Friday, May 29, 2009

KROGEN EXPRESS RENDEZVOUS: SCROLL CALL 2009

In early April, owners of Krogen Express yachts assembled at The Harbourage in Stuart, Florida for the company’s first ever rendezvous. Yacht Club members Ed and Willy Welter graciously provided logistical support “on the ground” while company owners John and Betsie Tegtmeyer organized the event. Dubbed Scroll Call 2009 in commemoration of their well recognized logo, the event was attended by KE52’ owners from as far away as Holland.

For the Tegtmeyers, the event represented the culmination of years of hard work and a real source of pride. Said John, “Seeing the all these KEs in one place is just amazing! We could not have hoped to be involved with a better group of owners and this gathering wouldn’t have been possible without their enthusiastic support and participation.”

As expected, the opportunity to get to know other proud Krogen Express owners was the highlight. Names, numbers, and addresses were exchanged and plans made to coordinate close encounters during future adventures.

Of course, comparing notes on upgrades and specific personal enhancements dominated the conversation. “How do you like the hardtop?” “How much experience have you had with your stabilizers?” “I love your second bookcase.” All in all, the feedback was that, if anything, more time could have been allocated to the boat hop, “Scroll Stroll” activity.

No proper assemblage of experienced boaters would be complete without ample opportunity to break bread. A pot luck dinner, accompanied by “docktails,” was the first order of business and it was clear that the galleys of the KE52’ provide a very capable platform for preparing scrumptious fare.

The marina’s location directly across the St. Lucie River from historic downtown Stuart afforded the opportunity to drop the tenders into the water. Destination – the Riverwalk CafĂ© for lunch. The weather was kind, with temperatures around 70 and very little wind, so the half mile ride across was no problem for the 11’ Nauticas.

The restaurant is very convenient to the dinghy dock and the fare much to everyone’s liking, so this becomes an excellent choice for boaters. Appetites satisfied, half of the gang stayed in town to take advantage of the varied shopping opportunities while the rest (mostly men, imagine that) floated back to the marina for a rousing discussion on Yanmar engine maintenance with Matt Norling from Helseth Marine. What a loss for the ladies!

A buffet dinner the following night at the yacht club’s fine dining room, hosted by Krogen Express, included a surprise visit by Kurt Krogen and ended with wonderful, flaming Baked Alaska. Wow! After dessert, Captains Chris and Alyse Caldwell captivated the crowd with fascinating tales of cruising Florida’s Big Bend and west to New Orleans. It’s a safe bet that, as a result of their talk, this will become a more popular destination for KE52’s in the future.

The action concluded with a light, dockside breakfast on Day Three followed by the “big photo shoot.” The KE52’s alternately danced in formation and individually as KE53’ owner Douglas Klassen ably captured their fine forms from chase boats and bridges. As they pressed the throttles of their big Yanmars forward upon departure, the predominant question asked was, “When can we sign up for the next one?”

For more photographs of Scroll Call 2009 along with information on Krogen Express Yachts, visit www.krogenexpress.com. To arrange your personal showing, call 1.866.4KROGEN or send an email to info@krogenexpress.com.