That’s “I’m away on vacation” in Italian.
I left late Saturday for the Fornicalia coast with my beautimous wife. We stopped in Williams, Fornicalia, for a ton of garlic.
This is our view, now, out the patio door:
We’ll be here for about ten days. During that time I’ll be blogging as well, because the internet connection in the room is decent. I won’t be thinking about work at all. I decided (though I am conflicted) not to answer work e-mails off-duty any more. Nada. Finito. Done. Zip. Zero. The Null Set.
In the meantime, as I was driving about whilst my beautimous wife tanned and got even darker, I chanced upon a new boat in the latter phase of construction adjacent Noyo Harbor; see the photographs at the very bottom of this post (click to make them much larger).
This area is home to the Van Peer Boatworks (which, sadly, has no official website). Chris Van Peer has been building and registering boats since 1978 (see the chart).
Van Peer Boatworks, Fort Bragg CA
Most recent update: September 12, 2011.
Van Peer Boatworks is one of the leaders on the West Coast in fishing vessel construction. The shipyard does not have a web site. You can see it from the air on Google here, although it’s a bit fuzzy.
Hull # | Original Name | Original Owner | Type | GT | Built | Disposition |
1 | ||||||
2 | ||||||
3 | ||||||
4 | Jersey Girl | Ingman, M. | Fishing Vessel | 39 | 1978 |
Active |
5 | ||||||
6 | ||||||
7 | ||||||
Capella | Caldwell Enterprises | Fishing Vessel | 49 | 1979 |
Active |
|
8 | Blackhawk | Ponts, C.J. | Fishing Vessel | 52 | 1980 |
Active |
9 | Lady Launa | Fishing Vessel | 109 | 1981 |
Now “Star of the Sea” |
|
10 | Reality | Curry, John H., Jr. | Fishing Vessel | 71 | 1982 |
Active |
11 | Island Pride | Haltiner, D.R. | Fishing Vessel | 68 | 1982 |
Active |
12 | Sleep Robber | Escolar, W.N., Jr. | Fishing Vessel | 17 | 1983 |
Active |
13 | Silver Express | Akers, F.J. | Fishing Vessel | 17 | 1983 |
Active |
14 | Southeast | Evens, R.N. | Fishing Vessel | 107 | 1986 | Active |
15 | Rose Lee | Eide, M.L. | Fishing Vessel | 59 | 1988 |
Active |
16 | Jeanine Kathleen | Ingman, R.L. | Fishing Vessel | 85 | 1990 |
Active |
17 | ||||||
18 | ||||||
19 | ||||||
20 | ||||||
21 | Chasina Bay | Haynes, H.C. | Fishing Vessel | 118 | 1994 |
Active |
22 | Infinity | Melling, D.L. | Fishing Vessel | 111 | 1995 |
Active |
23 | ||||||
24 | Anna Lee | Giannini, J. | Fishing Vessel | 93 | 1996 |
Now “Spectre” |
25 | Stella | Stella | Fishing Vessel | 116 | 1998 | Active |
26 | ||||||
27 | Jes An | Estes Fisheries | Fishing Vessel | 123 | 2005 | Active |
28 | Fierce Leader | Fierce Leader, Inc. | Fishing Vessel | 124 | 2007 | Active |
29 | Chasina Bay | Harold C. Haynes | Fishing Vessel | 97 | 2010 | Active |
30 | Brooke Michelle | Brooke Michelle LLC | Fishing Vessel | 109 | 2011 | Active |
I wrote about his most recent boat, the Chasina Bay, in February of 2010:
I went to the indicated website, Chasina Bay Charters, and discovered that this boat is set to launch in May of this year (2010), and is the featured vessel in the Chasina Bay Charters company.
According to the website, the vessel is a 75-foot expedition yacht that will ply the waters in and around Ketchikan, Alaska. One planned itinerary includes 8 days of crabbing, whale watching, kayaking, fishing, nature viewing, beach combing and hiking.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? With one small caveat: click on the tab that indicates “rates & reservations.” Booking the boat, which can berth 8 persons, is $22,000 for the first four days, and $4,800 each additional day thereafter.
Let’s see: for that 8-day trip I mentioned above, your tab would be $41,200.
Nice work if you can get it — and nice cash, if you can afford it in this economy.
The Chasina Bay did in fact launch from Noyo Harbor in Ft Bragg, as documented on video here:
That said, there’s a new boat in town.
I don’t know its name, I don’t know its potential buyer, but I know that it’s being built by the Van Peer Boatworks much closer to Noyo Harbor than before (as opposed to half a mile farther away on Highway 20). As in: let’s not have to travel so far to launch and float this boat.
Fishing vessels, and other boats, are frequently like icebergs: much of their bulk lies hidden beneath the water line. As you can see above, the draft of this boat (the measurement of how far the boat’s hull will extend underwater) appears to be huge — at least to the untrained non-boat-builder’s eye like mine. An excellent article on determining a boat’s draft can be found here.
In this view, you can see the vessel under construction directly adjacent South Harbor Drive off of Highway 20, on the south side of Noyo Harbor itself. Here one can access the Harbormaster and the Coast Guard. Click on the photograph to enlarge it, and notice the size of the boat as compared to the red pickup truck on the left.
It’s my understanding that the bulbous nose at the bow of boats and ships helps to reduce drag, increase speed and stability, which also helps with fuel economy. Technically, it is called a “bulbous bow.” The fishing vessel Time Bandit on Deadliest Catch, for example, acquired a bulbous bow refit in 2008. Captain Andy Hillstrand said that the new nose also adds roughly 20,000 pounds of lift to the bow.
Here is a satellite view of Noyo Harbor and its area.
The weather should be quite nice during our stay, with some clouds and fog but, according to the weather, no rain. And with that, I bid thee adieu.
“Fair skies and favoring winds” to you.
BZ
P.S.
I just visited the Chasina Bay Charters website, where one can rent that 75-foot custom-built yacht as it plies Alaskan waters and noticed — at the very bottom of the site — that the Chasina Bay (admittedly, a beautifully-appointed boat) is for sale after only a little over one year in service. At $41,000 for an eight-person, eight-day trip, I can understand why.
Avere un buon tempo!
Have a GREAT vacation, you need it… And likely, deserve it too… The Dept can and WILL get along just fine… Eat drink and be MERRY…
For those of you who just tuned in, WSF said: “have a good time”!
TF, thank you sir, won’t be going away, and will be commenting away.
BZ
Enjoy your vacation!
I rarely take vacations any longer, but when I did, I rarely blogged. I had to get away from blogging, too. But, hey, that’s me.
Bing translator.
Volare! Oh, oh! Competing with the St. Regis for worst car I can think of. Its Italian, right! What?
Have more fun, homes.
DM
St. Regis? Police car version’s chassis lived on for many years as the Dodge Dakota Pickup.
AOW: I’m weird that way; as I type this, the sun is going down under the horizon. I find writing and blogging under these conditions very relaxing. Go figure.
WSF: binGO!
Sir Dave: and what should I encounter on Highway 20 around Clear Lake near the Dairy Queen in Lucerne? Yes, that’s right, a 1960 NASH METROPOLITAN in PERFECT shape, blue and white, with the top down!
BZ
WSF:
Actually, the St Regis was based on Chrysler’s RWD R-Body, which is not the same as the smaller Dakota frame. The Dakota pickup may have been originally based on the Diplomat chassis — which followed the St Regis for a number of years.
The St Regis was likely the WORST cop car I was ever forced to drive. The stories I could tell.
On my department, we called it the St. Slow-gis.
BZ
WSF:
Plus:
Diplomat & Aspen = same chassis.
BZ
“…In the meantime, as I was driving about whilst my beautimous wife tanned and got even darker..’
I’ve noticed the prettier the woman the uglier the husband… my wife was drop dead gorgeous.
I hope you have a great time in Italy.
try not to spoil your wife’s vacation.
Leave being a cop back home.
ciao
*
How wonderful! I guess this is how you are celebrating your life on this very special day. Happy B-day!