MAIDENVOYAGE


Sharing the watch, deckhand Tim Fletcher keeps course conventionally on paper charts as Class and sense require


Alongside under the iconic Rock of Gibraltar, Blush’s nav-comms stack stands out against the blue sky after a wet and windy ride south


have only joined more recently and this is their first sailing together. Also on board are Sunseeker’s own superyacht captain Mark Solomon and chief engineer Richard Lye, here to continue support and systems training. The pressure is also on with Blush due to


begin her inaugural charter just days after arrival in the Med. For interior crew Karla, Amy and Fay, beyond learning their kit, this means preparing to transform the accommodation from packed away delivery mode to clean and tidy full service. That brings a body-long list of tasks including cotton-bud, yes, cotton-bud, cleaning of every nook and cranny throughout the entire vessel.


NAVIGATION NOTES “Port Control, Motor Yacht Blush outbound to Gibraltar,” calls Sean over the VHF, as he dials up the speed to 19 knots, leaving Old Harry Rocks in our wake, and settles in for a night passage down the Channel toward Ushant. Passage plans have, of course, been lodged with the relevant authorities along with the other extensive documentation Blush’s commercial classification dictates. But with all the high level intelligent software driving the modern glass-bridge, six-monitor array, everything is splendidly simplified. Inputting the waypoints self-populates necessary data queries, so prescribing the specific charts,


pilots, radio signals and light lists that reassuringly take over the starboard end of the helm console. With autopilot diligently tracking


waypoints, the yacht effortlessly progresses as the crew settles into passage routine. The watch pattern is four hours on, eight hours off, with skipper Sean and I on a dog-leg watch overlapping two others, enjoying both sunrise and sunset – a good perk! The creature comforts are good too.


Exceeding compliance with the newly imposed Maritime Labour Conventions (MLC), Blush’s crew enjoy facilities many owners themselves would envy.


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