Motor Boat & Yachting - July 2018

STEELER FF48

Last year, we based ourselves in

Steenwijk where the Steeler shipyard

is and did various cruises from there

to familiarise ourselves with the area

and our new boat, Symphony. As

I’m still working, we had to settle on

five-day trips, which was no hardship

in northern Holland as most of the

area is very picturesque and there

are so many canals, it’s easy to plan

a circular route.

The first few weeks were used

to familiarise ourselves with the

boat equipment and its handling

characteristics. Being a very modern,

unusual design, she attracted many

complimentary comments and lots

of photographs were taken of her.

She has two Yanmar LY440 engines,

the latest models, and they have lived

up to their claims of delivering more

torque and better performance than

the previous-generation 480s, giving

her a surprising turn of speed and

impressive fuel economy. She is

also equipped with a JC20 joystick,

which integrates the engines and the

bow thruster for simpler low-speed

manoeuvring. In fact, I’ve found that

using the engines and the bow and

stern thruster has suited me better.

In Holland, there are many lifting

bridges where invariably you need

to wait for a green signal before

proceeding, so an ability to stay in

one position is most important. Also,

the width of the bridge is normally

8m and we are 5m wide, so we have

to be quite careful.

The boat has a one-level main

deck, a small raised bridge-deck

for the helm and an upper deck.

This makes mooring up difficult,

as we have no side decks, so we

purchased a radio-controlled system

for the engines and thrusters, which

has proved to be a great success.

I steer close to the mooring from

the wheel position, then take over

with the control around my neck

and move to the upper deck for final

tying up. This enables me to ensure

that my wife is not having difficulties

securing the aft mooring line. Once

this is done, we

are able to put

the engine in

creep mode

on the offshore

side, which

ensures the boat

stays alongside

whilst we fasten

the other

mooring lines.

This works very

well, as I can

even go ashore

Going Dutch

Peter Chester and his wife Sheilagh cruise their

Steeler FF48, Symphony, along the pretty canals

to assist while still having control

of the boat. The full-height door

on each side makes this even easier.

After building up our confidence,

we were able to enjoy some wonderful

cruising. Less than

half an hour from

our berth is the

most beautiful area

of Giethoorn, often

referred to as the

Venice of Holland.

Heading south to

Beukerssluis, then

turning to port, you

arrive at the city

of Meppel. Included

in its many sights is

a printing museum.

One of my abiding

memories is of

a very enthusiastic

gentleman who

described in great detail the workings

of an antique printing press in Dutch.

We tried to show interest, even though

we didn’t understand a word of it.

Travelling further south, we visited

another city, this time Zwolle. There

are easy moorings here in the middle

of town and a cheap fuel barge. On

our first evening, we were treated to

the colour and buzz of a local festival

which came past our berth and ended

up in the city centre, accompanied

by various bands and dance troupes.

Heading north via Zwartsluis,

we headed for Blokzijl, passing

Symphony’s

single-level main

deck living area

The ‘anti-divorce

control’ as Peter

has coined it

You don’t see

many boats

like Symphony

PRESTIGE 680

ARTEMISIA

MARK WEISS, Marina d’Arechi, Italy

PRINCESS 67

JENNYWREN

MIKE ROTHERY, Sant Carles Marina, Spain

DUCHY 27

ALCHEMY

PHYLLIS ROCK, Yarmouth, UK

FAIRLINE SQUADRON 78

MATCH II

JOHN WOLF, Antibes, France

MAREX 310 SUN CRUISER

OFFSHORE

RICHARD HALL, Christchurch, UK

STEELER PANORAMA FF53

SYMPHONY

PETER CHESTER, the Netherlands

SUNSEEKER 86

HARD 8

GEMMA HARRIS, Lymington, UK

JEANNEAU LEADER 805

SMUGGLER’S BLUES 2

NICK BURNHAM, Torquay, UK

PRESTIGE 500S

BREAKING BAD

NIGEL PICKIN, Port Hamble, UK

JEANNEAU NC14

DIANA

JOHN BRUNYATE, Port Solent Marina, UK

KARNIC BLUEWATER 2250

BOHEMIAN GIRL

HUGO ANDREAE, Poole, UK

AXOPAR 37 R

VELOCE

PAUL SALLISS, Portsmouth, UK

PRINCESS 61

BATEAU 9

HARRY METCALFE,

Port Saint Jean, France

BAVARIA E40

SOPHIE

SANDER DANIELS, Sneek, Netherlands

FLEMING 55

PLAY D’EAU

PIERS DU PRÉ, Guernsey, Channel Islands

JEANNEAU CAP CAMARAT 625

KIPPER

JACK HAINES, Poole, UK

SEALINE C330

CHILLAXIN

HEIDI HASLER, Brixham, UK

Top tips from real boat owners in the MBY fl eet

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