As we look toward our departure from Brainstorm, I feel compelled to tell you a bit more about the vessel that has been our floating home.
She is a 40-foot Catalina sloop, made in 1995. She has a 5-foot, lead, winged keel which weighs 8000 lbs. All that weight is what keeps us upright, even in tumultuous seas and high winds. In total, Brainstorm weighs 32,000 lbs., which is 16 tons! Tomorrow, she will get hauled out of the water for repairs by a huge lift. Pretty amazing.
Her mast is 60 feet tall, and she is 13.5 feet at the beam (across at the widest point). She has two steering wheels, which is called ¨twin helm steering.¨ She has 1000 square feet of sail: 600 feet in the jib and 400 in the main. The anchor has 300 feet of chain to hold us firmly to the sea floor. She makes electricity from the sun, using 3 solar panels, and the wind, using a wind-generator; makes fresh water from the sea, using a desalinization system; charts our coarse with GPS; and propels us with her 42 horsepower engine, when needed (positive side-effect = hot water for showers). On our last 9-day trip we only used $50 of diesel fuel, which seems average.
Her mast is 60 feet tall, and she is 13.5 feet at the beam (across at the widest point). She has two steering wheels, which is called ¨twin helm steering.¨ She has 1000 square feet of sail: 600 feet in the jib and 400 in the main. The anchor has 300 feet of chain to hold us firmly to the sea floor. She makes electricity from the sun, using 3 solar panels, and the wind, using a wind-generator; makes fresh water from the sea, using a desalinization system; charts our coarse with GPS; and propels us with her 42 horsepower engine, when needed (positive side-effect = hot water for showers). On our last 9-day trip we only used $50 of diesel fuel, which seems average.
She is the perfect vessel for whale, dolphin, turtle, and shoreline-watching. She cools our beer and heats our showers. She is a cradle that rocks us to sleep at night, a superb location for romantic dining, and transport to hidden coves and remote surf.
The best moments are those when the sails are full, the motor is off, and there is nowhere we have to be. For the last two months, we have made a home aboard this beautiful sailboat and she has proven to be sturdy and sleek. We will remember her hospitality for a long time. Cheers to Brainstorm and the ingenuity of the humans who create seafaring vessels!
No comments:
Post a Comment