory, with the same uniting joy of all victories. This will be the tale we talk of again in years to come. Jeff Leigh-Jones

Our unexpected hiatus, while initially perceived as a burden, has turned into an opportunity. Despite its disadvantages, the US health system is swift and effective; it worked as intended. I'm now minus the odd bodily part but alive and kicking. We've supplemented a month of enforced stay in the USA with a productive visit to Didim Marina, near Bodrum. Snag list gets smaller During my absence, we've made significant strides, successfully fixing the leaking hatches (thank you for the seals, Amazon Prime), and the fresh and hot water systems are now operating reliably. We've also addressed the spurious leaks in the engine room as systems came online and commissioned the engines, hybrid drives, and gearboxes. This progress has boosted our confidence, given a rocky start three months back. As I reflected yesterday evening over a glass of Scotland's finest, Vanguard now exudes the aura of a commercial boat built for a purpose beyond mere aesthetics. We will soon test the truth of this reflection. We have also experienced difficulties with our electrical installation at the main helm. Looking at the timeline, this coincided with installing all the various access doors and screens. Funny that. The thermal camera came out to reveal some components reaching 60 deg.C where airflow has been restricted. No wonder it was troublesome. So we spent time installing better ventilation, both passive and forced, using fans made for audiovisual equipment towers. Some more power-hungry devices will also be moved to ceiling cavities far from anything else. Language barriers Our crew, consisting of a Turk (Akan), a Ukrainian (Valeriy), a Russian (Yevgeny), and an American-once-was-British (me!), reminds me of lessons I learned in my youth in the British Merchant Navy, such as tolerance and understanding of a fellow man. Being at sea blurs the lines of privacy; there is no clear definition of space, experience, attitude, or opinion. We make it work. We have also begun to develop our new English-speaking subcontractor resources with Praxis for the hybrid drives and 3-phase distribution, Polus Yachts for staffing and local contacts, and Hartnell Marine for all things solar or Victron. Underperforming solar installation Our solar installation, which should have been a success story, has presented unexpected challenges. However, understanding the reasons behind these challenges has been a valuable learning experience. We've installed a theoretical 6kW of panels, but the learning curve associated with our first large solar installation has led to some issues. The first is shading, the death toll of many good solar hopes. We have mapped the effect of this shading at 9.00, 12.00, and 15.00 to understand the panel groups impacted. The thought is to connect panels shaded or in full sun simultaneously and not mix them up, as it simply kills the output of anything linked in a series. Two panels are permanently shaded and will be disconnected. The second is to examine pre-set system current and voltage figures. That is ongoing, and we have found two issues where the system was self-limiting. Remedying this has lifted solar output from a maximum of 1.2kW to 1.6kW and counting. Next, we will split up some groupings and install smaller local MPPTs that deliver DC directly to the 24VDC system rather than batteries, allowing for more individual panel voltage optimization. Our sister ship, Mobius, was installed this way; I should have been a better listener. The fourth is energy saving rather than power increase. Consider setting solar as a priority power source and maximize the advantage of the opportunity. Once the house batteries reach 100%, solar is disabled as the MPPT chargers back off, and we draw from power batteries or shore power. There is a fix via the Victron Cerbo GX controller that Hartnell will enable once we get to Palma. It's about setting charge/discharge limits on the house batteries, small deviations in charging voltage, and which systems trigger when we reach those limits. Finally, we have better understood how Vanguard operates and the potential for parasitic losses. Simple measures like switching off the HVAC in unoccupied spaces have reduced our power demand by a significant 2kW (48kWh!!). Turning off screens and lights has further reduced the demand by another 600W. In cooler weather, we aim to support using solar alone, at least when charging. These measures underscore the importance of energy conservation in our project. However, educating my gas-guzzling US-based family about this need may be a continuous effort!

Sit in any good marina, and you will see many beautiful, expensive, and delicate modern hulls maneuvering with ease. Widely spaced twin props with bow and stern thrusters and added integration, and it's as if they are on rails. Catermerans are the epitome of this; they turn at their own length. Anyone who has docked an old, large, long-keel yacht knows a different world where docking takes more planning and often more lines. (pun intentional). You have tide and windage, way, prop walk, a single prop, and a single rudder. Docking Vanguard stern-too, in the Med, has fallen into the second category. Props too close for much torque, the bow thruster is inexplicably ineffective, and there is no stern thruster. A test of seamanship is not a bad lesson to learn, but it is also not great for stress levels. A kick ahead with rudders over will turn her from zero speed, but not a kick astern. She will steer both ways above 3kN but not astern below that. We steer Astern by using a P or S prop kick ahead, but it is not enough to take the Astern way off her if you are gentle. We eventually got the hang of it all, but it must be choreographed and is not for the faint-hearted. Last week's blog covered this annoyingly ineffective 15kW Sidepower bow thruster. Two problems became apparent. The first was the port tunnel prop. It had been replaced in the Med incorrectly and was free-spinning (spigot behind the prop boss was incorrectly aligned). That's an easy fix, and it made the difference between basically useless and "some thrust, but don't rely on it". We did that before discharge from the transporter. Then we discussed the protective grills that are occluding the tunnel area and causing turbulence. Today, a diver removed those, plus a quick cleanup around the area. A brief before-and-after test is enclosed below—full Stbd, then full Port against slack mooring lines. The results were clear: 19 counts with the grills were reduced to 13 without the grills. A noticeable increase in thrust accompanied this reduction in the count. Though not obvious on the video, it's enough to heel her over against taut bowlines. It's safe to say that after 9 months at sea, we've successfully resolved our bow thruster problem. It now operates as intended making good use of the 15kW available to turn her bow with ease. Bow Thruster P/S test after removing Grids Bow Thruster test before removing Grids. Chris Leigh-Jones Note to "Kitt" - enclosed above as promised. - Chris