AUGUSTUS - GUNBOAT NEWS

PHAEDO'S 427 MILE DAY....
For years we have extolled the daily range of a GUNBOAT. As early as 2002, TRIBE was averaging 270 miles per day offshore, with many days in the 330-385 mile range. We noted that 400 mile days are possible. During the TRANSPAC Race last week, PHAEDO recorded a 427 mile day, and was tracking towards an even bigger day, when....

   
 
GRAVITY STORM
Our hearts go out to the well-prepared and always professional PHAEDO team. According to PHAEDO owner Lloyd Thornburg, who was on the helm at the time, the top of the rig broke off while under a full main and A4 code sail. So ended PHAEDO'S remarkable run at the TRANSPAC Race. PHAEDO was well ahead of the entire TP52 and West Coast sled fleet at the time. The only boats on the course showing better pace were a 100' super-maxi, a turbo-charged Volvo 70, and a lengthened ORMA 60' tri. We may never know the exact reason why PHAEDO's rig succumbed. The crew wisely cut it away to preserve PHAEDO's hulls. She is the only GUNBOAT that chose to utilize PBO rigging. While it can reduce windage and save weight, it's track record for reliability would not be regarded as the best today. The manner of the rig's loss, in our opinion, is consistent with the failure of a windward diamond shroud. All GUNBOAT's today are specified with aramid shrouds and carbon diamond stays, which reflect industry best practices at this time. We salute Lloyd and his PHAEDO team for pushing so hard in so many epic races. PHAEDO is our cover girl, and has helped reset expectations of what an all-carbon world cruising GUNBOAT can achieve. We know PHAEDO's awesome team will rise again, and will be even more impressive when she returns!

 

MED DEGREES

 

 We are getting great reports from ZENYATTA, TIGER LILY, LAGUZ, and PANTHERA as they explore the Mediterranean Sea this season. These stories make our hearts sing as we watch these beautiful GUNBOATs deliver on their promise of world cruising in luxury at speed. ZENYATTA plans to enter the ARC Rally from the Canaries to St Lucia. TIGER LILY is thumbing a ride on Dock-Wise to make the fall season in New England. PANTHERA will keep cruising wherever her young family's heart desires. And LAGUZ plans to winter in the Med. Delivering these dreams keeps us fired up every day!


BATTAILE STATIONS 

 

 Lauren Battaile has left her career in the wine industry on the West Coast to be stationed at GUNBOAT as the new marketing manager. Lauren studied marketing as an undergrad, and applied those talents to two brands before joining us. A noted foodie and wine expert, she and her family are lifelong sailors from North Carolina. Lauren will be focused on traditional and social media, events, pr, shows and sales support. She will work closely with Meg Minetree, our sales director, and Peter Johnstone. This edition is Lauren's first effort. Welcome aboard!



WEEKNIGHT GUNBOAT CLASS RACING  

 

Tuesday and Thursday night saw the first ever weeknight beer-can racing between GUNBOATs. TRIBE's owner organized the series with the help of Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT. ELVIS and SLIM joined the host on the water. Winds were light, and racing was tight between the GUNBOATs racing on short courses, and in some cases through other yacht club races. The sight of three large cats towering over all other boats along the Connecticut shoreline led to several spectator boats following the fleet. Dave, the mate on ELVIS, employed his mass aloft on a halyard in a pseudo Spiderman wrecking ball technique to get ELVIS' battens to tack in the lighter winds. A big thank you to TRIBE's owner and Indian Harbor Yacht Club for a very special two nights. Thursday featured a barbecue for the GUNBOAT owners and crew at Indian Harbor's Sunfish bar and patio. These very special evenings show signs of growing. Upwards of seven GUNBOATs may be on the line in Long Island Sound in 2014! www.gunboat.com
 
FALCOR REFIT: THE SERVICE YARD IS LIVE

 

The new ramp at GUNBOAT's yard is proving to be a great addition. Owner Travis Rice sailed into town and left his beloved GUNBOAT 48 in our care for his snowboarding season. When he returns, he will find a spruced up eight year old GUNBOAT in new condition and ready for Travis' loop of the Pacific. CREAM is expected later this year, and up to three other GUNBOATs expect to get service at our NC yard in the coming months. More to come.

FLOW'S A GO!
 

The gorgeous new GUNBOAT 60 is completing sea trials, and will begin her delivery journey to the East Coast USA imminently. The best laid plans are to have her at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis in October.

GUNBOAT 55-05 EMERGES, 55-06 STARTS & 60-05 INFUSES 

 The NC team led by Aaron Croswait pulled GUNBOAT 55-05 from the gorgeous female tooling this past week. The outer skins of 55-06 are already in the mold. Paul Hakes reports the successful infusion of GUNBOAT 60-05. GUNBOAT 60-04 had her decks installed. Production is on a roll!

GUNBOAT VALENTINES' NEWS 2013

GUNBOAT 60-04 INFUSED  

Xiamen yard President Paul Hakes reports that the infusion of GUNBOAT 60-04 is a huge success. The one piece, all carbon platform is immaculately constructed in female molds. The carbon bulkheads will be assembled while the platform is still in the mold soon after Chinese New Year holidays. With two GUNBOAT 60's launching in early 2013, and two more starting, the GUNBOAT 60 production is on a roll!

 

 

 

CLASH OF TITANS Gunboat Class Dual at RORC Caribbean 600

SLIM, the brand new GUNBOAT 66, will take on her iconic orange sistership PHAEDO in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Caribbean 600 race that starts in Antigua. The 600 nm, power-reaching course weaves around several of the most beautiful Caribbean islands. The many legs and wind shadows can favor local knowledge. SLIM's Captain Travis McGarry is a GUNBOAT veteran of many years, and has always been at the top of GUNBOAT Class events. PHAEDO will be run by her talented owner/skipper and will feature Round the World Record Holder Brian Thompson in her crew. Former GUNBOAT PR maven, Rachel Jaspersen, and Richard Langdon will be producing YouTube videos of PHAEDO's effort. Tune in!  http://caribbean600.rorc.org/ 

GUNBOAT 55-03 EARNS FLIER MILES

GUNBOAT 55-03 flew out of the perfect GUNBOAT 55 molds recently. GUNBOAT Chief Boat Builder Phil Harvey smiled broadly as he inspected the pristine molded finish and immaculate infused carbon laminates. 

 

 

JEFF BLACKWELL & TEAM JOIN GUNBOAT  

Jeff Blackwell and his hard working paint team have joined GUNBOAT at the North Carolina facility. They are well known for attention to detail and beautiful paint-work on larger sportfishing yachts. Jeff and his team are a key addition to deliver the world-class finish everyone expects of GUNBOAT.

CODE RED ALERT!!Valentines at Miami Show

GUNBOAT will be at the Miami International Boat Show from February 14-17. Come fall in love with GUNBOAT at the end of Pier C at the Bayside Marina location of the show. Best to schedule your VIP time slot in advance to avoid the 45-minute boarding lines! Please contact meg@gunboat.com

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER MAGAZINE VISIT      

Billy Black, one of the top yachting photographers, took pictures and shot video for PROFESSIONAL BOAT BUILDER magazine over two days this month. Writer Ginger Gardiner summed up her day on site, "There is simply nothing like this going on anywhere. Seeing such large epoxy-carbon infusion done in series is really exciting." We might add that GUNBOAT has excellent teams on two continents performing beautiful all carbon yacht construction.

   

CELEBUTANTE!! NOMINATIONS!GUNBOAT 60 Nominated for Asia-Pacific Yachting's 'Best Awards'

While the Oscars and Grammys are making headlines in the USA, the celebutante we are following is the GUNBOAT 60. We learned that this sleek, next generation GUNBOAT has been nominated for several categories including BEST OVERALL YACHT, BEST SAILBOAT (15-20m), BEST YACHT BUILDER, BEST CHARTER YACHT, BEST YACHT DESIGN, and BEST YACHT DESIGNER. We've been told the GUNBOAT 60 has received an unprecedented number of nominations. Voting ends February 15th. 
http://www.gunboat.com/series/gunboat-60 

GUNBOAT 55: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8........10 When?    

The somewhat radical GUNBOAT 55 is attracting record interest. All carbon. Brilliant Nauta interior. Spaces laid out for how we actually use these GUNBOATs in real life. The formula is working and sales continue to build. Post a comment on the GUNBOAT Facebook page guessing the time and date that GUNBOAT 55-10 goes under contract. The person closest to the actual date will win an Orange GUNBOAT belt and GUNBOAT spray jacket.  

http://www.facebook.com/gunboatcatamarans

GUNBOAT NEWS JANUARY 2013

ELVIS WINS KEY WEST RACE!

Fresh from a gorgeous refit, the GUNBOAT 62 ELVIS trounced the multihull division in the classic Ft Lauderdale to Key West Race.  She won her division by nearly three hours on corrected time, and was third across the finish line, led by only a grand prix maxi racing boat, and a stripped out carbon racing trimaran.  Congrats to ELVIS owner Jason Carroll and his crew that included US Moth Champ Anthony Kotoun.  ELVIS switches duties for Key West Race Week, and will serve as mother-ship and home to Jason's winning ARGO Melges 32 team.  Race winner... best mother-ship... world cruiser.  Gunboat versatility.  

 PIRATES, GALES, OH MY!  Moonwave's maiden offshore romp  

The gorgeous new Gunboat 60 MOONWAVE departed the yard on Christmas eve with her crew Stephane Fumat and Sophie Brehovsky and Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone and Francesca Grum aboard. The two couples enjoyed the 2000 mile passage from Xiamen to Singapore immensely. MOONWAVE was put through quite a test. "We had large, confused seas along the coast of China to Hong Kong. In some of the flatter waters near Hong Kong, we unleashed her a bit and saw 30.2 knots of boat-speed," enthused Captain Fumat. The new Nigel Irens' shapes effortlessly climb through the speed range with excellent manners. Further South, the winds and seas built to gale conditions. "We kept the small asymmetric flying until winds reached the mid 30's, then went to just a deeply reefed main when waves reached 20'+, started to break, and winds topped 45 knots. The centerboard system is brilliant because you can always adjust the balance of the boat with the boards. You simply cannot do that with a cat equipped with daggerboards. The deeply reefed main allowed us to go straight downwind with the wave train and perfectly balanced helm. Through much of the gale, we sailed at 12-18 knots in perfect comfort, enjoying gourmet sit-down meals. It is quite a contrast to my keelboat years, and the sail handling is so much easier than our earlier series. There is no need for staysails or cutter stays," revelled Johnstone, who saw a top daily mileage at close to 340 miles. He continued, "The new hull shape makes for a very dry ride. The forward doors were open the entire trip, and we only saw spray on deck twice." The rough weather contrasted to the near calms as MOONWAVE glided through the pirate infested Anambas Islands of Indonesia on the approach to Singapore. The all black sails are pretty intimidating. The Pirates either steered clear or could not keep up. "We sailed MOONWAVE right up to the final channel markers off of the Raffles Marina on the Western shore of Singapore," Johnstone concluded. For full details of the new GUNBOAT 60, contact meg@gunboat.com.
 

PAUL HAKES, RENOWNED BOAT BUILDER 

Paul Hakes, and his core team, have joined Hudson Yachts, the builder of the GUNBOAT 60 series. Paul has been named President of Hudson and overseas the GUNBOAT 60 series with project manager William Jelbert. Paul earned his enviable reputation building several of the top TP52's in his former Wellington NZ yard. He has brought along the SL33 catamaran series to be produced at Hudson. TEAM NZ has utilized these speedy carbon 33' cats for two-boat testing and to assist their AC72 design process. Paul's earliest multihull experience was aboard Steve Fossett's record setting PLAYSTATION, which he helped build. Paul and Mr. Hudson will visit the GUNBOAT USA yard in late January for a GUNBOAT world summit on continued development of best practices between the two GUNBOAT yards. GUNBOAT is very fortunate to have Paul and Mr. Hudson on its team. Welcome Paul! 

 

FIND YOUR HEART IN MIAMI 

GUNBOAT will be at the Miami International Boat Show from February 14-17. How about a steamy midwinter Valentine weekend in Miami? Restoke the fire with your someone special, and fall in love with the GUNBOAT that will be at the end of C dock at the Bayside Marina location of the show. PLEASE schedule your VIP time slot to avoid the 45 minute boarding lines! Contact meg@gunboat.com.

GUNBOAT 55....... One Design/World Cruiser!    

The GUNBOAT 55 series is going from strength to strength. Eight GUNBOAT 55's are now on order. The GUNBOAT USA yard is a bee-hive of activity. The first three GUNBOAT 55's are now molded and a new GUNBOAT 55 starts every month. The clean, simple, and versatile design is aimed at owner-operators who do not want crew and desire maximum world cruising comfort and performance from an easy to sail and maintain platform. Several owners have one design racing backgrounds and talk has begun of racing the GUNBOAT 55's one design in Caribbean regattas. Contact meg@gunboat.com for the latest on the Gunboat 55 series.
   

78 MOCKED UP! 

The gorgeously built, all carbon GUNBOAT 78 platform now has a nice interior mock up constructed for potential customers to come view her spaces. She was successfully hauled up our new ramp and is located in our special 78 project shed. Prospective customers are lining up their visits. The world's fastest world cruising cat is available for completion in early 2014. If purchased during the project preparation period, we can customize to suit your needs. Contact meg@gunboat.com to schedule your visit or to make inquiries about our 78 Series. 

 FAVORITES AT HEINEKEN    

Captain Harvey Jenkinson from the GUNBOAT 66 TIGER LILY reports that six GUNBOATs will sail as a GUNBOAT Class at the Heineken St Maarten Regatta this March. Each GUNBOAT will be weighed on digital load cells at Bobby's Superyacht Marina prior to racing. Pre-regatta favorite is ELVIS, the Gunboat 62 being owner-driven by Melges 32 ace Jason Carroll. ELVIS Captain Scott Bradford has lightened ship, added some new sails, and has ELVIS in the best condition in years. The brand new GUNBOAT 66 SLIM will be led by former ELVIS captain, Travis McGarry. Expect close racing, and a fun filled week. We love seeing our all-carbon world cruising cats demonstrate their versatility. The Heineken, as it is known, is one of the world's most fun regattas. Beautiful point to point races, gorgeous setting, huge beach parties, and a proven atmosphere of relaxed fun. Add a GUNBOAT class, and it is magical.

 NEW GUNBOAT BELTS & FACEBOOK  

 Meg Minetree reports that the new, extra wide GUNBOAT belts are in the store. These hot commodities are typically reserved for GUNBOAT owners, special crew, and VIPs. As keeper of the swag, Meg has generously offered belts to the next 10 Gunboat eNews readers who "Like" GUNBOAT on Facebook!  Use this link and follow our News Feed to learn if you're a winner of our coveted gear!



http://www.facebook.com/gunboatcatamarans

 
 

GUNBOAT SUMMER NEWS 2012 - LUXURY CATAMARAN

What about China?!

The excitement of our new Gunboat production facility in the USA has led some to misconstrue our plans. Three years ago, we set out to overhaul the entire Gunboat organization for the next decade. All new series are now ready at 55' & 60', and all new production facilities are now operating in the heart of the two biggest markets. The North Carolina USA facility is along the migratory routes of the North Atlantic Basin. The path home from the Caribbean to Europe or the USA, passes near North Carolina. Hudson Yacht's Gunboat facility in SE China offers convenient access to SE Asia and Australia. Both Gunboat facilities feature year-round sailing weather and direct access to hauling/launching. Our technical capabilities have never been so strong. The Gunboat standard expected worldwide is being raised. Both facilities have exciting news in the coming months.

GUNBOAT 55 sets Gunboat records

The Gunboat 55 is our first effort to address the owner/operator market since the renown Gunboat 48 series built between 2004-2007. We decided to start with a clean slate and design the new Gunboat 55 for the way Gunboats are typically used. The breakthrough layout has struck a chord in the marketplace. Five are sold from plans, with several more orders expected before the first launch. The 55 is our most successful new series in our 12 year history! Come see firsthand the gorgeous new female molds and production in Wanchese, NC. The first Gunboat 55 begins construction this week.

GUNBOAT 60 nearing lift-off

The first GUNBOAT 60 is within weeks of launching for her German owner, a high profile software entrepreneur. The finish and attention to detail by the yard is extraordinary. Nauta of Milan has designed a stunning interior. The amidships cabins compare favorably to our GUNBOAT 90 cabins. The use of space and quality of the workmanship raises the Gunboat bar of excellence. Limited appointments for sailing and inspection are now being scheduled.

GUNBOAT 66 now available. Call for details!

In new condition, this all carbon GUNBOAT 66 effortlessly covered 80,000 miles on her first circumnavigation. She's been immaculately maintained by top crew since launching. Her layout may be the best of the 66' series, and is well suited for both private and charter usage. Contact us to find out why. We will show her as a new Gunboat at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis in October. Ready for her next lap of our planet? Call us.

William Jelbert

Like many at Gunboat, William Jelbert worked hard to earn his position at one of sailing's iconic brands. For nearly two years, William made regular contact to find the right opening with Gunboat. When Phil and Laura Harvey made the move from Gunboat production in China to set up the new facility in the USA, William was poised and ready to assume the Gunboat project manager duties at Hudson Yachts. In under a year, William has earned the respect of everyone within the Gunboat community for his tireless devotion to the new Gunboat 60 series and its customers. This native Cape Towner developed an early affinity for the Gunboat brand. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree, and has helped set up two production facilities for our friends at Robertson & Caine, the builder of Leopard and Moorings Catamarans. He honed his high tech boat building credentials as Technical Manager at McConaghy Boats China, building various all-carbon race boats. Gunboat thrives on top talent, so we are pleased to have William on our team.