Proud (and busy) new owner of a 1991 Ocean Twins 38.

[steveth3b]

Hi Y'all,

First, I want to thank you all for the knowledge buried in here over the years to which I have availed myself. As my title states, I'm now the owner of one of three Ocean Twins in existence. This is one of Pat Patterson's larger designs after the Heavenly Twins 26. I've got to say, I love this brick already. We've been in the marina getting her in shape since July 1, but most of it has been minor maintenance, and a few minor upgrades while waiting on a few larger ticket items (rigging, batteries, antifouling). The design is definitely not common, but I love having 3 cabins, 2 sea berths under the center cockpit, and the large open galley down in the port hull. Also, it's a little odd having a mid-engine shaft driven cat, but I'm here for it.

Things that are only okay- no trampolines. Anchoring system. Probably sail performance and bridgedeck clearance. I'll update this list as needed.

Rather than host here, I'll just leave a link to the Google photos album.

We're in beautiful Spain, but I'm ready to leave the marina and get out on the hook!

If you guys (or anyone in the future) are looking for information about the boat, I have a good bit of knowledge left here from previous owners. This is hull number one.

[Jeannius]

Congratulations, I'm sure she is a great boat and will look after you well. The first cat I ever sailed was the slightly smaller Star Twins (34ft I think) chartered for a long weekend from Pat Patterson's son and daughter out of Millbrook, Cornwall. Got me hooked on cats after years on monos. Particularly loved the centre cockpit. Where are you based in Spain? I have a place between Valencia and Alicante.

[Tupaia]

Sailed #1 many many years ago. Very light, repackaged air, amazingly roomy and sails surprisingly well. If I remember correctly the laminating was done under Toby Richardson's stewardship (Freebird and Firebird fame) so is of excellent quality.
Enjoy your new catamaran.

[steveth3b]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Congratulations, I'm sure she is a great boat and will look after you well. The first cat I ever sailed was the slightly smaller Star Twins (34ft I think) chartered for a long weekend from Pat Patterson's son and daughter out of Millbrook, Cornwall. Got me hooked on cats after years on monos. Particularly loved the centre cockpit. Where are you based in Spain? I have a place between Valencia and Alicante.

Thanks, Mike! Digging into the history has been a good experience so far. I'm glad the Heavenly Twins association has such a good collection of information on its site. We are currently in Cartagena. We've been cleaning out decades of previous owners' accumulations (sadly, a good few out of date charts, but kept some cool ones), and have been going through the systems and bringing them back to life as needed. The last owner got to a point where it was a holiday home here, but he at least kept the diesels running and maintained. What should I not miss while we're here? Any recommendations are welcome. We'll be headed west to start our Schengen shuffle/get used to sailing the boat after we get new antifouling and batteries. I think I'm going to spend a little time at an Italian consulate to start a citizenship process when headed that way, also. Europe is too cool to have time and still be on a 90/180 schedule.

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Sailed #1 many many years ago. Very light, repackaged air, amazingly roomy and sails surprisingly well. If I remember correctly the laminating was done under Toby Richardson's stewardship (Freebird and Firebird fame) so is of excellent quality.
Enjoy your new catamaran.

It's pretty cool that you've been on my boat! I'm not surprised about the lamination after a month aboard her, but I'm glad to hear it sails well! I've been keeping expectations low, but the hull profile seems pretty decent. I'll have to get a good downwind sail for her. And yeah, I was fairly excited to be able to stand up and walk around in the cabins. Hopefully I've hit my head enough on the bulkheads that I've trained myself to instinctively duck where I need to now. We were looking initially in the 40+ range, but I got very interested when I saw her listing. What was your favorite memory about that sail? Thanks for the information! Hopefully I'll have some useful contributions here in the future!

[Jeannius]

Schengen is a right pain isn't? I'm back in the UK now but heading back to Spain and starting the process of a long term visa. I should be able to get a Digital Nomad visa as, although nominally retired, I still do a bit of software development for an old customer in the UK.

Cartagena you already know so I'll start with Alicante which is surprising nice with a big marina. Lovely old city centre with great food. I'm just further up the coast in Moraira which has a nice little marina with good visitor's docking. I think it'll probably be very crowded until mid to end of September though. The same applies to the next couple of nice towns, Javea, which is on the nearest bit of the mainland to the Balearics. Then Denia which has a very large marina so you should find space there. If you have time on the way to Italy, head out to Formentera which is beautiful.

Just re-read your post and see you are heading the other way from my suggestions! Gibraltar is an obvious place to escape Schengen. Good place to leave the boat and fly away to sort out you citizenship!

Have fun.

[steveth3b]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Schengen is a right pain isn't? I'm back in the UK now but heading back to Spain and starting the process of a long term visa...

Just re-read your post and see you are heading the other way from my suggestions! Gibraltar is an obvious place to escape Schengen. Good place to leave the boat and fly away to sort out you citizenship!

Have fun.

Such a pain. No, you had it right! My mistake, I meant East (It must have been siesta time earlier). I think Turkey would be a great place to recharge. I've read somewhere that Italy will let you stay indefinitely if you're trying to get citizenship, but that seems like a gamble. I'll probably inquire when I go by.

I need to find some polar diagrams and start planning and contacting some stops.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Tupaia]

I think I have one of the original Ocean Twins sales brochures, don't get too excited it is more of a pamphlet. It is of course about "your" boat. You are welcome to it if I manage to turn it up, if I do I will give you a shout.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by steveth3b

I think Turkey would be a great place to recharge. I've read somewhere that Italy will let you stay indefinitely if you're trying to get citizenship, but that seems like a gamble. I'll probably inquire when I go by.

I need to find some polar diagrams and start planning and contacting some stops.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Two years ago, I helped friends take their brand new Lagoon 50 from mainland Spain to Turkey. As they needed to get out of Schengen as quickly as possible, we went straight to the southern tip of Sardinia, anchored overnight without going ashore so can't tell you anything about the place.

Then on to Vulcano and Lipari to refuel. These are two of the Aeolian islands just off the north of Sicily. Vulcano is almost undeveloped with a few houses, a restaurant or two and an active volcano! Lipari is almost the opposite, very upmarket, sort of an Italian Antibes or St Tropez. Sadly we only saw the fuel dock and the nearest supermarket before having to leave again.

Through the straits of Messina and onto Kefalonia, Greece. Another quick pitstop at the main town of Argostoli so, again didn't see much of the island. I have previously sailed around Kefalonia and it is well worth a visit.

Through the Corinth Canal and all the way across to Rhodes to clear out of the Schengen area. Things went wrong then as the Greek officials wouldn't accept a photocopy of some bit of paper (can't remember what) and one of the owners had to fly back to the UK to get the original. I had to go as well as I was then up to 88 of my 90 days so couldn't risk hanging around. So, I missed the last 40nm to Turkey!

All this took us just 15 days and an awful lot of diesel. The Med was it's typical summer pattern of either no wind or 30+ knots in the wrong direction. The only time we really sailed was through the straits of Messina and round the bottom of Sicily, less than 12 hours in total.

They cruised Turkey for the rest of the season and then got a marina berth for the winter. Turkey is a great place for cruisers, particularly the Marmeris region where you can get any work done on the boat.

Other non-Schengen options in the area are Montenegro (my friends spent the next winter there) and if you are feeling adventurous, Albania.

[steveth3b]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I think I have one of the original Ocean Twins sales brochures, don't get too excited it is more of a pamphlet. It is of course about "your" boat. You are welcome to it if I manage to turn it up, if I do I will give you a shout.

I might have a few in here. I'll have to see if I can't add them to the album. If it's not the same, then by all means, I'll document it and submit it to the HTCCA archives if we ever get a chance to make the transfer.

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Two years ago, I helped friends take their brand new Lagoon 50 from mainland Spain to Turkey...

I missed the last 40nm to Turkey!

All this took us just 15 days and an awful lot of diesel.

They cruised Turkey for the rest of the season and then got a marina berth for the winter. Turkey is a great place for cruisers, particularly the Marmeris region where you can get any work done on the boat.

Sounds familiar, but hopefully we'll have a good bit of time left before needing to be free of Schengen. I've been re-reading Cornell today, and it seems like clearing out here and heading to Tunis would be a good way to maximize passage time in exchange for Schengen time. From there, hopping to Crete would probably save us a week or so. We'll see how much of a rush we're in. So far, we're okay. I'm a couple of days from being halfway out of time. I could spend so much time in the Med. We have great neighbors who have spent a season in turkey and rave about it (limestone around hot springs so white it looks like snow, tons of old temples, and anchorages everywhere). It sucks that you missed the last bit! Did you ever get to spend time there? Cornell said cruising yachts are required to have a holding tank for galley and shower discharge now, in addition to having a blue card to keep track of all discharge pump-outs. Mabs is lacking in gray water storage currently.

Thanks for the write up! I'm gradually getting a longer term plan loosely in place, and I think some time to be able to more slowly work west with plenty of stops along the way will be good. Maybe next winter will be the UK, followed by a visit to the Baltic Sea.

[Jeannius]

My only recent experience of Turkey was 8 hours In Istanbul Airport connecting with a flight to Cape Town. However, many, many years ago, my first 3 family sailing holidays were all in Turkey. It was a great cruising ground then and I haven't heard anything to the contrary recently.

[Shaneesprit]

Hi
Do you know if the 3 Ocean Twins is included in the 9 Summer Twins (I own the No1 Hull) or if these are additional.
Making 12 boats in total?

[Shaneesprit]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

My only recent experience of Turkey was 8 hours In Istanbul Airport connecting with a flight to Cape Town. However, many, many years ago, my first 3 family sailing holidays were all in Turkey. It was a great cruising ground then and I haven't heard anything to the contrary recently.

I work in Istanbul, (Should be finished here this month) have found it to be a very friendly place, I am in the southern side (not European)

[steveth3b]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

Hi
Do you know if the 3 Ocean Twins is included in the 9 Summer Twins (I own the No1 Hull) or if these are additional.
Making 12 boats in total?

https://htcca.co.uk/st-28/

That link really the only reference I have seen on the Summer Twins so far, other than a few posts by owners here and there. As far as I know, being that there is a good bit of difference in specifications, I would guess the production numbers are separate. Literature that I have found (Sailor's Multihull Guide, 2nd Ed.) states that OTs were built by Maikara Manufacturing.


I've added a few pictures to my album, got her cleaned up on the outside today, and will be hopefully getting some interior pictures if the kids let it stay clean for five minutes. Got the rigging done being swapped out today and tuned, and I am ready to get her out of the marina.

Does anyone know what those crappy plates that always break in the knobs by Perko are called? A part number would also be helpful, as would other door latch recommendations. I thought I had spares left from the PO. Two extra complete sets, minus functioning plates. The website does have parts, but I haven't found a diagram yet labelling everything.

[Shaneesprit]

Ah sorry yes different boat, was thinking of the 28 not the 38 when I was writing.
Too busy at the moment, trying to finish up here so I can go sailing.

[steveth3b]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

Too busy at the moment, trying to finish up here so I can go sailing.

No worries, we my be in different boats, but we're in the same boat on trying to go sail. 😂