Finally our Hanse 630 is ready, we took it over last week and sailed our first trip from Greifswald to Kalundborg (Denmark). There we loaded her on a cargo ship  and now she is on the way to Greece.

Our first impressions : few small problems couldn't destroy her image. She is a dream! She sails great : with 14-15 knots wind her speed from almost upwind to 140 degrees never falls below 10.5, usually over 11. The engine (Yanmar 110 PS) in small waves kept her speed over 10 without any effort (2400 RPM), we didn't press the engine more. We also tried the code 1 (North sails) for a few hours. Besides pushing the speed up by 2 knots nothing else happened. The pilot handled the sail alone like the self tacker.

I almost forgot : I had a serious accident, my arm got blocked between the steering wheel and the pedestal, while trying to throw a plastic bag in the sail organizer. A wave came and the pilot reacted so fast I didn't have time to take my arm away. I didn't break it but almost.

MMBW Nicole loaded on Spuigracht

By-By Greifswald

The Code 1

 

 

second, i hope your arm was so strong and the pilot not so weak.

 

Good luck with your new boat.

 

In germany we say:

 

immer eine Handbreit Wasser unter dem Kiel.

 

 

I already updated the post with pictures.

 

You are fast !!!!

 

 

 no comment

 

who recognizes the bridges ?

 

waiting to be lifted

Up we go!

Greifswald

next to Spuigracht, waiting to be lifted

on board

Waiting at Kalundborg for the cargo ship.

She looks great.

Hopfuly for you she arives in your country soon , so then you can sail her in your own area.

greetings Marcel

She (the boat) is a beauty. However it's a pity that you don't sail her home, alongs the coasts of Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK etcetera. Now we all have to come to Greece to see how she performs.

 

Sail safely!

Congratulations, she looks great.

Thank you for letting all of us in on your thoughts and experiences during the process.

All the best for futire sailing

 

Only, i hope your boat will be soon in greece - and - without any damage.

 

I am wondering, that your boat is only fixed (as i see on the fotos, may be i am wrong) on 4 bearings on the fotos on the cargoship. As far as i am informed, Hanse says that epoxy hulls should be supported on more than 4 points, better 6 or 8. That was the reason, why i did not order a epoxy hull because no harbour has something like this here.

Be aware of that, especially the wind will be while cruising on the cargoship very high. these cargos go by 20-25 kn + true wind. So if they go into a head wind with 25 kn (this is force 6), you will have a wind on deck of 50 kn !! This is like force 10.

Check your boat before it is lifted into water again

 

Good luck and a lot fun with your new boat.

 

She (the boat) looks amazing.

It has been really intersesting reading your comments etc from the start.

I am sure that both you and Nicole (wife) are thrilled to bits with the final product.

Enjoy your adventures - and more pictures please particually of the inside...

 

Sue

 

PS: hope the arm is ok

Congrats to you with your new "baby".

We like the hull colour matching the flag of Greece. In one of the pictures we notised that you have just passed the Great Belt Bridge. The vertical clearance for ships is 65 metres (213 ft) so we guess you did'nt face any problems there . At 254 metres (833 ft) above sea level, the two pylons of the Bridge are the highest points on solid structures in DK and with a free span of 1,624 metres (5,328 ft), making it the world's third- longest suspension bridge span, surpassed only by the Akashi-Kaiko Bridge in Japan and the Xihoumen Bridge in China. The complete contruction is 18 kilometers and connect the Danish island of Funen and Zealand - as you probably noticed. But an impressing sight anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Storeb%C3%A6ltsbroen_from_Sj%C3%A6lland.jpg">  A view from Zealand

/Steen & Anne   

Here are more photos:

 I just got one interior picture through.

 

Yes, we met shortly in Genova Boat Show. We also saw your boats final preparations and her departure and also met your crew in Greifswald. Hope to meet you in the Med.

 

MMBW Nicole is still on M/V Spuigracht, currently near Gibraltar expected to unload end of this week at Lavrion Greece. Then I will be able to post pictures from the interior.

 

fair winds,

 

leslie

I can not see if you have a bow prop (rejectable perhaps)

I can not imagine you sail this kind off yachts short handed without one, or are you such a perfect sailer you can do without?

I have a 370 and I dont have one but with a lot of side wind I somtimes realy mis it.

greetings Marcel

 

Hi,

 

Here is a list of extras that we ordered :

 

2 electric secondary winches AEST 54 (instead of manual ones)

carbon steering wheels

retractable mooring winch 24V/1000w

electrical deck wash pump in anchor locker

3 Tecma electric toilets and holding tanks in guest  cabins and owners cabin

Air conditioning 230V , 38000 BTU

Indel inox fridge in cockpit

3000w inverter

sound insulated PANDA 10.2 KW generator

Electric-hydraulic gangway retractable in transom

DESSALATOR watermaker Duo (24V/230V) 60lt/hour

SIMRAD electronic pack II (GB40 +autopilot+ VHF + Radar + instruments)

AIS SIMRAD transponder class B

Remote commander for SIMRAD

combi-antenna  (G3 phone+ VHF + TV + radio)

flat screen TV LCD retractable in saloon and owners cabin

dishwasher

washing machine in hostess cabin

Inner forestay with tensioner

Inox anchor chain instead of standard one

outside lights package (underwater + deck floor + mast)

GORI 3 blade prop (I have to check the dimensions)

surround Fifi system by BOSE

G3 - GSM antenna booster and INTERNET/mob. phone installation

gas leak alarm/fire alarm/intruder alarm/remote controlled gas valve

 

In a few weeks I will be able to comment about how good and helpful each selection was. During the delivery trip we had minor problems, most of them solved. For example the generator ,even though had been tested at Greifswald, wouldn't start and after a lot of trails Hanse sent a technician (within 12 hours of notice) and changed the leaky diesel filter. The boat is so complicated that if something doesn't work it is almost impossible to determine if you are doing something wrong or it really has a fault. One is for sure : The manual is not well written and doesn't help at all.

 

congrets from my side - thats a really fine boat and I love the colour...

 

I'm shure she will arrive greece in a proper way and you will have much fun on your boat in the med.

 

 

For those of you who want to watch a video about the delivery of a 630 watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQ_svSygi8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQ_svSygi8

 

Enjoy!

 

Thats a good video, but the 630 is a little bit great for the IJsselmeer or Zeeland.

 

Hi Panos,

 

Congratulations with your new yacht, looks fantastic.

 

Best regards

 

Rob

 

 

 

Report and pictures coming soon.

Currently enjoying perfect sailing in Greece.

 

Have you had an issue with the radio losing its data source and the GB40 as per my post under the 470 site?

 

regards

 

just saw your delivery fotos again. The shown code1 is from north as i think. What windrange (kn and windangle) are you able to sail with it? I am thinking about a code 1 for my 370...

Is it much better than a usual Gennaker, meaning going higher to the wind?

I am very Happy with my sails.

The code 1 I have tried from 60-65 degrees to about 140-160 and from 6-7 knots up to 16. The 630 is so fast that the apparent wind becomes close hauled in all the above range. Of course not possible to use it with 16 knots at 60-65 degrees- the boat is grossly overpowered. At 60-65 degrees I tried it up to 8-10 knots. The boat speed equals the wind speed minus one knot, and the boat is heeled!!! The boats around me were puzzled what was going on.They barely had wind to move and I was overpowered!!!

With 14-16 knots I sailed for hours in a ship lane (Ship separation zone).The wind was from 140-160.The boat speed reached up to 14.5 with the gusts and never dropping below 12. I was closing the motor ships in front and actually passed one of them. Very strange feeling!

The code 1 is on a separate furling luff and drum, and if hoisted correctly is very easy to use. Once ,I hoisted it the wrong side and the sail was passing under the furled genoa, and became impossible to furl it back again. I had to lower it the classic way. Luckily I had two strong crewmen with me, else shorthanded I would be in trouble. North suggest to hoist it and keep it up (furled) during all the vacation period, but with the electric winches it is extremely easy to hoist, so I keep it in its sack on the deck and hoist it when I need it. Then I keep it up until I reach the harbor.

 

60-65 ° is a very good angle.

 

I am waiting for the answer from North sails. But your response makes a good feeling about the code1

 

If you want to use the sail for 60 to 110 degrees mainly ,you can consider the code 2, which is flatter. On the contrary for sailing lower a code 0 is the best choice. The code 1 is the compromise inbetween.

Actually the name of these sails are G0,G1,G2,G3. They are cruising sails and are easier to set than their equivalent racing ones, also possibly they are faster, since their dimensions are not obliged to conform to the strict racing rules (IMS / ORCi etc).

 

The sail is extremely easy to trim. After you trim the sheet, you forget it.

I only had t constantly trim the main sheet to keep the heel of the boat under control, since she was constantly overpowered.

 

Like Panos - we find we are way overpowered trying to go to windward in anything more than say 9 knots.  But good to use when shorthanded and offwind in stronger breezes instead of a spinnaker.  Carried ours in over 20 knots.

 

 

Above shown when beating - what it is really designed for.  In picture 7 knots true wind = 7 knots boat speed.

 

Below shown used when reaching -

 

 

We trim ours using spinnaker sheet and guy to adjust position of clew and make furling easier.

 

In anything over 9 knots windspeed and going to windward, the genoa is faster and much easier to handle. 

 

Cheers

JOHN

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Joe.