SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017 23Our Ride
We were fortunate to have Geoff Swing from Stan Miller
Yachts as our captain for the day and an MJM Yachts 40z — a
Downeast-style boat with a Doug Zurn-designed hull from a
Newport, R.I.-based builder (mjmyachts.com) that prides
itself on its boats’ seakeeping ability — as our ride. The
44-foot 40z is designed and built to ISO Category A Ocean
specs, meaning it can handle wave heights to 23 feet and
winds of Beaufort Force 9 (41 to 47 knots).
Fortunately, the weather was near perfect for us, so we
didn’t have to put that category rating to the test, but the
boat did have a Seakeeper gyro, and that was engaged for
the whole trip. The water between the mainland and Catalina
didn’t put the gyro to much of a test, but I’ve been on
Seakeeper-equipped boats in much rougher seas, and the
ride was level from side to side, just like it was for us.
We published a sea trial of the 40z back in 2013, and our
tester, Capt. Tom Serio, was suitably impressed, especially
since his test day was somewhat snotty and the 40z still
reached 36 knots. His summation went like this: “With the
ability to run in tough conditions while protecting passengers
from the elements, the MJM 40z is truly a yacht for all
seasons.”
And since we only have a season or two in California, we’ll
amend that to read a boat for all days.
Grab a Mooring
The latest information available before we went to press
indicated that the following rates are current for Avalon
Harbor:
Boat Length Per-Night Rate
30 feet and under $37
40 to 49 feet $50
50 to 59 feet $61
60 to 69 feet $80
70 to 79 feet $98
80 to 89 feet $111
100 feet and over $149
WEST COAST DAY-CRUISING
Western boaters are fortunate to have a variety of locations
suited to dayboating, whether that’s the more traditional and staid
version of the activity or a more vigorous version. In California, San
Diego boat owners — and the many Arizonans who keep a condo
on the water — have San Diego Bay, a buffered boating haven with
full-speed waters just outside the protection of Shelter and Harbor
islands, the Embarcadero and other spots. Plus, all sorts of cool Navy
ships and aircraft use the bay, so it’s possible to get up close and
personal with bad-ass military machines — just keep a respectful
distance.
Newport Harbor is a dayboating sanctuary that itself holds an
entire day’s worth of activities for a group that truly wants to take
it slow and easy, but it’s also a spot from where boaters can hug
the coast to Oceanside or Long Beach or, like we’re doing, head to
Catalina. San Francisco Bay and its offshoots make the Bay Area
ideal for day-cruises. Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge get all the
press, but the big bay is full of places to go and see.
The day-cruising possibilities in the Pacific Northwest are nearly
endless. Islands abound. Protected passages proliferate. Quaint,
quirky marinas are manifold. The San Juan and Gulf Islands
are reachable in no time from many launching points in upstate
Washington and southeast Vancouver Island, as our friend and
frequent contributor Deane Hislop will attest.
So if dayboating sounds too tame, tell folks you’re day-cruising. It
will work, especially if there’s an island involved. And the type of boat
really doesn’t matter. Sure, a layout that gets as many passengers as
possible outside is going to be preferred, but is someone really going
to turn down a trip to the island for parasailing or a different harbor
for lunch at a favorite restaurant just because the boat’s design
doesn’t “look” right? We think not.REALITY CHECK
We’re heading home with a freshening breeze to our back and a
slightly choppier sea than we’d had on the outbound journey. No
matter. The Seakeeper 5 gyro keeps the boat solid and level. That’s an
advancement boat owners are sure to take advantage of, especially if
they like to drift with the current and fish all day. And with the gyro
units getting smaller, more and more boats can install them.
Shibata and Dawn manage to catch a little shuteye while Swing
and Werling converse at the helm. Again the sea life proves to be
elusive, still not over its hump-day ho-hums, but a cold beer, leftover
donuts, a warm breeze and the soothing motion of the ocean are
enough. Heck, not being stuck behind a desk is enough; being on the
water is the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, the olive in
the martini.
The autopilot is locked in on the entrance to Newport Harbor, and
the engines are comfortably pushing us along at 21 knots and getting
better than 1.5 mpg. We’re in a 36- to 38-knot boat, so we could be
cruising much faster, but the day is warm, the gyro makes it feel like
we’re cruising on glass, the “workday” is drawing to a close and the
coast is dancing mesmerizingly on the horizon. Who’s in a hurry to
get back?