Below is a brief outline of our boat, Longo MaÏ’s specifications. I have added some explanations and definitions or various words at the end for those that may not speak “sailor”.
Her Name: We had intended to call our new boat Bisou (Kiss), however when we found our new floating home, she was called Longo Maï. “Longo Maï’ is a French Provençal expression. We’ve seen various translations the most common are: ‘Let it last’, “that lasts a long time” or “Long Life”. No matter which translation you like, they all speak to a long and happy life. We want that for ourselves, our family and our friends, so we kept the name and aim to live up to its intent!
Type: Monohull yacht/sailboat
Make: Beneteau
Model: Oceanis 50
Year: 2006
Length: 15 metres (49.21 feet)
Beam: 4.5 metres (14.76 feet)
Draft: 2.1 metres (6.89 feet)
Sails: Mainsail – slabbed reefed, Genoa, Jib and an Assymetrical Spinnaker
Engine: Yanmar 4JH-HTE
Berths: Three doubles: one foreward and two aft – though we tend to use one of the aft berths as a utility room.
Heads: Two Electric
For those that don’t speak “sailor”:
Length = This is the length overall – not the measurement at the waterline. To provide perspective, you can see Ian under the boat in the big photo. This is an important meansurement as it determines whether Longo will fit in a marina and then the cost of a marina berth, the cost of our insurance, registration. In addition some countries’ customs fees are based on this length.
Beam = That’s the widest part of the boat. The middle bottom photo shows the beam just forward of the cockpit dodger, the blue canvas screen, where Ian is standing; it’s kind of like Longo’s waist measurement. This matters when seeking a berth in marinas and for some other bibs and bobs mentioned under length.
Draft = This is depth of the boat or to put it another way minimum depth you can safely take the boat without hitting the bottom of the ocean. This matters all the time!
Mainsail = The big sail in the middle of the boat, attached to the mast and boom. You can see the mainsail in the bottom left-hand photo. Slabbed reefed means that when we lower the sail it falls down in a big untidy mess that we stow in layers in the lazy bag along the boom. Some boats have a different kind of mainsail called an in-mast furling; this doesn’t need a lazy bag.
Genoa = The sail at the front (or bow) of the boat that overlaps the main sail. This is currently fitted to Longo Maï. You can see it rolled up at the front of the boat in the big picture and in the bottom left hand photo it’s the sail behind the mainsail.
Jib = This is another sail located at the bow of the boat that does not overhang the mainsail. Not currently fitted to Longo MaÏ
Asymmetrical Spinnaker = This is the big puffy orange sail you in the last photo behind Ian. This is not permanently fitted to Longo Maï Ï but we can raise and lower this sail when needed.
Berths = In the context used above you’ve probably guessed I’m referring to the bedrooms onboard. (Aft just means at the back) However, you may have noticed I also used the term when I was talking about the length of the boat, in this case it’s the place we “park” the boat in a marina (I.e. Longo’s bed).
Head = Believe it or not this refers to the toilets onboard. The comes from ye-olden days when the loos on ships were planks over holes in the bow (frotn) of the ship. They were placed here so that the spray from the oncoming waves would clean the loos and I guess if you were unlucky your bum too!.
Do you have a query about our Longo Maï
Sailing Longo Maï 