I spent July 7th to 17th at the X-Yachts facilities in Haderslev prepping Verbena. While the boat was previously owned by a private individual it had been stored at X-Yachts Haderslev, Denmark yard for the last 4 years and was largely unused by the previous owner. The purchase arrangement with X-Yachts was that after purchase, they would do a number of refit upgrades we agreed upon and then launch and commission the boat to ensure everything was working. And, they would do it all by July 19th, before all the employees of X-Yacht go on a three week holiday.
Upgrades included new navigation electronics, a watermaker, solar and hydro power generators plus others. I’ll describe the full set of upgrades in another post.
My trip to X-Yachts from the 7th-17th was to get to know the boat and take part in the commissioning as all the work was getting completed. After all, we starting a trip halfway around the world on a boat we have never sailed on!
Of course things didn’t go fully smoothly, it is a boat after all. What was smooth sailing was working with X-Yachts. The stood behind their commitment to getting the boat fully working by the 19th and did whatever it took to make this happen. Engine troubles, boom mandrel corrosion and even odd new electronic issues were all addressed and fixed without cutting any corners.
Having the people who built the boat work on the boat was a huge benefit. Most of all, they took the time to explain to me what was going on and why things were done certain ways. In my experience, this only happens when people have a real pride in their work. It was nice to see this in place at X-Yachts. I’m sure this culture is a main reason they continue to be successful designing and building boats for the last 40 years.
