CROSSWORD AND TRIVIA

DID YOU KNOW?

by Bryan Henry

The deep sea snailfish, partly transparent, lives seven miles deep in the Pacific’s Mariana Trench.

British rower Rosalind Savage was the first woman to row singlehandedly across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Steve Sparkes, a former British Royal Marine, in 2018, became the first blind person to row across the Pacific Ocean.

There are more than 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, more than all the other oceans combined.

On some of the more remote islands of the Pacific, the only mammals found are bats.

The Pacific’s width at the equator is nearly half the earth’s circumference.

The Pacific is home to the largest number of coral reefs.

Across

1 Ship’s steering wheel

3 Slow moving sea creatures

7 By the side of a ship or pier

1 Ship's steering wheel

Down

1 Vessel’s up and down motion

2 Takes a glance

3 Adjust sails to suit the conditions

3 Slow moving sea creatures

4 Underwater features

7 By the side of a ship or pier

9 Christmas drink

10 Naval rank

12 Fish dish

5 Ropes

6 The stress on a ship when a wave is the same length as the ship and the ship is in a trough between two waves

15 Sailing term referring to the bottom edge of a sail not being secured properly

18 Record of a voyage

19 The more or less flat surface across the stern of a vessel

21 Finished

22 Temperature control, abbr.

23 Hold a course too long when tacking

26 Toward the back of a ship

29 Compete for 30 ___ Speedwagon band

31 Seen from the crow's-nest

» See solution on page 50

4 Underwater features

5 Ropes

The Atlantic Ocean is widening by about an inch each year, while the Pacific is shrinking at the same rate.

6 The stress on a ship when a wave is the same length as the ship and the ship is in a trough between two waves

The Pacific Ocean is the largest, deepest and oldest body of water. It is also the most seismically active and most biologically diverse body of water.

8 Snorkler's equipment

11 New, prefix

13 Raise

Scientists have recorded at least 50 distinct beluga whale calls.

One beluga whale copied human voices.

14 Horizontal pole extending from the bottom of the mast

15 Depth measurements

The white-tailed sea eagle can dive at speeds of 100 mph .

16 Man ___ mission, 2 words

17 Period

18 In the direction the wind is blowing towards

20 One of the poles

Australian TV personality Steve Irwin was filming a program called “Ocean’s Deadliest” when he was pierced in the chest and killed by a stingray in 2006.

22 Deck card

24 Night before a big event

25 Help

Only one sea creature in about 10 million escapes violent death by another sea creature.

27 Charge for a service

28 Cargo weight measurement

Averaging 130 inches of rain each year, Hilo, Hawaii, is the rainiest city in the United States.

We all know the old saw about the best two days in a boater’s life. But I’d like to nominate a third: the day you finally get rid of all that excess gear.

My wife, Deborah, and I are the very opposite of hoarders. Over the years, we have ruthlessly purged our home of clutter and unnecessary items. We love the lightness of having exactly what we need and love, but not much more.

The boat, though, is a different beast. Old, used, and obsolete boat gear is difficult to get rid of. Like a virus, the leftovers of boat upgrades, preventative maintenance, and — worst of all — projects you planned to start but never did, have the ability to pass right through my otherwise bulletproof anti-clutter defenses.

The justifications come easy enough. You can’t have enough spares! Hey, those tired mooring lines might come in handy. I’ll use this UV-damaged fender for a man overboard drill. Someone might want to use this 15-year-old solar charge controller. This handheld GPS unit cost a fortune back in the day. And on and on.

It creeps up slowly, over years, one piece, coil or half-empty can after