![\"FPB97--ARC-sunset-5-359-48.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/FPB97-ARC-sunset-5-359-48.jpg\" "\\"FPB97--ARC-sunset-5-359-48.jpg\\"")
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When we first started seriously thinking about going cruising, the accepted wisdom held that a couple could, at best, handle a 38-footer. A unique opportunity came our way to purchase a beautifully maintained and almost new 50-footer, and even though she seemed almost too big, we quickly adapted to Intermezzo’s<\/em> size, and were happy to have the comfort of a larger yacht. Over the years we went from 50, to 62, to 68, and then 78-footers, all easier to handle for us as a couple than the previous yacht.\u00a0Wind Horse<\/em>, at 83 feet, is much easier for the two of us to cruise on than any of our sailing yachts. We think that will be the case with the new FPB 97.<\/p>\n As we have matured (hate that concept!)\u00a0the idea of taking crew has been discussed \u00a0more than once. Since this subject is up for its annual review, we thought it might be an interesting exercise to share the crew vs. no crew reasoning. Although we will discuss this in the context of a FPB 97, the logic applies to smaller yachts as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let us start by saying we value freedom of movement and privacy above most other factors. So committing to another person on board, even with a yacht as big as the FPB 97, would have to bring major benefits. And we’d want to be sure that, if things did not work out, there would be the option of going it alone if we so desired.<\/p>\n We’ll start with the easy issues first.<\/p>\n On Passage<\/strong><\/p>\n Being on passage as a couple is not only easier than most folks think, it is also one of the parts of cruising we love the most. There is no other comparable activity we have found that allows us to enjoy working together as a team like this, with little non-essential outside stimuli. It is just us, the boat, and the sea. If the yacht is set up correctly for short-handed voyaging – and we’ll get into this in a minute – the work load is minimal, the watch standing enjoyable, all of which is taking place in a level of comfort we would not have believed possible seven years ago.<\/p>\n Having the boat to ourselves, with no need to consider anyone else’s needs or schedules, eating what we want and when we want, wearing (or not wearing) whatever takes our fancy, with a quiet peace in which to enjoy each other’s company, is a heady combination.<\/p>\n There is a price to be paid, and that is sleep. We stand watch at night, three hours on and three off. During the day things are more informal. The first two days of a passage are the hardest as our bodies adjust to the new pattern. By day four we are in the groove. By day six the pattern is ingrained and we could go on for a month.<\/p>\n But to make enjoyable<\/em> short-handed passaging possible certain things have to be taken into account:<\/p>\n The FPB 64 and 83 both have their great room as command and social center. The FPB 97 has the primary command center removed to the Matrix deck. When offshore the second helm in the great room will see significant usage. This gives the option of using either the Matrix deck or the great room for keeping watch as inclination and conditions dictate (both have somewhere for the off watch to sleep nearby the helm).<\/p>\n Coastal Cruising<\/strong><\/p>\n With coastal cruising you trade short hops–probably day trips, with typically more intense navigation and lookout–for that missing sleep on long passages. While you can relax offshore, this is never the case when there is traffic or a navigational issue about which to be concerned. Still, as long as you have the speed to make respectable daylight jumps, and an efficient nav station arranged to facilitate piloting in difficult conditions, crew is not a prerequisite for us.<\/p>\n Speed is an important part of this equation. With an easy 12 knot coastal passaging speed, if you are heading north toward Alaska on the Inside Passage, or cruising Norway, 160 to 180 mile day trips are not a problem in the long high latitude summer days.<\/p>\n Yes, that’s a long day at the helm. But there are two of you, you can spell one another occasionally, and when the hook is finally set for the night, if you like the spot, the previous day’s mileage allows you to relax for a day or two.<\/p>\n Since we design for living at anchor, there is no need to stop at marinas, with their noise, crowds, docking issues, and requirement to make reservations in advance. Our preference is to find a quiet spot and lie to our own anchor. And it is a lot less work to push a button and anchor than to dig out the dock \u00a0lines and fenders.<\/p>\n Handling in Port: Side-To Docking<\/strong><\/p>\n If there is a case to be made for extra hands, it is going to be when docking the boat. However, with the right system of dock lines, winches, and vessel control, we don’t see that there is any major difference between docking an FPB 64 or FPB 97 with two people. But things have to be done right.<\/p>\n From a design perspective, the necessary factors are straightforward:<\/p>\n If we compare the FPB 97 to Wind Horse<\/em>, we see several trade-offs for tight quarters maneuvering.\u00a0The FPB 97 is 15% longer, so a little harder to fit into tight spots. Offsetting this are the following factors:<\/p>\n The bottom line to all this is a yacht that can be docked in most cases by an experienced couple just as or more easily than the FPB 83 Wind Horse<\/em>. And if space, currents, or wind makes a short-handed positive outcome challenging? Then pick someone up locally to help.<\/p>\n Here is a quick rundown of what we do to prepare for a docking maneuver:<\/p>\n In most cases we simply want to get a single breast line secured on the dock. Once this is done, we can winch the boat sideways, using an electric winch controlled from the helm.<\/p>\n If the wind or current is favoring a certain direction, the breast line will be biased in that direction, so it automatically snugs the boat up parallel to the dock.<\/p>\n If there is no one ashore to take a line:<\/p>\n In the image above and below you can see how the flared topsides coupled with tapered waterlines makes it easy to simply rotate the boarding platform onto the dock.<\/p>\n The same feature works for you when coming alongside. You can literally drop the breast line to someone on the dock from the deck, rather than having to scale sideways.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that you are just as comfortable at anchor as in a marina, so if the docking scenario seems difficult, the answer is to anchor out.<\/p>\n Handling in Port: Stern-to (“Med” mooring)<\/strong><\/p>\n Now things get more challenging. Med mooring crowded harbors, possibly squeezing into a space not large enough, almost certainly with a crosswind, and of course, numerous bored onlookers waiting for a good laugh. If you are going to want \u00a0extra hands, this is where they will be needed. But as we found in our recent visit to the Balearic Islands, you can always ask for help from the marina staff. This not so much a vessel size issue as one of hull shape, maneuverability, and deck gear.\u00a0The FPB 97 has several advantages in this regard.<\/p>\n The process goes something like this:<\/p>\n Although this sounds complex, and is intimidating the first time you do it, by the fifth or sixth equence it will be routine.<\/p>\n Does Med mooring make permanent crew a requirement? We’d say no, although extra help will be needed from time to time.<\/p>\n Special Situations \u00a0– Shore Fasts <\/strong><\/p>\n If there is one operation that is going to demand an extra crew member, it is using shore fasts (securing the boat to trees, rocks, or anchor bolts ashore in tiny anchorages). When conditions are benign, say a tropical island where you take a line ashore to a coconut tree, then it can be accomplished by a couple, if things are properly set up. But shore fasts are usually thought of in the context of places like Tierra del Fuego (near Cape Horn), or Greenland, with cold water, fast work, and unpleasant complications if things do not go according to plan. This is an environment where it pays to think seriously about a younger, more damage tolerant, and fit extra body on board.<\/p>\n Then there is the question of size of vessel. How do you handle a 97 footer in this environment, even with an extra crew member(s) aboard?<\/p>\n Which brings us back to design and specification, with many of the same features that help out in tight harbors working in these more invigorating climates:<\/p>\n We should point out that, although we carry shore fasts on Wind Horse<\/em>, we have yet to need them in Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, Norway, or Svalbard. That massively \u00a0over-sized anchor on the bow is the reason.<\/p>\n Dinghy Launch and Retrieval<\/strong><\/p>\n Although launch and retrieval of the dinghy is a multi-handed enterprise on some yachts, we have not found this to be the case with our boom system. Launching can easily be accomplished by a single \u00a0person. Until now we have always needed both of us to get the dink back aboard. With the new system developed for the FPB 97, in many cases we can see a single person bringing the dinghy back aboard.<\/p>\n Dragging a big dinghy onto the beach is another story, which is why we carry our big power dink, and then a second, much lighter (1\/4 the weight) rowing dinghy. The FPB 97 has room for two really nice dinghies on the after deck, so we think we are covered for the beach excursions..<\/p>\n Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n We divide maintenance into several categories. First, what the yacht requires for proper operation. With the exception of cleaning the props, the rest of the maintenance is not that much different than the FPB64, with the addition of a second engine which requires periodic checks and oil changes.<\/p>\n Windows must be maintained for visibility and there are more of them. However, these windows are higher, and because they are outside the mullions, much easier to clean than the smaller boats.<\/p>\n Cleaning the outside is a simple hose-off. Nothing else is required. So, although the boat has a lot of surface, this is relatively quick and painless. The interior is another story. You can spend a lot of time wiping down the furniture, cabin soles, engine room surfaces, and then vacuuming. Enough to warrant crew? Not by itself.<\/p>\n Taking Care of the Boat When We Are Away<\/strong><\/p>\n The FPBs are designed to be left on their own. Our practice is to leave Wind Horse<\/em> hauled out with someone checking her weekly. The FPB 97 is specified with a system that reports on out-of-range data and\/or data that can be polled. So we’d always know battery voltage, fridge, freezer and interior temperatures, bilge status, etc. in which case a crew might be considered superfluous<\/p>\n But we do have to plan in advance where to leave the boat, and crew would give us the freedom to step off virtually anywhere.<\/p>\n Getting Ready To Start a New Season<\/strong><\/p>\n When we left Wind Horse<\/em> at Berthon’s in the UK for two winters, we became addicted to their “valet” service. We told them when we’d be coming back, and would arrive to a freshly power-washed, polished stainless, windows cleaned, interior vacuumed and wiped down boat. Very nice.<\/p>\n Then comes provisioning. That can be a large or small project. What we have learned to do is find one or two markets with the types of things we like, talk to the manager about an order for six months of stores, and then have them assign a helper for the ordering process. We walk down the isles, making a list with them, and then a day or two later, a truck pulls up, their crew brings the food aboard, and we spend half a day storing it. All very quick and civilized.<\/p>\n And The Decision Is?<\/strong><\/p>\n For us the jury \u00a0is still out. At some point a combination of factors will tip the scales towards carrying a crew member. When this does occur, it will be for cleaning, maintenance, watching the boat when we are away, and prepping before we return. Having an extra set of hands in high latitudes will also influence us.<\/p>\n But for now, we stay as always, on our own.<\/p>\n![\"FPB97-Hauraki-Gale-23-100.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/FPB97-Hauraki-Gale-23-100.jpg\" "\\"FPB97-Hauraki-Gale-23-100.jpg\\"")
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