2008 Pictures and information

Click on thumbnails to enlarge.

These pictures were all taken in July of 2008 at the marina in Italy, where Wellenlaufer is on the hard.

Trimaran for sale near Venice, Italy

Imagine having a liveaboard boat on the Adriatic near one of the world’s most romantic cities and within a few miles of Europe’s very affordable vacation land of the Croatian Islands.

Wellenlaufer is a 37 ft Crowther Tempest Trimaran built by a meticulous Austrian engineer in Vienna, Austria in the early 70’s.  It was successfully raced a bit before being outfitted as a fast cruiser.  She was built using the Austrian/German version of the cold molded ply construction (the West System in the US). This method uses several thin layers of epoxy coated hardwood applied at right angles to one another over a carefully fitted hardwood frame. The hulls were faired .  Finally a professional paint job was applied that needs nothing even now.  This results in an extremely durable, tremendously strong, virtually unsinkable structure that will take far nastier conditions than I want to experience.  With a generous sail plan, she romps like a thoroughbred in a good breeze.

She is in excellent condition.  It is hard to believe she is 30 years old with excellent sails on near new roller reefing and a strong Honda 9.9 hp 4-stroke that does not need oil added between changes. It starts and runs and sounds like new. She is complete and ready to use.  There is even a kerosene fueled fresh air $1000 marine furnace for those cold nights, a near new oversized windlass and all chain ground tackle, strong VHF with masthead antenna and built in GPS. She is due a bottom job, but I left that undone so the new owner could see how really sound she is.

The boat presently is in a small family oriented marina on the river Ausa only a mile or so from where it runs out of the Italian Alps.  Arrangements can be made to keep the boat in that marina or to move it. It is Austrian flagged at the moment so no VAT taxes apply.

 Some additional thoughts:

To everyone (North Americans in particular since they don’t often know about this area as most Europeans already do.). We really have something unique to offer you. This town is a step back in time. It is clean and friendly and safe. The kids smile and are friendly. It is lush and very beautiful. It is a lot like America of the 20’s and 30’s. (Except not run down and dusty as we were then) A simpler time of sitting on the stoop with an ice cream cone, watching the world go by (which we did last night). Even the street looks like a movie set with look-alike gas lights. Young and old on bikes share the streets with cars routinely. To date we have yet to see a pedestrian or bike entangled with a car although it took both of us awhile to get up our courage to try it.

Even our marina is laid back with trees and grass as was the river banks of my youth. Our river is full of fish (and the water is so clear you can see them) and birds with mamas bossing their chicks teaching them to fish for themselves.

It is typical for us to spend $30 (20 euro) for dinner for two including a full liter of some of the world’s best dinner wine and tip.

We are 15 minutes to Slovenia and Croatia, 45 minutes to Austria, 30 minutes to the Alps, 3-4 hours to Vienna, overnight and a couple hundred dollars for a stateroom by ferry to Greece, 10 minutes to the ancient Eastern Capital of the Roman Empire (and acres of an active archeological site).

Yes, we love the place. We promise to do our best to keep you in the marina if you want to stay here, including sharing our slip until you can get your own. Let us know your plans and we will try to work something out. We pay $2000 a year for our riverbank slip and $1500 to store on the hard. 

Janet is finally getting serious about picking up Italian and making good progress, but my old brain still has not taken it seriously (it will). This is not a tourist area at all yet I am amazed how little problem we have with language. Of course we now and then email an Italian friend in the USA with a question. It is always interesting to watch Jan teaching an Italian woman to use the machines at the laundromat. And it happens fairly often. 

Contact Information