News & blog

old image of Catalina island March 3, 2021

A Not-So-Serious History of Catalina Island

Santa Catalina is a 22-mile long rocky island about 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles. It has a resident population of only about 3,700, most of whom live in its only city, Avalon, but over a million tourists drop in for a visit every year. The island is a popular weekend destination for Southern California boaters. In 1958, the Four Preps recorded the famous hit song 26 Miles (Santa Catalina). The song’s composer, Bruce Belland, once said, “It’s really like 22.3 miles, but you try singing that. Think about that meter!”Before all that, though, before hiking permits, golf cart rentals, and mountain bikes with knobby tires, there were the original owners. By the time Spanish explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo “discovered” the island in 1542, the Pimugnan Indians had been there for 500 years. On spotting Cabrillo’s galleon, the Pimugnan paddled out to greet it, and were invited aboard, whereupon gifts and deadly diseases were exchanged with smiles all around. Cabrillo lingered for about 12 hours, shamelessly declared ownership of the island for Spain, thanked the Pimugnan for the fish lunch, and sailed off. Happily for the Pimugnans, another 60 years went by before they were graced with their next visit from Europeans. This time it was another Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, who “re-discovered” the island and re-named it Santa Catalina (not that the Pimugnan cared; they continued to refer to their island as Pimu). After 48 hours, Vizcaino had seen enough. Just for good measure, the island was again claimed for Spain, a few more deadly diseases were traded for provisions, and Vizcaino departed, content in the knowledge that Catalina was again secured for the King. Now the Pimugnan were left in peace for almost 30 years. Then in 1769, the Portola expedition arrived, and not having gotten the Cabrillo and Vizcaino memos, Portola once more claimed the island for Spain. This time, however, the Europeans and other visitors never quite went away, and the good old days for the Pimugnan were finito. The Spanish, worried about encroachment by the Russians and British, began colonizing California in earnest, beginning with a franchised chain of missions up and down the coast (no mission was ever built on Catalina). Hoping to evade Spanish trade restrictions, or just seeking a little privacy, smugglers, pirates, and a variety of general all-around scoundrels quickly determined that Catalina’s many hidden coves were just the thing for a all manner of illicit activities. China Point, for instance, was used by smugglers of Chinese immigrants. Oddly, China played another part in the history of the island. Apparently fur hats had become all the rage in China, and as a result, the island was overrun with Russian and Aleut otter hunters from Alaska. Once more, a thriving trade in deadly diseases developed, and in the end neither the otters nor the Pimugnan turned a profit. On the other hand, the Chinese did get their hats. Even today, the only substantial remaining population of sea otters is off the northern Channel Islands. As for the Pimugnan, the few who remained migrated, or were dragged kicking and screaming, to the mainland, where most came under the gentle influence of Mission San Gabriel. Soon, these expatriate Pimugnan were being referred to as Gabrielinos. Today there are no known fluent speakers of the Pimugnan/Gabrielino language. Mexico fought and gained independence from Spanish rule in 1821, and California became a province of the new country. Then, in 1848, following the Mexican-American War, California was snatched up by the United States. After a brief flurry on mining activity, during which gold was hoped for but mere galena (an ore of silver, lead and zinc) was found, Catalina was inhabited mostly by sheep, cattle, and a few herders for about a quarter of a century. Avalon around 1900 — Not a yacht in sight! In 1887, George Shatto, a young businessman from Michigan, bought the island and began developing it as a tourist resort. Selecting a beautiful sheltered valley with a wide, crescent shaped harbor on the northeast side, he surveyed out the town site that would become Avalon. Shatto enlarged an existing wharf to accommodate larger steamers, built the Hotel Metropole, and began selling town lots. Shatto’s sister-in-law, Etta Whitney, chose the town’s name. It came from a Tennyson poem, Idylls of the King, in which a dying King Arthur says that he would be going to Avalon, a beautiful island valley where he would heal himself of his grievous wound. This was all very romantic, of course, but alas, Shatto very unromantically fell behind in his mortgage payments. In 1892 the Banning brothers bought the island. The Bannings built all kinds of attractions, including roads to the interior, the first telephone and wireless telegraph systems, two dance pavilions, an aquarium, a Greek amphitheater, and a golf course. Around this time the island became world-renowned for sport fishing. Elevating fishing from a job to a sport was a new idea, promoted in large part by writer and naturalist Charles Frederick Holder, who popularized the use of light tackle. He also founded Catalina’s Tuna Club, the oldest fishing club in the United States. In 1913, Avalon became an incorporated city. In 1915, about the time all the cityhood excitement had died down, a devastating fire burned out of control for three days, destroying half of the town, including the Hotel Metropole. The Bannings went bust. But, to their credit, they had introduced glass-bottom excursion boats to the island, so they departed with their heads held high. Next, the island came into the enthusiastic hands of William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum magnate, who bought the island sight unseen but was soon stuck on it (sorry, couldn’t resist). Among other things, William enlarged the fleet of cross-channel steamers, adding the S.S. Avalon and the S.S. Catalina, which he built specifically for the Catalina run. Unlike his predecessors, he didn’t go broke; he did, however, die. And so, in 1932 his son Philip assumed control of the island. Philip enlisted the help of artists Otis and Dorothy Shepard to imbue Avalon with an early California ambiance (that would be Spanish, not Pimugnan, ambiance). Design elements included extensive use of tile, fountains, wrought iron, bell towers, a serpentine wall, soft lighting, and palm and olive trees. Wandering troubadours serenaded wandering tourists. Now we come to that landmark of all Catalina landmarks­─the Casino. Prominently visible from land and sea, the round, Art Deco structure rises the equivalent of 12 stories, and is surrounded by water on three sides. Built as a tourist attraction, the Casino’s name derives from the Italian usage of the word meaning “a social gathering place” rather than the Las Vegas lose-your-shirt meaning. The building has never been used as a gambling establishment. The site chosen for the new casino was out at the end of Sugarloaf Point, and at the very tip of the point there was a bullet-shaped rocky outcrop called Sugarloaf Rock (What in the world is a sugarloaf, by the way? Is it a thing shaped like Sugarloaf Rock?). Many people believe that back in the days of the Bannings, Sugarloaf Rock had been blasted away to clear a site for the first casino, Sugarloaf Casino, a mildly impressive octagonal structure used as a ball room and Avalon’s first high school. In fact, old photos of both the original and today’s casino show that they were built adjacent to Sugarloaf Rock, which was removed later on, mostly to improve the ocean view and to provide a level open area at the front of the current casino. The original, smaller Sugarloaf Casino shot from atop Sugarloaf Rock Sugarloaf Casino remained on the site from 1920 to 1928, but eventually the Wrigleys decided it simply wasn’t grand enough and had it razed to make way for today’s casino. Some further blasting was done to create a larger pad for the new building, and by 1929 the casino we all know and love was completed.The Casino houses the Avalon Theater on the first level, which seats up to 1,150, and is the first theater ever designed for sound movies. It is said that the acoustics are so good that a speaker on the stage can speak in a normal voice without a microphone and be heard throughout the room. The ballroom on the second level can accommodate up to 6,000 dancers and is so well insulated that theater patrons directly below cannot hear either the band or the 12,000 dancing feet on the floor above. The new Avalon Casino rises on the site of the old Sugarloaf Casino beside the now defunct Sugarloaf Rock Wrigley designed the Casino with ramps rather than stairs, an idea taken from his experience with Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs stadium. The ramps allowed large numbers of people to more efficiently enter and exit (the Chicago Cubs team was also owned by Wrigley, and from 1921 to 1951, excepting the war years, the Cubs used Catalina for spring training) .During World War II, the island was closed to tourists and several branches of the military trained on the island, including the Merchant Marine, Army Signal Corp, OSS, and Coast Guard. When the island reopened after the war, the use of wartime amphibious planes such as the Grumman Goose ushered in a new era of travel to the island. Eventually, both the steamers and flying boats would give way to the helicopters and smaller but faster boats that are used today. Finally, what’s with that bison herd on Catalina? They certainly didn’t hike to the island from South Dakota. The generally accepted explanation is that they were brought to the island in 1924 for the silent film version of Zane Grey’s western tale, The Vanishing American. There’s only one problem─none of the scenes in the movie appear to have been filmed on Catalina. Perhaps the Catalina scenes were cut from the final version, but the island’s absence from the movie does put the history of the bison in doubt. One other oddity─many of the bison aren’t entirely bison; 45 percent have a domesticated cow as an ancestor. Who knew? They all look so bisonish. Here are a few other fun facts: Catalina and its surrounding area are widely known within the UFO community as a “hot spot” for UFO and USO (unidentified submerged object) activity, a reputation enhanced by a famous 1966 video of a “silvery orb” flying low over the backcountry hills of the island. The video is the kind of UFO video we’ve come to expect─a miserably grainy shot of a very distant airborne speck. “Silvery orb” is mostly in the eye of the beholder. In 1936, Ronald Reagan, a young radio announcer for WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, traveled to Catalina to cover the Cubs during spring training. While there, he took a screen test and was offered an acting role. So, if Wrigley hadn’t brought the Cubs to Catalina, Ronny might never have become a movie star, or president for that matter. During World War II, a young Marilyn Monroe briefly lived in Avalon with her first husband, James Dougherty (whose husband status was also brief), a lieutenant in the Merchant Marine. Monroe was often a babysitter for neighborhood children. Today, those former kids have an unbeatable story to tell at cocktail parties. “Marilyn Monroe used to cook my dinner and follow me to bed. No, really, I’m not kidding. Hey, are you calling me a liar! Why, if you weren’t my wife’s brother I’d…” Down through the years, the Wrigley family has clung to its belief that the island should be preserved rather than developed extensively. In 1975 they donated 88% of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving Catalina in its natural state. The Santa Catalina Island Company, founded by William Wrigley, owns another 11% of the island, and only a skimpy 1% of the real estate is independently owned. As a result, only the city of Avalon is open to the public without restrictions. So, even though the island’s fate is in steady hands, you can’t help but think that the Pimugnans, or Gabrielinos, are still pretty cranky about the way things worked out.

our Guide to World-Class Cuisine on Your Offshore Yacht January 11, 2020

Your Guide to World-Class Cuisine on Your Offshore Yacht

Resource Guide to World-Class Cuisine on Your Offshore Yacht At Offshore West, we know that everything tastes better when it’s cooked and served on your own Offshore Yacht. Whether you’re serving fresh-from-the-sea delicacies like crab, shrimp, or dorado, sizzling chops right off the grill, or a not-so-simple basic cheeseburger, nothing enhances a meal onboard more than the combination of sea air, balmy temperatures, and active outdoor lifestyle on your Offshore Yacht. And whether you’re doing your own cooking or working with a hired chef, the best chefs know that cooking on a boat involves planning, provisioning, and an attention to detail that that few land-based cooks really understand. So, we’ve collected some great resources from the web, along with cookbooks written by boaters and yacht industry chefs with lifetimes of experience, so you can create stunning, unforgettable meals on your Offshore that will have you and your guests raving long after your cruise ends. General Tips for Equipping Your Galley The galley on your Offshore Yacht can be as simple as a motorboat or as sophisticated as any kitchen ashore, depending on your preferences. Follow these tips to keep your galley organized, well-equipped, and ready for anything. The bare minimum of essential equipment for any yacht includes skillets, saucepans, stockpots, and bakeware, as well as a good set of chef knives and magnetic knife rack.Boating and “big box” stores offer a variety of specialty storage solutions including nets, baskets, airtight storage containers, thermal mugs, cups, and beverage servers, as well as silicone bakeware and collapsible containersGiven you’ll be cooking and serving on a moving platform, keep glass in your galley to a minimum. You can find attractive melamine, Lexan, enameled metal, and even acrylic dishware and flatware.Use supplemental coolers for overflow fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as for stocking plenty of beer, wine, and other beverages.The grill on your Offshore Yacht can be supplemented with a variety of add-ons for grilling fish, meats, and virtually anything else you can imagine.Be “ocean friendly” by reducing trash. Use cloth napkins and tablecloths, and reusable, washable flatware. Your Offshore Yacht is the perfect place to use “real” flatware for formal or festive meals. General Tips for Preparing Meals Onboard In general, boat food usually needs to be tasty and easy to eat without requiring lots of utensils or tableware. Hand-held breakfasts (muffins, granola bars, or fresh fruit), “grab and go” lunch sandwiches or tortilla rollups, and simple dinners can provide plenty of exceptional flavor and flair along with basic nutrition.If you’re planning on being away from a port for a week or longer, plan meals around staples like rice, noodles, and grains. Use prepared mixes for sauces, marinades, and garnishes, and customize them (our recommended cookbooks offer tons of ideas).Using your Offshore’ s outdoor grill will keep the interior of your yacht a bit cooler and cut down on generator use. Your grill is perfect for sausages or burgers, veggie brochettes, or chicken wings. Online Resources for Cooking Aboard your Offshore Yacht The Superyacht Chef is a new website for chefs who serve the yachting community all over the world. The blog features articles about high-end galley gadgets, food preparation and presentation techniques, stellar recipes shared by superyacht chefs all over the world, and recommended cookbooks for the yacht galley. They even link to agencies that will help you find a professional yacht chef, if that suits your style. Portside Cuisine is the website of Peg Donahue, a former chef aboard both private and charter yachts, where she cooked for scores of interesting, influential people (like you!) including high profile politicians, writers, scientists, and even movie stars. Working as a chef for nearly 10 years aboard yachts ranging from a 26 to 90 feet, she cruised  throughout the Caribbean, along the coast of Venezuela, the Eastern seaboard of the United States, and as far north as the border of Nova Scotia. Her website features recipes (complete with photographs good enough to eat all by themselves), equipment tips and recommendations, and stories of her travels and the fascinating people and places she’s encountered along the way. We offer a review of her cookbook of the same name below. The Boat Galley offers hundreds of recipes that include a wealth of options for dietary and equipment restrictions. From the website: “Cooking on a boat is different, but boat-friendly recipes make great meals on your cruising adventures not just possible but easy.” Some specialty recipes include: Recipes to grill everything from vegetables to meat and chicken to fresh-caught fishMake-ahead meals for longer passages or weekends out on your OffshoreSpecialty recipes for dairy-free, gluten-free, keto, or other restricted mealsTips to make your own seasoning mixes for use in other recipes In addition to the website, there are bite-sized bits of information, 5 to 10 minutes long, offered in The Boat Galley Podcast | The Boat Galley,by Nica Waters and Lin Pardey. The podcasts offer a nice alternative to browsing over 1200 articles on the website itself. All Recipes is a great online source of tested recipes for every occasion, and their “Galley Kitchen” section offers a wealth of insight into using space wisely, equipping your galley, meal planning and tips for quick, efficient, and safe cooking in a small, moving space. Recommended Yachting Cookbooks for your Offshore Library The following nautical cookbooks are highly recommended (available on Amazon) and grace the galleys of many yacht chefs as well as full-time liveaboards and weekend cruisers. The Portside Cuisine Cookbook: A Yacht Chef’s Recipe Collection by Peg Donahue From Peg’s press release: “With stunning food photography and more than 160 individual recipes, The Portside Cuisine Cookbook reveals a glimpse behind the galley doors of a professional charter chef as she creates world-class cuisine on the high seas for clients that range from everyday guests to captains of industry and celebrities of the silver screen.” She also shares interesting short stories behind each recipe that are so exciting, entertaining, and educational that you can imagine each dish elegantly presented and served on your own Offshore Yacht. Her recipes are easy-to-use, family tested, and suitable for budding cooks as well as professional chefs, and range from simple “comfort food” to elegant and elaborate meals for holidays, formal dinners, buffets, picnics, and any kind of party you can imagine. She includes vegetarian recipes as well as those that are easily adaptable to accommodate dietary restrictions. Every recipe lists nutritional information for those who need to monitor salt, sugar, or calorie intake. Cruising Chef Cookbook, by Michael Greenwald After 22 years in print, now in its 10th printing, the Cruising Chef Cookbook is essential to any boat galley. Not only are there more than 300 delicious recipes, there are hundreds of tips for buying, storing, provisioning, and resupplying in out-of-the-way markets. Greenwald also offers extensive instruction on special cooking techniques like pressure-cooking, stir-frying, and grilling. But perhaps the highlight of this cookbook is the salty humor that seasons the chapters. Articles like “Planning for the Big Eater” and “Fishing” will leave you exhausted from laughing out loud. The Boat Galley Cookbook: 800 Everyday Recipes and Essential Tips for Cooking Aboard, by Carolyn Shearlock  and Jan Irons In this easy-to-navigate and extensively cross-referenced masterpiece, long-term liveaboard cruisers Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons offer more than 800 recipes made from easily found ingredients and hand utensils in small boat galleys. In addition to their personally galley-tested recipes, they offer unique energy-saving tips like cooking in a Thermos, baking on top of the stove, and preparing enjoyable meals in a tiny, moving kitchen. The Boater’s Cookbook: 450 Quick & Easy Galley-Tested Recipes,  by Sylvia Williams Dabney Dabney, a long-time live-aboard cruiser has over sixty thousand miles under her belt, and understands not only the necessity of a well-stocked pantry but the joy of collecting recipes from all over the world. A highlight of this wonderful cookbook is the comprehensive list of the kinds of gadgets gear, and supplies that every boater needs – and how to store it all in a limited space, whether it’s a 27-foot sailboat or a 60-foot motor cruiser. When you’re next out on your Offshore, remember that dining aboard is one of the rare joys of boating. We’d love to hear about your recommendations for shopping, storing, or cooking aboard your own Offshore Yacht. We’d also be delighted to share your recipes, grilling tips, and menu plans with the rest of our Offshore family. Just drop us a line or give us a call at either our Newport Beach Fort or Lauderdale office. We’ll look forward to hearing from you.

William “Bill” Luther, Naval Architect, receives Lifetime Achievement Award December 17, 2019

William “Bill” Luther, Naval Architect, receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award Naval Architect William “Bill” B. Luther has been a partner with Offshore Yachts for many years. Bill worked side by side with the great Naval Architect William I.B. Crealock.  We want to give a “shout-out” as Bill was honored by the Maritime Institute not only for his work as a Naval Architect but more importantly for his great character and generosity toward at risk youth. On December 14, 2019 at the Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s annual Christmas and Award Ceremony, Executive Director, Captain Bruce Heyman and Captain Alice Robinson presented Naval Architect, William B. Luther a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” He was presented with #1 print (of 200) of a watercolor titled “Rendezvous At Angel’s Gate, Twin Brigantines, Exy Johnson and Irving Johnson.” The painting, painted by Scott Kennedy, also includes a remarque in the corner titled “ To Adventure at sea and the kids” a nod to the great work done by L.A.M.I. in its efforts to help children at risk. Bill has been a part of that program since its inception. He is L.A.M.I.’s Naval Architect and continues to work with them on ongoing projects. We at Offshore West also want to say Thank you Bill!!!  Well Done!!!

Great Reasons to Buy an Offshore Yacht with Partners – And How to Do it Right December 14, 2019

Great Reasons to Buy an Offshore Yacht with Partners – And How to Do it Right

Great Reasons to Buy an Offshore Yacht with Partners – And How to Do it Right Buying a yacht is often the culmination of a dream. You dream of quiet nights at anchor in remote, exotic locations…glittering nightlife at exotic resorts and marinas…five-star entertainment for your business guests…even weeks or months “off the grid,” pursuing your passion for fishing, diving, kayaking, or just hanging out on deck. And once the dream becomes a reality, life happens. You start your yachting life excited, getting out on water every chance you get. And then life gets in the way. The job gets in the way. You don’t have as much free time as often as you thought you’d have. Instead of weeks aboard, you try to steal away for the occasional weekend. And those weekends become less and less frequent. Finally, your gleaming dream sits among so many others, unused and unloved, at the marina or in storage. That’s no way to treat an asset. If you ever find yourself browsing the classified ads in the Wall Street Journal, you’ll no doubt see lots and lots of ads for partnerships in airplanes, vacation condos, or overseas apartments – all of them placed there by folks just like you who bought a dream and find they’re just not using it as often as they’d like. Everyone knows that assets benefit from regular use. Condos, apartments, and homes benefit from airing out. Machinery runs better when it’s used regularly. Wouldn’t a yacht benefit more from use than it would sitting at the dock? So why not buy your next Offshore Yacht with a partner? We can think of several advantages for buying an Offshore Yacht in partnership with others. Benefits of Owning Your Offshore Yacht with Partners Reduce your initial investment costs. It can be intimidating to take on the total initial purchase price of a new yacht alone. Buying a yacht in partnership with one or more people will reduce the initial investment to a fraction of the total.Reduced monthly and annual expenses. The partnership will share the fixed monthly and annual expenses like moorage and insurance, reducing the monthly expenses for each individual.Shared maintenance costs. Your new Offshore Yacht will need regular maintenance. Regular and routine washing, polishing, waxing, oil and fluid changes, systems checks, bottom cleaning, running gear maintenance, and haulouts are all a part of yacht ownership, and sharing ownership means sharing the burden and cost of maintenance.Special tax benefits. If you and your partners structure your agreement correctly, you and your partners can take advantage of certain tax benefits of owning a yacht, particularly if you use your Offshore Yacht in your business activities. You’ll want to discuss these advantages with your attorney and accountant.Shared experience. If you base your yacht partnership on shared interests like fishing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, or kite boarding, you and your partners can all experience the joy of those interests by sharing ownership of the Offshore and participating together. How to Structure your Yacht Partnership Right Before any money changes hands, you and your partners must agree (in writing) about how to structure the partnership so that everything from maintenance to scheduling, buying in to selling out, is crystal clear to everyone. That’s why we recommend that you engage a lawyer familiar with the yachting or marine industry to help you structure your agreement. When you and your partners are ready to sit down with your lawyer, make sure that you address, at minimum, the following questions. What co-ownership structure will work best? Should you work from a simple partnership, joint ownership, LLC, or corporation? In our experience, an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) is often a viable structure for most partnerships. It’s a hybrid between a partnership and a corporation, and offers flexibility, limited liability, and tax advantages to the partners while being fairly simple and inexpensive to administer. What is and is not included in the partnership? Your agreement should list absolutely every item on the yacht included in the partnership, including manufacturer, model, size, and serial numbers of every piece of equipment from the engines to electronics to entertainment systems. Also list everything that is not included, such as personal equipment or gear. How will you document and pay expenses? All regular, fixed expenses including moorage, insurance, scheduled maintenance, taxes, and licensing should be detailed, spelling out procedures for collection and payment from each partner. All ongoing operating expenses like fuel, oil, fluid changes, repairs, routine haulouts, bottom cleaning, as well as “household” expenses like water, electricity, or internet, need to be detailed, with policies and procedures spelled out clearly. Will you use a certified marine mechanic, commercial diver, or professional electrician for maintenance and repairs, or will each partner do their own work? As long as the partners spell out their policies and procedures clearly in advance, nobody will be surprised or caught short. How will you and your partners schedule time on your Offshore Yacht? Who gets to use the yacht, and when? Will you divide the year up into two-, three-, or four-week blocks and allow each partner to choose first and second-choice time periods? We encourage you and your partners to embrace communication, flexibility, and cooperation as you work together so everyone gets a fair share of time aboard. You can take advantage of online scheduling solutions or yacht management services to help you work out your schedule for a fee. What are the operational limits of the yacht? Your marine insurance policy will have a large impact on the cruising limitations and how far each partner can take your Offshore away from its home port. Who else can operate the boat or take it out? Can partners lend their time to relatives or friends? What qualifications does the boat operator need to have? Is there a  required minimum number of crew? Spell everything out in advance, so everyone is clear. What operational responsibilities must each partner accept? It may seem obvious, but your partnership agreement must specify that anyone operating your Offshore Yacht must follow the Coast Guard’s official Rules of the Road, as well as the COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), all federal, state, and local laws, the insurance contract, and all operating limitations of the boat and equipment. What special policies and procedures must each partner follow? You and your partners should spell out, in detail, things like pet policy, smoking policy, and breakage/repair/replacement policy. Spell out your partnership’s recordkeeping/logbook requirements, as well as your “turnover” procedures – the standards of cleanliness and repair that each partner should maintain when they return the Offshore to the slip. Who is going to be the partnership’s official recordkeeper? Determine who will maintain the business and accounting records of your partnership, and how they will assure the safekeeping of registrations, certificates, and other documentation. What’s your exit strategy? When it’s time for you or one of your partners to sell his or her share in your Offshore, do the other partners automatically get first right of refusal? Do the remaining partners need to interview or approve of any new partner? When a partner must walk away for health reasons, loss of income, or even death, what happens? Spell everything out so you don’t leave anyone “holding the bag.” As you can see, there is a dizzying amount of information to consider as you look at the possibility of buying your Offshore Yacht with partners. But you don’t have to contend with it all by yourself. At Offshore West, we take pride in working with our Offshore owners and helping them through every step of the purchase, commissioning, and eventual sale of their Offshore Yachts. And we are more than happy to point you toward professionals who can help you and your partners structure the right kind of agreement for  your needs. We think that buying an Offshore Yacht in partnership with like-minded boaters who share your interests might be one of the best ways to enjoy this remarkable yacht, and we’d be delighted to help. Call our Newport Beach or Fort Lauderdale office to chat and explore the possibilities.

Your Offshore Guide to Cruising with Kids December 7, 2019

Your Offshore Guide to Cruising with Kids

Your Offshore Yacht Guide to Cruising with Kids “The sea is the last free place on earth.” ~ Humphrey Bogart If you’re like most of us in the Offshore West family, you share our deep passion for boating. Most of us grew up around the water, learned our way around boats at a very early age, and developed a lifelong obsession with all things nautical. And we know you want to share that passion with the young people in your life. With a little bit of forethought and planning, you can make your Offshore Yacht a safe, secure, and fun platform to help your kids and grandkids explore the “last free place on earth” and create memories that will last them a lifetime. First, let’s discuss safety and security. As the parent/grandparent/responsible party, it falls to you to make your Offshore a safe space for not only the kids, but for everyone aboard. Safety Aboard ●       Life Jackets. Everybody aboard should wear an age and size-appropriate life jacket, equipped with a whistle and a water activated light, any time they’re at the dock or out on deck. As a matter of fact, in some states anyone under 13 MUST wear a life jacket the moment they step onto the dock. Kids might rebel at the thought, but if the adults set the example, over time the kids will get into the habit. No exceptions. Remind kids that if they fall overboard, need help, or experience an emergency or accident, they should blow the whistle until help arrives. ●       Electrical Systems. While your Offshore Yacht can be surprisingly kid friendly, its electrical panel, battery-selector switches, and electrical outlets may not be. Teach children that flipped switches can turn off important systems, or damage pumps and electronics. If you’re cruising with young children, consider installing a lock and key for your electrical panel so little fingers cannot access it. Make sure you protect every electrical outlet with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). ●       Emergency Procedures Before you leave the dock, conduct an “age appropriate” safety drill. Show kids their lifejackets, practice putting them on, and indicate where to keep them when they’re not wearing them. Instruct them about what to do if they are injured, smell smoke, or see someone have an accident. You can show older kids where the fire extinguishers, first aid kit, and other emergency equipment is stowed. Once you’re out at anchor, practice “man overboard” and other safety drills. Teach the kids how to use the VHF radio responsibly in the event of an emergency. ●       Navigation and Operation Basics. Establish a safe place to send younger kids while line handling, docking, anchoring, and rough weather. If you’re letting young passengers take the helm or operate the tender, make sure they know and understand the basics of navigation and rules of the road. If your tender has an outboard, insist your young operators wear the “dead man’s lanyard” around their wrist. ●       Boat Rules A few basic rules can make all the difference in the safety of everyone aboard. Here are a few to consider adding to your own routine: Nobody sits on the bow or hangs their legs over the side while underway. It’s dangerous, and even illegal in some states.Nobody goes out on deck at night or during docking and anchoring without permission. Younger kids should stay in their safe place at such times.Nobody plays on the ladders, in the companionways, or on the stairs.Nobody throws anything over the side – no bottles, cans, paper trash, food waste, or plastic.One last Safety TipTo save your sanity and make boating as pleasant an experience as possible for your little guests, go over all of the rules and procedures before you get out on the water, rather than having to chase little ones around yelling, “no, no, no,” and “don’t touch that!” all day long. Both you and your little guests will have a much better time. Once everybody’s clear on what good boat behavior means, it’s time to throw the lines off and have fun with the kids. Let’s look at ways to keep three groups of kids entertained. Offshore Yacht Kids Under 6 Years Old Devote one area of your Offshore yacht as a safe and comfortable space to hang out. Fill it with toys, books, and games. A bonus idea is to make these toys, books, and games available ONLY on the boat, so the children look forward to entertaining themselves with them. Suggestions include ocean- or boat-themed toys that can help them learn about the sea, marine creatures, and boat life. Swim, wade, or just play in the water with them. If your child has the benefit of early swimming lessons, you can let them swim from the swim step, as long as you monitor them and make sure they don’t stray far from the boat. If your child doesn’t know how to swim, use the opportunity to wade and play in shallow water, or float with you on an inflatable raft or inner tube.Take short dinghy or tender rides along the shore, and look for wildlife: birds, fish, crabs, even insects can be fascinating to young children. (For very young children, the operative word is SHORT.)Play on the beach. Bring a bucket and shovel and let the children dig, build sandcastles, and burn off energy running along the beach or splashing in the shallows. Offshore Yacht Kids from 7 to 12 Years Old As children get older, they become much more adventurous and are more likely to be interested in the actual operation of the boat. That allows for the possibility of everybody having much more fun. Here are some ways to keep them engaged and entertained. Kids from 7 to 12 are more likely to be better swimmers, and much better able to play safely in the water. Consider adding a wetsuit, snorkel and mask, and swim fins, so they can keep themselves entertained for hours.Add activities to your time sitting at anchor. Buy a couple of kites to fly off the sun deck or fantail. Issue a wildlife sighting challenge – offer a chart or checklist and have the kids scan the shoreline or horizon for different birds, marine mammals, and fish. Add kid-friendly marine themed books and movies to your onboard library, and encourage your young guests to learn about their environment.Teach the kids how to navigate by letting them direct where you’ll be going. Show them how to work your chart plotter or teach them how to plot the course using paper charts. Have them sit at the wheel with you and explain the basics of the rules of the road, like buoys, channel markers, and boating courtesy.Help the kids learn to tie knots that are essential to becoming competent boaters. Give them practice line, cleats, and rings, and assign common knots to learn. As they become competent, allow them to tie the knots you need while underway.Give them “crew” chores and responsibilities to encourage them to participate. You might be surprised at how seriously they’ll take feeling like part of the crew. As they get older and more experienced, assign them tasks like setting fenders, handling mooring lines, or stowing gear and preparing for sea.Start incorporating active water sports like tubing, kayaking, wake boarding, or water skiing as their skills develop. Heck, get in the water with them! You can assign “skier down” duties to younger kids.Teach the kids to fish, by providing kid-sized poles. Show them how to choose a lure, bait a hook, and identify what they’ve caught. Offshore Teens 13 Years and Older While living with teenagers can be a challenge, they’re remarkably able to entertain themselves on the boat, and more inclined to just be out on the water enjoying the boat. Involve teens in navigation. If your teen has a boating license, allow them (under your supervision) to be captain for the day. That will help them learn essential boating skills that can make them valuable crew for you. Check the requirements in your state to see how your teen can earn their boating license.Provide opportunities for more skilled watersports. Wakeboarding, water skiing, and wake surfing offer some of the most fun you can have on the boat. And if your teens can include their friends on a cruise, crank up their own music, and burn off some of that teenage energy, it’ll be hard to keep yourself from joining in!Involve your teen in SCUBA diving, especially if they’ve shown a keen interest in snorkeling. If you’ve never been diving, consider taking a course and getting certified alongside your teen so you can share the remarkable experiences available under the surface.Make sure you’ve got plenty of games onboard – a deck of cards or two, backgammon, dominos, or any popular board game (Battleship?) can help them have fun when they’re too sunburnt or too cold to stay outdoors.Fish, fish, and fish. Teens are old enough for serious, adult-side fishing gear. Equip them with the right pole, reel, lures, and tackle to join you out on the tender trolling the shallows or bottom fishing from the deck. Most of us at Offshore West grew up around boats and out on the water. If you’re looking for creative, inventive ways to involve your kids or grandkids in your Offshore Yachting experience, we’d love to share what we’ve learned. Just give us a call, or better yet, drop by our Newport Beach office for a chat. And if you have ideas, photos, and stories about how you’ve involved your young guests on your Offshore Yacht, we’d love to hear about it – and share it with our Offshore family.

: East Coast Offshore Rendezvous 2019 at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, FL November 27, 2019

East Coast Offshore Rendezvous 2019 at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, FL

East Coast Offshore Rendezvous 2019 By Air, By Land & By Sea. Our Offshore Owners were treated to an action packed adventure at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida. Our Welcome Reception on Lagoon Beach gives everyone a chance to meet and greet each other.  Offshore Owner’s are like a big family and many enjoy this occasion to reconnect with long-time friends or make new Offshore friends. We all enjoyed the Caribbean Buffet with Conche Ceviche, Cioppino style Island Seafood Pot, incredible carving station, dessert buffet and so much more.              Friday morning our “Miami Vice” adventure begins with a Bell 407, pilot +7 passenger, helicopter ride over to “Stiltsville” in Key Biscayne, by Cape Florida Lighthouse, over the Miami Seaquarium and along the Miami Coast. Next we are off on The White Tornado Speed Boat Classic. Back at the docks each of our Owner’s welcome other Offshore Owners aboard their boat for an “Open House”. Time to share stories, enjoy appetizers and specialty drinks.  Each other adds their own style and flare to the Open House. Our whirlwind of a day comes to a close with a grand dinner at the Sailfish Patio. The weather is perfect and everyone is discussing the days events. Five star gourmet dinner and desserts are served.

Cabo San Lucas November 8, 2019

Spend the Winter Holidays Cruising Baja and the Sea of Cortez on Your Offshore

Spend the Winter Holidays Cruising Baja and the Sea of Cortez on Your Offshore “One who was born by the ocean or has associated with it cannot ever be quite content away from it for very long”― John Steinbeck, The Log from the Sea of Cortez There’s no better way to spend the holidays with your closest friends and family than out on the ocean, on your Offshore yacht. As the fall days grow cooler and shorter, and the north winds begin to blow, why not head south? Why not experience the contentment of a warm December night aboard your Offshore, at a secluded, starlit anchorage off the beaten path in the Sea of Cortez? The best time to cruise to Mexico is during the dry season, between November and March every year. The hurricane season is over, the desert has cooled, and the sea is still comfortable enough for swimming and diving. Jacques Cousteau referred to the Sea of Cortez as the “world’s aquarium,” as it’s home to nearly 900 species of fish and 32 different marine mammal species. And with more than 900 islands, the Sea of Cortez also provides important nesting sites for thousands of seabirds, as well as primary breeding, feeding, and nursery grounds for a wealth of migratory and resident birds – not to mention endless possibilities to explore. The most wonderful thing about cruising Baja and the Sea of Cortez? You can be as social or as isolated as you want to be. You can enjoy the fancy marinas and glittering nightlife of Cabo San Lucas after just three long hops from Ensenada  – or you can gunkhole down the coast and “around the corner” to the peaceful capital city of La Paz. Use either Cabo or La Paz as your home base to explore secluded anchorages, isolated beaches, and great dive spots enjoyed by only a privileged few. You won’t find a warmer, more welcoming culture than that of Baja. People here are kind, helpful, hard-working, and respectful of one another. There’s very little of the manic “hustle” you can sometimes experience in more established tourist towns like Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta. And the food? Fresh clams, shrimp, scallops, spiny lobster, dorado, and snapper? Don’t get us started! Three Long Hops to Los Cabos Ensenada, just 60 miles south of the US/Mexico border, is the starting point of three long  hops down the Baja Peninsula to Los Cabos. In Ensenada, you’ll need to get a slip, formally clear yourself into Mexico with immigration and customs, top of your fuel tanks, and organize any last-minute provisions. Hop 1: Ensenada to Turtle Bay The first hop will be a 285-mile run to Turtle Bay, 19-20 hours cruising at 15 knots, depending on the weather. Turtle Bay is basically a rest and fuel stop. While it’s a great refuge anchorage to wait out weather, there isn’t much in the way of provisioning, shopping, or fine dining experiences available here. As of this post, there is no marina. Once you drop anchor off the village, pangas will zip out to your boat and ask if you need fuel, and some of them can transfer up to 1,000 liters of diesel directly into your tanks. Alternatively, if you need fuel, you can med-moor off the east side of the town fuel pier and get whatever you need. Just be aware that fuel prices in Turtle Bay are based on availability. Hop 2: Turtle Bay to Bahia Magdalena From Turtle Bay, your second long hop can take you 243 miles to Santa Maria or 270 miles to Magdalena Bay – or you can spend a few days and visit both anchorages (and the San Ignacio Whale Park) separately. Fall and winter is when the gray whales migrate to their nursery grounds in Magdalena Bay to play, mate, and give birth. Peak whale watching season is January/February, but the mighty animals begin arriving in large numbers in November. Many licensed tour operators throughout the Magdalena Bay system offer excursions to interact with the whales, and for a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, you can join them as mother whales bring their calves right up to the tour boats for a visit. Or, once you’ve secured an anchorage, launch the tender, and explore the miles of mangroves, enjoy secluded picnic spots, and hike acres of sand dunes. Hop 3: Bahia Magdalena to Los Cabos The last hop, 175 miles, requires a good weather window, as there are no reliable anchorages or possibilities for fuel or provisions. Sometimes this passage is marked by large following seas pushed by the northwest wind which clash with northbound ground swells rolling up from the south. Yet at other times, this run can be like glass. Regardless, this passage is where all the money you’ve spent on autopilots and stabilizers will pay off in spades. There’s a lot of fishing traffic found on this leg of the trip – commercial nets and floats will keep your watch-standers on their toes. It’s also important to time your arrival into either Cabo San Lucas or San Jose del Cabo in the morning hours for two reasons: first, to avoid the sportfishing fleets that seem to swarm out at first light, and second, to arrive before the afternoon winds that typically begin to build mid-day. Explore Los Cabos Once you’ve made the long trip from the border to Los Cabos, you can relax, explore, shop, or party to your heart’s content. In Cabo San Lucas, you’ll find Los Arcos, the iconic arched rock formation that marks Land’s End. Right downtown, in the midst of hotels, restaurants, night clubs, and high-end shops of the Puerto Paraiso Mall, is Marina Cabo San Lucas. As a home base, it allows everyone onboard the chance to do whatever makes them happiest: fishing, diving, shopping, barhopping, or just hanging out with the “rich and famous.” In San Jose del Cabo, just 19 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas, you’ll find the Puerto Los Cabos Resort and Marina in a slightly less busy and commercial setting than Cabo San Lucas. San Jose is known for its many art galleries and artisan workshops, and some of the best restaurants in South Baja. Enter the Sea of Cortez Heading northeast from Los Cabos, the Pacific swells diminish as you “turn the corner” and you can take advantage of two fine anchorages on your way into La Paz: Bahia los Frailes and Ensenada de los Muertos. Los Frailes, just 28 miles from San Jose del Cabo, is a favorite anchorage for yachts headed north as well as for those getting ready to cross to Mazatlán, on the mainland. It’s very close to the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, home to the only hard coral reef found in the Sea of Cortez and a spectacular spot for diving and snorkeling. 46 miles further north is Ensenada de los Muertos, (Bay of the Dead) known to local developers as Bahia de los Suenos (Bay of Dreams). It’s also a popular anchorage for local fishermen and yachts headed further into the Sea of Cortez or across to the mainland. Bahia de los Suenos Resort has a fine restaurant, a small luxury hotel, a golf course, and great views, and yachters are welcome to stop in for  a cocktail or a meal. From Ensenada de los Muertos, you’ll round the East Cape to pass Bahia la Ventana (Windy Bay) and transit Cerralvo Channel. La Ventana is a world-renowned mecca for windsurfers and kite boarders, who take advantage of strong, steady winds approaching 25 knots every day and nearly 600 miles of wind-driven fetch that make for spectacular conditions. But yachts should time their transit of La Ventana and Cerralvo channel to take advantage of the morning calm before the afternoon winds and fetch have had a chance to build. La Paz, a short 48 miles from Ensenada de los Muertos, provides every service a cruising yacht might need, including great provisioning from several large grocery and big-box stores, local produce, meat, and fish markets, and a bi-weekly organic farmer’s market. You can anchor in the channel, or take advantage of the three principal marinas located along the La Paz waterfront. Marina Costa Baja is located at the entrance to La Paz channel and 4 miles from the city center, and has the only fuel dock available to yachts. Moorage at Costa Baja includes use of resort facilities including the fitness center, swimming pool, wireless internet, and crew lounge. Marina Palmira, about 2 miles from the channel entrance and the city center, offers a swimming pool and cruiser lounge, a restaurant, and several yacht-oriented businesses. Marina La Paz is located just a block from the beginning of the Malecon (waterfront walk) and in easy walking distance to grocery stores, ship chandleries, restaurants, and shops. Use La Paz as a Base to Explore the Sea of Cortez From La Paz there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy secluded anchorages, encounter amazing marine life, and explore historic towns and villages as you head north into the Sea of Cortez. Consider taking long-term moorage so you can fly down from San Diego or Tijuana and be within a few short hours of cruising paradise. With over 900 islands to explore, the possibilities of cruising in the Sea of Cortez are almost endless. We’d love to help you plan your perfect cruising itinerary or give you more information as you consider your holiday cruising plans. Just let us know what you need. And if you’ve made the trip down the Baja in your own Offshore and have experiences to share, drop us an email, send us your photos, and tell us your stories so we can feature them on the website.

October 22, 2019

Great Ideas for Celebrating Halloween in Style on Your Offshore Yacht

Great Ideas for Celebrating Halloween in Style on Your Offshore Yacht Let’s face it. Halloween brings out the kid in all of us. And if you’re lucky enough to belong to our exclusive Offshore family, we’ve got some great ideas to help you celebrate and entertain your inner kid this Halloween. At the dock… Marinas all over the country host dockside trick-or-treat parties for adults and kids alike. Make your Offshore the go-to favorite treat spot in your marina. Break out the creativity and go big with decorations. Look for strings of battery-operated, Halloween-themed LED lights, and string them everywhere to create the right spooky mood. Consider using them to light a path to your door, so the trick-or-treaters know exactly how to get their treats. Turn on your outdoor speakers, or invest in an inexpensive Bluetooth setup and broadcast spooky music, demented laughter, and fiendish screams. One clever yachtie we know spent a few days constructing giant spiders from foam, pool noodles, and coat hangers, then sprayed them all black and added cheap battery-powered googly eyes she found at the local craft store. Those spiders, some six feet in diameter, crawled up the side of her yacht from the waterline to the flybridge and impressed everyone! Think about making sea monsters, giant squid, or other scary creatures and giving them a dramatic, prominent place to haunt your Offshore. Rent a fog machine or use dry ice to create that spooky low-lying ground fog graveyard ambiance at your slip or on the deck. Carve jack-o-lanterns (better yet, host a party and carve lots of them!) and place them strategically on the boat and at your slip. Just don’t use traditional candles – strings of battery-powered LED lights or battery-powered candles will work just fine. Cover balloons with white shredded plastic garbage bags to make ghosts…or black shredded bags to make dementors…and hang them strategically to catch the wind and reflect the lights. Prepare unique “treats” for kids and adults. Now that you’ve made the Offshore a scary setting, bring on the treats. Set up a cooler or treat station with commercial candy (we know, but hey, it’s once a year for cryin’ out loud!) that includes chocolate, gummies, sweet, sour, gruesome, and everything in between. Check your local party store, supermarket, or Amazon to see what’s hot with the younger, candy-eating set. For the adults, consider offering a selection of scary hors d’oeuvres or snacks. A quick Google search yields up lots of great suggestions: shortbread cookies shaped as witch fingers, complete with “dirty” fingernails made from an almond slice and melted chocolate; mini-spiderweb pizzas decorated with black olive and pepperoni cut-out shapes; “mummy dogs,” hot dogs or cocktail franks wrapped and baked in strips of crescent roll dough and decorated with mustard-dot “eyes”; pretzel broomsticks, made with pretzel sticks and shredded phyllo dough. The possibilities are endless, and let your inner ghoul shine! Depending on where you live, offer a collection of cold – or hot — beverages like cider, punch, spiced tea, wine, and spirits. Country Living offers a staggering collection (no pun intended) of over 45 Halloween-inspired scary cocktails for the adults who come to call. Favorites include Black Magic or Candy Corn Jell-O Shots, Bloody Shirley Temples, or a creepy Eyeball Martini. Don’t forget the party accessories – tablecloths, napkins, paper plates and disposable bamboo or other eco-friendly (not plastic) tableware in Halloween themes or colors to match your décor. Get creative with your own costume. The ocean itself is mysterious and dark. And there are plenty of stories from real life and from literature that can get your creative juices flowing as you think of just the right costumes for yourself and your family. Think about mutinies, pirates, shipwrecks – both historical and literary. Think about fantasy creatures like kraken, mermaids, and the Loch Ness monster. Think about real sea creatures like sea urchins, sharks, or flying fish. Think about ships like the Andrea Dorea, the Love Boat,  or the Titanic – or even the Yellow Submarine. Think about lighthouse keepers, tugboat captains, oil rig workers, or deep-sea fishermen. Think about characters from Disney or SpongeBob SquarePants. There’s plenty of inspiration to help you come up with a unique and memorable nautical costume! Once you’ve settled on a character, browse the internet for inspiration about how to build that costume. Pinterest is a great place to start your search. Out at anchor… Get together with boats from your yacht club or other boating friends, and head out to an anchorage for a private Halloween raft-up, boat-to-boat trick-or-treat party, or beach potluck. Head out while there’s still daylight, pick your spot, and do your decorating once you’re secure at anchor. Set up a portable projector and screen up on the sun deck, and show old Vincent Price movies, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, or other campy movie favorites like Young Frankenstein or Little Shop of Horrors, or back-to-back episodes of The Walking Dead television series. It’ll keep the kids – both young and old – entertained, especially if there’s plenty of popcorn. If you’d rather keep the popcorn off the deck, dinghy everybody ashore with beach blankets and chairs, and string up a sheet between the trees to function as your outdoor movie screen. Get everybody out in their dinghies for cocktail hour and do a raft-up Halloween cocktail hour potluck. Bring your scary hors d’oeuvres, poison apple punch or blood orange margaritas, raft your dinghies together, and watch as the sun goes down and the moon comes up. Whatever you choose to do this Halloween on your Offshore Yacht, we’d love to see the evidence! Send us photo (or video) documentation of your decorations, your costumes, and your co-celebrants having a blast. It would be helpful if you could tag the photos with your name and your boat name and location, so we can give you proper photo credit on our website. And if you’d like more ideas about how to enjoy life aboard your Offshore Yacht, we’d love to help you out. Just give us a call or stop by the Newport Beach office to say hello.

offshore ELV model October 21, 2019

Why Buy an Offshore Yacht?

Why Buy an Offshore Yacht? “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor…Explore. Dream. Discover. ” Sarah Frances Brown If you’ve always dreamed of exploring the world and discovering the joys of life on the water, the right motor yacht is one of the best ways to make your dreams come true. And whether you dream of spending your retirement years exploring the world at large, taking an extended sabbatical to cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage or the Caribbean, or just getting away for the occasional weekend or short vacation, you can’t go wrong by choosing an Offshore Yacht to fulfill your dreams. We can think of lots of reasons to choose an Offshore. But then, we’re biased. We’ve been the exclusive North American distributors of Offshores for over twenty years, and we’ve managed the contracting, construction, and commissioning of well over 100 of them since 1996. Here are some of the best reasons to own an Offshore Yacht, backed up by testimonials gathered from decades of happy Offshore owners. Built for comfort, stability, and seaworthiness Over the last 50 years, Offshore Yachts have been designed and built to exacting standards of comfort, stability, and seaworthiness, with a focus on impeccable detail at every stage of the construction process. Whether you’re looking at a 54 Pilothouse, a Voyager 90, or any size between, all Offshore Yachts feature a relatively wide, finely veed and deep forefooted semi-displacement hull and a flared bow with precisely radiused spray chines. That means your William Crealock designed Offshore hull slices through the waves like a destroyer and produces an exceptionally dry ride with no pounding or slapping. A low profile, low center of gravity, and fixed weights at the center of buoyancy create a smooth, sea-kindly ride in virtually any sea condition and a stable, easy rest at anchor. Covered, walk around decks with high bulwarks and handrails provide safety and security for line handling in any weather. Internal lines drain the water from the boat deck to the waterline and eliminate runoff from the lower decks, making them safer in rough seas. And every internal area of the boat has two exits to enhance safety. When you choose an Offshore Yacht, you’re choosing one of the safest, most seaworthy of vessels that promise “the softest ride on the water.” Semi-customized for the way you want to cruise Each Offshore model features a standard layout as well as a long list of quality standard equipment and an allowance for interior design. But if you’d prefer different engines, generators, inverters, stabilizers, stern- and bow thrusters, or any other mechanical enhancements, we’ll work with you to build them into your Offshore. The same goes for navigation equipment and electronics: if you’d like to build in redundancy of chart plotters, depth sounders, radar receivers, helm stations, display screens, AIS systems, or any other aid, we’ll make it happen. On deck, we’ll help you design the space you need to stow and launch your tender, dinghy, jet skis, kayaks, or other water toys and sports equipment. We can help make your Offshore a fishing “machine,” by working in equipment storage, cleaning stations, bait wells, fighting chairs, or anything else you might need. And if your needs include a different stateroom configuration to accommodate family, guests, or crew, we can help you design the perfect solution. If you entertain frequently and need enhanced professional galley and bar equipment like a second oven or range, a wine cellar, additional on-deck cooking or serving stations, or a crew lounge and galley, just name it. We’re committed to delivering you the Offshore Yacht that perfectly expresses the way you want to cruise. Check out how some of our happy Offshore customers are exploring the world. Endless possibilities for exploration Where have you dreamed of going on your yacht? Do you want to cruise the Caribbean, transit the Panama Canal, cruise the Inside Passage to Alaska? Or do you dream of circumnavigating the British Isles, gunkholing in the Mediterranean, or venturing out to the countless islands in the Pacific? Or is poking around the Bahamas or California Channel Islands more your style? Your properly equipped Offshore offers an incredible range of possibilities, given its heavy, solid construction, emphasis on safety and seaworthiness, and ruthless attention to detail at every level in the design and construction process. Quality, integrity, service We treat our customers with honesty, integrity, and professionalism from their very first contact with us. Throughout the contracting, design, building, delivery, and commissioning of your new Offshore to the preparation, listing, and sale of your yacht when it’s time to upgrade, we value and treat our customers like family. When your Offshore is delivered, one of our commissioning captains will familiarize you with every single system onboard, working with you until you’re comfortable and confident to cast off the lines and follow your dreams. And should any problem or issue arise, the crew at Offshore West, Inc., and Offshore Yachts stand ready to help resolve them cheerfully, willingly, and quickly to get you on your way. Exceptional resale value Our customers love their Offshores. Carefully designed to unique customer specifications, Offshore Yachts are exceedingly safe and reliable, built to withstand the harshest of conditions and ride like a dream. Based on their exceptional quality and reputation, Offshore Yachts represent tremendous liquidity. That means that as an owner, you’ll have a built-in exit strategy and, therefore, a lower overall ownership investment. And  that’s why so many of our customers do business with us over and over again throughout their yachting lifetimes. Many of them are second- and third-time Offshore owners, satisfied that no other yacht comes close in terms of detail, quality, and value. You’re never alone. We’re here to help you choose and customize your own unique Offshore Yacht whenever you’re ready. For more 20 years, we’ve supervised the commissioning, construction, and delivery of more than 80% of all Offshore Yachts sold, more than any other brokerage worldwide. That gives us unparalleled knowledge, experience, and insight into Offshore Yachts. When you join the Offshore West family, you’re engaging with a committed partner to guide you through every step of your yacht ownership journey – from design and planning to delivery and commissioning. Every member of our crew is proud to be at your service. Contact Offshore West, Inc. at our Newport Beach, California head office, or, at our East Coast office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We’ll look forward to meeting and working with you.