Old thread but thought I'd jump in here too! Hi Victory49!!!
I've been sailing Dream (the 3rd H-49 built) and
living aboard on weekends since the end of April. Fantastic live aboard! As for being slow, in light winds we just
motor sail her and she chugs right along.... guess that why they call em' a motorsailer! Love the sound of the Ford
Lehman diesel. When the wind picks up she really shines and doesn't heal heavily so she's very comfortable to move about while underway.
Brought her up the
ICW from the oldest city in the US with ease. Wonderful trip with spectacular scenery along the way. Did several overnight runs including two in the Atlantic which included a run from Norfolk to Manasquan inlet in 36 hours. Total travel time was 128 hours.
Love, love, love the
interior layout. Aft cockpit is great for trolling, snoozin',
cooking on the
grill, or just gettin' away from the rest of the crew. Came with a god awful looking captain's chair in the
center cockpit I was going to throw out until I sat in it. Can steer her with your toes while sippin' scotch and enjoying a nice stogie! Comfy too! For some reason there always seems to be a pitcher of Margarita's onboard!
Life is good!
BTW, everyone wants to sit in the Captain's chair!
Can sail her easily with two.... but plenty of room for more! Usually have 6-8 onboard. Makes a great fishin' boat too! Caught 75 fluke two weeks ago during three drifts in
Raritan Bay! Only sailboat amongst 75 fishin' boats. Don't think they had ice cold pitchers along with filets on their grills
Ketch rigs (Catch) were originally designed as a
fishing boat... I'm guessin' they still
work that way!
Plannin' my trip back south for the
winter and then across the
Gulf Stream to
Bimini to see what Hemingway found so intriguing about those little two islands..... thinking he was the fishy type too!