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As I
arranged to test the Fairline 58 Squadron at North Atlantic Marine Group
in Stephensville, Maryland, James Robinson, head of the British builder’s
North American operations, told me, “Don’t feel you have to
treat this boat delicately. Put her into whatever conditions you want.”
Within reason, I regard such license as given whenever I test a boat,
but normally it’s only so frankly encouraged by manufacturers of
stolid trawlers, not chic motoryachts.
Of course,
since the 58 was in the protected waters of the Chesapeake, I didn’t
expect serious seas, but at least on the day of the test the bay did its
utmost. More than 20 knots blew out of the north, and all was awash with
whitecaps seething in the sunshine. At North Atlantic’s Bay Bridge
Marina, a receptionist greeted me with a worried look and asked, “Will
this weather be a problem?” I assured her that conditions were ideal
and, heading out to the docks, wondered if she didn’t share Robinson’s
confidence in the boat.
Maybe
she thought the 58 was just too pretty. After all, she has that particular
Fairline sheen—a gleam over air-cushion contours that even at a
distance suggests attention to detail. She also has the swooping forms
and swerving windows we Yanks associate with craft from Europe, although
sharpened edges framing the windows and sweeping aft and upward beneath
the cantilevered bridge deck give her a keener look overall. Was the receptionist
so enthralled by the boat’s style that she doubted its substance?
That
clearly wasn’t the case with an assured Capt. John McDevitt, who
has delivered Fairlines up and down the East Coast. We let go the lines
(easy to do with 16-inch-wide side decks, 31/2-inch-high toe rails, and
waist-high stainless steel rails) and were on the bay in no time. Given
the weather, we decided to run the trials on the Severn River, which feeds
the Chesapeake from the opposite shore. But for the sake of inquiry we
took our time getting there. Although even a northerly that brings tears
to your eyes only musters three- to four-foot waves on the Chesapeake,
their ranks are steep enough to suggest how a boat might behave in serious
slop. Within minutes it seemed clear that the 58 was designed to handle
a wide range of conditions. As on all Fairline models, her hand-laid FRP
hull is a Bernard Olesinski-designed modified deep-V with a sharp entry
moderating to 18 degrees of deadrise that continues aft of the transom
to “build in” the swim platform. Combined with multiple full-length
lifting strakes, this form let us cut through the big chop high and dry
and with minimal jarring at speeds in excess of 30 mph. With Teleflex
power-assisted steering and Mathers single-lever electronic controls,
the boat’s handling was sporty and sure. During a 180-degree turn
into the weather at about 25 mph, she behaved as if on a banked oval track,
locking into a turning attitude of about 15 degrees that was hardly disturbed
by quartering and side seas.
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