Yacht ‘Enterprise’ Van Dam 34
Built at Van Dam at Aalsmeer, Netherlands 1974
MMSI 244130118 ; Call Sign PH 5626
Built at Van Dam at Aalsmeer, Netherlands 1974
MMSI 244130118 ; Call Sign PH 5626
|
When we were looking for a boat to carry our retirement dream of living aboard and cruising the European coast we had a few criteria in mind, perhaps we were a bit naive for our sailing had consisted of 3 week trips on chartered vessels, both on the West coast of Canada and the South coast of England. Primarily we wanted a boat that could be handled by the two of us (who were not in the first flush of youth and would get older as our sailing continued) without resorting to electric winches and bow thrusters which just added to the complication. Therefore we did not want to fall into the trap of buying too large a boat, like a floating apartment, with all the complication that goes with that. After all, we wanted a sailing life, not a town life transposed to the water and was very restricted by the weather.
Secondly, after some experiences with drifting logs off Vancouver, we wanted a robust hull that would stand up to the occasional skipper error and encounters with hard objects, so that led us to a steel hull. |
Elantxobe, Spain
|
 Roscoff, France
|
Our third consideration was a stable boat in a storm. Although one does not seek out storms, in the course of the years that we were going to cruise there will inevitably be a few ‘rough weather’ experiences, and so it proved to be. Enterprise with her ¾ keel and 7.5 tonnes has proved to be a very stable boat in the roughest conditions; the weakest link was always the crew. Of course you pay a price for this; in light winds she is slow but above 10 knots of wind she goes well and with a reasonable sea will cruise at 7.5 knots under Main and Genoa. We considered twin keels which would have the ability to sit on the bottom but decided that that benefit did not offset the stability advantage. The Northern coast of France has many small drying harbours which we had to vacate by half tide to either anchor off or go to an adjacent less tidal harbour, but other than that, twin keels would have been no benefit in the Baltic, UK, Ireland, Western France or Spain.
|
|
The fourth consideration was draft. It was necessary that she could easily pass through the great traditional canals of the Crinan, the Caledonian, the Gotha and the Canal du Midi which meant that the draft should not exceed 1.5 metres. Enterprise has done all these canals with her draft of 1.45 metres. |
Roscoff, France
|
The Crinan Canal, Scotland
|
The Caledonian Canal, Scotland
|
The Götha Canal, Sweden
|
The Canal du Midi, France
|
The fifth consideration was that we wanted a classic boat with character, not just another production line, fibreglass boat. When Enterprise was launched in 1974 at Aalsmeer she was intended as a small ocean cruiser, the fashion for large boats had not arrived and fibreglass boats were just in the process of taking over. The builder had brought the craft of building smooth steel hulls to perfection and when out of the water people have to tap the hull to determine if it is steel or fibreglass! We do not know who the original owner was who custom ordered the boat but she initially sailed under a Dutch flag. All we know is that a German writer of sailing books purchased her in Southampton in 1990 and transferred her registration to Hamburg. The following period of her life is well documented since he lived aboard for a large part of the year to travel the Atlantic coast of Europe and the Mediterranean writing pilot books, magazine articles and updating almanacs.1,2,3,4 It was always delightful when cruising these areas that people would come up to us with one of his cruising guides in hand wondering if we were the writer. After his 13 years on the boat he writes that Enterprise is, “..strong, simple, comfortable and reliable, although not particularly fast.” His Editor added, “in other words a near-perfect voyaging home.”
|
We purchased her in 2004 in Haarlem and changed the registration to Dutch as we were not German citizens; a requirement at that time. So in some ways she had come full circle back to where she was built. Gradually over the last eleven sailing seasons we have learned the skills of cruising and Enterprise has been indulgent to our learning process. On the other hand we have poured love and attention (and money) into her and gradually adapted her to our needs. Those needs have changed as we got older and that story is interesting and useful for anybody contemplating the cruising life.
When we took delivery in 2004 the first thing was to have the original Volvo engine overhauled but after a trial run around the Dutch canals it appeared to be past salvation, for a reliable engine that always starts when needed was a high priority for us. So we had a new Yanmar 3YM30 engine installed together with new prop shaft, propeller and stern gland. Also, because we intended to winter aboard, possibly in the Baltic, we had diesel, hot water central heating installed. Finally, to please the cook, an oven was installed. The following pictures were taken during the 2014 overhaul.
|
Getting lost in the Norwegian skerries in 2009
Prop Shaft & Coupling
|
Main Cabin Radiator
|
Heads Radiator (left)
|
The New Oven
|
The first direction was to Bordeaux but because we had lost time with the engine change we wintered in Morlaix and to amuse ourselves in the long winter we gradually completely painted the inside of the hull with 2-part epoxy paint. That winter we also installed stainless steel drinking water tanks of 150L and 190L respectively. We also installed a custom shaped, plastic grey/black water tank of 110L, with diverter valve and deck pump-out facilities since requirements for yachts were getting tougher (particularly in the Baltic).
Installing Fresh Water Tanks
|
First Tank Installed
|
Grey / Black Water Tank
|
Grey / Black Diverter Valve
|
It was a steep learning curve in those first few months for we had rough passages to Brighton, through the Dover Strait, and then a stormy crossing to Cherbourg. The initial rig was slab reefing for the main which required standing on the coach roof; not an issue in mild weather but quite a frightening experience in stormy conditions. That taught us that we needed strategically placed supports and hand-holds, as well as non-slip paint on the coach roof. So that first winter we installed railings around the mast, a grab-bar behind the wheel and other strategic hand holds. Later that year we installed a ‘lazy bag’ for ease of furling.
The Lazy Bag 2005
|
The Steering Post Grab Bar
|
The Auto Helm 2005
|
By the end of the second year we learned that although the wind vane steering works well for long passages under steady winds much of our sailing was coastal with frequently shifting winds; so we installed an auto helm and that made life very much easier. At that time we installed an AIS receiver that could be proximity alarmed, which was to become very helpful in the sudden fogs that we were to later experience in the Swedish archipelago. We considered radar but decided that we were usually too short handed to have one person watching the screen in conditions where it was really needed.
No other major changes were made for the next three years as we cruised in the Baltic from a base in Denmark. I am told that to sail the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos without ever having the keel touch a rock is a major achievement, so we are quite proud of that. From the Netherlands northwards the docking systems are different and finger pontoons become rare. All methods involve mooring the stern in various ways and then going over the bow to moor and access the boat; a manoeuvre that requires some agility. So to aid this process we had a bow platform added with a retractable ladder. This also cleared the anchor off the foredeck. Yacht Docking Skills for Northern Europe
No other major changes were made for the next three years as we cruised in the Baltic from a base in Denmark. I am told that to sail the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos without ever having the keel touch a rock is a major achievement, so we are quite proud of that. From the Netherlands northwards the docking systems are different and finger pontoons become rare. All methods involve mooring the stern in various ways and then going over the bow to moor and access the boat; a manoeuvre that requires some agility. So to aid this process we had a bow platform added with a retractable ladder. This also cleared the anchor off the foredeck. Yacht Docking Skills for Northern Europe
|
In 2009 we set off from Aarhus, Denmark through Limfjord to cross the North Sea to Scotland but were caught in very rough weather 180 nm South of Norway. In the middle of the night, the original brass turn-buckle on one of the main stays parted. Suddenly we had all the gear over the side with conditions too dangerous to cut it free. The mast pounded on the hull for several hours before it broke away; if it had not been for a steel hull we would have had to evacuate to the life raft. In the morning when the Norwegian rescue cutter arrived we cut the rest of the gear free and were towed to Norway. My respect for Enterprise and the pounding that she took meant that after that we always had confidence that she would carry us through. |
The result of that experience was completely new rigging and sails. We took the opportunity to change to in-mast furling that could be completely controlled from the cockpit, and have never regretted it. While in the boatyard we also took the opportunity to have two new mahogany gunwales installed, the foredeck and the poop deck replaced, together with new stanchion posts.
New After Deck and Gunwales
|
Bending on Starboard Gunwale
|
 New Fore
Deck & Anchor Platform
|
|
This new rig has served us well as we travelled up the West Coast of Norway, across to the Shetlands and down through Scotland and its Western Isles to Ireland before returning South to the North coast of Spain. When storm-bound in Western Scotland for three weeks we had her lifted out and the undersides sand blasted to remove 38 years of antifouling! The hull was as good as the day it was made and one could appreciate the skills of the makers. It almost seemed a pity to promptly put 5 coats of epoxy paint back on. |
Sandblasting Below Waterline
|
In 2012 the autohelm failed and it turned out that it could not be repaired because the model had been discontinued, so were obliged to have a new Raymarine one fitted.
Fitting New Autohelm
|
At the same time we had a new AIS transmitting system installed linked to a dedicated, chart plotting computer. After working with a small Garmin screen for years, it is a delight to have the bigger screen and see all the traffic as well as yourself and have a proximity alarm. So now we have two totally independent systems that plot our position, as well as the navigator!
|
MaxSea and Garmin Navigation Systems
|
In 2014, feeling that we had just about perfected all the essentials for our life style and that we had a few years left before we felt that we were getting past coping, we had all the upholstery renewed and roller blinds fitted to the windows to satisfy the First Mate that she had a cosy home.
New Cushions Quarter Berth 2014
|
New Cushions Main Cabin 2014
|
New Cushions Fore Cabin 2014
|
Lastly, in 2014 we had the topsides refinished and the engine supports replaced and prop-shaft overhauled with a new stern gland, then sailed her back to Haarlem where it all began.
Topsides Sandblasted & Refinished 2014
|
Footnotes
1. North West Spain Cruising Companion - Detlef Jens –Yachting Monthly 2. Portugal and Southern Spain Cruising Companion - Detlef Jens –Yachting Monthly. 3. Slow Boat Across France – Cruising World November 1, 2002 4. Making Merry in the Skerries - Yachting World |