Stealth 13 C ‘Allegro’
Allegro. Stealth 13c. Launched on the 28th December 2015 for Bob McIntyre.
The Bob and ‘Allegro’ story.
The story of Allegro started in 2014 at the Surin Islands, a beautiful archipelago some 100 nautical miles NNW of Phuket in Thailand. While at anchor in my monohull, an impressive-looking catamaran flying an Australian flag dropped anchor nearby. Naturally, I had to go visit a fellow Aussie who welcomed me aboard and showed me around. He was the owner, designer, and builder of the boat. This was my introduction to Alan Carwardine. I was most impressed with the whole concept of the boat: the look, the spaciousness, the practical functionality, and the elegant simplicity. I especially liked the twin helm arrangement. Sadly, I could only dream of owning such a boat.
But the dream soon became a reality when my colleague and Chairman of Green River Panels in southern Thailand suggested we buy a boat together. My immediate response was, “I know the very boat”. Within a few weeks, we signed a contract with Asia Catamarans for a 13m Stealth. With me living aboard, we chose a cruising version with an alloy mast and Dacron sails as we planned to cruise the Andaman Sea between Malaysia and Thailand. Included were creature comforts like air conditioning, solar hot water system and microwave oven. The boat weighed about 15% heavier than the racing versions at just over 4,000 kg.
Every month during the build, I visited Phuket to check on the progress. It was fascinating to see the process from start to finish. The most vivid impressions were of the vacuum forming of the hulls and the tremendous effort that went into fairing before painting. I especially appreciated sitting with Alan, who explained things in great detail about the CAD drawings and asked many questions about our preferences. My one input of any significance was to help design the electric power system with Peter Wanner, who did a superb job on the electrical and instrument installation.
Then came the question of what name to choose for the boat. It should always have some connection to the owner, but it also had to have connotations of speed, like earlier versions of “Hurricane,” “Gale Force,” and “Afterburner.” With my interest in music, especially classical music, the name “Allegro” emerged; it means a brisk, lively tempo in music. That says it all for Stealth catamarans.
Launch day, 28 December 2015.
What an event!
She was craned over the treetops and into the water shortly after daybreak. She was well and truly blessed, in traditional Thai and Chinese styles, with the ubiquitous bottle of champagne broken over the hull.
Some 25 of us then set sail for the sea trial. It was pleasing to have so many Asia Catamarans aboard to enjoy the results of their tremendous efforts over the past many months.
My two best friends in Thailand, Jub and Don, also joined the celebration.
Then Alan put it on me to participate in the Langkawi regatta just two weeks hence. “But I don’t have a crew” was my agitated response. No problem. Alan came together with his wife, June, and friends Byron and Rung. I managed to round up two crew: my Swedish sailing buddy Tord from Kuala Lumpur and an old work colleague, Brian, from Australia. Having Alan aboard to guide us throughout the races, I learned heaps about racing a Stealth catamaran in those days.
And so began some 9 years cruising the Andaman Sea from as far south as Port Klang in Malaysia north to the Surin islands in Thailand. There are so many magnificent islands, glorious beaches, and great snorkelling areas to enjoy and explore. It would be hard to beat this area for sailing in the high season, especially when the NE breeze is blowing. There is nothing like the thrill of being under full sail in 20+ knots of wind in a flat sea. As Alan promised me, “Your champagne won’t spill on a catamaran”.
Over the years, Allegro has given many friends and family members fantastic cruising holidays. It has also participated many times in local regattas, such as the Royal Langkawi Internation Regatta, Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek, Multihull Solutions Regatta, and the thoroughly enjoyable Bay Regatta in Phang Nga Bay off Phuket.
Allegro has had its fair share of teething problems; fortunately, nothing fatal. But the response from Alan, Roger and the team at Asia Catamarans has always been excellent. Their after-sales service is truly commendable. Allegro has served me well while living aboard for 8 years. She is comfortable, functional, and a joy to sail. I especially like the wide opening between the cockpit, the saloon, and the galley, which gives so much uncluttered space for milling around and partying. The large drop-down front windows take maximum advantage of the cooling breezes in the kitchen or saloon, a definite plus for this area. But now it’s time to give up my sailing lifestyle. I hope she finds a good home.
