GUNBOAT HOLIDAY

THE GOLDEN GUN!

A CELEBRATION OF THE 25^TH GUNBOAT

Perhaps the most beautifully finished new GUNBOAT is our special edition 25^th GUNBOAT to be launched, the GOLDEN GUN. She is our brand new demo GUNBOAT 60, and our focus for editorial efforts in 2013. To celebrate this 25^th GUNBOAT, we are offering her as a special GOLDEN GUN package. She will be featured in leading yachting magazines worldwide as the next generation of GUNBOAT. Ownership will come with all of the awards that will be won, and as well as carbon framed copies of her magazine covers! We welcome you to join us for an exciting year. Besides the glowing attention from such a special 25^th GUNBOAT project and celebration, GUNBOAT will take special care of the owner who steps up to join us in the GOLDEN GUN. To say she is loaded is an understatement. Some restrictions do apply for such special treatment. You can be sailing and enjoying ownership of this special edition GUNBOAT 60 in only a few short months! If you purchase before Christmas, we will send you a scaled model of this GUNBOAT 60 to put under your tree. Contact peter@gunboat.com for the details of the GOLDEN GUN Package. 

LOCKED & UNLOADED GUNBOAT 78-01 enjoyed smooth sailing from the Port of Baltimore to GUNBOAT's Wanchese, NC facility. Two PURE YACHTING 730 RIBs powered her down the Chesapeake Bay, and through the Intracoastal Waterway. Winds had blown 20-25 knots for weeks prior. On the morning of unloading from the freighter, the winds magically became calm, and conditions remained glassy for her five day journey to GUNBOAT. Upon being tied up at the GUNBOAT docks, the winds began to pick up again. Mother Nature seems to be shining on the GUNBOAT 78 and is indicative of the positive kharma surrounding her! She will be hauled into GUNBOAT's newly renovated 78 building for completion. Contact meg@gunboat.com to schedule your visit to see her progress!

VALENTINE'S MAYHEM in MIAMI GUNBOAT will be showing the beautiful GUNBOAT 66 MAYHEM at the Miami International Boat Show from February 14-17. Plan a Winter getaway weekend in steamy Miami. Enjoy some GUNBOAT love, and celebrate Valentine's Day with your special someone. MAYHEM will be at the end of C Dock at the Bayside Marina location of the show. Be sure to schedule your VIP time slot in advance to avoid the 45 minute boarding lines! Contact meg@gunboat.com.

SPECIAL OPS Dan Bottjen is joining GUNBOAT to handle the newly formed role of Operations Manager. Dan's extensive experience includes over a decade on the management team at Hattaras Yachts where he was Director of Operations during their boom years. Later, he ran operations for Buddy Davis' sportfish line, and became the CEO for Davis in the final years of his era. Dan's new role as GUNBOAT Operations Manager is a bit of a homecoming. He designed, developed, and built the former Davis facility that is now home to GUNBOAT in Wanchese, NC. Dan will be responsible for daily operations, planning, coordinating, processes, and development of GUNBOAT's production. "Dan's contributions to our team are already noticeable, and will help GUNBOAT achieve its goal of best practices in every aspect of our business", noted GUNBOAT's Chief Boat Builder Phil Harvey.

Row, Row, Row.... your GUNBOAT Rowland Bennett merrily joined GUNBOAT before it began! In 2001, he helped to complete the first GUNBOAT, a 62 footer named TRIBE. Rowland helped sail this first GUNBOAT from Cape Town to the Exumas. As word spread of his offshore abilities, several owners utilized his talents for their GUNBOAT's maiden voyages, which were typically a Trans-Atlantic journey from the former Cape Town GUNBOAT yard to the Caribbean and beyond. He proved to be one of the best shipmates anywhere. Rowland ran TRIBE until owner Peter Johnstone and his family started their sabbatical. He ran the Gunboat 62 PRANA for years, and he continues to be a key member of the GUNBOAT RI refit team that has renewed several GUNBOATs in recent years. The final new GUNBOAT to sail from Cape Town is the recently completed (and gorgeous) GUNBOAT 66-06 SLIM, which is now on her maiden Trans-Atlantic passage to St Barth's for New Year's Eve, where she will wring out the old and ring in the new! This is Row's 6th Trans-Atlantic aboard a GUNBOAT. We salute Rowland for his support, dedication, and commitment to the GUNBOAT family since the beginning. He sailed on the first, and the final, new GUNBOATs from the Cape Town chapter of GUNBOAT's history. For those of you into numbers and symmetry, you could say this is Row's TransAt #6 on 66-06. The crew will celebrate the days of 12-12-12 and 12-21-12 during the crossing. Thank you Rowland! Wishing you and all aboard SLIM a fine downwind crossing!

FLYING BOTH HULLS! GUNBOAT 55-02 confirms a new trend established by the AC 72' cats, when she recently flew both hulls! While "me-too" competitors remain a decade behind in their technology and performance parameters, GUNBOAT 55-02 achieved what only Team New Zealand's America's Cup 72' cat has done... fly both hulls. Admittedly, we have no intention of foiling a cruising catamaran. GUNBOAT 55-02 was lifted from the mold and placed on the GUNBOAT 55 production line cradles for completion. The GUNBOAT 55 series is rolling. Come tour the GUNBOAT facility to capture the excitement. Contact meg@gunboat.com to assist with your arrangements.

GREENIES & GUNBOATS The GUNBOAT CLASS returns this Caribbean Season to the Heineken St Maarten Regatta from March 1-3. The GUNBOAT CLASS has regularly gathered for friendly, good-natured competition and social gatherings since 2005. Captain Harvey Jenkinson, from the GUNBOAT 66 TIGER LILY, has led the charge for this season's GUNBOAT CLASS organization. He has arranged for accurate sail measurements and load cell weighing of the fleet to make the CSA GUNBOAT ratings even more accurate. Six GUNBOATs are expected. The two GUNBOAT 62's TRIBE and ELVIS will be challenging the GUNBOAT 66's TIGER LILY, SLIM, COCO DE MER, & MAYHEM! The GUNBOAT CLASS is proving to be a lasting successor to the Maxi Class of bygone years as THE big boat class in the Caribbean. The sight of six GUNBOATs crossing the line at mid-teen speeds is one to behold. We love seeing our all-carbon world cruising cats demonstrate their versatility. Have fun everyone!!

 RAMPING IT UP!

You might have noticed that GUNBOAT is ramping things up on all fronts. The new launching ramp completed last week next to GUNBOAT's Wanchese, NC facility. The ramp was a joint effort by the Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help GUNBOAT and the other talented businesses in the area develop the catamaran production and service segments. GUNBOAT thanks the Park and the NCDOT for their support. The ramp will be christened with the hauling of the GUNBOAT 78, seen here parked at the GUNBOAT docks on the left side of the photo, during the first weather window this week.