Goodbye Vata!

Welcome back to our blog!

We have been sharing our adventure on VATA, from the North Channel of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, to Pittwater, NSW, Australia, where we sold our beloved boat.  

This chapter of the blog is aimed at showing you VATA.  Below are 32 pictures is to show you what kind of wonderful boat she is! 

VATA at anchor in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

VATA is a 1985 CS36 Tradtional sloop-rigged monohull sailboat. She was made in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, by CS Yachts Limited. The design was by Raymond Wall, a successful, highly respected British naval architect who worked for Camper-Nicholson before he was hired by CS.

VATA's hull is made of solid hand laid fiberglass. She has a fin keel and a partially skeg-hung rudder. The deck is fastened to the hull every 4" with through bolts so that she doesn't come apart at sea. The keel is attached to the hull with 13-1" stainless steel bolts. Her mast is keel stepped. 

Her powerplant is a Westerbeke 33 hp diesel engine which can speed her to safety, take her through strong currents or replenish her batteries. Vata has one starting battery, and six AGMs giving a house bank of 625 AMP hours. She also has 4 solar panels providing 460W of power, and a 400W wind turbine.  There is sufficient battery storage to run refrigeration, autopilot, instruments, lights, and the chart plotter 24 hours a day.

VATA's port side, at anchor in Lalepa Island, Vanuatu.

This is the cockpit, showing the folding teak cockpit table, teak floor grate, and the helm seat with a hump in the middle to sit higher for better visibility. In the back is the 4hp 4-stroke Yamaha outboard, and a Nagna propane BBQ.

The forward port side of the cockpit. Below the seat cushion is a cavernous sail locker, that provides access to the engine, autopilot, hot water tank, steering quadrant, and the icebox refrigeration system.

The forward starboard side of the cockpit. Below the seat cushion is a locker with a small shelf, and access to the engine, fuel tank sender and manual bilge pump.

The "helm" or steering station, with the Constellation compass, Raymarine E7D Chartplotter and multi-function display. The E7D uses its own internal GPS to show on an electronic chart where we are, and integrates the boat's other instuments including wind speed and direction, water depth, radar, and AIS. The steering wheel is covered with leather so it doesn't feel so cold, and for better grip.

After climbing down the companionway ladder (left), the boat has a galley (kitchen) on the port side, complete with ample storage, garbage storage, a 3-burner propane stove/oven, deep stainless steel sink, and a generous refrigerator and freezer. There is also a fan and a propane sensor that will shut off the propane if any LPG gas is detected, before it reaches an explosive mix ratio.

Here is a clos-up of the freezer section. It is cold enough to freeze unfrozen meat in a few hours, and normally sits around -10 degrees Celsius. The part of the freezer outside the white box will freeze items, but we use it for Cyrovac meat products, beer, wine and water jugs.

The refrigerator section is deep, and has two sliding baskets to access items lower down.  The thermometer on the upper basket normally sits around 3 degrees Celsius, getting the cold solely from the freezer section, which is separated by a 1/2 inch partition made of marine plywood painted with a matching paint of the icebox.

Another view of the galley, showing the cutting board on the oven, and the wonderful myriad of taps at the sink, which I will explain: starting from the left; seawater pumped with a foot pedal (black pedal near the floor), hand pump freshwater, ice box drain (by electric pump under sink), main pressurized hot and cold freshwater faucet, water tank overflow and air vent, and finally the filtered water faucet for drinking water.

The propane stove/oven can be gimballed so that it is level even when the boat heels.  Fiddles can be attached to the front of the stove to hold pots of boiling liquids onto the stove when at sea.

The "nav station". The instruments and radios are mounted here, and the table provides a flat surface for charting.  on the wall, you will find the electrical panel, bilge pump controls, a power plug, and our IridiumGo satellite receiver.  Most of the time the nav station is the  most convenient place  to throw everything, so it gets quite messy. at sea, while we take a location every hour on the hour, I only plot every six hours.

Items here from left to right, are outopilot control head, AM/FM/CD radio, VHF radio, double USB charging port, Depth indicator, wind speed and direction indicator.

Here is the ledge behind the nav station, that runs the length of the quarter berth (the single bed that begins at the seat for the nav station). We stored tall bottles of cleaning supplies aerosols and some lubricants, as well as the 12V spotlight. The bungie cord keeps them in place when in rough seas. 

As we move forward in the boat, there is a settee (couch) on the port side, just forward to the galley. Above it are two bookshelves and storage compartments on each side.  2 LED reading lamps are placed on each side of the bookshelves.  By the way, the companionway ladder covers the engine.

The port settee again, this time also showing the shelf, speaker, clock, barometer, fan and propane heater. Around the corner is a large hanging locker (closet) which is cedar lined to deter bugs.

The Port settee with the cushions removed, showing the storage area and wood panels covering the port 50 gallon water tank.  Another tank is on the starboard side.

Behind the port settee, we built shelves for additional space for dry goods and canned goods storage. At the left is the Rainfresh System 2 water filtration system to ensure a safe drinking water supply.

The starboard settee was converted into a double bed, and has a custom latex foam mattress with waterproof bottom and sides.

Moving forward, on the port side in the V-berth we hung a pocket panel on the door to hold odds and ends. In the v-berth is a hanging locker with eastern red cedar walls. a small counter, mirrored door to a cabinet, several drawers a fire extinguisher and reading lamp.

The v-berth cushions were removed to provide more space for storage.the walls are teak strips.. two cupboards at the front, and cubbys along the sides. The wood panels provide access to more storage areas, and the 35 gallon holding tank.

This is what the v-berth looks like when it is packed with water tight plastic boxes and restraining nets.

Up on the deck, the anchor locker is where the primary anchor chain is stored, along with a washdown hose, wi=hich uses sea water to was muck off the chain, and is useful in washing the deck. The anchor winch is electric, but can be used with the winch handle in the event of a power failure.

I climb the mast before passages to check the rigging. 29 mast steps make this an easy task. This time we were in Shelter Bay Marina in Panama, waiting to pass through the Panama Canal. The large white rubber fenders were provided to protect Vata's hull during the canal transit.

The engine is hidden behind the companionway ladder. it is a 33 hp Westerbeke diesel with a Hurth v-drive transmission.

The mast showing the wire rigging helping to hold it up, the radar, mast steps, whisker pole and flag halyards. Here we are flying the Fijian courtesy flag, showing that we have passed quarantine by Fijian officials.

One of our sails is this colourful "drifter" or gennaker. It is a light air sail that allows the boat to sail with very little wind.

Our other sails - a 120% Genoa and the triple reef main sail. These are our everyday sails, and we adjust the amount of each sail depending on the wind we have at any given time of day.

Vata anchored in beautiful Fatu Hiva in the Bay of Virgins, arguably the most beautiful anchorage in the world.

If you recall from an earlier blog, "VATA" in Tahitian Polynesian means "to be free". 

Sailing into the sunset with only a partially furled headsail on our trek across the Pacific Ocean.

VATA for sale in Pittwater, NSW.

Anyway, our sailing trip of a lifetime has come to an end. Our trip was filled with so many beautiful people and beautiful places, beyond anything that can be described in writing - something that can only be experienced first-hand with your own eyes.

VATA was sold in Pittwater Bay north of Sydney, Australia, half-way around the world. We completed our around the world trip in the air, Sydney to Milan via Dubai, and then on to New York and Toronto. The exact point was as we flew over Boctouche, New Brunswick on the Milan to New York flight.  

We had such a blast, we would do it all again; but now it is time to say farewell. 

Thank you for following our blog.



Karen and Tim Ruthenberg

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Here is an excerpt from the DBY Boat Sales Christmas Newsletter written by Michelle:

CROSSING THE PACIFIC - ever dreamt about it? I am not sure if your partner has ever said "Hey darling, let's get out of here, sail across an ocean, see beautiful places and meet new people".  I know mine has, and the feelings I have are so mixed.   On one hand it excites me and my adventurous spirit rises to the point where I just want to find that right vessel, make it our home and set sail.  On the other hand (damn that other hand) my sensible homely self kicks in and I start thinking of all the things that could prevent me from jumping onboard.  You know what those things are....    Thoughts of the wind in the sails, sunsets on the horizon and endless possibilities outweigh by far so the hunt for that vessel to call home is on and it is so exciting!   The journey begins by finding the right boat and then the bluewater is beckoning. Here at DBY Boat Sales we have many blue water sailors arriving into our office after crossing the Pacific.  Some prefer the company and reassurance of other sailors so have joined a Rally from San Francisco.  This gives them peace of mind and the knowledge that some of the hard planning work is done for them and they are in good company.  Others prefer the solitude oceans can offer and have sailed for years around and around the globe with only themselves for company  and their trusted vessel.    One of the things they have in common is they are always smiling.  Eager to share their stories and  look forward to the next part of their journey, whether it is homeward bound or sailing on.  We have had many clients shed a tear the day they say goodbye to the boat that has been their home for so long.  The boat becomes a part of you - a trusted, reliable, comfortable part of you. This means that DBY currently have some incredible blue water yachts that are fully equipped with an extensive inventory.  They vary in shape, length and price and after talking with us we can match you with the correct boat that will suit your requirements. We just love to tell a story though and right now we are hearing so many from our international visitors.  Of course my first question is always - were you scared?   Every time they say Noooooo!   Some had never done an overnight sail before they set off from their destination towards Australia.  They always say that with the right equipment and after getting into the rhythm of life on board, the path ahead is relaxing and enjoyable.  Of course there can always be a hiccup somewhere in all that fun but who doesn't like a bit of good old problem solving.  Recently we had a super lovely couple, Tim and Karen, who set sail from the North Channel Yacht Club, in northern lake Huron in Canada.  Their sailing experience had been on Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes, however Tim took to reading avidly about blue water sailing.  He gathered knowledge like a sponge, ready for any unforeseen challenges they may encounter.

PHOTO - CS36 Traditional VATA anchored in Bay of Virgins, French Polynesia

All was going so well on their journey and once through the Panama Canal they set sail for the Marquesas which is a 30 day crossing.   Tim would sleep in the cockpit while Karen did her 3 hour watch during the night so if she was in any doubt she could nudge him awake to ask him anything she found curious.  After a brief stop in the Galapagos Islands, they set sail again, with the Marquesas 21 days away.  With 7 days to go, at  2am (of course on Karen's watch) the rudder fell out of their boat leaving them with no steerage and heading for South America.  Now clever Tim had joined a cruiser's net which is a bunch of boats all sailing in the same direction  in the same ocean at the same time, and they would report positions, weather and sea conditions along with any relevant discussions.  Of course these boats maybe up to 400 nm apart. After they lost the rudder, he let out a holler (possibly more than a polite holler) to the net asking for advice. Now all that extensive research before they left became advantageous.  He rigged up a drogue and made a makeshift rudder so now they were heading once again towards their destination but instead of 7 days to go the plotter now said 28 days as their progress was now so much slower.     Human nature at its best was the saviour at the end of the day though.  Fellow sailors on sv Element came to their rescue towing them for the remaining 700nm in 7 days, bringing them to anchor in Hiva Oa where they would be able to haul out and replace the rudder. Forever grateful and feeling so humble at such generosity  this beautiful couple became even more in love with their new life on the sea.  Now selling their beloved CS36 Traditional VATA only to go home to hug their adult children and grandchildren in Italy and Canada for a while before heading to California to do it all again.    I feel so inspired by them that my sensible self concerns are diminishing into the distance. Thanks very much Tim and Karen for sharing your story. ____________________________________________________