Outbound on Pratique: The Fall 2012 Boat Shows

In mid-September, Pratique made her way down the Bay to the Newport Boat Show. Outbound Yachts used her as their 2012 featured boat both in Newport and in Annapolis.

Which brings us to why we chose Outbound. For us the Outbound 46 was the perfect boat. We wanted a real bluewater cruiser that was well equipped, sailed safely and well, and was both comfortable and attractive. The boat had a proven track record and was fairly priced. Then we met the local representatives, Josh Hodgson of Anchor Yachts, and later Skip Pond and Phil Lambert, the builder of Outbound. They instantly make prospective owners comfortable that their experience will be uniquely tailored to their needs and desires. Their relaxed but attentive personalities are well suited for the task!

Skip and Josh with Susan at the helm

One of the great things about building a "semi-custom" yacht is that there is room not just for making personal choices, but also for considering sensible design changes. Within a month of making "old fashioned" copies, cuts, and pastes with scissors and tape, and after a few email and phone calls, the new Outbound 46 "Aft head with Separate Shower" was launched. The beauty of this design is that it allows for a full head with separate shower that leads directly to the aft work room which is now on the starboard side. Simultaneously it opens up the salon--lots of light and open space!

We also opted for the centerline queen-sized master cabin, with lots of additional storage rather than with a second head. This still allows for a nice functional vanity sink and medicine cabinet in the space where the second head would have gone. I think this is an ideal layout for a cruising couple. And the yard does a great job with the teak!

Come to think of it, instead of me giving the tour, why not let Phil Lambert of Outbound Yachts show you around Pratique:

We opted for the double headstay rig with Genoa and Solant both on roller-furlers, and a traditional fully battened main. TheVectran sails are made by Hood. Here's Phil's guided tour of the deck, cockpit and the rig:

You can get a higher res version of these clips by visiting http://www.outboundyachts.com

When the Newport show was over, it was time to begin planning the trip south to the Annapolis show. Simultaneously it became clear that after the show we would need to have decided whether we were going to (a) Sail north back to RI and put the boat on the hard until Spring, 2013, or (b) Turn to starboard and get the boat to Norfolk then on to Florida for a winter in the water, with the option to "visit" and cruise the Biscayne Bay and then the Bahamas for a week or two, then in late April deliver her back to RI for Spring, 2013. Guess which one we decided upon?

So with those long term plans in mind, we provisioned for the trip from RI to Annapolis. Although I have had a few passages under my belt over the last few years (Bermuda to Newport, Connecticut to Florida, and of course Pratique's delivery trip from Norfolk to RI), this was to be Susan's first. Thankfully, Skip Pond joined us for what turned out to be a very enjoyable run from RI to Annapolis. Skip wrote an article about that trip, to appear in a future issue of BLUE WATER SAILING magazine, so when it is out I will link it here. For now, a few pics from the trip: