Our Escapade
Oyster News, Winter 1997
The anchor has just gone down in a deserted bay in Turkey, entered through a channel and then a "lake", specifically Camlik Köyü, near Ayvalik. We are at rest behind a headland covered with pine trees along a rocky shore. Wonderful smells are wafting from the galley and mellow jazz emanates from the CD speakers. The sun is setting, the moon has risen, and we are in for a peaceful night. Guests are aboard with whom our experiences are being shared. This is heavenly. As you can surmise, we are really enjoying our new lifestyle. We feel very secure in our boat, an Oyster 55 named Escapade. She has proven herself and delivered us safe and through a wide variety of conditions.
The decisions and actions that we took to reach this point have flowed smoothly. It started three years ago when Erick decided to retire from the automotive industry. He needed a purpose or goal, an adventure, and a challenge to make sense of this new life. Cruising the world's oceans and visiting foreign countries seemed the ideal lifestyle for it embodies all of these. Erick learned sailing as a teenager on his father's boat in Lake Michigan and always had a passion for sailing. Although a rigorous work schedule prevented us from owning our own boat, the sailing craving was fulfilled by chartering boats in the Caribbean over the last ten years. That gave us some firm ideas about what we wanted in our own boat. To perform all the desired functions, the boat would have to be multi-faceted: a true blue water cruiser, facilities for living aboard for extended periods, capable of being handled by two people, all with style and luxury. No small order!
After deciding what specific features and characteristics were wanted, the search began for a boat that would meet our requirements. After a worldwide look, we decided that the Oyster 55 came closest to the ideal. In fact, it met all the basics very well, and with the customizing we did, it met our spec list exactly. In that we spent a good deal of time thinking everything through, we can say now that the specification has worked well, and would not change a thing if we did it over again. The Oyster staff helped enormously in this regard.
Our original concept was to have our chosen boat delivered to us on the east coast of the U.S., as we intended to start sailing there and in the Caribbean. After selecting the British-built Oyster, a new opportunity was presented to us. We had always had in the back of our minds to sail in the Mediterranean at some future time. But the more we thought about it, it seemed that the thing to do was to have the boat delivered in England so that we could sail Europe before crossing the Atlantic. We are very pleased with that decision, although there was a terrific amount of information to learn.
We enjoyed visiting the build of Escapade several times, and we hired an owners representative to assist when we were not able to get to England. The build process went extremely smoothly and it was a joy to watch her develop. We received delivery of Escapade in Ipswich on June 18, 1996, after sea trials in the Orwell and off the coast Escapade is a European VAT free boat and is documented in the U.S. We also saved shipping and US commissioning costs.
In the summer of 1996, we sailed to Guernsey in the Channel Islands to export the boat from the EC, then we cruised the southern coast of England, including a trip up the Thames to London. From there it was down the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal. We finished the season in Gibraltar on October 1, where she wintered. The challenges were great, including large tides, foreign languages and legalities, and all forms of mooring or docking. We went through locks, gates, and bridges, and over bars and sills. All told we visited 50 ports that year (Heather liked being in a harbor every night). Until Escapade reached Bayona, she was usually the largest yacht in the harbor. In all the ports there was a constant parade of passersby giving her the once-over. She has stunning styling which is always noticed.
For 1997, the adventure started in May, sailing directly from Gibraltar to Malta. This was a passage of over 1,000 miles, taking 7.5 days. Then it was on to Athens and the Greek Islands in the Aegean. In fact, we visited 30 Greek islands and 8 Greek ports on the mainland. After taking a home leave in August, we sailed the Turkish coast in September and October Escapade will be left in Turkey for the winter from November 1st. The villages and towns on the Greek islands were more picturesque than those of Turkey, but all the harbors except one in Turkey have had better facilities, including power, and are better administered. Our plan is to sail the western Mediterranean in 1998 and then cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean in November 1998.
We have sailed Escapade about a third of the time by ourselves. The rest of the time friends have been aboard, and for the passage there was a full complement of six crew. Oyster has supported us with terrific after sales service. This has not only made life easier, but also in many cases resolved problems with equipment suppliers which are difficult to handle in a foreign port. This is a major plus for having an Oyster in our minds.
This experience has turned out to be an adventure far exceeding our expectations and a challenge of great magnitude, but a great learning experience as well. As a result, Erick has never regretted retiring. We are actually living the dream many others only think about.
We have found that Escapade also exceeded our expectations and delivered on all of our requirements. She is a dream to sail, and with a little wind she is fast. At all times she is comfortable at sea. She handles high winds and seas with grace, which gives everyone aboard great confidence. Sailing is easy, even single or short handed. Her strength and seagoing capability qualify her as a blue water cruiser without question. An Oyster is luxurious, and has a distinctive style. We know because Escapade turns heads when we enter harbors. We have now lived on board for eight months and find life aboard to be very comfortable for extended living. Thus, Escapade scores 100%.
We have gone over 7,000 miles, and visited over 110 ports in nine countries in the first two years. And this is only the beginning. We would highly recommend an Oyster and the adventure to other sailors.
