3 years ago
WOW, I caught a red eye Monday night from LAX to P...
WOW, I caught a red eye Monday night from LAX to PHL, landed Tuesday morning and drove to the Henriques factory. Seeing there are no 44's on the west coast, I set up this meeting with Natalia a few weeks ago when she called to alert me of a 1988 44' that she's helping the owner sell. When I entered the front office door, I was greeted with three huge smiles from the three ladies tending to their business. Natalia rose from her desk seat, reached out with a firm handshake and a big hug. "Welcome to the family Bill" were her first words. Long story short... She escorted me next door to the factory where I was blown away at the five boats, of all sizes, that were in production. We spent some time with the guys in the back room who were glassing up a new hull for production. Now I know first hand why you Jersey guys love these battle wagons!! Natalia then escorted me on a 20+/- mile drive to view the 44' she called about. Coming from So Cal where smaller cockpits and larger salons are preferred, I was again blown away at the shear size of the dance floor (where the real action happens) and equally shocked to see the size of the bridge. Standing 6'5" m
y mind is now in fully engaged in the thought process of how I want my future 44 to look. Moving on, we had made prior contact with Capt. John Lewis and after another 20-30 mile drive, we met John, I listened to his stories and toured his boat at the same time. The BOTTOM LINE of this post, is to expose the pleasure, professionalism, courtesy and friendliness that these two 44 owners showed me. More importantly, Natalie took a full day out of the office, to personally show me two boats that she had no stake in selling. Her goal was to introduce this west coast guy to the Henriques Family and she truly succeeded. Following the tour, we returned to the factory and I was able to meet Jack, and with a huge smile, he escorted me around the facility telling me stories about each and every boat in production as well as his early days in Portugal. At some point in the very new future, I will be the proud owner of a 44 that will be transformed into a brand renewed 2019 model. THANK YOU Natalia, Manny, Jack and the entire Henriques family for a truly fun, eye opening, jaw dropping and awe inspiring experience. I spent the bulk of my time on the Wednesday flight home with a pencil, ruler and graph paper detailing how I'd like my future 44 to look, from top to bottom and Natalia, the color coral will be prominently on display:) PS: Remember I'm a future used boat customer and I can only imagine how the Family treats a new boat customer!!!! Incredible experience!!!