The Sailing Vessel
About
Apropos is a 43 foot Hans Christian Cutter/Ketch built in 1983 at a boatyard in Taiwan. Designed by Harwood Ives, she was built for bluewater cruising in the tradition of seaworthy North Sea double-enders, giving her the grace and handling to take whatever Neptune throws her way. Extremely comfortable in downwind sailing and in heavy seas, her displacement of 32,000 lbs. ensures a quality experience in open-ocean voyaging.
In
2003, Lake Union Yacht
Center purchased her from the original owners in San Diego and trucked
her to Seattle. She had been sitting on the hard
for
12 years and was in need of an overall updating. Spending
over a
year on an extensive refit, she was brought back to bristol condition
by Lake Union Yacht Center. The stem to stern refit included fresh
paint &
varnish, new ac/dc electrical panels, new engine, new navigation
electronics, new standing rigging, the addition of a bowthruster and
electric autopilot, new
batteries and charging system, and more.
In March 2005, I was in Fremont and happened to be walking along the north end of Lake Union. Not actually looking for a boat, I noticed Apropos at the dock of Seacraft Yacht Sales. It was dark out but the extensive varnished brightwork and polished brass shone under an overhead light. What also caught my eye was the classic lines of a double-ender. I walked out on the dock to have a closer look and wrote down the information, then went home and viewed the web site that showed pictures of her recent refit. About a month later I was the new owner of Apropos.
Moored at Fremont Boat on the north end of Lake Union, I
lived aboard Apropos for almost a year while learning her systems and
handling. Since 2005 I have increasingly ventured to further
destinations
and spent many hours
improving and keeping her in bristol condition.
In 2014 I sailed down the west
coast, to Mexico, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Neui Island,
Tonga, and Fiji. The return trip included stops at Samoa,
Christmas Island, Hawaii, then back to Seattle. The entire round
trip took 2 years and covered 16,000 nm. Details of the trip can
be found in My Blog.