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Above: Ageless North Sea styling and a meticulous restoration created a yacht that's capable of ocean cruising. Here, Ocean Quest is anchored in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Inset: Overhauled and repainted, the original hydraulic windless hauls a heavy anchor and chain with ease despite nearly 50 years of use.
First, the pilothouse design is a classic, and I love it. It is a workboat kind of place built for yachtsmen. The person at the helm has a sweeping view of the horizon from aft of the beam to the bow, and a step out either door yields a good look over the ship's wake. The settee is fine for guests and will work as a pilot berth, too.
The isolation of the pilothouse from the main deck (one deck below) and the engine room (down two decks) emphasizes another obvious issue: the Romsdal needs a crew. Although Bill has installed instruments that tell him what's happening in the engine room and other machinery spaces, in an emergency it would be difficult for him to abandon the helm and rush below.
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One person cannot operate this Romsdal in close-quarters maneuvering. All rudder and engine controls are i the pilothouse, and that means a crew is needed to hand off lines and to drop and haul the anchor. Bill's mooring lines are marked to indicate precisely where they are to be placed, which guides crew and dock helpers.
But unanticipated outside help is elcome too. On returning to La Paz, Bill had to bring the big yacht into the marina, make a fairly tight left turn, and aim for the dock. A north wind complicated matters.
Bill negotiated the turn and was moving closer to the berth, despite the breeze. Then, the big inflatable tender from Ursa Major appeared and gave a gentle push amidships, and Ocean Quest made a perfect landing. Josh Haury, skipper of the Malahide, and Bill are good friends, and favors flow between the boats and crews.
Good friends make good crew, too.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Ocean Quest has lived in La Paz for three years. Bill drives home to California occasionally to visit hi parents and friends. He thrives on the La Paz waterfront because he is gregarious and friendly, speaks a little Spanish, and is a whiz at boat systems and is willing to share and help. He is especially well known for his skill in repairing and installing watermakers and for distributing supplies to remote Mexican schools.
Bill's restoration of Ocean Quest - he diminishes the magnitude of the effort by referring to it as "rehabilitation" - was slowed midway as he spent a year battling cancer. He's well now and thinking about the future. "There is life after cancer," he said, "You can do a hell of a lot of things.."
Years ago, he talked about cruising the Inside Passage to Alaska. Instead, he turned to Mexico. The high cost of moorage in San Diego and the crowding of that popular city persuaded him to stay in La Paz. (Anytime he heads north, I'll volunteer for the crew.)
Ocean Quest explores the Sea of Cortez, occasionally with Ursa Major. I asked him, "What's next?"
"What I'd like to do is go to Central America, do the [Panama] Canal. I'd like to run up the Amazon a thousand miles," he said. The ICW and the Great Circle Rome appeal, as well. He hasn't decided.
Early in an interview, I asked what had made his long effort such a success. Was it knowledge, skill or passion?
It was more about passion, he said. Passion for the dream that possessed him that day he first saw Mindy decades ago.
That passion remains, and I hope it will take Ocean Quest exploring beyond the Sea of Cortez.
It would make sense. She is good to go.
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