About Our Boat, Lakshmi

We named our boat Lakshmi after the Hindu Goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm.  She is the consort of Vishnu, the Hindu God that sustains the universe, and she is the embodiment of the female energy of the Supreme Being.  Since boats are always female, and yachts are symbols of wealth, beauty, grace and charm, it seemed like the perfect name.

Lakshmi isn't just our boat, it's our home.  We fell in love with this boat from the moment we first saw it at the Annapolis Boat Show.  And since we moved aboard and cast off the lines to begin our adventure, we have grown to love our home on the water even more.  We like the flowing, rounded interior design, which creates a very spacious feeling.  The attention to detail in each aspect of the woodwork and furnishings, the “fit and finish”, is exquisite.  And the look of the boat from the outside is completely unique.  People come up to us all the time to ask what kind it is, and to say how much they like the graceful but seaworthy way it looks. 

The deck railings are high and sturdy, giving a nice secure feel when you're outside enjoying the sea.  And the wrap-around deck is great for the dogs to get their exercise by chasing each other in laps around the boat.  The 360 degree windows give a great view from the pilothouse, which makes it very easy to dock the boat.  It's sturdy, stable, seaworthy, and elegant.  As you can tell, we like living on it a lot.

Lakshmi is a 42 foot semi-displacement pilothouse cruiser.  It is the Elling E3 model from Neptune Marine in Holland.  It's a great boat for long distance coastal cruising or island hopping, which is just what we are doing with it.  It has an unusually large amount of space inside for a boat this size, and is quite comfortable for two people plus two dogs.  In our opinion, it is the perfect boat for us for this adventure.

Lakshmi is in a middle category between a trawler and a sport cruiser.  A sport cruiser has a planing style hull which allows it to go fast, 25 knots or more depending on the engines, but it does not handle rougher ocean conditions as well.  A sport cruiser is nice for cruising protected waters such as the Long Island Sound or the Hudson River, but the hull design is not as good for island hopping in the Caribbean.  A full displacement trawler, on the other hand, is more comfortable in rough ocean conditions, but it cannot plane, so it's maximum speed is about 8.5 knots for a boat this size.  Also, full displacement trawlers often have larger fuel tanks, up to 1,000 gallons or more, which gives them trans-Atlantic capability.  Lakshmi is in the middle.  The “semi” part of the semi-displacement hull means that it has the ability to plane, and can cruise on plane at about 14.5 knots with the 350 hp Cummins diesel engine we have.  But the “displacement” part of the hull design means it is more sea-kindly than a sport cruiser hull.  Not quite as sea kindly as a full displacement hull, but very seaworthy nevertheless.  And it can go faster to get us out of trouble if need be.

The boat is very stable, and is supposed to be self-righting in the event of a capsize.  We haven't tested that feature yet, and hope we never do, but it's nice to know that it is designed to survive that type of serious situation.  It also has a Kevlar reinforced hull, which is the material used to make bullet-proof vests.  So if we were to run into a submerged rock, coral head, or shipping container, it would be damaged but not punctured.  So we could make it back to land without sinking.  Extra peace of mind that is priceless out at sea on a dark night in rough weather.

The pilothouse also has a convertible top that slides forward to enjoy the sun or the stars.  The top is vacuum sealed down when it is closed, so it is watertight and safe in the event of capsize or foul weather.  But it can be opened to enjoy the outdoors when the weather is good.  It's a nice way to get the protective features of an enclosed pilothouse along with the open air when you want it.  And the pilothouse enclosure is made of glass and fiberglass instead of canvas and plastic, so it doesn't have the weathering problems of typical “Bimini” enclosures over time.  The convertible hard top is one of the unique features of the Elling that sets it apart from most other boats.

U.S. Dealer - Authentic Yachts

You can read more details about Elling boats online at the site for the U.S. Dealer, which is Authentic Yachts in Annapolis, at www.AuthenticYachts.com.  You can also go to the Neptune Marine Elling site at www.ellingyachting.com/elling/elling.html.  The people at Authentic Yachts are wonderful.  Their service and support doesn't stop after the sale, and they have been very helpful to us over the past four years that we have owned the boat.  Whenever we have a question about something on the boat they have always responded quickly.  And when we came through Annapolis on the way south during this Adventure, they went out of their way to help us with some bilge pump repairs that needed to be done at that point.  They set us up with a slip near their offices, and arranged for a good local boat repair person to come out and take a look at the problem.  While we were there, they helped us find our way around Annapolis with directions to good restaurants, boat stores, provisioning stores, etc.  Special thanks to Doug Coupar in particular for his help while we were there.  And this was more than three years after the sale!  We just can't say enough good things about the the people at Authentic Yachts.  They are absolutely terrific.  I highly recommend them if you are in the market for an adventure boat of your own.

Manufacturer - Neptune Marine Elling

The folks at Neptune Marine in Holland are very helpful and supportive too.  Authentic Yachts is the first point of contact because they are in the U.S., but for any questions they weren't sure of, or for an obscure technical spec, an email or phone call to Holland always got a reply with the needed information.  Anton van den Bos has gone out of his way several times to find out specific information about the boat that we needed.  Neptune Marine has always been happy to help long after the sale, and they have been a great resource every step of the way.  The people there love the boats they make and they work hard to make sure your experience with the Elling is a happy one.

So we're more than satisfied with our boat and with the people who stand behind it.  If you ever decide to get this type of a boat, a semi-displacement pilothouse cruiser with a convertible top, go directly to Authentic Yachts and ask for an Elling from Neptune Marine.  Be sure to tell them Gary and Ruth sent you, and say hi for us!

Outfitting for the Journey

In addition to the equipment that came with the boat, we added a few things before we took off to make our adventure a bit more comfortable and fun.  First and foremost was a watermaker.  This is absolutely necessary for staying out “on the hook” for long periods of time.  Life at anchor is better with real showers every day, and the ability to do laundry on board.  We selected the Spectra brand watermaker, which produces about 28 gallons of water per hour.

We also installed a scuba dive compressor so that we can fill our dive tanks wherever we are.  This has enabled us to enjoy the underwater world in places far from any dive shops.

We took out the dishwasher that came with the boat and replaced it with an additional freezer.  Now we can stock up on frozen foods, enabling us to stay out longer and enjoy meals more between provisioning stops. 

I installed a 5.1 surround sound system and a 42” flat panel LCD screen, so we have home theater capability in our floating home.  Yes, we did bring our comforts along with us on the adventure.

We also installed an anchor wash at the bow of the boat.  This fresh water hose comes in handy to wash off the mud from the anchor when we are anchored in muddy waters.  Also, when at anchor, its great to get the salt off the rails and deck cushions after a journey at sea.

Outfitting Lakshmi for the trip was done at Brewer's Yacht Haven in Stamford, CT.  They not only did a great job of installing everything, but also had lots of expert advice about the best stuff to get.  Alan Huth, manager of the boatyard there, had some particularly helpful advice because he has been cruising all through the Caribbean and beyond.  He helped us select our watermaker, and freezer units which we have been thrilled with. 

One of Alan's other best tips was to get a dingy with an aluminum bottom.  Most dingies have either an inflatable or fiberglass hull, which is a problem if you hit a rock or a coral head.  But with the aluminum hull, no worries because it's metal.  We just run it up on the beach wherever we are, even if it's rocky, and it doesn't get damaged.  We got a 9.5' aluminum hull RIB from AB (an Italian company).  We put a 15 hp Honda engine on it, which is just right for that size.  When you live out on a boat, your dingy is like your car.  It's important to have one with enough size and speed to get you around as safely and comfortably as possible.  If you get an adventure boat, be sure to get the biggest aluminum bottom dingy that will fit on your boat, and put a big engine on it.  You'll be glad you did.

We also got a hydraulic lift davit for the dingy mounted on the rear swim platform.  The lift is made by Sea Wise, and is the perfect solution for stowing the dingy securely while we're underway.  You can see it at their website at www.seawise.com.  We particularly like the clips that attach from the dinghy to the boat, which make it real easy to get ourselves and the dogs in and out of the dinghy.  Another addition to Lakshmi that has made our life much easier and more pleasant.

As you can tell, we're very happy with our boat.  Lakshmi has taken us from New York to the Caribbean in comfort, safety, and style, while giving us the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful planet we live on. And the people that have helped us with it along the way have been wonderful.  A big thanks to all of them! Our Journey would not be as wonderful without their kind assistance.

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