Outremer 5X More Pictures - Interior

Yesterday I took a bunch of pictures of the interior of the 5X. Today I took video of the entire boat - so I only have a few more pictures. This boat had a much different feel than the interior of the Antares - cooler and more calming (maybe the choice of colors?) - not any nicer, but different wall coverings (not paneled wood). I personally like it a lot, but we've got about five years to save up so we're not in a rush to make any decisions any time soon. I will say the head configuration for the non-Master ama is better laid out on the 5X in that you don't have to walk through the forward berth to get to the head (as is the case in the Antares). Probably not an issue in a boat welcoming the occasional guest, but imagine siblings in a situation with limited space and if there are boundary issues, the layout on the Antares would not be helpful. Common head amidship is better.

More Outremer 5X Pictures - Exterior

We boarded the Outremer 5X immediately after leaving the Antares so we could better compare the two. Build quality and amenities were nearly equal. Debating which to get over the next several years will be difficult. It may just boil down to cost (verses how many years I have to work and not be sailing the boat).

Closer Look at the Antares - Helm

Clean lines, protection from the elements, high seating position for better visibility - nice setup. Maneuvering boats like this is hard because of the lack of visibility - you need to have good communication among the crew so they can be your eyes and ears and hands. But a good helm configuration doesn't hurt that either.

Closer Look at the Antares - Interior

The interior of all these boats are customizable - as they should be when you are paying tons of cash. The warmth of this boat is apparent everywhere you look. Makes me want to sell off all our furniture now...

Closer Look at the Antares - Exterior

We spent more time looking at the boats we are most interested in. I took pictures of all the nooks and crannies - the attention to detail on the Antares was impressive. Here are some of the exterior pictures I took.

Boat Show It Is!!!

The math said press on!!! With the 75+ miles we would have on the run flat, we could still get to the Honda service shop by Dulles - so why turn in defeat when you can bask in glory!!! One of our first stops was the pressure cooker demonstration. We will be getting one of these for sure - definitely passage equipment. Made some great fried chicken and potatoes in less than five minutes - how can you turn that down?

Run Flat - Engage

We were on our way to use the second day of our Boat Show pass - driving along Route 50 in Maryland - 9 miles out and we heard the proverbial "ping - pop - bang". I thought it was just road debris, but five seconds after the sound, the tire pressure alarm went off and the run-flat indicator was lit. We pulled off on the next exit and assessed our situation. 50 miles from home. 9 miles from the boat show. A flat tire with a run flat donut inside. We could go home since the car manual said we could go 125 miles at 50 mph on the run flat. Or we could drive 9 more miles, get to the boat show, then go back 60 miles. Read on to see what we did...

Dinner Date at Cafe Normandie

The question of the early evening - where to take my babydoll to dinner? As it was a rainy, cool day, we both felt a hot bowl of soup was a good call. Her fancy was "French Onion Soup". I found it a sign - the Outremer is a French built boat, and La wanted French Onion Soup - where else to go but a French restaurant. Cafe Normandie on the main strip delivered. The baguette bread was some of the best bread I have EVER eaten. The burger I ordered was fantastic and as a bonus, the fries were the closest I have had to In-N-Out's since we left California. If you find yourself in Annapolis looking for an excellent meal - stop in and be prepared for deliciousness!

Christmas in October

La and I got our Christmas present to each other - a Sailrite LSZ-1 fully loaded with LED lighting, spool holder, flywheel, needle package and more. Couldn't pass up this deal and it will open up the gateway to making a lot of our ideas come to fruition (bags, holders, organizers, cover and tons of other ideas). Merry Christmas La (and me)!!! As we complete projects, I'll post them up here. I already have a neoprene spinning reel case lined up (a mod to a fly fishing reel case, not from scratch) and a rod holder. This is going to be fun!

Outremer 5X

This was my favorite - the Outremer 5X. The Outremers of last century spearheaded the circumnavigation activities that multihulls were making and in my humble opinion had demonstrated the French sailors/designers were a force to be reckoned with. The company (Ultramare) is now under new management - but they believe in the same values that the original did - build strong, ocean going boats - and have now included liveaboard amenities. They are releasing a 45 footer from the factory soon - I believe that to be the top of our list, but a lot can happen in 5 years (our timeline to transitioning to life onboard a cat).