What yachts 130' or under?

I do like the Captain's Cabin on the bridge deck and may well end up with that. Right now the layout we're thinking we'll end up with has an Engineer cabin and suite in the stern plus a captain's cabin and two crew cabins accommodating four in the bow. It also has another feature which is a pass through to one of the guest cabins to facilitate servicing the cabins. This would make the use of that cabin for crew very easy. Now, out Captains are basically part of our extended family now and they are a married couple so 95% of the time, they'll be in a guest cabin rather than a crew cabin. To this point most of our cruising has been on a 63' Riva and the only one to ever use the crew cabin on it is their 18 year old granddaughter wanted to use it one trip.

Belle and I will never have the kind of relationship with crew members or household staff that you learn to expect in crew school. We're not into a lot of formalities. We don't need out bed linen changed daily. It isn't at home and this is just another home to us. Don't expect a stew on duty 24 hours a day. We aren't helpless and we fully know how to go to the galley and get some dessert and water. We do want them to all learn the formal ways and the ways taught in school so if they desire at some point to advance on larger yachts or into better positions with others, that opportunity is there.

As to a "chef", not really our thing. If we want chef's, we go to restaurants. On a boat we'll be just happy with a cook. We'll also help. I'll probably grill half the time and our captains are the seafood experts. They catch or find and they cook. Actually our stewardesses will be persons who are also our staff for our home. We know ourselves pretty well and neither of us can imagine spending as much time as we intend to on a boat with staff and not getting to know each other well.

So with that being our attitude, having decent accommodations for crew is very important to us. I also don't see many occasions at all that we'll have 8 guests to fill all the guest cabins. I love having a lot of our friends over on a Saturday or Sunday and even taking them out on the water or on a trip to Miami or West Palm. But two or four is the likely number on any extended cruise and much of the time there will be no guests. Our friends and family work so typically they're limited to a week or two at a time.

People here will debate it's ability to do so, but my opinion is that it's as capable as most yachts. I've been on one in rough conditions and extremely impressed. It has range of 3,000 miles. Displacement of 455,000 pounds. Are there full displacement boats that will handle extremely rough conditions better? Yes. But there is always something that will do things better. Still it's a great compromise of long range ability but also being able to cruise at 20 knots near coastal. It's a proven design with 9 delivered with the current hull, 30 delivered prior to the new design. We've chartered 130's and we've been very pleased.

One thing I found out in looking at Westport is that the 112 owners trade up often to the 130. So starting with the 130 seems to make a lot of sense. Now there have also been 130 owners to trade up to the 164, but we are not interested in that size.

First, no one said 14 knots. Second, no one said they intended to test to it's maximum. In fact, the very point was Bermuda, Azores route and the key distance there is Bermuda to Azores. Now you may prefer yacht express but thats not our desire. We've thoroughly checked the numbers on this boat. We've also done fuel flow testing on several 130's we've chartered in addition to the tests available from others. We like Island Hopping and yes we know it's more time consuming and expensive.

While I fully appreciate the advice given, I think sometimes it fails to consider the purchasers desires. All our personal prejudices do enter. Many here think only steel. Many think only displacement speed. Many think only one country knows how to build a boat. I have been on three 130's including one in rough seas. I have talked to people who have run many. I've listened to the good and the weaknesses. I'd never set out to go 3000 miles on a fill of fuel. But I do know it can make the Bermuda to Azores run and I know that there is good reserve for that.

Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the advice and information. But I don't need to be told anymore that i don't need a boat that will go more than 12 knots and that one should ship the boat and never try to cross the Atlantic.

Yes, you should do one, Alfred. I think many just don't understand us. And my wife feels the same way I do. Doing the crossing is something we very much look forward to. It will be several years from now before we do. We've read about many crossings on pleasure craft and, honestly, I'd cross in a WP 130 before the boats in nearly all those stories. But then those people were very confident. I wouldn't cross in a 40' Sailboat but others have done so and think it's the only way to go. I also wouldn't cross without a Captain on board who had crossing experience but many do. I would definitely be aware of weather headed our way and be cautious there. If I was two days from Bermuda headed to the Azores and unpredictably bad weather appeared possible ahead, I'd turn around and head back to Bermuda. People talk about the length of time it takes but we spend days going many other places, although not without breaks. I also believe in taking adequate crew plus extra on a voyage like that in case of problems or sickness, and I mean adequate plus in both quantity and quality.

I guess we all have those things we dream of and those things that we have no desire to do. I don't ride motorcycles or skydive but I know for many both are extremely enjoyable.

Now I must question how much you even know about a WP 130. You talk crew accommodation. Well, it has accommodations for 7. Six in the crew quarters plus an Engineer's quarters. In addition to that, we generally let our captains (husband and wife team) use one of the staterooms, the one which is designed with a door opening to the crew quarters to provide extra crew comfort. We wouldn't hesitate if needed to let other crew use a guest stateroom. As to food and provisions, there is more than enough capacity. In fact, with the galley storage and the freezer capacity below deck there is easily capacity for 30 days or longer.

As to the single engine scenario that's not something I'd plan. It's not necessary.

As to the crew, you don't know how we interact with our crews. They are allowed to spread all over the ship. Belle and I would take our turns at the helm and/or watch under supervision of the captains. We are absolutely not for the crew that wants nothing but a formal owner/crew relationship. Our captains live in our guest house. Our last charter, we ended up meeting a stew's parents and sisters and along with the chief stew eating Sunday dinner at their house. We got to know her and the chief stew over the course of the charter as well as the captain, officer, and deck hand. The engineer was very nice but he did stay more to himself. We don't expect the crew to spend two weeks cramped in the crew's quarters. Obviously they have work to do but we want them to enjoy the voyage and the time with us. When we select the rest of our permanent crew, the compatibility with them and us will be important. We boat for pleasure. We don't choose to have five star restaurant service for all our meals. Often I do the grilling on the decks and sometimes I'll grill it all for us and the crew or sometimes just turn the grill then over to the crew to grill their steaks or chicken or whatever we were having. We don't want a cruise ship. We are boaters, not cruisers. I don't even like to use the word yacht.

When we do make a crossing time and cost will not be a factor. That's contradictory to our whole purpose. The journey is part of the pleasure to us. We're not looking to make the quickest run. We would intend to enjoy Bermuda and the Azores. It's not a race. When you're taking the time to enjoy there is beauty all along the way. To someone who has done it many times before it may be just a trip to get to the other side. But to us it's a trip to enjoy and savor each day and moment. We're in our retirement, enjoy life time even though somehow we did end up still with businesses. In my former working life I kept some separation with my co-workers. But in this life our CEO and CFO are also our best friends. We were out of town for Christmas so today is our Florida Christmas. They are here for the day. Our captains are here with their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. I firmly believe in running a large company not mixing business and pleasure but for us boating is our pleasure, not a business.

Now we also do understand the potential or rogue weather or waves. We understand the possible adverse conditions. But you prepare best as you can.

You made one most important statement that crossing in tourist mode and ferry mode are two very different things. Well, our crossing will be in tourist mode, but more in just pleasure, enjoy mode. It will probably be a different mode than any of our crew has made it and we do hope they are able to enjoy it more than any previous crossings.

You say a happy crew is a happy ship. Whenever we boat we want our crew happy. Now they may have other things going on in their lives that limit that. But we certainly don't want to be the cause of any unhappiness. If a bed isn't made perfectly, we aren't going to get excited. If they overlook something we won't explode but will simply ask. And we do prefer to ask rather than order. We treat our boat more like our home than a hotel. We don't change all sheets at home daily, nor do we on a boat. We do go into the kitchen at home and even sometimes fix our own meals. We do so on a boat. We also don't expect service 24/7. We believe in somewhat normal work hours. If we want some dessert or something to drink at 10 o'clock at night, we know where the galley is and how to get it.

I know our approach is very different to what most here are use to. But it's us.

Ferrying misses the whole point. We're not like the chicken crossing the road just to get to the other side. We want to enjoy the journey. In our way of thinking if you are really enjoying a stop along the way and want to stay another day or two, then you stay. There is nowhere we absolutely must be at a specific time. Now generally we allow enough time and stay fairly close to our plan, but the plan never dictates. The weather often dictates. We spent a marvelous week in the Panama City area not long ago that was totally unplanned, but we enjoyed every minute. Conditions were such that in a 63' Riva we wouldn't have enjoyed the next leg of the trip or any leg for those days, so we enjoyed where we were. I fully expect to enjoy Bermuda and the Azores and when we do move on do it knowing that on the return trip we'll be able to enjoy them again.

If you think you've seen the sunrise, sunset, stars and moon and don't need to see them again, then you're missing something. Every day and night it's different. From every place a little different. To us each time it's like the first. But then that's true for us in many other aspects of our life. When you make love to your wife, make it like it's the first time. When you see your next sunset, look at it like you've never seen one before.