What's the crew of Hogfish Maximus been up to ? Grenada Race week, Valentines regatta in Antigua, CARIBBEAN RORC 600, Heineken Regatta in St. Martin, rebuilding Genesis, Antigua Classics regatta, rebuilding High Tensions mast, sea glass collecting, sailing, hiking, swimming and lots of dancing at party's after just a few drinks.

Yes I am still alive. Right now it's Antigua's race week time but I can race no more this season. My left arm needs rehab and my liver needs rest and cleansing. Rachel and I have finally slowed down this past week to get some work done on Hogfish Maximus to get her ready for the downwind ( hopefully ) sail back home to our place in the Bahamas. It's been a great season of sailing and racing in these wonderfull islands. We have been away from our land base for 18 months and the HFM is full of beach treasures, scraped boat hardware, and it's getting near hurricane season so it's time to go home and rest.

Here's a glimpse of what's we have been up to.

Pirate party during Grenada's sailing week with the Taz crew. We placed 3rd.

Out front in Taz but being the scratch boat we had to finish 18 minutes ahead of everyone.

That's me with the beard after finishing the 600. Out of 70 boats with Taz being the smallest lightest boat entered we placed 17th over all and 6th in our class.

I have never been so wet in my life as racing on this boat in 28-30 plus knot winds for 3-1/2 days.

Great crew.

Photo by Tim Wright of Taz rounding the mark off Barbuda with three days to go. I was in charge of the pit which has 6 halyards, 2 bow sprit lines, out haul, Cunningham, jib adjusters,jib trim and spin trim.

Lots of podium places on Taz this winter.

Rachel at the Whale Boner Bar in Bequia. We stopped there in route back up to Antigua to trade for whale bones and teeth.

HFM as mothership to Taz. 

Christmas dinner with friends on a 44' cutter.

Installing bilge stringers in Genesis a Carricou beach built boat.

Now the hanging knees go in.

New floors too and ready for paint. She won the Concourse De Elegance this year during Classics for best local built and maintained sloop.

Lots more sea glass collected with a gold chain too.

Storing beach stones for the house and getting ready to put the sea glass on top. That's supposed to be our shower, now it's a loot locker.

All sea glass here. We will be making all kinds of stuff this summer from all this loot.

Rachel steering HFM.

Alexis Andrews steering Genesis in the Classics. We placed 2nd in our class. This sloop beat boat for boat all the modern fiberglass boats bigger and smaller. Just amazing how these sloops sail to windward and on reaches. Very fast. I have a blog coming all about them.

Well the big schooners sure could go.

178' ADIX coming to take our wind for a bit. She's going along at 10 knots in 12 knots of wind.

Columbia sails by to leeward.

Better shot of her.

The Classsic regattas people are so much fun. They all just want to go sailing, have fun and enjoy looking at each other's boats. If you win something so much the better.

At all the other races it's all about winning. And drinking. Well if you do both its not so bad.

Except in the rowing races with everyone's dinghys. Here we are coming in 2nd in the family category losing to a double oared dory off of the schooner Columbia but beating 8 other different dinghys.

Doubles women with Rachel and Sara coming in 3rd behind the double pared Dorys. The Whitehull skiffs sure rowed straight and fast but their oars men had no clue as to how to turn them around the bouys. Our skiff spins on a dime so always lost them at the first mark.

Rachel coming in 2nd just behind a dory. They could not be beat being longer by 4' and double oared at times. Our dinghy was designed and built by me. It planes along under oar but it needs length to go faster. We placed 2nd and 3rd through 5 races. I'am worn out.

Rachel today with a nice Paul Johnson Venus ketch in the background.

Will be posting all kinds of stuff soon, just have a few last party's to go to and then it's off to the Bahamas next week and no distractions for awhile. It should be a 7 day non stop passage to Mayaguna so will be going through rehab and rest while at sea.

Hopefully 

Rachel Platt - Morejohn my other half

I have been around for awhile. I talk a lot here on this blog about what I have been up to in designs, boat work and our sailing life. I want to share some pictures of my wife Rachel from this past year of adventuring. I would never have accomplished what I have to date if not for her being by my side literally or backing me up back home when I'am off single handing. We have been together for over 26 years now. I wake up every day looking forward to what she has to say. 

Rachel trying the paddle board out in front of our place in the Bahamas

Rachel posing in front of our yacht in Antigua. The Hogfish is anchored behind all these other yachts.

Rachel with her first cup of tea in the morning

Now I'am ready to hear about what she dreamed about last night or what's on her mind. It's breakfast time on Hogfish.

The two of us after running a 5 mile Hash in Antigua.

Me stalking Rachel in Martinique 

Having lunch in Tyrell bay in Carriacou 

St. Bart's 

Looking for beach treasures a few days ago

Racing Wild Bird off of Nevis

Passing by a Smurff boat in Grenada yesterday.

Trying on a huge piece of sea glass a few days ago.

The two of us on Hogfish celebrating Rachel's 50 again birthday back in March.

The truth is I don't know what I would do without her. 

Why I can't have a Swan 43' sloop.

Its very simple. I want one so badly but I just can't bring myself to change my whole life in order to have one. I have been lusting after a Finnish built Swan 43' sloop designed by Sparkman and Stevens from the day I first saw one. To me this design has been the epitome of Classic beauty in a fiberglass mid size offshore sailboat.

I look at this boat with lust just like looking at Gabriel Reese the super tall Volly ball player and model. Never mind that she is happily married to that big guy that surfs a lot.

Just look at the lines of this beauty from any angle. Perfect. Just the thought of steering her to windward as this is what this beauty was first designed to do well makes my eyes water. Pure bliss gazing foreward over her clean deck with everything all in its place with perfect proportions. I'am talking of the Swan now not Gabriel.

Yes I have wanted to own one of these for ever.

So what has stopped me to acquire one of these beauty's? It's not as hard as if I'am trying to lure Reese away from Laird Halmiton being 5'3" tall, married to a shorter Reese and not that much into surfing now.

I'll tell you now the sad but true facts....

I'am not the man for either today, simple as that.

My story,

This past month I noticed that the Swan 43' sloop anchored in Falmouth harbor in Antigua was for sale. I looked her up online. The asking price was $99,000.00

She looked to be in good shape on the surface but I know that This boat has not been sailed much in years. Idle boats need lots of work.

I went to sleep dreaming of this boat. Thinking I can have her. 

But then being the list guy I am I started on comparing her to the Hogfish Maximus and going over all the changes I would have to make to be able to sail this beauty.

Here's some of what I love about the Swan 43'.

The sheer and flush deck. So pretty.

The simple cockpit. Enough room for a few people underway and at anchor.

The timeless beauty and looks. Nice to look at when in your dinghy.

The powerful sailplan.

The open interior plan set up for offshore sailing and racing.

The galley, simple.

The nav station old fashioned with no electronics below decks.

The deep cut away keel and separate rudder. Pure S&S design work.

The fact this is hull # 50 built by Nautors in Findland.

The fact that sister ships are always winning races here still. A fast boat.

Oh and did I mention she is so pretty.

Then I started on the things that I have taken for granted having designed and built the Hogfish Maximus to suit my personal needs for an offshore sailboat. A boat that I can sail alone every where at any time.

I would have to get used to not having the following,

A great all weather anchoring retrieval and setting system.

Shallow draft. 4'6" more draft. Ugh

A simple sailplan that can be reefed in seconds.

A place for our 12'3" hard dinghy on deck.

Three separate full double bunk cabins with privacy.

Huge amounts of storage space.

Every part of the hull accessible in minutes.

Solid total watertight construction.  

Being able to use miss matched hardware. You can't do that on a Swan.

An enclosed all weather dog house and steering station.

Easy wind vane access and installation.

Easy steering gear access.

Easy rudder removal.

Beachability.

Mast tabernacle.

Large galley.

Shower in the head.

Low initial cost to me In 1999.

Unique

This is what  I would have a hard time dealing with in trying to be a Swan Man.

The anchor system on the bow is mainly for one anchor with a power windlass that is small. These boats were designed to be raced and not really cruised in much.

The bow J area is huge. Great for big powerful head sails that can be changed back and forth by young crews that don't worry about being swept overboard at night when heeling over. A roller furling headsail would be a sacralidge to looks and performance. Too many sails to change at my age.

The mainsail as designed is bigger than on this boat today. Having sailed on lots of S&S boats over time some have lots of weather helm with the original mainsails. My guess is that's why this boats Boom is shorter.

The cockpit is open to the weather so would have to fit a very well done low canvas dodger to try to have a place out of the weather. Looks will suffer. Ugh

The deck is flush but with a large dinghy on deck the bow area would be a bit tight. Would have to go down in size in hard dinghy.

The draft I could live with. But it would change our sailing dramatically. No more fun sailing across shoals. Bummer. And it won't fit into our slip back home as 6' is all we have there now without dredging.

Below she is classic and very pretty but set up for racing. Virtually no privacy. The worst part is she has a soft head liner made up of many panels. Horrors to me. All the deck hardware nuts and washers below have been very nicely glassed over. But how to change out without a project. Ugh

The steering and rudder are on a cable and steering wheel system. Alright but not easy to get at at sea back in that pinched beautiful stern.

There's is no way I could put a windvane on that transom. It would be like asking a beautiful woman to tattoo over all her cleavage. Just can't do it. So now I will need a good auto pilot or crew. Ugh

The galley and nav station are fine. The head is fine. The vee bunk is alright but will be a jump up for me to get into. The engine access is perfect.

The cost? A hundred Grand asking price is fair in today's market. I would do my best to lower it. I have several people that would buy the Hogfish so I could swing that price and the extra costs it would take to get her up to speed. But I would spend all my profit from the sale of Hogfish on her and then some. The Hogfish is in near perfect offshore going condition, shape with lots of new upgrades. Truth is the Swan is not in this condition.

It was a nightmare of a dream. Could I trade in my known girl for another unknown one that on the surface sure looked good. Boy would I love to get to know all her parts, her moods, what made her go. 

In the end I woke up and looked over at my "Reese" lying next to me in our very comfortable vee bunk.

I felt relived to know that " Hoggy " was still ours to sail the seas on. She may not be the sexist looking sloop out there but she works for me in so many ways.

Pretty small here. But you can look her up online.

At the dock in Antigua.

I would paint the hull a soft grey with an off white deck. The teak toe rails have been epoxied over and painted white. that's why the sheer does not stick out well enough. See the short boom. I would add back the 3' that's been removed.

Hey girl... Nice stern you have there.

This Swan was a yawl once. That's why the wheel is forward and the boom is short.

That's it. I'am over my infatuation. Some times you have to look around to see clearly.

My wife Rachel's cool, she's used to seeing me checking out all the beauties in the Caribbean.

Oh and please don't say anything to Laird. He's a big guy.

 

Thomas's Hayes new Flats skiff build.

Thomas Hayes is a fourth generation boat builder from Florida. He has been working in the Fiberglass production boat building business for 18 years working in all phases of the fiberglass production of boats as a hands on builder to supervisor. He knows his trade very well. 

I have had the pleasure of corresponding with him over this past year answering questions and giving my opinions and some advice on his personal project. 

He started out just wanting to design and build his own skiff for himself and then two more for family. This project has grown from just a hull mold to now a finished complete skiff with all molds ready for production of many more.

Following are some pictures Thomas has been sending me of his skiff in progress.

He has not launched his skiff as I write this blog but it will soon be in the water.

Lots of new ideas being used here in his skiff. Look closely... As I feel lots of these ideas will be finding their way to Others new designs.

Here's his unnamed new skiff just pulled from the mold. For the underbody pictures go back and look at my old blogs about new skiffs. This looks to be the driest running skiff out there. Can't wait to see her running.

Huge bow spray rail and lots of underwater spray defectors.

Look at that bow over hang. This skiff will weigh around 600-700 lbs when finished. It's a nice big skiff.

Here's the deck with all the hatches installed. No hinges on deck!!! All his hinges are hidden with his unique hinge system. It's very simple when seen.

 Bow hatch finished.

Bow hatch details revealed. How cool is this?

His moldings are as good as they get.

His deck mold has no hatches molded into it. This means that he can move his separate hatch molds where ever he or the clients want them. Look next to see how this works.

Because of his perfect moldings he just puts the finished part on the deck mold. He then gelcoats the deck around this part and when it cures this part is then glassed in as part of the deck. When it's all pulled out of the mold all he has to do is just trim and slightly buff in the transition edge of these two parts. To me this is brilliant. Saves having to make so many deck molds. Now you can have more shop space.

All hatch tooling parts in place here ready for the deck gelcoat and then glass work.

Now the deck is attached. The clear glass in the bulkhead is the side of the fish live well or bait well depending on what you're up to. This detail he saw in an old Cabo Boat and has carried it into his skiff.

Won't that be fun to look at when its full of bait night fishing? The black ring is the drain.

The not so fun side if you're the bait or the fish caught looking out into the cockpit. Look at the details and finish throughout. Top of the line. 

Skiff going together.

Console being finished. Now look.

Console details. Look at what goes here.

Removable cooler box. 

Thomas says he has been influenced by early Hells Bay and Gordon Skiffs having owned an 18' Waterman and a Glades skiff. 

He has put lots of effort and money into this project that has taken him a year of part time work. At present he says he has almost the same amount of $ in his first finished skiff here and all molds as a new store bought skiff bare hull. 

But he now has the molds to build the next two that his family members want and then he will have to see if he wants to get in the market to build more for others.

Wait and see how this skiff performs. It might be the next " ONE" for you.

Thomas will always be able to say " Yes it's my own design and build" with pride.

There's nothing like being in a boat you built yourself.

Well done Thomas and good building to you a master craftsman.