Near anchoring mishap in Montenegro

I posted this at the Trawler forum but for some reason several readers could not see the images. So here it is for those that could not see them.


I thought people might find it interesting to hear about a close call we had last weekend, how we got into it, and how we got out of it.

It was my wife's birthday on Saturday and we had arranged to have a party at a local beach bar with a jetty that one can anchor off stern too, or 'Med' Moor'.
This is a fairly standard practice over this side of the pond so we didn't really think much of it in the planning process.

Porto Montenegro Yacht Club

Nostra Signora had the honour of acting as the the race committee boat during our recent regatta at the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club.

It was a Blu26 match race held over 3 days.

The club purchased 4 Blu26's last year and we have been racing them very regularly ever since.

Life's ups and downs

Just when all is going well in life, perhaps too well, all of a sudden reality kicks in and you can suddenly, tragically and unexpectedly be blindsided.

After the delivery of the boat to Montenegro, I arranged for her to be lifted and anti-fouled.

This all went without a hitch and the following Saturday NS was sporting a brand new painted bottom.

Delivering the new boat - Italy to Montenegro

Time rolls on as time tends to do, which is my way of saying even with the best of intentions to update this blog on a regular basis, I have not been so diligent.
So 5 weeks after the delivery from Italy to Montenegro, here is the account of it as best as I can remember.

Myself, JS and AS arrived on the boat at 2030 after a flight from Montenegro to Slovenia and a 2 hour drive to the boat, only to be greeted by the engineers who where madly trying to finish off the jobs that should have been completed weeks earlier! All in all though the guys did do a reasonable job and we had no major issues on the trip.
The provisions went aboard along with several cases of Italian wine that is so hard to find in Montenegro. Systems were tested, the spotlight rigged up to a spare battery (this was essential for navigating out of the narrow channel from the marina to the Adriatic sea), fuel was delivered by jerry can with the help of a couple of great friends who also had a boat near by (thanks guys!), a pizza eaten, immigration taken care of, 101 things madly stowed, and we were away by 0200.
After a slow meander through a very narrow channel on a moonless night where the spotlight came into its own by illuminating the post that were spaced every 100 meters or so, we headed out into open sea bound for Croatia.

Heading for the Adriatic

A good check list for buying any new boat (this is not my work)

I found this via google. It has been written as a survey check list for Taiwanese built Trawlers, but is a good check list for any boat survey.
Please note that this does not negate the need for a professional survey.

CHB PILOT

PREAMBLE

The CHB Pilot was put together for use as a referral list for maintenance items and for those who are interested in buying a CHB and want to know what to look for in the initial inspections and subsequent surveys as the sale is brought to completion.  This Pilot Guide is not limited to the CHB vessel but can be used in the purchase of a number of like vessels as most of the categories are common amongst all vessels.  The chief reason that makes this guide a CHB GUIDE will be the “Lessons Learned” sections associated with most of the categories.  This will detail comments made by various members about their experiences with certain categories and hopefully will be the really helpful area for members of the CHB Group.

CHB PEDGREE

While very interesting and helpful in explaining variations in our boats ,the current discussion of CHB pedigrees must be taken in the greater context.

We are not an "Exclusive Brand Name" group. Rather it is the tremendous variation of our Taiwan built Trawlers that has caused us to come together to provide mutual help in sorting out the "Maze of Hwa."  I write this because I don't want anyone to feel that they might not belong because they don't have a "real" CHB. If you have read the material presented so far concerning the pedigree of CHB, FHB, CBK, ECT you realize that there is no one "real" CHB.  And if you have been around long enough you realize that we are definitely not an "exclusive" group....that is, pinkies in the air while we sip our tea.  While we may not be able (nor willing) to pin down a singular definition of who we are (from MT to KK), we do know that we are not USP :-)  

Ron & Marilyn Sallee "Arwetheryet" CHB 34 Everett, WA

Review

Marine Trader 34 Double Cabin At the time of the fuel crisis of the 1970s trawler yachts enjoyed a brief period of increased popularity when fast powerboats, with fuel-guzzling engines, fell out of favor among powerboat owners. But, as boaters became more and more used to paying higher prices for fuel and the relative cost of fuel dropped, fewer people seemed to find these slow, plodding vessels attractive and their popularity waned. However, driven by aging sailors searching for less demanding vessels and retires in search of a slower paced boating lifestyle, the last several years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of this type of vessel to the point that market demand has outstripped the supply of some models. This style vessel is what is commonly referred to as a trawler yacht due to its resemblance, in appearance, to a commercial fishing trawler. The Marine Trader 34 Double Cabin is 33’-6" in length overall with a 30’-3" waterline length a maximum beam of 11’-9" and draft of 3’-6". The hull has a V-shaped bottom with a sharp entry forward that flattens considerably at the stern. There is an integral keel that runs nearly the entire length of the vessel. The keel fairs into the bottom near the bow and drops more than two feet below the bottom near the stern affording protection for the propeller and rudder.

Spare parts

This page will start off very short, but I will add to it over time.

I have just ordered the first bit of new equipment to be delivered to the boat. It is a new shower sump pump.
The boat has two heads that are fitted with sinks and showers, but the shower drains are designed to run straight into the bilge. I am not a fan of any water in the bilge let alone smelly shower water and all the gunk that goes with it. So high on the priority list is to install a shower sump into the forward shower.
After a lot of research and study of reviews, I have gone for a sump by Attwood.

I will post more on this page about the spares I like to carry, and when I get around to installing the sump pump, I will do a separate post on it.



The next order has been placed for gear to arrive ready to be installed once we get the boat home.


The Adriatic can be very hot in summer. We try to live by the KISS method (keep it simple stupid) so are not keen in installing A/C.
Our first world trip was aboard a square rigger which also did not have a/c. these little fans are the bomb! It's amazing how powerful they are, simple to install and effective at keeping one cool on those hot summer nights!