Written By Susan J. Wright

www.regalboats.com

"We always have great adventures on our monthly outings," says BoatU.S. member and Regal boat owner Brian Rumble, "And we always have good stories to tell."

Well, they'll be telling the one about the rescue at the Florida Regal Rendezvous for years.

In June, four Regals headed out on the homeward leg of a 1,100-mile, two-week circumnavigation of Florida that culminated in a three-day rendezvous at the swank South Seas Plantation on Florida's Captiva Island. About four miles offshore, Morris Fishman, traveling in his new Regal 3860, spotted something orange waving at him. Following a VHF conference, all four boats turned back to discover a man and woman floating in life jackets, exhausted and in shock.

Brian handled communications with the U.S. Coast Guard, while Morris maneuvered Di-Na-Mo carefully in position to pluck the survivors of a capsized powerboat out of the water. Upon learning that the woman's daughter, in desperation after a night afloat, had attempted to swim to shore, BoatU.S. members Dan and Karen Snodgrass aboard Impulse and Jim and Diane Knight aboard Night Moves began searching for the missing daughter. She was later found and rescued in a coordinated effort with TowBoatU.S. Charlotte Harbor.

Allowing easy access, the huge swim platforms of which Regal owners are so fond, proved an indispensable safety feature in the rescue and retrieval effort.

Recently, Regal sponsored the first-eve rendezvous for owners of its line of "sport" runabouts, cruisers and yachts. Twenty-eight Regals from 22 to 38 feet came with families, couples and friends, from age 4 to 74.

Regal's founders and owners for over 30 years, the Kuch family, welcomed the owners into the Regal family--literally. The rendezvous included dinner with founders Paul and Carol Kuch and their sons, Duane, president, and Tim, vice president.

The event also included a golf tournament, an awards ceremony, boat handling classes for the less experienced and a cornucopia of outdoor activities. The company used the event to get customer suggestions, such as what features should be standard, versus optional.

BoatU.S. members Gil and Mary Titus of Crystal River made a number of practical, attractive upgrades to the 32-foot Sea Beamer, their second Regal. This included custom teak sink and compass covers, and a new hatch providing access to systems on the bridge. Gil came to trade tips, hints and how-tos with other Regal owners. "Sea Beamer is our second home, and we've spent more money on it than our house," he says.

The company claims to fill the luxury-and-performance niche. Esthetics are sleek with swept forward bow stems, arches and sheer lines are swept back, and hulls include performance-enhancing steps. Inside, there's an upscale finish--settees are leather and cabinets are cherry.

Diligent research red Skip and Alison Payne, owners of the 33-foot Optical Illusion III, to their first Regal in 1996. "When I discovered a problem and alerted Regal," Skip recounts, "the factory promptly picked up the boat, repaired and returned it." It was the company's response that won him over.

About the time Skip was ready to move up to a 33-footer--the company builds boats from 18 to 42 feet--Alison was ready for a third child. So they developed a formula: 10 feet per-child. But now the Paynes have four children and Skip is lusting After a 40-footer.

Karen Snodgrass, sitting aboard her Regal, one of the 12 boats in the 1,100-mile cruise, commented, "Usually after a week of cruising, I'm ready to return to the comforts of home, but we're comfortable and having such a great time we're net ready for it to end."

Stepping onto the dock after an on-camera interview for Regal's "dock-umentary" starring Regal owners, Tammy Rumble commented, "I'm comfortable driving Regals." (She's on her third.) "They're easy to handle, except the docking, but we have bow thrusters that help."

There was a lot of smiling that evening. These boat owners love the boating and cruising lifestyle, they love their Regals, and it shows.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Boat Owners Assn.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

Article Source: Boat/US Magazine - - FindArticles.com