Freedom 35 "Suzee"

I enjoyed sailing with Sam/Sue Goward this week bringing their 1994 Freedom 35 into Port Annapolis Marina. "Suzee" is now available for inspection on our display deck. This will represent a sixth transaction with the Gowards over a sixteen year period. Good news for a new owner is that the Gowards always leave their boats in better condition and better equipped than their point of purchase!

The Pedrick design is really nice to sail even in the lower wind ranges. We saw five knots boat speed in ten knots of breeze. She is a balanced boat that loves to sail beofore the wind, wing and wing, and can overcome her hull speed when the waves are up! Highly recommended boat!

Windalier Summer Shakedown

The 57' S&S yawl "Windalier" enjoyed an extensive spring overhaul at Haven Harbor Marina and was just splashed. My daughter Chandlee Taylor and I were invited to join owners Thad&Renee Bench and regular crew members for a day sail (Rock Hall to Annapolis) to check out the new running rigging, prop,prop shaft, and hull sides paint job. We left Rock Hall in a gentle West North-Westerly which built to about 16 knots true by the time we were sailing under the Bay Bridge. This gave us a power reach with four sails drawing and another wonderful sail on "Windalier" with great company. We slipped the boat at the National Sailing Hall of Fame Docks and the crew spent a remarkably comfortable evening aboard (this is July in Annapolis!)
Pictured at the helm is Chandlee Taylor w/ Renee to windward and Thad to leeward.

2007 Back Cove

The owners of "Sweet Eld" have made it clear in no uncertain terms that they would like to see an offer on their nice 29 Back Cove. With the recent price reduction of 10k she is priced to move.

Attached are a couple of recent pictures of the boat (July) at Port Annapolis Marina. Turn Key for the 2nd (better) half of the season.

Judge 32 Price Reduction

These boats are built on a semi-custom basis on Marylands Eastern Shore. This 2001 model has just had a summer haircut to the asking price, down 10k to $119,000 asking.
The boat was configured for a retired sailing couple to do race-committee work and fish with grand children. The boat is very clean and has low hours on the Cummins Diesel. Highly Recommended!

Hylas 44 "Exuberant"

It was a pleasure to have coffee this morning at the City Dock with Burt&Pru Preston, new owners of the 44 Hylas "Exuberant". The Prestons had a tight reach up the Bay yesterday from Solomons,Md. in about fourteen knots of breeze. It was almost sweater weather on the mooring ball in the Annapolis Harbor last night. We can't believe this is July!

The Preston's worked hard preparing the boat for their maiden voyage of about 1000 nautical miles to Lake Erie. So from here they are headed inland via the Hudson River. The boat looks great and has already benefitted from new enthusiasm and a few "boat units"! New alternators, regulators, and AGM batteries were on the short list as the boat had been sitting out of use for eighteen months.

The Preston's are clearly on a fast learning curve (they have already bled air out of the Yanmars fuel lines)and have sorted out the use of the hydraulic furling systems, and repacked the big primary (electric) winches.

We at Crusader wish them a safe trip and look forward to seeing them on the flip side when they head to the Islands!

AMI Kids Yacht Donations

We were visited by Dudley Savage of AMI KIDS, a longstanding 501C3 organization that operates programs nationwaide for teenage kids at risk.

AMI has been a great partner for some of our clients who are in a position to benefit from a tax shelter when the time comes to sell their boat. We have also assisted boat buyers in chartering boats owned by AMI.
Call your Crusader Broker for more detail!

Pacific Seacraft 44 new arrival to brokerage

The lift crew exercised their skills this afternoon, adroitly situating a new Crusader Yachts listing adjacent to our display deck. A Crealock design in 44' with a sixty foot rig is a sight to behold! She is relatively narrow for a forty four footer (by todays standards) and has a lovely sheer-line to complement the canoe stern. This boat will no doubt often be the prettiest boat in the harbor!

"Ocean Child" was awlgripped both hull-sides and super structure such that maintainance is now polishing rather than compounding... boat has a bright white awlgripped hull and updated stainless steel rigging, hunter green canvass to match the boot top and shear stripe, and updated electronics!

The interior is spacious, full of light, and just plain feels good!

"Summertime" price reduction

The 32 Island Gypsy "Summertime" is avilable for inspection at Port Annapolis Marina and now priced to sell @ $72,500 (Seventy Two Thosand Five Hundred Dollars) This is a very nice cruising platform for a couple powered by a single economical Ford-Lehman Diesel.

Inspections and close offers are encouraged by her owners who are ready to pass their vessel on to new owners for the second half of the 09 season.

Racing w/ Kyle Commerford

On Sunday the 5th of July I had the pleasure of crewing for Kyle Commerford (estimated age 13?) aboard "Big Al&Miss Betsy's" J40 "Lark". Kyle is the son of industry pros Ken&Jen Commerford and a veteran of the Optimist Class. Kyle has sharpened his skills sailing aboard the family boat as well as by crewing in the Penguins with Jonathan Bartlett. Not a bad training ground!

The format for Sundays race was a junior skipper at the helm of club members boats.

Sailing with an up and coming junior is really rewarding. Kyle is already a very skillful sailor and most notably took care that his crew was comfortable and happy! That really made an impression on me as that ultimately is what keeps a crew together. Kyle also has that spark of a natural leader and a charismatic personality.
Kyle won the start at the pin end in spite of a larger yacht barging in from above the close hauled layline (in Kyles vernacular he owned the layline)! There was an adverse current at the start and light air which made being up to speed and on time quite impressive. I think Kyle might have "tapped out" the weather boat had not Big Al voiced some well placed concern!
What followed was hard work nursing the J40 upwind from puff to puff in a dying North Easterly. Susan Taylor offered guidance on climbing the ladder and stuffing the boat to windward whenever possible as is her practice. Miss Betsy did a yeomans job on genoa trim and easing to Kyle in the puffs and talking him up to the new course. Big Al, Chandlee, and Peter were on puff watch and weather prediction...Kyle was all concentration as we put a "horizon job" on the fleet including another Jboat that we owed time!

I hope to sail with Kyle again and can't help but compare this experience to crewing for Terry Hutchinson as a fourteen year old skipper. This is how it all starts!

Pictured prior to the start is Ron Peterson (Race Committee) aboard his Grand Banks 42. Thank you for coming out on a Holiday weekend Ron!

Rare Fourth of July

Wife Susan Taylor and children Chandlee and Peter set sail Saturday morning the 4th in Harness Creek as guests of Al&Betsy Schreitmueller aboard their J40 "Lark". Al is not one to waste time hoisting sails so the main was up inside the creek! I followed the crew into the South River with the 29 Back Cove "Sweet Eld" and to my surprise we were greeted with a West-North Westerly of 12 to 15 knots....cool Canadian breeze on the Fourth? On the Chesapeake? I had to pinch myself.

Al made the conservative choice of a small kevlar blade which proved to be just right for the sail to Galesville. Everyone took turns steering and "Lark" romped down the bay easily making 7.5 knots with the pressure on the starboard beam.

After dropping the hook we all paddled and rowed in for the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake's "Big Kids/Little Kids" party where the decendents of Bill Heinz graciously hosted us for food and games. Hard to say which generation gets the most out of this event. Lot's of attendance of three generation sailing families.

Pictured are Peter Taylor& Susan Taylor sharing the the helm of Lark. Thank you Al& Betsy for a fabulous weekend!

Living by the Bay

Sunrise about ten days after the summer solstice. What a great place to live!

Maine Builtdown Hull

One genre of a Maine Built Lobster boat is the "Built-Down" hull. As explained to me this spring by Jarvis Newman, one of the primary advantages is that in this hull form there is room to recess the engine well down into the bottom of the boat allowing for a lower center of gravity. This contributes towards the sweet ride offered by these boats. I recall my first sea trial in a boat designed by Royal Lowell (a boat known as the Sisu 30). We were operating in a strong northerly breeze on a shallow estuary against an opposing current. Plain and simple ugly conditions. After running down wind for thirty five minutes we throttled back and turned the corner for the uphill climb against the wind an headed into the short/steep chop. The Sisu sliced through without any hint of slapping or pounding. Just as well behaved as you could imagine. From that day forward I have been convinced that these boats make great cruising platforms! Note the splash rails sloping upward as they approach the bow. Jarvis has no use for these but I have been convinced that they can actually increase the performance of a Down East Lobster Yacht....If you are a sailor giving consideration to a power boat give me a call!

29 Back Cove Sweet Eld....Summer Price Reduction

New offering price of 169,900 puts "Sweet Eld" a lovely 29' Back Cove 29 about ten thousand dollars under her sisterships. The sellers have considered that this offset would more than compensate a Buyer from New England for the cost of deliver to the New England Coast.
Or a Buyer on the Chesapeake could apply the savings to pay the use tax plus the usual startup costs.

Sailor's will discover that this good looking Back Cove will "shrink the Bay" for them. From Annapolis St. Michaels becomes a day trip, Solomons and overnight, and Carter Creek Va. (Tides Inn?) a long weekend. You just plain see so much more!

"Sweet Eld" has been operated in fresh water out of Rochester, N.Y. until it was launched in brackish water this spring. The Yanmar is just recently serviced by Bay Shore Marine and is running like a top. The boat is clean throughout and tweaked from stem to stern by a life long sailor. The bow and stern thrusters will allow you in and out of the small undiscovered marinas that are part of the treasure that is the Chesapeake. "Sweet Eld" is highly recommended by this broker!

1985 Passport 40 "Thalias"

"Thalias", a 1985 Passport 40 is now a new Central Listing of Crusader Yacht Sales. We look forward to assisting the owners in finding new "caretakers"!