Customer feedback
The
Pacific North West
By Keith Church
Jeremy Wurmfeld, Designer of the
e33, recently had the opportunity to be onboard with owners, Judi & Kip Lachner,
on e33 hull #4's initial "shakeout" in Blaine, Washington in the beautiful
Pacific North West.
Professional Photographer Jack Kintner joined us to
take all these beautiful photographs.
I thought this would be an excellent
opportunity for you to hear from the Lachners - active owners of their sleek red
e33.
KC: From my desk in Chicago, Google told me the weather in Blaine Washington
was great for the shakeout. What kind of sailing conditions did you and Jeremy
experience?
Kip: Before we start I want to say that Jeremy has been so accessible;
he has made sailing trials, ordering, and commissioning the boat a pleasure for
both Judi and Me. The boat arrived here after its 3000 mile trip in perfect condition.
Oren "The Driver" was a pleasure to deal with and helpful. "Thank
you Jeremy"
Kip: Regarding the weather, we were fortunate to have good
weather both days with sunshine, temperature about 60 degrees and winds of 5 to
15 knots. We had four people on the boat, one from Seattle. The first day was
a great day with good wind and sunshine.
KC: Tell me something about
your sailing experience.
Kip: You mean how experienced I am at sailing?
KC: Sure!
Kip: I have had or been around sailboats since I was
about 12 years old. My early experiences were on a sunfish, K boat, lightning,
C&C 24, and a Chris Craft sailboat of my father's on Lake Winnipesauke in
New Hampshire. We also sailed on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes district of NY.
I had one great experience out of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on a Morgan
38.
KC: How did you first hear about the e33?
Kip: I saw an advertisement
in Sail Magazine early in 2006.
KC: What was your first reaction to the
boat?
Kip: The simplicity of the concept appealed to me: very clean lines,
classic hull shape with some high tech additions like carbon mast and boom, wireless
indicators, large cockpit, tiller rather than wheel - those kinds of things.
KC:
What was the first thing that caught your eye?
Kip: Hull design and large
main.
KC: I am hearing great things from Jeremy about the sailing conditions
in Blaine Washington; please describe where you are sailing the boat and the conditions
that prevail there.
Kip: I am sailing the boat in Boundary Bay, named such
because the border between Canada and the USA dissects the water here. We are
protected from the North Pacific by Vancouver Island so we get morderate swells
when there is allot of wind and very little swell under normal conditions. The
Bay is about 8 miles wide and long, opening into the Straits of Georgia, a major
N/S route from Seattle to Alaska. The prevailing winds are S/SW. We are able to
see the Coast Range Mountains in British Columbia, Mount Baker and The Three Sisters
in Washington and on a very clear day the Olympic Mountains in Washington.
KC: What are your favorite features that give you that Swiss Army feeling?
Kip:
The color of the hull and its easy to sail and elegant in the water. I love the
Stack Pack. I don't know its there when I am sailing and it allows me to drop
the sail fast and clean at the end of the sail. The drink holders really work
when you're sailing. It's great not to be kicking around water bottles when underway.
KC: I think that red looks great, It has a really "long" look to it
in the water. Did you require any extra options?
Kip: We ordered the boat
with the Stratis sails, Stack Pack, wood tiller, Tack Tick instruments, drink
holders, cockpit table, cockpit cushions, spinnaker, custom red gel-coat, sunshade,
Waterline Systems finished bottom (smooth and fast) - I think that's it.
KC:
How does your wife, Judi, like the boat?
Kip: She is growing into it. She
thinks it is beautiful and wants to become more familiar and comfortable on the
boat. This summer will be interesting as friends want us to take some trips with
them into the San Juan Islands. The Islands are about 15/20 miles south of us
in Washington, and we will get to spend some extended time on the boat. She likes
the stability and ease of handling - important to her is safety and her ability
to help when things don't necessarily go smoothly.
KC: What is the dynamic
between Kip, Jud, and the e33?
Kip: The e33 is becoming a focal point in
our relationship because it is so new and now a big part of living on the water
here in Blaine. When I was fist considering this boat and when we decided to buy
it, Judi really did not want much to do with it. That began to change as she accepted
the idea that my time would be split, on occasion, between her and the boat.
Kip:
The boat is another dimension to our lives here that pulls in the natural beauty
of the area and provides a social link with people that are new to us. Our friends
seem to be asking lots of questions about the boat and "can they go sailing?"
KC:
I e-mailed a lot of people in your area from the local Yacht Clubs and received
very nice replies from many of them who had actually seen the boat and were curious
about it.
Kip: I have to tell you that some of the things that appealed
to me and still appeal are the fact that the boat was newly designed and that
there are not many on the water yet. There are no others here in Washington or
on the West Coast. Jeremy's background with S&S helps, as does Robbie Doyle's
association with the boat/company. I know this might be obvious but it is very
important. The first day the boat was in the water, without mast, etc., someone
dropped a note in the boat: "Beautiful Boat! Please join us for the Semiahmoo
Yacht Club Regatta on April 28; boats from Oregon, Seattle and Vancouver, BC will
be racing....." People in the marina where the boat is kept come by to give
her a good look over. While sailing out of the harbor, we get double takes - my
friends/crew say. It is, as you know, markedly different in a clean, elegant way
from most of the other boats in the marinas here.
KC: Hey Kip can I talk
to Judi,---- Judi , what do you think of the boat?
Judi: This will be an
interesting article. Now you can hear the real and true "other side"
of Judi and the dynamics between the boat, Kip and me.
Hey, it's a boat.
It's pretty. Guess I will have to learn how to sail out of survival and security.
I have only so many brain cells left, and I was not planning on using them on
learning to sail. Guess I will have to recalculate. But hey, it's just a boat!
Ask me again in another year. I might even say that I like it.
Thank you
for your time Kip and Judi, I hope that you both enjoy your performance cruise
to the San Juan Islands and just maybe it's me that gets to come up and visit
next time we send an e33 to Vancouver Canada or Washington State.
Photos
of the red e33 hull #4 are all taken by Jack Kitner
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