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In the office off the bridge are more visible upgrades to
Elisabeth F. This is where the captain and crew monitor all the new
entertainment systems, including the 1,000-plus DVD database, the music library,
the new CCTV system and the broadband Wi-Fi. A newspaper printer also resides
here for printing the 600 international papers to which the yacht subscribes—a
plus for prospective charterers.
On Thursday, July 12, 2007, Elisabeth F completed sea
trials to the satisfaction of the class surveyor. On July 17, she left the yard
in Falmouth to meet up with her owner, exactly 10 months after arriving at Port
Pendennis Marina as Avante IV.
 A screen drops down from the wide-open skylounge for movies on
the bridge deck. (Click image to enlarge)
When asked about the biggest challenge of the refit, Captain Jim Aladin, who joined Elisabeth F for the final three months
of the project, says: "To complete it so we could pick up the owner. As nine out
of ten refits/builds are delayed, the crew was working sixteen-hour days in the
end, then a three-day passage from the [United Kingdom] to Gibraltar, eight
hours to prepare for the owner, then six weeks straight cruising. We had a
fantastic cruise, and the owners were over the moon."
"It’s all about immediate problem-solving and quick decision
making when you refit an old yacht in such a fast schedule," says Kaukonen. "The
pre-planning was limited because the ownership was transferred only two months
before the yacht arrived at the Pendennis yard. The owners were deeply involved
in following the refit. We were in daily contact. It’s great to have owners who
are so in love with their yacht and keen to be involved, but [who will] still
take advice from their people."
Was it all worth it?
"The Elisabeth F extension is a 110 percent success," Aladin concludes.
With a beautiful execution of Step Two—the refit—one can only wonder how long
it will be until Step Three: the new build.
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