Oceanis 50 Maiden Voyage to Miami

Written by Dan Kimball, Boat show coordinator for Beneteau USA.

Often time people ask how often we get to go out on a Beneteau as a Beneteau employee. Unfortunately it is not a common occurrence. For five days this February, I was given the opportunity to live the dream. Hull number one of Beneteau’s new Oceanis 50 was completed a mere two weeks before its scheduled premiere at Strictly Sail Miami, and I was lucky enough to assist with the delivery from Charleston, SC to the Miami Boat Show. This was my first offshore trip in several years, but by the time the trip was over I had made new friends, learned a few new tricks, and had a great time on a great boat.

I was accompanied on the trip by Adam Cort, a senior editor from SAIL Magazine. Adam has written two sailing related books, and is a very accomplished sailor. For insurance purposes, Beneteau USA acquired the services of Dan Valoppi, a licensed captain who resides in Charleston, SC. Dan is a world class sailor, with over 100,000 ocean miles on his resume. Not only is Captain Dan a great sailor, but he is also an accomplished cook. Needless to say, Adam and I ate very well during our trip from Charleston to Miami.

As we left Charleston on Thursday, February 4th, the wind was from the northeast at a steady 20-25 knots with the occasional gust over 30. We had a great downwind sleigh ride for the first 24 hours of the trip, with the speedometer hitting 11 knots several times and even breaking the 15 knot barrier while surfing down a wave! The waves were a solid seven to eight feet, and Captain Dan even saw one approaching ten feet that night during his watch. The boat performed beautifully, taking the weather in stride and giving the three of us a very comfortable ride. I’m happy to say that I was able to make myself quite comfortable in the aft cabin underway, despite what has been said about the aft cabin layout not making a suitable sea berth. I must admit, for those that say the aft cabin layout in the new Oceanis 50 does not make a suitable sea berth underway, I was able to make myself quite comfortable. Under port tack, I wedged myself up to the well padded headboard and fell right to sleep.

The following morning, the weather service predicted that the wind would be shifting to the south and would bring a near gale-force breezes before shifting to the west later in the evening. The three of us looked at each other and quickly agreed that we didn’t want to spend the day bashing into waves and heavy air right on the bow. The decision was made to duck into Jacksonville to avoid the storm. Upon entering the harbor, we were treated to a great show of touch-and-goes by an old Navy DC-3 at a nearby landing strip. The plane made at least seven or eight circles during a series of practice runs before we were even able to tie up at the dock. We settled in as the breeze began to build, and watched some of the traffic pass by, which included a barge loaded with containers that had several school buses strapped to the top. Curious, we radioed the tug pulling the barge to find out where they were headed. The answer: Guantanamo Bay. As we patiently waited for the wind to shift, Captain Dan made us an excellent meal of pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

At three AM the following morning, I received a knock on my door and was told the wind had shifted to the west and we were shoving off. I helped untie the lines, stow away the fenders, re-rig the jack lines, and unfurl the sails. Captain Dan volunteered to take the first watch, so I happily went back to bed. I awoke for my watch later that morning and was greeted by sunshine, calm seas, and a comfortable beam reach. The three of us stayed on deck together for most of the day, enjoying the weather as the boat easily made seven to eight knots under sail. We quickly made up the lost time we had spent in Jacksonville the previous day. We were also treated to plenty of sea life activity, including a north-bound pod of whales that passed by. The whales were then followed by a group of dolphins that stopped by to play for a bit, as well as a sea turtle. As the sun began to set, we found ourselves off Cape Canaveral. There was a shuttle launch scheduled for early Sunday morning, and although we were a couple miles offshore, we could still pick out the shuttle brightly illuminated by spotlights. I was on deck when the launch was scheduled, but unfortunately the mission was scrubbed and delayed for a day.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. However, the wind began to die in the afternoon forcing us to motor along the Florida coast. The 110 horsepower Yanmar diesel effortlessly pushed the boat at seven knots enabling us to stay ahead of schedule. We were treated to a grand site of a continuous wall of hi-rise condos and hotels, as well as a quick trip into the Gulf Stream. Both of us being Great Lakes sailors, Adam and I had never been in the Gulf Stream before. Not only did Captain Dan take us for a quick ride through the stream, but he also talked me into going for a quick swim in the 78 degree water. After being on board for several days, I have to admit it felt pretty good despite the fact that the air temperature was only 55 degrees.

Being a huge football fan, one of my biggest concerns about this trip was the fact that it would take place during the Super Bowl. Lucky for me, the Oceanis 50 has an option for a 32 inch flat screen television. We were able to pick up the local CBS station and watched the Super Bowl in high definition. All three of us cheered for the victorious New Orleans Saints, while Dan cooked up an excellent Chinese themed dinner. We arrived in the Port of Miami around midnight after motoring the final 60 miles or so, and threw in the anchor behind Fisher’s Island.

The three of us awoke early Monday morning, Adam and I both donning shorts in hopes of some warm Florida weather. Strictly Sail Miami was in a new location for 2010, which unfortunately involved a trip under a bridge with a rather low clearance. Adam nicely volunteered to go to the top of the mast to remove the windex, and we made it under the bridge with room to spare and then safely into our slip for the show. The new Oceanis 50 got us to Miami well ahead of schedule which is impressive considering we had stopped in Jacksonville for half a day.

Upon leaving to return to South Carolina, I found myself thinking about how I could get used to spending more time aboard the Oceanis 50. Creature comforts like the flat screen television, Corian countertops, LED lighting, the new ST70 Raymarine electronics, and electric Harken primary winches definitely had me spoiled by the time I stepped off the boat. Not to mention the fact that the boat performed beautifully throughout the entire trip, averaging 7-9 knots of boat speed under sail. Living in luxury for five days aboard this Beneteau was certainly a treat, one that I intend to cherish for quite some time.