Beluga (yes, we name our boats just like you probably name your cars), our brand new Nautitech Open 40, is always smiling. At least, it appears this way because she reminds us of the adorable Beluga whale who also seem to have permanent smiles on their faces. The boat, much like the mammal, has a grey and white exterior which tends to stand out among a sea of white ships. Some of you might be wondering why there is an accent over the letter “e” since we are in the good ol’ US of A. Part of the answer is because Nautitech is a French company and the other reason is that we just like the way it looks.
Although there are still some issues that need to be resolved, we are thrilled that we went with this catamaran. It is the perfect balance between performance and comfort. Beluga is prime, floating real estate! Dimmable LED lights throughout, a built-in oven, quartz countertops, and more soft finishes (as opposed to fiberglass) than the other boats in its class. I think my favorite feature has to be the open design to the cockpit and salon: open up the double sliding door and viola one great room!
Catamarans are known to be slightly underpowered. However, like with cars, this situation can be remedied by splurging for the horsepower upgrade. Why settle on a Ford Escape with a 4-cylinder engine when there is a 6-cylinder option? It definitely makes a difference. Sometimes you just want to get there, especially when there is no wind and a strong current.
Some may disagree with me here but having the helm on the main deck as opposed to being all the way up on the fly bridge is a must-have feature for me. My rule of thumb is that if your request for a beer is met with silence, you are too far away. Yes, you lose some visibility but having two helm stations generally resolves this issue. Hmmmm...lower visibility or no beer...I will take the former option every time!
Like with every major new purchase be it a house, car, or sailboat, there is a learning curve. Unfortunately, a helpful dock hand at Suntex Marina at Hollywood got the shit end of the stick (quite literally) as a result of my “learning curve.” All I can say is that I overestimated the size of our waste holding tank. The good news is that water was nearby, so he was able to jump right into the ocean for a quick rinse. I am wondering if the generous tip I gave to this gentleman is enough for redemption. I do not mean to be dramatic, but to get hosed down with fecal matter in public is pretty embarrassing. It does not get much crappier than this kind of situation (sorry, I had to go there yet again).