Marlow Training Delivery

From Florida’s West Coast to Charleston SC

Research and discovery is important for first time boat buyers and this couple did not disappoint. Owners of this magnificent Marlow found us on You Tube and we first met in person at TrawlerFest Stuart FL before they owned their new boat. Captain Chris was on his RADAR for training from the word go!

Start With the End in Mind

For years prior, they explored all the options for boat ownership with a goal of comfortable cruising. Thinking he wanted a traditional trawler he had honed in on a full displacement boat in the 44-48ft range. Attending an open house he and his wife took the opportunity to try before buying. They are so glad they did. She thoroughly enjoyed everything about the trawler until she asked, when can we go faster? Hmmmm.

Intentions of cruising up and down the east coast formed their Spring and Fall plans. An occasional hop over to the Bahamas was a dream with real possibilities. They quickly realized that a faster boat would be more to their liking than the 8 knots of a traditional trawler. Options are important and getting there sooner than later was one option they hadn’t begun to consider. So back to the drawing board for more research and discovery.

Ta-Da! The Perfect Boat

This Marlow fit the bill for all of their future cruising plans…and then some. It was a slightly larger boat than they first envisioned with incredible livability to accompany it’s seaworthiness. And this comfortable cruiser could plane at 20 knots without blinking an eye. But, it was more boat than they imagined with a 56ft LOA. Their insurance company wanted them out of Florida for Hurricane season so a trip up the Atlantic East coast was their plan.

Soon, they reached out to Captain Chris for some help to get started. We offered the option of a training delivery to help build their cruising confidence as a team. And with a little tweak or two, our calendars were set.

The Best Laid Plans…

Shoving off from the Bradenton area of Florida’s west coast, plans included crossing the Okeechobee with a few bridges and locks to traverse. Training deliveries are great ways to build muscle memory. and the more varied the encounters, the more a new owner can learn.

Every survey will offer items to be repaired, replaced or considered for maintenance. Unfortunately a few of those items begat other more pressing issues and by the time we got to Stuart we decided that our best option was to haul at Willis Boat Yard and have most of them addressed. So we put the remainder of the delivery on pause to be continued after all issues were in working order.

Restart->Play!

A relaunch and successful sea trial prefaced the next leg of our training delivery up the Atlantic East coast. Everyday we built muscle memory and trip planning skills. Navigation skills were polished to a fine shine as we tried to find the elusive next ATON. Binoculars became as important as the electronic chart plotter. They learned to trust their eyes after using the chart plotter as a guide.

Looking ahead to our next port of call included confirmation that fuel, pump out and restaurants in walking distance were nearby to our available dockage. And, occasionally our decisions were based on key locations the crew wanted to visit. A training delivery can be like troops marching to a final campsite…or it can mix some pleasure in the form of sight seeing to keep your crew happy. 😊

Weather or Not!

Our first leg of this relocation adventure offered sunny skies and clear views. Not so much for this next leg. We knew there would be the occasional afternoon thunderstorms notorious for late summer. What we didn’t know is we must have acquired a weather magnet that attracted every front, every low pressure, every rainy day that you can imagine for almost two weeks.

While this is truly an unusual occurrence, having foul weather or expecting foul weather every single day was terrific for training. Not only did we have to time our choke points (shallow areas) with the rising tide but we also had to consider the possibilities of shorter days. A simple rain may not have restricted our movement. But the occasional white-outs severely cramped our style. yup! White-outs!

Anchoring Tips

Learn to deploy and raise your anchor before you need it. On two of those white-out occasions we decided to anchor outside of the channel as we could no longer see more than 50 ft ahead or astern. The RADAR wasn’t very helpful for seeing any other boats (or ATONs/markers) in this deluge. Navigation became a real challenge so we opted for the safety of anchoring, keeping a lookout and preparing to haul anchor when the weather lifted. This is not the best time to be learning how to anchor.

When we got closer to Charleston we practiced a few more times to understand the equipment as well as the arm signals needed to successfully anchor. With calmer weather and a few more days of close quarter maneuvering, we also discovered that a different anchor might be in their future. We like having options that meet the sea floor conditions. Mud anchors won’t always set in a sandy bottom and vice versa. Need more tips on Anchoring? Click here.

Small World

When we pulled into Charleston docking was a breeze as the tide was almost slack. So we secured lines and fenders then took a moment to relax on the aft deck, discussing what was next for their adventure. We heard a familiar voice call out to welcome these new owners to Charleston. It was Bob and Melissa, former students of ours from our Vero Beach seminars. They were just down the floating pier aboard their 55 foot Fleming… novice boat owners themselves! Last we saw them was at The Stuart Boat Show just after they started their own adventure. Such a small world out here on the waterways.

Photos Galore!

Please enjoy these photos below taken during this training delivery. Follow along as we travel across the state of Florida and up the east coast. It’s a slide show so click right or left on each photo to go backward or forward and read the captions for more details on the training trip. Lots to learn and the additive value of learning day after day just can’t be beat.

Ask Captain Chris

Ask Captain Chris to join you aboard your new boat for training. 772-205-1859 or attend a seminar or two with us here in Vero Beach Florida. Cruising 101 is terrific for the novice as well as a great refresher for those who have boated before. Introduction to Boat Systems allows you to understand all the below deck equipment- what you can maintain and what you might want to leave for the professionals. Click here to learn more about these important topics. Hope to see you aboard your own dreamboat soon!