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Mag3 · 19-04-2020, 10:45

Congratulations!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigNurse

Thank you very much.

One of the things that finally make us to decide for the Moody (apart of the Deck Saloon and floor plan) are the high walk-around bulwark sides, very similar to a motorboat.
Having a small pet, which we carry with us always, no other similar sailboat we’ve found in the market more safe for him than the Moody to move onboard.

Best regards from Vigo, and good winds

Pedro

svBeBe · 29-06-2020, 08:42

All in this thread,

I believe in the Amel brand and the company. I admire the technology and most things Amel that make Amel Better & Different from all others. I am a big supporter of the Amel 50 & 60. After owning an Amel for 10+ years, circling the world with my wife Judy, and visiting 58 countries, I believe that there is no other brand that I would consider. I am an Amel Guy."

Regarding this thread, I sincerely hope that you read the following. Maybe you would like to hear from the person who is the subject of the letter from Emmanuel POUJEADE. I have included my reply to his letter at the end of this paragraph. Importantly, he never responded to my reply. Additionally, when he failed to respond, I offered to fly from Texas to La Rochelle at my expense to meet with him personally. He, again, never responded directly but had an employee contact me to tell me he is very busy and will respond when he is free. Over a year later, I have heard nothing.

Whenever something like this happens I urge all of you to reach out to hear both sides of the story. It is true that the primary issue is that I used Amel's name in the name of my school. This was suggested by an Amel employee and later approved by a certain senior Amel employee. When Mr. POUJEADE decided to make his statement, apparently, that senior VP did not want to tell him that it was approved. When Mr. POUJEADE wrote his letter I had 63 clients. Today, a little over a year later, I have almost 200 Amel owners as clients and I have not experienced a single complaint. My clients include most Amel models including the Amel 50, which BTW, I really like the A50 and I was very happy when Amel introduced the 50. And, I am a potential buyer of the Amel 60.

My letter to Emmanuel POUJEADE follows. It was emailed has never been answered by anyone. An employee at Amel acknowledged that it was received. Everything in my email was a suggestion for Mr. POUJEADE's approval. Because I received no input I implemented all of the suggestions except those noted as "not implemented."

"Feb 13, 2019
Mr. POUJEAD,

I have no argument with your desires and I believe that I understand your position. I was previously the Chief Financial Officer of a NASDAQ company. You should know that the name, "Amel School," was suggested to me by someone with Amel, and I had a previous discussion in May 2018 with a senior manager at Amel regarding the disclaimer that I had placed on my website: "Amel School is independent of Amel Yachts and is in no way connected or affiliated with Amel Yachts, headquartered in La Rochelle, France."

About Bill ROUSE & Amel:
A significant number of new Amels have been sold, in part, by my direct contact with your customer before they purchased. And, about 30 used Amels have been sold, in part, because of me. More importantly, I have NEVER asked for, nor have I received, any compensation, or incentive of any kind from anyone regarding my support of the sales of Amels. In every case, I was sought out by the buyer. There is not a single person, other than me, who is responsible for as many sales of Amels without any compensation. I do not want compensation and I will refuse any...I do what I do because I love Amel.

My wife and I bought a 2003 Super Maramu, sailed around the world visiting 58 countries, and because of our blog at www.svbebe.com, we became an unofficial ambassador to the world for Amel. We had many prospective buyers of new and used Amels visit us onboard in various places around the world to experience first-hand an Amel. Every one of those bought an Amel. We never charged these people anything nor did we receive any compensation from anyone. We did it because we love Amel. You probably do not know this because we do not look for recognition or compensation.

I currently have 86 clients - each are Amel Yacht owners. I provide training, support, and help with their Amels. One client has a 33 year old Amel and one client has a less than 1-year old Amel. That client, with an almost new 55, met me 2-3 years before his purchase from you and listened to my thoughts and experiences about Amel. I believe that he would not be your customer without me, and today he is my client. You and I should both be happy. I do not train and support Amel owners for the money. I do not need money. I am retired with plenty of money from a successful career. I train and support Amel owners because I absolutely love doing it.

I believe that you would have a very difficult time finding someone anywhere in the world who supports Amel more than I do. I am a very good friend of Amel and should be a very good friend of yours. I was surprised that your email was sent to many Amel owners without discussing it with me. Possibly that was an error, or possibly it was because we are somewhat different culturally (Texas & France), but we are both French...my grandparents immigrated to the US from France in 1893. I will work on my cultural (Texas) differences. The following statement by you was very hurtful to me: "...we want to issue a warning on the products and advices given by Mr. ROUSE." Can you please explain this "warning?" Maybe there is a translation error, but I believe most people that do not know me, would totally avoid me if Amel issued a warning about me. I wonder how you can warn people about me when you do not know me? Is having people avoid Bill ROUSE what you intended, or was this an error? This is very important for me to clear up as soon as possible.

Outline of a possible plan to satisfy you:

1. Distribute your "email attachment" addressed to "Dear AMEL boat owners" (regarding Bill ROUSE and Amel School) to:
A. My clients, currently 86 Amel owners
B. Post it on my blog (www.svbebe.com)
C. Post it on the Amel Yacht Owners website
https://amelyachtowners.groups.io/g/main/)
D. Post it on my website (www.amelschool.com) and the new site (To be Determined) Not implemented
E. Add it to my book (see #2-1 below) Not implemented

2. Stop using anything that looks like an Amel logo.
A. This currently exists on the Amel School website www.amelschool.com)
B. This currently exists in my 400-page Amel School book. The next printing of my book will be late this year. In the meantime, I will insert a copy of your email in all currently printed books
C. I use the normal color of Taupe. I will continue using that color because I used Taupe before Amel decided to use a color similar to Taupe. I have never used Desert Sand.
D. I have 6 polo shirts that I wear when training. They are embroidered in gold color: "Amel School, Prepare to Cast Off." I will send them to you, or whomever you suggest. I still have these, but I have new ones made that say, "Yacht School"

3. Rename Amel School
A. New Name to be determined, but probably "Prepare to cast Off" which is what it originally was named
B. New printed material
C. New URL Registration
D. New Website
E. New Polo Shirts

Also, wherever I post your "email attachment," I would like to share my response. I would like you to consider the same. Implemented by me, but not Amel

Regarding (Amel) supporting the Amel Rally, It is not an Amel School Rally, but I will give a copy of your "email attachment" to the registered participants (Amel owners). I believe all of them will be visiting Amel Caraibes anyway. I believe that most of them will probably receive estimates for repair or refit from your staff, in the normal course of business. I was attempting to find something that would be affordable for Amel and appear to be supportive of your customers (less than half registered are my clients). The vast majority of the other businesses in Marin are contributing things like a dinner, wine at dinner, a haulout, gifts, certificates, and discounts. I believe that it will appear odd that Amel is not participating. But, I respect your decision. It is your company, and I understand.

Regarding supporting the 1500 member Amel Yacht Owners Group, I have decided to support this group myself for the next five years. I will post your email in the Amel Yacht Owners Group for all of those Amel owners, spouses, and future Amel owners.

Lastly, I really appreciate your email and your position and I am challenged to get to know you better. I will never change in my support of Amel.

I believe that I addressed everything that you want. If there is anything in this email that you want me to reconsider, change, or modify, please let me know, as there is probably nothing that is impossible. I intend to do what you want.

I await your comments."

All in Cruisers Forum, I thank you for reading the above.

Best,

CW Bill Rouse

Alden · 01-07-2020, 00:14

Hi Bill.

Let me apologise up front for this being brief. It needs to be so I can afford to decant a few years of keystrokes from my keyboard and send them to you, to top yours up.

I have absolutely no doubt that you are a big fan of Amel and that many customers have turned up at their door with your encouraging words still bouncing around in their heads. All makers of luxury goods understand the power of person to person recommendations. I hope that you do get that new Amel and that you and your family members enjoy it, along with the buying experience, as much as I believe is possible, i.e. a lot!

I'm going to give you my frank thoughts on this. I think it was an error of judgement to use the Amel name in identifying your own business, regardless of your best intentions towards them. To me it seems natural that they consider this to be a breach of good manners, and probably also the law.

My advice would be to eliminate their company name from your businesses' titles, website headings, etc. Beyond this, I see no problem with you making a statement in a 'Home' or 'About' page that the focus of your sail training is the Amel make of boats, which you hold in high regard and wish to recommend as an experienced, happy, long term owner.

Write a short apology to Mr Poujeade and the Amel team, explaining that you understand their concerns and have changed tack. Put in your order for that 60 and get on with enjoying life to the max, without this hassle hanging around your neck.

End of free advice. :-)

Regards, Rick.

mglonnro · 01-07-2020, 02:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alden

Hi Bill.

Let me apologise up front for this being brief. It needs to be so I can afford to decant a few years of keystrokes from my keyboard and send them to you, to top yours up.

I have absolutely no doubt that you are a big fan of Amel and that many customers have turned up at their door with your encouraging words still bouncing around in their heads. All makers of luxury goods understand the power of person to person recommendations. I hope that you do get that new Amel and that you and your family members enjoy it, along with the buying experience, as much as I believe is possible, i.e. a lot!

I'm going to give you my frank thoughts on this. I think it was an error of judgement to use the Amel name in identifying your own business, regardless of your best intentions towards them. To me it seems natural that they consider this to be a breach of good manners, and probably also the law.

My advice would be to eliminate their company name from your businesses' titles, website headings, etc. Beyond this, I see no problem with you making a statement in a 'Home' or 'About' page that the focus of your sail training is the Amel make of boats, which you hold in high regard and wish to recommend as an experienced, happy, long term owner.

Write a short apology to Mr Poujeade and the Amel team, explaining that you understand their concerns and have changed tack. Put in your order for that 60 and get on with enjoying life to the max, without this hassle hanging around your neck.

End of free advice. :-)

Regards, Rick.

Reading the same mail, without knowing more context and background, I'd personally switch over to some other brand of sailing, with management not too busy to engage in communication with an above-and-beyond-loyal customer.

My 0.02.

Habana · 11-07-2020, 18:24

Back to the Amel. This thread (most) has been GREAT. Could you post some more pics of the additional solar on the hard top? Also, how has she been treating you now that you have some miles under your belt? I hope with this ebola thing isn't hampering your ability to sail and enjoy the boat. I am about to pull the trigger on ordering an Amel 50, in part to your wonderfully detailed write up. My plan would be to pick it up in France and sail it around the Med and then down to join the ARC.

boom23 · 12-07-2020, 04:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habana

Back to the Amel. This thread (most) has been GREAT. Could you post some more pics of the additional solar on the hard top? Also, how has she been treating you now that you have some miles under your belt? I hope with this ebola thing isn't hampering your ability to sail and enjoy the boat. I am about to pull the trigger on ordering an Amel 50, in part to your wonderfully detailed write up. My plan would be to pick it up in France and sail it around the Med and then down to join the ARC.

Havana, thank you!

This is the second season on my Amel, and I'm really enjoying her. This season I'm single handing and, so far, I've had no problems in the calmer Ionian sea, even when Med mooring. She's an amazing boat built by a great company, which stands behind it's products.

As with any boat, there will always be problems due to the large number of parts and suppliers. The Amel support team has been very responsive. I couldn't ask for better. There's an Amel 50 & 60 Facebook tech forum, where owners share problems, solutions and improvement ideas. Amel is involved also. It has been a great tool for making new friends too.

Regarding, the solar panels, other owners have installed much larger wattage over the davits. In addition, it is my understanding that Amel now offers much larger wattage hardtop solar panels. They keep improving the options list based on customer feedback, and new product availability.

As I've suggested before, it's best to visit the factory before you order. It will give you a better appreciation of their work, and you'll have the opportunity to get the latest info directly from the factory.

acunningham · 12-07-2020, 06:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by boom23

This season I'm single handing and, so far, I've had no problems in the calmer Ionian sea, even when Med mooring.

That's very interesting! I've been considering buying a yacht and living on board for a few years now, and the Amel 50 is top of my shortlist. The primary concern I have is the lack of crew to help me sail, and the difficulties of single handing - especially in the Mediterranean which is where I'm most interested in cruising. It would be great to hear what single handing in the Mediterranean is like in real life.

Would you care to elaborate on what a fairly sizeable boat such as the Amel 50 is like to single hand? What procedures do you use for Mediterranean mooring? Have you had any instances of Mediterranean mooring where there have been unexpected problems like the anchor dragging or getting snagged on another boat's anchor, and how did you manage this single handed?

boom23 · 12-07-2020, 07:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by acunningham

That's very interesting! I've been considering buying a yacht and living on board for a few years now, and the Amel 50 is top of my shortlist. The primary concern I have is the lack of crew to help me sail, and the difficulties of single handing - especially in the Mediterranean which is where I'm most interested in cruising. It would be great to hear what single handing in the Mediterranean is like in real life.

Would you care to elaborate on what a fairly sizeable boat such as the Amel 50 is like to single hand? What procedures do you use for Mediterranean mooring? Have you had any instances of Mediterranean mooring where there have been unexpected problems like the anchor dragging or getting snagged on another boat's anchor, and how did you manage this single handed?

This is such a loaded question and there are so many variables...

I'm not single handing because I planned it. I would rather have someone with me. Unfortunately, life had other ideas. I didn't buy my current boat to single hand either. She's easy to handle but there are many circumstances when another person onboard can be very helpful. This includes close quarter boat handling and long crossings.

The Amel 50 is an easily controllable boat due to the strong bow thruster, but she's is heavy and big. If you're comfortable with that, especially in uncooperative weather, you should be fine.

Keep in mind that I just started this season and I have limited experience being on my own. So far, I've never done serious damage to any of my boats and I want to keep it that way, which is a lot of pressure.

For this season in Greece, I was planning to mostly anchor. This is easy to do if you exclude inexperienced/not-caring charter boat operators. I'm lucky that the Med is not that busy this summer. Sometimes though what you thought would have been a good anchorage, doesn't turn out that way, or it's full. So, you can plan as much as you want...

I've had no intention of Med mooring at a town quay using my anchor. I found it easy to Med moor at a Marina dock with a slime-line and a somewhat experienced person waiting for you. It's a whole different situation at a town quay. A local charter boat owner pushed me (and I thank him for it) to do it while he was correcting me. All I can say is that it is doable, but ideally you need 3 hands (throttle, steering and anchor). I've since done it on my own, but I need a lot more practice to get more comfortable...

I've watched so many Med mooring boats drop anchor and cross several other anchor lines. The hope is that they leave in the opposite order they anchored, or it is a mess. It is best to avoid these situations if you can. Three boats just crossed at least two other anchor lines, including mine, as I'm writing this. One of them pulled up my anchor... If I weren't here, my boat would be having close encounters with the concrete sea wall. This would have been great to return to...

I haven't done any single handed long crossings to have an opinion. I've read books...

If I knew I would be single handing long term, I would have probably bought a much cheaper 40 something sailboat, and spent the rest of the money somewhere else. Hopefully, I will not be single handing for long...

acunningham · 12-07-2020, 08:49

Thank you, that more or less matches my expectations. Another boat on my shortlist is the Sirius 40 DS, because it seems a more manageable size for single-handing. Even then, I'm unconvinced I can Mediterranean moor on my own.

boom23 · 12-07-2020, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by acunningham

Thank you, that more or less matches my expectations. Another boat on my shortlist is the Sirius 40 DS, because it seems a more manageable size for single-handing. Even then, I'm unconvinced I can Mediterranean moor on my own.

I don't know the Sirius 40 DS, but the size seems about right for single handing, in most situations, to me. In my opinion, a 50 footer is a lot of boat for one person. You can't really man handle it in an emergency.

De.windhoos · 13-07-2020, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by boom23

For this season in Greece, I was planning to mostly anchor. This is easy to do if you exclude inexperienced/not-caring charter boat operators. I'm lucky that the Med is not that busy this summer. Sometimes though what you thought would have been a good anchorage, doesn't turn out that way, or it's full. So, you can plan as much as you want...

I've had no intention of Med mooring at a town quay using my anchor. I found it easy to Med moor at a Marina dock with a slime-line and a somewhat experienced person waiting for you. It's a whole different situation at a town quay. A local charter boat owner pushed me (and I thank him for it) to do it while he was correcting me. All I can say is that it is doable, but ideally you need 3 hands (throttle, steering and anchor). I've since done it on my own, but I need a lot more practice to get more comfortable...

I've watched so many Med mooring boats drop anchor and cross several other anchor lines. The hope is that they leave in the opposite order they anchored, or it is a mess. It is best to avoid these situations if you can. Three boats just crossed at least two other anchor lines, including mine, as I'm writing this. One of them pulled up my anchor... If I weren't here, my boat would be having close encounters with the concrete sea wall. This would have been great to return to...

I do a lot of singlehanded sailing in the Med. I actually prefer med mooring with my anchor than using a slime line. When using my own anchor my bow can't move and I don't have to hurry. I've got a wireless remote but doesn't your anchor control at the helm have the option to drop a preset amount of chain?

On the crossed anchors. It's a fact of life.
What I do when someone is leaving and I know or suspect that he's across my chain, I start the engine and feel the chain. If he starts to pick up my chain, I put the engine in fwd, turn my rudder windward a bit and put a lot of slack on the chain. that way the other boat picks up my chain but doesn't dislodge my anchor and he has a better chance at hoisting his anchor. He can then dislodge my chain (put a rope around it, lower his anchor a bit, release the rope and Bob's your uncle).
I ALWAYS talk to the boat who has crossed my chain to check when they plan to leave and to discuss the procedure if he catches my chain.

Looking forward to meeting you somewhere in Greece and have a look at your beautiful boat. currently in Lesbos and heading towards the "3 fingers" near Thessaloniki in a couple of weeks.

boom23 · 14-07-2020, 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by De.windhoos

I do a lot of singlehanded sailing in the Med. I actually prefer med mooring with my anchor than using a slime line. When using my own anchor my bow can't move and I don't have to hurry. I've got a wireless remote but doesn't your anchor control at the helm have the option to drop a preset amount of chain?

On the crossed anchors. It's a fact of life.
What I do when someone is leaving and I know or suspect that he's across my chain, I start the engine and feel the chain. If he starts to pick up my chain, I put the engine in fwd, turn my rudder windward a bit and put a lot of slack on the chain. that way the other boat picks up my chain but doesn't dislodge my anchor and he has a better chance at hoisting his anchor. He can then dislodge my chain (put a rope around it, lower his anchor a bit, release the rope and Bob's your uncle).
I ALWAYS talk to the boat who has crossed my chain to check when they plan to leave and to discuss the procedure if he catches my chain.

Looking forward to meeting you somewhere in Greece and have a look at your beautiful boat. currently in Lesbos and heading towards the "3 fingers" near Thessaloniki in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for the very good advice! It makes sense. I have a lot to improve on... This is one of the reasons I started sailing. Constant learning.

I have a windlass wireless remote (need to check range), and I can drop a preset chain length.

I'm planning to stay in western Greece this season. I find it easy to get my feet wet single handing. Except for the occasional thunderstorms, the weather is pretty benign here and distances are short.

Come over and say hi if you see me.

Monohull · 18-07-2020, 07:30

Thank you for this thread. We have been looking at yachts and the Amel 50 is the one that checks every box. Your thread has been a treasure of information.

boom23 · 19-07-2020, 03:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monohull

Thank you for this thread. We have been looking at yachts and the Amel 50 is the one that checks every box. Your thread has been a treasure of information.

Glad you like it.
I hope new Amel 50 owners add more info, as Amel keeps improving the 50.

Mag3 · 20-07-2020, 08:48

I'd second the feedback to Boom23 here.

This thread and some private messages with him were essential to my choosing to buy hull number 45 (to be delivered at the end of this year).

Amel has continued to refine this boat and learn from it's customers. On the one hand Amel is famous for having a very limited set of options... they don't do much custom which is how they manage to deliver such a high end product at a very competitive price point relative to their competition, but they do pay special attention to their customer base and are constantly learning from them and taking those learnings back into their product. Some of what's was added to my build as a result of these learnings (some are options, some just part of the new standard) is captured in an incomplete list below: