Delivery of Puck, our Euphoria 5 Privilege
Friday, June 8, 2018, we join Les Sables-d'Olonne on the 11H00, we arrive at the Privilege shipyard. We only have the afternoon to unpack the bare essentials: make a small supply for breakfast and beds.
The following days were devoted to unpacking and organizing.
Since then, we have been gently invaded by the workers who come to work on board to finish our Puck and there is no lack of work. The main one consists in installing the equipment whose late deliveries could not be carried out in the workshop, the quality controls and the controls of good functioning. The boat's equipment is very sophisticated and for example, the electricians worked almost two weeks just to check and test all the circuits and generally all the specifications.
A present and efficient team
In the end, we spent almost a month at the Privilege Pontoon and during this time, bonds are created with the team which each morning hires on the PUCK. Mathieu the team leader, good psychologist, calmly animates and directs his little world. Clarify the person responsible for the meticulous work. No need to check his work, he's always perfect. ECCS Baptist (they are the appointed subcontractors for all the electricity on board) who is a precise man. He knows his scheme by heart and serves it by his experience, he fixes the defects in two strokes of a pot spoon.
A festive start
Saturday July 14, 2018, for the French, it is the day of the national holiday. Tonight, the sky of France will be on fire. For us, it's also a party. Our first step towards the Mediterranean. For this test run, we started with the petrol station of the captain's office to fill up with diesel.
With 620 litres, the tanks are full and we are relieved of 1040 €. Around 10h00, Cap sur Port Médoc at the entrance of the Gironde. The distance to cover is 71 Nm from Les Sables-d'Olonne.
It's 6:00 when our Puck docks on the pontoon. It's time for an aperitif and to enjoy our cockpit and the cool breeze from the open sea.
Reasonable steps
Tomorrow, it's not the rooster that will wake us, but the alarm clock which is set at 05h00. Yes, for the next stage we agreed for a day not too long by joining Irun rather than Bilbao. This means that we will have 142 Nm to cover instead of 189. Without saying it, I start to hope to be able to see the final of the world cup which starts at 17h00.
Sunday, July 15, 2018, the day has not yet shown itself that on board one is active. Breakfast and then the dog walk. Meanwhile, I'm getting the boat ready to take off as soon as Chantal gets back. At the last minute, Chantal worries about how much fuel will be needed. Either: the petrol station is extending its arms, it is right in front of our pontoon and at this hour there is no rush. Though!
The sky lights up gently. It is tinted red and slowly we slide towards the diesel to complete our tanks. At 06h30, we pick up and if all goes well, tonight we will sleep in the Spanish Basque Country.
A world final in the Bay of Biscay!
The sea is very suitable and the average is in the 11 kN. Around noon, the wind rises slightly in the nose of the current, which gives a less calm sea. At 17:00 I leave the fly bridge and I go down to turn on the TV to see the final of the football cup. Watching a game in the middle of the Atlantic is quite surreal, but it confirms the quality of these motorised antennas which are fixed on a satellite and do not let go. Well almost never because on Puck, there's a blind spot caused by the mast.
I won't see the second half because we are approaching the Fontarrabie marina. It is installed just opposite Hendaye and it has the advantage of selling its diesel 30 ct cheaper than in France. On 600 liters, it's worth it.
Storms for a first night in Spain
The boat is monstrously salty everywhere and without waiting, I put everything in battery to rinse it. If I'd known what happened, I wouldn't have bothered. We were just at the aperitif when the sky fell apart. We were surrounded by an impressive number of storms. I've never seen anything so violent before. The most beautiful remained to come. A torrential rain and in the end we saw the fireball fall not far from the port. For the next step, we chose Bilbao. The inner basins adjacent to the three marinas are hyper protected and we hope to be able to anchor.
Tuesday 17 July 2018, we enter Bilbao. There is plenty of room to anchor and spend our first night at anchor. The calm and comfort are there, but the panorama is that of a commercial port.
Wednesday morning, we are at sea at 09h30 and we set course for Santander. On the spot, you have to decide whether to stay at anchor or ask for a place at the marina. It's time to take some fuel and in doing so he offers us a visitor place. We accept it, because I have a problem with the Onan group. Although it starts, it turns a few moments and then it goes into fault. I'm familiar with this kind of problem. Chantal talks about my concern when she is busy filling out the paperwork at the harbour master's office and immediately they send someone to help me. As soon as the pump is disassembled, it is clear that the pump impeller is exploded and what is left is a little bit of rubber and a bronze ring.
The importance of the generator set on an over-equipped boat
The generator repair was charged 40? to do the work and frankly I don't regret doing it. Because to cook on our Euphoria everything requires 220V. And when you are connected to the dock, the electrical power available must be sufficient to hold the load on the oven or induction cooker. It wasn't won, but finally by cutting the Victron charger/converter, Chantal was able to cook our evening meal. All is well that ends well and we will stay two days in Santander.
Bad weather
This Friday July 20, 2018, we had thought of making another stage, Gijon. When we get up, we are greeted by a clogged sky and rain. We don't feel like doing 85 Nm under these conditions and we postpone our departure until the next day. In the morning we even turned on the heater because it was not hot at all on board.
Grounding at Santander
Sunday July 22, 2018, the weather conditions seem better and we leave our pontoon. The exit from the marina overlooks the large marked channel. At the helm Chantal is distracted and while I am busy stowing the mooring lines and fenders, Puck runs aground on a sandbar. I go up to the fly bridge and as best I can, I try to get us out without success. Arrives the marinero and his Zodiac.
Chantal welcomes her to the cockpit and I, since the fly, am always busy trying to free us from the shallows. Forward, reverse, but still not enough water under our keels and the meter twenty of draught.
That's when things go wrong. The marinero, not very fine, which received one of my mooring lines to pull me leaves too much slack in the trailer which comes to get caught in the starboard propeller. I rage and I plague, but out of love for my little wife I don't put on a layer: it's time to find a plan B. The marinero feels eminently responsible and calls the diving teacher who is at the marina. Ten minutes pass and finally he's here and ready to dive.
Always ask the price before..
My concern is whether the propeller or the shaft line has bite. A little quarter of an hour goes by and finally the news is good. The propeller is free and apparently there's no damage. Usually this kind of intervention is paid in cash and costs something like 50/60 €. Surprise, surprise, he asks us 300?. It is too late to discuss, because it should have been done before the intervention. All we had to do was execute ourselves. So goes the pleasure..
But the day is not over. Outside, the sea ahead is short, brittle and beaming. A good half hour later we decided not to hurt ourselves and to return to the channel to anchor. Santander is very good for that. The shelter is well protected from the wind and the sea. The sun shines, the anguish is forgotten and we anchor near the old yachting club.
Good atmosphere in Gijon
On Monday 23 July 2018, the weather forecast is optimistic. We can leave for Gijon. There's 80 Nm to go. Under such conditions, it's a pleasure.
Gijon is a city we know. For the supply it is average but the atmosphere is pleasant with the terraces of the bistros populated by Spaniards always ready to party. As for the weather, it's getting worse again and we'll stay there for three days. I took the opportunity to have my engines drained for the first time by an authorized Yanmar agent.
Shaken in Rihadeo
Thursday 26 July 2018, the next stage takes us to Ribadeo. When we arrived in Ribadeo Bay, the sea became bad and the captain's office explained that even in good weather it is always so when the tide overturns. And indeed, the last half hour has been frankly painful. We've been pretty shaken up This pretty little town offers a marina located in the ria. It is not very big, but it is very well sheltered and cherry on the cake, the shipping costs are divided by two.
No special worries today and as it's still early, Puck gets a good rinse shower.
Another passing depression
Friday 27 July 2018, we sail towards Viveiro. 63 Nm and a very well sheltered port. It is better, because the forecasts predict 25/30 kN of wind with troughs of 3 metres for the next day. Our buttocks are well parked and we will wait until Monday to know the evolution of this umpteenth depression which affects northern Spain. For our convenience, Erosky (large surface of the north) is in front of our pontoon. This will be an opportunity to refuel.
30 litres/hour at 10 knots
I have reviewed the diesel consumption of these first 500 Nm. Our average speed was 10 kN except in the crossing of the golf course where we pushed the boat to an average of 13 kN. At 10 kN, we are at 2200 RPM which corresponds to the maximum torque of our V8. Under these conditions, both engines swallow 30 litres per hour. I know that all this is not necessarily reasonable, but from the point of view of the figures, it is in line with the site tests. We were warned and we shouldn't complain!!!
A conveyor for the end of the journey
This morning, it's 06H00 and as I get up, Chantal announces to me that with this rotten weather that's been chasing us since we arrived in Spain, we won't be able to get to Cannes on time unless we get hurt while sailing 24/24 hours. He's not thrilled about this prospect at all Since the time we've been sailing together, we've always sailed in perfect agreement and never forced the decision. This makes sense, we will not do it and we will contact Gilles Wagner (director of Privilège Marine).
With Gilles, the agreement is very good and his hyper positive side suits me well. The solution is simple, the boat will be taken care of by a professional skipper. So on August 6th, we abandoned our PUCK, rented a car and took the road from the house. Our morale was not high, but we knew that our boat was in very good hands with Gulf Stream, a rock company with a very good reputation.
The boat arrived in Valencia on August 11, 2018. The skipper and his assistant left the boat in perfect condition and submitted a detailed report on the small defects and breakdowns they experienced during the delivery. Nothing very important, but problems which will have to be solved by the after-sales service Privilège.
Yanmar engine electronics faulty
On the engine side, no problem. The Yanmar 8-cylinder engines turn like clocks. The only concern came from the synchro system (a function that regulates both engines at the same speed by acting only on a throttle lever). Its operation is totally random: the engines are in cruise mode, the synchro is engaged and suddenly the engines are in neutral. To remedy this, simply switch back to neutral, restart the engine speeds and then switch back to synchro mode. It's embarrassing, but not irreparable.
A cruise to the Balearic Islands to end the summer
A few days later, the morale had returned and our boat was free to sail a good three weeks before leaving for Cannes. We joined our friends in the Balearic Islands. So on August 18, 2018, we took the road to Ibiza. A sea of oil accompanied us all along our crossing and around 16H00, we arrived at Cala Barbate where we dropped anchor. Then San Antoni, cala Tarida and cala Conte...
Exhibition at the Cannes boat show then after-sales service before wintering
Return to Valencia on 2 September 2018. It was a bit of a death in the soul that we abandoned our boat again. The skippers to deliver the catamaran to Cannes are scheduled for 7 September 2018. We will meet Puck after the show and the few days of after-sales service around September 22, 2018.
Summer is coming to an end, but autumn and even winter in Valencia still have some very nice days in store for us to sail and prepare for the next spring 2019.
Among the important tasks that concern the maintenance of the boat, we plan to take out of the water to carry out the hull fairing. It will be necessary to prospect the corner to find a travel lift broad enough and a reasonable estimate to return to our Puck hulls polished as new and to make the maintenance of all the equipment of the edge. The secret of happy sailing lies in constant monitoring and maintenance that does not spare replacing and renovating what needs to be done.
