Walkthrough of pristine Hallberg Rassy 46, interesting discussion on how Chris the owner spent 2 years preparing and upgrading the boat for his imminent departure from Mexico to the Marquesas on a 3,000nm passage. We talk about crew dynamics, anxiety and fears.

Transcript:
so today's video I'm going to be walking
through and filming uh Chris's wonderful
Harbor grassy 46 and later on I will
have a chat with them about his plans
and uh he's obvious done to the boat
since he's first bought it which is uh
not long ago
so here we go and we'll start at the bow
and the first thing you'll notice is a
huge great rottner anchor it's a 40
kilogram 88 pound anchor uh which I
suppose you need for a boat of this
weight but uh you don't normally see
them this size
and uh
yeah it's super hard
Chris has had a
big sun all in maina made up
which keeps the heat out of the boat
because with teeth decks they do it heat
up a bit and take a long time to um
cool down so the sun only will make a
lot of difference to that
the boat set up with a removable in a
full stay that's currently strapped to
the Mast but um
a good idea for putting up a storm sail
or just
when you're tight to the wind and it's
blowing like stink
this is a nice touch
and how about grassy logo
you don't see this very often
only on quality boats
good idea though someone to lock your
Hangouts into in place
a lot of the systems are hydraulic which
I've not seen before the boom bang is
hydraulically controlled although
um
with a manual thing as well
and then as you can see here
it's hydraulic in Mars fairly which is
amazing
obviously run off um 12 volts as well
but um yeah interesting
the decks are in amazing condition I
won't tell you the age of the boat yet
we'll save that bit for uh later but um
it's got a life raft
and a superb
solid
Dodger just fantastic
coming further off
plenty of room back here great fishing
platform
and uh
dinghy davits solar panel
so forth Chris does say these uh seats
are a bit of a nuisance quite
uncomfortable but you can poach on them
just about
[Music]
and then this uh
amazing cockpit
and the width on the decks is just
fantastic
oh no
very well organized um wheel and
instruments
with uh
bass Thruster which you need on
something of this size and four electric
Lumar winches and a lovely steering
wheel
[Music]
very simple
very uncluttered which is nice and then
you've got the
full more or less full bench seats
[Music]
and at the rear of the cockpit your
traveler which is well out of the way
makes a lot of sense
however grassy you've had a superb
reputation for
quality and Global cruising for years
it's certainly a very sought after
manufacturer and you can see I mean
there's just screams quality everywhere
everything seems to be oversized just
super having the equipment actually well
I'll just show you
look at the quality of this track
and fittings
superb
and now Tech system for the back stay
again hydraulic
in addition to the BNG chartplotter
there's a backup garment as well
BNG instruments
this is lovely inside this Dodger
comment down below
very pleasant on the feet with the
carpet
also protects the uh
the flooring
and then it might get a bit dark in here
but you've got a
very spacious double bunk
area really nice
and then a traditional v-birth with lots
of storage Cabinetry
that's the one thing with older boats
you do get a lot of
storage space
wow big head
superb
and there's Chris's controls for the
Spectra water maker
Jesus it is huge in here
full on stand-up shower
that's really nice Chris
nice spacious Galley obviously fridge
and freezer system
Chris is vegetarian so he doesn't do
much cooking
very useful
coffee making apparatus here especially
at Sea saves uh
wedging yourself in the uh
in the galley
and then
the proverbial Cactus chairs now most
people I know
they're comfortable they're useful but
most people would prefer a bench as
would I as would Chris
see you and me seabearth is invaluable
yeah great for entertainment but bloody
awful for
living on the boat
um yeah I don't know why they do it
but a lot of Manufacturers do
and look at this headlining
so anybody like the hazard a guess on
the age of the boat
you're probably wrong let me show you
the engine and I'll tell you
great nav station
chart table
actually this area here is pretty good
as well for storing all the bits and
pieces which is never a bloody place on
the boat to do that
and then we're going to come to the
Pista resistance this is an engine room
unlike any I've ever seen you could eat
your dinner off of it or in Chris's
cases vegetables or salad but just wait
for this
[Music]
how about that
Hades spotless
and huge
and clean
and just wonderful
it looks brand new
yeah nice owning generator as well
if I had an engine room like this I
would crack myself when I come to change
the oil in case I made a mess
in the rod steering coming down with a
an electric autopilot on the front of it
oh is that well there that's the rod
steering yeah
wow up in the roof there's diesel
heaters
wow
and a hot water system on the other the
other side you can actually get in this
room to fix stuff although Chris says he
has to lean over the engine when doing
it it's 105 horsepower Yanmar
but this compared to a normal cruising
boat this is just ah yeah just superb
so
have you guessed what age it is yet
well let me tell you
it's 2003.
so the boat
is just in superb condition
and the engine's got 2 800 hours on it
so it's been used
but who keeps their engine room in this
condition
in the uh
off cabin
spacious
Chris was saying that you can get this
as a a double and a single
um or a queen like like he's got at the
moment but again massive amount of
storage in the side lockers
and then um
full walk-in shower
decent sized Basin wow
and toilet
but you can see
when it's spotless
[Music]
I do like half cabins
decent size lockers for clothing as well
hello Chris hello hello not sure if it's
of interest but under the bed and back
is uh batteries and a lot of the
electrical systems battery chargers
inverter that kind of thing as well as
steering of course
five from Birdsong yeah which I'll try
and spell right
Chris uh thanks for um
show me around the boat that was a nice
experience
um perhaps you'd like to tell us
how you ended up with a however grassy
um
so
when I decided to buy a boat I had a few
specific criteria on things I wanted in
the boat I wanted a center cockpit boat
I wanted a
a skag hung Rudder right I wanted not a
fin keel
I but I also didn't want a full keel
um
so those I wanted three cabins
and so those criteria there's probably
one or two more but those are the big
one we're big ones and that immediately
narrowed down the the list of boats
um
then I wanted you know basically the
most sturdy boat that I could have
my criteria and and the preparation I've
done were driven in a large part by my
desire to sail in the most remote and
extreme areas of the world I want to go
to Patagonia I want to go to South
Georgia I want to sail across you know
do a circumnavigation include crossing
the Indian Ocean I may hop across to
Antarctica and so uh
so I want and I've been in storms at Sea
and so a lot of the production Boats
were just out for me the junos and the
benetos which are fine boats but uh but
um
in my experience being at Sea and storms
it's uh scary and the ocean is a very
very powerful thing and I don't think a
lot of people quite realize just the
forces at play and so getting a boat
that has the the best reputation for its
seaworthiness and sturdiness was a high
priority of mine and I want to sail the
South Seas you know I want to get down
there where storms are more likely yeah
was there any other boat that came
within the criteria or was it just
uh yeah so I I created a list and I
started uh whittling it down I went and
saw Tiana and considered them I went and
saw a couple of oysters and they were on
the show both of those were on the shore
list a couple Hong Kong boats
um uh but eventually the list was
narrowed down to Hallberg Rossi or
nothing essentially and uh and then
after going through a few different
Hallberg rossies uh it eventually I
narrowed down my list to this specific
model the hobo Rossi 46 uh
and there's 150 of them about in the
world and I eventually decided I was
going to buy one of these uh specific
boats because of the The Sweet Spot of
size for storage of gear and toys uh the
reputation of its whole shape for uh for
heavy weather sailing
um
yeah it's uh
sweet
so I had to stop from our previous
conversations you've
you put a bit into the boat since you've
since you first took ownership yeah and
and for the same reasons that I just
outlined uh you know obviously
ultimately all these monies obviously a
factor and people can only afford to do
what they
can afford to do
but because I'm of where I want to sail
and the boat was 20 years 18 years old
when I bought it and uh all of these
systems that I've upgraded uh were
original so all new standing rigging all
new running rigging new sales new
electronics my first winter sailing down
here in Mexico my radar was missing
container ships uh I might show you know
my chart plotter was sold I couldn't get
charts for it yeah uh
uh
you know new life raft new davits and
solar system there was no water maker
outboard it wasn't the boat wasn't set
up for ocean sailing despite being such
a classic Blue Water ocean boat its
whole life had been on the Puget Sound
and so it didn't have a life raft it
didn't have a water maker
um
and uh and again because of where I want
to go I did things like Drop The Rudder
new Cutlass bearing new seals dropped
the uh puller sorry that's the the prop
uh dropped the both of the rudder and
the proper pulled uh cooling system
totally removed and acid dipped and
rebuilt with all new on the main engine
you know essentially all new safety gear
and uh and a million other things
million other cupboards full of spare
parts just so many I mean I've spent two
years now preparing and getting
essentially everything that I could
think of that you might want when
something goes wrong in the middle of
nowhere aboard the boat yeah and I'm
sure there are things I don't have that
I'm gonna one day want but there's a
there's a lot I've been relatively
thorough right I'm motivated
uh Cruise my big uh my big uh sort of uh
I don't know what the right term is not
Achilles heel or white whale or
something I don't know yeah it's been my
my the issue when I bought the boat I
had a an old someone I knew from my
climbing days 30 years ago who I wasn't
in touch with anymore he wasn't like a
close friend but he was friends of
friends who were supposed to sail around
the world with me and I bought the boat
and he bailed right and so all of a
sudden and I've sailed my whole life all
over the world and I know the hassles of
crew
and so I started getting people from
crew sites coming and interviewing and
spending you know three four five seven
days sailing with me and uh
and it's been a challenge uh uh to the
point where I've considered selling the
boat at times wow because I just I don't
want to keep teaching people and I've
got a nice vote not particular about it
and there's as I was just describing to
you there's you know no lack of small
details that I want done a very
particular way and uh
and I don't want to keep teaching people
that over and over and over and over and
you don't want to slap that your
approach yeah no and so ultimately I
want a partner and I I'm hoping I found
one or two of them uh a guy Terry who
stayed with me last year for two weeks
who's been preparing his life to sail
around the world on someone else's boat
and he's very prepared and uh you know
he actually just got a captain's license
and has been has done an arc he's done
I've never done an ocean passage and he
has
I'm a significantly more experienced
sailor than him and he's relatively new
in the last three or four years but in
that time he's really put in the hours
and doing deliveries on the east coast
and uh and so would you consider him as
like a first mate type yeah for sure in
my documents I just filled out for
French Polynesia I wrote him first made
right and uh and then there's a woman
Cheryl who's newer as as joining the
team
who's also eager to sail a long way and
I don't know her as well I just I just
have met her for a few hours at this
point but the both of them will arrive
here and we'll spend the three of us
three weeks here in La Cruz together
uh doing a four day Shakedown sail
together go over some of the systems and
then have two weeks of final prep
together and so that'll give us a good
chunk of time and if it's not because
really the the interpersonals yeah
that's an um huge huge component and
it's possible it doesn't work so it's
you know it could be that we get here
and it's like holy molish
any of us can't handle any of us and
then we'll have to figure out who
doesn't come yeah but I don't expect
that I don't think that's going to
happen but it's just a reality that it
could so what about that but and that's
why I scheduled the time for us to be
together before we're
[Laughter]
yeah yeah
so what about
um you know if one of the crew changes
its mind for instance when you get to
presumably going to the marches first
and then to Edie
correct yeah marquesis towards Tahiti
and then so if one of them suddenly
decides there's a family issue
um they can't continue would you be
you'd be looking to replace those
maybe I I honestly I don't I for sure
I don't want a single hand yeah I could
single hand but I don't it's a big boat
for it and uh and I just don't have
interest in
pulling into it well the tomatoes would
be particularly hard single handics you
need someone spotting for Coral heads
but I but but the idea of like anchoring
in a toll for a week by myself and
snorkeling every day by myself alone
I just don't want to do that the sailing
challenges have draw to me but but that
said it certainly it goes without saying
that if it's not working yeah anyone has
the right to leave it anytime they want
and I have the right to kick anyone off
at any time yeah and uh and so that's a
very explicit understood part of just
the reality it's a small space you may
not get along yeah or life just could
happen and some family emergency or you
know whatever just just and uh and uh
Cheryl actually just this week has said
oh you know I have this
uh christening of someone I'm going to
be the Godmother and I may want to go
home mid Midway across for a few weeks
to a month yeah and my reaction was
great awesome if that's what you need to
do go you know because I think
particularly please come back yeah no
please come back but like but like you
know I think it could actually only help
the Dynamics to know hey
it's only a month until we get a little
bit of space and a break from each other
yeah and then you know because eight
months is a long time it's an eight you
know essentially eight months to New
Zealand and uh and so I you know I I
almost would prefer it frankly if she
did that not that I want her off but
like I think it would actually
potentially help the crew Dynamics to
know like okay I don't have to
make it eight months I just got to make
it another three weeks and then we're
gonna get a break for a few weeks and
then come back together
um but I I really once across to the
Marquesas and I have we have another
person a good friend of mine who's
coming so we'll be four for the crossing
uh really I I'd rather I'd like to have
four for that or at least three minimum
uh but from there on frankly I feel very
confident that Terry and I can do it the
two of us too you know there's all kinds
of couples sailing and he's got you know
so so really once to the Marquesas yeah
well would you be open to say
crew joining you later on in the
in the passages well yeah absolutely
[Laughter]
exactly there's no doubt it actually is
a goal of mine to try to keep a gender
balanced vote and so right now I'm on my
friend Jim leaves in the Marquesas
there's a woman who Michelle
um a good friend of mine well a new but
good woman who sailed with me over the
last year for almost three weeks who's
just a lovely wonderful person and I'm
hoping that she
planning to but she's still working and
does the digital Nomad and so there's
some concern that it's too remote and
too little connection and she doesn't
want to lose her job so it's not a
hundred percent but if she were to not
come I I don't think I would add another
mail so I think three men and one woman
would be a little much for the woman so
I think I'd either keep it as the three
of us or add another woman yeah
or if Cheryl were to leave maybe go
three guys yeah but I don't think I'd go
you know I know that makes sense either
like all dudes or like two in one or two
and two you know something but I think
two and two would be nice
um
anyway yeah what about a lot of the
boats over the last year thanks to Elon
Musk because uh they've put on starlink
on their boat is that something you've
considered
certainly considered it
um and me do it I've thought about doing
it for Michelle because then she could
work then she can work my issue well a
first off it doesn't exist in a lot of
places yeah going across the Pacific uh
there was just a presentation on Fiji
here and a guy from Marina and Fiji and
Poyo by Fiji looks sweet
yeah I mean it's just like it's just
Paradise after Paradise after Paradise
um
uh
the
supposedly Fiji starlink is up and
running in Fiji right and so but at my
as I uh for me I don't want
to be sitting in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean reading CNN yeah sure and
so you know that's just it and I and I
will if we have starlink on board I'll
spend four hours a day yeah surfing the
internet checking my email and reading
about the Blazers I'm a basketball fan
and you know I mean yeah and I don't
want to do that I'd love to have the
streaming movies though yeah that's the
that's the catch if there was just a way
to just limit it to streaming movies or
TV shows you know like uh the reason I
ask is this working Nomad scenario it's
opened up the world to
um you know people that want to work and
be on a boat and still you know earn an
income basically
and it seems to be of the people I've
met there's quite a few people that are
actually doing their normal job
but they're doing it on a boat
and it doesn't with starlink it doesn't
matter where that boat is
yeah as long as there's as long as he's
got coverage as long as it's got
coverage yeah and Michelle who would
just sailed from uh La Paz down here to
uh Puerto Vallarta with me
um
she was doing that along the way and she
hopped over onto another boat twice and
that had starlink right and you know she
does uh does like uh
the social media and videos and web
stuff for a company a charter company in
the bvis okay and so she was like
putting together you know little videos
for their social media and using the
Starlight to upload so do you have any
um anxiety or what's your biggest fear
with this comment and forthcoming
package which is only weeks away yeah a
month
um
I wouldn't I you know there's days where
I get a little nervous as I mentioned
I've never done an ocean passage so this
is number one coming and it's a big
ocean
um but I have very a high level of
confidence in my skills and in the crew
that I've got and in this boat you know
so and and the preparation I've done so
I I feel like
like our boat setting out yeah is the
boat will handle it much better than
the crew
yeah you know I feel like the
combination is uh
I don't know that there's many boats who
are going to have a more experienced
crew on a better quality better repaired
boat yeah that's very true I mean the
boat is superbly set up I mean you saw
that earlier in the video
um you know it's it's ready to go and
equipped to go so you know you've done a
fantastic job in putting it together and
I'm sure the Marine retailers have been
rubbing their hands together every time
you've walked into a store
I'll have another one of those throw
another thousand at it uh it's not cheap
it's true yeah but uh I mean you put the
money into a boat that that will always
retain its value so hey you know you
need it to do the crossing you've got it
hopefully it will go
smooth
um I'm confident yeah that's what you've
got to be when you cut those top lines
and heads straight out
and uh lose sight of land going well the
next lands 3000 miles away yeah you need
to be confident
and you certainly are that thanks for
showing us around your boat Chris and
for telling us your cruising plans no
worries
get out there and go sailing people