1996 A Custom Cruise / Race

Accomodations:
Below decks are seventeen beds half of them are wide enough to sleep two people. In addition, there is an owner s cabin with a large hanging locker, oversize queen bed, bathroom, shower, lots of storage, TV, CD player and surround sound. There are two additional bathrooms and a large shower, as well as a very sizable hanging locker and lots of storage space throughout the vessel.

Galley:
The galley is flanked by a horizontal freezer. Besides assuring fresh food, it is strategically located to keep the chef in the cooking area, when rough seas or heeling could command otherwise. The upright fridge and freezer is made by General Electric

Electonics and Navigational Gear:
Christine has a Data Marine Offshore Electronics Package that is hardwired to a Swiss GPS computer, as well as to the vessels computer that is used for the electronic chart system. The computer is a latest high speed Dell unit with a 17" flat NEC high resolution monitor. All electronics talk to each other via NMEA 0183.

Electrical System:
The electrical needs of the yacht are met by three separate banks of deep cycle batteries. One battery bank provides the engine and generator starting power, the second furnishes isolated power supply for the computer and instruments. The third bank services the remaining components and fixtures for the vessel. A 5000 watt Northern Lights diesel generator services the 110 volt needs of Christine. It also powers the computerized charging system for the battery banks. While the yacht is in use, the generator runs full time and virtually silent. It has a dual pack of sound insulation and is positioned in the insulated engine room. The generators use 1/2 gallon of fuel per hour, making it an inexpensive source of energy.

Sails and Rigging:
The mast extends 130 ft. above the water line. It was fabricated from an aluminum extrusion and aircraft riveted the lengths of it. The boom has a fixed clew, and moves away from the mast hydraulically to flatten the sail. Lidgard Sailmakers in New Zealand made: (1) 2-ply Mylar full battened mainsail. (1) Mylar # 1 genoa (1) 2-ply Mylar # 3 genoa (1) Mylar 165% reacher (1) Nylon 110ft. Asymmetric spinnaker (1) Mylar tallboy (1) Mylar staysail to go with the reacher The yacht also has at least ten other assorted spinnakers, as well as a blast reacher and other mainsails and genoas that I bought from the Japanese A/C boat. Some of these sails were hardly used by the America Cup Syndicate and are excellent. The head sails are stored below the cabin sole. Longitudinal bulkheads are located below the waterline form the compartments. These tunnels are also epoxy coated and varnished, which helps the sausage bagged sails to slide smoothly in and out of their respective locations. The yacht has 4- Primary Barient grinder drums that are inter connected by 3- pedestals. There are 9-various other winches.The rod rigging was custom designed by Navtec Engineers.

Additional Equipment:
The yacht s hull was fabricated from 1/8 inch thick cedar laminates. Each layer got epoxy glued 90 degrees to each other and wrapped around to include the deck, in essence creating a structure that is a continuous and seamless sheet of plywood. Strategic high load areas near the mast bulkhead and the keel are reinforced with carbon fiber between the laminates. There are tenlayers of veneer besides the 5/16 inch thick tongue and groove mold that is visible throughout the interior, including the extreme bow and stern, as well as every part of the bilge. The interior mold is epoxy saturated and Linear Polyurethane varnished throughout the ship. All bulkheads are foam filled, plywood sided and finished with varnished epoxy coated tongue and groove cedar veneer. The keel was fabricated in form of a steel jacket fastened over a welded internal structure that is 11-feet tall. The bottom of it was hot poured with 30,000 pounds of lead, and the upper portion of the keel foil serves as a fuel tank holding 200 gal. of diesel. The cabin sole is constructed from scarfed and laminated oak beams. Individual panels of 1/2 inch plywood fit in between and are easily removed for instant access to all locations in the bilge. Christine was last hauled in 2004. The bottom was sanded wet and dry, and painted the airless method with 3-coats of Z-Spar AB-90". The sides were buffed, polished and waxed. The 10 deep cycle batteries were replaced this year. Since launching Christine, nothing has broken with the exception of the carbon fiber spinnaker pole, which was replaced with an aluminum one, and the owner never had to make any changes to the systems and components.