Tuesday, December 8, 2009

40z Stacked

The 40z GRACE was the hit of the St. Petersburg Boatshow (Dec 3-7).  Bob J drove her back to Naples on Monday, a trip of about 120 miles in just over 4 hours averaging 31.5 knots, adding 90 gallons of diesel to fill the tanks upon arrival, for a fuel efficiency of about 1.3 nmpg.  Seas were fairly calm, first in rain then out into the sun near Boca Grande. The most amazing part of the weekend was to see the huge forklift (check the size of the driver) high-stack the 40z like an center console at the new Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club facility near the Gordon Pass in Naples.  This is an impressive hurricane proof facility with a great staff and excellent restaurant.  There are now 4 MJMs stored there, 2-34z's and 2-40z's.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

An Okeechobee Tale


As we contemplated our route from the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show to Naples on the West Coast, Bob asked, “Which way would you like to go? South around the tip of Florida through the Ship Channel or North through the Okeechobee Waterway?”  Memories came back of sailing around the southern tip of Florida 25 years ago in the St. Pete to Lauderdale ocean race.  The stars were still out and the sky was just beginning to lighten as we pulled in the dock lines on the MJM 40z “GRACE”.  “Let’s go north.”  I’d never been through the rivers and canals of central Florida and I was intrigued by the thought of trying out the joystick system in the locks.

Minutes later we were leaving behind the hulking shapes of the mega-yachts at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.  To the west the full moon was waning as the first rays of the morning sun broke through the clouds over the Gulf Stream.  We swung out of the inlet and headed north and slid the throttles forward to 85% and leveled off at a 34-knot cruising speed.  As the sun heated the morning air and turned the spray in our wake to gold, we kept the windshields open to the balmy breeze coming off the beach.  We set the autopilot to 0 degrees as GRACE slid easily over a slow northeast swell.  I stood watch at the helm while Bob made our traditional hot oatmeal and coffee breakfast, and the miles slipped away beneath us.

By mid morning we were turning into St.Lucie Inlet where we passed fishermen still coming out to chase the big game fish we had seen swirling the water offshore.  Bob took the helm and watched the chart plotter while I sat in the port Stidd seat and picked the channel markers off from the chart kit in front of me.  As we crossed the Inter Coastal Waterway, we had to pay careful attention to the many branching channels and the day beacons that marked them.  We slowed to no-wake speed and passed easily under the 14’ Old Roosevelt Bascule Bridge.  As the river narrowed, we met a small barge and crane and a few more boats coming down the St. Lucie River. 

At Mile 15 we entered the basin below the St. Lucie Lock around 10 am.  On the Okeechobee Waterway the lock tenders monitor channel 13 and the bridge tenders are on channel 09.  The St.Lucie lock informed us that they had divers working on the lock and that it would be two hours before we could transit.  Moving to the side of the basin, we dropped anchor in 10 feet of water, set up our laptop and cell phone offices in the shade of the hardtop, and watched as other cruising boats joined us. 

Just before noon we saw signs of activity around the lock and started our engines and hoisted anchor.  This was a perfect opportunity to try out our joystick’s Skyhook feature.  We maneuvered easily into position in front of the lock gates and pushed the Skyhook button on the shift control head, automatically locking us into our GPS position and compass heading.  As we walked around the boat setting fenders, the computer kept us within a couple of feet of our position and maintained our heading within a degree.  Our fellow cruisers, however were constantly shifting and steering to avoid each other and to hold against the wind and current as the lock opened. 

As the lock control light turned from red to green, we entered and with the joystick earning its keep, sidled gently against the metal walls of the lock, picking up the bow and stern lines that were hanging from the top of the lock walls.  The third boat behind us was a high sided trawler yacht that got caught sideways in the cross wind and as their stern swing to starboard, the anchor and bow roller met the port lock wall with a crunch of bending metal.  I silently thanked our joystick again.

When the gates closed behind us the ones ahead were opened a few inches and a narrow but 12 foot high waterfall spilled from the river above into our lock.  I held the bow line snuggly around our forward mooring cleat and gradually pulled the line in as the water rose.  Eventually we could see the shining stretch of river ahead and the green trees lining its banks.  With the upper gates fully open, we used the joystick to sidle over to the middle of the lock and powered out into the upper river.  Sliding along at 25 knots it felt more like English countryside on an August day as the green fields and trees sloped down to the river banks under puffy while clouds and a pale blue sky.

We had just settled into our river run when we arrived at Mile 39 and the Port Mayaca Locks.  Since Lake Okeechobee wasn’t very high, the locks were open and we slipped out onto the seeming endless silvery expanse of the lake.  Opening up the engines to cruising speed we were again at 34 knots with the windshields open and summery air blowing our hair back. As Bob said later, “This is like being on vacation!”

As we approached the southwest shore of the lake, small grassy islands appeared beyond the channel markers.  We passed a cruising sailboat slowly powering west and then reached the earthen dikes that mark the edge of “Route 1”, the canal that follows the rim of the lake around to the Moore Haven lock at Mile 78, marking the beginning of the descent into the Caloosahatchee River on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.  Now that were experienced hands at transiting a lock, we hardly said a word as we picked up our lines and waited for the water to drop and the gates to open.  We shared the lock with a 42’ sailboat with its too-tall mast lashed to giant saw horses on deck.

Just beyond the lock we met an unforeseen obstacle.  The Moore Haven railroad bridge is rarely closed, but this day we had an hour wait while a tiny three car train pulled by a switcher engine made a lot whistling and banging noises behind the houses of Moore Haven.  The bridge operator seemed to have forgotten his VHF radio and his office was in the cab of his white pickup truck parked by the tracks where he communicated with us by shouting.  Finally, the train crossed the bridge very slowly and departed with a mournful wail of its horn. We answered with a powerful double-toot from the 40z’s Kahlenburgs

The next stretch down to the Ortona Lock was relatively wild with long stretches of wooded shores, swamps with fields beyond.  As the afternoon advanced, towering cumulus clouds built overhead leaving long golden rays of sun streaking through to reflect off the river ahead.  Eventually we transited the Franklin Lock and were in the tidal reaches of the Caloosahatchee River.  As dusk deepened, lights came on along the river shore.  Just in time, as we approached the outskirts of Fort Myers, we came to the first lighted channel markers that would guide us down through the maze of sandbars between us and the Gulf of Mexico.

The channel is narrow and in addition to the lighted marks, there are numerous unlit day beacons on black pilings that had to be respected.  Bob and I quickly settled into a routine.  We dimmed the chart-plotter to night-time illumination, set the searchlight on a sweep pattern ahead of us, and Bob drove while I piloted from a paper chart set up on the portside nav station.  Using a small chart light, I picked off each day marker, found its reflective number in the searchlight beam and checked it with the binoculars.  Bob tracked our progress on the chartplotter and watched the depth sounder.  Looking ahead it was easy to become dazzled by the blaze of lights from downtown Fort Myers with its brightly lit buildings and automobiles in addition to the navigation lights of all the channel markers, bridges and boats.  It took unbroken concentration to keep us on track, but we never strayed once from the channel.

After turning west across Redfish Cove in Cape Coral, we set a course to pass close by Glover Bight on the north shore and headed in to Rumrunner’s waterfront restaurant where we had reservations for dinner.  The chart-plotter and searchlight earned their keep as we followed the twisting channel through a half dozen right angle turns to round the last corner in total darkness and found a warm glow of lights radiating from the patio at Rumrunner’s with open dock space right out front, just a few steps from our reserved table.  We tied up for the night and went to enjoy a delicious meal.  Having left the cabin and bridge deck lights on, we noticed a small crowd of admiring onlookers stopping to look at “GRACE” while we dined.

In the morning we were greeted by Cape Coral’s genial developer (who owned a J/24) on board his classic mahogany launch “Rumrunner.”  We congratulated each other on the excellent design and construction of this fine pair of yachts, and after fueling up at their dock, we were on our way again.

Heading south, we passed the low sandy islands at the entrance to the bay and out under the Sanibel Causeway into the open Gulf of Mexico.  A brisk 20 knot southeasterly wind met us and we opened the throttles to our 34 knot cruising speed once again, as we flew over the waves south towards Gordon Pass, the entrance to Naples. Hugging the beach we admired the shining sand and dark green palms tossing in the wind, the clear blue water, the wheeling flights of seabirds, and the few lazy puffy clouds that glowed in the morning sun.  It seemed a shame to stop.  We could have gone on forever, but we had friends to see in Naples and although it didn’t seem possible, a plane to catch back to Boston that night.

Eventually we cut back and wheeled into the inlet.  Recognizing a familiar 34z on her lift in Port Royal, we stopped to share a few tales of the sea with some wonderful friends, before idling over to the Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club.  This facility is on the leading edge of a new way to enjoy your boat.  With indoor rack storage for boats up to 50 feet long in a building designed to withstand 150 mph winds, your boat can be launched in minutes by a 55,00 lb capacity forklift and waiting for you when you arrive.  It was astonishing to see “GRACE” lifted so easily from the water and whisked away into the boat house.  After a delightful luncheon in the dining room we encountered another MJM owner who had happened by, who offered us a ride to the Fort Myers airport.  All the way there we conjured up dreams of our next great adventures, where we could go, what we might see, and who we could share it with.  I’m dreaming about the Abacos, and I hear there are even better islands just a little further out…

                                                                        Mark Lindsay

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Whale of a Trip


This was quite a solo offshore trip by Bob Johnstone.  235 miles from Northeast Harbor ME through the Cape Cod Canal to Newport RI in 10 hours. Some interesting observations are made regarding the 40z's features and behaviour at 25 knot speeds in 4-6 foot seas and an incredible encounter with a large whale on the Stellwagen Bank.


A WHALE OF A TRIP!

MJM Yachts owner, Bob Johnstone, describes his solo 235 mile, 10 hour offshore passage from Northeast Harbor ME to Newport RI aboard the 40z (hull #6)  GRACE on September 9, 2009

Little did I know when waving good-bye to Mary at 0620 hrs on Wednesday morning that I would have a very close encounter with a large whale. It was September 9, Mary stood on Clifton Dock and reminded me to wear a life jacket on deck. I was departing Northeast Harbor ME on the 40z GRACE, headed for Newport RI, 235 miles away. It was a spectacular morning, clear and cool with no clouds, sun rising and full moon setting with a light easterly breeze.

I was refreshed and energized by the moment, but under no illusions. This was not going to be a perfect power boating day where one could make port by noon cruising at 31 knots on calm seas... arriving before the afternoon sea breeze kicked in. First of all, Newport was too far away. Secondly, the forecast was for anything but calm seas... a building northeasterly of 15-22 knots with 3-5 foot seas. True enough except the tide was flooding east in the Gulf of Maine, which would add at least a foot to the wave height estimate. Could be a sleighride. Let’s see how a 40z handles these offshore conditions for most of a day without wearing out its sole occupant. It would have been a joy to share this trip with my 17 year old grandson, Nick. But, a flu bug interrupted this plan and he made the trip home to Newport by car.

First order of the day was the course to steer. Zoom out the cursor on the plotter and center it over the Cape Cod Canal. Says 230 degrees passing Provincetown close aboard. Other than a few lobster pots and rock shoals, the autopilot could take over at Clifton Dock... pretty much a straight shot out of Northeast Harbor, through the Western Way, out between Swans and Long Islands. It was a bit early to drop in for the world’s best lobster rolls at Lunt’s in Frenchboro... half the town is out here with me hauling up the ingredients.

Clearing the Western Way, the wind was a moderate 12 knots from the NE, waves were 2-3 feet, boatspeed was 30.5 knots at 3450 rpm with trim tabs deployed down against a short chop in a flood tide and an easterly roll. The twin Cummins 350 engines are high rpm engines, so this was an acceptable 90% of max. Hull #6 GRACE has the AXIUS system with Merc Bravo III sterndrives and duoprops. Passed two sailboats departing Burnt Coat and Frenchboro on a similar course. Guess they were planning an overnight. It would take them about a full day longer to the canal. Lobster pots were everywhere.

By 0720 hours conditions had changed.  Waves had built to 4-6 feet and were quite steep due to a building flood current. I throttled back to 27 knots. Fuel rate was showing 24.2 gph. At the higher speed of 30 knots, half the boat would become airborne occasionally, launching off a cliff of a wave. With ½ trim tabs to keep the bow up a bit, she would still push into the back of a wave about every 3 minutes, creating a cloud of spray that would splash the windshield. Windshield washer and wipers worked flawlessly. Wipers were off 80% of the time. The stemhead and anchor roller never went under a wave once on the entire trip. Doug Zurn nailed that bow shape perfectly with just the right amount of reserve buoyancy, as he did on the 29z and 34z. The boat was running steady and true in these conditions under autopilot, no yaw or bowsteer tendencies at all. The last pots seen were in 160 feet of water, so I could be less attentive to the helm and take a moment to look around. The fathometer was now showing 324 feet. No boats in sight. No cell phone signal. The Camden Hills were low on the horizon abeam. We, GRACE and I, were definitely alone asea (as Will Shortz would use in the NYT Crossword) together. At 0729 passed a rather desolate Seal Island with Matinicus in sight. No worries though. We had Kevlar topsides and I don’t think any of the trigger-happy lobstermen there could’ve caught GRACE, even if she had chewed up a couple of pots.
0745 hrs doing 25-26 knots at 3100 rpm, fuel rate at 20.9 gph, wind pushing 20 knots.

The highest peak north of Brazil on the east coast of the Americas, Cadillac Mountain (1530 ft) on Mt. Desert Island disappears below the horizon about 50 miles astern*. Hard to believe that any of the ancients who’d even been just 20 miles offshore (a 300 foot tall object goes below the horizon at 20 miles) could think the world was flat. *The formula according to Ocean Voyager is 1.17*square root of the combined height of viewer and object (1540') or 46 miles.



0845 hrs - Small water birds darting over the surface keeping me company. Portland Buoy reports NE 17-23 knot winds and 4’ seas. In these conditions, I wonder how any boat with a cruising speed (in normal conditions) of less than 25 knots could possibly have the power to average more than 14 knots in a following sea. Waves seem to go about 15 knots. To cruise faster than 14 knots and escape the inevitable trawler-like wallowing and yawing as large seas overtake the boat, the boat must be able to cruise at 25 knots. I say that because every now and then even GRACE, running at an average 25-knots, is slowed climbing over the top of a particularly steep wave. I watch the GPS (over the ground speed) drop momentarily to 16-17 knots. She’s gaining on the wave but it becomes more of a struggle as the reverse-flowing water molecules on the back of the wave slow the boat. Once over the top she’s surfing down at 27 knots, then usually has no issue with the next 10 waves or so, until reaching another doozy. Interesting.

0953 hrs - Cape Elizabeth (Portland ME) on the beam. Current is running about 1.5 knots on the nose. After hitting the “up” button on the windlass too many times to keep the chain tight, I decided to double-check the safety tether on the chain and secure it tighter, rather than depending on the windlass system to do so. Definitely don’t want to have the anchor deploy when doing 25+ knots! Not relishing the idea of going on deck, I discovered a wonderfully easy and safe method of “virtually” going on a 40z foredeck... this method could also work to check the anchor in the middle of the night when moored. In fact one could do it without getting out of bed. No need to literally go on deck, having to don life jacket and brace oneself in rough seas. With the autopilot on at idle speed to hold the stern into the waves and make things reasonably quiet, I crawled onto the island berth in the forward cabin and opened the deck hatch which is about 33” over the berth. It was like creating a forward cockpit just behind the windlass. I was able to stand on the berth with my upper body above deck. It’s a good thing I checked. The nylon tether was untethered! I lashed the anchor chain to a bow cleat, closed the hatch, walked aft to the helm and resumed cruising speed.

1018 hrs - I pass a trawler severely plunging up and down in the waves, traveling in the opposite direction with sheets of spray flying over it. Where do people get the idea that trawlers are good at sea? Must have been like riding bucking bronco. Kennebunkport and the Bush compound were abeam according to the chart. Don’t think 41 and 43 will be bombing around in their Cigarette today. Couldn’t see land that was about 28 miles away.

1140 hrs Coast Guard VHF repeatedly reports a 20-foot sailboat out of gas and in distress. Wait a minute! A sailboat out of gas is an emergency in a nice sailing breeze? What’s the world coming to?

1148 hrs. Lat 42:06 Lon 70:06   For the fun of driving, I announced to the autopilot that it was my turn to drive for a while. Fortunately, the timing was good. Several minutes later,  the crest of the 2nd wave ahead developed a funny-looking shape... it was spuming straight up and flaring out in a mist rather than curling with the wave. WHALE!! my brain registered. Hard right rudder for avoidance, then just about where the spume was, hard left rudder to heel the boat to port, swing the props out and throttle back to minimize injury to the whale and brace myself for the collision. Thank God, we missed! In the middle of the bank to port, I had what must have been a harpooners view, looking down onto the back of the whale extending out to port for seemingly 40-50 feet. It was a big one.  All 3 of us, GRACE, me and the whale could have been seriously hurt. And, I could only thank the 40z’s fantastic response to the helm that enabled such instantaneous avoidance. That would not have been possible on a typical deep-V hull. The directional stability in a following sea, caused by too much “V” and small rudders, results in a delayed response to any movement of the wheel. This was a 1-2 second life or death affair. 4-5 seconds would not have worked. WHEW! That was scary. But, what a thrill to be that close to one of these magnificent creatures. Kept the boat in idle forward, put on the autopilot, grabbed the camera and got a photo of the whale astern. Saw another, tale in the air.

1200 hrs. noon   Pass another trawler heading NE. Cape Ann abeam and in sight.

1304 hrs.  Encounter a large USCG cutter which seemed to be patrolling the Boston ship channel just prior to passing Provincetown. They let me pass without incident. I did slow down a bit. Natural response I suppose when you know the radar has you in its sights.

1415 hrs.  Enter the Cape Cod Canal. Have the 2nd half of my egg salad sandwich. Back to civilization. Time to relax. Talked to Mary on the cellphone and tell her of safe arrival thus far. Having left NE Harbor at 0800 by car, she was at the Kennebunkport Service Station on Rte 95.

1430 hrs.  Wait a minute!  That looks like another MJM approaching in the canal going east.  It is. Turns out to be CORSAIR, 29z #1 with good friend Henry & Callie Brauer aboard. The Brauers and CORSAIR spend the summer with us in Northeast Harbor He also sails a J/100 and J/105 and was returning from a short vacation with family in the islands, picnicking on the beach in Tarpaulin Cove in the Elizabeth Islands, etc. and now headed back home to Marblehead. We circle around in the canal talking a bit, enjoying the encounter. I tell him its a bit nasty in Cape Cod Bay. Later I learn they ran at about 18 knots into it before opening up to 22-25 knots when turning the corner more to the North, making it to Marblehead in a respectable 2 hours.  Two thoughts.  Of the 10 or so boats seen that day, two were MJMs. Not a bad share of the active boating market. And, good things seem to happen on an MJM, making the world smaller for one. What are the chances of meeting one of your best friends boating on a Wednesday in September, starting 250 miles apart?  It’s doubtful we could have actually planned it so successfully.

1445 hrs. Buzzards Bay is just mildly choppy. The current and a good 15-20 knot NE wind going in the same direction. With tabs down, the 40z sustains 25 knot+ cruising speed out past Cuttyhunk into Rhode Island Sound.

1540 hrs.  See beautiful large sailboat flying an all-blue asymmetric spinnaker off the Sakonnet River. Turns out to be the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY with owner Jim Madden and friends aboard cruising along at about 12 knots. Circle the boat, give them a couple of toots on the horn then get some good photos. Another example of good things happening?

1620 hrs.  After exactly 10 hours, we arrive at the New York YC Harbour Court to pick up GRACE’s mooring. 235 miles, including slowing down to 12-15 knots for 40 minutes traversing the 9 miles of the Cape Cod Canal. Total fuel consumed was just under 200 gallons for an average of 1.2 NMPG.

Greeted with good news on the cell phone. (Good things happening in “3’s”?) Mary changed her plans. Rather than staying in Boston that night, she joins me for a drink to watch the sun go down from the Adirondack chairs on the hill in front of the NYYC, followed by dinner. The perfect end of an extraordinary trip.  In fact “a whale of a trip”..

RLJ 10-03-09

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Motorboating Features 40z


The September 2009 issue has an excellent article by Jeanne Craig entitled "Classic Twist" written after an interview with Bob and Mary J. and sea trial on hull #1 Grateful in Stuart FL in February.

The comment about an owners golf and garden club activities is not quite right. That happened after getting an MJM, not before.

Read the article HERE.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

34z in Soundings

This article in the September 2009 issue of Soundings under "Used Boats" is a great story describing the owners joy in discovering a used 34z and how the resale value for these boats is being sustained.  MJM resale value has been holding up better than any other brand during 2009 because the boats are truly unique in being fuel-efficient and eco-friendly.

Click on www.soundingsonline.com/boat-shop/used-boat-review/239832-mjm-34z

Sunday, March 1, 2009

1025 miles on ICW from Palm Beach to the Chesapeake Averaging 19.7 mph



 It’s hard to imagine a better boat than the MJM 40z for the 1025-mile ICW passage from Palm Beach to mile marker “0” in Portsmouth VA on Chesapeake Bay. 40z has the speed to get from one great destination port to the next without feeling confined to the boat all day long and losing walking/exploring time ashore. There’s enough speed to by-pass the day’s intended destination, and keep going on the ICW, putting money in the bank, in order to avoid strong forecasted headwinds the following day in open sounds or wide rivers. When signs say “Resume Normal Safe Operation”, that means 30 knots on a 40z. At 30 knots, you are never bored and would hate to miss any of the interesting sights along the way. When hearing about the 30 knot cruising speed, upon stepping aboard for the first time in Savannah, Mary dismissed the concept as unlikely. 20-22 knots was her happy speed threshold on the 34z. On the 40z, her comfort zone has changed. She’s now driving the boat at 30 knots with a smile, while carrying on a conversation

A case in point occurred in Hilton Head. A Fleming 55 departed Harbour Towne at 8 AM to go 70 miles to Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island, arriving by 3 PM. After a relaxed morning reading the New York Times, 40z GRATEFUL departed at 10:30 AM. We passed the Fleming at noon after 40 statute miles. They were averaging 8.7 knots. The 40z was averaging 23 knots, nearly 3x the speed. It took us 4.5 hours to go 90 sm, and took the Fleming 7 hours to go 70 sm. We were leaving a nice marina in Hilton Head. The City Marina in Charleston is the best. There’s not much in between other than downtown Beaufort, which comes up too soon to be a passage-making destination.

There are some slow spots. We averaged 11-12 mph between Palm Beach and Stuart. There were only two other areas where average passage time was that slow:  Between Myrtle Beach SC and Wrightsville NC and for 4 bridges in the last 20 miles to Portsmouth VA. A couple of other “no wake” zones didn’t reduce our average much. They were south of Daytona near New Smyrna Beach and near Isle of Hope (Savannah GA). The rest of the waterway is mostly wild and wide open. Probably the best example was with Mark Lindsay and Scott Smith aboard, running the 185 miles from St. Augustine FL to Isle of Hope in 6.5 hours, averaging 28.5 mph (25 knots).

Traveling at such speeds, it was fortunate that our ICW passage making was mostly during weekdays as I’m sure boat traffic alone would have pulled down 40z averages on weekends. We learned an effective technique for reducing wake. Speed is sustained to within a boat length of an overtaken vessel or about 5 boat lengths of an approaching vessel, the crew is warned and the throttles are pulled back into “idle”. The boat seems to stop and is then overtaken by its wake (to dip its bow in a curtsy). Once the stern wave goes under the boat, throttle is applied to pass the other boat. This leaves a keyhole shaped wake astern with virtually no wake thrown out to either side from the point of slowing to regaining about 7.5 knots speed. 

We generally prefer running inside. It’s more relaxing as well as being entertaining for the sights and the other boats you meet. And, with 40z speed, most of the time we believed we could average better inside in smooth water, even with some “No Wake” zones to honor, than would have been possible outside in any sea, where we might be dropping running speeds to below 25 knots for comfort.

In terms of engine size, GRATEFUL is powered by twin Volvo Penta IPS 500 370 HP D6’s. I debated going with the 300 HP D4’s. After all, who cruises at more than 25 knots? Well, after this trip I must confess, “It’s me”. The 40z is so smooth and quiet (75 dBA) at 30 knots, there’s no strain. And, to carve into turns through the narrow marsh creeks is a joy to be experienced.

The 40z consumed 572 gallons of diesel for the 810 miles between Daytona FL (mm 830) and Great Bridge VA (mm 20) or 1.42 statute mpg or 1.23 nmpg. That would project to just over two tank fills, 721 gallons for 1025 miles, or $1442. Diesel ranged from $1.89 to $2.29 per gallon. The nmpg fuel rate of about 1.25 nmpg did not vary much whether going 20 knots or 30 knots. The price at Halifax Cove Marina (Daytona) was $2.00 and Great Bridge Marina VA was $1.89.

A major advantage of the 40z is a low 12.5 foot height over water including the optional KVH radar dome and fixed steaming light (VHF antenna lowered). The overall ICW travel time for the 1025 miles was 52 hours 10 minutes including bridge-waiting time of 1 hour 40 minutes? 30 minutes at the pontoon bridge south of Wrightsville, and 1 hour 10 minutes for three bridges within 20 miles of Portsmouth. Most of the time we are passing long lines of trawlers, sportfish, motor yachts and of course sailboats that must wait for as long as 29 to 59 minutes. Between Miami and Portsmouth VA, there are 28 bridges with less than 20 feet clearance. On an earlier trip in February on the way to the Miami Boatshow, one Sabre 42 owner was bemoaning the fact that it took him 5 hours to get from Ft. Lauderdale to Palm Beach. The next day, GRATEFUL did the same trip in 3 hours. The 40z waited for 2 bridges, the Sabre 42 had to deal with 9. 

“Flying Bridges” must have been an invention for slow boats in warm climes. When the whether is cool or windy, as it was in the first two weeks of April. Practically no one was up in their flying bridges, not even going 8 knots. Imagine if they’d been truly flying at 30 knots!  

As much fun as traveling the ICW is, there maybe times when an annual round trip is impractical to fit into one’s schedule. This is where the 40z, 34z and 29z are exceptional among boats fit for cruising. They are all designed purposely to make the round trip by land, as all have 12 foot beams or less and are under 13.5 feet height on a trailer, so they can be shipped at normal trucking rates. Trucking cost of GRATEFUL from Boston to Naples was $5200. I asked the trucker what the rate would have been for a “flybridge boat” with a beam greater than 12 feet. He said the rate for chase car, lead car, plus alternative routing due to the height over 13.5 feet would be between $18,000 and $27,000... one way.

Of course, an ICW passage is not that long a trip for an MJM and its a great opportunity to be with friends. We enjoyed mini-rendezvous with MJM owners at both Eau Galliee and Wrightsville Yacht Clubs. Going south, it’s possible to cover the 207 miles from Portsmouth VA to Beaufort NC, South of Hatteras, in less than 12 hours. That assumes that one is not going straight into 25-knot southerly winds with ebb tides in the large Sounds. So some advanced weather planning is advised to keep the wind at your back, ride northerlies south and southerlies north. Ideally going south, leave Portsmouth on a Thursday morning. 

The next day could target Wrightsville or Bald Head Island.  Although in the right conditions on Friday one could make it from Beaufort to either Georgetown or Charleston SC with an early start. It took us 15.5 hours to Charleston. It would be 12 hours to Georgetown, leaving a leisurely cruise to Charleston Saturday morning. Spend Saturday afternoon and Sunday in the Charleston City Marina. Lots of great restaurants.

On Monday, there are some nice destinations:  Harbour Towne on Hilton Head, Isle of Hope Marina near Savannah, and Golden Isles Marina on St. Simons Island. The latter would be 210 miles of fairly unrestricted traveling, so 8-9 hours.

Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona is a good protected overnight spot with a West Marine Store, cheap diesel and a Chart House restaurant on premises. That’s 155 miles from St. Simon’s island, or 7-8 hours time. An interim stop might be Camachee Cove Marina in St. Augustine.

From Daytona, you can make it to the Palm Beach City Marina at the foot of Brazilian Way, a distance of 195 miles in 11-12 hours. An interim stop might be the Marriott Hutchinson Island Resort Marina in Stuart FL.

In summary, the ICW cruise from Portsmouth VA to Palm Beach FL (or the reverse) can be run in a week, leaving Thursday, arriving Wednesday with the weekend in Charleston.

Great fun.  I’m ready to go again.


                                   Bob Johnstone


Thursday, January 15, 2009

Maine Boats Harbors & Homes Features 40z Launch

Log onto to the following link to read Dave Getchell's first hand account of his ride on the 40z in Boston Harbor by clicking on this link: www.maineboats.com/boat-launchings/mjm-40z.

He didn't mention that a Maine bank, long associated with launching ships from Bath ME was instrumental in financing the tooling for the 40z. Bath Savings Institution has been financing beautiful, fast, functional ships since 1852, the clipper ship era of America's supremacy on the seas.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

MJM... Doubling Miles Per Gallon

Learn how much more efficient the 29z, 34z and new 40z are than their counterparts. Comparative data is from Power & Motoryacht, Boating, Lakeland Boating and SEA magazine boat reviews as well as from builder websites. With fuel now at $3.20 per gallon and climbing, an MJM can stretch your fuel dollar by as much as 100% or more.

Click on Green 29z or Green 34z or Green 40z to download PDF Charts comparing nautical miles per gallon by category at approximately 25 knots.