Strictly Sail Miami at Miamarina, Bayside ran from last Thursday to this Monday. We had incredible weather with a light northeaster keeping temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s. I exhibited aboard the Scotia 44, a Canadian model being built at Snyder’s Shipyard in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. We had a steady stream of clients very complimentary about her unique old world charm and sexy new age lines. Nationalities spanned the globe from Italy, Spain, China, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and all across North America. Certainly there was a proud plurality of Canadians admiring the fine craftsmanship of their country and romance of Bluenose II.
Three specific features of the Scotia 44 seemed to attract comment, admiration, and awe:
- Plumb, Fine, Flared Bow: The Scotia 44 features a dramatically flared bow with an incredibly fine entry. I and attendees constantly chatted about the difference in performance between the fine, plumb entries of the adjacent Beneteaus and which lack the Scotia’s flare. Our most seasoned Scotia sailor touted that compared to their previous Catalina 400, the Scotia really cuts through seas. I joked that next year the more blunt nosed Beneteaus would copy our flare.
- Airy Interior: The combination of the light interior wood and large windows made the interior incredibly airy and open feeling to visitors. They loved the contrast from the darker veneer of the Beneteau, Tartan, and Passport comparables.
- Twin Engines: Most shocking to clients were the twin engines. “Why?” they almost universally asked. The answer is twofold: manoeuvrability and redundancy. One, you can spin on a dime. Two, if one engine fails, you can still motor into port with the remaining engine. The Scotia 44 will go 5 knots under one engine.
The show was productive way to generate leads, spread brand awareness, and get feedback on our new offering.
Other Thoughts
- I was surprised to see another yacht, the Seaward 46, also featuring twin diesels.
- The multihulls had as much dock space as the monohulls.
- Traffic and parking was atrocious limiting attendance especially with the Heat backetball game Sunday afternoon.
- Hard to find a better looking boat than the Hylas 56.
- Hard to find better interior craftsmanship than on the Tartan 4000.
Joke of the Week
They are dredging the harbour in Halifax. A tourist was watching divers sitting on the gunwales of the smaller craft lean backwards, flip over, and splash into the water backwards. He tapped the shoulder of a Halifaxian and asked, “Why do they go in backwards?” The Halifaxian sat and thought for awhile without saying anything. After a long pause he said, “Well, if they dove forward, they’d still be in the boat.”