before
my departure from Rhode Island on 3 June 1996, there were many decisions
to be made, most of which required data and experience I did not fully
possess. Here are some ideas for your consideration regarding outfitting
this sturdy and beautiful little boat for ocean crossing.
Sail inventory: The full-battened main, the roller furling 130% genoa, the staysail and the cruising spinnaker were fine for all the conditions we encountered. The highest sustained winds were in the 36 knot range with gusts in the low 40’s and seas 12 feet. We never had to heave to (except for swimming) or run off, but we certainly modified our course and reefed often for weather. The third reefing point we put in the mainsail was used extensively. The true storm jib for the inner forestay and the storm trysail for its dedicated track on the mast have never left their homes in the cockpit sail locker while at sea except for trials.
All the floorboards and lockers were fitted with positive latching
at the factory, but those on the cabinets needed further modification.
Although the C34 does have a very seakindly motion, 
with
virtually never any pounding, the rolling downwind in a small boat is substantial,
and being sure that shifting contents cannot open lockers is essential.
Speaking of lockers, at the suggestion of my dealer in the U.S., Bart Giacalone
of Cruising Yachts, Rowayton, Connecticut, I had shelves put into one of
the hanging lockers - I should have had this done in both.
Electrical system: I took out the factory alternator and replaced it with a high power 125 amp model. The controller for the Freedom 10 inverter was removed and replaced with the Link 2000R smart regulator and battery monitor. When I purchased the boat I added a third Prevailer battery to the two supplied and later connected them all to form a single house bank of approximately 300 amp-hours, with a fourth identical gel battery installed in the locker under the quarterberth as a dedicated engine starter in case of emergency (it has never been used). Finally, we towed a prop on a torque line for a water powered generator which we mounted on the stern rail. Much of the time at sea we had to turn it off to keep from overcharging the batteries.
When I ordered the boat I asked that the swim ladder not be mounted since I intended to use a wind vane for self steering. The Monitor unit has worked wonderfully and this is the gear with which I am most pleased. It was almost constantly in use offshore and worked just as well when day sailing along the south coast of England. It is an aesthetic delight to have your boat silently follow its course without consumption of power or reliance on electronics.
Electronic instruments: I took the B&G factory voyagemaker package and mounted the display units on the bulkhead so that they could be seen when the person on watch crouched under the dodger. Three of the four leaked and were replaced by the factory over the winter. Overall I am quite pleased with the performance of the instruments but I would perhaps make more of an effort to investigate others as well before ordering. In this regard, I wish that the engine control panel had gauges rather than only the warning lights. I know Yanmar makes such a panel for this excellent engine, but perhaps it cannot fit in the bulkhead. In the engine compartment, again at Bart’s suggestion, twin Racor primary fuel filters are mounted in parallel so that if one becomes clogged the other is instantly available. There are speakers for the stereo hidden in the cockpit winch wells - one of these can be switched so that the VHF can be monitored without going below.
We have a Raytheon R10XX Radar which performs well. It is mounted below the spreaders. This has necessitated the use of a telescoping pole for the genoa, which is a bit cumbersome. I would strongly urge anyone considering an ocean passage to learn all about the theory and practice of poling out the foresail. I was rather deficient and had to learn at sea.
I installed 4 heavy padeyes just aft of the inner forestay, 2 on the deck and 2 over the cabin top. This held the deflated dinghy very securely and did not interfere with the staysail or with deckwork. The liferaft is mounted immediately forward of the mast. We took the factory option of the mast pulpits (granny bars). These, as well as the substantial bulwarks and the excellent nonskid, contribute to the sense of safety one feels on deck. Naturally we installed jacklines of nylon webbing and used them.
In the head we added a valve under the sink to shut off the fresh water, thereby preventing any siphoning out when heeling to port. This is mandatory for serious offshore work, where the pressure water system was not used. Solid mast steps were installed this spring. They came in very useful for rig inspections, replacement of masthead light bulbs and scenic photos.
The Passage: There were three of us aboard, one sleeping on each settee (with a leecloth) and one in the quarterberth. The V berth contained food and vegetable baskets, our ditch bag, a series drogue, the spinnaker, a solid board with a plastic window to replace the companionway boards when needed, and many other bulky necessities such as my guitar. We stood standard 4 hour watches. It took 3 weeks to go the 2200 miles to Horta and another 12 days for the 1300 to Falmouth. Some of the sailing was pleasant, some was thrilling, some was plain uncomfortable. The boat was solid and felt it.
Problems: The engine didn’t start one day (actually this was in Plymouth). We traced the fault to corrosion in the rather exposed simple connection of the positive wire from the ignition switch at the starter. Cleaning fixed it. Two other problems were really my fault. One of the primary winches wouldn’t work at sea and had to be opened and cleaned and regreased. Similarly, the steering became very stiff and the bearings in the pedestal had to be cleaned and regreased. All of the winches and bearings everywhere should have been serviced but I just didn’t get to everything before leaving.
In England we were greeted almost uniformly with enthusiasm, to our great pleasure. The blue hull and conservative lines of our little boat made people come up to us and ask if we’d indeed sailed her over and tell us "Well done" when we said we had. Neil and Mandy at EME Yachts in Falmouth were very helpful, and the Yachting Monthly article on cruising the southwest country gave us some good tips. We enjoyed the pubs of Falmouth, the peace of the Helford, the cruise up the Tamar from Plymouth, the charm of Fowey, Salcombe and Dartmouth, and the history and excitement of Portsmouth and the Solent. We picked up a lot of new English slang expressions from our friends on the Isle of Wight, probably not appropriate for a general audience.
Now I am sitting on the port settee with my laptop computer plugged into the cigarette lighter 12 volt receptacles that I had hidden in the bookshelves, about 700 miles from Land’s End, off the coast of Portugal on our way to the Canaries. I’m trying to think what else I should have done to prepare for this trip besides retire completely from work! Perhaps a few more cleats and sheet bags could be placed in the cockpit to hold things like the staysail sheets and the reefing lines. The preventer I rigged is a bit cumbersome and some dedicated rail padeyes could be helpful here, as well as providing attachment for the running backstays when not in use. More attention should have been paid to ways of preventing chafe of sails and sheets on the rig. The salt water tap should be made to empty into either galley sink. It would be fun to try to devise a system to hold the cabinet doors open - they always seem to slam shut when the boat rolls. Finally, some Velcro material on the toilet lid might keep it off your back on a port tack!
At the end of the day, of course, the primary and ultimate consideration
and source of satisfaction is knowing that this was really the right boat
for the trip from both the functional and aesthetic perspectives. We’ve
all been in that uncomfortable position of making a significant purchase
and only subsequently learning enough about the specifics of the particular
field to understand that we’d made a mistake. Happily this time it all
turned out well and I’m still in love with Puffling.
