We emailed Richard at Greek Sails to say that, sadly, we had decided to go with Sunbird, partly because they give us the option of an ex-VAT location at Gocek. A day later he leaves me a voice message to call him. Alix and I pick up my mobile phone and call Richard, slightly apprehensive that he will be upset that he has wasted his time helping us spec the boat.
How wrong we were! Richard said he totally understood our reasons for going with Sunbird, especially with the uncertainties around Brexit. And he was still keen to offer up his ideas on the boat spec. We were extremely grateful and got our pen and paper ready.
First, he thought the 2 cabin option was sound - he confirmed what Tony and Rachelle had said in that we need the boat to be practical for us; after all, there will be just the two of us on board most of the time. And he also felt that a 2-2 configuration would be popular in charter. This is what convinced Alix to drop the 3rd cabin. After all, the saloon table converts to a double bed for the times we are 6-up.
He agreed with us that solar panels were the way to go. He said we could get about 300W on the bimini top and another 300W to plug in and hang on the side. He was unconvinced, like us, that we would get much value from a wind generator, partly because we would hopefully be moored up in less windy places. He also said that they can be noisy; the quiet ones don't tend to generate enough power.
He also reassured us that modern electric outboards would be sufficient for our needs. A 4hp petrol engine would not get a dinghy onto the plane and is quite heavy to handle. Electric outboards are lighter than petrol engines and come apart for easy lifting and stowage. He said we could charge the outboard battery when the engine is running, so that we don't drain the main boat battery. He said that we could get the equivalent of a 3.5hp petrol without the need for a petrol can and visits to petrol stations. All very persuasive. We also agreed that a 2.8m dinghy with a separate inflatable sole would be rigid enough and also easy to stow below when not required.
He agreed that we scrap the idea of a shoal keel as it doesn't really have many advantages for access and would harm upwind performance. He did highly recommend a Code 0 as the standard genoa is only about 105%. We need to ensure we have the mast head halyard, and I need to research whether we opt for a top furling sail for easy deployment.
We agreed that we bin the Beneteau mooring pack and did our own thing on fenders, lines and chain. He urges that we look into Raymarine instruments over the B&G being offered, paying attention to having the wind speed and direction on the cockpit display. We should get an AIS transponder, just as Tony and Rachelle agreed.
In short, we are very grateful to Richard for his knowledge and advice. We offered to bring him a nice present from the UK when we are out sailing with him in August! He will let us know what he wants.
And so, we were now able to call Chris at Sunbird. He didn't pick up so I left a message that we had made our decision. When he called back we were in the S5, roof down and on our way for a mini-break to the Dordogne. Chris seemed taken aback at first when we said we had decided to go with Sunbird; we think he had expected us to have gone with Greek Sails. Anyway he soon reverted to being very pleased! He told us that the best way to secure getting the non-standard 2 cabin-2 heads was to place an order with a refundable deposit. So that is what we have done. We moved the money from FD (£) to Starling (Euro) using the mobile phone apps, whilst parked in a layby. So easy and not a bad exchange rate, although there was a £60 fee.
And then, parked in another layby close to Mensignac, we did a test run to pay the Sunbird Euro Client account. As I write, we are still awaiting confirmation that the test money has arrived so that we can send the bulk remainder.
The dream is on.