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Saturday, 12 June 2004 06:54 |
Mast Confusion is a Hunter 356 sailboat built in 2002. She replaces our old boat Kwoletee Tyme which is a 1982, 31 foot Allmand that we had owned since 1984. Kwoletee Tyme is now in the good hands of Tom & Mary Lou Lytle. They seem to be having as much fun with her as we did. We hope she serves them well. Visit the Lytle's on their web site www.kwoleteetyme.com
Our new boat shown below in the artists rendering was delivered to the dealer on April 24th. We took possession in mid May and after some equipment was installed and some problems resolved, we sailed her away from the dealer on June 26, 2002.
Let The New Adventures Begin!
But First..........
Where the Heck Did the Name Come From?
Mast Confusion was delivered from the Hunter factory in Alachua, Florida in April 2002. She did not arrive without some problems. As a matter of fact, this boat is the second boat to be shipped to us. The 1st boat, was damaged in a car truck accident in North Carolina, three days after leaving the factory. This boat, hull # 197, appears to have made it successfully saving the 2002 sailing season and making the Captain and crew very happy.
The Hunter 356Let's discuss why we chose the Hunter 356. Our plans have never been to sail around the world. We are not racers, although we hate to have a sailboat on a parallel course overtake us, so we did want a boat with a good turn of speed. As we approach retirement we also wanted a sailboat that we could easily sail from the cockpit, a sugar scoop transom for easy water entry, numerous factory installed options like electric windlass, roller furling on the main & jib, and electronics that would make owning a sailboat as easy as operating a trawler. And finally should we decide to full-fill a life long dream of taking the inter-coastal water South to Florida, The Keys and maybe even the Bahamas, we wanted a boat that could full-fill these requirements, without wiping out our retirement nest egg.
The Admiral (refer to the crew page) and I, first saw Mast Confusion on April 24th having arrived in Connecticut the previous day. Quite frankly very few boats look good standing on dry land, however, since we had waited since ordering her in October 2001, the day we first saw her she was a sight to enjo
There was a lot of confusion around the decision to buy the boat. Should we, or shouldn't we? It went on for several weeks, with countless sleepless nights. Obviously we decided in favor of the purchase.
The Naming Contest and ConfusionThen the Captain had the bright idea to hold a contest amongst the crew to choose a name. The individual submitting the winning suggestion was promised an undefined prize. This contest started on Thanksgiving 2001, immediately after the boat was ordered. Now this got really confusing. The crew actually thought the name selection was a democratic process and they suggested names and held numerous down select votes. A name voted on by the crew without the concurrence of the captain, never had a chance. Did they really think a ship is run democratically?
It was confusing when the first boat was destroyed in a car truck accident on the way from Florida. Confusion continued when the second boat arrived less than perfect and factory representatives spent a week finishing it in Connecticut.
The first sail was less than perfect when it became clear the Captain hadn't paid attention during the demo sail and when left on his own pulled all the wrong lines while taking the crew for their first sail. That was both confusing and embarrassing.
During the first trip to Block Island, in 2002 without a name adorning the transom, we returned to the boat from a shore lunch only to find it wasn't there. Now that was very confusing! In the end we discovered the Harbor Master moved it to a mooring because another Captain complained the boat was dragging. We still suspect, that was a ploy to get our spot. We had anchored with an oversized anchor and an all chain rode with plenty of scope.
By the beginning of the 2003 season, there was still no name on the boat. This process had lasted for 18 months with no resolution. The Captain suddenly and un-expectantly took matters into his own hands and placed the name on the boat. Now this act caused a lot of confusion amongst the crew.
However, clever as he is, the Captain resolved the issue by promising all crew members, special crew shirts........They now like the name!
I guess you get the idea, hence the name "Mast Confusion." It fits both the boat, and the crew!
Florida BoundIn 2004 we moved Mast Confusion to Amelia Island Florida where we now reside. Left unrevised for some time, I am now attempting to maintain this web site with some regularity.....
Hopefully you will find that you don't have to sail the world to have fun. Through this web site and our newsletter in The Ship's Log you will see that no matter what you do in life, attitude and the ability to laugh at yourself makes the difference.
So join us and our adventures, both on land and the sea, and hopefully you to will have fun.....after all it is the American way!
E-mail us at
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and let us know how you like our web site.
Oh by the way, if you want to read Captain Burns' novel, go to www.awhaleofabook.com. It is there in its entirety free for all to read. Tell your friends, they might also like it. |
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