About

About SV Salty

A family crew, a Beneteau Oceanis 50 and a professional chef in the galley.

About

Meet the crew

The family crew aboard SV Salty.

Scott, SV Salty's captain, at the main helm station in the starboard aft cockpit under the bimini, with open water behind him.

Scott

Captain

Brad’s father and SV Salty’s captain. He is a retired executive from the software development industry. He and Brad cofounded a software company together 2014–2025.

Beth at SV Salty's helm, in a dark cap and patterned top, steering at the wheel under the green bimini.

Beth

Crew

Brad’s mother and Scott’s wife; they’ve been married since 1981. Before Salty, the two of them completed multiple charter voyages and owned a Catalina 30 while living in Rhode Island.

Brad smiles in a white Everlast cap and mirrored sunglasses at the bow of SV Salty, with turquoise water, a distant shoreline and a cloudy blue sky behind him.

Brad

Crew, chef and future captain

A former Executive Sous Chef. Retired from the software industry. Currently a consultant in Utilities Cost Management.

Takes over as captain in June 2027.

Kelley smiling in pink-tinted sunglasses, her long blond hair framing her face, on a sunny day outdoors.

Kelley

Crew

Brad’s partner. A former banker. Recently retired from aerospace parts manufacturing. A homeopathic product entrepreneur.

The hand-off

Scott is SV Salty’s captain until June 2027. Then Brad takes over as captain.

Broadside view of SV Salty under a deep blue sky, showing her Beneteau and Oceanis 50 hull marks, green canvas, the seahorse SALTY logo and a US flag at the stern.

About the boat

Meet SV Salty

  • A 2011 Beneteau Oceanis 50
  • Yanmar diesel, 175 hp (a larger factory upgrade option)
  • New mainsail, 120% genoa, code zero and spinnaker
  • Stern davits carrying our dinghy, Pepper
  • Home port: Safe Harbor Zahnisers, Solomons Island, Maryland
  • Starlink and AIS aboard

The Oceanis 50

The Beneteau Oceanis 50 is a big cruising sailboat from Beneteau’s Oceanis line. French naval architects Berret-Racoupeau drew her hull and deck, and Nauta Design styled her interior. Beneteau said she opened “a new era” for long-distance cruising boats. A fixed arch over the cockpit carries the mainsheet, which keeps ropes out of the way. Twin wheels sit aft, and a folding table fills the middle of the cockpit for meals outside. Long cabin-top windows and matching hull ports bring daylight into a bright saloon. Below, there is standing headroom throughout. The galley has twin sinks, a three-burner stove with an oven, and plenty of counter space. Reviewers like how she sails. Sailing Magazine found her quick to answer the lightest puffs, with light, easy steering. Yacht and Boat tested her on a windy day and reported strong speeds.

Built for open water

She makes a comfortable coastal cruiser, and she is built for open water too. Beneteau certified the Oceanis 50 to European Conformity (CE) Category A (Ocean), the top European design category. It covers winds that may top a Force 8 gale and waves of 4 meters (13 feet) and up, short of extreme storms. Her hull is solid fiberglass, and her shrouds are tied into the hull’s structure. Sailing Magazine called her “solidly and thoughtfully built.” Deep lockers in the stern and bow add stowage. Lines lead back to the cockpit, and the winches sit within reach of the helm, so a small crew can handle her. The cockpit is deep, with high backrests, and it drains quickly if a wave comes aboard. At anchor, a fold-down transom opens onto a swim platform for swimming and boarding the dinghy. Reviewers note that the standard tanks suit coastal hops, so crews heading far offshore often add a watermaker or extra fuel. She is a roomy modern cruiser rather than a heavy expedition boat, and she likes to be reefed early as the wind builds.

Sources: Beneteau, Beneteau inventory list, Sailing Magazine, Yacht and Boat, Canadian Boating, Sailboat-Cruising, European Union Recreational Craft Directive.

The drawings

Blueprint-style side profile drawing of SV Salty, a 2011 Beneteau Oceanis 50 sloop, seen from the port side, with labeled mast, rigging, sails, dodger, bimini, stern solar arch with davits and dinghy, fin keel and spade rudder, and LOA 15.10 m and LWL 13.30 m dimension lines.
Side profile
Blueprint-style deck plan of SV Salty seen from above, bow to the left, with labeled anchor locker, windlass, hatches, mast, winches, cockpit table, twin helms, Starlink, solar arch with davits holding the dinghy Pepper, and the drop-down transom, with beam 4.49 m and hull length 14.75 m marked.
Deck plan
Blueprint-style interior layout of SV Salty, bow to the left: forward master cabin with island double berth and en suite head, salon with L-shaped settee and table and a straight settee, nav station facing aft, shared guest head with shower stall, L-shaped galley by the companionway steps, aft guest cabin to starboard and aft storage cabin to port.
Interior layout

Tap a drawing to open it full size.

Specifications

Beneteau Oceanis 50 specifications

Published figures for the Beneteau Oceanis 50 as built from 2009. Some figures depend on options, such as the keel choice.

SpecificationMetricImperial
Length overall15.10 m49’6”
Hull length14.75 m48’5”
Waterline length13.30 m43’8”
Beam4.49 m14’9”
Draft, deep keel (min)2.10 m6’11”
Draft, shallow keel (min)1.75 m5’9”
Air draft (max)21.35 m70’1”
Light displacement (EC)12,245 kg26,988 lb
Fuel capacity235 L62 US gal
Fresh water capacity565 L149 US gal
Standard mainsail (classic)55.33 m²595.56 sq ft
Genoa (SV Salty)120% genoa
Engine (SV Salty)Yanmar diesel, 175 hp
Naval architectBerret Racoupeau Yacht Design
Interior designNauta Design
Source: Beneteau, Oceanis 50 inventory list (20 June 2011), pro.beneteau.fr. Engine and genoa: SV Salty’s own; the engine is a larger factory upgrade option.