“Lagoon is a proven boat builder; in our opinion they have given lots of thought as to the ideal layout for a cruising catamaran. The interior spaces are large and easily accessible, all edges are rounded as opposed to being sharp 90° corners, and their hull design makes them great sailing vessels.”
Orcinius, Lagoon 440F
Interview with the Captains — Nick Ransom and Lee Adamowicz
On Long Range Cruising
Can you share a bit about yourself and how you came to live-aboard your sailboat?
Nick grew up all over the east coast but spent most of his time in northern Virginia. He got his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University, where he also commissioned as a naval officer through ROTC. He got stationed in San Diego California and is currently the Navigator on an LCS (Littoral Combat Ship). Lee grew up in Connecticut and was commissioned as an Officer in the Marine Corps from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He was an Amphibious Assault Vehicle Executive Officer but since then has gotten out and is working with the future of the Navy’s unmanned surface vehicles. We got married in March of 2020.
Originally we were looking into gutting a sprinter van and converting it to a whole vanlife ordeal, but one day Lee brought up that it had always been his dream to live aboard a sailboat and one day use it to travel the world. The search was on and we came across the perfect home for us in June of 2020 and moved onboard after a few weeks after the whole survey and paperwork processes were complete.
Who introduced you to boating/sailing?
Lee grew up around sailing in New England, I had an abundance of friends and family that were routinely looking for crew.
Where have you sailed so far, and where are you heading next?
So far we have done a few trips up to Mission Bay and plenty of weekend joy rides in San Diego harbor. Our farthest trip was up to Dana Point, over to Catalina and back. We plan on branching up farther north on our next trip. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us to do Channel Island National Park.
Any notable memories/stories from your sailing adventures?
For us, the most memorable was on our way over to Catalina from Dana Point. We realized about an hour into the morning that we had no water pressure. The hose leaving the water pressure pump had ruptured, flushing all of our fresh water overboard while we were sleeping. Lee had figured out nearly every system on the boat this far except for the water maker. So we had to figure it out now or confine ourselves to wet wipe showers for the next couple of days. While I sailed and maintained lookout, Lee troubleshooted the system and we received some help from some of our boat life friends on Instagram. Without their help we would have taken much more time to restore the water maker to working order. With the water maker up and running and a repaired hose, the rest of our trip was a great success!
Most under-rated piece of equipment for long-range cruising?
Though we haven’t done much in the way of real long-range cruising to date, we would say the most under rated piece of equipment we have while under way is a good combination Phillips head and flat head screw driver. Whether it’s a loose hose clamp, opening accessing a panel, or (in our case) opening the freezer, this is definitely a tool that has come in handy more often than any other while we’re cruising!
Do you have any other notable resources you use (apps, devices, etc)?
We use “Windy” for weather predictions including wind, visibility, and significant wave height/direction, and we use Navionics in addition to our on board chart plotter. Marine Traffic can also be very helpful for quickly locating AIS contacts.
About the Boat
Why did you choose to buy a Lagoon?
Lagoon is a proven boat builder; in our opinion they have given lots of thought as to the ideal layout for a cruising catamaran. The interior spaces are large and easily accessible, all edges are rounded as opposed to being sharp 90° corners, and their hull design makes them great sailing vessels.
What other kinds of boats did you consider before buying this model (and how did they compare)?
We extensively researched other Lagoons, Fountaine Pajots and Leopards in the 40 to 50 foot range. We knew we wanted a production cat for the benefit of the price. The layout had to be an owners version having one hull dedicated to one whole stateroom. Catamarans are much harder to come by on the west coast since most are used to charter the gulf and Caribbean. Even though we knew we liked the Lagoon and FP layouts the best, we’d be willing to hop on a tour of any catamaran opportunity afforded us. The most interesting being a Bali with the garage door style opening salon! All the stars aligned with our lagoon already being in a live aboard slip, within the right price range and already blue water cruising ready.
How did you come to find/locate her before purchasing (and what’s the boat’s history if you know it)?
The broker we reached out to for a few tours knew that this one would be perfect for us and hadn’t yet been published for sale to the public. Orcinius had a slew of upgrades and was fully blue water cruising capable. She spent a good amount of time traversing regions in the western and southern Pacific. We received a tour and instantly knew we could make her our home.
What are the features you like most about your boat?
We love the flybridge. The all-round visibility and high vantage point makes maneuvering and sailing much more pleasant. Additionally, she is equipped with a boom furling mainsail, which after adjusting to its nuances, has been incredibly fun to sail with.
What features/improvements have you added or do you plan to add?
Outside of routine maintenance, the biggest improvement we are looking to make is a complete house battery bank replacement to include the dated inverter/charger and the solar charge controller.
How do you typically use your boat over the summer, and where do you go?
This upcoming summer will be the first with us both being located in the Southern California area, since Nick deployed last summer just shortly after we purchased the boat. We definitely plan on going up to Catalina and firing up the scuba compressor to do some diving. Hopefully soon we will make some trips down to Baja California as well as long as both of our careers allow.
What is the biggest challenge you have in servicing your boat?
It has honestly been finding parts and/or mechanics for our diesels. Getting parts for Volvo engines in San Diego has proven to be a nightmare without going through a third party mechanic… the Volvo sail drives also haven’t been the most cruiser friendly in terms of on the go maintenance.
Do you have any advice for those looking to buy a Lagoon like yours?
Nothing as of yet! We feel that Lagoon has proven themselves throughout the ages to be a solid option for those looking for a cruising cat while not compromising on the creature comforts of home.
What’s the story behind the boat’s name?
We honestly couldn’t tell you! We know it has to do with orcas but based on endless google searches, Orcinius doesn’t translate to anything. The closest thing we found is Orcinus which is the genus name for the Orca species. Speaking of, there were Orca everywhere on this boat! Big vinyl orcas on the hull, a huge one on the code zero and the name Orcinius on every seat cushion! We plan on renaming her, but have to organize the ceremony first.
Check it Out
Click the gallery below for more photos and information about Orcinius!
