I signed too!

Today was our day to deal with the paperwork involved in making our boat a Canadian one. This means we have the right to fly the Canadian flag and it will have a unique name that no other boat in Canada can use. Proof of ownership backed up by the Canadian government can be very important when sailing outside of Canada and is usually required to obtain a cruising permit in another country.

We drove to Fort Lauderdale to see the documentation specialist we hired to handle all the red tape involved.

Previously the boat was documented with the U.S. Coast Guard, and we needed to get it registered with Transport Canada and change its name at the same time. Not a simple process, of course.

Before the boat can be registered in Canada, you must deregister it with the U.S. Coast Guard and prove to TC that you really own the boat. (Understandable.)

Boats can have mortgages and liens just like houses. The documentation specialist ensures that all these have been cleared on the vessel and that your title is free and clear. A lawyer does essentially the same thing when you buy a house.

The documentation specialist also deals with the U.S. Coast Guard for you and fills out all the relevant forms for Transport Canada. One interesting TC requirement is “tonnage,” which is calculated from a special formula using measurements of the boat’s length, depth and beam. Bob did this calculation during the survey.

So our paperwork is now on its way to TC. We submitted three possible boats names and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that they will approve our first choice: Watermark II.

(Interesting aside: Registration was really designed for commercial vessels. The Crown can take control of the vessel in times of crisis (war). For that reason, you legally own only two thirds of a registered vessel. One third is owned by the Crown.)

The boat has enough berths to sleep seven people (two are private and the dining area converts to a double berth). It has air conditioning and heating, hot and cold running water, a large freezer and refrigerator, and a two-burner propane gimballed stove with oven. There’s also an electric head and a shower, with a nice-sized wet locker.

I particularly like the teak interior and all the storage compartments and lockers that we’re quickly filling up. There are compartments behind, under and over the settees. Each berth has several storage compartments for clothes and other necessities.

The cockpit has a huge lazarette, which a person could hide in if so inclined. It is well protected from the sun and rain with a new dodger and bimini.

As far as sails go, the boat has a small 110% genoa for easy tacking. The mainsail furls into the mast so all reefing can be done from the cockpit, which is nice to have when the weather is bad. Together both sails provide nearly 700 square feet of canvas, resulting in good performance. If the wind is light we can also raise an asymmetrical spinnaker which provides nearly 1,000 square feet of sail area.

You can skip this part if you’re not interested in technical specs:

• auxiliary engine, Yanmar diesel, 27 hp
• 3.5 kw diesel 110v generator
• maximum hull speed 7.4 knots
• fuel capacity 38 gallons (burns about .5 gallons per hour motoring at 5 knots, for a theoretical cruising range of 380 nautical miles without using the sails
• displacement (unladen) of 13,900 lbs
• lead keel weight of 5,064 lbs
• mast height off water 55’3″ + antennas and wind anenometer, another 10″
• fresh water capacity of 75 gallons, plus 6 gallons in the hot water tank
• holding tank capacity of 30 gallons.

We’ve been driving around with a truck jammed full of boat gear for the last two weeks. So we were glad to finally get it unloaded and stowed on the boat. Bob says the proper nautical term is “trim the cargo.” It’s important to use the right terminology!

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