After yet another day spent jostling for beach space my brother pointed out to sea and said, “Why aren’t we on one of those?” Following his gaze, I spotted a line of boats anchored serenely on their own private patch of azure Med.
And so began a 15-year odyssey and seven new vessels. I knew nothing about boats.
Research wasn’t easy back in 2004. I ended up buying a new Cranchi Endurance 33. It seemed a sensible, middle of the road boat with a good production record and some Italian flair. If we didn’t enjoy boating, we could sell it without losing too much money. It was a boat show boat so it was dripping with options.
The salesperson, Brigitte, convinced me that powered stern winches on a 33-foot boat were essential. My family said I would believe anything she said.
After signing the order, the hidden costs started to surface, like mooring buoys that had been held under water. We bought a berth in our local port of La Napoule and passed our International Certificate of Competence (ICC) with Mark, who ran a local sea school. We managed all our manoeuvring tests in a wind of less than 5 knots. How difficult can it be if there’s a bit of wind?
ENDLESS UPGRADES
On our first outing, the wind pushed us past our berth and down a narrowing channel towards the pizza restaurant. My daughter, never short of advice, shouted, “Call Mark!”
We survived this and many other disasters and decided to stick with our new hobby.
An MBY front cover enthusing about the new Cranchi Endurance 41 prompted me to upgrade. A part exchange was agreed. When we first stood at the helm, it seemed enormous.
The bow just seemed to go on forever. How would I be able to park it? After four years of amazing boating, with annual trips to Corsica, the Cranchi was starting to let us down. We also needed something bigger and more comfortable. The bed was a drop-down table and a jigsaw of infill cushions. It never gave a good night’s sleep and the kids had grown.
After two Cranchis, I longed for more quality and substance. The next size up was the sweet spot for Fairline, Princess and Sunseeker. All good boats and all represented in our port. It was a close call but there was something a bit special about Sunseeker, so in 2009 we ordered a Portofino 47 Open with early IPS engines.
I’m looking forward to a blissful summer of fun with the boat of my dreams
The salesman said that nobody ever ordered the Open version. Ours may be the only one in the Med! Just before signing I asked, “Can you assure me this model is not about to be replaced?” He assured me it wasn’t...
