" In love with sailing, I bought a motor boat.. "It is surprising to write this sentence for me who has been sailing for years. It was my Dad who taught me this in the 1970s on the family sailboat, a steel cutter whose recalcitrant inboard gasoline engine forced us to practice harbor maneuvers under sail more often than necessary. Over the years, I went from being a simple crew member on the Solent or the Fastnet to being the skipper responsible for my crew.
Finally, it was a first big jump. At 27, I cast off for a year of relaxation around the Atlantic. I lived my passion to the fullest, enjoying the pleasures of sailing with the wind, as well as those of living on the water. Two transatlantic races later, sailing became my profession as I had the honor of joining the small team of Voiles et Voiliers magazine. Today, at the helm of Bateaux.com, I continue to transmit my passion.
And yet, you may not believe it, but I just bought a motorboat... Yes, you read it right, I bought a 32 feet (9.50 m) motorboat powered by 2 big diesels.
Explanation of a tack
For me a boat goes with a project. Either a family project to share it with my children, or a life project to live on board, or a travel idea to discover and enjoy. It's this third option that pushes me to (re)launch myself today. For a long time, I've been attracted by a long aquatic line that crosses all Europe: the Danube. Don't ask me why, but I dream of discovering this river which crosses or forms the border of 10 European countries and which feeds 4 big capitals (Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade). Nice invitation to travel, isn't it?
For this trip, I need a boat able to navigate on a river, powerful enough to counter the current if necessary (even if I plan to go down the Danube and not up it). But above all, I need a boat able to navigate on the sea. Indeed, the Danube flows into the Black Sea. And to go back home, the idea is to reach the Mediterranean Sea in Istanbul (still a beautiful city!), and then come back to France along Greece and Italy. A nice maritime program too.
Mixed for sea and river
This mixed boat (sea and river) must be pretty. Indeed, I don't want to sail on a Tupperware or even on a steel bathtub with rust. I am looking for an elegant boat, but easy to maintain. So I avoid steel and wood and fall back on polyester. The elegance will come in the shapes.
It is here that I stopped in front of the Dutch Amerglass boats. 32 feet long, they have an insulated aft cabin and a saloon at the front that offers a panoramic view even when sitting at the table. Ideal to live aboard as a couple without getting in the way. The cockpit is under a small canopy that protects it, but can be fully opened when the sun needs to come in.
Reasonable motorization
As far as the engine is concerned, we are in the most classic of situations, with two 73 hp Perkins (4,236 for the connoisseurs) coupled to shaft lines. Traditional mechanics that certainly show their age (this type of boat was produced in the early 1970s), but which has the advantage of remaining simple and accessible for maintenance. No big performance in sight. The first contacts with owners tell me a top speed of less than 10 N with a cruising speed around 6.5 N. Still faster than my sailboat, but not too fast either..
This "slow life" will have the advantage of not being penalized too much by a gargantuan diesel budget since at cruising speed, the 2 engines consume about 10 l/h (5 l/h each). Moreover, slowness is also synonymous with comfort. I don't want a speedboat that goes out of control and slows down. Although slow, life on board remains comfortable.
Once the decision is made, the next step is to find the perfect match. To find the ad that will make the dream come true!
Visit us at on the page Yacht-Club "An Amerglass for the Danube" to regularly monitor the progress of this project.
