Chesapeake Bay Here We Come....Eventually!

Wednesday morning was lovely. We poked along the Waterway at 9-1/2 knots. The air was the coolest we'd felt all summer, winds were light, and the sun was shining. In fact, I even put on a long-sleeved shirt! A nice change from the previous day, AND the previous year when – along this same route – it was so hot we were putting ice down our backs! We knew we'd be passing Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia by mid-afternoon, so we decided we would stay the night there and have a few things done on the boat the next day. AYB is a reputable boat yard in a very convenient location with the ability to handle most any challenge that might come a boater's way. Over the years, they have taken good care of many of our Krogen Express owners, and this was no exception. (Many thanks to James Taylor, the service manager.) Within walking distance of the yard are several restaurants, Rite-Aid and a nice grocery store, and a Dairy Queen! (Also, across the way is a free dock where anyone can tie up for 24 hours, first come/first served.)

Another lovely day awaited us on Friday. Trouble is, we really didn't know where to head! With always a plan in mind, this is a first for us! But our marine forecast sources (Wunderground.com, Passageweather.com, and the NOAA weather site) were telling us different things, and we had several legs of the trip to consider. First was the Chesapeake Bay, next was the trek up the New Jersey coast (not one of my personal favorites!). We also studied our principle online guide source (Activecaptain.com) to seek out suitable anchorages/marinas. There was a small craft warning for the Bay, and the particular body of water we were approaching (where the Atlantic meets the Bay) could prove to be quite dicey. We decided we'd just carry on and see how things developed. Norfolk is always an interesting place to cruise through. (Altho it's not as exciting as cruising down the East River of Manhattan at night. But that's another story for another time!) There is a lot of activity (ferries, police, Coast Guard, and pilot boats buzzing around), a myriad of noises (horns, beeps, machinery, and sirens from the industry on land), and excellent scenery (naval ships abound). With Norfolk practically behind us and the Bay fast approaching, we then had some decisions to make. The wind was kicking up, as were the waves. John said "well, what do you think? Should we go for it?" Knowing from experience what was ahead, I didn't hesitate, "No thanks." We headed up Hampton River, a spot we'd stayed many times before. This time we stayed at the Hampton Public (but not free) Pier, our first visit. Had a pleasant walk around town, and then dinner.

Fall boat show season kicks off aboard "Joy"

John and Bob's 35 hour trip from Ft. Pierce to Morehead City was uneventful. (But who would know!) My assignment was to drive from our home in Hilton Head and meet them on Sunday evening “somewhere near Wilmington, North Carolina” (depending on how their trip went). Of course there had been no communication with them since they left Ft. Pierce early Saturday morning. John was to call me when they neared their destination. I expected to hear from him around 2 pm. I had our two dogs – M.E. and Macey – with me in the car, and it was about 85 degrees outside. As we approached the Wilmington area around 2:30 pm. I still hadn't heard from John. I pondered what to do, particularly in light of the fact that I had these two panting dogs to consider. I couldn't just sit in the car with the engine/a.c. running indefinitely! We walked around a tree-full park and continued to wait for the phone to ring. Around 4:00 I started to go into panic mode (unusual for me, not generally being a worrier). Do I call the Coast Guard? Who could I call that would appreciate my situation and be able to not only console me, but offer me practical advice. Nobody really. I continued to just sit and wait....engine running. FINALLY, at 4:15 the call came. It was the most welcomed call I've ever received! They were headed to Morehead City. I was delighted to put the car in “D” and drive the additional 2 hours north. I was never so happy to see two people – and a beautiful Krogen Express at the dock – in my life! Even though they were unshaven and rather unkempt, there were big hugs all around! The boat was a mess. While the guys washed the outside, I tackled the inside, and was I ever happy to do it!

We all had a sound sleep that night, particularly the guys; and Bob left in the car early Monday morning to head home and back to the office. John and I and “the girls” (our affectionate name for our dogs) set out for an easy, short ride to a spot near Oriental, NC, River Dunes. This is a fairly new waterfront development of coastal/southern-style homes with a man-made, very protected harbour/marina. http://www.riverdunes.com/index.php?flag=marinagallery It has a pool, workout room, and a gorgeous clubhouse/restaurant (open only on weekends). J.C., the dockmaster, and his assistant Reggie, greeted us “with open arms”. We had a long walk around the neighborhood and then a dip in the pool, followed by a meatloaf dinner on the aft deck of “Joy”.

Tuesday morning was very rainy and windy. We head for Manteo (pronounced Manny-o). This town is off the ICW, but it's one we've visited before and really enjoyed. Within a 2 minute walk of the town dock are shops and good restaurants. The dockmaster, Carl, has been there forever. The docks are fixed, wooden, the only downside. Our boat is such a snap to get on/off with floating docks, and while fixed is do-able, it's certainly not preferable. Anyway, the forecast called for a NE wind of 5-10 with 1 foot seas. Turns out it was more like 20 knot winds with 2 foot seas, and numerous rainstorms which made the seas kick up even more. Saw lots of shrimpers along the way (see photo). Once (very) happily tied up at the dock, we hosed the boat down, and took a short walk with the girls. M.E. made a new friend who was aboard a Nordic Tug and they had a blast running around the park area at the marina. John and I got cleaned up and met our friends, Joe and Laura, who drove us to their Italian restaurant in Nags Head for a fabulous feast. Filled up with pizza, hot wings, eggplant parmesan, lasagna, salad, and bread, they then insisted on ordering us dessert. (No refusals, here!) Mousse cake, tiramasu and cheesecake topped off the meal, and they even sent us home with a couple cartons of (big surprise!) left-overs. Needless to say, "sweet dreams" followed.

Fort Pierce to Morehead City in Under 35 Hours!

What a great trip - ideally suited for a Krogen Express 52'! Yesterday morning we were berthed in our home port in Fort Pierce, Florida. Tonight we're enjoying a comfortable slip in Morehead City, North Carolina.

On Saturday, just before 7:15 a.m., we cast the lines off of Joy, our Flag Blue KE52' show boat, in Fort Pierce, and cleared the inlet about 45 minutes later. Just past the first sea buoy, we made a hard turn to port, set our Raymarine SmartPilot to 23 degrees and ran the rhumb line all the way to the Beaufort Inlet. We found ourselves in the channel a little before 5 o'clock this evening and were securely tied up at Morehead City Yacht Basin by 5:30. From slip to slip we covered just under 500 nautical miles.

Our ultimate destination is Rhode Island's Narraganset Bay for the 40th Annual Newport Boat Show in mid-September. As has been their tradition, John and Betsie Tegtmeyer, owners of Krogen Express Yachts, plan to enjoy a somewhat leisurely trip north. Not only does this provide the obvious enjoyment we boaters treasure, it also gives them valuable perspective as they continue to improve the brand.

Schedules being what they are, and wanting to be in NYC for Labor Day, John decided that they needed to shave several days off the total trip. Thus the plan was hatched to make the subject voyage.

Having logged nearly 30,000 miles at the helm of the KE52', John has a keen sense of her capabilities and vast experience for estimating travel times. Betsie would be driving up from Florida to meet us at the marina and John suggested she arrive in Morehead around 6:00 or so. Clearly, that worked out well.

Because our itinerary necessitated round the clock operation, John and I decided on 3 hours shifts. Both of us caught a little rest during our off hours on Saturday so we'd be better rested for the night portion. I think this arrangement worked out well as, at least for one night, this proved reasonably comfortable.

We weren't sure how long we'd have cell coverage, but we lost contact before 10 o'clock on Saturday morning. Our route took us about 150 miles offshore so we were out of touch until just before our arrival in Beaufort. John's T-Mobile phone kicked in about 10 miles out but I couldn't call home on my Sprint phone for another mile or two.

During the day we ran our 480 Yanmars at 2550 rpms, which is usually good for 14.5 knots or so. Given the northerly flow of the Gulf Stream, however, we enjoyed a 2 to 3 knot boost for about one half of the journey, even seeing occasional bursts to 18 knots. For those unfamiliar with these diesels, 80% of rated rpm is 2700, so this is a leisurely speed for them.

Overnight, we throttled back to around 1600, which normally yields just below hull speed at 9.5 knots or so. The additional encouragement from the Stream allowed us to average closer to 12 knots and we sometimes saw better than 13. Given that we're only burning about 6 to 7 gallons of diesel an hour at these engine speeds, I'd say we were seeing some rather exceptional efficiency.

As good radio stations are a little hard to reach this far offshore, we relied on our MP3 players to keep us entertained through the night. I can't speak for John's tastes, but mine's pretty "eclectic." I enjoyed the opportunity to get reacquainted with everything from Country (Toby, Taylor, Carrie, Sugarland) to Oldies (Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Styx, Supertramp, Eagles, and more) to some current faves like Cold Play, Daughtry, and fittingly, local Carolina boy Dave Matthews. I even dialed up a little Jazz and some Opera. Sorry, no rap and definitely no disco, though! I had to draw the line somewhere.

For me, aside from comfortably and uneventfully (which is always the idea when boating) accomplishing our objective, the highlight was being buzzed by a Navy fighter plane somewhere off the north Florida coast. We assume he was flying out of the naval air station in Jacksonville (NAS-Jax). John and I differ as to his intentions, however. You make the call on this. As our route was a little bit unusual for a pleasure vessel and given a previous close encounter with a nuclear submarine in the area (we were hailed and told to alter our course, thank you), I'm thinking he was dispatched specifically to check us out. John's view is that he didn't have anything better to do than to scare the bej... (heck) out of us. At any rate, he made three close passes, each time at low altitude and with his canopy tilted toward us for maximum visibility. I'm sure he could easily make out the whites of our eyes and gaping jaws as he coasted by. An awesome experience, for sure!

For the most part, the weather was excellent. Despite mid-90 temperatures, the ocean breezes and the shade of the big bimini top made flybridge cruising downright comfortable. We did get hit with some rain, but never enough to chase us into the pilot house. At one point today, the benefit of the precipitation was a very complete, end-to-end rainbow of the kind you'll only see at sea. Fascinating, but, alas, no pot of gold to be found.

As to wild life, we did see some flying fish along the way. Amazing to see how they glide forever just inches about the wave tops, only to crash back in the water with Kamikaze-like abandon. I wish we'd seen more. A small gathering of sea gulls caught our attention at one point. Turns out they were escorting a pod of a half dozen gargantuan dolphins. We were going too fast for them to catch our wave, but they did simultaneously breach the water in formation to check us out. Later this afternoon we saw some ominous looking fins breaking the surface. Were they sharks or just more dolphins? Can't say for sure.

All in all, while I can't say that I'd choose this type of cruising on a regular basis, I'm grateful for the speed and range capabilities of the Krogen Express which frankly made this particular adventure realistic for a two person team. A typical full-displacement trawler could easily cover the distance but would require at least one additional overnight. For most, this would require a third crew member to share the helm. And faster boats tend to lack the range and often the seakeeping capabilities as well.

To learn more about the KE52', visit us at www.krogenexpress.com or call 1-866-4KROGEN. Krogen Express - Cruising Without Compromise.

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 Café 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.

Exploring Alaska In A Krogen Express

Judy and Bill Sturgis put their beautiful Krogen Express to use in a way that many of us only
dream about - exploring the pristine, breathtaking waters of Alaska. Judy grew up on Vancouver Island and has been cruising the Pacific Northwest virtually her whole life. According to Judy, they bought their Krogen Express, "Free Spirit," because she "is just the right size for me to captain with an all girl crew when my husband is not available" and "a perfect boat for the Inside Passage."

Respect and admiration for the abundant wildlife in Alaska is a big part of what motivates Bill and Judy. When not aboard Free Spirit, Judy loves fly fishing any number of the many remote rivers for magnificent trout, steelhead, or salmon. It's not unusual for them to be sharing their fishing grounds with bear, moose, wolves, beavers, eagles, and many more. And when cruising, encounters with any variety of whale, Humpbacks, Blues, or Orcas (Killer Whales), is not uncommon. It's easy to understand why the Sturgis family keeps their Krogen Express up in Alaska and returns for adventures summer after summer. Hope I can join them next year!

Click here to see more breathtaking Alaska pictures.

Krogen Express Gets Yacht Controller

With the addition of our new Yacht Controller, docking the KE52' has become even easier and, in reasonable conditions, even the average yachtsmen should be able to single hand her. For those of you not familiar with this clever little device, Yacht Controller is a wireless remote that allows the captain to operate the transmissions and thrusters from anywhere on the boat. In the case of Daystar, our company show boat, this means that we can walk to the cockpit, gain unimpaired, close up views of the dock, and carefully maneuver the 52' fore and aft, port and starboard, and guide her carefully into her berth. Daystar is equipped with both bow (standard) and stern (optional) thrusters from Side Power, and her twin Yanmar diesels move her with authority.

John is shown here bringing Daystar in on his first try with the new Yacht Controller. His initial impressions are that the system is very easy to use and operates exactly as expected. We've had many prospects ask about a 3rd station for docking, but John says that we'll now be able to offer something much better because close quarters handling can be done from the very best vantage point, wherever that may be.

We're often asked about the availability of pod drive systems like IPS and Zeus, and while we can't offer joystick control, with twin engines and both bow and stern thrusters, maneuverability closely approximates those systems. Couple this with the Yacht Controller, which decouples the captain from the helm so he or she can move about the boat, and we think this is a very viable alternative that actually offers some real advantages over the pod drive.

Krogen Express Kruising Update - 2nd Installment

Krogen Express 52s are getting around! Wilhelmina just spent two glorious weeks exploring the Exumas, and Resolute, left, is making her way up the coast after a brief stay at Windmill Harbour on Hilton Head Island. While there, she had her brightwork freshened while her owners ventured ashore for a side trip or two. They did have an opportunity on both ends of their visit to break bread with John and Betsie. After linking up with a cruising companion from "across the pond," their trip has resumed and they've now made it up to Wrightsville Beach.

Meanwhile, Tiare continues her voyage north, where she's now well up into the Chesapeake. Here are the latest links to the photographic journal her owners have so generously agreed to share with us. Once you click the "Watch" button, be a little patient, as it may take a little while for the show to load up. And be sure to turn up your volume to enjoy the music.
http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/gf5Zh5af
http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/wX7mT4YI
http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/XU9Wt4MW
http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/uw2NS3SA

In June, John and Betsie will head for the Keys with family aboard Daystar. Stay tuned as we chronicle their adventures.

Up next, we finally share our impressions of our new Yacht Controller (just installed!), and photographic results of the 2-boat Krogen Express Photo Shoot.

Fair winds and smooth seas, and enjoy a wonderful Memorial Day.