Boat Show News

Aquastar will be showing at:

Jersey Boat Show - 5th - 7th May 2012

Yard visits and demonstrations are always welcome Monday to Saturday. Please contact us to arrange a visit.

Not one to rest on our laurels, intently listening to customer feedback has focused our thoughts on our latest new model.  “Space” being the watchword on board.

"Aquastar Unique"

Welcome to the Aquastar News Update for 2012

The Evergreen Aquastar 38' is selling well, with three 38’s in build for this Summer’s delivery.  One of the 38' customers is changing up from a Aquastar 33'.  The second customer is changing from a Fairline Targa and the third customer changing from a Hardy 36' to the renowned Aquastar 38'.

The Aquastar 48’s are selling well, the next one for completion going to an Isle of Man customer.

The Design office is busy working up plans for a new 21 metre, developed from the Award winning Aquastar semi-displacement hull.

The new Aquastar 42' is developing well and will be class leading, with top quality hardwoods, fabrics and light fittings.  Plenty of light and a fresh air feel to the cabins other crafts cannot match.  The Aquastar 42' is such a comprehensive package that it is hard to see how it could be bettered.

Well worth a trip to the boatyard to see first hand.

Aquastar 60+ Semi-Displacement Motor Yachts

New for 2012 the Aquastar 60+ a development of the popular Aquastar 57'.  The new Aquastar 60+ offering bespoke fit out to clients requirements.

We look forward to receiving clients briefs.  Our design team have the latest CAD program to turn your thoughts into computer rendered visualizations for reassurance of the interior look, to make your preferences become reality.

ANOTHER AQUASTAR 57 TO THE MED!

Tony Giblett (who also happens to be the new Commodore of the Aquastar Club) has spent the last 3 seasons skippering brand new Aquastar 57s from Guernsey into and around the Mediterranean. He and his wife Helen also own an Aquastar 38 and they know these sound sea boats very well.  This year Tony took a brand new Aquastar 57 motor yacht from the C.I to her new port of Mahon in Menorca, almost 2,000 miles and his tale is set out below.

In May this year I returned from a transatlantic delivery crossing and almost immediately stepped onto the latest 57 to be launched from the Aquastar yard. Geoff Willson and his skilled team of engineers and shipwrights had produced yet another beauty with a luxurious interior which belied the rugged, semi displacement explorer hull and fit out which is so typical of these go anywhere vessels. This boat was to go to its new home in Mahon in Menorca.  John Hodge had chosen an Aquastar to replace his Sunseeker 50. Sea conditions on the east coast of Menorca can be choppy and planing boats can sometimes be uncomfortable. Boats built with UK sea conditions in mind are great to handle the summer mistrals of the Mediterranean.

Canta Libre’s watertight engine room contains a pair of Caterpillar 860hp engines.  Sleipner stabilisers operate from the engine hydraulic pumps when at sea and from the pump fitted to the generator when at anchor. The lazarette aft of the engine room contains the 29kva Kohler generator, the excellent and well used Safari watermaker (which can be operated from the saloon and incorporates an automatic flushing device which flushes the membrane every 7 days significantly reducing maintenance), the hydraulics, shore supply arrangements and a workbench and tool chest. 4 separate Dometic air-conditioning units maintain a comfortable environment throughout. Hydraulic thrusters fore and aft make these boats a dream to manoeuvre particularly as it is possible to leave the control pushing the boat gently against a pontoon whilst warps are made fast.

Helen and I joined the new owners in Guernsey ready for the trip and on the 15 June we were ready for an early start with the last opportunity to get over the cill at QEII marina at 09.00UT. With all stores stowed and full tanks of fuel we planned the 140NM to Camaret. We turned south into the Little Russell Channel to St Martin’s Point. The wind was WSW 3-4 and Canta Libre handled the head sea with ease as we set a course for the north end of the Chenal du Four intending to be there for HW Brest to take advantage of the southerly spring tide. An uneventful trip (some rain and fog) we decided to divert to L’Aber Wrac’h.  At 17.50 we tied up on the pontoons at L’Aber Wrac’h.  We had covered a total of 105NM. Supper on board and as predicted the winds came up overnight and we were glad to be snug in our berth.

We dined ashore on fish soup and moules in a very agreeable restaurant after moving the boat to a safer berth in view of the gale force winds predicted. The boat generated a lot of interest whilst in L’Aber Wrac’h and a number of sailors showed interest in the Aquastar concept of a seakindly hull coupled with an opulent but practical interior.

The following day was John’s birthday. I spotted a fisherman dragging a basket along the pontoon and inside it was a good sized lobster. A few Euros later it was ours! But we didn’t have a pan big enough so a trip along the pontoon soon got us the loan of one from a French boat (they are always prepared!) and the lobster became the birthday lunch along with some Guernsey new potatoes that Carl, Aquastar’s works manager, had given us as we left St Peter Port. We doubled up the lines that day as the F9 came through.

The poor weather continued for several days and John and Anne needed to leave. Helen and I would take the boat on to Vigo in northern Spain and then onto Cascais in Portugal. We finally departed L’Aber Wrac’h at 08.45 on the 23 June and set off into a F4 Westerly. The sea remained rough in places due to the strong winds of the previous days. We were cruising at 16 knots into the F5.  We sat inside in comfort with the hull driving through the sea rather than over it giving us a soft ride. I chose not to go for the Chenal du Four in view of the fact that with the sea running the passage through the Raz de Seine could be difficult. Sailing boats can use one tide to get through both but at our speeds we were bound to get an adverse wind over tide situation somewhere. So we went around the Ile D’Ouessant before turning south and then east in F4/5 making our way to Loctudy. Arriving at LW springs increased our concentration as the approaches are shallow but we entered and tied up to the fuel berth without incident. We topped up the tanks to their 5200L capacity (main tank and 2 wing tanks) in readiness for the trip across Biscay. Loctudy is a pleasant marina and there is an attractive town to visit.

Real passage making!

The weather was improving and the forecast for the 25^th was good (although there was some wind forecast for the Cantabrian Sea). We set off from Loctudy at 03.00UT (before dawn) and picked our way carefully around the pot buoys in calm and clear conditions. We set a course of 195^OM for Gijon 270NM away. Dawn broke at 04.00 and the engines were running at 2,100RPM giving us 16KN through the water with little current running. This was smooth going and we saw dolphins several times. We were also surprised by the amount of flotsam and jetsam seeing sizable planks of timber.

By 13.00 we had covered 170NM and had a further 100 to go. The weather began to change to an easterly 4 on the beam. Later it became 5/6 and the stabilisers really came into their own. I considered reducing speed from the 16 KT but the boat was coping well, the ride continued to be soft, the 30+ tonne displacement coming into it’s own, it was a perfectly normal day at the office! The radar and plotters gave us a full picture of what was around us and made the poor weather passage much less risky.

Conditions remained the same until we passed the fish farm on the approach to Gijon. In fact the sea remained big enough until we passed the pier at the harbour. Only then did I judge it safe to go out on deck to manage lines and fenders (a job which Helen has become most adept!) A call on channel 9 had welcoming staff on the waiting pontoon and we tied up at 20.00UT having covered 273NM in 17 hours at an average speed of 16KT. That night I reported to the owner that none of Anne’s expensive china (nor anything else) had suffered any ill effects.

The following morning we took on fuel.  We washed the boat and tidied up before going out for Sunday lunch in the town (Rueda white wine and tapas). It is our second Biscay crossing in an Aquastar and our second visit to Gijon which is a lovely town in the province of Asturias. An atmosphere of energy and activity is always present and this gives it a particular appeal. Church parades and, of course the young men pouring and drinking their cider in the Siderais around the town, all give a great Summer ambiance.  

The strong winds remained until 3 July when we were able to get away. 2 Spanish Navy sail training yachts had put in that morning and the crews of young officer cadets took an interest in Canta Libre. We made our way out of port into the heavy swell which had resulted from the strong winds of late. The stabilisers were helping and we were soon on our way to the west past Puta de la Estaca de Bares, the most northerly place in Spain. The wind was E F4 but the following sea was no problem. After 120NM we rounded Cabo Prior and turned south towards La Coruna. A call on channel 9 brought out the marinero in his rib who escorted us to our berth opposite the Real Yacht Club de La Coruna. We tied up at 19.00 after a days run of 143NM at an average of 16KT.  We spent the following day enjoying the lovely city of La Coruna with its impressive square and town hall. Back on board we played dominoes in the evening whilst listening to the young Spaniards at the disco nearby.

We set off from La Coruna the following day at 08.00. Careful pilotage into the western channel into a fair swell in a NW F4. Pilotage was fairly straightforward around the coast to Finistere with the wind on the stern and 1-2M swell. We covered 115NM to Marina Davila Sport in Vigo after passing between the islands. Staff at this marina are very helpful and we were met by their rib to escort us to a berth. The manager, Joaquin Davila, was especially helpful and there is a good restaurant on site. However the marina is some way away from the town which is a taxi ride away. Vigo itself is well worth a visit and the famous ‘Oyster Street’ has many restaurants serving all manner of shellfish.

John, the owner, joined us in Vigo and dealt with the Spanish authorities on importing the vessel into Spain. This was all carried out very efficiently using an agent based at Marina Davila.

On the Thursday we left Vigo and travelled the 13NM down the river to Bayona, a lovely town with 2 marinas. We stayed on the Puerto Deportivo and enjoyed hot mixed tapas washed down with good Rioja. This was followed by a brandy on board and a general putting to right of the world. The following day John had to leave and Helen and I planned our early start for Cascais in the morning.

William,  John’s son, was to join us for the last of the journey to Menorca, something we were intent on completing in just a few days to make up for earlier lost time. We left Bayona at 04.00 on Friday 29^th July and set off for Oeiras (on the river to Lisbon) as Cascais was full of Americas Cup vessels. The wind was in the north and there was about a 1M swell as we turned south having avoided the pots outside Bayona. The Portugese coast is littered with pot buoys and a sharp look out is needed. We fuelled in Oeiras (the slowest pump imaginable) after 218 miles. Supper in Peter’s Restaurant (as in the famous one in Horta, Azores where I had eaten earlier in the year).

Next day we were out of Oeiras at 05.00 dodging more pot buoys in a F5 on the starboard quarter running at 16-17 knots towards the treacherous Cabo de Sau Vicente with its beautiful lighthouse. Heading ESE we entered Barbate in darkness having covered 258NM in the day. There was no one around so we tied up near the office and had supper in a cafe bar on the marina.

Another early start on the 31^st saw us heading for windy Tarifa. On this occasion there was not too much wind and we entered the straits of Gibraltar running directly to the fuel quay in Gibraltar and refuelled before setting straight off for Aquadulce where I had stopped over on a previous passage. As is often the case in this area we ran into thick fog to the east of Gibraltar, picking our way through the anchored ships before bursting out into bright sunlight the other side. Aquadulce is not the most welcoming marina in Spain and we were made to wait on the fuel quay, to pay in advance for fuel then (eventually) directed to the furthermost corner of the marina.

We left Aquadulce (Best viewed over the transom) the following morning in the dark again with another long trip in front of us. The wind was F4/5 on the nose as we headed along the coast to Cartegena at  17 knots before leaving the coast and heading for La Savina (Formentera). The boat performed well in the short steep seas and we were able to keep up our speed all the way. At 8pm local we fuelled in the harbour before anchoring for the night in the lee of the land to the north of the harbour having logged 233NM. Winds remained strong overnight and through the following day and we were glad of the stabilisers operating from the power take off on the generator. The following night the wind backed unexpectedly from the east resulting in all the anchored boats suddenly being exposed to a significant sea. There was a lot of shouting and sounds of anchor chain being run out but we held steady.

The 3^rd of August was my birthday and by way of celebration we set off on the last leg of our journey. Recovering the anchor at 05.00 we slipped between Formentera and Ibiza and onto a course to the south of Mallorca passing between the mainland and the beautiful island of Cabrera. We entered the beautiful Mahon harbour after running 161NM that day to be met at Canta Libre's new berth by John’s wife Anne and members of his family ready to party!

We covered a total of 1856NM from Guernsey exceeding 200NM on several days. We rarely took on water preferring to make our own whilst on passage.