MARLOW YACHTS

Marine Journals | Articles & Photos

With a fleet of yachts as exciting and innovative as the Marlow Explorers, it is no wonder that there is a large collection of Magazine articles featuring these fine yachts. Read some excerpts and then check the publication on-line or contact Marlow Yachts for a reprint of the article.

2011

October 2011 • BoatTEST.com • The new Marlow 97 E (for "Euro") was introduced last winter at the Miami Boat Show and is the largest boat built so far by Marlow Yachts. We have seen many motoryachts this size and it is for that reason that we think the Marlow 97E will be a new benchmark for affluent cruising yachtsmen who want a motoryacht, but also want to go most anywhere in it.

Read the entire article and test results by clicking on the link below.

http://www.boattest.com/Partners/Partner-Main.aspx?lp_id=3211624&t=BOAT-TEST&Videoid=2619&p=3&s=

October 2011 • Southern Boating • It's not Magic - It's a Marlow • by Chris Caswell with photos by Billy Black  (see cover photo above)• It was fitting that the debut of the Marlow 97E should have been at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show, because that is where David Marlow first dipped his toes into the boating arena with a 65 footer just 10 years ago. In these few years, Marlow Yachts has not just established itself as a as a world-class builder of cruising yachts, but the company has raised the bar for the industry in many areas of design  and construction, as well as for its ecologically "green" conscience.

The Marlow 97 shown on these pages is actually Hull #2 and, as such, is a significant departure from the first yacht. I have to admit that I loved the first 97, with its huge on-deck master suite where most builders put the pilothouse, and I enjoyed the enclosed skylounge that doubles as the pilothouse. Being able to step on deck directly from the owner’s suite, or soak in a hand-carved marble bathtub while looking out at the world, is hedonism usually reserved for the yachts of Russian oligarchs.

But then I saw Hull #2 and, once again, it was love at first sight. Step into the saloon and the vista sweeps all the way to the very bow without a bulkhead. And the owner’s suite is a private getaway spanning the full beam in the very center of the yacht for the least motion. The bridge? Protected by a fiberglass hardtop but wide open from the helm to a boat deck large enough for a fleet of water toys… or perhaps it was designed to host Dancing with the Stars.

Good-looking and built to exceedingly high standards, the Marlow 97E enjoys the kind of performance that is only a dream to most builders. Whether you’re looking for a long-range cruiser, a weekender for family and friends or a liveaboard yacht, put the Marlow 97E on your short list. For his first entry into the Century Club of yachts, David Marlow has done it with his usual élan.

To read the entire article and see the many photos click on this link:   http://southernboating.com/blog/2011/10/04/new-boat-marlow-97e/

September 28, 2011 • BoatTest.com • A web-based Newsletter reviewing yachts and marine items features the largest Marlow Explorer to date, the 97E. Click on the link to see this review and join for future newsletters.

www.boattest.com Marlow97

June 2011 •  PassageMaker • Marlow Explorer 57E • by Chris Caswell with photos by Billy Black • Like all Marlow yachts, the 57E has benefited from David Marlow’s constant tinkering. After building 32 of the Marlow 53-57’s, David just had to start fiddling. The first result was a reduction in drag by making subtle changes in the hull design. Next he made the prop pockets more efficient allowing a drop in the reduction gearing from 2.5:1 to 2:1. The size of the props for the engines in this boat provide a good balance between economy and performance.

At one point, we were moseying along at 8.6 knots and 900 rpm using just 4gph. Total! Pull the throttles of the Cat C18’s back to 700 rpm, and you are sliding along a just a freckle under 7 knots. While consuming a gallon per hour. Uno. Eins. One. At that rate, it would take a cruise of 9,642nm to empty the standard tanks.

This Marlow 57E can hustle along at just under 30knots. At higher cruising speeds, I found she has a sweet spot around 2000-2100 rpm, giving her speeds in the 23-25 knot range using just 70 percent power for long engine life.

The fact remains that this well-found craft offers speed when you need it, economy across a wide performance range, and the reliability and comfort you’d expect in a luxury cruising yacht.
 

Click on this link for a video of the 57E http://www.youtube.com/user/marlowsales?feature=mhum#p/a/f/0/Eo6AwosN-4Q

April 2011 • Showboats International • Irish Rover by Marilyn Mower with photos by Scott Pearson • It has been 10 years since Marlow Yachts debuted at the Miami Boat show. This year, the yard introduced the 97E, its first yacht with an overall length of 100 feet. A series of deliberate steps brought David Marlow to this moment.

“I was approached a number of years ago by a customer who really wanted me to build him a hundred-foot Explorer, but I wasn’t ready, and I told him I wouldn’t take his money just to experiment,” says Marlow. “We had a lot of things to learn to do first.” Two things were chief on that list: Improving hull efficiency and improving composite construction. Going farther and faster on less fuel is his end game.
His design doodles, equations, and experiments to develop the twin keel concept fill volumes but boils down to this: The strut keels exit the underbody of the hull in line with the engines aft of amidships at about the point at which the deadrise begins to morph into tunnels. The keels, a NACA foil shape, work like feathers on an arrow directing the flow of water. They aid in tracking, create lift in the after section when the yacht heels, dampen pitch, flatten the stern wave, and reduce parasitic drag by enclosing the rotating propeller shaft for most of its length. They also protect the propellers from debris and groundings.

In 2009 Marlow Yachts won an NMMA Innovation Award for its Full Stack Infusion-a proprietary lamination process where the entire hull is infused with resin in one hour. The magic occurs inside a fully enclosed mold using extreme vacuum. Infusion saves time (the traditional lay-up method took 36 days for a 78 footer), and 3 barrels of resin (translate: weight!)

The final part of making sure he was ready for a 100 footer was to achieve certification by ABS, Lloyds Register (A Ocean Class), ISO 9001 and, finally, Bureau Veitas unrestricted navigation.
David Marlow’s search for optimal solutions-and the fact that he incentivizes his yard workers to innovate-is revealed in detail upon detail; a hundred little links in the chain that have led, on this day, to Irish Rover.

January 2011 • Southern Boating • Stem to Stern -Marlow's Big Boat - Times Two • David Marlow, Chairman of Marlow Yachts, is quite a prolific thinker, and most of the time he's thinking about his yachts and how to build them better. It pays off - each time he launches a new model, it is always fresh and innovative. David's latest launch, the Marlow 97E, is his biggest yacht yet and it doesn't disappoint. The second 97E is on it's way to the US and will feature an open bridge with a hardtop while the one here has an enclosed command bridge.

2010

May 2010 • Power & Motoryacht • The Next Generation-Companies that are leading the recovery • Marlow Yachts is positioned for phenomenal growth of brand awareness and value in 2010 with the introduction of three new models. In February, Marlow introduced the latest Prowler design in the Havana Series, setting new standards in center console sportfishermen with the capability to reach Mexico from Florida nonstop. Marlow Yachts' new line of semidisplacement Voyager models can venture farther, faster and with lower fuel consumption while providing a more stable and comfortable ride compared to any full-displacement cruiser of similar size. In October of 2010, Marlow Yachts will introduce its largest craft to date, 97' LOA. This exciting yacht is able to reach speeds of near 30 knots with C-32 Caterpillars, a feat no yach tof her size has accomplished.

www.powerandmotoryacht.com/marlow

May 2010 • SeaMagazine • A New Yacht, A new Challenge • David Marlow had a plan. He wanted to build a long-range yacht that could cross any ocean without refueling, but had to make the crossing at faster speeds than conventional long-range yachts, and it had to keep its occupants comfortable. The end result of years of shipbuilding and refinement is the Marlow Voyager 76LR, which debuted at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2010.

Marlow is so confident in his latest vessel that he has concocted a contest, dubbed the Ocean Challenge. Marlow has asked his fellow builders to put their longest range cruisers in the water at West Palm Beach, FL, this summer and race to Reykjavik, Iceland- a distance of roughly 3,900 miles- using only the fuel in the yachts standard tanks.

He sees it as a harkening back to the days when yachtsmen engaged in such competitions on a regular basis. Plus, he really likes being on the water. Click on the link below for the complete article.

SeaMagazine.com

The Ocean Challenge

March/April 2010 • Ocean (Australia) • Marlow Declares War with new Voyager • Marlow Yachts launched the Voyager 76LR motor yacht at the Miami Boat Show while also launching an aggressive promotional campaign against the makers of full-displacement motor yachts. According to Marlow, the Voyager series has the ability to cross any ocean nonstop at speeds claimed to be 30 percent greater than today's round bottom passagemakers. "Full displacement shapes are not the most economical or seaworthy shapes available, as this new range will go where they cannot go in comfort, economy and safety they cannot achieve while exhibiting a style far beyond the high, boxy and cumbersome shapes often seen". Marlow said today's passagemakers typically rely on grossly oversized stabilizers, iron ballast and excessive draft to counter their very high centers of gravity, rendering many of the world's most exotic ports, coves and harbours out of the question. Their typically slow speeds limit daylight passages to 50-70 miles.

In an invitation specifically singling out Grand Banks, Fleming, Nordhavn, Selene, Ocean Alexander, Out Island, Outer Reef, Krogan and Offshore Yachts, Marlow dared them to join him in a 3,900 mile offshore odyssey from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Reykjavik, Iceland., to let the "jury of the sea" decide which boat is the fastest and most economical for long range cruising. (see The Marlow Challenge for more information)
 

February 2010 • Sea Magazine • by Capt. Tom Serio Marlow Explorer 72 A Practical Cruiser with Down Home Beauty • When you look at a Marlow Yacht, and in this case the Marlow Explorer 72, you get the distinct sense that not only has David Marlow built a beautiful, practical yacht but he's done his homework. The eye-catching simulated lapstrake hull (reminiscent of days gone by) and the down-home styling of this yacht aren't often seen today. But under all the beauty is solid design and engineering.

For the complete article and photo gallery, click on the link www.seamagazine.com/marlow

2009

November 2009 • Southern Boating • Marlow's Bold Venture • We are used to Marlow Yachts showing up at boat shows with a new wrinkle or two, now it seems the builder is reinventing the genre in one large step and simultaneously throwing down the gauntlet.

In 2010 Marlow Yachts will introduce a series of yachts that David Marlow says will render heavy displacement cruisers obsolete. At February's Miami Boat Show, Marlow will introduce a Voyager 76LR that the builder says has the ability to cross any ocean nonstop at speeds 30 percent greater than today's round-bottom, full displacement vessels. The new Voyagers will be built to "Unlimited Navigation" classification and have the ability to cruise non-stop from West Palm Beach to Gibraltar or San Diego to the Line Islands at "speeds not attainable by any other power yacht on earth today under 120 feet", says David. Following his formula, the same cruisers wanting to make daylight passages only will be able to run 100 to 140 miles before dark. The 76's overall height is 15 to 25 percent lower than the current crop of offshore cruisers. Part of the innovation is new underwater profile and part is the adaptation of water ballast technology.

July 2009 • Southern Boating • The Real Miz Scarlett by Marilyn Mower • (This article is not only about the new Marlow 78 but about her feisty owner, our own steel magnolia, Mary Ann Bonsey) Mary Ann's first Marlow was a brokerage Marlow 70 which she bought as soon as she saw it- even before consulting her banker or lawyer! She is now the proud owner of a new Marlow 78 which she built with a layout perfect for her lifestyle. She likes to dine out hence a large desk and office area in lieu of a dinning room table; she prefers dock-hopping rather than anchoring out hence the four-wheeled tender - a painted-to-match Smart Car convertible! Marlow create a carbon fiber and stainless steel platform for the car with a bridle to lift it off and on using the deck crane. Carbon fiber box beams were designed and built into the deck to distribute the weight of the car and crane avoiding external supports. The upper deck has a large sit down bar for eight bracketed by misters for cooling. There is nothing shy and retiring about either of these Southern Belles!

The Real Miz Scarlett

July 2009 • Power & Motoryacht • by Capt. Bill Pike   How does a Solar Boat Perform? While ourMark II 70E's speeds were approximately the same as those we've measured for similar models with the same 1,001-bhp Caterpillar C18 ACERT twin diesel power-plants, she was generally more fuel-efficient and quieter (sound levels were recorded at the lower helm station) and posted significantly higher range numbers, most likely due to her relatively light-weight, high-tech construction and efficient hull form. Moreover, the 70 tracked like a train (thanks to a partial keel as well as Marlow's prop-and-propshaft-protecting strut keels), even in the Manatee River (where we did our speed runs), despite the fact that soundings of 12 and 16 feet predominate.

The solar array itself is an optional addendum rendered almost invisible by its low-profile location on the hardtop. Each beefy aluminum-framed panel in the eight panel array is roughly 3'x5', mechanically interlinked with the others, and capable of an approximate 175-watt maximum output for roughly 1,500 watts, well over the 1,400 watts the 70 typically consumes while underway, according to Marlow.

For the complete review, test and photos please go to http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/marlow

 March 2009 • Go Boating (Australia) • Cover Photo of Marlow Explorer 65C • Cruising Heavyweights • A review of the three dominant brands of passagemaking yachts in Australia including the Marlow Explorer 65. This article sets out the similarities and differences in the three brands with lots of detail, photos and examples.

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January 2009 • A story of David Marlow's round trip from Florida to Nova Scotia in a 72E Long Range cruiser •

Northbound Voyage of the REBEL YELL:

The location I am writing this article from requires much more than a simple boat, as the water depth beneath me to the Cape Hatteras canyon floor is more than two miles. I am on a heading of 41 degrees magnetic, about 250 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras Light en route to Nantucket Shoals, some 600 miles ahead. It is the fifth day of this non-stop passage, with about 1200 miles in our wake thus far. The last land sighted was Mantanilla Shoals, a small barren sandbar about one hundred miles northeast of Fort Lauderdale as we exited the Florida Straits almost four days ago. We have just passed through the worst of a very large, severe weather system that formed along the eastern side of the mountain ranges of North Carolina on Saturday.It continued building into an intense low pressure system that swept across eastern North Carolina wreaking havoc before emerging into the Atlantic around Hatteras Inlet, then building in strength and pyrotechnics over the warm Gulf Stream waters. Around midnight we found the most breeze of the trip in this spectacular cold front moving off North Carolina. Resembling a classic Northeaster minus a winter storm's ferocity, we saw about 45 knots of breeze for around two hours. During this period, no one aboard had ever seen such a display of lightning, our world was similar to living in a disco at full crank. The rain fell for several hours, with more than three hours of it at a volume that would sound like a fib if I said it so I will pass. Suffice to say it was heavy enough to make the top of very large waves much like the worn round top mountains of eastern Maine. Only a moderate sea existed on top of the reasonable sized ocean swells, despite a wind of around forty knots, finally settling to about 25 for the next twenty four hours. By the time it found us last evening its arrival was long foretold by continual shipping warning forecasts, Coast Guard broadcasts, severe weather statements and a late night sky full of lightning and thunder. Though 46 knots of breeze is not a hurricane, it is more than enough to cause one to batten down and hope that the vessel under their feet is truly seaworthy. Since I am now writing this in brilliant sunlight it bears witness to the fact that REBEL YELL is up to the task of going to sea, good weather and bad. Though thousands of lightning bolts pierced the darkness, striking all around us for several hours, none found their way to our antennas or other electronics. Pretty advertising photos and marketing materials do nothing out here.

In the region of the eastern and upper Florida Straits I had found a very hot plume of northward flowing water along the vertical canyon wall and we took full advantage of its push towards our destination. The worst thing I can find so far is the loss of that hot plume of water that provided a free ride, our own version of the Nantucket Sleigh Ride

As we proceeded northward from the Florida Straits into the Sargasso Sea the breeze had freshened to about 20 knots, with occasional 22-23 knots and a few higher puffs. The ocean swells were closer than I would have liked due to the opposing wind against the stream but the ride was decent. The wing doors aft sold every man aboard on their value, as the back deck was a pleasant place to watch the seas and the new moon joining us, the ocean swells lifting us and dropping us, a cousin close behind to do the same, each changing the arrangements of diamonds on the sea surface. The hammock strung from the aft deck overhead was a comfortable place to be regardless of the breeze.

I had originally planned to stop in Bermuda for a time but overstayed my time on my last trip to China, catching a wicked bug that threatened to keep me ashore. The lure of a few weeks at sea was far stronger and I arrived back just in time to load a bit of gear and leave around Sundown Tuesday evening, July 29 for Nantucket, roughly 1800 miles distant. I had flown to Bermuda for a few days in early July to make arrangements at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, hoping to find time to burn a few days with my toes in the pink sands while on my way north to Nantucket. But the best laid plans of mice and men, so often go astray, to paraphrase an earlier soothsayer. Perhaps on the trip South, I can squeeze in a visit to Hamilton Harbor, one of my favorites. Since it is mid hurricane season weather may prevent a visit on this voyage, but hope springs eternal in those with imagination and a bit of pluck.

Though I welcomed the boost of the Gulf Stream, I have raced ocean racing sailboats enough to know that all good things come to an end. During my trip to Asia just prior to flying home to attend the Nantucket Rendezvous I had succumbed to the siren song of a new chart plotter system that did it all, if one just knew how. My main interest was a purported real time satellite view of the Gulf Stream warmth and currents. I wanted to know, if intelligent mariners were present just how much one could expect from Mother Nature in way of freebies in the form of a favorable current offshore. Over the next 36 hours, the transparency of marketing versus reality in products came into focus, with the vaunted system telling me what had happened a few days ago, displaying historical data instead of real time. Or at least that is my story for why I found myself at the eastbound end of a Fleur de Lis that had I chosen to see its branch ending would have brought me all the way back to about Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, several hundred miles behind us. If I had continued to follow that enticing free ride, we would have turned almost east about 150 miles South of Bermuda and ultimately nearly due south as the meander played out to join the colder waters of the north Atlantic.

For about 30 hours we paid the bill, with our new heading now pointed a bit north of Delaware Bay’s mouth in an attempt to find another of the hot plumes with northbound currents. During this time the speed was about one knot below normal, or in this case about 13% with a similarly increased fuel burn rate due to the Southerly flowing counter current. Eventually, about two hundred miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, I found a nice little one knot boost that lasted for 30 plus hours and the mood aboard ship was improved. Despite the occasional sloppy weather we enjoyed full dinners and food aplenty for the entire trip with lots of pasta dishes and healthy stuff to try and guide a bunch of guys who could degenerate into Cape Cod potato chip gourmets overnight.

We saw virtually no shipping traffic other than at choke points, as most were trying to avoid what we were looking for. When they were present it was duck soup to identify them with MARPA and track them, having benefit of a continuously updated speed, position and closest point of approach data at our fingertips.

By this point in our voyage, the new moon had grown to where each evening, just past sundown we were treated to a lovely western sky as the moon set not long after sunset. A ritual of the crew was to lie in the hammock strung across the rear deck and sway with the ocean’s movements while the sun or moon went to Asia for the night. Each sunrise was different, some a burst of light, others a muted display of rose, orange and pink, with a perfect yellow at a certain moment. None were disappointing watching them rise a good bit earlier each day as we proceeded north.

Around me the sea is a blue that surely deserves the description of Cobalt Blue, and there are flying fish by the dozens sailing downwind away from this momentary interruption in their domain, the miles clicking off one by one, our wake soon absorbed into trackless sea that surrounds us.

Long streaks of golden sunlight shine pathways among the deep swells passing under us, causing prisms of hued light that my vocabulary cannot hope to convey. Dragging a long hand line, with a flying fish found on deck at the other end, a hook artfully hidden in its underbelly may produce the belly meat of a yellowfin or other tuna soaking in lime juice with jalapenos, red and green peppers, celery, possibly a touch of Tabasco soon. And as the first stars rise from the deep blue to the east, the aroma of the rest of the gift from Neptune seared to perfection on the aft deck grill ready to compliment a cold glass of wine. Perhaps I have died and gone to heaven, only to awaken soon and pay the piper. For now, I am going to contemplate all that has been, all that I know is and some that could have been or may be yet.

On day seven we entered the South end of Block Canyon, turning on our fancy bottom topography software to find and ride north along the vertical wall that forms its west bank. Rising from around 10,000 feet to ten percent of that over a small area, the small boost from the northward flowing current was welcomed. In this area we saw a fair number of commercial boats, from sword fishermen to tuna boys. As darkness fell, many headed east towards Montauk, leaving the diehards or multi day workboats to labor through the night.

As each watch ends, it is not unusual for a crew member, usually the new watch, to visit the engine room, donning earmuffs to cancel the C-18s lovely rumble. As predictably as rain, the remarks afterwards were about how happy the Cats were and how frugal they were at 1000-1050 with just one pound of turbocharger boost. Winthrop, being the most derelict of the three of us, began to lobby for Iceland as our final destination with gusto; "She’s just a few degrees to starboard", "why matey", he said more than once while adopting a pirates linguistics, "theys people up there that have never seen a yacht like this, and "cartain fer sure they have never seen three finer looking sailors needin a sauna bath with a brisk rubdown and a tot of rum".

How could I disagree with such logic?

Duty called however and at 04:00 we closed with Wasque Shoals South of Chappaquiddick entering Muskeget Channel. A dragger bound South signaled us, telling us we looked decent after seven plus wonderful days at sea. Thirty eight miles to the east lay Brant Point Lighthouse, marking Nantucket Harbor, where we would drop Bruce in the mud and sand, wash her down and pour a shot of something to keep the belly bacteria at bay.

As we neared Nantucket Harbor, a familiar voice on the VHF called to us, welcoming us to the anchorage. Wayne Turnbull, Jason and his brother had just arrived from Norfolk on an impressive non-stop performance offshore on their 78’ Marlow ST SOMEWHERE. Wayne is perhaps the most well traveled Marlow Explorer owner, voyaging offshore almost continuously from Trinidad to the Bay of Fundy, as he did on his previous Marlow, a 70E.

After a final inspection and wash down while calculating that we had almost enough fuel left on board to retrace our steps, I noticed my shipmates looking toward the lights coming on in Nantucket town. My Asian illness tolerable, it was not difficult to convince me to launch the Marlow Sprite tender for our taxi to civilization and a Nantucket Karaoke session was not out of the question. And that, my comrades of the sea, is a story for another time.

After winding up the celebration at Nantucket and bidding goodbye to all, I made REBEL YELL ready for sea again. Since we had just traveled around 1800 nautical miles offshore non-stop, there was not a great amount to do beyond last minute checks and stowage of miscellaneous gear. Two of us were aboard for this leg so watches would be a little longer than the trip from Florida. I had checked the weather forecast, curious about the reported flight delays from guests leaving the island including one customer who had chartered a jet to Nassau, Bahamas. The reports were that the weather to the west of us, in New York State and western Massachusetts was terrible, causing flight delays and stacking of aircraft in the corridors around New York-Newark area. On Nantucket the breeze was as forecast via NOAA weather on the VHF radio; about 5-8 knots southeast and a 3-4’ sea expected off Nantucket Shoals, some 35 miles east of our position.

Our initial destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia for a day or so, to complete a 2175 mile open sea voyage without refueling, hopefully averaging around 9+ knots. On board fuel was not an issue for the 400 or so miles to reach Halifax.

Rebel Yell had been showing off to us in her long range capability at much higher speeds than one could expect from a pure displacement trawler. At the same time the ride had been superb due to the firmer bilges and flatter buttocks lines we originally designed into her. Thus far she was burning a bit less than nine gallons of fuel an hour including the 25 KW generator, while delivering an average speed of well over 9 knots. Had we been willing to slow to 8.2 knots, this fuel efficiency would have increased about 20%.

As we made the turn at the entrance to Nantucket Shoals, there was a fair swell running under the port side bow, though the wind was as called for, about 6-10 knots with a 3-5’ sea running on top of the swells. Nantucket Shoals is a vast area of dangerous shoals that cause large ships and deep draft vessels to pay attention or go aground. The shoals are littered with wreckage from groundings and from foundering as well, for when the breeze is up in a Northeaster, it is a wicked place to be, the seas breaking in 20-35’ of water depth as it rises from the ocean depths. That is understandable, as Iceland is the point of land from which the fetch of the sea builds from. Suffice to say it is able to make good seamen tighten up a bit.

Proceeding on a northeasterly course in an attempt to eke out just a little more from a plume of warm water flowing Northward towards Cape Sable, we noted the wind slowly rising, the temperature slowly dropping and the seas slowly building. The last point for checking the weather via VHF would be as we passed well eastward of Provincetown light, on which there is a very tall VHF antenna. Once past there, the next bulletins would be issued when we came within range of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, To our port side lay the vast bay of Fundy, where up to 52 foot tides sweep in and out four times every day. At the head of the "bay", some 600 miles north lies St John, New Brunswick. At the opening, some 270 miles north of our position is Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Eastport, Maine lies about 520 miles in a north westerly direction.

As the evening fell, the wind had piped up to around twenty knots and was clocking, in a familiar pattern exhibited by an early fall Northeaster. The seas had built to around six feet or a bit more with an occasional rogue coming by to make REBEL YELL stamp her feet when it slapped the port bow. By full darkness the wind was around 22 knots with higher puffs and occasional rain. The wind direction was now just starboard of our bow, clocking towards the Northeast. We crossed the Boston to Europe shipping separation lanes without incident, seeing only one large ship bound for Scotland. There was a decent swell under the wind-blown sea.

Around nine p.m. I decided to locate my passport after inquiring to be sure my shipmate Win Yerkes had his aboard and to my dismay found that mine was not aboard, having been safely secured in another area, some 2000 miles Southeast of me. After a brief consideration of the likelihood of talking Canadian Customs into clearing us without a giant hassle, and possibly an even larger one when re-entering Homeland Security, I reluctantly plotted a new course for at least a bit of adventure, feeling a little down that we would not photograph REBEL YELL along Front Street in Halifax before turning for Orcutt Harbor, Maine, some 450 miles apart.

I have long wanted to visit a small rock bound island located well off the coast of Maine in the Bay of Fundy. I had heard tales of its stark beauty from an artist who lived there for a time, taking sustenance and motivation to paint from its bare and rocky landscape accompanied by surrounding seas that roar for several months per year. Its name is translated as "The Far Away Place" in the Penobscot Indian language. Its name is Matinicus Rock and only about eighty hard people live there permanently in clapboard houses anchored by steel pins to the barren granite landscape. There is no store, no roads, and no coffee shop. A person must be happy in their own skin to live there. There are about fifteen to twenty people who do not work in the traditional field of lobstering or commercial fishing. These few are artists, writers or perhaps souls in need of a break from humanity as one might find it on the mainland. My pulse quickened a step as I thought of the adventure of crossing one more place off my list, which is still far too long to accomplish unless I can find a miracle. A course alteration of around eighteen degrees, when the strong incoming tide was factored would take us to Matinicus Rock, where in theory a reliable light would guide us through an area of granite shoals that no mistakes are permissible.

The pilot charts, Ocean Passages for the World and other sources of information on remote locations describe it reasonably well, giving mariners warning of the outlying and surrounding dangers, while also warning that the residents of Matinicus feel no obligation to be friendly to visitors or for that matter give you the time of day. They also refer to their great seafaring tradition, mentioning in so many words that a sailor in distress could be in worse places if help was truly needed. The implication was that the islanders have lived and learned in an often times hostile environment that takes few prisoners to care for.

During the night, visibility deteriorated to under 400 yards, with heavy fog at times, near constant rain and winds of about 25 knots. They sea was not especially large and the enclosed bridge a wonderful and cozy environment as we averaged about 9.5 knots across the bottom. Around 02:30 a large and very fast ship being carefully tracked on both radars altered course to port, immediately signaling our RADAR plotting aid that the closest point of approach was a big problem, varying from an optimistic 100 yards to zero. Neither was an acceptable interval for two vessels closing at speeds of over 35 knots so we altered course to starboard to pass well behind the very large and fast target growing rapidly on the screen. For reasons unknown to me, the ship also altered course so as to pass only about 300 yards to my port side. A further move to starboard by me brought a tandem move by the helmsman on board the mystery ship. Standing by to open the throttles while reversing course when a preset guard zone distance was penetrated, I watched the courses converge rapidly with no visual sighting. My best calculation showed the ship would pass only 300 yards to port of me if no further course alteration was taken. All deck lights and both searchlights were illuminated in case the ships RADAR was inoperable, though I could not imagine such high speed operation in essentially zero visibility.

Onward the target came, maintaining approximately the same heading until her lights became visible through the thick sea fog and light rain. Ultimately passing some four hundred yards South of us, with only a few dim deck lights I could not determine what she was or her intended destination, having altered course several times to avoid such close encounters. After passing roughly abeam of us at four hundred yards, she made a ninety degree course alteration to starboard, showing me her stern lights and ranges indicating a large seagoing vessel. My assumption is that she was military, as soon her speed increased to around thirty knots on a course of almost due South.

We saw no more traffic, though fog, rain and sea conditions may have obstructed modest sized vessels from our view. Soon a faint echo of Matinicus Rock, where the reliable light was purported to be began to echo on the long range RADAR. At 04:00 we stood off the entrance to Matinicus Harbor in a sobering gray pre dawn light punctuated by the sounds of breakers to port and starboard where the chart called out names like Hogshead rock and so forth. The Ocean Passages manual describes Matinicus Harbor as a very small harbor of refuge in foul weather, the exception being when the wind is in the Northeasterly quadrant. Precisely where the 25-28 knots of breeze we felt resided at that point.

After standing off and observing a decent echo of what appeared to be the harbor entrance on both RADAR units and hearing a faint bell to starboard, where it should be, I lit both searchlights and eased ahead with just enough steerageway to keep good control in the following seas entering the harbor, hoping the foul predawn would keep any commercial fishermen in bed or at least in port a bit longer. In an attempt to identify the bell, my course was drawn to bring us close aboard in hopes of identifying it precisely. Sure enough, we drew abeam of it, clanging loudly in the somewhat boisterous channel to the harbor and verifying we were indeed on course.

Matinicus suffers no fools for long, with a harbor only about 150 yards wide and 400 yards long. The central part is open to the Northeast and once inside a decision must be made and acted upon to turn to starboard, or to port. Failure to do so will engage the bow pulpit with a one mile long and eighty feet high chunk of granite there since the earth cooled. A yacht or ship will meet an awful fate should she be swept against the headland when any sea is running. As if to point out how risky it was to be there in the center a fine looking yawl of around 60 feet in length had all her chain and anchors out towards the entrance, her stern only about 100 feet from the granite headland. The hapless yachtsmen on board had apparently entered the harbor before the wind built and shifted to a dangerous quadrant during the night. It was not a pretty sight as fairly often the anchors would hold her bow down and a sea would sweep her decks back to the dodger before running back over the coamings. I took special care to bring REBEL YELL to starboard, hoping to find a place a bit more protected, though the growing light did not show much.

While standing off the headland, holding my position and surveying, I noted a small boat being launched from a low spot along the headland with two thoroughly soaked men clambering aboard, first rowing to get clear and then starting a Yamaha outboard. My shipmate Win remarked that they must have some sort of emergency, as no one in their right mind would choose to go boating, especially in such a small craft under the conditions.

The small boat assumed a course for us, with the visibility improving enough to see the bowman waving to us to come to his position. After observing what was obviously excellent seamanship handling the small vessel I began a slow, in place turn to point my bow at them. As I approached, they gestured to follow them towards the opposite end of the harbor, once again crossing the open roadstead where the pitching and diving yawl was anchored tenaciously to what surely was a rocky bottom.

The course took us to the very Southwestern end of the harbor, roughly 50 yards South of the open mouthed entrance. Upon arrival the bowman on board the small craft alternated between bailing the small boat furiously, to pointing at what appeared to be a lobster pot float on our bow. Placing the small boat inside a tiny crevice in the rock behind the rough opening, he gestured for us to pick it up, indicating it was a mooring line attached to something on the bottom. After two passes in difficult conditions it became obvious that Win could not retrieve the small pot alone and I could not risk bringing the stern close enough to allow him closer access, for fear of fouling the propellers; a disaster in waiting for certain.

In a heroic act of seamanship, the helmsman of the small boat steered to where the bowman could grab the pot buoy and pull it inside the boat with him, revealing a short piece of ¾" pennant attached to an object unknown. I could not see him, his mate or their vessel when closer than about twenty five feet due to the height of the bow on REBEL YELL but as is often the case a good dose of my Irish luck was handed to me, as I saw Win reach far outward to grasp the pennant and pull it through the hawse pipe. With some difficulty he made it fast to the bow cleat and I let REBEL YELL settle back against the line to test its strength. Finding it firmly attached to some stout object, I walked out on the boat deck to survey how close we could swing to a very large granite headland marking the Southeasterly edge of the harbor entrance. I descended the ladder to the cockpit to find two grinning Matinicus Rockhounds, thoroughly soaked, now seated in a half awash boat taking a bit of refuge from our windward position compared to them. As we spoke, introducing ourselves to Joshua and Lucas Black, they noted that if we could get a long stern line to another buoy about fifty feet away we could warp her stern around into what was a comparative lee. All for it, we strung together a couple of one inch dock lines, passing them to Joshua in the bow. In a couple of minutes he had made the bitter end fast and the stern thruster moved the stern into a fine position to relax a bit.

Coming close aboard in their now half filled boat, Joshua bailing to keep ahead, I invited them aboard for some breakfast and coffee. Lucas declined, with Joshua issuing a forlorn look, saying the missus had it all prepared for them by now up the hill. Refusing to take money, they made a salutary circle around REBEL YELL, pronouncing her as they came by the stern again, the purtiest thing to ever visit their rock.

Last night, with a snoot full of good rum in me I lay on the deck of REBEL YELL and looked up at the far northern sky. The stars on a clear night there are indescribable, with all the polar stars clearly seen. The atmosphere is so clear there appears to be ten times the number that we see down South where light and air pollution detract from the view. They are familiar to me, as I use them to navigate and as a backdrop to dream by. I watched satellites pass overhead and the occasional shower of a small meteor, resembling a major Fourth of July exhibition. I tried to find just which one of the billions of stars is my lucky one. Maybe all of them are. Maybe this ride around the ball I have been blessed with is really just heaven, and I have the great blessing of seeing it all without dying so far.

In roughly three weeks we will slip the mooring line and head REBEL YELL South, retracing our steps, against the Gulf Stream this time, a distance of roughly 2100 miles. And that too, is a story for another day.

In the previous segment of this article I spoke of the offshore voyage north on REBEL YELL, the Marlow 72ELR that I have owned for about two years now. The voyage began from a few miles up the Manatee River off Lower Tampa Bay and headed South for roughly 240 miles before intersecting with the eastward flowing Gulf Stream in the Florida Straits between Cuba and the Florida Keys. From there a sharp turn port was taken for approximately 180 miles and then a gradual turn to port until the course was nearly Northeast for a landfall with Wasque Shoals and Nantucket Sound, for a total leg of around 1700 miles. Passing close to Bermuda allowed us to grab the plumes of hot water flowing all the way from the Amazon Basin, onward to Scotland and curving Southward to the Canaries, and across to the lower Caribbean. From there another 400 plus miles were logged in the Maritimes and finally to a mooring in the Bay of Fundy.

REBEL YELL is a 72’ Marlow Explorer with the Command Bridge option. The "E" designation in the model name refers to the shape of her transom, designated "European". LR indicates she is a Long Range version of that series.

The long range series has several different features when compared to the 72E. The primary one being the Wave Piercer Bow, which is often mistakenly referred to as a Bulbous Bow. Wave Piercer technology is quite different and far more effective compared to a common bulbous bow. In fact I have never been able to quantify a performance gain with a bulbous bow until around 85’ in length. Before that, I find a performance loss and increased pitching moment created by the somewhat crude appendage referred to as a bulbous bow. It is my strong opinion that all the hype about bulbous bows is exactly that until the yacht reaches a waterline length able to take advantage of its small contribution to hydrodynamic flow.

The Wave Piercer is totally different in concept and result and is the result of various governmental testing programs whose purpose was to enhance the seagoing ability of a yacht under the majority of sea conditions and increase its speed with a given horsepower setting. It is as different as day is to night in how it works on the canoe body (hull) of a yacht or ship. On REBEL YELL, it enhances ride and low to mid range performance, giving up a very slight amount of speed at wide open throttle (less than one half knot) in return for roughly 5 percent higher speed at lower throttle settings and the attendant increase in fuel efficiency.

On the voyage from Tampa Bay non-stop to Nantucket and then onward without refueling to the waters of Nova Scotia, Matinicus and Bay of Fundy, we had, for a considerable part of the northbound voyage a favorable current that we had plotted and utilized to speed us along. The trip South would be later in the season, with frost each night along the Bay of Fundy and snow in the higher elevations. It would also be against the north flowing Gulf Stream current so it would be a good test of our long range ability under more adverse conditions. Every opportunity to find the least adverse currents would be taken and any maverick countercurrents would be latched on to for a free ride. Finding them is a different matter as there are no announcement signs.

Upon arrival in Orcutt Harbor, just off Penobscott Bay, Maine, at the end of the northbound leg I had moved from the luxury of REBEL YELL’S comforts to the woods of Maine and immersed myself in a month long diet of herbs roots, berries, ferns, teas and all manner of purging elements. I cannot say that I felt deprived in any way, as I came to enjoy all the delicate flavors of things previously unknown. I did not complain about what the bathroom scale revealed either, with 15 lbs of desk slab gone from my frame. In this time I tried concoctions of my own, freelance style and a variety of herbal goodies, Oriental wisdom and Native American lore. I can say that the only one that was completely unpalatable was a tea I made from Birch Bark I peeled from a young sapling. It was positively jaw locking. On balance I re-established that I can get along pretty well without suffering in most any environment. Among my favorites was to make a delicious snack from pine nuts toasted in a piece of foil placed next to a small fire mixed with wild blueberries gathered from Norumbega Mountain. I was thoroughly enchanted by my time there but as each night became colder, and October upon us I knew it was time to say goodbye to the woods and waters of the Maritime Provinces and States.

One brilliant fall day I maneuvered REBEL YELL alongside a small lobster boat float placed for the benefit of local lobstermen to unload their delectable cargo onto waiting trucks. Available only at high tide due to the 12-14’ tidal range in the small cove, we made arrangements for a local heating oil company to bring their tanker truck filled with diesel and carrying 120 feet of hose to stretch down the steep incline of the shore and ramp, just reaching our amidships position fills. It is good that the yacht’s tanks fill from either side, as not one inch of extra hose remained when stretched out with the transom close to a granite outcropping that rose more than two hundred feet above us.

Exiting the narrow, winding and rock laden channel to the dock the sky overhead revealed a change in weather brewing with high mare’s tails forming. The weather forming was not one normally expected this far north. There was a hurricane coming and as Murphy would absolutely dictate, it was coming there and at the prescribed time we had intended to leave for a 2150 mile open sea voyage to Florida’s west coast. Not such a wonderful thought to contemplate and only a fool would consider going anyway in the teeth of even a fairly minor hurricane of 100 knots, as Kyle was at that moment.

I returned to the 6000 lb block of granite buried deeply in the mud of Orcutt Harbor and maneuvered REBEL YELL so that the mooring pennant could be picked up, the eye placed on the beefy forward cleats and allowed the yacht to settle back against the tackle in the two knot current flowing under her keel. After a brief consideration I decided to test the tackle and mooring quality and reversed the engines to approximately 1200 rpms, finding it to be a solid as the Rock of Gibraltar, able to ride out most blows without concern. That evening Kyle came by, the eye passing about 60 miles east of our mooring. Though a sea story could be formed I suppose, in truth the cove was so well protected by small mountains that little notice was given to this wayward tropical system.

The next morning under gray skies we slipped the mooring located at 45 degrees, eight minutes and sixty nine seconds North Latitude and sixty eight degrees, 30 minutes west longitude bound for Tampa Bay, just over 2100 miles distant. We made a salutary circle of the harbor with the Kahlenburg air horns echoing off the mountains, and then setting a course of 196 degrees magnetic. If I had calculated the tidal stream correctly, this would carry us down the Bay of Fundy with a free ride, though roller coaster like. By the time we exited the mouth of the 150 mile wide bay, amusement park roller coaster sized swells lifted us high in the air and carried us low into the deep valleys of the swells. The wind was light by this time and the large swells spaced well apart allowing the yacht to ride up their slopes and down without much fuss or discomfort. The laboring of the big Cats in the bilge as we would begin the ascent of the swell and the subsequent free ride down the back side was mesmerizing as we proceeded Southeast at a bit over eleven knots to pass eighty miles east of Provincetown, Massachusetts, located on the northeastern tip of Cape Cod.

An adverse tidal current met us east of Provincetown and we endured a two knot north flowing current racing to fill the Bay of Fundy’s northern reaches where the tidal range is as great as 52 feet, four times a day. During the evening leftover squalls from Kyle visited us and gave the boat a decent rinse. As we crossed the Boston to Europe Ship Traffic Separation lanes a few large ships were observed heading for Europe after waiting out the hurricane in safe harbors. One very large passenger liner, lit as a small city dipped her deck lights to us in passing salute.

Daylight came and revealed a mixture of gray with occasional blue skies appearing as the weather sorted itself. By mid day it appeared that we could ride a tidal gate westward through Nantucket Sound however the upset weather had altered the normal flow of ocean currents and upon arrival we found the tide racing Northeast across the vast Nantucket Shoals region that stretches for fifty miles. Though the water is typically 35 to 200 feet in depth for a long way offshore, the leftover swells from Hurricane Kyle caused the waves to break in spectacular fashion as a shallow spot of 30-50 feet was encountered. The appearance of the huge combers reminded me of those seen on the North Shore of Oahu where surfers gather to ride their steep faces at breakneck speed. To make matters worse, the tidal gate had been altered by the Hurricane and we would face an adverse current for approximately sixty miles. These adverse currents required me to raise the rpms of the C-18 Cats to maintain a speed of roughly 10 knots so it would provide a varied exercise of speed versus fuel burn when studied.

Around sundown we found a small countercurrent flowing to the Southeast generally toward Long Island Sound and rode its scimitar shaped flow as long as possible, picking up a full knot and allowing engine loads to be reduced while making good way. The evening passed quickly with the three hour watch system, the skies clearing to reveal the Fall sky and its travelers throughout the night. Orion, ever the Hunter patiently stalked the seven lovely sisters of Pleiades, who flirtatiously allow him to view them through the evening before passing beyond the horizon. In Block Canyon where water depths are more than two miles, a few sword fishermen and mid water trawlers worked in the calm seas with the heavens above mirrored in the deep blue below us. For about 6 hours that evening the phosphorus in the water reflected every movement of every creature and allowed me to hang over the bow and study the fluid motions of the shape I had drawn for REBEL YELL. A wonderful test tank that gave a perfect image of the hydrodynamic forces at work on a hull slipping peacefully through the realm of Neptune.

The marine traffic thinned considerably after passing roughly two hundred miles east of New York City with the weather fine and the temperature climbing rapidly once the Labrador Current was put behind us. Finding a noticeably warmer plume of water that had a small Southbound eddy with it I altered my course to 168 degrees true, which would, if I continued carry me close to Bermuda on this Southbound leg. Well aware that it would abandon us at some point I studied bottom profiles and played hydraulic flow games in my mind to try and imagine how the vast northward flowing river of the Gulf Stream would react to the canyon walls, undersea mountains and continental shelf edges. There are some pretty good clues as to its normal behavior over the eons, with the most obvious one being the extreme depths it has carved into canyon floors. But those clues refer only to the historical data and history is formed of much more than the tidy end result. The third day came and went, as did the fourth, the weather giving a moderate breeze of 15-20 knots and seas of six feet or less on a moderate Atlantic swell.

For thirty six hours I chuckled as I watched the GPS award us a free knot of speed and reduced engine rpms, knowing full well there would be a bill to pay somewhere further South. As we neared the latitude of Bermuda the eddy became more sporadic and our speed reduced with no free ride. With a bit of chagrin I altered course to cross the Gulf Stream, hoping to close within 60 miles of the US mainland somewhere South of the South Carolina border to avoid the strongest current that races around and past Cape Hatteras.

Life on board was as pleasant as one could imagine, with plenty of naps, reading time and absolutely trouble free performance on the northbound and Southbound legs. It was customary to celebrate the sundown off our starboard bow each day with a noggin of rum, limited to one shot to assure alert watch standing. Meals were varied, delicious and the scene around us always lovely to contemplate. I felt no urge to end this offshore odyssey, settling into a routine that was satisfying and stimulating, my body’s motions one with the boat under my feet.

As we crossed the northward flowing stream the shipping traffic increased in both volume and type with an occasional sailing yacht spotted with rail down, a big Genoa drawing well as the breeze carried them South with us. Speaking with one, a 58’ Boothbay Challenger, we learned that he had left Martha’s Vineyard two days before us, had enjoyed a fine sail with good breezes and was bound for Havana, Cuba. I placed my order for a case of Havana Club "siete ano" sugarcane rum that to date I have not had the pleasure of receiving. Perhaps he will need rescuing from the clutches of Hedonistic Havana?

As his tricolored masthead light receded into the night behind us we approached a familiar brand of Southbound Trawler yacht at sixty two feet in length on a similar course with her flopper stoppers in action to reduce the roll from the beam sea. Speaking briefly by radio, I learned he had left Bermuda two days prior and was ready for the seas to abate and the rolling to reduce. Soon, his lights were behind us and fading as he matched our course to close with the Coast and endure the least area of the expected three knot adverse Gulf Stream current.

On the fifth day a small bird landed on deck at a point 350 miles from land in any direction. Colored brightly on his chest and of the wren family this small stowaway immediately began to peck his way into being a full time crew member and receive a free ride South for the winter.

While off watch and checking a variety of items I noted the small creature following me around, seemingly quite unafraid and interested in whatever I was up to. While changing a bulb in a courtesy light on deck, I felt him land on my shoulder, where he took up residence for as long as I would permit it. Curious as could be, he inspected my beard, my ears, hair and hands, completely without trepidation. In the past, when still a fully fledged vagabond I have had animals as diverse as coons and a goat decide they wanted to be my best pal but most wild birds have remained aloof. Not this pint sized voyager! He is the second avian visitor to my inner realm, as a small bird has taken up resident in a nacelle by my picture window at my apartment in Chi Hu, Fujian, China. I am not sure what that means, though I can see fertile grounds for thought.

Since our new mascot was now coming and going as he pleased, often flying off for several hours before returning home, the aft door was left open to the salon and the Command Bridge so that he could go or stay. I caught a decent sized moth and fed it to him, christening him "Willie the Wren". I might add that he required me to remove the wings before he would consider dining on the moth and it was so with the other bugs that gathered at night around our steaming lights.

Willy wormed his way into all the hearts aboard, showing absolutely no fear of anyone and comfortable at the dining table or the aft deck. He shunned the hatchway leading to the engine room, having no interest in meeting the throaty inhabitants of that realm. During the day he would hop to the top of my bare foot and ride all about the deck perched there until something caught his attention elsewhere. No bug of any size or type was safe from his precision strikes at high speed. He exhibited helicopter like hovering and F-16 lighting strikes as he looked for quarry from wayward ants to gnats. He found a cozy place to spend the evenings nestled among the pillows in the pilothouse lounge, as if he were to the manor born.

One morning yet another bird, similar in type but considerably larger than Willie landed on deck. At first I thought it was Willie, exercising his habit of fluffing his bright feathers after a successful bug hunt, but it soon became apparent this bird was not Willie and not interested in us for other than a place to land. Trouble started when Willie returned from a four hour absence skimming the ocean waves and saw this intruder camped on his cushioned aft deck seat. This was an intolerable trespass and no time was wasted on diplomacy. After a chilling screech at the intruder Willie issued his challenge to earn the right to passage on board REBEL YELL.

As the words in the Marty Robbins Ballad say, "in less than a heartbeat his challenge was answered" and the stranger attacked with a ferocity that far outweighed his diminutive size. Feathers flew, screeching was plentiful with Willie taking a pounding from this deck savvy intruder. They fought across the aft deck and up the side deck before the stranger noticed I had closed in on them to break them up. By then poor Willie had lost numerous feathers and had his cheek in the clutches of the larger bird’s beak. The stranger flew away in the direction of the Azores seemingly none the worse for his skirmish. Thinking he had earned bragging rights to ridding our ship of this annoyance, Willie announced with a fluffing of his diminished feathers and a chirp that he was the Lord of the Manor and did not take his charge lightly.

Willie was quiet for the balance of the day and night, occasionally coming to see me but obviously in some pain from the shellacking he had taken. Though I complimented him on his moves, in truth the larger bird had given him a sound whacking. His appetite diminished that evening, with him refusing a freshly caught moth with all its appendages removed for his pleasure. I left him when I went off watch around 01:00 snuggled in a small towel near the galley.

When I came up for my watch at 04:00 Willie was asleep and nestled for a time in my hand, his little heart pounding at twice the rate of my own pulse. At dawn he announced by stretching and flapping his small wings that he was ready to go for a hunt before the night bugs had all disappeared. Around ten a.m. he returned with little fanfare and took up a position on the galley counter between some objects that kept him secure in the increasing seas. At 14:00 my shipmates brought him to the Command Bridge for me to hold for a moment, as he had died a few minutes before, unable to recover from the fierce beating he took defending his new found master with a magic carpet.

After wrapping Willie in a blanket shroud made of a Nantucket Rendezvous napkin and decorated by a Marlow Marine cocktail napkin of Flag Blue, I buried him at sea, in position thirty four degrees, twenty two minutes North Latitude and seventy seven degrees, four minutes West Longitude. He was a wonderful small but salty companion and I feel privileged to have him come into my world for a few days, innocent of fear, ready for adventure on his newfound snowbird express.

The mood turned somber among the crew on board for a time, each finding amazement at how such a small vagabond had so thoroughly cemented his status as if he were the most majestic of eagles. As if to darken the mood a bit more the wind rose to the mid twenties, puffing to a bit over 30 at times and we ran afoul of a strong, north flowing current that reduced our speed over the ground to less than 6.7 knots made good. The opposing wind against the current made for a lumpy sea. Though not of any concern the lively motion of the yacht after several days of moderate seas dampened the mood a bit more until I could find our way out of the strongest current and regain our normal speed over bottom.

Sundown came, and with the increased breeze the night watches were required to be ever more alert as we entered an area of mid water draggers concentrating on an underwater canyon edge. To increase the duties of helmsperson and standby mate, commercial shipping traffic increased, racing through the fleet of draggers at speeds of up to thirty knots the behemoth container carriers bound for New York were taking full advantage of the northerly flowing Gulf Stream. At times our RADAR MARPA feature tracked as many as one dozen vessels deemed dangerous by its internal software that computed course, speed and distance.

Daylight came in position thirty three degrees, twenty eight minutes north Latitude and 78 degrees West Longitude revealing a sloppy sea condition, though not excessively rough. Charleston was to our starboard a couple of hundred miles and Savannah a bit further South as we closed the distance to the US mainland. Our speed over ground had suffered considerably with the eastward migration of the major Gulf Stream flow but thus far we were still averaging about 9.5 knots made good since departure. This is some 35% faster than the speed made good on the recent offshore voyages by the Nordhaven group with a comparable fuel burn rate per mile traveled.

During the entire voyage, both north and South, in fact on any voyage of more than a couple of hours I make routine machinery space inspections including careful monitoring of fuel and oil. Once per day I open all access hatches and panels throughout to inspect every area of the vessel. I rarely am surprised by a sudden crisis or need to do more than address the issue when convenient. By careful monitoring of the fuel burn rates, it was clear that we could stop off in the Bahamas for a week or so and still arrive in Tampa Bay with substantial reserve. Under the conditions encountered traveling north and South, it can be seen that REBEL YELL has a range of over 3000 miles at 9.5 knots average across the bottom. Reducing that to 8.4 allows non-stop passage from Fort Lauderdale to Genoa, Italy, without considering a fuel stop. If I choose 10+ as my speed I can make a stop in Azores with more than 800 gallons of fuel still on board.

For much of this ensuing day, the course was perpendicular to the main body of the Gulf Stream to escape its clutches and find another Southbound eddy if possible. By 17:00 the strong current had faded to approximately 0ne knot and a new course was plotted that would pass thirty five miles east of Cape Canaveral, some three hundred miles South. By midnight watch the seas had calmed and a favorable current had been found providing us with over ½ knot of boost. As the early morning hours before dawn passed a large target began to echo at a distance of approximately six miles behind us on an identical course and reflecting a speed of about two tenths of a knot faster. At that speed the vessel would overtake us in roughly thirty hours or somewhere near the area of Cape Canaveral. Dawn came on the seventh day and the vessel behind us could be seen and identified as a large yacht operating at displacement speeds on a similar track as ours.

The day passed quickly in warm weather as Jacksonville passed to our starboard at about eighty miles distant. A small battle group of naval ships put on a display for a while, appearing to track a submarine in war games. The mega yacht behind us closed the distance to perhaps three miles by sundown and appeared to be approximately 140 feet or more in length with a helicopter visible in her upper deck. I later learned they were on a passage from Cape Cod, having left approximately eight hours behind us.

During the night numerous thunderstorms raced off the Florida coast, giving us a rinse and a bit of mood lighting, albeit blinding at times. A school of small spotted ocean porpoises could be seen cavorting at high speed around the boat with several dozen in the air at once during the bright lightning bursts before they lost interest and sped off for another adventure. Flying fish found their way to our decks during the night and a sharp eyed albatross managed a free meal, wheeling in perfect form inches behind our transom.

Before Daylight the loom of Cape Canaveral appeared to starboard, some twenty five miles west of our position. At that distance, due to the extremely bright lighting, the silhouette of two space shuttles on the launch pad could be clearly seen in preparation for launch.

Once South of the Cape we altered course to close with the coast of Florida near Fort Pierce and avoid the strong Gulf Stream current that runs close to the east coast beaches. By that point the large mega yacht had taken up a position off our port bow at a distance of two miles, maintaining a two tenths of a knot speed advantage over us. As we closed with Fort Pierce inlet, she crossed our bow intending to enter the all weather Fort Pierce inlet. In a radio conversation we learned that the Okeechobee locks had just opened for passage, as the summer rains had replenished the drought conditions that forced closure to all traffic. An easy decision was taken to enter at Fort Pierce and cross the State of Florida, saving about 150 miles of distance and checking on the status of the St Lucie River, Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River. By entering at Fort Pierce in lieu of St Lucie, we could avoid the ever changing inlet at St Lucie in favor of a perfectly straight and well marked Fort Pierce Inlet.

The trip along the Indian River was uneventful but required that we now pay strict attention to the metes and bounds of the channel, even though REBEL YELL’s propellers are well protected by our proprietary Strut Keels©. At the infamous junction of the Cross State Waterway, the intercoastal waterway and St Lucie Inlet we observed a sunken cruiser partially blocking the channel, a victim of a bad decision and subsequent failure to cure the damage before Neptune claimed her. The reentry to an active waterfront scene replete with new boaters unsure of Rules of Navigation and responsibilities required a quick adjustment to our formerly relaxed offshore passage.

The trip across Florida was my first in several years, as the low water conditions of the past had prevented a five foot draft from safe navigation. Though I did find considerable silting and a variety of deadwood logs here and there, the inland voyage proceeded without incident other than a voracious cloud of mosquitoes when approaching Clewiston from the Lake. The Oyster White superstructure of REBEL YELL became a gray-black camouflage passing the open flood gates that lead to Roland Martin’s Clewiston marina.

Passing through early evening thunderstorms along the Lake we cleared the Moore Haven locks well before closing to navigation and transited down river to Fort Myers, passing by old citrus and cattle towns that have fallen on hard times, replaced in many areas by the blight of development without conscience. Replacing lush farms, pasturelands and fragrant groves with low quality houses that spew pesticides and fertilizers from non-native lawns onto oil stained roads leading to the convenient drain pipe to the waterway and eventually to our Mother Ocean. Food for humanity replaced by vanity, convenience and instant dissatisfaction.

Passing onward to the west coast, Fort Myers emerged from behind Beautiful Island, the last look at old Florida before the wastelands of Cape Coral told of foreclosures and the reality of life beyond the gilded lunches of Wall Street run amuck. But soon an oasis of what has always been appeared, the lovely expanses of Pine Island Sound, the sensible establishment of the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, Jug Creek Shoals, Matlacha, Punta Blanca and the vast estuary that is Charlotte Harbor, still relatively unspoiled. Fed by the twin rivers of Peace and Myakka, they are a wonderful part of Southwest Florida. One rising in a cow pasture not far from where I now sit, the other charged by the porous limestone wall near Bartow that filters vast quantities of water from snow and rain that may have fallen on Tennessee and Georgia. The rivers meander through an old Florida that are in places no different than when I camped along them as a small boy, still providing me with Swamp Cabbage, Bream, Warmouth perch and a dozen other Florida Cracker delights unknown to most.

Exiting at Boca Grande Pass into the Gulf of Mexico, through a narrow swash channel that now requires much more attention to navigate than in years past, I opened the throttles of REBEL YELL to scour the cylinders of excess fuel should any remain. The speed climbed smoothly to 19-20-21-22 and touched 23 knots as I exercised the other facet of this long legged lady that had carried us over 5000 miles in comfort since last tasting the warm Gulf of Mexico waters.

Settling back to a more sedate ten knots, timing our arrival for dawn’s first light, we enjoyed our last night at sea, porpoises joining us for a last waltz, welcoming us home.

At 05:00 I entered the narrow fishermen’s channel at Beans Point on the north end of Anna Mara Island, the Southerly boundary of Tampa Bay bringing our course to due east for the run to the Manatee River. As dawn spread the first pinks and oranges across the river, the twin spotlights on Reb’s hardtop illuminated Mango Manor, the 100 year old cracker house I call home.

Five thousand miles of offshore passage on a wondrous water planet in safety, comfort and utter reliability. An average speed over ground of 9.55 knots on the Southbound leg and a bit better on the northerly run. Arriving with 700 gallons of fuel still on board, one could ask for no more, were he negotiating with St. Peter at the gate. On second thought, I wonder if I can get him to throw in a few more odysseys before I check in.

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2008

October 2008 • Southern Boating  • The flagship of Marlow's fleet, this 86 Explorer marks the debut of an open bridge cockpit version of the lovely 82' Command Bridge profiled last year. This yacht is designed to take on the world's oceans with a strong fiberglass hull incorporating Kevlar and carbon fiber for strength and resistance to "holing", while the full stack infusion and vacuum construction process produces a perfect strength-to-weight ratio and improves fuel efficiency.

Read the entire article and see the photos at www.southernboating.com

September 2008 • Go Boating (Australia's Monthly Boating Lifestyle Magazine) • All Seasons Explorer Marlow Explorer 64 by Peter Scott photos by Janey Harper • Many manufacturers claim to produce the best cruising yacht in the world. In fact, most of the world's high profile motor yacht manufacturers do produce exceedingly good, seaworthy vessel, most of which have become synonymous with world cruising. These long distance passagemakers can be seen in the most popular or the most isolated anchorages along the vast coastlines of every continent of the world. What sets them apart from recreational production boats is without doubt, their build quality, safety systems and size. Most are small ships capable of crossing the world's oceans with ease and possessing a level of onboard comfort and facilities which make them independent of land based facilities. In many ways, they are the lone wolves - resourceful, self reliant and respectful of nature. Expedition cruisers or passagemakers, call them what you like, are the best of the best. At the Sydney International Boat Show in August, I was introduced to one of the finest examples of a production passagemaker I have ever seen and had the pleasure to go aboard. The vessel was the Marlow Explorer 64, a passagemaker that is a testament to life long dedication seldom found in modern boat building.

June 2008 • Power & Motoryacht • by Capt. Grant Rafter photos by Jim Raycroft • David Marlow states his is the first company to reach the goal of "full-stack" infusion of an entire hull of more than 80 feet; that is, infusion where the outer skin, core, and inner skin are all laid up in one mold at the same time. Since full-stack infusion creates such a burly product, the 86 requires no bulkheads for structural support (the two watertight ones are there to meet Bureau Veritas safety standards).

 www.powerandmotoryacht.com

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May 2008 • YACHTS International • cover story by Cecile Gauert photos by Matthieu Carlin •  The Marlow 86E is no mere museum piece; it is meant to go places. An experienced yachtsman who has circumnavigated the Earth so many times that he “got dizzy,” David Marlow both understands and responds to the needs of those who operate his yachts, be they owners or crew. “Either you do it well, or you don’t,” says Marlow. Color-coded wiring is neatly bundled inside conduits throughout the yacht. The pilothouse’s electric panel pulls out completely to reveal a see-through case, allowing an instant view of back-panel connections. A lined tunnel, large enough for a man to crawl through, provides access to the dashboard’s electronics displays, so there is no need to pull them out for maintenance. A hatch, perfectly finished to match the main salon’s teak sole and insulated with rubber so it does not damage the floor, provides a wide access to the gel-coated fuel tank, which is located exactly in the center of the boat. The Marlow 86E features twin Caterpillar C32s bedded on steel mounts. This relatively modest power alone does not explain the yacht’s performance. After leaving the dock and within seconds of a gradual and almost imperceptible speed increase, the yacht’s GPS registers 31.1 knots. A few seconds of silence and quizzical looks invite Marlow to declare, “I think we got the bottom right.”

Later, he provides a far more detailed and technical explanation that involves a mix of factors, including low displacement, construction techniques, trim and propulsion angles.  Another major consideration is weight. “You don’t want to fight the wave, you want to dance with it,” Marlow says. Marlow yachts are built in composite using proprietary Full Stack Vacuum Infusion. The Marlow 86E is the first hull to have been treated with Marlow’s Resin Infused Vacuum Assisted Transfer (RIVAT©), a method that helps deliver just the right amount of resin (epoxy is this case) to the mold, resulting in important weight-saving benefits. Employing techniques not unlike those used in aircraft construction, the builder has eliminated the need for thick frames to support deck soles.

Last but not least, according to Marlow, this is the first Full Stack Infusion motoryacht to be built to full Bureau Veritas (BV) certification. The yard’s use of epoxy resins and engineered fabrics such as Kevlar has created a structure that “exceeds all predictions for laminate strength yields,” Marlow says. “Unsupported panel sections on the hull were reduced to less than one half the typical criteria for yachts of this type providing huge margins of safety engineering, far in excess of normal yacht standards. During the course of construction, the yacht became referred to as the ‘Ice Class’ FRP yacht.” David Marlow has provided much food for thought, and the tour of the new Marlow 86E has been a real eye opener. But one image stands out with particular clarity, and that is the yacht gleaming in the dwindling light of a Key West sunset. The pilot, looking for just the right angle for a photo, guides the hull through a series of arabesques. The yacht appears to be dancing.

Complete article with photos, click here.

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April 2008 • Southern Boating • "E"asy Does It by Marilyn Mower • Marlow's latest 57E shows how evolution translates into incremental improvements which, in turn, are making life easier all the way around for the owner/operator and easier on the environment as well. Marlow Yachts' use of a patent-pending resin infusion process results in twenty two hundred pounds less resin used creating a lighter yacht using less resin and less fuel to run her over a long ownership reducing the yacht's carbon footprint significantly.

This Marlow Explorer marries the saltiness of a Portuguese bridge with a true luxury yacht interior. From flybridge to equipment room, ease of access and maintenance is paired with yacht style and finish.

2007

December 2007 • Sea Magazine •  Sea Trial Marlow Explorer 70E by Matt Gurnsey • Many of today's large, luxury yachts offer similar standard features, optional upgrades, quality construction and seakindly hull shapes. Perhaps the selling point in the luxury-line class comes down to whether an affinity is felt toward the builder's creative vision and/or operational philosophy. If so, then buyers who include on their lists of personal values concepts such as "green building", "fair market trade" and "environmentally friendly" may in particular be impressed by and respond to a yacht maker that incorporates these values as part of doing business.

David Marlow's desire to build world-class yachts, and in doing so, help preserve a pristine environment, led to the environmentally conscious development of the Norsemen Shipyard facility in the mainland coastal city of Xiamen. Beyond the environmental controls, the factory has earned an ISO 14001 rating, which means that it has implemented full environmental controls over the entire manufacturing process. With environmentally friendly practices in place, the shipyard turned its attention to training local workers to become fine boat builders. After more than three years of development and training, the first hull was laid up. Given the investment of time and training and paying a workforce, this Marlow line couldn't be anything but world-class.

Note: In this same issue of Sea Magazine is an article entitled Made in Asia, which explores the growing yacht-building industry of American companies in the Pacific Rim. It specifically features information and photos of the Marlow Yachts factory among others and is a very interesting read.

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November 2007 • Motor Boat & Yachting (Europe's Premier Motor Cruising Magazine) • MBY News/New at the Show • Marlow 57E - Marlow Yachts are something of a legend in the US. The attention to detail is scary. The moulding in the bilges is better than the topsides of some boats and is supplemented  by varnished teak grating to prevent your footwear having to touch anything as ordinary as GRP. We're not kidding, the finish on this boat is something else. The engineering is no less thorough, with access panels to every major tank, pump or electrical relay, and the engine room looks like an operating theatre.

November 2007 • Tenders & Toys • Runabout: Marlow Yachts • True Beauty Is the Sum of Many Parts • Beauty is more than skin deep with the Marlow Prowler Open 375. That's not to downplay her good looks- this vessel with pretty lines and a saucy reverse transom turns heads wherever she goes. But her true beauty lies in her high-tech construction, rough-water performance and in what her builder calls her "piano-quality" finish.

The 375 is offered with inboard or outboard power. In the diesel inboard version, the cockpit floor rises on electro-hydraulic rams for total engine access. The outboard version provides breathtaking performance with two or three 250-hp E-Tec Evinrudes. The builder lists an estimated 52-mph top speed with triple installation. No matter which power option is selected, the Prowler Open 375 is designed to provide a smooth ride in offshore conditions.

October 2007 • Southern Boating • Trawler-Type Southern Boating profiles the latest in brawny cruising yachts • Pride of the Marlow Explorer fleet, the 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht satisfies both the angler and adventurer with its oceangoing hull and protected running gear, well-designed bridge and interior spaces, and its extended cockpit. David Marlow, chairman of Marlow Yachts, is an "early adapter" when it comes to advanced yacht-building technology. The Marlow Explorer yachts are laid up in China using a special Resin Infused Vacuum Assisted Transfer (RIVAT) method to give their Kevlar-reinforced composite hulls the optimal mix of strength and weight-savings. The 82 is certified to ABS, ISO 9001 and Lloyds Register standards and is available with Lloyds Certification Ocean Class Category One.

June 2007 • Southern Boating • On the Horizon-New models due to launch within the next few months • Marlow's latest project is also it largest offering to date, the 86 Cockpit Motor Yacht. Solid construction using Marlow's signature resin infusion process along with an efficient hull design and 4,000 gallon fuel capacity enable safe passages to far off ports. Storage for water toys is located in a large transom compartment easily accessed from the roomy cockpit. The flybridge has space to store multiple tenders and entertain numerous guests with a wet bar, grill and plenty of seating.

June 2007 • SEA • Marlow Explorer 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht A "Big Little Ship" - by the Sea Magazine Test team • We liked the practical elegance of the Marlow 82. The handsome interiors and sleek exterior lines were immediately apparent, and a closer inspection revealed many areas where form and function come together for easy-to-operate yacht that will catch stares of envy everywhere she goes. It's not easy to build a sharp-looking 82-foot yacht that can satisfy all these demands- large yachts with get-there-by -lunchtime speeds-, but Marlow stepped up to the challenge all the same. While some might be inclined to say the Marlow 82 looks like a slow-speed trawler, the white froth peeling off the bow points to a speedy semi-displacement hull. Spending time aboard the Marlow 82 will allow you to enjoy the boating lifestyle on your own terms. Cruising in luxury, entertaining 40 of your closest friends in comfort or setting out in search of big-water sport fish are all central to the 82's character. To read the entire article click on the following link. http://www.seamagazine.com/boattests/DM_article.asp?id=4425

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February 2007 • Power & Motoryacht • Marlow Explorer 82 Cockpit MY Peak Experience - Cover Photos by Neil Rabinowitz and exclusive article by Capt. Bill Pike • The largest Marlow yet is an offshore beauty with globe-trotting potential and piscatorial predilections. The 82 is in fact designed and built to service the sort of customer who wants to simultaneously live well and fish virtually anywhere in the world. But there's more to fulfilling this mission than merely integrating a complete fish-fighting arsenal; a voluminous, voyage-stretching assortment of tanks; and a bunch of resin-infused construction methods and materials that can stoutly contend with 18-foot seas and 50-mph winds. Redundancy's one major consideration. Mechanical trustworthinesss is another issue. Long-term livability's yet another vital concern. Then finally, there's performance, pure and simple. Not only does the Marlow Explorer 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht lend herself to lovely fish-fighting fantasies featuring far-out, faraway places, but she's designed and built to comfortably and reliably get you there.

February 2007 • Southern Boating • Marlow 72E-LR Rebel Yell - Cover Photo (above) and article by Bill Lindsey • From a more obvious standpoint, what makes this particular Marlow Explorer unique is the enclosed pilothouse or Command Bridge as it is known at Marlow. Perched up high and secure in any weather, it provides a signature profile for the yacht, distinguishing it at a glance from the 72C it is derived from, and making it a true all-weather choice. But just below the waterline is  a feature that makes this yacht special. Bulbs have long been used by commercial cargo ships and cruise ships. However, the uppermost portions of the bulbs seen on most large ships are partially above the surface, while the bulb on the Marlow 72E-LR (Long Range) is completely submerged, albeit just barely. As with all bulbs, the submerged design does extend the LOA, but this one also "shapes" the water. Marlow explained that it "opens the water ahead of the main portion of the hull allowing it to slide through with less effort thus increasing speed and cruising range."

As I wound up my tour I noticed a brass plaque on the entrance to the spacious engine room and toy storage area. It was for Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance for Category A (Ocean). Many yacht builders would call it overbuilding, but insurers and yacht owners call it peace of mind.

February 2007 • Boat International USA • Marlow 70E • Sandy Lindsey • David Marlow doesn't just build yachts; he builds heirlooms. This philosophy is readily apparent in the new Marlow Explorer 70E Command Bridge. The original seed for the design came from the earliest incarnations of raised pilothouse boats that were "good for just about anywhere in the world," according to Marlow. Their shaded aft and side decks protected the yachtsman and his guests from hot sun in the tropics, rain and fog in the Northeast, and the extremely unforgiving weather of the Pacific Northwest. As Marlow began to design the series, he added refinements to bring the robust design of these classic yachts "out of the stone age and into the 21st century". The goal was to give the yachts more performance, extreme long range and speed.

The 70E-CB is tailored towards the owner-operator, who even if they have a captain, might like to take the yacht out by themselves sometimes. First, the 70E-CB removes most of the hassles - especially in the area of docking - that keep many a couple or family form running their own boat in this size range. Low freeboard and windage means the yacht is less susceptible to wind and currents and therefore, easier to maneuver at the dock. The protected, walk-around bulwarks are designed to facilitate tying up with just the owner at the helm and his or her spouse with the dock lines in hand. Large hardware makes securing lines of all sizes simple. The cleat placement is logically thought out, so even an inexperienced guest can make fast the yacht, if needed.

David Marlow explains his commitment to building quality yachts that stand out form the crowd. "One customer asked me to put the Marlow name on the side of his boat on a custom stainless steel plate. I refused. I want someone to know a yacht is a Marlow just by looking at it."

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February 2007 • Sea • Just Launched • Marlow Explorer 72E Command Bridge • Florida-based Marlow Yachts, will debut its newest model, the Explorer 72E command Bridge, at the February 2007 Miami International Boat Show. With the distinctive style of the Explorer line, the Command Bridge features the quality, performance and innovation that Marlow is known for.

January 2007 • Southern Boating • Marlow 78E • The new Marlow 78E allows you to travel in total luxury and comfort wherever your journeys might take you. Boasting an impressive range of 967 nautical miles at a more than ample cruising speed of 17 knots, there are no limits except your own imagination.

January 2007 • Power & Motoryacht • MarlowProwler 375 • Cat-like performance, highly advanced technology, and the finest attention to detail have created Prowler, another benchmark of excellence from Marlow that is difficult to emulate. ...Prowler is born as an immensely strong, high-speed yacht whose looks will take your breath away.

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2006

November 2006 • Soundings • Made in China by Jim Flannery/Senior Writer • This extensive and informative article explores the boating scene in China both as a luxury market and as a boat-building center. With the explosive growth of the luxury market (Goldman Sachs says China is now the world's third largest consumer of luxury goods), one can find representatives of most of the high end retailers including Bentley, Ferrari, Gucci, Cartier and Louis Vuitton. Whether boat sales will become active is the big question. Building boats in China, however, is another matter altogether. An article embedded in this article is entitled : David Marlow: Setting the bar high for boatbuilding in China. David Marlow set out to build the best boat he could in the greenest and most socially responsibly way he could to show his host - the People's Republic of China - that he not just another carpetbagger come to siphon off quick profits from it's burgeoning economy. He says he is making an investment in China's future. In 2003 Marlow opened Norsemen Shipbuilding Ltd. on 25 acres near coastal Xiamen. The facility is a model of environmental and social responsibility for China and the rest of the world. Marlow Yachts and Norsemen Shipbuilding Ltd. won the 2006 World Superyacht Environmental Award  for their environmental policies and practices.

(See the article below on the 2006 World Superyacht Awards)

October 2006 • Southern Boating • Marlow 70E • Making its debt at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show (note: Oct. 26-30, 2006), the new Marlow Explorer 70E Command Bridge is an offshore cruising vessel certified to CE certification by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance for Category A (Ocean). Like all Marlows, the 70E features an impeccable level of fit and finish throughout the boat with luxurious touches including high gloss interiors. The range can be extended to 1,700 nautical miles by cruising at a stately 9 knots.

September/October 2006 • Asia-Pacific Boating • Marlow thinks big • Marlow has unveiled its largest model to date, the Marlow Explorer 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht. Targeted at the adventurous fisherman, the vessel boasts an extended cockpit and a large winch that is operated from the cockpit. She is also fitted with a complete tackle center and an Eskimo ice maker that will make shaved ice continuously from salt or fresh water. Marlow Yachts construction techniques have been certified by ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), Lloyds Register, ISO 9001, and offered with CE certification by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance for Category A (Ocean). This classification is a status enjoyed by less than a handful of pleasure powerboat manufacturers

September 2006 • Boat International USA • Marlow Yacht's Largest Ever • Marlow has launched an 82ft explorer-style fishing vessel. With a long-range capability advanced enough to allow the yacht to cruise from mainland Central America to the Galapagos, troll for five days and return without refueling, the new Marlow Explorer 82 Cockpit motor yacht combines the Marlow Explorer series stle wit an extended cockpit and bridge.

September 2006 • Power & Motoryacht • Just launched - Marlow 82 Cockpit Yacht by Jeffrey Moser • The concept behind a yachtfisherman is simple: Build a boat that may not outrun the 40-plus-knot convertibles to the fishing grounds but has significantly more range and an interior that offers the comfort and equipment essential for long-range passagemaking. And that's exactly what you get in Marlow Yachts' latest offering, the 82 Cockpit Yacht, as Hull # 1 has been rigged with both fishing and comfort in mind.

September 2006 • SEA • Out to Launch - Marlow 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht • Marlow Yachts has announced the debut of its largest model to date - The 82 Cockpit Motor Yacht. Form meets function in this luxurious vessel, with a cockpit and flybridge designed for the most adventurous angler. The extended cockpit is ready for a big catch with double tuna doors, auxiliary controls, a complete tackle center and a lighted bait tank with a clear front for viewing. A large winch can also be operated from the cockpit. The 82's long-range capability and 3,000-gallon fuel capacity encourage extended cruising to Alaska or other far-away ports.

August/September 2006 • Tenders & Toys Show Boats International • Marlow Open Season • Few vessels share the rare pedigree and retro looks of the Marlow Prowler series of powerboats, which derive from the early days of offshore racing. Yachtbuilder David Marlow resurrected  and modernized the design in 2003 with the Marlow Prowler 375 Classic. At the 2006 Miami International Boat Show, aficionados feasted their eyes on the latest Prowler, which - though christened the Open 375 - also sports a very comfortable cuddy tucked away beneath the foredeck.

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August 2006 • Yachting • Marlow's Masterpiece, 72E-LR (see cover) by Jay Coyle and Photos by Gary John Norman • Rebel Yell is the first 72E-LR, the "E" signifying her Euro reverse transom and "LR" her long range. Her 3,450-gallon fuel capacity expands the owner's opportunities, making them almost endless. ...at 6.4 knots we were burning just 1.3 gallons per hour with the C18 Caterpillar engines. Top cruising speed was a bit more than 22 knots. Her design is based on Marlow's successful 72C (conventional transom), and while she shares a family resemblance, her enclosed bridge distinguishes her from the other models. This is a major advantage in terms of interior volume, as it and the lounge allow the main deck to be devoted to her saloon aft and a casual galley/dining are (forward). Rebel Yell meets European CE (Ocean category) standards and Marlow intends to apply the CE standard throughout the Explorer Series line. Marlow is ready to share, so if you have the perfect yacht in mind, the 72E-LR is now in production.

July/August 2006 • Boat International USA • Boat International Group presents World Superyacht Awards Venice 2006 • At the Foundation Cini, among Venice's most elegant of backdrops, the first annual World Superyacht Awards were presented during a gala evening on April 28th at a Palladian palace on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, just across the water from Saint Mark's Square. 16 awards, chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, which included the owners of six significant superyachts, were presented to the winners by the editors of the Boat International Group and special guests.

 Marlow Yachts Wins Environmental Award Several noteworthy groups and technologies were nominated for this award, however there are few organizations within the maritime industry who have demonstrated the degree of dedication to the environment as Marlow Yachts. Continuously innovating ways to reduce the impact of yachting on the world's oceans and resources, Marlow is a living example of comprehensive environmentalism - both their pristine Snead Island, Florida facility and the 25 acre waterfront Norsemen Shipyard in Chi Hu Valley, China, are complex service work sites, which , contrary to the norm, maintain stringent enviornmentally-friendly standards, the latter with the ability to haul yachts up to 165 feet from a seawater basin with a 984 foot breakwater. Among Marlow's policies are extensive safeguards to prevent pollutant release, while air ventilation is designed optimally in all operations, and a closed molding system for laminating eliminates styrene emissions. Aboard every yacht is complex, patented system which results in cleaner cooling systems with more efficient operations. Marlow is also preparing for ISO 14001 category certification, a stringent standard which requires the manufacturer to implement full environmental controls on every segment of the manufacturing process from purchasing through receipt and final use of the products involved.

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June 2006 • Power & Motoryacht • Smooth Criminal by Jeffrey Moser • The Prowler Open 375 is a refined gentleman's runabout with a scandalous past. As I took in her graceful sheerline, deep blue topsides, and tumblehome, one thing became as clear to me as the spring-fed waters at Marlow Marine: David Marlow marches to a drum that others do not hear, which is why the 37-footer is unlike any other outboard-equipped center console out there. It's not just the 375's look, it's in the details that put her in a league of her own.

May 2006 • SEA • Marlow Explorer 57E Command Bridge by Walt Jennings • She was secured to a dock in small protected harbor, and I found her to be awe-inspiring as she sat there, awaiting a command - the Marlow Explorer 57E Command Bridge. I'm kind of a mechanical "trekkie" and when I entered the engine room I wasn't just impressed, I was extremely impressed, because everywhere I looked I saw things I liked - items that are options on most boats are standard on Marlow Explorer. I could write a separate article about what I found in 57's engine room.  ...if you are looking for a functional, livable, homey feeling in a state-of-the-art luxury yacht, built to standards most people have never seen, you owe it to yourself to look at these - not just boats, but works of art that David Marlow is building.

April 2006 • International Yachtsman • Marlow Explorer 65C by Sandy Lindsey • Five years after debuting the venerable 65C at the 2001 Miami International Boat Show, Marlow Explorer has enhanced it with all the advancements gained in the intervening years, expanding the Explorer series to 11 models ranging from 53 feet to 78 feet. Nowhere is Marlow's credo, "Each one is better than the one before," more apparent than in this latest offering. The new 65C has gone on a diet without compromising performance or integrity. The hull is about 4500 pounds lighter due to considerable improvements in the fiber/resin ratio during lamination since Hull #1. The new 65C has an increased range via a larger fuel capacity...A unique fuel delivery system on the new 65C results in a single valve to direct all fuel distribution - a highly efficient update. Like the original 65C and the Marlow Explorer yachts that have come after and are currently cruising the globe, the updated 65C combines the best in materials and workmanship, along with extensive quality control when it comes to design, materials and installation.

April 2006 • Southern Boating • Weekend Adventures-Biscayne Bay & Ocean Reef Club by Bill Lindsey • Some say this it is not the destination but the journey that is important while others claim it is the companions you travel with that make the trip memorable. We have a third option: The best of all worlds is when the destination is great, the journey an adventure, and the company a blast to be around. The day after the Miami boat show, I hitched a ride through Biscayne Bay with David Marlow aboard a new Marlow Explorer 78 motoryacht. I convinced him to spend the night at Ocean Reef Club located on Key Largo, a private, members-only facility, with the promise of a dinner at the Club. While the boat was at Ocean Reef a steady stream of admirers came by to look at it and ask questions. More that a few of these were surprised to learn that the crewmember dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt who seemed to know so much about the boat was actually the builder.

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April 2006 • Southern Boating • Since this is the the magazine's 20th Annual Swimsuit Issue, there is, of course, a lovely model in a stylish bathing suit on the cover. If you can move your focus out a little from her loveliness and look at the big picture, you will see that she is perched on the bow of Marlow Prowler 375 Open. There is also a wonderful two page photo of this special yacht inside. While we feel this yacht needs nothing to enhance it's classic styling, we will admit that these bathing beauties add a little extra pizzazz!

March 2006 • Boat USA International • Marlow Yachts has been nominated for the Environmental Award, a category of awards in the World Superyacht Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala black-tie affair in Venice, Italy at the end of April. Marlow Yachts was nominated for its efforts in keeping environmental responsibility at the forefront of their boat building operations. Its Xiamen, China facility is one of the most modern boat production factories in Asia, and the first and only to participate in a 'green' environment policy. Located along a protected harbor, this custom boat building facility has been constructed to ensure optimum air ventilation in all operations, with dedicated fiberglass rooms and a closed system that guarantees virtually perfect resin-to-glass ratios, and eliminates styrene emissions. Ozone-depleting fire retardant chemicals have been discontinued throughout the builds and facility, replaced by the adoption of CE standards for yachts in this area and others.

March 2006 • Showboats • underway by Jill Bobrow, Editor • Optimism Afloat - Our feature "Orient Express, Boat Building in China" is another can-do tale. George Sass, Jr. traveled to Asia and learned how building in Taiwan-despite political differences-has spawned a whole new industry in mainland China. Who would have predicted a country that underwent a communist revolution a mere generation ago would today be building megayachts? David Marlow, for one. Almost 13 years ago he scoured Asia looking for new places to build. He started building in Taiwan at the start of the new millennium, but as Taiwan became more and more a first world nation he sought new frontiers where he could produce the quality his customers wanted at more economical prices. Phasing out of Taiwan, he has established -through sheer perseverance- an environmentally friendly, high-tech yacht yard with top-notch engineers, carpenters and builders. Witness the craftsmanship and quality of Marlow Yachts and the waiting line to get one and you know that someone's optimism paid off!

March 2006 • Showboats • Orient Express - by George Sass, Jr.• China is on the fast track to becoming the next Asian boat-building center. Today, Marlow, like several of the aforementioned yards, has settled in mainland China in an attempt to control costs and increase quality. "China emerged the clean winner for us by virtue of the natural assets of people, suitable land, raw materials and support," says Marlow. Other yards have followed. As the Taiwanese economy becomes more developed the trend for boat builders to move a portion or all of their operations to China should continue.

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February 2006 • Boat Digest • Hot New Designs -Prowler 375 Open • Yikes! If this mew Prowler doesn't accelerate your pulse, see a cardiologist. She successfully combines the spoon bow of a traditional New England workboat with a thoroughly contemporary foredeck and hardtop. Weekends aboard-no problem in this cabin.

February 2006 • Southern Boating • This Month's Designer's Choice - Marlow Yachts' Open Prowler 375 • The all new Open Prowler 375 will debut at this month's Miami International Boat Show. It shares a hull with the Prowler 375 introduced at last years show, but all the other features are unique to this boat. It was designed to be powered by twin inboard engines or by two or three Evinrude E-TEC 250-horse powered outboard engines. When equipped with a trio of E-TEC engines, the Open Prowler will rocket along at 52 mph. Cruising at 48 mph, it has an impressive range of 450 nautical miles. This is a boat that has long legs and the ability to cross long distances in a hurry.

February 2006 • Marine Business Journal • Marlow Yachts Limited, Inc. Expands to Australia & New Zealand • Marlow Yachts Limited has selected Explorer Marine Australia to be the exclusive dealership for its line of yachts in Australia and New Zealand. Explorer Marine is located in Sydney, Australia. The dealer has already found a buyer for the first Marlow Explorer 70E it ordered, even before it had begun formal marketing of the line in the region.

February 2006 • Marine Business Journal • Marlow Expands Company • Marlow Yachts Limited, Inc. has appointed Eric Zobel, located in Barcelona, Spain, as the representative of Marlow Explorer Yachts in Spain. Zobel is the first of several international placements that will be announced by the company in the coming months as they continue their expansion into international markets.

Marlow as also announced plans to expand its manufacturing center, Norsemen Shipyard, located in Xiamen, China. Marlow has purchased 50 acres of adjoining oceanfront property to build a visitor's center and provide for future expansion.

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2005

December 2005 •Motorboating • Cat Walk The Marlow Prowler is special on the outside and the inside • Jay Coyle tested this yacht and proclaims Grace under power: The Prowler's ride is as pleasant as her styling. She lifted to plane easily and reached a top speed of 34.3 knots in 20 seconds. This is truly a unique yacht design. A boat that is the vivid and passionate dream of an individual, not a clever product shaped by a focus group, is rare. When I spoke to David Marlow about his new creation, the Prowler, I had the sense that he really doesn't care how many he sells. For him this project was a labor of love that brought him full circle in a lifetime on the water.

November 2005 • Sea • Marlow Prowler 375 Gorgeous vintage styling veils this cat's pounce • Matt Gurnsey does the Sea trial on this yacht and writes: We're running along at nearly 30 knots, a light wind barely rippling the surface of Lake Washington. The sun glints off an aluminum fishing vessel heading toward us. With a turn of the richly varnished wheel, we head toward the wake of the 60-odd foot vessel. The boat hits the wake: Bump. Bump. Bump. The wall of spray coming off the side of the hull increases as we hit each rise. And that's it. Not a rattle, squeak or groan from anywhere on the boat. For a vessel that traces her heritage back to the rough-and-tumble rumrunners of the past, the new Marlow prowler 375 is surprisingly civilized.

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September 2005 • Boat Digest • On the Prowl Marlow's Prowler 375 carves her own niche in the down east market • with a photo on the cover of this issue, George Sass, Jr. sea trialed this boat and writes: The 375 reflects Marlow's own background and sensibilities. He and his wife Barbara spend the summers between Snead Island, Florida and the coast of Maine, and the Prowler seems to take styling queues from each of these strong boating fountain heads. First of all, he's toned down the lobster boat inspired look of a flared bow and straight stem. Instead, he's developed a profile that incorporates some retro qualities mixed in with modern, crisp lines. The result is a sweet little package that pulled glances from curious boaters as we meandered down Key Biscayne for our sea trail.

August 2005 • Northwest Yachting • The Marlow Prowler 375 is a high-tech, high-quality yacht with the timeless lines of a commuter or picnic boat. With its sleek profile and its flag-blue and oyster white coatings, the look is stunning. Its two-foot draft and 30 knot speed give you the ability to run to the San Juans or up to the Delta quickly and comfortably. The cockpit is innovative, with plenty of seating hiding a fold-away cockpit dining table. The salon is large and open, with a queen berth on centerline forward. A fresh approach from a first-rate builder, the Prowler is perfect for a couple cruising for a long weekend. Cat like performance, highly advanced technology and the finest attention to detail have created another benchmark for excellence from Marlow Yachts.

July 2005 • Yachting Magazine • Explorer Extraordinaire Chris Caswell sea trialed this yacht and wrote: You can pack your tux when you take the Marlow 57E Command Bridge to the ends of the earth. The bottom line is that the Marlow Explorer 57 Command Bridge is one of those highly desirable yachts that is built well, performs well and looks good. It's a tough combination to beat...

June 2005 • Southern Boating • At first glance, the Prowler has the look of a well-tended classic, but beneath the surface of gleaming, exotic wood lies a high-tech vessel. It is intended to fill the needs of those seeking a casual, comfortable day or weekend cruiser. The first owners have been owners of Marlow Explorer motoryachts, seeking a "small" boat for impromptu outings.

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May-June 2005 • Power Cruising • On the Horizon- Marlow Explorer 53C - The 53C was created to address customer requests for a smaller version of the company's well-respected Explorer Yachts. Capable of extended ocean voyages and easily managed by a couple, the 53C embodies all the design characteristics of the company's larger vessels, including a hull shaped for comfortable operation in challenging offshore conditions.

May 2005 • Yachts International • Making Waves-New Launches & Industry • Marlow Yachts 61C - Among the Marlow Explorer 61C's attributes is expansive interior volume for a yacht this size. The absence of bulkheads, thanks to her sophisticated construction materials and techniques, creates a remarkable sense of  space without sacrificing storage.

May 2005 • Yachts International • Making Waves-New Builds & Events • Marlow Yachts hosted a debut party prior to this year's Miami International Boat Show in celebration of their eighth 78' Explorer; their first 57E Skylounge; and the new Prowler day cruiser. The Miami Beach Rod and Reel Club catered to 100 Marlow owners under the stars, amid a Great Gatsby theme with sparkling candles, soothing music and beautiful yachts. One of the party's major highlights was Dameon, a young black leopard that accompanied the Prowler series. David Marlow, who is known for his environmental concerns in all his business endeavors, said: "We hope that the beauty and elegance of these exotic wild cats would remind us to do our part on a daily basis to save the world for future generations." Certainly the the yachts were the ultimate highlight.

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May 2005 • Sea Magazine • Dream Boats • Marlow Explorer 78 - Efficiency and Luxury go hand in hand- Marlows are spacious and are known for the high quality of their equipment and materials. The company even developed its own high-end tender, called the SPRITE, which can seat up to six and features trim details coordinated well enough to the mothership that it would put Armani to shame.

March 2005 • Yachting • Driven to Perfection The new Marlow Explorer 78 is the result of one man's passionate commitment to the absolute best in cruising design • George Sass Jr. "It was in this office several years ago that I first learned of the Marlow Explorer 78. Eighteen months later, having had the chance to see the finished product, I think I can attest that this piece of complicated carpentry "worked". Moreover, I'll go on record as saying that the entire 78 is one of the best examples of seni-custom boatbuilding that I've ever seen."

March 2005 • Southern Boating • New boat Review Marlow Explorer 61C • "If the Marlow Explorer 61C had to be summed up in one word, it most likely would be "capable". In addition to an exterior design that looks ready to to take on any ocean on the planet, everything on board the 61C makes sense. All aspects are well thought out, with meticulous attention to detail."

March 2005 • MotorBoating • Chris Caswell reviews the Marlow Explorer 53C • "After following David Marlow up and down throughout his new 53-footer, I was still trying to find two things. One was a part or fitting that he didn't know intimately and hadn't chosen personally. The other was some flaw in this yacht. I failed to find either. The Marlow 53C is the new "baby" in the Marlow line, which previously had started at 57 feet. A smaller yacht from this builder surprised many people in the industry, but its lineage is pure and there's nothing small about this 53, which can easily by handled by a couple and can just as easily cross oceans."

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February 2005 • International Yachtsman • Sandy Lindsey reviews the Marlow Explorer 78 • The principals at Marlow Explorer Yachts know the best way to dramatically show off their product, especially during sea trials. During the maiden voyage last fall of one of the builder's new 78E yachts on the Yellow Sea, the boat and crew had to battle violent seas and headwinds. Twin Caterpillar 700-HP diesel engines kept the yacht on track through a 5-knot current. Green water poured over the decks and the swells were deep. Yet the crew and passengers were safe and dry, enjoying a roomy interior that skimps on nothing when it comes to comfort and luxury.

February 2005 • Boat USA International • Matthew Esposito reviews the Marlow Explorer 78 Flushdeck • “The Marlow Explorer, the whole vessel, is a tangible encyclopedia of innovative ideas in boat building. And though slightly more expensive than your average Britannica set, I would definitely recommend picking one up. People say perfection is unattainable, if so, at least the people at Marlow are trying.”

February 2005 • Boat USA International • Around the World • Marlow joins the picnic - Marlow has a new lobster boat-cum-day cruiser: the Prowler Yachts express cruiser. The first in the series is the 37' Prowler Panther series. The Marlow company is committed to bringing not only the highest quality product to market but doing so in an environmentally responsible way and the Marlow line of Explorer Yachts has also recently received Lloyd's certification, an impressive feat. The Marlow Explorer now features this Lloyd's Offshore Category One classification in addition to ABS and ISO 9001 certification, a status enjoyed by less than a handful of pleasure powerboat manufacturer`s worldwide and the first for a Chinese manufactured product.

January 2005 • Yachts International • Making Waves-New launches, designs and industry-Prowler 375 Marlow Yachts-David Marlow will introduce his new Prowler Yacht series of express cruisers at the 2005 Miami Boat Show. The first in the Prowler series- built at Norsemen Shipyard in China is the 375, a 38' pocket motoryacht that utilizes infusion and pressure vacuum bagging of carbon fiber, Kevlar and core cell foam in the hull. The 375 is a strong, high-speed yacht.

January 2005 • Yachts International • Making Waves-New launches, designs and industry-Sprite Tender 15' Marlow Yachts-Marlow Yachts developed a proprietary tender for owners who want to increase their arsenal of water toys. Sprite tenders deliver great handling with a wide body to ensure a comfortable and a safe ride. Sprites include the same molded non-skid decks, colors, trim details and inlaid ebony joinery as their mother ships.

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2004

July 2004 • Power & Motoryacht • Exclusive review of the Marlow Explorer 78E • Sea Wolf  • Capt. Bill Pike writes "The simple truth of the matter is that the heights of the graybeards Marlow Explorer president David Marlow and I tangled with on that tempestuous February day, a dozen miles east of the Miami sea buoy, were ten feet on average and occasionally 12 feet. Moreover, the wind was blowing between 25 and 30 mph, and there wasn't another vessel in sight, except for a containership...I ultimately came to enjoy such confidence in the boat's unswerving forward motion (in a down-sea heading) that I could occasionally turn my head from the Stidd I was sitting in on the flying bridge and admire the big, blue rollers sweeping behind us...While the boat's classical lines, state-of-the-art engineering, and high-tech construction were great, her offshore capabilities had darn near blown my socks off."

June 2004 • Boat USA International • Review of the Marlow Explorer 70E & David Marlow - Profile of the Man behind the Marlow Explorer Series  • Jill Bobrow writes "The 70E is just one of the series of models ranging from 53ft to 78ft that Marlow builds. Each and every model is a gem unto itself. With each new endeavor, it is obvious that David Marlow pushes the envelope a little further. Is it worth it to wait in line at the boat shows? Bring a book with you, or better yet, your checkbook!"

May 2004 • Southern Boating • Review of the Marlow Explorer 61E-Globe-Roaming Range, World Class attention to Detail  "Marlow's innovative construction methods and unique Velocijet keels deliver seakindly handling, even in heavy weather...the Marlow 61E is yet another example of why this builder has garnered such a loyal following in such a short time. If it makes sense and makes for a better boat, chances are you'll find it on a Marlow."

May 2004 • SEA Magazine • Sea Trial of the Marlow Explorer 61E • Tom Thompson writes "This unique go-anywhere yacht is the result of one man's dream. It is difficult to separate David Marlow from the boats that he builds. Each is interrelated. Marlow loves his work, and there is much of him in his latest creation: the Marlow Explorer 61."

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2003

December 2003 • Yachting • Marlow Magic - a review of Marlow Explorer 57C • George Sass, Jr. writes "It is abundantly clear that this yacht is not intended to collect barnacles while doing time as a waterside condo. This is a cruising boat. Details such as conveniently placed grab rails for use while under way, drawers with positive latches to keep them closed at sea, and proper night lighting all make a difference when cruising. The attention to the systems follows the same thinking. A small sampling of the extensive standard-equipment list includes a split freshwater system with a tap for drinking water, drawn from a polished stainless-steel tank and one for domestic use, dual 50-gallon water heaters, two Glendinning Cablemasters, a washer and dryer and reverse-cycle air conditioning.
This article started out as a four-page feature, then grew to five pages and is now six. Still, a number of great things about the Marlow Explorer 57 remain unmentioned. She is a yacht that deserves the time of prospective buyers. Better yet, they should spend some time with David Marlow and his staff, learning all they can about the other few hundred stories behind the magic."

July 2003 • Power & Motoryacht • Cutting Edge - The Marlow Explorer 72 is simply a superbly crafted passagemaker • Capt. Bill Pike writes  "After I took the wheel, the Explorer ran with unruffled ease in the open Atlantic, as if the four- to six-foot combers that prevailed there simply didn't exist. Visibility was great, all the way around. The ride was smooth and dry and the steering responsive, thanks both to Hynautic hydraulics, a gutsy power-assist system that boasts two big engine-drive pumps (one on each main), and a special effort-multiplying device that accelerates rudder response when the steering wheel is rapidly turned.

Going down-sea was the real highlight of the sea trial, however - yaw ( the side - to - side slewing so typical of most vessels with broad, flat transoms like the Explorer's) was virtually absent. Marlow credited this phenomenon to a patented, hydrodynamically shaped pair of molded-in skegs that run the length of the vessel's propeller pockets- Velocijet Strut Keels, he calls them. Not only do they consolidate turbulence-inducing aspects of running gear into fish-slippery protective housings (with big bearing lubricated by engine waste water), they also augment directional stability, particularly in following seas.

There were simply way too many noteworthy engineering and other details to mention in a single boat test article."

July 2003 • Boating Industry News • Marlow chooses "green" factory in China • XIAMEN, China – Norsemen Shipbuilding, Ltd. will produce Marlow Explorer Yachts' new series of Raised Pilothouse yachts in its "green" factory located north of Hong Kong, Marlow announced in a recent statement.

Norsemen is reportedly the most modern boat production factory in Asia and the first to participate in an environmentally responsible policy. The factory is situated along a protected harbor of the China Sea, but instead of building a seawall around the basin where boats are launched, massive boulders have been placed to create a long breakwater into the ocean. It provides a habitat for fish and lobster as well as preventing erosion, according to the company.

Norsemen also prohibits the spilling or pouring of chemicals on the ground or released into the air, according to Marlow. A fiberglass cutting room building uses technology to eliminate most airborne pollutants. A proprietary technique for laminating, called RIVAT, is a closed system that insures virtually perfect resin to glass ratios and eliminates emissions of styrene into the atmosphere, Marlow reported.

Many of the workers were born in the surrounding native fishing villages where boat building has been a way of life for more than 300 years. Workers can chose to live on site in a modern apartment complex, offering recreational facilities, full laundry facilities and a complete kitchen, Marlow reported. The 200-apartment complex is located 150 meters upwind of all molding or FRP operations to assure safety."

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2002

November 2002 • Yachting magazine • 70 Marlow Explorer - A beautifully crafted yacht from a dedicated, knowledgeable builder • Jay Coyle writes "There are a lot of decent boats built in Taiwan these days but the 70 Marlow Explorer is different. She has the very special feel of a boat built without compromise. David Marlow spared no expense in creating the 70, yet not a cent was invested in her thoughtlessly. Her outfitting and finish are exceptional, yet her price is a bargain in her class.

If the the 70 were just an average boat, her $1,500,000 base price would be a good deal. She is much more. She is proof that it's not simply money that makes a great boat."

June 2002 • Motor-Boating magazine • High Seas Explorer - a sea trial of the Marlow Explorer 65C • Capt. Stuart Reininger writes "I was able to better understand the joy of these 65 buyers-most of whom are experienced boaters-during our test runs through the slop off Miami. This was not your basic luxury liner reluctantly working its way through unpleasant seas. Marlow claims that the Explorer was bred for conditions that make other yachts scoot towards the nearest port. Mother Nature must have been listening. On test day, a deep low combined with a 25-knot nor'easter had turned the waters off Miami downright ugly. Marlow was thrilled.

To prove his point, he took the 65 out through Cape Florida Channel a few miles south of Government Cut, the main and more placid gateway to Miami. In a real buster, Cape Florida is not a happy place. Due to uneven depths and bottom drop-offs, it is a breeding ground for steep, choppy seas and nasty breakers. At his insistence, we gamboled in those seas like a puppy rolling in a pile of leaves. We slammed into them bow-first, taking green water clear over the flying bridge. We ran downwind and down sea. With my hands off the helm, the Explorer tracked for 10 to 15 seconds before slowly drifting off course. Even running in six- to eight-foot beam seas, the roll was not uncomfortable and the boat was never unmanageable. Essentially-and my superstitious self blanches at this- running in that slop was downright enjoyable."

2001

July 2001 • Yachts International • Marlow 65 - An Impressive Debut • Dorothy Turner writes "Writing as someone who grew up on a boat and worked for several seasons aboard charter and private yachts in the Mediterranean and US, I found the design, ride characteristics and performance of our test model to be head and shoulders above that of the typical modern yacht either in the same size range or even aboard much larger boats. Add to that the practicality and visual appeal of the interior, and the conclusion is inescapable that in designing and building the Marlow Explorer 65, the company has thrown down a challenge in terms of quality and price that will have rival builders scratching their heads."