bertram31.com

Had a great day on the water with my family and celebrated my parents 57th anniversary yesterday. After all that good use though the head needed to be pumped, the fresh water tank refilled and the salt chipped off (turns out mine is one of the wet 31s…).

Mooring makes these tasks a little more complicated. There are 6 slips at Jamestown Boatyard and some dock space by the railway. Last night there was only one slip free and the dock space was a no go as it was dead upwind of the slips. As luck would have it all the boats were dark and empty except for the +65’ Swan from Belgium next to the empty slip. So around 9:00pm I eased in to the free slip. There was plenty of room and the Swan had hung additional fenders over the free side which eased my stress level. I got shut down quickly and rinsed off. It was well after sun-set and before moon-rise and the boatyard does not have much lighting so I couldn’t see where the spray was blowing. I was trying to be a good neighbor and keep the overspray down but I couldn’t be sure. Compounding my concern were stories I heard of the “French Couple” who were visiting the boatyard and had quickly impressed the locals as unhappy sorts. I remembered from earlier in the day, the EU flag on the stern and the Belgian flag at the mizzen of the Swan.

As I began the soap cycle of the wash down a head rose out of the glow of the Swan’s forward companionway and into the darkness and announced, “Good evezing”. Oh boy, I thought, if this is some sour Frenchman… now I have to defend my right to water my boat in peace…

“Zat iz ze Tsirty One Beartram” the voice said as it floated from the cockpit to the rail near me. Tucking away my sharpened elbows I managed to say, “yes, yes it is…”

The voice continued, “Dam fine boatz. When we arrive I looked over ze moorinzs and thought Dam, zat iz ze tsirty one Beartram. Ze first boat I ever run was for Carlo Riva, ze first tsirty one Beartram in France. You know Carlo Riva of ze boats?”

I managed to contribute another “yes” to the conversation.

“Mr. Riva brings ze tsirty one over in planning the Riva/Beartram boatz”

I switched to, “Oh.” for my monosyllabic punctuation this time.

“I ran Mr. Riva’s boat in ze Sout of France. He had petrol engines; you have petrol engines too, yes?”

Back to “Yes.”

“He had Riva Marine v-8’s… tsey use lots of petrol…”

“I can imagine, really…” “But this boat and these engines, for me, …” He knew I’d put in diesels if I could we didn’t have to discuss it…

“Would you like some light?”

Oh man, just when things were going good, “Ah, thanks but I’m just gonna finish up quick and the moon is just rising!…”

“Yes, ze moon is beautiful, no? Zis is no trouble…” and the voice floated back down to the cabin.

Somewhere in the Swan a small switch flicked and the spreader lights (10 I think) shone and… gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. Looking up from the new company of my shadows I saw a thin gentleman with Einstein gray hair and mustache rise from the companion way. I cannot describe it but he has the unmistakable sense of a captain about him, the way he carried himself, perfectly at home, almost arrogant, confident and not in a rush for anything.

“Zat is one of ze best boats around, you’ll do fine…”

I’m chuckling to myself now because the boats on the dock are; Vicem 72, Eastbay 58, Morris +40’ sailboat, the Swan and me. The Vicem is new; Eastbay a couple of years old but perfect; and the Morris looks like it has just been polished and varnished.

“Thanks.” I say for the light as the breeze seems to have died down and so I am hoping to keep the spray under control. “…and those are kind words…”

“Iz not kind, iz ze truth…”

What else was I to say?…

I mean really. Axe is clearly in the bottom quartile of the population. Does this happen to all of you all the time? And, did anybody know Riva’s boat? Is it Ferretti’s now?

Get used to it, it does happen pretty often.


Pulled into a fuel dock behind a custom 60' sportfish, the owner jumps off his boat to help me tie up and proceeds to ask the year, motors performance and then goes on to tell me how he fished 31's here and there
over the years, and how great the hull performed. I commented on his boat to which he just said thanks and went back to talking about my 31.

It happens...

I've had it happen too.
Now you know why these are the best boats ever built!!!

Now "zat is how to tell a story" funny stuff.

If your boat is in the bottom quartile mine is certainly in the bottom decile. I limped in on one motor and a bucket yesterday and was met at the dock by guys waiting to ask questions about the boat.

My wife says the boat came with a groupies.

Yes, yes they do come with groupies...

Check this : http://www.iboats.com/Riva_Boats

And I always like to see the old Rivarama with the wood looking so shine.

Nice boats from Italy and I think that they now belong to the Ferreti group

All the best

PeterPalmieri wrote:My wife says the boat came with a groupies.

Guys, we are the groupies and the 31 is the Rock Star.

Pull into any busy spot and you will always get the attention. Take the compliments, be humble and just realize, we own the 53 Corvette of the seas.

Oh, and those guys with the big outboards, have issues running with us in slop. They don't want to admit it but they do. Just ask the guy in the 26 Regulator behind me Saturday afternoon.

Anybody know about Carlo Riva's boat? My friend tells me it was a sportfisherman model...
Also, looking around on-line it seems a "Riva V-8" is a Thermo Electron vintage Crusader... with a Hurth/ZF gear bolted to it?

Great story Stephan, Tony is right WE Are the groupies, have to hide my 31 someplace quiet when its done, like JP and Neils backyard. BH

What else to say???

I like to offer a martini or glass of single malt......or lastly beer or wine.


Must've bee a decade ago, but I had a similar experience in Brewer's plymouth marina.

My wife and I turned around from heading across buzzard's bay, after venturing out 6 nautical miles into it, our destination was the 2nd annual Bertram Rendezvous. But, because the wind was blowing S-SW at 25-35 knts and the waves were 15-20 feet, it seemed like the logical choice, I radioed or cell-phoned, can't remember which, Dug Stowe to let him know we were throwing in the towel.

Anyway we tried to get a slip for the night at Kingman Marina in Bourne and then try again for Block Island on Saturday, but they were full up due to weather. likewise with the Sandwich marina and Onset bay......So .....with a tail wind and being in the lee of Cape cod we made our way to Plymouth Harbor for one of 3 available slips. Anybody here who knows me and my boat, know I run her topless with no hardtop or canvas, cause I think she is just too pretty topless.....

My wife went up to the showers as we arrived, to rid herself of all the saltwater that had seeped down into her foul weather gear. I stayed behind and washed my baby, and then chamoied her down in the newly emergent , yet fading sunset. It being about 5:30pm, I broke out the vodka, shaker and the martini glasses and whipped up a batch of "chumslick" martini's just as my beautiful wife returned, fresh and delightful.

"I'm sure glad we turned around." she said, as I helped her into the cockpit and handed her a martini.
"I'm disappointed not to be at Block Island but this is a nice marina."I replied.

We were enjoying our drinks and each other for a few minutes when this older guy walks up and asks "How old is she?"

I went into my diatribe about being the 35th hull built, the power is DD, blah, blah......His first boat was B25. I mixed another batch of Martini's he stayed and we chatted about how great the 31 was and after about an hour I asked him if he had a boat the marina. "It's over there on C dock, nothing special." he replied.
"Lets go check her out, I'll make one more batch of martini's and Carol brought some cheese and crackers for appetizers." I said.

As we walk over to C dock, we start chatting again about 31's and what great boats there are. I'm thinking this guy has a 32 foot hunter sailboat based on his appearance. Sure enough C dock has almost all sailboats on one side in individual slips and the other side, has one, 130' yacht on the other. His boat was the 130' yacht. It had a 25'dinghy and car on the roof deck with a crane to launch them!!!

We had a great time with his family for a couple hours on this beautiful yacht.

But he kept talking about my boat the entire time, and we even went back so his son could see it.