Day 2. Getting to our appointments

Amel 60, European Yacht of the Year, Luxury Cruiser, 2020

Fortunately, both Alex and I had worn hiking boots the day before and we were both feeling excellent - no foot pain, no back pain, just a bit tired. We slept in just a little leaving enough time to have breakfast and to get to our first appointment aboard the new edition of the Amel cruiser. They had a 60 on display. It looked like it might involve significant design changes and we wanted to see it first hand. Breakfast at the hotel was a zoo. Breakfast bar with nice breads, cold cuts, cereals, yoghurts, and boiled eggs if you could get one. Coffee and tea were self-service - the first day, no plates, no cups, no cutlery, one slice of salami and two of cheese, no eggs -- while the staff all took a break during the busiest period. Alex actually walked into the kitchen and told them we needed everything. That took a bit to sort out.

Somehow, we had plenty of time - more than an hour - to get to the Messe Nord. We had taken a different route the day before, but the train home had indicated that the U78/U71 was a much shorter ride. But alas, the U71 from Heinrichstrasse to Heinrich-Heine-Allee (Altstadt & the switchover station for the U78/U79 to Messe Nord) was a weird train. It had three iterations, all numbered U71, and three different stops in Heinrichstrasse. One turned right after the first Henrichstrasse stop. One stopped at the second Heinrichstrasse stop closest to the Mercedes dealership and continued straight through. And one stopped at the first stop but showed that it was terminating at the second Heinrichstrasse stop where it turned left and hibernated for a while. What they didn't tell you is that it then continues on from there as the next train which never actually starts at either of the two Hernrichstrsse stops where it is listed on the electronic signpost. Got that? Yeah, well we missed one train as a result and missed our appointment at the Amel. Bummer as it was named the European Yacht of the Year in the Luxury Cruising category for 2020 that night. I would have liked to have seen it first hand.

We walked around for a bit and had lunch of bratwurst and pizza in one of the downstairs cafes. It was perfectly adequate for that day. We then toured the Ovni, the Allures and the Garcia through the afternoon in that order. They are all aluminium yachts with lifting keels, but the Allures and the Garcia have fibreglass composite topsides on aluminium hulls. They don't allow photography down below for whatever reasons. So I have little to show but can direct you to the online brochures. Had we known there was a Southerly on display as well, we would have arranged to see that.

The Allures

The Alubat Ovni 400 premiered at boot and appeared almost unfinished. There was masking tape around one of the ports, and the throttle was in the wrong place. Bottom line, the Ovni was not that pretty outside but it did have a good layout inside, albeit a bit spartan. The Allures 40.9 was beautiful both inside and out. Quite similar to the Ovni in layout and major features like a Volvo Penta 55 HP engine and Panda generator, but much more luxurious in finish. It is clearly the higher-end model. Both had separate shower from toilet and washbasin, a good separation of duties. The Allures is substantially more expensive.

Neither one of us liked the Garcia. It has a raised saloon that requires two steps up where there is a nav/steering station and the saloon dining table. It is in visual line with the panoramic windows and although I could stand up there, Alex could not. There is no way I would want to be looking out with a gale raging around me, nor would I want to be negotiating stairs in a pitching sea. On deck, the coach roof extends just a bit above the teak deck and I could see myself stubbing my toes and losing my footing when stepping awkwardly onto the raised area. Nope, we've eliminated the Garcia. Perhaps it's good for Arctic expeditions where one is mostly motoring, but that's not where we are heading. It did have more impressive radiators for heating than our house has.

So it was good for us to see what we do not want in our next boat. Alex wants aluminium so we can beach the boat which eliminates the Southerly. The Southerly is the only centre cockpit model, I believe. The Allures is too expensive, so that leaves us with an Ovni. Of course, we'll have to check out the old Garcia Passoa before Cornell had them modified to his specs. Ovni 400 and the Allures 40.9 remain on the table.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the show. We met the new European dealer for Monitor windvanes, nice man. He showed us a new gizmo that turns the monitor into an autopilot that works great in low wind situations and uses a fraction of the power of dedicated autopilots, which is their drawback. How cool is that? If we don't sell Aleria, we'll get us one of those for certain.

Then it was off to Altstadt for dinner. We had not yet had our fill of German beer and food. Alex had a selection of sausages and I had Weiner schnitzel made with veal and with a wild mushroom sauce - heaven! Day 2 and we were still in our hiking shoes and feeling fine. A good day in Dusseldorf.