The passage from Opua to Savusavu was coming to an end. We had been underway for about seven days already and within AIS range of numerous sailboats from the Pacific Rally Fleet for most of the 1200-mile run. We were ahead of Aldabra, a Catalina 42, for most of the trip, and following Womble, a 50-foot Seawind Offshore sailing cat. We averaged 6.5 knots in the sloppy and rather unpleasant conditions, but we were not sailing. Instead, we were passage-making aboard a Long-Distance Power Cruiser (LDPC), as coined by Robert Beebe in 1975 in his book, Voyaging Under Power.
Finally, on the eighth day, we cleared in with Fiji officials at Nawi Island Marina and were slowly coming back down from the offshore watch schedule, in the twilight zone of a multi-day passage.
Dale from Womble came by the boat a few days later. After a boat tour we sipped a cold Fiji Bitter and Dale expressed amazement that a power boat was making the same trip and exploring the same places, as the sail boats – and by the abundance of space and room (especially) around the engine room. I think he may be a future convert to the dark side.
Island Cruising Rally
We had joined the Island Cruising Rally to make the trip to Fiji, after learning that there were at least five other power boats in the rally, including three other Nordhavns, together with around 130 sailboats. The information and support provided by Viki Moore, director of Island Cruising, was well worth the price of admission, not to mention the personal assistance she provides, plus the social activities provided by the rally.
Few power boats have the fuel capacity for such a long passage, without taking on extra (often stored on deck in bladder tanks). Yet Southern Star was sitting on the dock after the 1200-mile passage from Opua with tanks more than half full. On the trip up from New Zealand, one of the Rally boats, Interval, a Nordhavn 63, while anchored at Minerva Reef, provided fuel to several sailboats which were running low due to unexpected motoring time.
There are only a handful of boatbuilders that build long range power boats truly capable of ocean passages. Southern Star is one such, built by Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE) and branded as Nordhavn. Southern Star is a Nordhavn 47. Other builders of long-range power boats include Selene, Outer Reef, Kadey Krogen, Seahorse, Defever, Fleming, Bering Yachts and Steve Dashew’s FPB (fast power boat) [now also NZ’s Dickey Boats with the Pacific 62].
Cruising is all about getting out there: meeting people, enjoying activities on or below the water and overcoming challenges. Whether cruising under sail or power, by small sailboat or superyacht, we all get to see the same places. As we get older with more time, the desire to go cruising can be a strong pull. But the days of sitting in wet foul weather gear, and moving around on a deck that is heeled 30o to adjust heavy sails are behind many of us.
Rather than giving up the cruisers’ dream of anchoring off a deserted palm-fringed beach, there is now an alternative to cruising on a sailboat, and that is to consider a power boat specifically designed to travel long distances in challenging conditions.
From sailboat to powerboat
Many sailors love sailing due to its simple purity; the feeling of the wind in your face and the sound of the hull slicing through the water. I loved being on deck on Defiant, my 40-foot sailboat on a night passage, experiencing those Zen-like feelings.
Moving from sailing to a long-range power cruiser eight years ago, my wife and I have been able to keep on exploring the world, but in more comfort and with more ease than we did on Defiant. Many power boat cruisers we have met over the years used to be sailors. Since going to the dark side, I continue to enjoy such night passage experiences. Standing safely behind the bulwarks of the Portuguese deck on Southern Star, I look over the bow, the breeze in my face, the sound of the hull slicing through the waves and the bioluminescence creating a glow in the wake. As I move aft onto the boat deck, only then can I hear the dry-stack exhaust – a low and reassuring murmur coming from the engine far below. Eventually, feeling the coolness of the sea breeze, I happily move back into the warmth of the pilothouse and take a seat in my helm chair to settle back and peer across the bow deck into the night while monitoring my screens and gauges.
Southern Star has a flybridge, which, as past sailors, we love in fine weather. We have great visibility, all our controls and nav screens are located there, with two comfortable helm chairs to enjoy the ride. I also prefer docking from the flybridge, communicating with my wife via headsets. With bow and stern thrusters, Southern Star is very responsive and easy to dock even in challenging conditions.
We have much more room (more volume) and more comforts with Southern Star than we had on our sailboat. The galley is equipped with domestic-sized kitchen appliances, including multiple freezers and a full laundry. Living spaces are comfortable with over two metres head height throughout, and two generous staterooms, both with ensuite heads. And this is the main reason my wife agreed to sell our home, our sailboat, both cars, and most of our possessions to move onboard to travel over 20,000 miles over the next eight years.
But one of Southern Star’s most striking features is the engine room. We have a stand-up access to the main engine from all sides for easy servicing. And the engineering spaces are larger and much easier to access than on most sailboats.
The large volume hull of a LDPC also allows for large fuel tanks. This is a critical differentiator between a coastal power boat and a true LDPC, which incorporates a displacement hull with a full keel, and lead ballast to create a stable and efficient vessel. LDPCs cruise at displacement speeds – in our case we cruise 6-7 knots, our hull speed, which is our most fuel-efficient speed.
I’ll discuss fuel costs next issue.
Stability and comfort
Stabilisation while underway is a critical factor for any boat. Sailboats have those big canvas things that stabilise the boat and mitigate the boat’s roll – so long as there is wind to fill the sails. If the winds die, a sailing boat can have a very uncomfortable and noisy ride even in medium-sized ocean swells.
Sailors often ask me about the ride or how stable the ride is on a displacement power boat. A displacement power boat needs some type of stabilisation to mitigate even a moderate ocean swell. Older long range power boats (or ‘traditionalists’) often have paravanes for stability while underway. These vessels tow ‘fish’ from booms located on each side of the boat, also used by fishing trawlers. These are very effective at reducing roll and relatively simple but cost the boat half knot or so in hull speed. More modern gyro stabilisers or hydraulic active fin stabilisers are used on later model LDPC. These do not impart any significant speed handicap, and are easily deployed (compared to launching and retrieving paravanes) by pressing a button. Their sensitivity can also be adjusted to the prevailing conditions.
Stability and ride comfort were among my biggest concerns when we were thinking of going to the dark side. I was concerned about how a power boat would feel, moving along at hull speed relative to my experience on sailing boats.
A few years before we purchased Southern Star, I had an opportunity to crew on a Nordhavn 68 on a delivery from Auckland to Fiji. That trip, in mid-winter, alleviated my concerns about stability, as the hydraulic fin stabilsers on the N68 made the trip, despite large seas (2.5 to 3m) from abeam or further aft, very pleasant.
Southern Star is equipped with ABT (American Bow Thruster) active Trac Fin stabilisers. This system is composed of a hydraulic gear-driven pump (on the main engine), which pressurises hydraulic oil, which loops through an oil reservoir, and then passes through a series of solenoid valves and distribution blocks. The control board activates the fins and they move back and forth on each side of the boat in reaction to the roll of the boat. The system is cooled via a keel cooler on the outside of the hull and the water-cooled oil returns to the system.
This system is critical for passaging. It is very reliable, and fortunately if there is an issue with one fin, it can usually be isolated – and the system will run with one fin at around 65-70%. We know this as we had a stabiliser issue in the Bahamas and had to run on just one for a day trip. And then on our trip to Fiji, one was also not working correctly (turned out it only needed a reset). Every four years we have the fins dropped and new seals installed as part of our preventative maintenance programme. Before we left for Fiji, we had all of the hydraulic hoses replaced as a precaution.
For stabilisation while at anchor, we have dual ‘flopper-stoppers’. These are basic devices similar to paravanes deployed midships on whisker poles with stays fore and aft and a topping lift from the exhaust stack. They are 1 x 0.5m stainless plates that hinge and close when the boat rolls down, and open and slow the return roll. With our full-length keel and heavy displacement (45 tons) we seldom need to use the flopper stoppers, but for those anchorages with significant roll or swell they are simply AMAZING.
In September we anchored off Octopus Resort on Waya Island in the Lower Yasawas alongside several sailboats in a medium southerly swell. The anchorage is behind the reef- but with a southerly swell, it can become almost untenable. Compared to the other monohull boats, we were almost stationary. Even Dale’s big catamaran was rolling more than we were, and he came over to our boat to confirm it as he couldn’t believe the effectiveness of our simple system. More modern or larger long range power boats will have STAR (stabilisation at rest) which is a more complex system and requires running the generator as it is power hungry.
Reliability & redundancy
A LRPC is designed for reliability and redundancy. Southern Star and most LRPC are equipped with redundant systems. In the event of a failure we have a backup lined up ready to take over. Redundant electronics are increasingly common in all modern vessels. Southern Star has two Furuno radars, a 4ft open array 6kW and a 6ft open array, 12kW with multiple ranges. When we are underway, especially at night, we run our small radar at close range, usually 3-6 miles, and the large radar at 10-12 miles.
We also have two independent autopilot systems. They are installed so that one needs only to turn off one controller and activate the second one. Each has its own independent motor to steer the boat.
Long-range vessels need to carry lots of spares. Southern Star has multiple redundancies in its systems and has more space to store spares and to avoid potentially high importation costs of critical components to remote locations.
Southern Star can carry a larger and heavier tender than most sailboats, as we have the room on the boat deck, and we have a hydraulic/electric crane to launch it. A larger tender gives us the option to anchor further out, as the tender has a longer range and can handle more adverse conditions. Its also great for diving and fishing excursions. We also carry a roll up tender and a small outboard as a back up, and for tidal beaches where landing the large tender is impractical.
Both tenders are stored on the boat deck, above the saloon, where there is also room for two good-sized dock boxes which hold two folding bikes, SCUBA equipment and other items. We carry two full-size kayaks rail-mounted off the boat deck. On a sailboat, these items, if carried, usually need to be strapped to railings, making them vulnerable in large seas. Several rally sailboats lost paddle boards and other items from their decks on passage to Fiji.
LRPC are heavy boats, which is good for the ride and the comfort of its passengers. They often feel luxurious and comfortable – more like a small apartment than a boat, whether at a marina or anchored at a remote location. That’s great when you are living aboard or cruising for long periods.
Words and Photography by Ted Dixon
Follow part 2 of this story in next month’s magazine.
Good write up and helpful. I am looking for a live aboard long distance cruiser and have been tossing up between a saild powered catamaran or a launch so good to see an article from someone who has done both wind and motor sailing.