It's been a decade-long odyssey for Karyn and Ron Rothstein. Their quest has taken them from an 18-foot runabout to a 58-foot Kadey-Krogen; from Chesapeake Bay to the first forays on a journey 'round the world.
They've had seven boats in 10 years. Every boat was slightly bigger but, as they approached retirement, they started thinking about longer voyages, maybe even a circumnavigation.
"We wanted a seaworthy boat that could take us long distances in comfort," Ron explains. Solidly built was key, but liveability was important, too. And it was crucial that they be able to handle the boat as a team.
The Rothsteins looked at a lot of trawlers but decided on a Kadey-Krogen 58 that they had built three years ago.
"Kadey-Krogen customer service is phenomenal," raved Ron. "They're so excited when customers love their boats and they build few boats per year, so they are in a position to make it a really personal experience," he continued. "They were very receptive to all of our ideas and suggestions and very open to changes during the process."
Ron wound up retiring before he had planned to, which turned out to be a good thing. The Rothsteins had more time to spend aboard, getting to know Equinox, as they named her. Their last boat had been a 56-foot Carver and the systems on their new trawler were a lot more complex.
"We went to Passagemaker University programs for a few years," Karyn says. "And we took free classes from Trac in California, for captains and owners, on the feeding, care, and maintenance of hydraulic and stabilizer systems."
As the Rothsteins became more familiar with every aspect of their vessel, they also expanded their cruising range. This past summer, they went to Bermuda-their first really long, offshore passage. Ron did some fishing and landed a 60-pound tuna.
"We loved it in Bermuda," remarks Karyn. "We have friends there and, with their local knowledge, we were able to go into Castle Harbor-somewhere we never would have ventured otherwise because of the reefs."
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