Annapolis Yacht Sales Blog

AYS January Specials on Stock Boats!

2012-01-27T11:55:00.003-05:00

There are only a few days left to take
advantage of our fantastic January promotion...

Share the passion!

2011-12-02T16:33:00.001-05:00

Below is a link to a great article by Barrett Canfield of South Coast Yachts who reminds us to share the passion of sailing with those we love.

Watching his youngest daughter steering a Beneteau First 30, Barrett recalls, "That was one of those moments where you realize that life is at it's best...and you smile. It's a gift to be aware of those moments."

Click Here for the article in Latitudes & Attitudes January 2012

Photo from South Coast Yacht Sales

Annapolis Yacht Sales Power

2011-11-30T16:08:00.001-05:00

AnnapolisYacht Sales is pleased to announce that Patrick Hopkins has joined the AYSteam as our dedicated Powerboat Sales Coordinator.

After4 years of service in the US Coast Guard, Patrick worked his way from AssistantYard Manager to Head of Sales and Brokerage at a large marina in Rhode Islandselling Pursuit Boats and Glacier Bay Catamarans as well power brokerage boats.

Annapolis Yacht Sales has always maintained a great reputationfor taking care of their customers so when we were looking forsomeone to head up the Power division, Patrick’s experience in both service andsales was a great fit for us. Patrickwill be looking after our fleet of Beneteau Swift Trawlers, Greenline Hybridsand the soon-to-arrive exciting Beneteau Grand Turismo Express Cruisers. Hewill also bring to the sales staff at AYS a person dedicated to Power and willbe actively selling new and brokerage boats and looking for good listings forsale.

Patrick Hopkins can bereached at 410-267-8181 x216 or Patrick@AnnapolisYachtSales.com

Bon Voyage!

2011-11-21T15:56:00.003-05:00

Alex Kilmon, owner of the 2011 Beneteau Sense 50 "French Kiss", with a captain and 2 crew, headed out of the Chesapeake Bay to round Cape Hatteras on Saturday, November 19. First stop is Charleston, SC for Thanksgiving and then down to Key West until after Race Week. Thereafter, plans are cast in water...

Bon Voyage!
Thanks to Warren Green for these fantastic photos!

Harbor 20 Fall Special!

2011-11-11T16:59:00.001-05:00

The leaves are falling and so are theprices!
Special offer from the factory on fully equipped Harbor 20, loaded withselect premium upgrades ($4,440 value) at No Charge!
Order yours now and wrap her in a bow in time for the holidays!

Call for more information!

410-267-8181 MD

804-776-7575 VA

harbor@annapolisyachtsales.com

Congratulations Alex Kilmon!

2011-09-13T15:48:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Alex Kilmon who took delivery of 'French Kiss' on Saturday! Alex was the first customer in North America to purchase the new Beneteau Sense 50 during the US Boat Show last year. It's very obvious how much she loves her boat and looks forward to lots of entertaining aboard!

Alex is ready to celebrate!

This is such a gorgeous light and airy boat!

Alex worked with her good friend and our trusted

salesman, Jonathan Hutchings from our Deltaville Office

Tips on how to prepare your boat for a hurricane...

2011-08-24T15:59:00.005-04:00

Hurricane Irene is threatening to hit the Mid-Atlantic in the next 72 hours. Here are some great tips from our Service Manager, Chris Humphreys, to help you prepare your boat for a hurricane:

First and foremost- make sure your insurance policy is paid up to date and that you follow any requirements your insurance provider may have with regards to hurricane preparation.

Haul boat if at all possible- especially if your slip is in an unprotected marina or harbor.

Pull mast if possible (rarely done due to time constraints and cost/hassle factor).

Remove all canvas and sails. (Roller furling mainsails can be left inside mast but remove outhaul and wrap the clew of the main around the mast and tie off securely).

Remove dinghy and outboard motor from deck or davits and store in a secure place.

Tie all halyards up tight so they do not swing in the wind.

Secure boom so that it does not swing violently back and forth (secure traveler to one side and then tie rope to rail on opposite side the traveler is pulled towards).

Charge up batteries and disconnect shore power cords and store away (it is likely that the power will go out so there is no need for them).

Turn off refrigerator and freezer and empty perishable food.

Add dock lines as necessary to allow for tidal surge - Hurricane Isabel gave us an 8 foot surge and long dock lines were the key to a boats survival. Add chafe gear to dock lines. If possible make sure that someone can monitor the boat and adjust lines as necessary as long as it is safe to do so.

Make sure bilge pump is in good working order to handle any rain water that may find its way into the bilge.

Regardless of whether you keep your boat in the water or haul it to dry land, it is important that you follow the suggestions outlined above.
Remember: Boats are replaceable, human lives are not. Whatever you do keep this in mind. (Might not be a good idea to stay on your boat)

Beneteau Makes a Good Thing Even Better!

2011-08-01T12:00:00.003-04:00

The introduction of the Beneteau Swift Trawler 44 rated in the Top Five most viewed items on Motor Boating Magazine's website for the month of July. See why this new model is getting so much attention... CLICK HERE for the full article about the boat.

The BeneteauSwift Trawler 44 will be arriving in Annapolis in Mid-September! All 3 of the boats in the Swift Trawler line (34, 44 and 52) will be on display at Trawler Fest, Oct 4-9 and at the US Powerboat Show, Oct 13-16.

A Beneteau Wedding

2011-07-12T15:48:00.005-04:00

Jesse Baker and Jennifer Trent were married today at 11h00 on their Beneteau 411, "Maggie" at the Deltaville Marina. The ceremony was attended by about 20 guests who stood on the dock on the hottest day of the summer thus far! Not only were the bridal couple dressed in cool summer clothing -

'Maggie' was decorated for the occasion too!

Congratulations Jesse and Jennifer - we wish you many years of happiness and many miles of sailing on your Beneteau 411.

Jesse and Jennifer bought 'Maggie' in Deltaville in December 2010

What our customers are saying...

2011-07-11T09:22:00.003-04:00

Below is a great e-mail we just received praising Dan Nardo for his effort and professionalism in finding the right boat for his customer. Dan has been with Annapolis Yacht Sales for almost 25 years.

"After meeting with Dan in Annapolis prior to deploying with the military, I was absolutely confident in his ability to not only find my ideal boat but also to represent me in the US whilst I was deployed. This impression proved to be well founded as Dan actively sought out possibilities and maintained an excellent flow of communication throughout. After a number of recommendations, Dan found the boat that fitted all of my criteria. He was able to answer all questions promptly and accurately and provided excellent advice when negotiations commenced. Prior to settlement, Dan again represented me at the survey and in the processing of all associated paperwork. His advice, proactive nature and professionalism were outstanding throughout the entire process and I would certainly recommend him to family and friends in the future. Thanks Dan for finding my boat and making the purchase so painless. Your support whilst I was deployed was second to none and was much appreciated."

- Ross Chapman - New owner of a 2007 Beneteau 423

AYS receives 'North American Dealer of the Decade' Award

2011-07-01T16:12:00.001-04:00

When Garth was at the Beneteau World Dealer Meeting in France this week, three special awards were presented. Everyone at Annapolis Yacht Sales & Services is very proud and excited to be honored by Groupe Beneteau with the 'NORTH AMERICAN DEALER OF THE DECADE' award. Thank you to our wonderful customers who make it possible for us to love what we do and who we do it for...you!

Beneteau Trawlers Have Arrived!

2011-06-30T12:40:00.009-04:00

We are very excited to announce that we are now dealers for the Beneteau Trawler Range which includes the Beneteau Swift Trawler 34, 44 and 52!

Set a course for new horizons and experience the sea differently - fast, very maneuverable and truly comfortable, the trawler by Beneteau is the ideal boat for those who have the dream of traveling even farther.

See the Swift Trawler 34 at our office in Annapolis in early July! 410-267-8181

Click Here for photos of the Swift Trawler 52

Click Here for photos of the Swift Trawler 44

Click Here for photos of the Swift Trawler 34

We are currently updating our website, so keep an eye out for new information.

Wounded Warriors on The Bay

2011-06-06T11:45:00.004-04:00

On Friday, May 27, four local Beneteau 36.7's, our Greenline 33 Hyrbid and a Grand Soleil 52 took 19 Wounded Warriors boating on The Bay in a great event organized by Two Top Adaptive and the Wounded Warrior Project. The volunteers and participants all had a wonderful time and lucked out with fantastic weather to enjoy the fly over for the Naval Academy graduation from out on the water.

CLICK HERE for great pictures of the event, by Kristin

CLICK HERE for a wonderful and exciting video of one of the boats sailing, by Kristin

CLICK HERE for more great pictures of the event, by Doreen

We look forward to being a part of this event again...next time with 10 boats! :)

Sabre 456 Review

2011-06-06T11:39:00.003-04:00

Check out this great review of the New Sabre 456 from Sail Magazine. And definitely take a look at the video for a tour of this gorgeous boat!

CLICK HERE

Harbor 20's Arrive in Annapolis!

2011-05-25T13:21:00.009-04:00

Three gorgeous new Harbor 20's arrived in Annapolis yesterday!

Two are sold boats that will be part of the Annapolis Yacht Club's
fast growing fleet of Harbor 20's! ('Teal' and 'Stars & Stripes Blue')

One of those is this stunning 'Teal' hull that everyone in the boat yard is talking about!

The 'Burgandy' hull is our new stock boat...
come by any time to take a look or call to schedule a test sail! 410-267-8181

Sailstice DelMarVa Rally 2011

2011-05-13T18:07:00.002-04:00

It's not too late to sign up for the Sailstice DelMarVa Rally 2011! Boat owners are also looking for crew! Join the group on Saturday May 21 at Port Annapolis for a get together about the event!

From the DelMarVa Rally Website...

Be part of a new Chesapeake Bay tradition—

the “Sailstice DelMarVa Rally 2011”

Ready to experience an Atlantic passage with other cruisers?

The Sailstice DelMarVa Rally will offer boat owners, skippers and crew the opportunity to experience ocean sailing and bay sailing for seven days with other sailors and a few scheduled ‘party’ stops along the way. This 400 mile+ passage will be what sailing memories are made of.

The 2011 Rally will begin in Annapolis for an ‘up the Bay’ sail with a stop just before the C&D Canal. Your journey will continue through the C&D Canal before you begin the Atlantic leg to Hampton, Va. With a great rally party scheduled at Hampton Yacht Club, the rally will continue to Solomons Island for a rally wrap up party at Southern Maryland Sailing Assn.

Rally Entrants will be included in all of the planned events: the Rally “Inaugural” Party on June 18th and the Hampton and Solomons parties. A skipper’s bag will provide all kinds of fun stuff, including crew tshirts AND the first 10 entrants will receive a Commemorative plaque.

Proceeds will be donated to Annapolis Community Boating in Annapolis, Southern MD Sailing Foundation in Solomons, and Wounded Warriors in Hampton, VA.

Your participation in the Sailstice DelMarVa Rally will also introduce you to the requirements for ocean racing events, including the Bermuda Ocean Race (BOR) and others.

For additional information on participating, volunteering or sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at info@delmarvarally.com

- 2011 DelMarVa Rally committee

Harbor Masters

2011-04-20T11:41:00.002-04:00

"On the eve of his retirement, California's illustrious one-design boatbuilder looks back on a few company milestones that shaped the sport." Check out this great article from Sailing World Magazine about Tom Schock and the company that builds Harbor Sailboats.

Click Here for the Article

Congratulations!

2011-04-19T16:18:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Tom & Karen Lawler, who took delivery of their new Beneteau 40 "Starlifter" yesterday. Happy Sailing!

Congratulations to the McCafferys

2011-04-12T14:08:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to son and father, Sean and Dan McCaffery, seen here on delivery day with our service manager Chris. Sean and Dan took delivery of their new Beneteau 37 over the weekend. We look forward to seeing "Coriolis" out on the water this season!

Beneteau First 40 in the Caribbean

2011-03-30T13:57:00.004-04:00

A great post on 'Sailing Anarchy' about the Beneteau First 40 that Annapolis Yacht Sales commissioned last year for Jaime...

Captain Morgan

Sr. Chief has been a loyal Anarchist for years and he shares his fun in the Caribbean with y'all...

Flying out of Detroit for any reason is a good thing. Flying out of Detroit to St Thomas to see an old friend and race on his brand new boat with a group of world class windsurfers and kite surfers... I couldn't put a price on it! Smile and Wave, a brand new Beneteau First 40, was on its delivery to Cowpet Bay , when I walked off the plane to 85 degree temps and traditional trades with puffy cumulous clouds dotting the blue caribbean sky.

I had sailed this race last in 1976 aboard Jaime's father's Swan 44, Jibaro where we won all the silver, beating a young Peter Holmberg and another Icon, Rudy Thompson. With a new boat and a crew who had sailed little together before, and sailing in the biggest division we were off to our worst finish of the series on the the first day with a disappointing 6th. As the breeze filled in and we settled into our comfort zones, we would finish the next 5 races, 3.1.3.1.3 to finish a strong second in CSA 2. The conditions were perfect and the parties at the St Thomas YC were equally awesome. My old friend Jaime and his regular crew of adrenaline junkies was the best part of the regatta.

Our nights at the house breaking bread at the crew dinners and the walks to the boat in the morning are what I enjoy of this great sport. The camaraderie, meeting new friends, and sailing well made for a great regatta and a nice piece of crystal! Mi nuevo amigos de Puerto Rico , muchas gracias, y buen trabajo, Jaime!

03/29/11

A Letter from Garth Hichens, President of AYS

2011-03-28T12:21:00.004-04:00

It is hard for me to write this without it sounding like a sales pitch (which it probably is ) - but that’s we what we do at Annapolis Yacht Sales, we help people fulfill their dreams of owning a yacht.

However, I honestly believe that the reason Annapolis Yacht Sales has remained so successful since 1953, is because we do more than just sell yachts, we make lasting friends out of our customers and we impart knowledge and offer advice and that is what I would like to offer in this message.

I believe right now is possibly the best time that I have ever seen to buy a new yacht , and I want to tell you why; both to help AYS sell boats but also to make sure that you do not miss a golden opportunity . Think of it as getting a heads up on a sure stock, or the horse that’s going to win the Preakness, in advance.

Here are my reasons to buy now (in no particular order) :
1) Beneteau has kept their prices down for several years because of the economy; on top of that they have specials on a number of models that roll the price back several years. But be aware they can’t hold these prices for too long, inflation is going to raise its ugly head, raw materials have all increased in price and they will have to raise the price sometime soon.
2) Inventory of old boats is almost gone; all AYS stock boats are 2011 models but at 2010 prices.
3) Beneteau has completely restructured the way they build their boats, and are now the most modern and efficient factory in the US - you can still order most new models to your personal specifications and be on the water this season.
4) Financing of yachts is greatly improved. Annapolis Yacht Sales is able to get some of the lowest rates we have ever seen, and for good credit scores can once again get down-payments as low as 10%.
5) A few years ago we had problems finding slips in the Annapolis area - today we have Marinas calling us weekly offering specials on slips. Here's an incentive - if you purchase a new yacht of 40 ft or less before May 1, 2011 we will give you the first year slip rental in Annapolis free!
6) Beneteau and Sabre have spent this recession tooling up for new models and we now have more choice than ever. Look through the new yachts on our website from the great Harbor 20 and 25 daysailers, through the line of Beneteau Oceanis series, onto the revolutionary Beneteau Sense 50 and 43 with Dock and Go, the new Beneteau First 30, 35 and 40 and the brand new sabre 456 launched at Annapolis Boat show. On top of that we have the award winning Greenline 33 and shortly the Greenline 40 - these economic and green Hybrid power boats have taken the world by storm, winning awards at every show where they have been presented.

I think you will agree with me that this is really a good time to purchase a new yacht. We have all endured a couple of difficult years, and the economy is finally coming back - this summer instead of standing on the shore watching the gorgeous boats sailing by, you could be the captain sitting back at the wheel while your family relaxes in the cockpit, sailing under the Bay Bridge while the thousands of cars driving overhead look down in envy.

Call and talk to one of our experienced salespersons, you won’t be sorry and you won’t be looking back in a few years kicking yourself for missing this opportunity. And remember - don’t blame me, I warned you.

Garth Hichens
President of Annapolis Yacht Sales

Greenline 33 Wins 'Green Boat of the Year'

2011-03-05T14:40:00.004-05:00

Motorboating Magazine named the Greenline 33 Hybrid it's 'Green Technology - Boat of the Year 2010'! 15 awards in 9 countries! There's no doubt this stylish, comfortable, eco-friendly cruiser is making a big impression. See her in Annapolis at our office - 7350 Edgewood Road, Annapolis, MD 21403. 410-267-8181 She'll be launched and ready for sea trials within the next month!

Click Here to read the review from the magazine.

Zincs

2011-03-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

ZINCS

One of the things that pains me every winter when I walk around the boat yard is the number of boats that I see that do not have any sacrificial anode (zinc) left on the prop(s) or prop shaft(s). I walked around the yard this morning and took an informal survey and found just about fifty percent of the boats sitting here in the yard had either no zinc or a zinc that was more than 50% gone. Some boats even had large barnacles growing from where the zincs once were.

At the risk of being obvious, the purpose of an anode is to protect the underwater metals on a boat from being eroded by galvanic corrosion. This includes props, shafts, through hulls and stern tube nipples. The effect of galvanic corrosion can be very slow - it could take years for it to show up in the form of a pitted prop or shaft or even quicker on a smaller part like a stern tube nipple or thru hull fitting. Whether slow or fast the effect is devastating to both your piggy bank and your boat.

You must check your zincs three to four times a season. Regardless, you should be having your bottom, shaft and prop cleaned at least that often as well. Most divers offer flat rate fees for changing zincs. It is cheap insurance and will improve the performance of your boat. We know that some marinas do not allow divers, but most of these marinas offer discounted mid-season short hauls for bottom cleaning and zinc replacement.

There are two other things you can do to add additional protection to your underwater metals. First you can add a grouper anode (fish zinc) that is electrically connected to the shaft and prop. You can also add galvanic isolators which will separate your boat from the other boats plugged into shore power at your marina.

For a more in depth discussion check the following links

Marine Corrosion

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/MarineCorrosion.htm

Sacrificial Zincs

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/23.htm

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me either by phone (443.848.2364)

or email fred@annapolisyachtsales.com

- Fred Wagner

After Sales Coordinator

Annapolis Yacht Sales

Caribbean 1500 - A First Hand Account

2010-12-02T13:41:00.005-05:00

The following is a wonderful first hand account of the Caribbean 1500 written for us by our very own Tim Wilbricht about his second trip...

Having just returned from my second consecutive trip on the Caribbean 1500, I have to say this well run flotilla is without a doubt the most fun, exciting and safe way to get down deep into the Caribbean aboard a sailboat. The Caribbean 1500 is a rally that leaves out of Hampton VA to either the Bahamas or in my case, to Tortola in the BVI’s following the yearly hurricane season. Each vessel, captain and crew is scrutinized carefully to ensure that all the safety requirements are on board and the boat is ready for such a trip. Constant weather updates and training sessions are available to get the captain and crew ready as well. Despite all the preparations, this is still a very much an adventure and not without risk as we found out this year with the first ever loss of a boat and loss of life.

The rally usually begins in very early November but was delayed this year by a full week as the remnants of Hurricane Tomas were allowed to weaken and head offshore. The winds are typically strong and steady this late in the season, and the past two years have been picture perfect heavy air downwind sailing. A field of 80 yachts headed out in a group that stays in constant using SSB radios with a mandatory check in at 8am and 7pm every day.

We left out early from Hampton on the morning of Monday, November 8th in 25 knot winds after a final captain’s meeting regarding weather conditions. On the same vessel as my previous trip, I was aboard a 2003 Moody 54 named “Habits of Health” that I sold to Wayne and Lori Anderson of Annapolis MD. They have really done an amazing job in upgrading this already nice boat into a floating palace. We had every amenity imaginable thanks to the help of Miles Poor of MRP Refit, who also serves as the 1500 medical advisor.

We got out of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay quickly and tried to chase down three boats that had left the previous day…the week delay had put its strain on several crews’ and owners’ plans with many last minute replacements flying in to brave the trip. The first day we raced down the coast and once south of the treacherous Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras we turned east just a bit out of the lee of the mainland and into the Gulf Stream. The waves built quickly ranging from 20 to as much 25 feet, though due to our down wind direction were more of sleigh ride than a nightmare. It was then that one boat, Rule 62, changed its course and would eventually end up beached on the shore of Lanyard Cay in the Bahamas. They had decided to break from the pack and head down further south in an attempt to get one of the crew, who was not taking the heavy seas well, off the boat.

Our seasoned crew had quickly adapted to our regular routine once in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream; the heavy layers of cold weather gear were replaced with shorts and tee shirts and very competitive card games commenced. The big boat handled the waves and wind with ease and we dined on very tasty meals, read books and took our turns on watch. We also put out a fishing line in an attempt to reel in a big mahi mahi, tuna or wahoo. Other boats had quick success at fishing including an estimated 800 pound marlin that was properly brought the boat, photographed and released. We had to bide our time in having that elusive fresh catch meal for dinner.

The news of the tragic end to Rule 62’s voyage ripped through the fleet as we learned she attempted, despite warnings, to go through one of only a few ocean passages into the Bahamas. They broke a few cardinal rules of going into this shallow island chain: they went in during what the locals call a “rage” which means the waves were huge and breaking, they went in at night which is an absolute “no no” especially in these conditions, they went through the cut with their hatch boards not in place with a following breaking sea, and they got off the boat into the life-raft when the boat was still above the water…all of which culminated in the loss of the boat and a crew member to the crushing waves and unforgiving teeth of the multiple reefs which line the Bahamain chain’s ocean sides.

Despite the devastating news we continued to dive deeper south and took a bit of lead in the Cruising Class. There are two divisions in the rally, you can officially race down with the Rally Class, where the point to point race has a winner depending on your PHRF handicap, or you can cruise down mild mannerly in the cruising division…which for us is still a bit of a race. Last year we were the first boat to cross the finish line from the cruising class and the fourth boat over all and we wanted to repeat this feat in this year’s rally. The old adage is that whenever there are two boats on the horizon, there is a race going on. Despite the fact we did not see any boats on the horizon (the boats had become too far apart,) we kept track of other boats’ positions by using the daily check-ins and news from home as our families watched us race across their computer screens - thanks to transponders that are affixed to every boat before the rally begins. This year, the enhanced website gave some prettying amazing details about each boat’s performance.

The routines became more familiar to our crew as all four of us participated for the first time on the same boat last year and with the familiarity, the card games got more and more fierce…the meals equally as amazing and the fish equally elusive. The previous year the fishing portion or our trip was short lived as we had our fishing line stripped out, with no replacement on board, during the first few days of the trip. This year we hooked into a monster that did the same, though we quickly resupplied the reel and threw out an additional hand-line for good measure. We watched our miles tick off as the winds began to relax a little. The low pressure system above us pushed the winds around further to the North as it grew closer and closer, just as predicted. The rum line was a bit harder to follow as we chased our VMG east.

The skies were clear and the sun was out every day of the trip and we watched Atlantic dolphins play in our bow waves and huge rainbows sprouted in pairs across the sky in giant multicolored arches. We hoisted the cruising spinnaker and flew down the big waves until a micro burst ripped it down. Undaunted, we raised the Code Zero and continued to push the boat closer to our destination. Then on the afternoon of our last day at sea, we heard the reel whining and quickly jumped on the stern. A nice sized mahi mahi catapulted out of the water fighting our efforts to get her on board for dinner. As the fish raced past the hand line, the water exploded around our second lure as a wahoo also decided to vie for a spot on our dinner table. The mahi tossed the hook as we brought it to our boat so, despite having two fish on at once, it was wahoo that finally made it to the grill that night…a much tastier fish to me!

My final late night watch was rewarded with an unfettered view of the starry night sky. It is always astonishing to see vast number of stars one can view in the ocean’s view of a dark night. The sight of land is a rush after a long voyage and Jost Van Dyke peeked at us over the horizon on the early morning hours of our final day at sea. After another hearty breakfast, other islands in the chain popped up and we knew we were close to the finish. We past one final boat on the last day to become the third boat across the line having finished behind a 65 and 64 footer - not a bad trip at all for our fine vessel. We had a few very fine meals at some local restaurants once reaching land in Tortola and an immensely enjoyed snorkeling trip to a favorite spot off Norman Island. Parties and celebrations ensued back at the main destination of Nanny Cay Marina as we welcomed the other boats into the harbor. Despite the tragedy which befell this year’s Caribbean 1500, we certainly had as much or more fun this trip as the last. Offshore sailing can be a real adventure, the risk is very often worth the price so long as you pay close attention to the weather, heed the warnings of seasoned sailors and travel with others when you are able.

- Tim Wilbricht

A busy November!

2010-11-30T12:30:00.008-05:00

Annapolis Yacht Sales has been busy over the past month with fun and exciting news and events. Here's a recap of November...

The Beneteau Sense 50 and Beneteau First 30 won 'Best Boat' from Sail Magazine! Click Here to read all about it! (Stay tuned for more exciting news regarding the new Beneteau Sense 43 to be unveiled at the Paris Boat Show in December!)
The Howe family took delivery of their New Beneteau 40 on Veterans Day after dreaming of sailing a Beneteau as a family for 5 years!

Mike and Diane O'Toole christened their new Beneteau 40 'Varmint' at the dock with friends and Charles and Denise!

Anne Hutchings and friends from Annapolis Yacht Sales South ran a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning for a charity benefiting Animal Welfare! Go Anne!

Bruce and Marcia Talley took delivery and christened their new Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 41! Marcia put together a great video of the meaningful christening which you can view HERE

Annapolis Yacht Sales announced that we are now dealers for Harbor Daysailers! Harbor 20 hull #'s 311 and 312 arrived this morning!

Phew! 2010 is ending with a Bang and we're looking forward to the holidays and an even more excitment 2011!

Beneteau steals the show!

2010-10-11T07:13:00.001-04:00

BENETEAU WOWS THE CROWDS AT ANNAPOLIS WITH “SENSE” PLUS “DOCK & GO” WHILE WINNING ACCOLADES AND SALES

ANNAPOLIS, MD OCTOBER 10, 2010: While hundreds looked on under gorgeous Indian summer skies at the United States Sailboat Show, Beneteau demonstrated its revolutionary Dock & Go joystick maneuvering system aboard a brand new concept in live aboard sailing yachts, the SENSE 50 footer. Operating in just a 60’ by 60’ square, Garth Hichens’ team at Annapolis Yacht Sales has proven that with this new innovation a child can easily move a 50 foot sailboat side to side, quickly rotate it 360 degrees or slide it in any direction to make docking stress free. Every two hours as the Dock & Go demonstration concluded, the appreciative crowd erupted into applause at the wonder of this exclusive development from Groupe Beneteau. The Dock & Go is available on Beneteau 46 and 50 foot models equipped with 76 HP engines

The SENSE range, soon include a 42, has also garnered note as being a truly new concept in yacht design. Unique hull form mated with an amazing combination of on deck and interior livability have already cemented the launch of this series of boats which offer the feeling of living in the open, both in the cockpit and down below. “The public loves the SENSE. And we have already received several orders for it from the target clientele which was to bring new people into sailing. In fact one of the orders received at Annapolis is from a couple who have never owned a boat before! ”, exclaimed Mike Lecholop, Vice President of Sales. Lecholop revealed that with one day left to go, Beneteau USA is about 25% ahead on the value of contracts written last year at the Annapolis sailboat show.

In addition to multiple sales of the SENSE, Beneteau dealers have already enjoyed improved sales on the full range of yachts, whether built in Marion, SC or imported from France. “This is the best show in years. Not only has the weather brought out all the sailing public, but the buyers are here again. I worry that on some models, such as the new Oceanis 50, we may run out of available spring deliveries, if we don’t get the orders in soon. That’s actually a nice problem to have again.” remarked Glen Winter, owner of Winter’s Sailing Center in Riverside, NJ.

Beneteau also won two other accolades in the first days of the Annapolis show. Sail America awarded Beneteau the Best in Show trophy for the big boat display category for its unique “island” booth layout which allowed the Dock & Go and new models to be highlighted. Plus Wayne L. Burdick, President of Beneteau USA, received the SAIL magazine SAIL’S INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARD for his decades of involvement in all aspects of sailing, from voluntary service in boating associations to leading the premier American sailboat builder.

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 31 to 50 foot production sailboats in Marion, SC and imports sailing and power yachts up to 58 feet in length from its parent company in France.

Beneteau 58 Delivery...from the crews perspective...

2010-09-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

September 14, 2010

Garth,

Once again I would like to thank you for the opportunity that you provided me and my good friend Mike Everett to accompany you on the delivery of new Oceanis 58 to Newport. Although it only took my mind about 1.5 seconds to say yes to this incredible offer I knew I would need to discuss this with my wife first. My biggest concern in approaching her with the idea was I knew I would be affecting plans of our “adult” family get together at the Virginia Wine Festival on Saturday the eleventh and would have to cancel our plans to join friends in their suite for the Redskin Dallas game on Sunday evening.

When I first mentioned this to Holly it took her about 1.5 seconds to say I understand, you got to do this, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I do have a good woman!

Okay Skipper, here is my report on our adventure. First I must say that Miss B58 is one big beautiful lady with awesome lines, power and easy to respect. Every detail on this vessel is carefully thought out from electric winches, rotating chart plotter, a cockpit where one can relax without being in the way of the ongoing control of the vessel as all lines lead aft to the winches. The ease of going up and down the companion way while underway, even in heavy seas is easy with the well thought out stair approach with hand rails and plenty of other hand holds available. The separate beverage holder where you can store plenty of bottle water, beer, wine, and sodas is a fantastic idea. Want to fix a cocktail? No problem just goes get some ice out of the ice machine located in the cabin next to the liquor locker!

The berths are spacious as are the heads also with a well thought out layout. The galley with separate fridge and freezer had all the comforts of home. Even the range has a vent a hood, how awesome is that. The only complaint I found through our 46 hours at sea when we spent about half of our time on a port tack and the other half on a starboard tack is we needed a gimbaled microwave that would have been beneficial as I was cooking microwave dinners with gravy our other liquid in them.

I was also awe struck as to how we could do 9 knots in 10 knots of wind. I was also impressed how well she handled the 25 plus knots of wind that we were in and how reefing and do an occasional trim of the sails we could create a comfortable ride in some very weird ocean conditions where we had tide, current and wind all working in different often opposing directions. She became the beast against Mother Nature and kept all of us safe and secure.

It also was fun when we put the rail in the water, you probably remember me yelling yippee yie yoh baby! As we were cruising along under sail at 10.4 knots with a third of the main out and about a quarter of the jib.

I remember before leaving a good friend said I bet by the time you get there you will think about a hundred K in options you could put on that vessel. I will have to report back, sorry I don’t think so. You can store your dingy on the huge swim platform or you can deflate it and blow it up latter with the built in air compressor so no need for davits. You could put a fitting chair on the swim platform that would be a pretty cool option. I guess you could rig her with a spinnaker, full cockpit enclosure, solar panels, track vision and a couple of other communication options, maybe stick a work bench or a compact washer dryer combination in the front crew berth but that’s about it. This baby pretty much has about all you could need.

Despite all of these fun things that we did and encountered one of the things that will stick in my mind for a very, very long time will not just be this great experience that you provided to me but will be our one on one chats during the middle of the night as we sat at the helm. I always enjoy hearing about people’s life stories and how they came to be what they are today and the trials and tribulations they went through to get to their current position in life. You also know that I am proud of the trials and tribulations that I have gone through to get where I am today, I never would have made to where I am today without Holly. Thus the best part of these conversations the three of us all agreed with is that we all are very fortunate to have great wives that tolerate us and support us.

And now for my conclusion; you once were the person I called to complain about something with my new 43 or to ask advice about things or to work out details on upcoming CB2 issues and events. Those days are over. I mean they are totally over. Now I will just call a good friend named Garth, a friend that I found and that found me.

Respectfully

Kevin P. McKibben

Beneteau 58 delivery to Newport Boat show.

2010-09-28T11:47:00.001-04:00

The Maiden Voyage for the new Beneteau 58 was the delivery from Annapolis to Newport RI for the Newport Boat Show. Garth Hichens was ably assisted by Mike Everitt and Kevin McKibben, flag officers of Club Beneteau Chesapeake Bay (CB2) and ...both owners of new Beneteau 43's. They were chosen to crew both for their sailing experience and their ability to entertain with rousing stories while standing watch. They even drew an audience from 20 miles offshore - a little woodpecker had to come enjoy the company and the fine yacht.

We left Annapolis Friday at 1pm and were tied up in Newport by 11am on Sunday. It was a great trip which included rough sailing Saturday night in 25 knot winds and square 4' seas, causing us to hold speeds to 6 knots for comfort. The 58 is so fast, motor sailing with the main and engine running at 2000 rpms we made 8-9 knots. Although the wind was on our nose most of the time we had a couple of hours of great sailing, especially Saturday evening. A memorable sunset and cruising at over 10 knots. What made the trip very satisfying was the total reliability of the yacht, brand new - out of the box - with no sea trial; this sophisticated yacht made the 350 miles to Newport with no problems other than adjusting the catches on the cabinetry.

Thanks to Mike and Kevin for crewing. It was great to be back at sea and the 58 is really the Jewel in the Beneteau Crown of fine yachts.-Garth Hichens

CLICK HERE to see pictures from the trip!

Beneteau Boarding Pass

2010-09-27T16:03:00.001-04:00

By Appointment Only!! Register Now for your appointment to view the new models at the Annapolis Boat Show! Oceanis 58, Sense 50, First 30 and First 35
CLICK HERE to register for your appointment!

Congratulations!

2010-09-27T16:00:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to The Comeau's who cut the ribbon on their brand new Sabre 456 over the weekend!

Need for Speed!

2010-09-27T15:52:00.004-04:00

Peter De Lorme snapped this photo on his blackberry while out for an afternoon sail on Saturday aboard his Beneteau 31!

Mark your calendars....

2010-08-16T16:12:00.003-04:00

Annapolis Yacht Sales Open House

Saturday and Sunday, September 25 & 26

10am - 4pm, Rain or Shine

Be the first to see the brand new models:

Beneteau First 30

Beneteau First 35

Sense 50 by Beneteau

Oceanis 58 by Beneteau

Also in stock: Oceanis 50 by Beneteau, Beneteau 43, 40, 37, and 34!

Don't miss this chance to see new models before everyone at the Annapolis Boat Show!

What our customers are saying...

2010-08-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

Garth,

On Saturday afternoon I was working on the boat at the dock and was using the shop vac when I lost AC power on the house side. I checked the circuit breaker under the nav table and at the pedestal and even checked the one at the galvanic isolators – none had tripped. I didn’t have any idea what to try next and was worried that I had really blown something. The only positive thing at this point was that I didn’t smell anything burning, but I was worried. All sorts of things went through my mind. How was I going to finish the work, how was I going to keep the batteries charged for next week’s Governor’s Cup Race, how much was this going to cost me, etc., etc. At that point, I did the only thing I knew to do – I got out my cell phone and hit the speed dial for Fred. I wasn’t sure if he would answer, and I wouldn’t have blamed him if he didn’t, after all, it was a very nice Saturday afternoon. I was very relieved when he did answer with a bright and cheery – Hi Mike! I told Fred what I was doing and what happened and what I tried to do to fix the problem – to no avail. Fred immediately diagnosed the problem and told me to check the circuit breaker behind the radio panel. I completely forgot about that one! Sure enough, that was the problem. I reset the breaker and I was back in business. (I also turned off the water heater while I was using the vacuum.)

I can’t begin to tell you what a comfort it is to have Fred available to help. I really hate to bother him outside of business hours (these things never seem to happen during regular business hours), but when I do, he never gives the impression that he is bothered or inconvenienced by the call. Fred is a credit to your great organization and service department. In an age where many businesses talk about after sales support and service, but routinely fail to deliver, AYS delivers.

Please extend my thanks and compliments to Fred.

Sincerely,

Mike Everitt

Welcome to the newest member of the AYS Family...

2010-08-07T13:38:00.002-04:00

William David Dawson
Born July 21, 2010 at 12:47am
10 lbs 7 oz
22 inches long

Beneteau Introduces "Sense"

2010-07-28T14:43:00.006-04:00

A New Range of Open Living Aboard

Click for...

Press Release Website Preliminary Brochure

What our customers are saying...

2010-07-07T13:16:00.002-04:00

Garth,

I want to thank you and Fred again for your help just prior to the BOR start. Your efforts to find a replacement e-120 with about 90 minutes before race start time were outstanding to say the least. In addition, your help, as well as that of Jonathan and Anne, Fred and Richard, in the preparation for the race helped us cut through much of the detail in getting ready for the trip.

You may recall when we were in the purchase decision phase for our 43, that we were looking at other boats as well. One bit of advice you gave us at the time was to consider the service reputation and abilities of the competition. We did just that and concluded that AYS was the right choice. AYS’s assistance since we purchased Capricious in 2007, including our most recent adventure, has always been prompt, filled with suggestions and alternative solutions and has left us more informed and feeling even better about our original purchase decision.

Now, about the race. As you know, it was a slow slug down the Bay. A spinnaker would have been a very useful addition as the winds looked more like August than June. Most of our class dropped out of the race at or near the bottom of the Bay. The ocean portion was a mix of more doldrums and several days of really good sailing. 48 hours of a starboard tack, at a 15 to 20 degree heel, in 15 to 25 kts. winds made up for those really slow days. We were within 80 miles of Bermuda with about 14 hours to go, making a pace that would put us at the finish in about 11 hours. Then the wind began to drop. By 1700, we calculated that we would need a cat 3 hurricane, with winds in the right direction to make the cut-off. Needless to say, that didn’t happen.

Our return trip was certainly more exciting. Winds were consistently good through the first 5 days, with only the trip up the Bay being slow. For about 36 hours, we had 15 to 20 on the beam, in 6 to 12 foot waves through the Gulf Stream. The occasional series of 3, 20+ footers kept us on our toes both day and night.

In all of that, Capricious performed beautifully. She handled heavy winds and waves, and kept bouncing back for more. And while the wind and waves put her under a lot of pressure, my repair list is manageable and minor (a block, some sail repair, a lifeline clip, couple of hatch seals, etc.). With well over 4,000 miles on her, she is doing fine.

Thanks again for all of your help. Anything we can do in return…just ask.

Mark Rickey

Dream turned into Reality...

2010-07-06T12:56:00.002-04:00

TJ and Donna Morrissey's Beneteau 40, with 'Dune' colored Gelcoat hull,
at her first anchor on the Rhode River.

What our customers are saying...

2010-07-06T11:24:00.004-04:00

Garth and Dan,

Saturday we closed on our new boat and I wanted to take a few moments to express our gratitude to you, Chris, the entire AYS team and especially Dan. It has been ten years since we bought our 361 from AYS and about five years since we sold her through AYS. Now we have our new, and to Dan’s dismay, probably our last boat. Throughout all this time we have never been disappointed or ever questioned the integrity of AYS. Yes we love the Beneteau brand but frankly the reason we have bought our Beneteau 46 and not ‘brand X’ has been because of you and the entire AYS team. I can only imagine how difficult the last year or so has been for your business as well as the industry in general. Yet I have always felt comfortable calling, visiting or as Dan would say – driving around the yard drooling over the boats. I just want to say thank you to both of you, Garth for the business you have built and Dan for being there whenever I needed you. So, as Anne-Marie and I start a new adventure together we wanted to share a few photo’s with you from Saturday.

After 42 years, she still loves me that’s why I bought HER the boat!

Dan and I hoping Anne-Marie will not fall off the back of the boat.

Dan contemplating his commission.

Don contemplating future boat costs!

And, Anne-Marie thought you may want a picture of Dan’s backside, not sure why she took this picture but what the heck I have a boat again!

Once again thanks to both of you, Chris and the entire AYS team. I am looking forward to many years of working together on Kinja.

Don and Anne-Marie Gallagher

Beneteau First 30

2010-07-06T11:12:00.002-04:00

Some more photos of the Beneteau First 30 sailing in France from Sailing World

Recently Wayne Burdick, President of Beneteau USA, was in France to check out the New First 30...his reaction..."She is COOL!" We're all looking forward to seeing Hull #4 in Annapolis for the US Boat Show in October, but for now, here are a few more pictures of the commissioning in Saint Gilles...

Beneteau First 30 - First Sailing Session!

2010-07-06T11:07:00.002-04:00

From the 'Log Book' of the new Beneteau First 30 design team... Check it out HERE.

'Bermuda Blue' makes a big splash!

2010-07-06T10:51:00.004-04:00

A new Beneteau Oceanis 50 delivered to South Coast Yachts with the new 'Bermuda Blue' gelcoat hull is the talk of the town last week! What a gorgeous boat!

Happy Birthday AYSS!

2010-06-01T14:17:00.001-04:00

Today marks 5 years since our Deltaville, VA office first opened their doors!

Happy Birthday Annapolis Yacht Sales South!

Congratulations!!

2010-05-26T16:18:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to the DeLormes! Peter and Anita took delivery of their new 2010 Beneteau 31 on this bright sunny day! The DeLormes are Dutch and have lived in Richmond for the past 5 years. Congrats and happy sailing!

Beneteau USA Celebrates with Family Fun Day!

2010-05-25T13:16:00.003-04:00

BENETEAU USA CELEBRATES WITH AN OPEN HOUSE AND
FAMILY FUN DAY FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

MARION, SC, MAY 24, 2010: Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat builder, marked recent production success and improving sales by holding a Family Fun Day on May 22nd. Beneteau USA employees and their family members celebrated with food, games, rides, prizes and tours of the new plant organization.

“It has been several years since we hosted an event like this,” said Jennifer Reinman, Beneteau USA’s Human Resources Director. “And as we are on an upward trend we decided it was important that we illustrate our commitment to our employees-first-culture. Over 400 attended, and a very good time was had by all.”

“We have gotten through some challenging times and we would not have been able to succeed without our incredible team’s hard work. Their efforts continue to amaze us, such as with the complete transformation of this 25 year old factory into a modern, world class- continuous flow - single line- lean manufacturing facility. The Marion plant is now the only American sailboat plant able to build anything from 30 footers up to 50 footers, all in the same quick-flow process,” claimed Wayne L. Burdick, President of Beneteau USA.

Tours were given to family members to reveal the new factory layout. "Since arriving in Marion over 25 years ago, we have strived for excellence. That has also meant acknowledging our employees talents and loyalty. In doing that, they have continued to lead Beneteau USA as the largest producer of sailing yachts on this continent," stated Gerard Martineau, Vice President of Manufacturing. “We appreciate all of their efforts and wanted to be sure that their families see our appreciation and pride in what they have accomplished at their new plant.”

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 31-50 foot production sailboats in Marion, SC and imports sailing and power yachts up to 58 feet in length from its parent company in France.

2010 Deltaville Dealer Days brings in the crowds!

2010-05-20T11:22:00.006-04:00

THIRD DELTAVILLE DEALER DAYS BRINGS IN THE CROWDS

Deltaville’s premier Boat Dealerships hosted their third combined Open House called the Deltaville Dealer Days on May 1 & 2. The spring sales event was a great success with the hot weather bringing out the crowds and putting people in the mood for some serious boat shopping. The town of Deltaville was alive with activity as people flocked to visit Chesapeake Yacht Sales, Gratitude Yachting Center, Norton Yacht Sales and Annapolis Yacht Sales South. Each dealership had a range of new and used boats on show and boat-buyers were able to view and compare boats to their hearts’ delight. The Farmers Market and the Working Waterman’s Weekend at the Deltaville Maritime Museum drew good crowds on Saturday morning.

The Deltaville Dealers would like to thank the record number of sponsors of the weekend who gave the event their support and in return many reported bumper traffic. Sponsors were EVB, Norview Marina, J & W Seafood, Ullman Sails, Ships Tailor, Deltaville Boatyard and Marina, Traditional Yacht Surveyors, Sea Tow, West Marine, Hurds Hardware, Delta Boat Survey, Chesapeake Marine Railway, Chesapeake Cove Marina, Coastal Marine, Coastal Comfort Mattress, Neena Rodgers, Regatta Point Yachting Center, Bay Area Rigging, Schroeder’s Yacht Systems, Zimmerman Marine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Virginia Sportsman Magazine, Pleasant Living Magazine & Spinsheet.

The draw for the Moorings Charter took place on Tuesday May 4 and the winner of the Sunsail Flotilla Charter in the BVI was Eric Johnson of Keswick, VA.

"The Big Draw"

"The Big Winners!"

The 2011 Deltaville Dealer Days will be held on the first weekend in May.

"Hula Gal" makes her maiden voyage with her new captain!

2010-05-17T13:28:00.001-04:00

Garth and Tim,

Just an update that our Sabre 426, "Hula Gal", and her crew of 6 had a fantastic three-day run down from Newport, arriving in Annapolis early this morning. She performed flawlessly in everything ranging from motoring all the first night into a 20-knot headwind and rain in Long Island Sound to sailing double-reefed and with a partially furled jib in beautiful weather off the coast of New Jersey. She handled beautifully under sail and I was surprisingly impressed at the amazing little Yanmar 55-hp engine, which pushed us along at something over 7 knots - into the wind.

The Delaware Bay was very kind to us in that we had a totally calm sea state, clear blue skies, numerous porpoise sightings, a gorgeous sunset and, save one, and almost no commercial traffic. We did do the C-D Canal on what was a very dark moonless night last night and were surprised by a huge dredge and a couple of very poorly lit attending vehicles parked right at the Canal entrance as well as a temporary wall blocking off about 60% of the normal access - needless to say, our two one-million candlepower spotlights came in very handy indeed! Then, leaving the Canal, I'm not sure we could have navigated the very dark and narrow channels of the Elk River without what came to be our best friend, the Raymarine NavPod - it's perforance was awesome as well.

Favorable currents almost the entire way, along with better-than-expected boat speed, boosted our pace to the extent that, even with a night off to avoid thunderstorms at Barnegat Light, NJ, we still arrived in Annapolis this morning about 5 hours early, making the total trip time something slightly under 3 days.

Thanks to both of you for all your help in negotiating the purchase of this beautiful boat as well as for your assistance after the sale in helping me to prepare for a spectacular maiden voyage.

All the best,

Tom

New Sabre 456

2010-05-10T15:00:00.003-04:00

The link below to an article about the Sabre 456 is the culmination of 7 months of fun and co-operation between Sabre, two of our best customers, Phyllis and Bob Comeau and Annapolis Yacht Sales. What made the birth of the 456 happen was the willingness of Sabre to take a big step forward, their commitment to the recovery of the sailing market and the experience gained by Phyllis and Bob in taking their Sabre 426 down to Florida this winter. They made several overnight passages and gained the knowledge needed to be partners in the redesign of the interior. The close support of designer Jim Taylor in discussing keel and rig options increased the pool of knowledge and has made this yacht an evolutionary step forward. Please call Annapolis Yacht Sales for more information about this great addition to the Sabre line up.

Blue Water Sailing article about the New Sabre 456

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-04-27T14:58:00.000-04:00

4/19/10

Well it's official! JOYRIDE arrived home yesterday at 1300, salty, dirty but in all other respects in fine shape. This officially ends our grand adventure and I must say it has been a fun trip. Some scary moments, but far more outstanding memories of fine sailing, great sunrises and sunsets, many new friends and lots of lobster. JOYRIDE will go to the yard on Thursday for engine maintenance and a wax job and then will be ready for the forthcoming season. I will attempt to send some photos in the next couple of days, after I finish scrubbing the salt off.

Best wished to you all.

Fair winds,

Pete

'Wind Gypsy'

2010-04-18T20:07:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Roger Spreen for sending us this gorgeous picture of his recently purchased Morgan 384 on her mooring at Tidewater Marina in Havre de Grace! Roger is thoroughly enjoying his Morgan, and we're glad to hear about it!

Nonsuch 30 finds her new home!

2010-04-06T11:01:00.005-04:00

Congrats to Peter and Lynn Green who just purchased a 1989 Nonsuch 30 from Tim Wilbricht at AYS. Here are some great pictures of the boat making the trip to St. Johns Creek and tied up to her new home!

'Joyride' takes a joyride South

2010-04-05T10:36:00.001-04:00

WOW! We left Marsh Harbor yesterday at 0845 on a beautiful day with easterly winds at 8 to 10. That allowed a motor sail to Great Sail Cay, (72 nm ), a trip that took three days last fall. We left Great Sale at midnight motoring across the Bahama Banksand clearing into the Atlanic at 0700. The day dawned bright and clear with winds again from the east. The gulf stream gave us a real push as we quartered across at speeds up to 9.5 kts. The result was our arrival here in Ft. Pierce at 1500 this afternoon. Twenty five hours under way at an average of 7.1 knots. Quite a way to finish. JOYRIDE needs some serious attention as we have a busted head, lots of salt to wash off and a thorough cleaning inside and out. She will then be placed in the capable hands of Lisa Morrow who will take her home.

Gin and I have had a great winter and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Abacos. Now it's back to home to ready the arrival of JB's family, get the house and yard in shape and plant the garden. We will, of course, continue to sail this summer and look forward to less strenous journeys...I am feeling my age this afternoon!

Thanks to all of you who kept us posted on events back home. We look forward to seeing you all soonest.

Fair winds

Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-04-05T10:31:00.001-04:00

Well, all good things must come to an end. We have spent the last five days in Man O' War getting engines serviced, bottom cleaned and painted and zincs replaced. Enjoyed MOW immensly as it is very laid back and quiet. Only one restaurant and no liquor serviced. The weather broke to spring two days ago so we will depart Marsh Harbor tomorrow and start for Florida. If all works as I hope we will be in Green Turtle Cay tomorrow, Great Sale Cay on Saturday and Ft. Pierce on Sunday.

It has been a wonderful trip and we have met a great many new friends and learned many new things about sailing, navigation and ourselves.

We will let you all know when we arrive safely in Florida via e-mail and phone.

Best wishes,

Pete

Congratulations!

2010-03-23T13:58:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Thomas and Donna Morrissey on their 2010 Beneteau 40! They ordered a new Beneteau 40 with a 'Dune' colored hull and it's getting rave reviews and comments on how great it looks! '3/4 Time' arrived on the Morrissey's 26th wedding anniversary!

'Joyride' takes a joyride South!

2010-03-23T12:49:00.001-04:00

Good morning all:

Well it's a rainy day here, but the wind is down and temps are up. That's a good thing. The last week has seen us get out of here for a couple of days but then get chased back by a front that came through last Thursday. Finally had a really nice sail for three hours coming back to Marsh. We have started the preparations for heading home. Topsides have been waxed, bilges cleaned fridge and freezer defrosted and lots of general cleaning. We will haul out next Monday for engine and hull maintenace and head back here to the Jibroom to fuel and provision and await a window to get to Florida. We have hired our friend Lisa Morrow, a delivery Captain, to take the boat from Florida to Virginia so we can get home and get things ready for Michele and the girls to arrive in early May. She told us that JB will leave Kuwait in the next few days for Iraq and he will then let us know where he is.

This really has been a grand adventure. Gin and I look forward to getting home, having long hot showers and a little more elbow room. I will try to get one more of these off before we depart, if not I will let you all know when we get to Florida.

Until then, Fair winds,

Pete

New in Blue...

2010-03-15T12:30:00.002-04:00

Exciting picture of the new Oceanis 50 #3 in Blue at the factory in Marion, SC. AYS has ordered a new Beneteau 40 in this same blue which will be in Annapolis for our

Spring Open House, April 24 & 25!.

Congratulations!

2010-03-15T12:28:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to John and Linda Dunnigan who's 2010 Beneteau 40 arrived last week!

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-03-08T13:01:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends:

We have completed our first week back in the Abacos. A week filled with restocking, cleaning and readying the boat for the Cheatham's visit The week has been filled with an assortment of "interesting" weather We have had a series of cold fronts over the last week bringing some rain but very heavy wind. The Cheathams arrived on Thursday and we bounced our way to Great Guana in 3 to 4 foot seas and 20 to 30 knot winds. We are presently at Orchid Bay marina and the kids are at Grabbers "bed, bar and grill." While the winds have setted some they are still in the 15+/- range. Not enough to dampen the weekend of Barefoot Man concerts, Stone Mckuen concerts and Brown Tip Rake and Scrape. I will explain rake and scrape some other time in full...briefly a saw aknife and guys who can sing dance and make sounds on the saw. Cindy and Caroline are enjoying the sun, Deane and Clayton are kite boarding and we will head offshore tomorrow to fish. The weather is supposed to calm for the next three or four days before another "mild" front comes through on Saturday. We are thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of having the Cheathams here. Great after seeing JB and his family while we were home.
Folks are starting to talk of the trip home. Many of our new friends put their boats on the hard here and return in the fall. Gin and I will make the trek home starting in early April, hoping to arrive by May 1st. Hard to believe the adventure is looking at the finale.

Until the next time,
Fair winds,

Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-02-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

2/6/10

Good morning:

I know most of you are in the throes of yet another big snow storm. The storm brought another cold front here with winds at gale forces. The good news is that we are in the marina and the temps are in the sixties.

We have had a great week. Our friend, Denise McAdams, joined us on Monday for the week. We departed Tuesday and SAILED to Guana where we showed Denise Nippers, Pirate Cove and Grabbers. She spent the day on the beach enjoying the sunshine. Wednesday saw us go around the corner to Bakers Bay.

We were lucky in that we had the place to ourselves and received a full tour of the 700+/- acre property. $220,000,000.00 invested thus far in the marina, marina village, golf course and infrastructure. It is a first class development that will be another seven to ten years before completion. Back to the marina on Thursday in time for Happy Hour here at the Jib Room.
Great way to end the day as everyone brings munchies and cocktails are two for one. Denise left us yesterdy and flew back to Norfolk. Leaving sunshine and seventies for rain/snow and the thirties.

We will close the boat up on Wednesday and fly home for a couple of weeks. I will keep you all posted on our continuing adventures. Until then,

Fair winds,
Ginny and Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-02-02T14:55:00.001-05:00

1/30/10

Good morning all:

Another beautiful day here in the Bahamas, while the mid-atlantic gets pounded again. We will get the mess tomorrow. The last week brought a road trip to Pete's Pub at Little Harbor, a place we can't get to due to our draft. A really beautiful hurricane hole with a small beach side restaurant and gallery. The folks cast bronze pieces on site using solar and propane as a basis for fueling the oven. They really do some beautiful work. Fourteen of us enjoyed the day. We also visisted the new development at Bakers Bay with the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club. This is a very well done land development with both ocean, sea of abaco and golf course lots...staring prices....$1.2 million. The marina is one of the nicest we have ever visited. Twenty plus boats were on the trip and enjoyed a great cookout. We were all in awe of Sandy Weill's 200' feadship...fourteen in crew, 40,000 gallons of diesel and parked in the marina at $2,100.00/day. More dough then I can comprehend.

We moved on to Great Guana on Thursday, enjoying a wonderful three hours of sailing. Came back in yesterday ahead of the next front. Cleaning chores, reprovisioning and general maintenance today and tomorrow as we await the visit of Denise McAdams, our great friend from Norfolk.

I'm watching the Weather Channel as I write and feel for you all at home...temps in the 20's and snow OUCH! Sorry to report it is sunny and in th 70's here. I'm sure the shelves at Ukrops are empty.

Fair winds,
Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride South!

2010-01-25T11:09:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 22, 2010

Morning all:

Another week crossed off the calendar. Hard to believe that January is almost over. We have had a nice week. After reloading the frig and freezer as well as the booze locker Gin and I set off on Tuesday on a flat calm day that was so crystal clear the brightness hurt. As we motored to Guana the bottom was perfectly clear. We could see the starfish and grasses so clearly it was hard to believe we were in 12 to 15 feet of water. We moved to Man O' War Cay on Wednesday. Our first time in there and it was very much an adventure. The approach is very narrow with rocks on both sides. After grabbing a mooring we walked around the place. It's spotless and has a number of great enterprises ranging from boat building (Albury) to ladies making tote bags and hats while you watch.

A nice place to visit. Back to Marsh yesterday ahead of another front which looks like it has you all on the homefront kind of wet. We expect the front tonight with another one on Monday.
Our best to you all. Until the next missive,

Fair winds,
Ginny and Pete
　
　

2010 Winter Seminar for Beneteau Owners

2010-01-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

Beneteau Owners meet for Winter Seminar

Forty members of Club Beneteau Chesapeake Bay (CB2) kept sailing alive in the dark, cold days of January. They met at the Wilton Coves Club house, in Hartfield, on Saturday January 16, for a Winter Seminar hosted by the CB2 Southern Fleet and Annapolis Yacht Sales South.

Topics discussed by Beneteau owners, included ‘Favorite Anchorages in the Chesapeake’ as well as changes made to boats to make cruising/sailing easier. Garth Hichens, Owner of Annapolis Yacht Sales & AYS South, Chris Humphries, the Service Manager and Fred Wagner, the After Sales Coordinator, came from Annapolis to give a presentation on ‘Ongoing Maintenance’, as well as to share their wealth of knowledge in answering questions from the Beneteau owners.

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-01-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

Good morning all:

Another week off the calendar. Time does fly when one is having fun. Gin and I finally got out of the marina last Wednesday after five days of winds in the 25 to 30 knot range. I did participate in the chili cookoff at the yacht club. Went up against 30 other "chefs". There were an amazing number of chilis including wahoo, chicken, conch and veggie. Ginny liked my chili but the judges didn't feel the same. I still have some left if anyone is interested. We spent two days at Great Guana and finalized arrangements for the Cheathams to visit in March. Also enjoyed time at Grabbers and Pirates Cove, two local places that have it all. Weather looks like the fronts are starting to soften so we hope to get out and about some more. Looks like winter has softened somewhat on the east coast...that's good as we will head home for two weeks on the 10th of Feb. JB and Michele will join us at home for ten days prior to his next deployment to Iraq in March.

Best wishes to you all. Until next time.

Fair winds,
Ginny and Pete

BENETEAU INTRODUCES ITS FIFTH GENERATION

2010-01-15T12:26:00.003-05:00

BENETEAU INTRODUCES ITS FIFTH GENERATION

MARION, SC: An increasing demand for larger, series built yachts which offer elegance at an exceptional value has lead to the development of Beneteau’s most recent additions, the Oceanis 50 and 58. These grand sailing craft introduce the fifth generation of the modern cruising range from the world’s top builder, and they launch a striking style which mates new design elements with sophisticated yet functional ideas.

Both the Oceanis 50 and 58, created by the teamwork of Nauta Design and the naval architects at Berret Racoupeau, feature a sleek profile with lean lines, a low coachroof highlighted by a long “eyebrow” window and a mounted mainsail arch. The injected GRP arch is ergonomically integrated into the design to blend into the overall taunt lines, and as there is no need for a traveler track on the deck, it allows for the companionway to be larger plus it provides ease of movement throughout the cockpit and into the cabin.

“It delivers a new interpretation of comfort and luxury under sail!” Said Bruno Belmont, Sailing Development Manager at Beneteau, upon testing the boats in their initial sea trials, where the performance was confirmed as continuing the trends to deliver ever faster sailing speeds with greater stability than predecessors of similar size.

The sumptuous interiors are entered by gently-inclined companionways which open into enormous saloons with galleys that are more like full-size kitchens. Forward, splendid owner’s staterooms with ensuite heads provide magnificent space and numerous unique storage compartments. Both the Oceanis 50 and 58 offer a choice of layout versions for sailing couples or cruising with a bigger family. They also encompass detailing that is luxurious and contemporary with woodwork in lustrous, mahogany stained Alpi, LED lighting, and stainless steel with leather accents. Each living space has innovative features which are firsts, such as vast areas of deck translucency on the 58 which brings the outside into the warmth of her interior, or the energy stingy, bi-speed refrigeration system on the 50.

The Oceanis 50, crafted at Beneteau’s Marion, SC factory, will make its North American debut at the Miami Boat Show taking place February 11th-15th. And while there, or soon after the show, there will be limited sea trial availability in the sunny climes of Florida. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this latest generation of Beneteau and perhaps sail her in beautiful blue seas! The Oceanis 58, produced in France, just made her debut at European shows.

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 31-50 foot production sailboats in Marion, SC and imports power and sailing yachts up to 58 feet in length from its parent company in France.

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-01-15T11:07:00.000-05:00

1/7/10 9:33am

Morning all:

Well the evil weather gremlins continue to plague us. We have, in the last week, had three cold fronts come through with cold temps and heavy winds.
Gin's brother and his wife flew in last Friday for a week here.
We managed to get two days of sailing in, the second of which we were fully reefed. It then commenced to blow in the 20 to 30knot range and the temps on Tuesday night fell into the forties. A real freeze for the locals.
We have today and tomorrow to get ready for another encounter on Saturday and Sunday with winds into the forties. Sure has put a crimp into sailing.
There is still lots going on...our next adventure is the men's chili cookoff at the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club. Ginny convinced me to sign on and I will do my utmost not to make a fool of myself.

A quick note to our friends at AYS and AYS South; JOYRIDE continues to please us in every way. The more we get to sail the more we realize how well this boat performs. In light airs she has continually run at 50 to 60 percent of wind speed, has a wonderfully balanced helm and is comfortable on all ponts. We have not experienced any more gremlins and enjoy our Beneteau thoroughly.

We are off to the grocery this morning to restock as our guests have gone.
All is well here.

Fair winds,
Ginny and Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2010-01-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

12/31/09 11:33am

Happy New Year all:

As I sit here watching the Rose Parade I find it hard to believe that another year and decade has past. Hopefully the coming year will bring good health, prosperity and peace to us all.

We continue to enjoy the Abacos...sailed to and from Guana last week and then moved to our new home at Marsh Harbor Marina, home of the Jib Room. We enjoyed a great party last night here, steak with all the trimmings, a rum soaked bread pudding for dessert accompanied by great island music. Gin's brother and his wife arrive today along with another cold front! Gale force winds are called for tomorrow but we will get out for four days on Sunday. Hope to get to Man o'War Cay and Treasure Cay if the weather allows. I will let you all know how we get along next week.

Fair winds,

Gin and Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-12-11T12:43:00.000-05:00

Dear friends:

It's another beautiful day here in Marsh Harbor. Gin and I have been out and about for the last three days enjoying Great Guana and some fine sailing. Christmas is in full swing here with many of the restuarants, homes and boats showing beautiful decorations. Lots of activities on all the cays with parties going on each night. As Christmas approaches I thought I would send some reflections on our journey thus far:

* leaving home, chilly yet warming with each day as we moved south

*Stress of tides, inlets and bridges with inexact heights causing the sound of bells as our vhf antenna stuck the stringers

*overnight passages filles with the majesty of the milky way and the brightness of the moon

*packing away the jeans and jackets

*watching dolphins frolic off our bow

* the warmth and cobalt blue of the gulf stream

*watches the hi-rises of Palm Beach sink into the sea

*the emerald green of the Bahamas Banks

*sailing the sea of abaco seeing the bottom as through a looking glass

*the beaches of Guana

*wonderful new friends

*80's in December

* Christmas decorations on coconut palms

* lobstah for dinner twice a week

The joys of being here grow each day as we settle into the easy going way of life here. Mornings bring work parties...maintaining the boat, groceries, washing clothes...all the ordinary things we would do at home. Then we break away from the dock and go play for three or four days until water, food or drinks run low. Then back to the dock to start all over again. Oh what a complicated life.

Our best wishes to you all. More in a week or so.

Fair winds,

Pete and Ginny

Congratulations John & Beverly Blais!

2009-12-07T15:03:00.002-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS John and Beverly Blais!

Southern Bay Racing News You Can Use # 472
SBRNYCU is an independent weekly publication of southern Chesapeake Bay racing happenings. Founded in April, 2000.

STARDANCER, COOL CHANGE, SCOUNDREL, and FAITH won their fleets in the 32nd Annual GABOON RACE yesterday. What was billed by the weather experts as a likely bitter cold day turned out to be, for most of the racers, not too bad. The downwind, down current start in Hampton River caught some thrill-seekers unaware as they surged over the line ahead of their assigned starting time. There were several in the fleet of 23 who had to re-start. Stardancer, John Blais' Beneteau First 36.7, was first to finish the pursuit race followed by Richard Payne's J105, Flying Colors, and Phil Briggs' J36, Feather. Fleet Results: PHRF A - 1(and overall winner) John Blais, Stardancer; 2.Richard Payne, Flying Colors; 3.Phil Briggs, Feather. PHRF B - 1.Rusty Burshell, Cool Change; 2.Bill Gibbings, Jonathan; 3.Ben Cuker, Callinectes. PHRF C - 1.Cliff Porter, Scoundrel; 2.Mike Klopf, PDQ; 3.Tom Wood, Sarenda. PHRF Non-Spin - 1. Jerry Lotz, Faith; 2.Tony Thornton, TL Sea. Event Chair - Phil Briggs; Race Committee - John McCarthy, Buk Lawrence, Dick Boykin, and Lin McCarthy. Mark Boat - Marshall Findley and Sue Downing.

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-12-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Good morning all:

Well we transition today. Gin's brother Bob, who has been with us since we left, will head back to Seattle and winter, this morning. He has made the trip ever so much easier and will be missed.

Gin and I will spend the next couple of days working on the boat as we expect a cold front through here Saturday. While the "cold" is in the 60's, the winds get into the 20' and low 30's. A good time to be in the marina. We will move to a different marina after Christmas. A number of good friends are at the Marsh Harbor Marina and the cost is somewhat less than where we are now. Christmas is in the air here. Marsh Harbor will celebrate on Saturday with a big parade, junkanoo, craft and food fair. I will attempt to send photos with our next missive.

I know the weather on the east coast has been cold and wet. It is in the 70's here and very humid. Come visit when you can, bring your dark glasses and sun block. I have the rum.

Fair winds,

Ginny and Pete
aboard s/v JOYRIDE

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-12-01T11:27:00.001-05:00

Hello from Marsh Harbor and Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Our voyage ended yesterday with our arrival here at the Conch Inn Marina. Customs and Immigration allowed us in, no figuring that, and we have a nice slip in which to rest when we are not off exploring. The trip over from Florida was very easy. We left N. Palm Beach at 0600 on Monday, received a very nice boost from the gulf stream and crossed onto the Bahama Banks six hours later. After another nine hours underway we anchored in the lee of Great Sale Cay for the evening. Tuesday we headed for Baker Bay at the North end of Great Guana and anchored once again. Steak on the barby that night! Wednesday we moved to Conch and finished our journey. We have been treated to dolphins, flying fish, unbelievable sunrises and awesome sunsets. I think the most amazing thing I experienced was the transition from the cobalt blue of the gulf stream to the tourquoise of the bahama banks in the space of two miles. We also went from 2000' feet of depth to 35' in that same distance. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy the slow pace of the Abacos. I will continue to keep you all posted on our travels, in the meantime,

Fair winds,

Ginny and Pete

Another Happy Customer!

2009-12-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

Garth,

Several weeks ago we experienced a nasty storm named IDA. At Selby Bay Yacht Cub we experienced steady winds blowing in the upper 30’s and gusting much higher. My boat is kept in a tight slip with a little more than two foot of movement available at the beamiest point. When we purchased our boat from AYS Tim Wilbricht convinced us that we should let Roy build and install our rub rails. It has turned out that this was a very wise decision. The winds that were pounding Selby Bay that day were on the rear quarter of the port side which resulted in Grey Goose performing a fabulous carving job on the new piling on her starboard side. When the manager called to inform me of the situation he stated they could not adjust the lines due to the wind but they had slipped a small cushion between the boat and the piling. While all of this was going on I was on my way to Richmond to see my five year old grandson who had just been admitted to the hospital with the flue and pneumonia. The boat was the least of my worries as it is insured. As it turns out my grandson is home and doing fine and the following weekend I got to go to the boat and check it out. I was amazed! The piling is now about one inch less in diameter and my starboard deck looked like the floor of a wood shop with shavings all over it. The rub rail is fine, polished up a bit and now I must state:

Thanks Tim for the great advice; Thanks Roy for your excellent work!

Respectfully,
Kevin P. McKibben

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-11-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

November 16, 2009

Good afternoon all:

Well...our first destination has been reached. We made Fort Pierce at 1400 this afternoon, one day late from our original estimate. The trip has been wonderful, dolphins, manatees, offshore adventures, green flashes and capped off today with a brief view of the shuttle launch. Even from twenty miles away it's an impressive sight. JOYRIDE has performed wonderfully...we have averaged just under a gallon per hour in fuel burn and with prices down here that's a major advantage. We will get her serviced and move on to North Palm Beach for Thanksgiving and then on to the Abacos.

All is well with us and we send our best to you all. More soon.

Fair winds,

Ginny and Pete

"Joyride" takes a joyride south!

2009-11-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

Good morning all:

We awoke to glorious sunshine this morning, after two days of cold and rain compliments of IDA. We are in Daytona Beach and trying to sort out some bridge issues south of us in order to proceed. Apparently the NASA railroad bridge is being repaired and has closed the ICW for long periods during the day. Of course, no one knows what the story is including the Coast Guard. I guess it's the old adage..."I'm from the guvmint and I'm here to help you." The trip continues to be uneventful save for the bridges and the currents which have been a challenge from time to time. There are some beautiful homes along the waterway, but they are, in most cases, large enough to house half of Bejing.

We are awaiting word on the outcome of the nor'easter spawned by IDA. We had flooding around the house yesterday and the higher of two tides was last night. If the cottage flooded, again, we will probably put the boat up in Ft. Pierce and head home for clean up duty. Hope that's not the case.

JOYRIDE continues to perform beautifully and is comfortable in all respects...thank you AYS South and AYS.

Fair winds,

Ginny and Pete

Beneteau Factory Transformation

2009-11-11T14:17:00.003-05:00

BENETEAU USA INC. TRANSFORMS FACTORY INTO "JUST IN TIME LEAN MANUFACTURING"

Marion, SC, October 19, 2009: With a huge investment in a new CNC machinery driven woodshop and a complete overhaul of its production areas, Beneteau USA Inc. is in the process of revamping its 250,000 square foot facility into the most modern big sailboat factory in America. Contractors, advisors from parent company Groupe Beneteau, and South Carolinian team members are scurrying to change the 25 year old factory from the past style of eight independent production lines into a new, single line, continuous flow production facility comprising 20 operation positions. The outcome of this new way of building will allow shortened lead times, less work in process and greater flexibility in model mix. The Marion plant will be the only American sailboat plant able to build anything from 30 footers up to 50 footers, all in the same quick-flow process.

“This is an amazing feat for our team, as it truly was an internal initiative that came from the leadership of our Vice President of Manufacturing, Gerard Martineau, working with the full spectrum of production from managers to those on the floor. They have developed a system that is unique in our end of the industry and will eliminate wasted time while improving quality and flexibility,” said Wayne Burdick, President of Beneteau USA. “When the plant reconfiguration work is complete and we are able to turn on the new, lean, mean, production machine, no one else in the US will be able to make cruising sailboats with as much efficiency and flexibility of product mix. This should give Beneteau a strategic advantage to quickly provide the best value in exactly the model our customer wishes to buy.”

“I am proud of all the work by our people in Marion to prepare for this mode of manufacturing. We all went to school together to learn about lean manufacturing, work flow and value stream mapping, and the result proves that this great team of boat builders is equal to any in the world when it comes to new ways of thinking and doing. Great work by this very motivated group will launch us into a new era of excellent quality at the best price and the quickest delivery, continuing Marion’s claim of being the largest producer of sailing yachts on this continent,” stated Mr. Martineau. “In the month of November current production will temporarily cease, so that the remains of the existing independent lines can be moved into the new continuous flow platforms which are already in place. I can’t wait to see the results when we start humming in early December!”

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 31 to 50 foot production sailboats in Marion, SC and imports sailing and power yachts up to 58 feet in length from its parent company in France.

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-11-11T13:35:00.001-05:00

11/7/09

Good morning all!

It's a tired one but we made the trip to Fernandina Beach without a hitch. Left Charleston at 0900 and arrived here at 0815 covering 156.12 nm. Yesterday was really fun. We had dolphins playing around the boat for hours. We were about 15 miles offshore and they put on an awesome display. At sunset we enjoyed a spectacle I have never before seen...the vaunted Green Flash, as the sun goes under the horizon. Pretty neat. Then, after the sun set and before the moon arose, we experienced the darkest night ever. It made for a very special view of the stars. We made the entrance to this place at sunrise and tied up at Amelia Island Boat Basin at 0815. A very tired crew, but the trip saved four days in the swamps of South Carolina and Georgia with their awful tides, currents and bridges. I suspect that after we wash the boat and ourselves the bunks will get well used. Jacksonville will probably be next. More soon.

Pete

IRC CHAMPIONS!

2009-11-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

IRC EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIP

Annapolis, MD - Thirty eight yachts raced in 5 classes with conditions ranging from 7 to 23 kts, with light rain on Sunday ahead of a cold front.

Class winners:
Class 1 - Decision IV, TP 52, Stephen Murray Jr. (New Orleans, LA)
Class 2 - Sundance, Farr 40, Matt Beer (Washington, DC)
Class 3 - White Heat, King 40, Mike Williamson (New Castle, NH)
Class 4 - Down Time, Beneteau 40.7, Ed and Molly Freitag (Annapolis, MD)
Class 5 - Pegasus, Beneteau 36.7, Peter Firey (Vienna, VA)
CONGRATULATIONS to Ed and Molly Freitag who had our very own Fred Wagner racing with them over the weekend!

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-11-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

10/30/09
Good evening all:

The first week is ended and we are in Wrightsville Beach, N.C.. We left Morehead City this morning and went off shore to Wrightsville. What a great day. While we did not get all the sails up, as we were running downwind, we motorsailed with the genoa up and covered 65 nautical miles, (75 statute miles), in 8 1/2 hours. Much better then fighting the traffic, currents and bridges on the ICW. Nice dinner aboard tonight and tomorrow we will move on to Southport where Granny and PopPop used to live. Weather continues to be marginal, we haven't seen the sun in four days, but the temps are comfy, I'm in shorts and t-shirt as I write this. We hope to get another window like today to move on to Charleston quickly. We'll see what the weather brings and keep you all posted as to our progress.

Aboard "JOYRIDE"

Pete

'Joyride' takes a joyride south!

2009-11-02T16:01:00.003-05:00

Pete and Ginny Clay take off on their Beneteau 46 'Joyride' on their way south and are keeping us posted of their adventures...

10/23/09
Good afternoon:

Well, the adventure started today! Left at 0700 and made 60 miles to Great Bridge, Va.. Motored the whole way as what wind we hsd was right on the nose. Boat performed beautifully. Tomorrow we head to Coinjock, N.C. and will await the weather report to continue.

We will write more in a few days.

Pete and Ginny

Congratulations to Tim Wilbricht!

2009-10-22T16:15:00.003-04:00

Tim Wilbricht has been with Annapolis Yacht Sales for 11 years and this year, for the 7th time, he has won the Beneteau Top Gun Award for Outstanding Sales and Quality Customer Service!

Congrats Tim! Enjoy your trip to the Paris Boat Show!

Boat Show Breakdown

2009-10-14T12:22:00.002-04:00

Check out this video of Garth being a dare-devil once again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzelFzF93-g&feature=player_embedded

Thanks for sharing, Ted!

Fall Open House - This weekend!

2009-09-23T12:12:00.001-04:00

Fall Open House & Boat Show Preview
Join us this Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 4pm

New Boats on Display: Beneteau 31, 34, 40, 43, 49, First 10R, and the New First 40! Also, the Alerion Express 33, and Wauquiez 41PS. Plus hundreds of Brokerage Boats!

Prizes, Refreshments, Music, Lots of free Parking & you can beat the large boat show crowds!

FREE Seminar - Saturday & Sunday 11am
"Buying and Selling a boat in Today's Market"
Paul and Dan, our two oldest... er, most experienced... yacht brokers will give you all the answers you've been looking for.

Selling your boat? Who should sell your boat? Yacht Broker vs. For Sale By Owner, plus options of chartering and donation. Also how the economy has affected the process of selling your boat.

Thinking of buying a boat?Get advice on how to find the right boat for you, New vs. Brokerage boats, Equipment you'll need, Cost of ownership, Financing and more!

Hope to see you there!

Call 410-267-8181 for more information
CLICK HERE for customizable Directions to our Annapolis Office

CONGRATULATIONS!

2009-09-21T19:00:00.002-04:00

Paul and Jerry Frets took delivery of their Beneteau 37 last week! This is their 3rd Beneteau. They keep the boat in Deltaville at Stingray Point Marina.

The Taylors adventure on their Beneteau 43 "RaJean"

2009-09-09T10:12:00.003-04:00

Hi Anne,

Want to let you know we had another fantastic weekend this past weekend on "RaJean". We met up with an ex-coworker (Catalina 32) and Louis Etheridge (Jeaneau 40) at Fishing Bay on Saturday. All 3 boats were anchored with many other boats in fishing bay. There were some real beauties there. We picked up RaJeans brother early Sunday morning at FB Marina (dingy ride) and headed to Reedville (Cockrell creek) where we would meet up with Louis again. Had a great evening of food and festivities and socializing along with a little fishing (caught absolutely nothing).

Monday morning they were forcasting rain for Monday afternoon along with winds out of the north @15-20 and gust with 1-2ft seas. The gust were 25-30 and seas were more like 2-3ft. At around 7:30am it seemed everyboat in Cockrells creek left at the same time and we were out of there with them. We hoped to get in before the rain.

Well!!!!!! As we entered the Wicomico it was starting to look very interesting, the water was a little rougher than normal and the winds (they had been steady all night in the creek) were as predicted 10-20 out of the NNE. We motored ESE out of the Wicomico to set up for a nice downwind sail home. Once we got to a suitable position that would alow us to broadreach and surf to just inside (9ft or greater) Windmill point we sailed the Genoa and shut off the engine and were off. We reached 6.5kts on the Genoa alone while surfing. After discussion with The Boss we unfurled the main and sped home reaching speeds of 8.5 to 8.7 (sog) while surfing. It was unbelievable. We all had such a fantastic time and I just wanted to share the story with you.

When we turned up the Rapahannnock river we tacked one time and sped up river at anywhere from 7 to 8.2 kts(sog). As we were headed up river we past a B43 (I think ) with the blue bimini you recently sold. They were motoring downriver. We sailed all the way up the Carrotoman to the 1st green marker where it started to rain like crazy. We had just furled all the sails before the rain. You could see it coming. RaJean (The Boss) broke out the foul weather gear and we droped anchor to wait out the rain and possible wind. We were not about to take any chances damaging our yacht trying to get into a slip during a storm. We sat there and tidyed up a bit took showers etc and waited for the rain and front to past. Motored in, rinsed her off, fueled her up, pumped her out, went home (My brother in law was thrilled and so were we).

"RaJean" is an exceptional yacht. She's easy on the eye, gets you there quickly and safely, takes care of you with accomodations that are nothing short of luxurious while you are on anchor or dock then brings you home quickly and safely. Perfect!

I learned much about our yacht's performance, sail trimming and equipment on this trip. It was an opportunity where lots of things learned were tested. Most importantly I gained confidence in myself and our yacht in much less than ideal conditions. (We were getting gust to 30 and the seas were more like 2-3 ft all the way)

Thanks,
James

Congratulations!

2009-08-20T11:08:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Paul Messina and his son Mike, who are taking delivery of their

2010 Beneteau First 36.7!

Enjoy your new boat!!!

Paul staying cool under the dodger! It's another hot day in Annapolis!

Fred, our after sales coordinator, showing the guys around down below!

CONGRATULATIONS TOM & JIM!

2009-08-07T16:00:00.004-04:00

Brothers, Tom and Jim Wilbanks, took delivery today of their New Beneteau 54, Helena!

What a gorgeous boat she is! Happy Sailing!!!

Don't Let your Kids Miss this Great Opportunity!

2009-08-05T13:16:00.002-04:00

http://annapolisboating.org/programs/spirit-of-america

Annapolis Community Boating is happy to announce that they will be conducting a boating introduction/boating safety program through the Spirit of America Foundation.

This program is open to youth ages 11-13 and will be a full week of camp.

During the week the students will:
* receive their boater license for MD
* learn how to use life jackets properly
* learn how to sail
* learn how to kayak
* learn about motor boats
* learn how to jet ski
* learn how to canoe
* learn how to row
* ride in a US Coast Guard boat

Tentatively the dates are set for Aug 16-21st at Mayo Beach Park. This camp is free with the understanding that the students are able to make every session.

For further information email info@annapolisboating.org

What our customers are saying...

2009-08-03T17:22:00.001-04:00

Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 1:22 PM
To: dave@annapolisyachtsales.com
Subject: Re: Wind Seeker

Dave,
It was fantastic!!!

We left around 6:30am and motored due to lack of wind until noon when the winds kicked up. I set the sails and sailed all the way down to Solomons. The winds were a steady 10-12 knots with gusts up to 15. I was able to get her up to 6.5 knots under sail with the boat heeled all the way over. Best possible day I could have asked for. No real issues with the boat, everything seems to be working fine. Fred's called me twice to follow up just to make sure I wasn't having any problems or anxiety over anything but alls fine.

I am really happy with how this worked out.
I can't thank you and your team enough.

Best Regards,
Joe Costa

Beneteau USA Receives CSI Award!

2009-08-03T11:11:00.004-04:00

BENETEAU USA RECEIVES CSI AWARD

MARION, SC: The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has announced that Beneteau USA is a recipient of the 2009 Marine Industry CSI Awards. This award marks the third consecutive year that Beneteau USA has secured this honor. NMMA launched its CSI program in 2001 to provide boat and engine manufacturers with an independently-measured, cost-effective means of improving customer satisfaction in the boating industry.

Award recipients will be acknowledged during the 2009 International BoatBuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), taking place October 12-14 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The Marine Industry CSI Awards program honors participating manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve the customer. Award recipients achieved and maintained an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine during the period between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Participating manufacturers are required to survey all new boat buyers during this period.

"As we work to strengthen our industry, customer satisfaction and retention will always be our foundation for growth," said NMMA president Thom Dammrich. "This year's Marine Industry CSI Award recipients are at the forefront of our industry's growth potential and are helping ensure the experience of purchasing and owning a boat add value to the overall enjoyment of the boating lifestyle."

"Consistently surveying our customers to measure their satisfaction levels has been a strategic commitment of ours for years. The objective of participating in the NMMA program has always been to use this valuable information to drive ourselves towards even higher levels of quality while exceeding the expectations of the owners of the beautiful floating dreams our Beneteau team in Marion creates." said Wayne Burdick, President. "We are so proud to learn that Beneteau USA is the only sailboat manufacturer in the world to receive the NMMA 2009 Marine Industry CSI Award."

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world's largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 31-49 foot production sailboats in Marion, SC and imports sailing and power yachts up to 57 feet in length from its parent company in France.

What our customers are saying...

2009-08-03T11:08:00.001-04:00

Charles and Denise,

I'm a bit tardy with this so I hope you understand how things can go sometime. I wanted to thank you both for all your help and support with the purchase process on my new boat. The two of you made the whole thing a great experience. I believe AYS is the best out there. The product is a good one. The people are knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful. And the purchase process is only the start. Richard was a great delivery captain and a blast to sail with. Fred has been on top of things with the post-delivery. Chris and Bobby did top notch work on the commissioning and installations. Even Mr. Hichens was there to personally congratulate me on delivery day! Great job everyone and again...Thank you.

Paul Landers
Proud captain of Alison-Rose

CONGRATULATIONS!

2009-07-31T16:50:00.003-04:00

Congrats to Joe Costa who took delivery of his new Beneteau 323 last week! Joe and his wife Dawn are very excited about their first boat and we know they'll have some wonderful days sailing our beautiful bay! Enjoy your new boat Joe!!!

2009 Lukemia Cup Regatta in Deltaville, Va

2009-07-17T16:42:00.004-04:00

Annapolis Yacht Sales South was one of the sponsors of the 2009 Leukemia Cup Regatta held in Deltaville on July 11 & 12. The Deltaville Leukemia Cup is a well attended event and raises a significant amount of money annually for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year, the Regatta and related events has raised $160 000 thus far.

A number of AYSS customers participated and aquitted themselves extremely well in a competitive fleet:

Glenn Doncaster and his crew on the 2009 Sabre 426, Nanuq, won the PHRF non-spinnaker class in their first regatta ever.
L to R: Glenn Doncaster (owner/skipper), Danny Tucker, Jonathan Hutchings, Mike Doncaster and Keir Penny. Garth Hichens raced with the crew on 07/11.

Jay Rickles and Robin Garelick came second in the Cruising Class on their Beneteau 473, Quantum Leap.
Front row: Jay Rickles and Robin Garelick (skipper-owners). Back Row: Dave and Petra (Crew)

Speedy and Nancy Lloyd came 6th in the Cruising class on their B43 Marnicliz. It is the first time they have raced!

Congratulations to you all! We're proud of you!

Congratulations Joseph & Dawn Costa!

2009-07-13T15:30:00.002-04:00

Joe cut the ribbon on his New 2008 Beneteau 323 last week...

Congratulations! Thanks to our speedy commissioning team

Joe and Dawn will be sailing the bay next week!

Congratulations Mark & Liz!

2009-06-29T10:57:00.003-04:00

Mark & Liz took delivery of their New Beneteau 37 on Saturday, June 27. The weather was gorgeous and the delivery went very smoothly! Congratulations on your new boat!!

Broker, Paul Rosen, delivery captain, Richard Ewing, and After Sales Coordinator, Fred Wagner (not pictured) were there for Mark and Liz every step of the way.

Congratulations!

2009-06-26T11:34:00.001-04:00

Ken & Lynn Goetzke took delivery of their Beneteau 43, 'Spaniel Main' on June 26 2009, in Deltaville. This is their second Beneteau bought from AYS South.

2009 Alerion Express 28 Chesapeake Bay Fleet Rendezvous

2009-06-16T13:55:00.004-04:00

2009 Alerion Express 28 Chesapeake Bay Fleet Rendezvous

Alerion owners who share a passion for sailing the "Prettiest Girl at the Dance" get together annually for some casual racing and socializing. This year's rendezvous was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Sales and Chalk Point Marine and was held in conjunction with the Annual Summer Fundraiser, Rhythm on the River to benefit the West/Rhode Riverkeeper on Saturday June 13th.

You might have seen the fleet of handsome Alerion's pursuing the marks on the West River in less than 5 knots of wind. Special thanks go to Bob Spann who coordinated the event, and served as race committee chairman. Paul Rohrkemper, the fleet's Commodore helped out Casey Brennan on his new AE-28 Espresso, taking the win in just over 2-hours. Bob Spann and Beth Whitely on Resilient, Dave Cochran and Bill Marras on Ergo, David and Cate Fagan on Orion and Mike Chernesky on Summer Solstice made up the balance of the fleet. Given the conditions, only one race was sailed. Sailing was followed by refreshments and welcomed shade at Chalk Point. Race Chairman Bob Spann presented Casey with the perpetual trophy, which was donated by Gary and Donna Hoyt and is awarded annually to the rendezvous regatta winner. Thanks to Garth Hichens, President of Annapolis Yacht Sales, and his crew, Dan Nardo and Fred Wagner, there were more than enough "Alerion-minded" gifts to present to each participant. If you are interested in learning more about the Alerion Express 28 Chesapeake Bay Fleet, go to http://chesapeakealerion.org/.

(a late) CONGRATULATIONS!!

2009-06-04T09:37:00.002-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS to The Taylors who took delivery of their

2008 Beneteau 43 in October of 2008!

They're loving their boat and had a great time at the 2009 Beneteau Rendezvous last weekend!

Hello from Madeira Beach!

2009-06-02T10:02:00.002-04:00

Hi Sue and Garth

We have been having GREAT fun with our new boat and are really so pleased with it. We spent our 1st night on the boat over the Memorial Day weekend. We stayed at a small island about 2 hours sail south of us that the kids love called Egmont Key.

Kind regards
David Hibberd

No place like home...

2009-05-26T17:16:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Gordon and Jane Cutler on their new Sabre 426!

This photo is the boat at their dock in VA.

Why does one buy a sailboat? By Myrna Gibson

2009-05-18T16:50:00.002-04:00

Why does one buy a sailboat? For my husband, Dave, and me, we wanted to enjoy our sailing venue, the Chesapeake Bay. Having vacationed in the BVI’s, we had chartered many Beneteaus which always impressed us. They were well appointed, sturdy and sailed on the wind with little effort. We found Garth and Sue Hichens at Annapolis Yacht Sales. The AYS staff was ready and willing to answer questions, make suggestions or share a tip. We bought an Oceanis 350 and developed a comfortable client-dealer friendship. In 2006, we moved up to Beneteau’s 393. Within 6 months, christened Paloma, we were eager to explore our Bay. Unexpectedly, plans were redirected! Garth and Sue returned from an onboard vacation to the Abacos, Bahamas Islands. Having made the trip, Sue was delirious. She wanted to do it again! When AYS organized a Beneteau Rendezvous, we discovered the beautiful Abacos Islands. Oh, those pictures! Garth’s stories about their ports-of-call stirred our desire to go south! Now we looked beyond our neighborhood Bay.

Garth and Sue hosted our first planning meeting with 20 couples. The next meeting, at Mary & Gerry Hunter’s, we planned the crossing from Florida to West End. We realized this would be a bold adventure. We were heading out of our comfort zone into an unforgettable adventure! The fleet of eight boats with crews would be known as BOLD – Beneteau Owners Living their Dream. On October 5th, 2007, Dave and I, with our friends the Hunters, left the AYS pier after a grand send off. We traveled the Intercoastal Waterway and had to navigate the channels, pass through a lock, and time bridge openings. At Beaufort, NC, we needed to make up some time in order to meet the others in Ft. Pierce, FL. We chose the Atlantic route, hopping from Charleston to Savannah and into Florida to Brunswick. We arrived early in Ft. Pierce to rendezvous. With Garth’s guidance, we waited out the westerly fronts. On Dec. 11th anchors were hoisted. The flotilla left the USA before dawn, moving east by southeast. As Garth had predicted, when we hit the Gulf Stream our speed picked up 3 more knots –now we traveled in a northeasterly direction. As the early winter sun set, we made landfall at West End.

Thus began our apprenticeship; testing our skills; learning new ones. We sailed the Abacos all winter with 7-8 ft tide changes and regular winds of 20-25 knts. In March, we all knew we had to return to our other lives. Each crew made its individual plans to depart and go stateside. The previous summer, we would never have left the Bay, much less, come home solo. We returned in April, happy, self confident, seasoned boat handlers. Our time in the Abacos was absolutely magical!

With our dealer-friends’ guidance, with our trust in their staff to prepare our boats, with the reassurance of our new confidence, we plan to take another BOLD step north. Summer promises a BOLD Adventure to Maine. Buying our Beneteau was not the end of a process; it was more than a client-dealer relationship. Our friends at Annapolis Yacht Sales gave us all the tools to explore and expand our love of sailing. And isn’t that why we buy sailboats?

Another Satisfied Customer...

2009-05-18T15:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Paul,
Cheryl and I are scrambling around getting everything ready to return to Cloud Messenger at the end of this week. I just wanted to send you a short note and tell you that we could not be happier with our new boat and also very glad we picked you to represent us in the purchase. Buying a boat 3,600 miles away could have been a lot more complicated than buying one closer to home, but you are a true professional and helped us ever step of the way. I don't think the transaction could have gone more smoothly, and we truly appreciate that. We hope to see you when we bring Cloud Messenger north this summer, until then.....
Best Regards,
David & Cheryl Schachter
Kneeland, California

Beneteau First 40

2009-05-18T15:40:00.002-04:00

Click HERE for photos of the New Beneteau First 40!

(You will need to scroll down on the left menu and look for the heading: BENETEAU: Le FIRST 40)