Tim Morris, Torquay, DEVON GBR asks:
Please tell the purpose of the 'scaffolding' poles either side of Egret? Elementary I'm sure, but, I don't know. Also, is Egret's bimini a solid fixture, and if not does it get taken off for serious passages. Would you ever,ever, ever consider that a 46 is too small for your travels? Best wishes and thank you.

Scott Flanders from Egret responds:
Tim, The poles on either side of Egret are the paravane poles. Paravanes are a secondary source of stabilization in addition to the Naiad hydraulic stabilizers. With the poles swung out and the 'birds' in the water quite a lot of the side to side motion is stopped.

Egret's bimini is a permanent fixture. In addition to shade it provides a platform for mounting Egret's main radar and solar panels. (Egret has 600 watts of solar panels) It was also engineered to incorporate the forward struts to support the mast and lifting boom. We agree that in very heavy winds it would be better not to have the big top however looking at the big picture of Egret's travels and future travels the large top and its functions are a huge asset. For a purpose built high latitude boat it would be better not to have any top OR flybridge to lower the profile.

Size is relative. A larger boat is not necessarily more seaworthy. The Egret crew's former dirt dwelling master bedroom and closet, much less the rest of the house, had more square footage than Egret. Most all of the home space was unused. Egret is very, very comfortable to live aboard. We don't want or need any more living space. It is simply more to take care of. However, this said we would like more room for storage, not for ourselves. The newer Nordhavn designs give you that room including the 43 and particularly the 47.