China Tour: Xiamen

 

Xiamen is a popular destination with Chinese nationals, but less so with foreigners. Although we were there for three days, we didn't get a chance to see much of the city. We spent most of our time at the South Coast Marine boat yard as the final details were being completed of what would become our new boat. We had a great time, learned a lot, and really enjoyed ourselves.

 

	Even if we weren't having a boat built, it would have been a technically interesting and fun trip. The yard opened quite recently to replace one nearby, and the new one is absolute work of art. We were really impressed with the size, scope and organization of the operation.
	Nordhavn does a good job of keeping their builds on schedule and from this visit we could see why. Except for a brief lull during the lunch hour, the boat was always packed with people working. A tremendous amount of progress was made in the three days that we were there.
	South Coast Marine does excellent teak work and handles most aspects of the production. Massive logs like these are milled onsite for use throughout the vessels.
	We were amazed at the number of people on our boat, and when the lunch bell rang, we understood why. The staff is enormous. People poured into the cafeteria from all over the facility--only a small fraction had been on our boat. After eating, pretty much everyone takes a  nap for the remainder of the lunch hour. This was one of the few times we were on the boat alone.
	Equipment placement was a big item on the to do list of the yard visit, and we spent hours going over options with the builders. Everyone was very friendly and competent, and good at coming up with quick solutions.
	The yard is very well-equipped. A typhoon was predicted to land in Taiwan and bring big rain and winds to the Xiamen area. The builders were able to quickly move the boats under better cover with this remote-controlled sled. Our boat was moved backward about 30 feet in less than a half-hour from start to finish.
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