CRUISING 196 Pages of Boating Lifestyle, Fun and Adventure
cruisingoutpost.com
Also Inside
Introducing The Blue Jacket
Distant Shores - Living The Dream An Eight Island Adventure Tour Becoming Less Civilized - The ICW Cruising The Fat Virgin Summer 2013 - Issue #3
U.S. & Canada $7.99
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Cruising Outpost Feature Stories Page 46 Distant Shores Take a look at how this cruising couple turned cruising into a fun business. By Paul & Sheryl Shard Page 54 Feature Boat: Tartan 372 Ka-Ata-Killa sails the waters of Southern California and beyond. By Zuzana Prochazka Hooking Rules Page 62 Okay, we all know anchoring is a spectator sport, but here are some ways to avoid being “The Star.” By Captain Alex Blackwell Eight Island Adventure Page 68 Sail It started as a dumb question and turned into a great adventure. By Captain John Schaefer Cruising the Fat Vrgin Page 98 An intimate look at Virgin Gorda and all that this beautiful island has to offer. By Steven Pavlidis Page 142 Home Away from Home Wondering what to do when you are caught between seasons? Here’s an option: house-sitting. By Anne Mott The Art of the Refit Page 174 If you look at it the right way, a refit can almost be fun. Yeah, right! By John Smpson
Cover: By Tabitha Lipkin taken in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Cover design by Richard Marker & Bob Bitchin.
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This Page: Tabitha Lipkin shot this great pic while standing on the beach at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola.
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The Passport 470 is known world wide for its long distance cruising abilities. Available in center and aft cockpit configurations, both have spacious aft deck storage and custom interiors. Offered in: 456AC, 456CC, 470AC, 470CC, 485AC, 515AC, 515CC, 545CC, 545AC, 585TC, and 615TC
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Cruising Outpost Departments Page 14 Just Bitchin Once more our ‘steemed Large Editor tries to tackle explaining why we go to sea.
Book Review Page 130 Read a good book lately? Well, we have and here’s what we found...
Cruising Outpost News Page 18 All the news that fits in the pages allowed. Keep up with what’s happening.
Seafaring Fiction Page 132 Here’s some books that are classics, and they’re all about our passion - sailing.
Missives from the Sea Page 35 You’ve heard our side of things; here’s what our readers think. The waters be deep here!
Out Cruisin’ Page 134 A few tales from folks who went out where the water’s deep.
Just Because Page 38 Editor Sue demonstrates what kind of nuts actually want to go cruising.
This Must Be The Place Page 148 Cruisers like to share a good place to sail. Here are some you might like.
Another Way Page 40 Tania Aebi has always looked at things a little different. Here’s her view.
Trouble With Treb Page 154 Once again our starving artist, Rich Marker, tells a tale of the sea!
The Admiral’s Angle Page 42 A look at what the Admiral is thinking while the skipper does his duty.
Party Central Page 156 News from the cruisers’ parties that happen now and again!
Life Aboard Page 44 For the liveaboard, or those thinking about it!
Bubba Whartz Page 162 You can never tell what he’s up to, and usually you don’t wanna know.
Boat Designs Page 76-79 This issue we look at the Seaward 32RK, the Lagoon 450, the Ranger R-25SC and the Blue Jacket 40.
Talk of the Dock Page 164 Zuzana takes a look at some marine goodies you should see.
Weather by Lee Page 84 Lee Chesneau looks into the who, what, where, why and when of Small Craft Warnings.
Tech Stuff Page 166 Input to help you keep up with the new gear and ways to fix the boat.
Lifestyle Page 86 Photos sent in from cruisers worldwide showing why we all want to get out there.
From the Galley Page 184 Cruising makes you hungry. Here’s an idea to help with that problem!
Talkin’ Story Page 106 This is what sailors do. Join in and see what happens “out there.”
Did I Do That? Page 186 We all do it, but only the brave write about it!
Cruising Outposts Page 122 Looking for a friendly spot to hang? Here are a few we’ve found!
Cruisians Page 194 Here are some folks who live the lifestyle. Cruising OutpOst
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Nothing is foolproof. Fools are too ingenious!
Cruising
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Editor at Large Sue Morgan
sue@cruisingoutpost.com
Large Editor Bob Bitchin
bob@cruisingoutpost.com
President Allan Saunders al@cruisingoutpost.com
Cruising Outpost 909 Marina Village Prkwy Suite 351 Alameda, CA 94501 Phone 510 900-3616 info@cruisingoutpost.com
Head Wench In Charge Heidi Benson
heidi@cruisingoutpost.com
Contributor Zuzana Prochazka
zuzana@cruisingoutpost.com
Life Aboard Queen Mother Robin Stout robin@cruisingoutpost.com
Staff Infection Tania Aebi Gwen Hamlin People Who Helped Us Create This Issue
Alex & Daria Blackwell Anne Mott Bill Mosher Capt. Jim Cash Dave Gaspar Drew Whitler James Gyore Jim Bloom John Simpson Michael L. Martel Paul & Sheryl Shard Rick Johnson Steve Buckley Steven Pavlidis Stuart Gogh Taha Hacker People Who Didn’t Help Us At All
Dr. Sheldon Cooper Captain Ahab Zazu Ptts Albert Einstien Tim McGraw (Jody’s input) Shania Twain (Bob’s input)
Art Guru Richard Marker
rich@cruisingoutpost.com
WebMaster Steve “Sailing Guitarist” Hall steve@cruisingoutpost.com
Marketing & Video Darren O’Brien
darren@cruisingoutpost.com
Boat Show Queen Jody “Bitchin” Lipkin
jody@cruisingoutpost.com
Boat Show Manager Dave Dudgeon
dave@cruisingoutpost.com
Boat Show Slaves Jeff & Marie Inshaw
jeff@cruisingoutpost.com marie@cruisingoutpost.com
Official Weather Guru Lee Chesneau
info@weatherbylee.com
Media & Video Princess Tabitha “Bitchin” Lipkin
------------------------------Advertising Goddess Lisa O’Brien
lisa@cruisingoutpost.com
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Remember, half the people you know are below average.
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Every Mack Sail Is Proudly Made In Our Stuart, Florida Sail Loft Our 45th Year
We built all new sails for this Kanter 52 tha t was fitted ou t for circumnavigati ng. Our rig ging department inst alled a Leisure Furl Boom and F urling Code Zero. MACK SAILS also painted sp ars, replaced all sta nding and run ning rigging, upda ted deck hard ware, hydraulics and electronics.
Photo: Kip Brundage
The Biggest Small Loft In The USA Call (800) 428-1384 info@macksails.com www.macksails.com Colin Mack & Travis Blain
WE SHIP EVERYWHERE AND PAY THE FREIGHT ON NEW SAILS AND MACK PACKS.
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“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” - John Wooden
Just Bitchin I was just thinking back to when I first started sailing. To be honest (I know, why start now?) I was scared to death. I was over 30, had never been on a sailboat in my life, and one afternoon I found myself sitting in the cockpit of a Cal 28, sure that I was about to die. What had led up to this was unimportant. What I learned that day was one of the most important things in my life. As I sat there with white knuckles holding onto this big chromed thingamajig (the winch), the boat heeled over until I was sure it was going over. We’d just cleared the breakwater and a 25-knot gust filled the main and headsail. At the tiller, the man who’d just sold me the boat stood and looked totally bored. I remember thinking he must be nuts. I was also thinking how I might be able to crab on the deal without letting him know it was because I was scared to death. You see, part of the reason I was out there was to face a fear I’d found in myself. I know it sounds a little nuts, but something I’d learned earlier in my life told me that if you fear something, the only thing to do was to face that fear and soon the fear would be gone. I was out there because of a book I’d read about a man who set sail across the Pacific on a raft. His name was Thor Heyerdahl, and his raft was Kon-Tiki. In the book he’d talked about how he had to conquer
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his fears in order to fulfill his dreams. What I’d taken away from this was his attitude after he’d been at sea for weeks, and what had once put fear into his heart now gave him a feeling of fulfillment. Yes, the sea is daunting. She can be a tough and unforgiving foe. BUT (that’s a big word!) once you face your fears, once you have sailed across an ocean, you will live an experience few people on Earth have ever lived. You have to face your fears in order to achieve lofty goals. I guess another way to put it is, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Yes, sailing across an ocean is an adventure. The more you live this adventure, the less fear you have. Don’t get me wrong. I still have a great respect for the sea and what she can throw at you, but now it is not an unknown. I know when I set sail and leave my home port I am prepared for what’s out there. I also know that sometime before I return, whether it is in a day or a year, I will live an adventure. How many people can say that? Adventurers are just people who have faced their fears. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” The man had a way with words!
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Cruising Outpost News
All the news that fits
Time for a Change
Inside Cruising Outpost
We can’t change the past, nor can we control what will happen to us. All we can do is change our attitude!
Time to Grow Well, so far so good. This is our third issue and once again we are printing about 20% more than the previous issue. Part of the reason for the growth is the boat shows we go to. At each show we meet more people who learn of CO and subscribe. That’s a good thing! So, in order to show just how nuts we are we decided to add a couple more shows to our schedule. We even added a new party! First of all we added the Chicago In-Water show June 13-16, and the following weekend we added the San Diego International Boat Show. If that’s not enough, we decided to work with the folks at the Boating and Outdoor Festival in Harris Township, MI on Sept. 19-20 where they will have a “Cruising Outpost Bar” and we will host a new Cruisers’ Party. This is just a week after the Newport International Boat Show & Party! How kewl is that? Check page 22 in this issue for a list of the upcoming parties and join us!
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Cruising Outpost News Family Ties - Music & Yoga
No, not at all of them, but at the new Biloxi Margaritaville Casino, just mention Bob Bitchin or Cruising Outpost and the management will comp you a cool draft of Landshark beer. What a deal! This is designed for cruisers! The floating slips are brand new and most reasonable. Try the new Margaritaville Restaurant and stores. Feel like trying your luck? They boast that they have the loosest slots and hottest table games on the coast! The best part? This place is run by cruisers! How can you go wrong? See you there.
After Eric Stone finished playing at the Strictly Sail Pacific Cruisers’ Party, he and “Yoga Kim” (Kim Hess) headed over to Las Vegas and tied the knot! It was all very hush-hush, but news spread fast once they were Mr. & Mrs.. Eric has been with us for over 15 years, and Kim has done work with us for about 10. I guess we can say this is “all in the family!”
Catalina Cruisers’ Weekend October 18 – 20, 2013
Mom to the Rescue In response to a 911 call to save a stranded kayaker, a Washington State dispatcher not only notified the sheriff’s department, she called her mom. The stranded woman, who was an inexperienced kayaker, had come too close to a jetty on the Columbia River and her kayak capsized in the swift current and sank. She was able to climb onto the jetty while her companion paddled off in search of help. The dispatcher realized that her mother, an experienced kayaker, lived nearby and would be able to get to the stranded woman quicker than the sheriff’s patrol boat. Mom and family jumped into kayaks and a skiff, and came to the woman’s rescue. She was cold and shaken but didn’t require medical care.
Cruisers heading to the Mexican Riviera should plan a stop at beautiful Two Harbors! Arrive Friday in time for Happy Hour and live music at the Harbor Reef Bar. Saturday there will be exhibitor booths, cruising seminars, BBQ & live island music... all at no charge! Saturday night enjoy tri-tip by Port Royal YC, drinks by Adventure Voyaging, sides and dessert by you. There will be a raffle and giveaways to benefit Heal the Bay and the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. You can also join Holly Scott from Charlie’s Charts on a ‘Round the Island’ voyage. Then, the following weekend sail south to the Long Beach Strictly Sail Show and join Bob & Jody for a Cruisers’ Party!
May your anchor be tight, your cork be loose, your rum be spiced, and your compass be true.
Free Landshark at Margaritaville?
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Cruising Outpost News
Plan Ahead
(Upcoming Cruising Outpost Events)
Chicago In-Water Boat Show June 13-16, 2013 31st Street Harbor, Chicago, IL San Diego International Boat show June 20-23, 2013 Sheraton, Harbor Island, San Diego, CA Pacific Northwest Cruisers’ Weekend August 10-11, 2013 Poulsbo Marina, Poulsbo, Washington Cruising Outpost Party Saturday Aug. 10 Newport International Boat Show Sept. 12-15, 2013 Newport Yachting Center, Newport, RI Cruising Outpost Party Saturday Sept. 14 Boating & Outdoor Festival Sept. 19-22, 2013 Lake St. Claire Metro Park, Harris Twp, MI Cruising Outpost Party Saturday Sept. 21
Annapolis Boat Show October 10-14, 2013 Historic Waterfront, Annapolis, MD Strictly Sail Long Beach October 24-27, 2013 Shoreline Village, Long Beach, CA Cruising Outpost Party Saturday Oct. 26 St. Petersburg Power & Sail Show Dec. 5-8, 2013 Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin, St. Pete, FL Cruising Outpost Party Saturday Dec. 7 For more info on these and other events go to
www.cruisingoutpost.com
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter
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Cruising Outpost News Missed it by That Much!
Titanic Not That Big!
The Titanic weighed in at 46,328 tons, carried 3,000 passengers and was 882.5 feet long with a 92-foot beam. The Allure of the Sea, shown behind the Titanic, weighs in at 225,282 tons, carries 5,400 passengers, is 1,187 feet long with a 154-foot beam. BUT, the Titanic still outclassed the newly built cruise ship!
When all the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.
So near, yet so far! A Danish solo sailor who had his heart set on a solo roundworld sail ended up in Britain, instead of his finish point in Denmark, after his yacht was dismasted. Twenty-eight-year-old Christian Liebergreen had to be rescued after 260 days without setting foot on land. He was only 700 nm from the end of his 30,000 nm voyage when the mast of his 35-foot yacht Jonna came down in heavy seas. He ended up in Brixham, instead of Copenhagen, after being rescued by a lifeboat from Torbay. The incident happened in Lyme Bay, 14 nm northeast of Brixham. A spokesman for the Torbay lifeboat said, “Everything is fine, and the skipper did everything right. There was a fair old sea running at the time.”
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Cruising Outpost News The Hobie 2013 Everglades Challenge On March 2nd, off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida, 88 participants crossed the starting line of the Everglades Challenge. The event – a 300+-mile unsupported, expeditionstyle adventure race for kayaks, canoes, and small boats – can most accurately be described as “grueling.” Five days, nine hours, 26 minutes, 330 miles and 62 participants later, Jim Czarnowski, Hobie’s Director of Engineering, posted the fastest overall time of any competitor on the most difficult route, the famed Everglades National Park Wilderness Waterway. Jim was also on the first Hobie to ever make the remote and challenging passage. Now THAT is adventure cruising!
Feeling Flighty?
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour is 61,000.
The Ferry to Nowhere
It seems no one wants an ice-breaking ferry these days. The prototype was completed in 2011 in a partnership between the Navy, which wanted a fast military landing craft, and the Natanuska-Susitna Borough in Alaska, which wanted a ferry. Named Susitna, the ferry was to be owned and operated by the borough, however it seems they overlooked a few important items, like suitable docks and a workable business plan to operate it. Monthly costs for insurance, maintenance, etc., were averaging $75,000, so they are trying to get rid of it. So far they have received only one bid for $751,000. The ferry cost $80 million to build. They are still soliciting buyers, but are also looking to give the ferry away to a government organization that meets federal requirements. One of those being evaluated is in the U.S. Virgin Islands. That ice-breaking feature should come in handy, eh?
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Cruising Outpost News The Museum of Yachting
Azzam - None Bigger! The largest private yacht ever built has launched. She’s called Azzam and is a staggering 590 feet long (that’s nearly two football fields) and is longer than some cruise ships. She’s 54 feet longer than the next largest yacht - Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse. Azzam’s beam measures 68.2 feet (20.8m) while she draws just 15.8 feet (4.3m). She is powered by two gas turbines and two diesel engines which develop a staggering 94,000 horsepower. She will have a top speed in excess of 30 knots and has been described as the most complex and challenging yacht ever built. Boat builder Lürssen, which has been building boats since 1875, launched Azzam for the first time in Germany at a reputed cost of $400 million. However, there are few clues so far as to who owns Azzam. The new owner gave the team behind the project the brief to build a ‘large luxury yacht with an innovative and timeless design that would be able to travel at high speed in warm and shallow waters, whilst providing luxurious and sophisticated accommodation to its guests.’
Nowhere in the world is the history of yachting more lovingly preserved than in Newport, Rhode Island, and especially at the Museum of Yachting itself. So if you are anywhere within reach of Newport, one of the oldest yachting-mad towns in the world, there’s an exhibition you won’t want to miss. It’s opening on June 1st, so you have plenty of time to get there. The Museum will feature a diverse collection of Newport yachting scenes to give both residents and visitors alike a look at the history of yachting in this New England city.
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Cruising Outpost News
Cruise Ship Adrift
Sailing the Stars Since the mid 1800s we’ve known that light can exert pressure on objects and cause them to move, exactly like wind filling a sail. Granted, light does not exert much force, but there’s an unlimited supply that constantly streams from the sun and it’s going very fast. The solar wind, as it is called, can be used to sail the stars and over time, impressive velocities are possible. In less than four months, a solar sail can hit speeds of 8700mph. After three years it can attain speeds of almost 150,000mph. At this speed it could reach Pluto in less than three years. Submitted by “Dr. Knowitall” aka Dr. Al Lipkin AB, MA, Ph.D., SOB
Bottom Job
The adventurous life of M/V Lyubov Orlova as a cruise ship is now over, but it would seem far more exciting days await her in the future. On her latest voyage her salons are empty, there’s no captain on the bridge, no crew attending to her needs, and no band playing. She is the ultimate ghost ship since she was cut loose by Canadian authorities in International waters. She is now making her way slowly across the Atlantic and drifting towards Europe, all alone. She had previously been condemned to death in a Canadian scrap yard, so for the moment at least, she has escaped the executioner’s axe. Until recently no one quite knew where she was, but after being adrift in the North Atlantic since the end of January she was finally located some 1200nm off the West of Ireland at coordinates 4922.70N and 044-51.34W.
Feel Like Taking a Walk?
It’s true that walking can add minutes to your life, but you might want to consider the consequences of your actions! If you add those five years onto the end of your life (how would you add them to the front of your life?) you could live to 85 years old. That would allow you to spend an additional five months in a nursing home at an estimated $7000 per month. Maybe your should just enjoy the years you have. After all, it’s not the years in your life that matter, it’s the life in those years!
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Cruising Outpost News The Bureaucraps are at it Again!
The so-called “Marine Fair Use” legislation (Senate bill s401) passed the Senate and moved to the House. It’s predicted to be approved. US boaters can expect a new tax early as January, 2014. This and other ‘luxury’ and ‘sin’ taxes are being pushed through easily because they affect a relative minority of voters, and thus pose little risk to most Congress members’ re-election. Senator Kurt Drieson said, “Owning a boat, and especially a yacht, is proof in and of itself of disposable income.” The Senator has previously stated that land-based RVs and “boats with a real purpose, like fishing or hunting,” would not be taxed. It’s another case of self-serving bureaucratic bloat and a case of creating and funding a navy for the police state.
SWAC Ralley October, 2014
There are still relatively few people who have actually sailed and explored the Atlantic islands. Now there is an opportunity available to everyone, boat owners and sailors alike, to sail the Southerly trade wind route to the West Indies in their own yachts. SWAC has been designed to allow you to sail in company with other yachts to the Caribbean Islands and back, along the same historic routes that have been used by the captains of sailing ships for centuries. SWAC is divided into two main individual legs, a Westbound and an Eastbound Transatlantic crossing, with the benefit of joining at various and convenient starting points. It also offers four additional cruising events. SWAC guarantees unusual places, new and interesting people, and an epic event. Want to know more? Go to: www.atlanticcircuit.com
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Cruising Outpost News Back to School B&G has announced the launch of its new online sailing academy. Designed to help all sailors, whether expert or novice, brush up on sailing theory and improve technique, B&G Academy consists of innovative e-learning tutorials designed by experienced sailing instructors. B&G Academy tutorials use animated video to cover a variety of subjects including wind triangle, start lines, instruments, safety, race strategy and more. Go check it out at http://www.bandg.com/
Darwin to Ambon Race Set for August 17th
Want to Wet Your Whistle? Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle fired into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. ‘Wet your whistle’ is the phrase inspired by this practice.
The Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race attracts large crowds to watch the action and enjoy the dry season sunshine and festival atmosphere. Join the fleet or find a vantage point from which to see the colorful sailing vessels start their sailing adventure, which ends in Ambon, Indonesia. With the crack of the start gun, the race is on. The course is 600-nautical miles to the capital of the Spice Islands, and it attracts blue water sailors from Australia and the world. Skippers who wish to enter should contact the Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race Committee or refer to their website; www. darwinambonrace.com.au/
War and Peace We give up leisure in order that we may have leisure, just as we go to war in order that we may have peace. Aristotle
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Cruising Outpost News Sail Aboard the Bill of Rights
Sail this majestic tall ship, with her professional crew, over to Two Harbors for the entire Catalina Cruiser’s Weekend event. Board the boat Friday, 11:00 am at King Harbor, Redondo Beach, CA. Arrive in time for the event kick-off at the Harbor Reef with a live band. Live on the tall ship while you enjoy the event ashore, including Saturday cruising seminars and a free live concert and BBQ Saturday night. Sail home Sunday morning, back around 2:00 pm. For more on this adventure go to www.adventurevoyaging.com
Around the World in 80 Days
Alex Thomson had good reason to celebrate after circumnavigating the world single-handedly on his fourth attempt. He joined one of sport’s most select clubs. Arriving in France to an uproarious welcome, he also had the satisfaction of knowing he was, by eight days, the quickest Briton ever to complete the distance. He rounded the world in that most mystical of times, 80 days. Well, 80 days, 19 hours and 23 minutes to be precise. He was still three days behind the winner, François Gabart, but worth almost $100,000 in prize-money. Not too bad for a “quick trip around!”
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Cruising Outpost News And It Has Its Own Marina! Larry Ellison is buying 98 percent of Hawaii’s pineapple island, Lanai. He didn’t say what he plans to do with the island’s 141 square miles, but says he plans substantial investments that will create jobs and stimulate tourism to the island once owned in the 1920s by the founder of Dole Foods Co. Ellison’s involvement in the deal was publicly announced by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie. With nearly 50 miles of coastline, it has two resorts, zero traffic lights and its own marina!
Reaching Out to the Youth of America
There is a new campaign from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and other sources, to the Opiate Awareness Institute, that will help provide sailboats to be restored and sailed by young people, which will help build the sailing base while helping keep kids off of drugs. The Opiate Awareness Institute is a new and exciting platform for addressing the youth of America about the extreme dangers associated with the misuse of commonly prescribed opiate based pain relievers. If you know someone who might want to help, Contact the Opiate Awareness Institute at www. opiateawarness.info or give them a call at 727 614-5066
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Cruising Outpost News Thar Be Pirates!
April 18, 2013 - Pointe Noire Anchorage, The Congo: Three robbers in a small boat approached and attempted to board an anchored General Cargo Ship. Alert duty crew spotted the robbers climbing the anchor chain and raised the alarm. On hearing the alarm, the robbers jumped into the water and escaped empty handed. Port Control contacted and all crew safe. April 17, 2013 - Campha Outer Anchorage, Vietnam: Three robbers boarded a bulk carrier via forward bow and hawse pipe unnoticed. Duty AB noticed them in the process of lowering ropes into a waiting boat and informed the Master who raised the alarm and alerted the crew. The crew tried to recover the ropes by using the winch but the robbers cut off the ropes and escaped. April 16, 2013 - Gulf of Guinea: Armed pirates in a skiff approached and fired upon a tanker under way. Alarm raised and distress signals activated, fire pump started, crew proceeded to their emergency stations and citadel, speed increased and evasive manoeuvres made. After around 20 minutes the skiff aborted the attack and moved away. Crew and vessel safe. Thanks to ICC Commercial Crime Services http://bit.ly/11PjqFG
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Missives from the Sea Have an observation, comment or bitch about Cruising Outpost? Send it to us by email, snail mail or slow bottle. We will most likely ignore it, but if we have some empty space we just might put it here to fill the hole! Email: MailRoomTroll@cruisingoutpost.com Mail:909 Marina Village Parkway #351 , Alameda, CA 94501
Kids Say the Darnedest Things It was with great excitement that we found your new magazine in the store recently! My husband, our two heroes and myself look forward to seeing you every year at the South Shore Harbor Yacht Show but with a new magazine, we weren’t sure that we would be seeing you again this year. We tried to gently break this news to our boys. They have seen us survive through careers as paramedic fire fighters and then creating/building and selling a new business and understand the idea that money might be too tight. We explained that since we boat/RV school (home school while traveling) that perhaps we would be able to catch up with you at the Miami Boat Show. With heavy sighs and sad faces they set about their homework like any other day. Noticing that the topic had somewhat deflated their normal cheery attitudes I asked them to begin creative writing on any topic they wished. This is what they came up with: Dear Mr. Bob and Mrs. Jody, My name is Ethan and my brother’s name is Trevor. We look forward to seeing you every year when ya’ll come to Kemah, Texas. Last year you signed a deck of cards for me for my birthday and we still play with them all the time.
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We understand that money might be tight with starting another magazine so we would like to offer you to stay in our rooms while you are in town. (Don’t worry, we asked our parents first and they said it would be okay.) Also, if you need help at your booth, my brother is a really good salesman and math is my favorite subject so I can help with the register too!
He has Concerns I am writing this letter to express my concerns with your new publication. Let me explain the ramifications that your first issue had on my life... I, like many of your other readers, have done a bit of sailing, cruising, and a short stint as a liveaboard. But, the pitfalls of land life recaptured me after a short
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Scarborough Bay
Missives from the Sea - Missives from the Sea - Missives from the Sea - Missives from t time, and as a result I have been living the traditional “land life” for the past 13 years. Recently, as I was walking through my local marine supply store, I spotted your new periodical on the display rack. I threw it on the counter along with the T-shirt I was buying and left the store. That evening I began to thumb through the Premier Issue of Cruising Outpost. As it turns out I read it from cover to cover. I was re-inspired to go cruising again! As soon as my wife got home I casually tossed it on the table in front of her and said, “Pretty kewl new rag, you should check it out”. My wife does not like to be pressured by me. She needs to be inspired to make any kind of
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important decision. Apparently she took the bait. The next day after reading Cruising Outpost from cover to cover she says to me, “Let’s buy another sailboat and take off again”. I s*!t you not! Just like that, your irresponsible use of the print media has cost me a bloody fortune. I now am forced to purchase an overpriced, depreciating asset, quit my lucrative job, and abandon the life to which many normal people aspire. I hope you are happy.... I sure am. Keep up the great work, and I hope to see 12 issues a year soon. Alex & Michelle Gallagher S/V TBD (soon) Flagler Beach, FL
Cruising
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es from the Sea - Missives from the Sea ..And The Winner Is... Well, this is a first for me. I am not the kind of guy who writes in to whoever to complain or praise a product or service, but for all things there is a first time. I just finished my first run-through of my second Cruising Outpost and I have to tell you that this is the best sailing magazine I have ever seen in my life. I have been at this a very long time and enjoyed all the other mags out there, but this is the top of the line--nothing else required!! Thanks to you and Bob and Jody and all the others for a job well done. Even the paper is better. I don’t know what it is but it feels better. I am proud to be a charter subscriber. Keep it up, Capt. David Meyer aboard Last Dance
Captain Ron
It looks like the crew didn‛t take well to the Captain‛s new plan for sharing the latest booty.
Cruising
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I’m not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.
Just Because As I write this I’m being serenaded by the noise of a grinder with the vacuum cleaner singing backup. It’s the sounds of progress. What used to be a poor excuse for a galley has been gutted entirely and the new, “real” galley for our boat is starting to take shape. When we bought Because the galley consisted of a two-burner alcohol stove on the port side of the companionway, and a poorly insulated icebox to starboard. The small, single stainless sink was under the companionway slightly to port and the placement of the faucet was such that on a starboard tack the water missed the sink. It was foot pump only; there was no pressure water system. There was plenty of storage space, but most of it was difficult or awkward to get at. You needed orangutang arms to reach anything toward the bottom. One of our first projects on the boat was to put in refrigeration. We tore out the old ice box, Mike did a wood mock-up of a new one, and he found someone to fabricate it out of stainless. We put in new insulation which was quite the adventure. It consisted of a two-part mixture which we could pour into the void around the new stainless box, and then it would harden into a super insulating foam-type substance. The first batch we mixed erupted like a volcano and hardened before we could pour it. Once we conquered that, Mike built a new countertop with two hinged lids into the fridge and installed a 12-volt Adler Barbour system which worked fine. Some years later we upgraded to a Technautics cold plate system which worked a little too fine. Lettuce does not freeze well, in case you’re wondering.
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On the cooking side, we weren’t quite sure what we wanted to do yet, other than get rid of the alcohol stove. We wanted to put in an oven, but the present configuration of the galley provided no room. So, in the meantime we went through a series of propane camp stoves which used the individual cylinders. Eventually Mike installed a propane system and we upgraded to an RV stove top that ran off our two new 5-gallon tanks. I had adapted well to cooking with only two burners, which was helped by the fact that Mike’s nickname is “Mr. BBQ.” He also installed a pressure water system and an instantaneous propane hot water heater which was highly recommended at the time. That’s a long story in itself and I’ll just say they are no longer recommended for good reason. A new, much larger faucet with pressure water made the sink more user-friendly and I fell back in love with my tea kettle. And so, we were able to get along nicely with a minimal galley for a really long time and the “new galley project” kept getting moved to the back burner. But now, for full-time cruising we want a gimballed stove with an oven. It’s time for a new refrigeration system too since that technology has progressed immensely since we last upgraded ours. With all that in mind the deconstruction tools came out and so did the galley. Now we’re in the process of building the new galley around a Seward two-burner stove with oven and an Engel drop-in 12-volt refrigerator. We’re still looking at sinks, and as for hot water, we’re not sure how we’ll address that problem yet. Maybe I’ll just get a new tea kettle.
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Another Way Anyone with anything more than a casual interest in the world of sailing has probably heard of the fabled 1979 Fastnet. The course of this biennial race is a little over 600 miles of round-trip sailing between the south coast of England and the Irish Coast. As with many established events, it has turned into a corporatized, high-rolling, sponsored affair, but almost 25 years ago, anyone could enter, and many did, at their peril. While the fleet was out, a forecasted gale turned into a massive un-forecasted storm. Boats sank, crews drowned, and something like four thousand people got involved in what then was the largest ever peace-time rescue operation. The 1979 Fastnet tragedy became the benchmark for all kinds of new rules and regulations, and books on heavy weather sailing always reference it as an example of the unpredictability of weather, and how storms should or shouldn’t be handled. Subsequently, the boats that survived the Fastnet immediately earned a world of respect for their seaworthiness. An example of one such vessel is the Contessa 32. A tough little thing, she was the only one in the small boat class that made it through whole and relatively unscathed. This was partly why I chose to sail a Contessa 26 around the world in the late eighties, another tough and even littler thing that weathered her share of storms. On boats, however, the difference between 26 and 32 feet is enormous, and I spent a lot of time in the miniature cabin dreaming of the 32, how I would have decorated her, how many more souvenirs could have fit aboard, how many people could have been sitting around her salon table for dinner. Ever since, my radar has been attuned to mention of the Contessas, almost always flattering, appreciative, and covetous. Not only is she an excellent craft, connoisseurs agree, but graceful lines and low freeboard make her a streamlined beauty. 2006 was the fortieth anniversary of the 26-footer, and her designer-builder, Jeremy Rogers, hosted a birthday party. I was invited to join and met a crowd of Contessa lovers who were almost cultish in their devotion. Almost 40 Summer 2013 pg 40-41 Another Way.indd 2
forty 26’s showed up in Lymington, on the south coast of England, for a weekend of racing, chatting and eating. I sailed with Jeremy and his lovely wife, Fiona, and under his quiet direction, we won the grand weekend finale race. While steering her toward the Isle of Wight, they nonchalantly mentioned her three wins of the Around the Island, another race that has turned into a high-profile event for big-ticket boats and sponsors. This little pup, with her unpretentious, laid back creator, and two of his sons, had run up against the big boys, and had brought home three trophies. I loved the David and Goliath parallel, proud to have been connected to such pedigree. A Contessa. It even sounds royal. Fast forward seven years to the day my sister and her husband are being wooed by the stereotypical broker that really wants to sell them a Fancy Boat. They had asked me to fly over to the UK for the sea trial, and after having put her through her moves, while tuning out the broker on steroids who kept asserting his savvy credibility by touting the virtues of all the technological gadgetry and wizardry which, to me, represents nothing but a boatload of eventual breakdowns, we sat for lunch. The broker had been tolerable, a harmless caricature, until he started bragging about his vast experience with all the Around the Island Races he’d competed in with various Fancy Boats. “Oh,” I asked, “do you know Jeremy Rogers?” I assumed everyone would be on the same page as me about the little engine that could that had beaten the big locomotives several times, and the conversation could segue for a moment to the merit of a traditional design British sailors had cut their teeth on. When he shrugged dismissively, pshawed, and immediately took off into another irrelevant, bombastic story, he became forever relegated to the ranks of idiot. The mealtime bluster led to a tale about a Fancy Boat headed for the Canaries in a flat calm, and saw something floating in the water, which happened to be a man. Turns out, broker brayed, this African guy had stowed away on a Greek ship. A couple of hundred miles out from port, Cruising 4/30/13 12:18 PM
he revealed himself to the crew, they took one look at each other, then heaved the poor fellow overboard. He had survived by hanging onto a piece of jetsam until Fancy Boat picked him up. But, that turned out to be a disaster, broker claimed, raising his noble chin disdainfully. Oh, the paperwork, the legal hassles of importing a castaway into the Canary Islands! The unfortunate Fancy Boat crew got delayed by a couple of days, thrown way off some extremely important schedule. “And, the moral of the story is,” warned broker, sagely, “never pick up a castaway. It’ll bring you nothing but bureaucratic trouble.” I tell this tale because he was the perfect buffoon who, representing a modern Fancy Boat, pitted his world up against the timeless Contessa and her people in a way that makes the true meaning of class very clear. Confucius says: a superior man is modest in his speech and exceeds in his actions. This seems to be particularly true of sailors. The blowsier the speech the less salty the character. Last month, I returned to visit the Rogers and to see a Contessa 32, and was very pleased to rediscover the boat and her creators still reign among some of my favorite people in the sailing world. Every now and then, they build a new one, but most of their work comes
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from restorations and upgrades for their family of boat owners. Fiona has a database that keeps fond track of all the Contessa offspring. Their son, Kit, who is taking over the family business and is now running the show, showed me a book. It was an old edition of Adlard Coles’ Heavy Weather Sailing, the same one I had read a couple decades ago when being perversely drawn, as many new sailors can be, to the disaster stories of worst-case scenarios. It was when I read for the first time about the 1979 Fastnet, how a Contessa 32 had been the sole survivor of her class, impressing me early on with this standard of excellence. Kit described how he had just bought that very boat back from the 90-something year old man who had owned her forever, and soon after the sale, a friend found a copy of the book in a thrift store, labeled on the inside cover with the old fellow’s name. Even cooler was the discovery of an entire logbook contained within the pages, with entries actually made during the legendary Fastnet, a man scratching entries of few words in the cocoon cabin of a boat that would protect him while others were fighting for their lives. And here we have a story gone full circle, wrapped up, I daresay, with way more historically relevant and impressive flair than a certain Fancy Boat type could ever hope to know.
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The Admiral’s Angle Sew? Cruising boats come in all shapes, sizes and materials, but what distinguishes one from another in the crowded anchorage is the way we dress them. Thus, you might think all the pretty canvas a boat sports is for appearances only, but reality is that UV protection for sails, equipment and crew is the driving force. The farther a boat travels into the tropics, the more UV protection is essential, and, of course, the longer a boat travels, the more need there’s going to be for repairs, often in remote situations. Because every cruising boat afloat is unique, as are its needs, every solution will be unique. So … it’s pretty handy to be able to sew. Several different kinds of sewing are called for on a cruising boat. There’s big, complicated stuff – sails, sail covers and stackpacks, awnings, biminis, and cockpit cushions – that require real skills, workspace and an industrial sewing machine to handle the multiple layers of heavy fabric that must be stitched through. There are smaller, more domestic type projects – courtesy flags, utility bags and organizers, pillows and cushions, fitted sheets, and covers etc. – than can be managed with a home-style machine. There are emergency repairs to sails, dodgers, and covers that can be made in place with the ingenious sewing awl. And finally there is marlinspike sewing – making splices and whipping lines – that calls for its own set of tools. Sewing is a skill that often (but not always) comes aboard with the female cruising partner. If your mother succeeded in teaching you this skill, you have a head start in setting up to sew on your boat. A brand new cruising boat is (pardon the pun) a blank canvas for someone who loves to sew. However, many of us in recent generations dodged this old-fashioned skill-training, so now what? Is it essential? I canvassed (oh, dear!) the Admirals and got answers that ranged the spectrum. Some like Betty Lee (Quantum Leap), Linda (Hawkeye), and Mary (Camryka) sewed as girls and brought that pleasure and ability to their boats, setting themselves up with industrial grade sewing machines to handle most of the sailing projects and repairs they might need, and 42 Summer 2013 pg 42-43 Admiral's Angle.indd 2
even making money along the way by sewing for other cruisers. Others like Sheri of Procyon, Judy of Ursa Minor, and, yes….myself… made it thousands of sea miles relying almost exclusively on shore-side canvas workers. Other Admirals like Daria of Aleria, Wendy of Velella, Lisa of Lady Galadriel, and Jane of Lionheart fell in between; they know how to sew and equipped themselves to tackle the more manageable domestic-scale projects -- like courtesy flags, organizer bags and awning repairs -- but leave the big jobs to professionals who have the machines, space, and knowhow to handle them. So, the answer is, NO, you don’t absolutely have to know how to sew to go cruising. But don’t stop reading! While sewing as a skill and the space to do it are found in most places you will visit, quite often the materials needed to do it right are not. Below, we’ll list materials you’d be wise to bring with you. Also, you may decide this is a horizon you want to broaden. There are marine sewing courses offered around the country, one of the most famous of which is Carol Hasse’s course at Port Townsend Sails. Sailrite, Inc, an online source for everything related to marine sewing, also has instruction books, videos and kits. Plus, sewing can be an ideal skill to learn from a cruising mentor. Cruiser nodes like Trinidad (which happens to be a fabric nirvana) often support cruiser sewing groups. The easiest first stop for setting up your boat for sewing is Sailrite (www.sailrite.com), a secondgeneration family business, whose objective from the start was to provide a source of instruction and materials for amateur sailmakers and canvasworkers. Its founder, Jim Grant, wrote The Complete Canvasworker’s Guide, which even I had on my boat. Sailrite is the best known vendor of heavy-duty sewing machines for sail and canvas work, which feature straight and zigzag stitching and a walking foot that moves the layers of heavy fabric together through the machine. They are beautiful and pricey. Several Admirals have Sailrite machines. Several others, however have old-fashioned hand-me-down Cruising
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sewing machines from the 40s and 50s – like a Pfaff 230, while Mary had a Reed’s Sailmaker machine her husband bought in the 80s. Older machines (I’ve even seen hand-crank Singers), found second or third-hand, often have strong-enough motors to do much of what most cruisers need. Today’s “canvas” is most often Sunbrella™, colorful solution-dyed acrylic fabric which is water-resistant and stands up well in the cruising environment. Since aesthetics are at least part of our motivation, think carefully about your color scheme from the outset. You’ll be living with it a long time. Dark colors are eye-catching, but hotter and provide a darker shade. On Tackless II we chose a two-toned theme: Erin Green for our sailcovers, but the lighter, cooler Linen for our bimini and shade awnings. Sunbrella™ fabric is widely found throughout the cruising world, but not always your color(s). If you’re picky about color, you may want to bring with you fabric for future projects, even if not doing the sewing yourself. Likewise, what isn’t widely found is UV-resistant threads. More expensive, of course, but it pays for itself in durability. Sheri and I, the non-sewers, both learned to bring spools in colors to match our Sunbrella™ to provide to sewers, and the same for UV-resistant zippers and pull tabs particularly for crucial replacements like the dodger roll-up windows and the stack-pack. Other recommended stuff for all cruisers to carry are snaps, buckles and toggles, particularly to match what you already have. Some of these require a specialized tool to apply them; others just need a mallet! Velcro in spools and nylon webbing (great for reinforcing corners) are useful, as is 2-sided tape, particularly for sail work. “Never use pins in sail work,” says Rita Diehl, a new Admiral who’s worked in sail lofts but says she did not sew aboard! For serious sewers, Rita recommends keeping a yardstick and T-square for straight cuts to selvage, and dedicating a pair of very sharp scissors for cutting and a soldering iron for sealing synthetic edges. Don’t forget the 3-in-One Oil to lubricate your machine. Regarding sail repair, Rita goes on to advise caution. “Hand repairs are best in an emergency. You can really screw up a sail that is not laid out properly, both patching and large seam stitching, because you could create stresses the sail was not designed for, that are harder to correct for later on.” Cruising pg 42-43 Admiral's Angle.indd 3
All cruisers should have a ditty bag with the tools to make emergency repairs and to whip lines. This should include a leather palm, a fid, heavy-duty needles, beeswax, waxed thread, sail tape and patch material. Also a sewing awl. “I am always checking sails and canvas for things that need a stitch here or there with my sewing awl,” says Betty Lee. “It’s best to see to it right away to avoid bigger jobs later on. You know…‘a stitch in time’…!” There are videos on using the ingenious sewing awl on YouTube, and most any seamanship book will show the basics of whipping. One of the most popular sewing projects among cruisers is courtesy flags, much cheaper than buying them. Sailrite has a book of patterns for flags of the Caribbean. To go further, carry an atlas of world flags and keep a grab bag full of colorful scraps! The Admirals together listed over three dozen sewing projects they’ve completed, not counting clothes, costumes, placemats and napkins, or hobbies like quilting! Invariably, they started with simple obvious covers for UV protection, screens for square hatches, or bags for organizing stuff, but ideas proliferated quickly from seeing what other cruisers did. Even those of us who don’t sew ourselves get into the creative game. Tackless II was covered in Sunbrella™ by the time we reached Australia. Special thanks to the serious sewers: Betty Lee Walker of Quantum Leap and new Admirals Linda Keigher and Rita Diehl.
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Life Aboard For whatever reason, many would-be cruisers who head south end up as liveaboards in Mexico. During our cruise through Mexico we have met liveaboards in every marina we’ve visited. Some people come here to live aboard, but most began a cruise and ended up finding somewhere they loved and settled down. These liveaboards become part of the local community. Some are retired, some are working and some have started businesses. Most end up in marinas yet some stay in anchorages. When considering the options of living aboard your boat south of the border, there are many things to consider. Language We spoke very little Spanish when we first arrived. We studied, asked questions and learned along the way. There are Spanish lessons available at many marinas and you can even arrange for a private tutor. We did purchase a software program to help us learn espanol and it helps. Our classroom has been in taxi cabs, restaurants and mixing in with the locals. We’ve found the people to be very kind when we are trying to learn their language. They speak slower and have been happy to help us. We’ve found that just trying to speak a little of the local lingo goes a long way. Just trotting out a few words of bad Spanish has opened doors to meet the locals and provided opportunities to get a closer glimpse of the local culture. Taking the time to learn at least enough Spanish to understand directions and order in a restaurant will make life easier and your experience much richer. 44 Summer 2013 Pg 44-45 Life Aboard issue 3.indd 2
by Editor Robin Stout
Immigrating A tourist visa allows you a six-month stay in Mexico, but if you’re moving in you’ll want to check into obtaining a “Temporary Resident” card (formerly known as an FM3). Most of the information is online but it’s not in English. If you’re not comfortable with the process you can hire an agent who will help with the paperwork and legwork (most offices aren’t close to each other). Using agents can be expensive, but may be worth the expense by getting you through the process. This process must be started in the USA, so check into it before leaving the country. Mail and Banking Even when dock lines and other ties have been cut, there may still be things “back home” that need to be tended to. Mail and banking are two of these that we have dealt with. We found a service (St Brendan’s Isle) to handle our mail. They scan the mail and we read it online. They will forward it where it needs to go (usually friends coming to visit) or shred it for us. We found online banking to be a lifesaver. We manage accounts online and we can even make deposits via the iPad. Cars and Driving Some liveaboards choose to bring a car into Mexico from their home, some buy a car when they arrive and others (like us) use public transportation and taxis. Bringing a car in does give the opportunity to bring much needed parts and supplies, but make sure to check out the laws on keeping a foreign car in the country. We have Cruising 4/25/13 12:20 PM
Living Aboard in Mexico
rented a car and found driving to be a little more excitement than we were looking for. For example, left turns from the right lane... that can be quite exciting. We are happy to hop on the bus or hire a taxi and leave the driving to someone else. This also gives us a chance to see things along the way and practice our Spanish. Cost of Living People living aboard here in Mexico are on budgets that range from dinner being beans and rice aboard to lobster in a restaurant. Some have big budgets and some are quite small. We have found the cost of things like food, services and other items to be less expensive than in the USA. For example, a beer at Philo’s, one of the most popular cruiser hangouts on the Pacific coast of Mexico, is 25 pesos, just under two dollars. One thing to consider is the cost of berthing the boat. You can anchor out for free and this can drastically cut your budget, but if you’re planning on staying in a marina you’ll have lots of choices. The facilities and costs vary widely with top-of-theline marinas charging rates that are as high, and sometimes higher than berthing costs in the U.S. Weather We love tropical weather, but the summer near the coast is HOT, often very humid and there can be hurricanes. Many liveaboards have installed air conditioning and an afternoon dip to cool off is a common occurrence. Summer is when many liveaboards choose to visit family and friends in other Cruising Pg 44-45 Life Aboard issue 3.indd 3
parts of the world or explore inland where there are mountains and the weather tends to be much cooler. Safety Violence against boaters is rare but, just as anywhere, you need to be aware of what is going on around you. We use the same common sense we would use in the good old USA and have never felt threatened or uncomfortable. Many marinas have onsite security and theft from boats in marinas is rare. There are occasional thefts of dingies and outboards from boats anchored out, but it’s nowhere near as big a problem as say the San Francisco Bay area where over 50 outboard thefts have been reported recently. Patience Mexico, like many countries in the tropics, operates on their own schedule. “Manana” may not mean tomorrow... sometimes it means not right now. Getting in a hurry or getting irritated may actually slow things down. Don’t expect the same pace you’re used to back home. This just doesn’t work, so if you want things to be like home my advice to you is to stay there. We’ve adopted an acronym that we break out often: TIM. It stands for This Is Mexico. They have their own way of getting things done and if you just go with the flow things have a way of working out. I still own a great T-shirt that I purchased from a now defunct sailing rag that says, “Attitude, the difference between ordeal and adventure.” If you want to live aboard in a foreign land, experience other cultures and have great adventures, be patient and keep a positive attitude and you’ll have a great experience. Summer 2013 45 4/25/13 12:21 PM
Distant Shores
Sailing the World, Living Large & Loving Life By Paul & Sheryl Shard
When Sheryl and I first started full-time cruising 23 years ago people asked us three common questions: Where are you going to sail? Are you worried about storms? Aren’t you worried about pirates? Well, we sailed around the Atlantic, we did worry about storms but managed to avoid them or deal with them, and steered clear of areas where there were risks of pirates.
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On that first three-year cruise we fell in love with the cruising lifestyle, explored 23 countries while sailing over 20,000 miles, and developed our skills in photography and videography as we documented our experiences. We were as passionate about filming as about sailing and as a result, our plan to return to the real world never happened... Cruising became our job when Discovery Channel and other television
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Sailing the World, Living Large & Loving Life
broadcasters licensed our travel documentaries about the cruising life. We have been making sailing television programs for 20 years now starting with our first documentary, “Call of the Ocean,” then our first TV series, “Exploring Under Sail,” and are now shooting season 9 of our current TV series “Distant Shores” with over 100 half-hour episodes broadcast worldwide in 24 languages. Distant Shores celebrates the cruising life, profiles the world’s top cruising destinations, and offers hints and tips on safe and comfortable cruising. Now when we tell people that we sail the world and film it all for a television program their common question is, “How did you get that job?!” The short answer is we made our own job. The long answer is more interesting! At 29 years old we set off on our first threeyear cruise with a plan to film what we could of our adventure. We had training in film and photography and had been doing freelance work before departing. From Toronto we headed down the Erie Canal and Hudson River to New York City, then down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida. We had splurged on a professional underwater camera housing to add to our collection of photography and video equipment as we are both keen divers. Crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas we spent that first magical winter exploring the undersea-Bahamas and learning more about underwater filming. We are both qualified SCUBA divers but on our first boat, a small 37-footer, we didn’t have room for tanks and a compressor. Instead we developed what would become a passion, free-diving and filming underwater. I think we are one of the rare film crews to film while free-diving. It yielded one of our most magical underwater scenes, thanks to the lack of bubbles that scare off larger animals.
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On that occasion, we were diving in a deep cut between two islands in the Exumas. Swimming down to eight meters I saw a squadron of three huge eagle rays swimming past. These animals are often nearly two meters across the wings and three meters long to their whip tail. I sank down quietly to hide beside a rocky coral head as they flew majestically away. I had been down just about a minute and was getting ready to come back up when the rays turned and headed back toward my coral head. My longest dives are nearly three minutes but the rays were still ten meters away and I hoped I would have enough breath to wait for them to swim by. As they came closer it seemed they would come right for me - with no bubbles to give me away, just the large underwater camera peering out and capturing the whole scene. The three eagle rays swam
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directly for the camera and went so close over my head I had to duck even further. The resulting shot looks like a Star Wars scene where the enormous Imperial Cruiser passes right over the Millenium Falcon. Lungs bursting I quickly headed for the surface as soon as the whip tails had safely passed. Whew! After that first winter in the Bahamas we felt ready to tackle an ocean crossing. We had sailed to the Azores and learned that sperm whales were often to be encountered in the waters near the islands. We dedicated almost a full month to filming whales underwater in one of our most ambitious early projects. We discussed our plan with marine biologists who were filming a documentary about the white whale, and got hints for how to safely get film of these magnificent animals. We spent 12-hour days travelling grids searching for our quarry, most often returning with little to show for it. If we saw whales I would slip into the water some ways ahead and swim to intersect them. Sheryl would move the boat away and hopefully a whale would come close enough to be filmed. After many days we were rewarded for our patience with a precious few minutes of film. On the day that we decided to leave the Azores and head on to Madeira we were in “passage-mode”
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Sailing the World, Living Large & Loving Life
not really ready to meet whales - but there they were! Well practiced by now, I slipped into the water and the largest whale we ever saw swam right toward me. Seeing this whale, 15 feet longer than our boat, point his bulbous head right at me, Sheryl had to decide whether to intervene with the boat or take the chance and let me get the shot. Thankfully it all worked out! After pinging me with his sonar (I could feel the vibration in my chest the way you sometimes do when standing in front of a loud stereo speaker) he swam up to gaze at me with a grapefruit-sized eyeball, then rolled away and swam off. I got a nice piece of footage to add to the sperm whale segment in our first documentary, Call of the Ocean. Call of the Ocean was licensed by the Discovery Channel since it had a lot of nature and underwater filming. That first contact is important in television, and this opened the door for further television work. On our next television project, we worked with noted Canadian film and television director, Peter Rowe, on a sailing series called “Exploring Under Sail” and over those four years learned a lot more about the industry. When we branched off on our own and started
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making the Distant Shores TV show in 1998 we had been working professionally in television for five years. We never grow tired of the joys of sailing and filming. It’s always fun planning voyages and thinking of destinations with the television show in mind. So many kind viewers have written telling us what aspects of the show they enjoy and we appreciate these letters from all over the world. Meeting interesting characters has always been popular, and as cruising sailors we seem to meet quite a few! Sometimes it’s just a lucky break filming the amazing Greek Orthodox Monastery at Patmos we happened to be there when the former King Constantine II of Greece was visiting. We scored a quick interview with him and his Danish Wife, Queen Anne Marie, who told us she loves watching the Travel Channel where Distant Shores is shown across Europe!
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Although a number of millions of people catch the show around the world, we always keep in mind that our most loyal viewers are our fellow sailors and potential cruising sailors. For our sailing audience we always try to craft a show that will help inform and entertain from a sailor’s perspective, but will still satisfy the interests of the general traveller who make up the much larger segment of the television market. Topics include dealing with unusual conditions in local waters such as the strong currents in the Dardanelles en route to Istanbul, the extreme tides of the Channel Islands off France, or the challenges of piloting the shallow waters of the Bahamas. As well as to entertain while profiling great nautical tourism destinations, our goal is to pass on what we have learned over the years to help out fellow sailors if they are interested in making the journey themselves. It has been immensely gratifying to meet up with sailors who have followed our shows on television, got inspired to try the lifestyle, have learned to sail, and then got out cruising. One year in Marmaris, Turkey, when we were hauled out in the yard sweating over the annual maintenance chores, a cruising sailor with long, sunbleached blonde hair recognized us and came over to thank us for the inspiration the show had given him to set off cruising. He invited us to come down at happy hour and see his new catamaran. We brought along a bottle of “cruiser wine” and were astonished when we saw his boat, which was at that time the third largest catamaran in the world at nearly a hundred feet long! A waiter
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Sailing the World, Living Large & Loving Life
came to the upper deck to take our drink order and we quietly hid our wine under the table. Despite having a very different style from most cruisers we meet, this guy was out exploring and having adventures. (Turned out he’d just sold a hotel chain.) We marvelled at this cruising life we all share! Our most recent cruising has been to Northern Europe where we filmed the season 7 and 8 episodes of the Distant Shores TV series. Over the past three years we cruised the Baltic, the UK, Norway and France. Our Baltic cruise started with an early spring cruise of the Solent, then sailing east to Holland and Germany where we headed through the Kiel Canal
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into the Baltic to explore Denmark and Sweden. We returned through the Dutch canals and visited Amsterdam, filming 13 half-hour shows on the trip. In 2011 we explored Ireland and Scotland, where we sampled whisky and sailed through Loch Ness keeping a sharp eye out for the monster. On that trip we went our furthest north ever, 61 degrees, filming in the dramatic Sognefjord on the west coast of Norway, the longest fjord in Europe. Then in 2012 we fulfilled a longtime dream to cross France by the canals. Our Southerly 49 sailboat has a lifting keel which allows us to reduce draft to less than one meter (three feet) so we put the mast down on deck and set off up the
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Seine River. An idyllic 10-week cruise followed, entering Paris on our own boat, crossing the tiny canals of France (via 179 locks) and sampling the local wines and fine foods. We filmed the adventure of course, then emerged from the canals in the Med at Port St Louis. Next was a quick passage out to Gibraltar, Morocco, and the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic as part of the ARC - the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. We have documented all these experiences for season 9 of Distant Shores. Now comes another key part of the project - we must sit still for a while to edit up the shows we have shot. This is always an enjoyable part of our job. It usually takes two weeks to edit down the
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five hours of raw footage that will make the final 24 minutes of film that is one episode of Distant Shores. As I sit here in the British Virgin Islands we are starting in on that job. We will hang here for a month or so, doing preliminary rough editing, then fly home to the studio to do the final sound and colour work to complete the shows to television standards. It’s a fun job, and we know we are lucky we have been able to make it work. So if you are back home planning that next cruise, perhaps an episode of “Distant Shores” will help you make those plans and get out cruising. And if you are already out there and spot Distant Shores II at anchor - please come by and say hi! See you out there!
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Sailing the World, Living Large & Loving Life
Paul and Sheryl are the hosts of the Distant Shores sailing adventure TV series which airs in the USA and Caribbean on WealthTV, in Canada on Travel and Escape Channel, and in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and New Zealand on Travel Channel. Paul and Sheryl have travelled to more than 60 countries and colonies around the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas. They’ve sailed 90,000 nautical miles and have crossed the Atlantic Ocean five times. You can follow their voyages on www. distantshores.ca and their shows are available on DVD as well.
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Summer 2013 53 4/30/13 12:48 PM
Ka-Ata-Killa
A Tartan 372
By Zuzana Prochazka Ka-Ata-Killa was the name of a moon goddess in the area of pre-Incan Lake Titicaca in Peru. Today, it’s also the name of a 37-foot boat that sails out of Alamitos in Southern California and belongs to Frank and Patty Conner. I had to look up the name but neither Wikipedia nor GodChecker.com provided any more information including how to pronounce it. It makes for interesting VHF hailing calls, assuming you can remember it or default to Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian for Merry Christmas) or just, “Frank, are you out there?”
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Ka-Ata-Killa is hull #28 of the Tartan 372, a design that was launched in the late 1980s between the original Sparkman & Stephens T37 and the next Tim Jacket-designed T3800. The model was built between 1989 and 1993 and only about 60 hulls were produced by the Ohio company that has a long history and an excellent pedigree. This is not the first boat for the Conners. In fact, Patty grew up in a boating family with a salty dad and siblings. Frank started sailing at the excellent Orange Coast School of Sailing and Seamanship in Newport
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Harbor and chartered quite a bit. Once together, Frank and Patty first purchased a Tartan 30 which they enjoyed for many years until Frank made what he describes as a near-marriage-ending move and bought a $7,500 engine for a $10,000 boat – without discussing it first. Many years later, Patty retaliated by purchasing a $750 scarf. She figures she’s only ten percent into the payback on that equation. Eventually, the Conners decided to look for a boat with a bit more room including a dedicated nav station and an aft cabin with a real door so it would be, in Patty’s words, “slightly above camping.” It’s not that they were necessarily targeting another Tartan but by then they understood the quality of the brand, so when a 1989 T372 came up for sale in Oceanside in 2004, they saw their opportunity to upgrade. Patty jumps right in when asked what they like about the boat and, unprompted, rolls off a list of adjectives: safe, sturdy, durable, dependable, and reliable. Note the common theme – every one of those words underscores her trust and comfort level with a boat that will take care of its owners. Frank echoes her thoughts and adds his own observations. “I’ve never taken a wave over the stern and I like that it’s a dry boat,” he says. “It’s really stiff and well-constructed.” Those are important features since he often single-hands the
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boat to Catalina. He also likes that the lines are easy to handle, the angles in the cockpit are good, there is excellent storage inside and out, and the chainplates are beefy wide straps that are visible and accessible down below. Frank has been impressed by Tartan as a company too. Not all boats of the 1980s vintage can claim to have the builder be still in business, much less to be providing services to owners of models long out of production. “They have a good inventory of spare parts even for the older boats,” says Frank. “I’ve been sent small pieces without charge. It’s that kind of support that is a real plus.”
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Another plus is the active owners’ association. Tartan has a loyal following and the many models that were built throughout the years are still plying the waters of both coasts. The Southern California chapter is TOSCA, Tartan Owners of Southern California Association, and it’s an invaluable resource with a forum of tips and ideas, assorted news and published articles, various rendezvous sites, and lists of events throughout the year. Associations like this add another dimension to boat ownership and build social networks that reach far beyond the slip.
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On Deck & Down Below The old T37 was an IOR design with typically pointy ends. The newer T372 carries her beam farther aft and is more IMS-style. The underbody of the slippery hull has an elliptical rudder and one of two keel configurations, a shoal or deep draft, the latter being perfect for the deep waters of the West Coast. The tall, double-spreader rig has a babystay and carries 672 square feet of sail area (at 100%). Frank has opted for a 110% genoa because the original 140% was a handful for shorthanded sailing. The traveler is at the companionway so there is mid-boom sheeting and the primary winches are within reach of the helmsman. The deck and cabintop are relatively low which makes for a nice profile but are still high enough for good headroom below. An opening anchor locker on the bow provides plenty of protection for the windlass. Ka-Ata-Killa has a standard two-cabin, one-head layout. The teak interior features a large galley to starboard, and a saloon with a drop-leaf table, a
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U-shaped settee to starboard and a straight settee to port. The master stateroom is forward with a large v-berth, a sink, and lots of storage. Aft is another private cabin to starboard with a sizeable head opposite. Tanks for water and fuel are under the settees and the Volvo diesel is under the sink with good access from three sides. Machinery like pumps and the hot water heater are under the companionway steps. Over the years, Frank has made a few modifications. He added a dodger and bimini, solar panels, autopilot, hot water heater, a Handcraft mattress and more batteries. Because they belong to the Blue Water Cruising Club that has a facility in Big Geiger Cove on Catalina Island, Frank also added an electric windlass and 275 feet of all-chain rode on the bow and secondary rode off the stern. The cove is small and the mandatory fore-and-aft anchoring in a tight spot is not for the squeamish. After nine years, Frank and Patty can only come up with a handful of things they’d like to be different and most of them are
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upgrades that can still be done. Frank covets stainless steel ports by Newfound Metals which is not a small project but doable. He’d also like a separate shower stall which really isn’t doable unless you put a curtain on deck and add a solar shower. Patty would like a larger freezer and a dedicated space for trash. This is a relatively short wish list. I mean, who among us couldn’t come up with a list of tradeoffs on their own boat which would fill multiple pages? The Conners use their boat often and have thoroughly investigated the waters of Southern California although the Channel Islands still await. Patty enjoys Geiger Cove with family and friends. “It’s like going back 25 years,’ she says. “You can’t beat the crystal clear water in your own little corner of the island.” For now, neither has a plan to buy a third boat. That might be a good thing since Patty still has $6,750 dollars to go to catch up on her side of the spending equation.
Specifications for Tartan 372
LOA: LWL: Beam: Draft: Displacement: Sail Area: Water: Fuel: Auxilliary:
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37’ 2” 30’ 10” 12’ 4” 6’ 10” 15,200 lbs. 672 sq. ft. 90 gallons 45 gallons 47 hp Volvo
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Summer 2013 61 4/30/13 12:57 PM
HOOKING RULES ANCHORING ETIQUETTE FOR CRUISERS
BY CAPTAIN ALEX BLACKWELL
At home, social etiquette is something one learns from one’s parents. For example, most people grow up learning to eat at a table, each culture in its own way. On the other hand, not everyone grows up boating. Therefore, it is hard for most people to have a finer sense of behavioral do’s and don’ts on the water. Unless you are a Robinson Crusoe anchored off a deserted island on your own, you need to know etiquette. We all do. What is etiquette other than a code, written or unwritten, that governs the expectations of behavior according to the contemporary conventions and social norms. Many, though not all, laws that govern us today are based in some way on such common sense and established practice. Anchoring etiquette is no exception, and though some of this, too, has passed
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into law, more remains unwritten. In any case, there are some things one should or must comply with when coming into an anchorage and dropping a hook. The same goes for what one does once securely attached to the bottom. When there is no written rule or law, common sense and etiquette will often dictate who has the rights if and when a dispute arises, and rest assured that it will. There you are relaxing after a long passage (okay, so you only motored an hour to get there), it is a beautiful calm and sunny day, you are about to go swimming and peace and harmony abound. That is until your soonto-be intimate neighbor arrives. He is at the wheel and clearly having a bad day based on the loud expletives emanating from him. His tender mate is on the foredeck jostling with the anchor and associated hardware. She, too, has good lung capacity. They enter the anchorage with just the right amount of steam to bury their large stern and kick up a wake that would surely wake the dead. And, as surely as the sun will set in the west, they have your full and undivided attention.
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Now that they are here, they parallel your boat and then angle inward as they pass your bow. All thoughts about relaxing evaporate as you hear a chain clanking and see a yard sale worth of tackle unceremoniously being shoved overboard – right in line with your anchor. The good news is that their boat stays put. The bad news is they never set their anchor. Instead they brought up some cocktails and fired up their barbi directly upwind of your boat. The plume drifts towards you, and their boat is likely to do so as well.
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But it does not end there, heavens no! Ambiance is required and they crank up the stereo – a good high amp sound system must be used to its max. You just know that later the cell phone will come out beeping some annoying and repetitive sound, and only if you are lucky will it be replaced by shouting of “Can you hear me now?” when one of them responds to the incessant phone’s demands as the dog barks in answer from the cockpit. Then out come the toys – and they have them all. The jet skis (personal watercraft) start buzzing, the
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HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RUL
A peacefull serene anchorage is a great thing, but for some reason boats act as magnets. In a wide-open bay, a second boat will almost always anchor next to the only boat in the bay.
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ski boat uses your boat as a rounding mark and the chopper is just waiting for take off. Then later on, the sun has set, dinner is done and the stars decorate the firmament while their underwater lights keep the fish awake below. The floodlights come on, and the bravado starts anew. Yes, you guessed it. They have drifted over towards your boat. You are able to see the whites of their eyes without the need for optical magnification with your binoculars. “What are you doing so close to my boat?” he shouts in your direction. There goes any chance for a peaceful evening. This is an extreme, fictitious, example we created to highlight some of the inconsiderate and even rude behaviors that all qualify for breech of etiquette. We all have true stories on this line to recount. Frankly, had we in fact experienced just the beginnings of this scenario, we most assuredly would have left for a more peaceful spot long before it got this far. On the other hand, if we had stayed and that friendly neighbor’s boat had hit ours, he would clearly be at fault, though it would have been a tedious and heated process to get to that point. The cardinal rule of anchoring etiquette is quite simple: The first boat anchored sets the precedent. After that, it comes down to common sense and respect. So beyond the cardinal rule, there are five simple things to consider when coming into an anchorage or picking a spot. All of these ‘rules’ were violated in the opening story: Wake, Proximity, Sound, Sight, and Smell Cardinal Rule The First Boat Sets the Precedent If you arrive in an anchorage and the first boat there is a cabin cruiser yawing widely and they have 200 feet of rope rode out in five feet of water, they have set the precedent. Any subsequently arriving boats will need to give them room. Also remember that moorings, fish floats, traps and pots were there before any visiting boat.
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G
RULES - HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RULES This ‘rule’ is actually written into Admiralty case law: “A vessel shall be found at fault if it ... anchors so close to another vessel as to foul her when swinging ... (and/or) fails to shift anchorage when dragging dangerously close to another anchored vessel. Furthermore, the vessel that anchored first shall warn the one who anchored last that the berth chosen will foul the former’s berth.” (U.S. Decision No. 124-5861 — 1956). Anchoring etiquette dictates that the use of an anchorage is on a first come, first served basis. The first boat has the right to anchor whichever way they please, putting out one or two anchors, in whatever configuration with as much scope as they deem appropriate. Everyone else is obligated to avoid interfering with any boat there before them. This is best done by matching what they have done – ask if uncertain. If you do not like how your predecessors have anchored, then go elsewhere. Similarly, if someone comes into the anchorage and anchors too close or does not use enough scope, it is fair for you to address them, politely asking them to move or let out more rode as the case may be. In fact, according to the US Admiralty decision cited above, you are required to do so should there be a possibility of them hindering you. If Things go Bump in the Night Whether you are the first to arrive or the last does not matter if your anchor drags. Now yours is the burdened vessel in the eyes of the law and you must keep clear of all other boats. Everyone may drag anchor at one time or another. It is how you handle the situation that makes the difference. The Magnet Effect We also keep an eye on boats that arrive after we do. Why? Because of the magnet effect. Even though most boats are plastic, if you drop a hook in the water in a wide open anchorage you are bound to attract the only other boat to come in. Yes, they will do a nice circle around your boat, wave to you, and then
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drop their anchor right next to you – never over on the other side of the bay. (See photo of a power boat demonstrating the ‘magnet effect’ and anchoring right next to a yawl in a wide open anchorage and then disgorged three jet skis, which buzzed the yawl like angry bugs.)
A dinghy passing an anchorage: Watch your wake when you are near anchored vessels. A wake can cause a lot of damage on board when people are at anchor and think all is safe. Wake Mind Your Effect on Entering an Anchorage Entering an anchorage or mooring area is like moving into a new neighborhood. You want your neighbors to like you. Enter at slow speed (less than 5 knots) to avoid making a wake. You don’t want to create a disturbance that would upset someone’s dinner table. Anchorages are “no wake zones.” And remember, even a dinghy can throw a considerable wake
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HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RUL Throwing a wake is a serious offense in many anchorages. In many places, especially those marked as no wake zones, the harbormaster can pull you over and give you a citation that will cost you serious money. Remember also that every boater is responsible for any damage caused by his or her wake. Proximity Give Your Predecessors (and Yourself) Room Cruise through the anchorage before selecting your spot. When you see a spot you like, check around for proximity of other anchored vessels. How close are the boats next to the spot you are eyeing? Might they have a generator or air conditioning onboard that would create noise in the anchorage? Does it look like a situation with party potential, such as a raft up? Do they have anchors out in configurations that would create markedly different swing patterns than you are contemplating?
When the wind shifts, be sure you will have enough “swing room.” Obviously these folks didn’t figure right.
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Sound Disturbing the Peace Please remember that sound travels far over water. Voices, music, engine noise, especially outboard motors – and that includes dinghies, unmuffled go-fast boats, ski boats, jet skis, generators, barking dogs and the dreaded ‘ringing phone’ are all examples of the most egregious disruption of anchorage serenity. It is easy to see that common sense can prevail in predicting what will not be appreciated and protecting the serenity for the common good. Smell Sharing is Not Always Desirable Smell is a rather noxious way to interrupt someone’s idyllic evening. Barbecues light up in every anchorage and most people don’t mind the smell of burgers on the grill. But if you have an excessively smoky meal to cook or fish on the grill, being upwind of a boatload of vegetarians may be cause for strong sentiments. In general there is not a lot you can do here except, of course, where possible avoid anchoring directly upwind of another vessel. Sharing is not always a good thing, especially when you are upwind of other vessels and cooking something particularly odiferous. Lights After Dark, Seeing the Light Light can be a major potential annoyance at best and a serious hazard at worst. If you come into an anchorage at night and find that you must use a search light to find an opening, do not shine the light directly at other people’s boats. And never shine the light into people’s faces. You will blind them with the light. If they happen also to be underway as you are searching for the right spot, they will be incapable of maneuvering safely and may not see you coming.
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RULES - HOOKING RULES - HOOKING RULES Bright lights can blind you when entering a harbor. Don’t shine your spotlight on new arrivals. You can indicate your position by shinning a light on your boat.
Etiquette Afield When You Go Far and Wide When chartering or sailing to remote destinations such as reef sites and island paradises, never drop an anchor on anything but sand! Anchoring on coral is a violation of almost every nation’s regulations, not to mention the local customs. Many places have now put in moorings in ecologically sensitive zones. Always use the mooring balls if you can. If you can’t use a mooring because someone got there before you or whatever other reason, then verify that you are over clear sand before dropping your anchor. Of course, the COLREGS (the Rules of the Road) still apply in anchorages. Stay away from channels and government marks, and avoid restricted zones! Be sure to turn on your all around white anchor light at night or display a black ball during the day when anchored to comply with the law.
No one likes shouting. The easiest way to communicate while anchoring is by hand signals. Here the First Mate is indicating a port turn. Parctice a little and it is easy! And no shouting!
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Summer 2013 67 4/25/13 12:46 PM
Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Isla
Eight Island Adventure Sail By Captain John Schaefer
In retrospect, it was probably a dumb question revealing a pitiful lack of worldliness. Dusk had turned to darkness at the anchorage in Antigua’s Falmouth Harbor and masthead anchor lights were creating their own firmament overhead. “I see 14 boats here with red masthead lights instead of white. What’s that about?” “Warning to low-flying airplanes,” explained John, co-owner and captain of the Beneteau 50 For Play that was carrying us on an islandhopping expedition from St. Lucia to Sint Maarten. Of course. In Falmouth Harbor size definitely matters. If you don’t have at least four sets of spreaders you aren’t
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playing with the big boys. The biggest was on the dock a hundred yards off our starboard bow. The Maltese Falcon is a modern (2006) three-masted square rigger inspired by the clipper ships. It is 289 feet long and has two 1,800 horsepower engines, crew accommodations for 18 and guest quarters for 12 plus four of the guest staff members. Fifteen sails are stored in the carbon fiber masts and unfurl along tracks on the yards. It was last reported to be owned by a woman who is a principal (surprise) in a hedge fund. Our two women on For Play asked us to use our influence to arrange a tour, but since we don’t have any influence we could only imagine.
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Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Island Adventure Sail With the Classic Yacht Regatta a week away, other big and beautiful sailing confections were arriving. The J-boat Ranger had ghosted to the dock at dusk. Although our itinerary was designed to steer clear of big, industrial-strength harbors, this quartet of Vermont cruisers was happy to stand in awe of Falmouth Harbor. We had picked up the boat at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. Exploring smaller, secondary harbors was our prime consideration, but respect for the shoppers on board was an important second. Only a couple of passages were longer than 40 miles and several of them are much shorter. First, SaintPierre, Martinique and then on to Prince Rupert Bay at Portsmouth, Dominica. Next it would be Iles des Saintes, a cluster of small islands south of Guadaloupe that are hard to find on any normal map, and then a run along the island’s west coast to tiny Deshaies. On to Falmouth Harbor, Antigua, with another stopover at Jolly Harbor, we would wrap up with passages to Nevis, Basseterre on St. Kitts, then Gustavia on St. Barts and finally Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten. Days of sightseeing were built into the schedule. After a day of provisioning, four of us set off for Martinique on lumpy seas with the breeze between islands ranging from 23 to 28 knots. There was John, who had sailed to Cuba with me aboard Dream Weaver, his wife Ceci and my significant other, Terri, a novice sailor but an experienced nurse with more than 25 international volunteer medical missions to her credit, from Haiti to Viet Nam. Most of our stops were at volcanic islands, and nowhere is that more graphically demonstrated than at Saint-Pierre, where Mt. Pelée towers over the village. Before 1902, Saint-Pierre and its 30,000 residents
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were known as a “little Paris of the West Indies,” the cultural and economic center for Martinique. The volcano erupted at 8 a.m. May 8, blowing off its southwest side and killing everyone in the village in a matter of minutes. Today, newer buildings rise from the stone foundations that survived. We found the customs office perched on a street high above one of those old foundations, sharing
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Island Adventure Sail - Eight Isla space with the tourist office. The French islands have streamlined the customs process with selfservice computers. Data follows you from port to port and you quickly sign in with an official. Most of the other islands still have an almost comic cliché staff: one middleaged fat guy accomplished at ignoring sailors, a young skinny guy earnestly pecking away at a computer, and finally an indifferent woman who wields the ultimate almighty power of the Rubber Stamp. St. Pierre is easy to like; a small walkable village clinging to the water’s edge. The shoppers migrated toward the madras plaid items found on everything from clothing to wine stoppers while the guys found cold Carib beer near the waterfront. We all rendezvoused for lunch at a waterfront restaurant called La Vague and struggled with the menu using our high school French.
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Our morning passage to Dominica was one of the longer ones, a little over 50 nautical miles. It turned out to be another breezy, lumpy sail through beam seas that had been building for days. We were glad to have a dreadlocked guy in skiff help us pick up a mooring in Prince Rupert Bay at about 3:30, as showers slid down into the bay from the volcanic peaks. Soon a bright blue skiff, Sea Bird, appeared. Jeffrey, an old acquaintance of John’s, arrived for a chat. Jeffrey is president of the association that manages—and monitors—the harbor. The news: fuel was now available at the small cruise ship dock, and the Japanese were building a new dock for the fishermen. With rugged, mountainous terrain and beautiful rain forests, Dominica is one of the poorest and least developed islands in the Caribbean. The island had a brief windfall in the spring of 2005 when segments of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed on the rugged east coast. For about $45 per person Jeffrey arranged an all-day tour of the northern half of the island, and the next morning Winston met us at the dinghy dock with his van. The van grunted up the curving roads into a thickening jungle. Winston explained, “The east side of the island gets 350 inches of rain a year, the west side maybe 60 to 80.” We learned why the banana bunches were wrapped in blue plastic bags (keeps birds and rats from nesting) and stopped from time to time to crush a few leaves of the local flora: the bay leaves used to
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make bay rum, the patchouli that smelled like our hippie days and is used as a dressing for dreadlocks, and the ylang ylang essence found in perfumes. We sampled cassava bread baked over an open fire, and blood oranges and mangoes from a roadside stand. The Carib Indian reservation on the windward east side of the island is the last territory of the once conquering Indians for whom the Caribbean is named. Now they sell baskets crafted from swamp plants at roadside stands on a bluff that plunges hundreds of feet into the sea. This Calibishie Coast area is attracting foreign tourists and second home owners and is not far from the small Melville Hall Airport that connects Dominica to larger airports via LIAT and American Eagle commuters. Lunch was at tiny Islet View Café, clinging to a cliff overlooking the ocean. The menu was a choice between steamed fish or chicken, washed down with Kubuli, the local brew. Kubuli is a shortened version of the Carib word for Dominica, waitikubuli, “tall is her body.” On the way back we trekked 15 minutes into a park to see Emerald
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Pond, where a group of swimmers splashed under a jungle waterfall. The next morning Jeffrey collected us in his skiff for a tour up the Indian River, part of a park that forbids travel by motorboat. He rowed us through a tunnel of jungle foliage, pointing out iguanas in the trees, an egret murdering a crab for lunch among the mangrove roots, and the location of the witch’s cabin in “Pirates.” “We might see a boa constrictor today,” he said with a sly grin as he rowed. “They like to climb into the boat with the women.” No boas. The trip ended at a jungle bar of sticks and thatch where we waited out another tropical shower. The showers and 28-knot winds persisted on the 20-mile sail to Iles des Saintes, a cluster of two islands--Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haute-- and six big rocks. The rain lifted as we anchored off the village on Terre-de-Haute, another pretty French village with a chiming Catholic church tower and a busy ferry dock. It was a weekend and the village seemed young, fashionable and full of visitors in a hurry. Motor scooters zoomed past pedestrians with inches to spare as we meandered through a collection
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of boutiques, ice cream stands, scooter rental shops and three grocery stores. One had lots of baguettes and a single block of ice, the only ice we could find. Like many of the islands, excluding major cruise ports, stores close at noon or 12:30 and reopen at 3:00. We had a pleasant lunch at Blue Pizza and made dinner reservations for the next day at tiKa la, a restaurant across the street. tiKa la turned out to be an excellent choice with not only a charming staff, but excellent food and a view of our boat anchored off the beach. The next day started with showers blowing through before we hoisted anchor for a five-hour
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sail along the west coast of Guadaloupe to the little village of Deshaies. Showers again rolled down out of the volcanic hills as we motored into the very deep bay and finally anchored in 22 feet. Barely mentioned in guidebooks, primarily for good snorkeling and fishing, Deshaies was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t expect much but found a prosperous village center with a Lexus and Mercedes among the cars on the street, and the excellent little SPARS supermarket, with a very French deli counter, ice, tonic, and rum in boxes similar to those in which wine is packaged. We wandered back to the dinghy agreeing we wanted to spend more time here. The dinghy area is along a channel easily identified by a white footbridge connecting the village and the gas dock. Our visit was cut shorter than expected when the wind shifted overnight and a smaller Swedish boat anchored on rope swung into us and bumped gently. We were off for Antigua in the dark at 5:00 a.m., sailing into a squall line that turned this passage into the most unpleasant of the trip. On the bright side, by 11:00 a.m. the weather had cleared and we picked up a mooring in Falmouth Harbor among the big guys. We went ashore to gawk and then meandered over to English Harbor and Admiral Nelson’s Boat Dock for cold beers at Copper and Lumber followed
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by an elegant dinner at Admiral’s Inn. The next day the women caught a bus into Johnstown for shopping and John and I wandered the docks. The following day was supposed to be an easy sail around the end of the island to Jolly Harbor, where we planned to refuel. But as we motorsailed our way around the long reef that runs west off Johnson’s Point, Ceci gasped the words no sailor wants to hear: “John, there’s smoke coming out of the cabin.” John shut the engine down and went below, ruling out the refrigeration compressor and honing in on the diesel heat exchanger, which was leaking. A shark passed under the boat as we limped into Jolly Harbor. The good news was that John had once chartered here with Horizon Yachts and they were familiar with Beneteaus. Jerome, the mechanic, showed up at 2:30 and quickly identified a cracked pipe, which he pulled off and headed for the welder. By a little after 5:00 p.m. the patched plumbing was back in place, much to everyone’s relief. “I was already thinking about how to arrange alternative flights out of Sint Maarten,” John admitted. I agreed. “I wouldn’t have bet a penny on having this fixed in a few hours.” We took long-overdue showers on shore and had a nice dinner at Pete’s BBQ, despite a staff member who was engaged in a screaming family fight over the telephone. A stiff breeze blew all night and we anticipated a rough downwind seven-hour sail to Nevis. The sail was fine and we picked up one of about 100 fairly new moorings off Charlestown, Nevis. Only nine were in use. Nevis was not fine. An island of only about
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12,000 people, most of them clustered in Charlestown, Nevis had been hit by Hurricane Omar in 2008, knocking out resort properties including the premier Four Seasons and reportedly throwing about 600 people out of work. The Four Seasons reopened in December 2010, but our trip to the village revealed a place far different from the one John and Ceci remembered from their visit in 2003.
Our first encounter was with a shore policeman who identified himself as John, welcomed us warmly and then asked for our ship’s papers, which we were not carrying. A stocky cop with a beret and wide gap between his front teeth, John allowed that it was “a big problem” but he could fix it. After leading us away from the crowd, we grudgingly made a cash
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donation to John’s anti-gang program and promised not to tell anybody. The downtown square gave me the uncomfortable feeling that there were too many guys with nothing to do hanging around watching the yachties. When we arrived at the Best Buy Supermarket we found John the cop watching us from the second floor balcony. I wondered if the fact that we had to walk past the police station en route had anything to do with his interest in our whereabouts. Back on the boat, nurse Terri observed that the other “nevus” is a large, hairy wart. Although part of the same government structure and only a few miles away, the cruise ship port of Basseterre, St. Kitts could not be more different. We found a spot at the marina adjacent to the sprawling new Pelican Mall, where Customs is located among an abundance of bling purveyors that sent our shoppers into a trance. John and I preferred the guy who would send his three green monkeys crawling over our heads and, for a fee, allow a photo.
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There was no longer a fuel dock in the marina and John calculated we could do without fueling. We had a nice dinner on the second floor balcony of Ballyhoo Restaurant on the clock tower square, which in the glow after sunset looked like the movie set for a Graham Greene novel. The sail around the island and over to Gustavia, St. Barts was one of the best of the trip, a beam reach in 18 to 20 knots. It was Sunday and race week was getting underway, so Customs was jammed, the grocery store along the main street was out of ice and the only restaurants we found open were the busy Buccaneers’ at the far end of the mooring area and the very civilized Le Repaire on the quay where the five-deck power yachts were backed in to allow the beautiful guests to board easily. While some volcanic islands have hot springs that smell like sulphur, Gustavia smells of wealth and privilege. The shops along the harbor flaunt names familiar to readers of the New York Times style section, but never seen in the local mall. In a fancy rum emporium I admired a bottle of golden nectar only to
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Eight Island Adventure Sail - Eight Island Adventure - Eight Island Adventure Sail Eight Island Adventure learn it cost $600, and all the rums came from Martinique because St. Barts does not have a sugar cane industry. When we rendezvoused for burgers at Le Select (supposedly the inspiration for the tune Cheeseburger in Paradise), even our dauntless shoppers were daunted. “I’m not paying those prices. I’m ready to get out of here,” said Ceci. Still, Gustavia and its people are beautiful, and the red-roofed older buildings hint of the Swedes who settled the island and named the town after a Swedish king. Although the anchorage was packed with its share of fancy boats (we dragged on the sandy bottom and had to reset), the lingering memory is of watching the commuter aircraft that appear to be landing on top of passing cars as they drop in over the ridge to the airport. In the morning we could see the outline of St. Martin in the morning haze. After 17 days aboard, the conclusion of the trip involved finding dock space at Bobby’s Marina in Phillipsburg, refueling and cleaning the boat for the couple who would sail it back to St. Lucia. We checked into the Holland House Hotel, savored long showers and wandered the pleasant shopping district to find gifts for grandkids. Our 320-mile voyage had made favorites of some of the eight islands along the way. For John it was hard to beat the selection of yachts to inspect at Falmouth Harbor. The shoppers liked St. Kitts and Phillipsburg. For me, the somewhat seedy but authentic Dominica topped the list, and the little village of Deshaies on Guadaloupe is definitely on the “someday I’m coming back here” list. So many islands, so little time.
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Summer 2013 75 4/30/13 10:47 AM
What’s Out There?
For the trailer sailor out there, here is a roomy boat that will hold up to heavy cruising and can be moved from lake to lake, or lake to ocean. The Seaward 32, with as little as 20” draft, can take you into places no other boat can go. The full draft of over 6’ will allow you to sail in weather that other shallow draft boats can’t. The keel adjusts vertically by electric winch, with stainless cable and bronze turning block to make it easy. It’s a pretty neat package. She comes standard with everything you’ll need to set sail. She has an inboard Yanmar diesel, wheel steering and fully battened mainsail with reef points. She is rigged to go out where other boats fear to tread. The internal halyards, roller furling genoa and self-tailing winches add to that “big boat” feel. Once inside you will find a roomy interior with hardwood & holly sole, a fully molded headliner, and a private head with separate shower. In all, this is a great package for those who are looking for a trailerable cruiser.
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The Seaward 32
Get all the facts: www.seawardyachts.com
Seaward 32 Specs
LOA LWL Beam Draft Power Displacement Ballast Fuel Sail Area Fresh Water Waste Towing Weight
34’7” 30’ 7” 10’6” 20” to 6’5” Yanmar 30 hp 8,300 lbs 2,400 lbs. 20 USG 460 sq. ft. 65 USG 30 USG 10,000 lbs.
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What’s Out There?
The Lagoon 450
The 450 from Lagoon has all the great features a cat owner looks for, plus some. The steering station on the fly bridge is accessible from both sides of the aft cockpit, and there is a forward cockpit. This new Lagoon provides performance under sail and incomparable comfort in the saloon and cabins. It is offered in 3 or 4 cabin versions, which will make it very popular with large families that like to sail. The stairs incorporated directly into the cockpit to port and starboard let you easily stroll up to the bridge with its steering station, engine controls, sheets and related running rigging. The 450 is one cat that has it all. Get all the facts: www.cata-lagoon.com
Lagoon 450 Specs
LOA Beam Draft (Shoal/Deep) Sail Area (upwind) Fuel Fresh Water Water Heater Inboard Engines (2) Cruising pg 77 Lagoon 450.indd 1
45’ 10” 25’ 9” 4’ 3” 1,071 sq. ft. 264 USG 92 USG 5 USG 40 - 45 hp saildrive Summer 2013 77 4/25/13 12:51 PM
What’s Out There?
The Ranger R-25SC
The R–25SC cockpit (aft deck) is 25% larger than the original R–25 which gives it nearly 50 square feet of aft deck space. It was designed to provide comfort and versatility in an easy-to-operate trailerable mini-yacht. This boat offers 8-1/2-foot beam for the on-deck areas and large interior spaces. Private compartments allow sleeping accommodations for up to five. There’s an enclosed head with shower, sink and marine toilet, a helm with full instrumentation and an optional navigation package. The inviting galley includes a sink, stove and refrigerator. Large cabin windows and overhead skylight hatches help brighten the interior and offer a panoramic view all around. The expanded self-bailing cockpit is ideal for fishing or outdoor relaxation. A transom door leads to the full swim platform, and there’s room atop the deckhouse for stowage. The cockpit allows for easy access to the 150 HP Yanmar diesel located entirely outside of the cabin. Best of all, she has that distinctive Ranger Tug look!
Get all the facts: www.rangertugs.com
Ranger R-25SC Specs
LOA LOA with Swim Step Beam Draft Power Weight Dry Bridge Clearance Fuel Sail Area Height on Trailer Waste 78 Summer 2013 pg 78 Ranger Tug.indd 1
24’ 7” 27’ 7” 8’ 6” 26” Yanmar 30 hp 5,700 lbs 7’ 6” 80 USG 460 sq ft 11’ 8” 30 USG
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What’s Out There?
The new Blue Jacket 40 was designed by Tim Jacket (ex-President and Chief Designer at Tartan and C&C) in collaboration with Bob Johnson (CEO and Chief Designer at Island Packet). Their combined design careers have seen the launch of over 5,000 sailing yachts, earned over 30 industry awards and represent a range of experience that would be difficult to match anywhere. The plan was to create a yacht with performance to compete in around-the-buoy and offshore races and still offer comfort for the entire family while cruising. The distinctive blue hull sets it apart from other designs and once below you can see this is a true cruising design. The fact that it is also fast will come in very handy for those long ocean passages. But the real fun is when you want a little performance as well. One thing all cruisers have in common is, if there is another sailboat within view, it is a race. The new Blue Jacket 40 will get you there first!
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The Blue Jacket 40
Get all the facts: www.bluejacketyachts.com
Blue Jacket 40 Specs
LOA LWL Beam Draft Power Displacement Ballast Fuel Sail Area Fresh Water Waste Mast Height
39’ 10” 35’ 12’ 4” 7’5” Deep / 5’2” Shoal 40 hp 16,500 lbs 6.100 lbs 40 USG 810 sq ft 110 USG 25 USG 62’ 6” Summer 2013 79 4/30/13 2:36 PM
The ICW Becoming Less Civilized
“I’m glad we did it, but I’m not sure I’d do it again,” was my husband Ryan’s underwhelmed sentiments towards our trip down the Intracoastal Waterway. Which surprised me because for at least two years before this trip, Ryan found every
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opportunity to bring up the ICW in conversation, either randomly to friends or with total strangers in bars. “Did you know there’s an inland waterway that runs all the way from Canada to Florida? And you can take your boat down it?!”
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By Tasha Hacker
It’s possible that not everyone (myself included) shares Ryan’s intense fascination with the ICW and its World War II naval history. But, regardless, it felt like we’d reached a major milestone when we pulled Hideaway, our Catalina 34 sailboat, into Fort
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Lauderdale, having covered roughly 1500 miles between New York and Florida. Since we were about to leave the U.S. and make our crossing to the Bahamas, closing the ICW chapter of our journey, it seemed appropriate to reflect on how far we’d come, both literally and metaphorically. In retrospect, what stands out most about the ICW is not so much the scenery (mostly trees), the weather (mostly cold) or the sailing (mostly plus one, minus one on the auto-helm). Or even the dolphins, or the time we ran aground four times in a single afternoon. What seems to resonate most is how those 1500 miles have changed us and prepared us for journeys to come. Back in New York, we worked long, stressful hours, like anyone else in a modern-day office job. And because our spare time was limited, whenever we needed something cleaned, fixed, made, cooked or designed, we did what most people in cities do: we paid other people to do it for us. Which means that while we got very skilled at running our own businesses, we also grew very unskilled at doing anything else. And then we up and left that world, in which we specialized in running schools, and we moved onto a boat, where being a specialist in just one thing was not so useful anymore. Being able to clean, fix, make, cook and wire anything was a much more relevant skill on the boat. And much more useful than, say, managing web sites, building spreadsheets or hiring people. But it took a long time for this to sink in. So, for the first few months, we were a bit lost in our new world at sea, forever trying to avoid doing things we didn’t know how to do. Which is why, when we stopped in Annapolis to examine our leaking water tank, my first response was to price up a new tank and hire someone to install it. But then I made some phone calls, got some advice, and decided to try
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The ICW
Becoming Less Civilized
fixing the tank myself. And, as it turned out, all the tank needed was a few Hypalon patches to stop the leaks and a screwdriver to reattach the newly sealed tank to the water pipes. It was surprisingly easy; it’s just that it took time. A whole day, to be exact. A day, which I wouldn’t have been willing to give up to fix a water tank when I lived in New York. But time was something we had an abundance of now. So why were we so reluctant to take on repairing, installing, wiring and jury rigging our own boat stuff? My guess? A lack of confidence, for one. And also the fact that society is so well organized that we now devote entire days, weeks and careers to one specialization, while spending a lot of hard-earned money to hire others to do the things we can’t or don’t want to do. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you, because it means we can find an expert
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in virtually any discipline now. And for society as a whole, the benefit is that the world’s specialists can collaborate to create ever more powerful, more advanced technologies for anything we might need or want. Any time I use my matchbox-sized GoPro camera, for example, I think back to my dad schlepping a 10-pound shoebox of a video recorder around on his shoulder, and my mind is blown. That’s what specialists do. And I’m the first to say I love my GoPro, iPod, solar panel, GPS running watch, chart plotter, LED lights, and all the other gadgets that make my life a little easier or a little more fun. Specialists are also crucial to the existence of a complex division of labor, which is what defines “civilization.” And it is generally perceived that “civilized” societies, such as New York City, are successful because of this division of labor.
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Therefore, packaged in the positive connotation of the word “civilized” is the assumption that we all aspire to be specialists living in a civilized world. Yet I’ve come to realize, living on a boat, that it is no longer practical or sensible to hire a specialist every time something goes wrong. After all, there will be times when Ryan and I are the only people we can see for miles. So, in order for us to be truly selfsufficient, we have to become more diversified in our skills and less specialized. That’s what the ICW has taught me. That, and we should slow down and take some time to learn about our boat. Which is something I didn’t really learn until Charleston, North Carolina, where we hired a mechanic to service our engine. We were in a hurry to get going and didn’t want to take the time to look up You Tube videos and find the right tools, so we justified our decision by saying, “Just this once. Next time we’ll do it ourselves.” But then I checked our oil after the engine was serviced (it’s the first item on our “departure checklist”) and discovered there wasn’t a drop of oil in the engine. Bone dry. And when we complained, the mechanic replied, “Oh, I couldn’t find the dipstick.” Despite that he could have just asked us where the dipstick was. And to make matters worse, he appeared to have loosened a screw, which resulted in an oil leakage later on down the line. So even though we hired a “specialist” to do a job we didn’t want to do, we had to learn to do it anyway. So why did we spend the extra money? Why didn’t we just spend the extra time instead, and learn to do it ourselves?
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Since Charleston, we’ve gotten better at reflecting on our mistakes. So even though we were nervous about installing our new Solbian flexible solar panel, which involved drilling holes in the boat and running wires to places we’d never run wires to before, we decided it was important for us to go through the process ourselves, no matter how long it took. The important thing was to go forth and learn. Luckily, we’ve found on our journey south that there are always handy cruisers around who can offer the right tools, some advice and a little moral support. After all, any cruiser who has been living aboard for any amount time has learned how to fix things on his or her boat. So we try to take a leaf out of their notebook and learn what they know. Because one benefit of becoming more self-sufficient is, hopefully, we’ll spend less money, which means we’ll be able to keep cruising for longer. Not to mention, we’ll probably enjoy it more, as well. And I suspect that’s really what I’m looking to gain from learning all these new skills, like how to anchor, how to wire a solar panel, how to fish, how to service an engine, and how to trim the sails. I want to know we’re in full control of our lives. That we can choose exactly how we want to live because we’re in no way limited by fear or lack of skills. If that’s what it means to be less civilized, I’m all for it.
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Inside Weather: Small Craft Advisory A Small Craft Advisory is an important function of the National Weather Service marine forecast program. It is basically putting your tax dollars to work. There are a few choices you have to receive this information. You can use the channel 16 voice broadcast in U.S. waters, which the Coast Guard will issue when a SCA is issued, or in many areas there are specified stations on the VHF which broadcast weather continuously. Then there is the alpha numeric (NAVTEX) text message or the National Digital Forecast Database graphics format. These are all a form of safety advisory to mariners...as issued by coastal and the Great Lakes National Weather Service Forecast Offices. Most sailors will use the Coastal Waters Forecast or Near Shore Marine Forecast to monitor their weather. What governs the issuance of a Small Craft Advisory is specific to geographic areas (e.g. for winds it will be somewhere between 20 to 33 knots). The criteria for waves will have more variability. For example, in Morehead City, NC, Significant Wave Height... defined as the average of one third of the waves present... is five feet, while in Eureka, CA, it is 15 feet. A Small Craft Advisory may also be issued when sea or lake ice exists that could be hazardous to small boats.
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There is no precise definition of a small craft as to a boat’s size. Any vessel that may be adversely affected by Small Craft Advisory criteria should be considered a small craft. Other important considerations must include the experience of the vessel operator (including crew), and the type and sea worthiness of the vessel impacted. Each geographic area of the U.S. has its own separate criteria, often based on casualties or vessel damage (in other words, having been written in blood). If you’d like to keep up with these and other weather phenomena you can refer to my web page (www.weatherbylee. com) and under “links” on the drop down menu at the top click “marine links” and then scroll down further until you get to the National Weather Service (NWS) Marine program highlighted in red. You can then refer to the U.S. Map on the upper left hand corner of the NWS Marine Forecast page. You can click on the map to expand the map size. Note that each “red dot” represents a local National Weather Service Forecast Office that has marine weather advisory, warnings, and forecast responsibilities. Choose the local National Weather Service Forecast Office of interest and click on it to get your marine forecast in either text or graphic format as seen here. And that is how to find Small Craft Advisories!
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206-949-4680
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Michael & Jane, just “hangin’ out” in the Exhumas
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L i fe s t y l e A Look at Why We Do What we Do
Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Lifestyle section folks from all over the world give an insight into what it’s really like out there. If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? We prefer you send a digital pic, in as high resolution as you can. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken. We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide! Email to: Lifestyle@Cruisingoutpost.com.
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By Ira Turner, Huahini, Tahiti
By Pierre of his wife while having fondue on their boat on Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland
By Gary Klause of his daughter Kami enjoying a sail on there old Catalina 30 on Lake Erie
Busted!
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Always try to be modest and be proud of it!
By Joey of Lex, Ft. Lauderdale
Adam Ellis & friends sailing on the Chicago River!
By Don Campbell, on Bahama Bash between Ft. Lauderdale & Bimini
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By John Simpson, Western Scotland, big storm coming
By Bill Malone, cannon fire in Key West
By Norm Marshal of Guilty Pleasure in full Parrothead finest at the Party On The Dock 2012, the Jimmy Buffett party in Midland, Ontario, on Georgian Bay
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By Peter, southbound for Jamaica through the Windward Passage
By Paul, shore leave, Wapoos Bay, Lake Ontario
By Bob Riggs - this was taken in Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy note the double rainbow after a morning storm
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By Julie Falqoust, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL
By Chuck Fields, anchored at Ft. George Island, Florida and loving life
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By Kerry Lallande, a beautiful day on Galveston Bay
Of Gracie Boelsems, Emerald Bay, Catalina island By Melody Peterson, treasure hunt on Shelter Island, CA
By Dave, “We don’t need no stinkin’ finger pier,” drying out after the rain
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Summer 2013 93 4/25/13 12:57 PM
By Lynn of Armando on the way to Catalina from Oceanside on 26’ Macgregor
By Martha, view of marshes of Glynn from Jekyll Harbor Marina where sunsets abound
You can’t trust dogs to watch your food
By Larry Grasse - the sign of the cross
By Warren & Kathy Daniels, sunset at Boot Key Harbor
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By Stan, at achor in San Pedro, Belize
By Randy Clarke
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By Rob Feguson, Summer Bliss
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By Rob Oberg, keeping watch on S/V Alcheringa sailing around the island of Ibiza
By Susan
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By Kurt of Lori at the helm, sailing to Ship Island from New Orleans
By Susea McGearheart of Deb at the wheel
By Robert - living under a bridge in Stuart Florida is not such a bad thing!
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Cruising The Fat Virgin
By Stephen J. Pavlidis
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The largest island in the BVI,
Virgin Gorda, the Fat Virgin, was named by Columbus because her profile appeared to the Admiral to be that of a full-figured woman reclining on her back. The 10-mile-long island is a flurry of boat activity concentrated in North Sound, the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, and The Baths, one of the most popular cruising destinations in all of the Virgin Islands. Virgin Gorda is the second most populous island in the BVI with a population of about 3,000 and the ambiance can best be described as “unpretentious.”
The Baths Ask anybody to tell you about Virgin Gorda and usually the first words spoken will describe to you The Baths. Jost Van Dyke has Foxy, Virgin Gorda has The Baths, a truly magical place that, once visited, will never be forgotten. A hint, the best time to visit is in the morning before the rush of charterboats arrives. Don’t anchor too close to shore and do not infringe upon the buoyed swimming areas. The boulders at The Baths form delightful hidden rooms lit by shafts of light, magnificent coral ledges and caves, with intricate passageways leading throughout. The area is not safe for landing by dinghy when northerly swells are running; that’s the time to visit by car from Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour or North Sound. The crashing of the seas on the boulders heard from the safety of the roomy caverns that The Baths offer is not to be missed. Wear good shoes here as the rocks can be slippery. South of The Baths is the Devil’s Bay National Park whose powdery sand beach is one of the BVI’s finest. Devil’s Bay is usually less crowded than The Baths and can be reached by an interesting trail from The Baths. To the north of The Baths are the lovely beaches of Spring Bay and The Crawl. To the south/southwest of The Baths is Fallen Jerusalem where small beaches hide amid huge boulders similar to those found at The Baths and in the Virgin Gorda Valley. The island is also a seabird nesting ground and is said to have received its name because the boulder-strewn island resembles the fallen walls of Jerusalem. Located at the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda is the Coppermine, a National Park between Coppermine Point, Coppermine Bay, and Mine Hill. The mine was said to have first been used by Amerindians who Columbus stated wore “gold” jewelry when he passed this way in 1493, while in later years Cornish miners removed ore from the mine from 1838-1842 and later, from 1860-1867. It is said that Spanish miners may have worked the same
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mine as far back as three centuries earlier. Nearby Mine Point and Coppermine Point are home to several small buildings believed to be the miner’s’ cottages. Use caution when exploring here; there are at least seven underground shafts from 15’-200’ deep and although the National Trust is attempting to stabilize the area, you must exercise caution when strolling here.
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Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour and Spanish Town The Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, a Port of Entry and a full service marina/boat yard, is the heart of Virgin Gorda, the focus of marine activity, and the hub of The Valley, the name given to the southern part of Virgin Gorda which encompasses Spanish Town and The Baths. Spanish Town, once the capital of Virgin Gorda, still remains the principal settlement.
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Fat Virgin - Cruising I’ve heard two different descriptions of how Spanish Town received its name. One suggests it was named after the many Spaniards that were here in the 1600s working the mine on Coppermine Point. Another story has it that Spanish Town is a corruption of the word penniston, a blue woolen material that was worn by slaves. I could find no evidence to back up either one of these claims so pick one, it’s probably as good as the other.
The Fat Virgin Savanna Bay, Pond Bay, and Tetor Bay Just to the east of Little Dix Bay is a series of three small but lovely bays; Savanna Bay, Pond Bay, and Tetor Bay. Here you’ll find a quiet place to get away from it all with lovely beaches and good snorkeling. The main entrance and the tricky reef entrances at the northern end all require excellent visibility for navigation, and the anchorages in these three bays are never to be considered if northerly swells are running (some would argue that they should only be used for daytime stops).
Little Dix Bay North of VGYH is Little Dix Bay, beautiful but private. No anchoring is permitted by order of the government of the BVI (however, you may anchor outside Little Dix Bay north of the reef in the lee of the eastern headland). The bay is the home of the Little Dix Bay Resort, the first luxury hotel to be built in the BVI. Laurence Rockefeller built the resort for $8 million in 1964 and with three staff for every guest being the norm, pampered is what you will be when you stay here. A specialty only to be found in Little Dix Bay is Mistress Bliden, a potent libation made from prickly pear cactus that is only served during the winter holidays.
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Saba Rock
Drake’s Anchorage / Mosquito Island
Drake’s Anchorage was built in 1963 by Bert Killbride, the patriarch of BVI diving. Bert moved an anchor from the wreck of the Rhone and a cannon to the shallow waters of Drake’s Anchorage from their initial resting site off Black Rock. From here Bert moved the relics to the museum located on nearby Saba Rock. Mosquito Island has been purchased by Sir Richard Branson (who also owns nearby Necker Island) and he is turning it into a completely sustainable “green” (and very exclusive) resort. Although this island always had a great reputation for its beautiful hiking trails and North Sound (Gorda Sound) pretty little beaches, you must check with the resort What a fantastic spot! Well protected in all for permission to visit Mosquito Island. Mosquito conditions, shelter can be found here from any wind Island is home to several secluded beaches such as direction. Inside the sound are several resorts and Skinny Dipping Beach, Honeymoon Beach, and marinas and you’ll even see a cruise ship in here every Rocky Beach, a good snorkeling spot. Long Beach so often. North Sound, often shown as Gorda Sound on some charts, has a rich history. It was here that Sir Francis lies directly opposite Anguilla Point and offers great snorkeling on its reef and good snorkeling can also Drake and Sir John Hawkins took a respite to arrange their forces before heading into battle at San Juan in 1595 be found at Colquhoun Reef. The latest news has Sir Richard Branson bringing 30 ring-tailed lemurs to the where Hawkins died and Drake tasted defeat. island to create a colony for preservation.
Prickly Pear Island My favorite anchorage in North Sound is in the lee of Prickly Pear Island; calm, shallow, protected, and surrounded by beautiful water. Prickly Pear Island is a nature refuge earning its name by being a habitat of the prickly pear cactus.
Saba Rock Saba Rock lies between North Sound and Eustatia Sound just off the Bitter End Yacht Club and is
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e Fat Virgin - Cruising The Fat home to the Saba Rock Island Resort. A very popular attraction here is the maritime museum. Owners John McManus and Bert Kilbride have collaborated to bring you a wealth of nautical history including exhibits of the second anchor and one of two cannons from the Rhone, as well as a selection of other smaller relics such as porcelain plates, jugs, and bottles. The restaurant here serves up an unbeatable nightly buffet with a constantly changing menu, although there’s a leg of lamb and prime rib waiting for you at the cutting station where head chef Shelford Tucker will carve your meat for you. The restaurant’s popular Sunday West Indian Buffet features live entertainment while you dine.
The Bitter End Yacht Club All sailors are familiar with the term bitter end, meaning the last part or free end of a line. In North Sound it means the last place in the Caribbean before facing a long and perilous journey across the Atlantic Bitter End, Biras Creek and Saba Rock with Anegada in background
towards England, the last stop before heading across the Anegada Passage, or the first stop for cruisers headed south from the eastern shore of the United States. Without a doubt, the Bitter End Yacht Club is the center of boating activity in North Sound. If you plan to anchor here, the yacht club asks that you do not infringe upon their mooring field.
Biras Creek Biras Creek is located in the extreme southeastern tip of North Sound and here you can anchor, pick up a mooring, or if you prefer, get a slip at Biras Creek Marina. The Biras Creek Resort is a unique complex that is totally unreachable by land and offers 125 acres with 15 lovely cottages. The central building houses a bar and restaurant while the beach has its own bar, a pool, two tennis courts, windsurfing and live music on Saturday nights. The trail from the Bitter End Yacht Club to Biras Creek is not difficult. It begins not far from the main dock at the Biras Creek Resort’s plant nursery, taking about 45 minutes to an hour of easy, mostly level walking.
Gun Creek Gun Creek lies at the extreme southwestern tip of North Sound, west of Biras Creek, almost due south of the northern entrance to North Sound and just “around the corner” from Leverick Bay. You can anchor and enjoy the shoreside delights here and in Creek Village, the local community. There is a free ferry that travels from the Bitter End Yacht Club
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to Gun Creek and back leaving Gun Creek on the 1/2 hour and the Bitter End Yacht Club on the hour. Up the hill, at the Leverick Bay turnoff, at the area called the Top of Gun Creek, there is an interesting assortment of snack shacks and bars.
Leverick Bay
Leverick Bay lies a bit east of south from Drake’s Anchorage just across South Bay and Blunder Bay. Pusser’s Leverick Bay Marina is your host here and they offer moorings, slips with full electric and water, free showers, laundry facilities, a dive shop, market, a fresh-water swimming pool, craft shops, car rentals, internet access, and villa rentals.
Eustatia Sound
Before I begin this section let me say that yes, you can enter North Sound from Eustatia Sound, however Eustatia Sound is full of reefs and coral heads that pose a true threat to you and your vessel’s safety and that must be negotiated in good visibility by a skipper that is used to piloting by eye through reef-strewn waters with little or no margin of error. The sound is off
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limits for some charter boats, so check with your charter company before heading to Virgin Gorda. Never attempt to enter Eustatia Sound from the north when northerly swells are running. There is plenty of great snorkeling in Eustatia Sound as you might well imagine from all the reef structure that you had to bypass to enter. It’s best to explore the sound by dinghy from North Sound or from one of the anchorages such as Eustatia Island or Deep Bay. Never anchor in Deep Bay with northerly swells running or forecast. All the way at the end of Eustatia Sound is Oil Nut Bay. This bay has to be entered by passing between Saba Rock and Virgin Gorda and then carefully threading your way through the numerous coral heads dotting the passage between the outer reef and the shoreline. Most have at least 6’ over them and the depths in between the heads are 10-12’. Still a few coral heads have less than 5’ so a good lookout and good light are essential to a safe arrival at Oil Nut Bay. Why go there? Once you have your hook down there is an incredible white sand shoal area that you could call the world’s biggest swimming pool. This is a great a place to spend the afternoon with kids or friends in waist deep water, bobbing and snorkeling around the few scattered shallow heads in the area. The beach surrounding the bay
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at Virgin - Cruising The Fat Virgin - Cruising is mostly sand and then gradually turns to very tough, broken coral as it reaches out towards the southeast point of Virgin Gorda. Truly a spectacular place! Unfortunately, Oil Nut Bay has been discovered and building lots are being sold now which promises to turn this formerly untouched place into an exclusive resort area, but the water and coral are still fantastic and if you have the skills to navigate in here, by all means do so! I do not recommend this as an overnight anchorage however, so try to arrive by 1100 and leave by 1400 or 1500 at the latest. Good light is essential. If you don’t feel like braving all that coral with your mothership, just take a mooring at Saba Rock or anchor behind Prickly Pear Island and take your dinghy. It’s only about a mile away from North Sound.
northeast along the Caribbean side of Virgin Gorda. An alternative route is to round Virgin Gorda’s southeastern tip and proceed to a point just off the entrance. There is a small reef smack dab in the middle of the entrance with less than 4’ over it, but 6-7’ can safely be carried either side of it and up into the sound. Once past the small reef, it is all eyeball navigation to round the inner tip of the barrier reef and proceed in as far as you wish. There is a small cove that some locals use as a hurricane hole in the far corner that carries 5’-6’ with mangroves all around. If you wanted to use this one, be sure to get there early as the locals also know about it. Personally, I would use this as a last resort since the entire sound is very open to a violent storm surge.
South Sound The last, and the most remote anchorage on Virgin Gorda, is South Sound. South Sound, a marine sanctuary, is off limits to all charter vessels. You will likely have this beautiful spot all to yourself although a local fisherman or two may come by to offer you lobster or conch. The snorkeling on the reef is spectacular and in anything short of a stiff southeasterly breeze the anchorage will be flat calm. To get there you can pass between the Blinders and Fallen Jerusalem and then proceed
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Editors Note: Stephen J. Pavlidis is the author of A Cruising Guide to The Virgin Islands from Seaworthy Publications. It’s the guide we use when we are cruising there.
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Distractions abound on board, but don’t let things lapse... even when your crew wants to “help.”.
You’ve checked the rigging, applied your last coat of antifouling, and gotten your offshore insurance sorted. The cruising life awaits, and you are ready to head out to sea… aren’t you? Almost. Before you set sail, there are a few administrative details to take care of. Don’t make that face; you’ll thank me when someone spoofs your ATM card and drains your account dry. Because I’ve been there. Before you begin, you must understand that you will be harder to reach now. You won’t have a consistent phone number or mailing address. You won’t have constant internet. You can’t wander into
your local bank branch to change the PIN on your card. This will confound the corporations you deal with; they expect you to be both local and available. So, what do you do? Step one is assigning a trusted friend or relative to manage matters back home. This person will check your post and deal with the various administrata of your life on land. Arrange for regular updates, either by email or telephone. Don’t count on receiving scanned documents unless you know you will have access to broadband internet; a quarterly bundle of mail might get you just as far. If you have business, a rental property or other dealings to
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maintain, your support person might need a limited Power of Attorney. Think through your needs carefully, and talk to a lawyer if need be. Whomever you choose, it must be someone you trust to take care of your needs consistently and faithfully. Step two is talking to your bank. Unless you plan on squirrelling your savings under your bunk, you will need to keep drawing funds from your financial institution. Sit down with your bank manager and explain your situation. Talk about where you plan to travel, your expected spending patterns, and how best to contact you, especially if you plan to make long passages or stay in remote areas. (Sometimes single sideband radio is our only contact with the outside world.) Ask your manager to assign you a contact person; when something crops up, you do not want to have to explain to the nice lady on the help line who is enduring a January winter in New Jersey that you live on a yacht in St Maarten. Even the kindest among us can only be pushed so far. Similarly, your credit card company may block your card as you start moving around. Again, call ahead of time and explain your intended travel destinations and spending patterns. Step three is get organized. Time behaves in strange ways aboard; one moment you are drinking your morning coffee, and before you know it, it is dinner time two months later. Get yourself a calendar and mark down critical items, like tax time and passport expiry dates. Make a regular, monthly date to check your bank accounts. Do you have items like frequent flier miles that will expire without your action? Write those dates down, too. And leave yourself
Time to haul out? Keep notes in your calendar regarding regular maintenance.
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A cheap cell phone can be very useful. Keep SIM cards labelled with the phone number and country of use, and trade with other cruisers on a different route.
lots of extra time to get those jobs done. You can’t count on connecting when you need to connect; what would be a ten-minute job back home can turn into a months-long pain in the rear at sea. View this as one of your regularmaintenance boat jobs. You wouldn’t forget to check your stays and shrouds, so don’t forget to review your monthly statements. While we were in the Tuamotus, someone in Cancun emptied out our bank account. When we reached Tonga (and reliable internet) I did my regular account check, discovered the fraud, and immediately got in touch with my bank. We resolved the problem quickly and efficiently, but if I hadn’t been checking regularly, we wouldn’t have known until we were in a real pinch. Stay on top of it. Finally, learn your tools. Invest in a local cell phone number. SIM cards are very cheap nowadays; we have quite the collection from Central America and the South Pacific. This will be far less expensive than paying the roaming charges on your mobile
phone from back home. During those golden times when the internet cooperates, Skype is another inexpensive option. Get comfortable with internet banking. And, if you are going offshore, get an oldfashioned SSB or sat-phone email account. Cruising, like life, is mostly about fun. If you take the time to think through your needs and constraints, you can set sail with a smile on your face, certain that those background jobs are under control. And when you need that new windlass, your money will still be where it belongs.
The best plans leave room for the unexpected – like bringing down a broken mizzen. Make sure you keep a flexible schedule.
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Takes Practice! It takes a little practice to land a dinghy safely on a beach in the tropics. This was something I learned early in our travels on Black Dog II, our CT41 ketch. Fortunately for me, I was able to practice in the warm waters of Mexico’s west coast since I got wet on more than one occasion. Landing a dinghy at a dock or sea wall was not a problem. It was just going over a wave to that pretty sandy beach that proved to be a challenge! Our first landing was very successful at Bahia Tortuga on the Baja peninsula. My husband and I rode in on a gentle wave and young boys were there to grab our bow line, called a painter, and haul us in. Returning to our boat was easy. We waited for the wave to break and quickly rowed out past the last wave. The motor was tilted down and it started up on the first pull. I thought we had the system down pat!
The gentle waves of Bahia Tortuga were not the slightly larger waves of Chameyla on Mexico’s Costa Allegre! These waves broke onshore, even in the little cove area tucked into the northwest curve of this pretty bay. Nevertheless, we got to the shore without any mishap and walked through the little village of Perulita to shop for a few food items. On our return, we carried a couple of bags of groceries, beer (a major necessity) and a bag of ice. All of the groceries went into the dinghy first after we rolled it off of the beach into the water. Since we did not have wheels on the dinghy, we used plastic pop bottles filled with sand to give the dinghy a little momentum. That is how the natives do it. My husband held the dinghy while I tried to get into the front seat just as a small wave came under the bow. I did not see the little wave behind it that hit me in the face as I jumped in, overshot the seat and
Another little wave pushed the dinghy in, spun it a few degrees to starboard and I went down!
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landed on the bag of ice! This was probably the only time I was cold as well as wet in Mexico! I quickly recovered, grabbed the oars and rowed out a few feet while my husband jumped into the stern and started the engine. A dinghy full of groceries is a little harder to row. Our next dinghy landing came in Tenacatita in a lovely bay where at least 20 boats bobbed at anchor. This was where we sat on the deck and watched the Dahl’s porpoises feeding during the morning hours. Later in the day, we motored to the lovely beach. We killed the motor and rode in on a wave. I jumped out and tried to move in front of the dinghy to pull it in. Another little wave pushed the dinghy in, spun it a few degrees to starboard and I went down! I was wearing my bathing suit so getting wet was not a problem but I was quite surprised that my timing was so bad. From this I learned to stay at the side of the dinghy more towards the center and guide it to shore. A wave, even a small one, can turn or even spin a dinghy in a circle. I have seen dinghies hit the beach with the stern, getting the prop stuck in the sand. Although the bow does not have to come straight up the beach, it is best to land it with the forward part of the craft hitting the sand first. I have since made many successful landings on Mexico’s white sand beaches. I usually get wet up
to my knees which is not a problem. We have added wheels to the dinghy so it is easy to roll it up on shore and tie it off to a tree or rock above the high tide line. Only once did I get off the dinghy too soon and found that I was in waist-high water. The system my husband and I use for beach landings is to turn the outboard motor off and tilt up the prop just before the last wave carries us to shore. One of us, usually me, jumps out with the bow line and guides the dinghy onto the beach. In Zihautanejo, there is often someone on the beach near the pier to take the dinghy line and help people to shore. On other beaches such as Jaltemba, we are on our own. As a side note, it is nice to tip anyone who helps with landings and usually offers to watch the dinghy. I usually climb carefully into the dinghy and grab the oars when we return from the beach. My husband then climbs in and starts the outboard motor. We have also reversed positions where I pull on the outboard cord and start the engine. Outboards that have an electric starter that requires only a push of a button are ahead of the game! A cruiser’s dinghy is often the equivalent of an automobile on land. We use them to get around anchorages, bays, coves and rivers. We travel between boats on them. Knowing how to row a dinghy is as important as knowing that the outboard is reliable. Being able to make a beach landing and leaving the beach safely make cruising much more enjoyable!
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When to Leave
Let the Weather Tell You By Lorraine Atkins
We are coastal cruisers on Black Dog II, our CT 41 pilothouse ketch. We have worked the weather for the past ten years along the Pacific Coast of the U.S., Mexico and Central America. We are now on the Caribbean side of Panama but we have sat out high winds and storms in Barra de Navidad and other Mexican anchorages as well as in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. We have anchored in the rain and let the squalls pass through before venturing onward. We are never in a hurry to reach our next destination! We began our journey south from the Seattle area in 2003. The best time to head south from the Pacific
Northwest in a sailboat is generally in August. Late summer is the time of year when the North Pacific High, a large high-pressure system, brings relatively dry weather to this area. The winds blow somewhat clockwise giving boaters heading south a little push. The currents move in a southerly flow as well. August is usually when the Puget Sound area, the British Columbia coast and even Alaska receive the most warmth and sunshine. Since November is considered the end of hurricane season and the beginning of the Mexico sailing season, cruisers leaving Pacific Northwest waters for Mexico in August have two or three months to work their way southeast to San Diego
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We planned this trip for two years and made a point of passing the weather class offered by the United States Power Squadron. We had also cruised Puget Sound and the Canadian islands during various weather conditions. This included dense fog in the Strait and a summer storm in Canada which we sat out at a marina. We listened to the NOAA weather and Environment Canada several times a day on the VHF radio for weather information before we left any anchorage. We continued to listen to the NOAA weather reports prior to our southbound departure. The general prediction for the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the day we left was fair with variable winds. We encountered rough seas off of Port Townsend caused by the northwesterly variable winds meeting the outgoing tide. The seas settled down shortly after we passed Point Wilson light and we motorsailed into a dense fog that did not lift until we approached the marina at Port Angeles. Non-Stop trouble We met the captain and crew of another boat in Port Angeles also destined for San Diego. We invited them to join us and our buddy boat, Unicorn, as we gunkholed leisurely down the coast stopping at various ports. The boat’s owner insisted that he and his friends on board were heading way out and sailing straight down to San Francisco without stopping. They would provision there and head south to San Diego. His crew consisted of his wife and another couple with limited sailing experience. We met the owner of this boat a week later in Eureka, California, about 350 miles north of San Francisco. He was waiting for a salvage vessel to tow his sailboat into port! While Black Dog II and Unicorn sat out a 40-knot wind comfortably tied up
in Newport, Oregon, this boater in a hurry had found himself and his boat in gale-force winds at least 60 miles offshore. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued him and his crew with the helicopter after receiving his Mayday message. The Coast Guard could not land the rescue basket on the deck of his boat so the crew had to jump into the cold, turgid water and swim to the basket. The rescue took place in the dark around 2230 hours on the Labor Day weekend. The boat’s captain told us that his 39-foot cutter took a couple of knockdowns before he could take down the sails. This swamped the engine which quit when he needed it most! His life raft washed overboard and he was unable to deploy a sea anchor. He lost his dinghy also and sustained major damage to his rigging but his vessel remained afloat and it was towed into the harbor by a fishing boat two days after he abandoned it. We asked him if he had heard the weather information on NOAA predicting heavy offshore winds and a small craft advisory. He replied that he had heard it but he thought that he could handle the heavy seas. The sky was clear with no signs of an approaching storm. This is the North Pacific High with winds that can blow clouds inland leaving clear skies on the coast. His crew returned to their home in British Columbia after the rescue and his wife insisted that she would never sail on that boat again! Clear Sailing We had clear sailing on the overnight run from Eureka to Fort Bragg, Calif. Cape Mendocino often presents a challenge for boaters as Blunt’s Reef, which extends west from the cape, can cause high, irregular waves when the wind is blowing 20 knots or more. North and south currents converge here making for confused seas. Our motorsail around the cape was
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smooth and easy in ten knots of wind as we sailed down the coast overnight to Fort Bragg. The marina at picturesque Fort Bragg is on the Noyo River and the narrow entrance can be difficult to find on a gray morning. Even with the GPS and radar we were unsure of the entrance so we called the Coast Guard who happily escorted us into the harbor in the early morning overcast. They explained that they would rather escort boats into the harbor than pull them off of the surrounding rocks. We enjoyed four sunny days at friendly Fort Bragg while the wind blew 40 to 50 knots outside of this charming harbor. The small craft advisories were up and the fishing boats were not leaving. We had no plans to leave as long as the fishing fleet was staying home! Meanwhile, we were serenaded by a colony of barking sea lions that are permanent residents in the marina. I called them the “bellicose baritones.” Our next stop was Bodega Bay on the Sonoma County coast. The weather was cloudy and overcast but the winds were light. We met the crew of another boat heading north. Their captain informed us that he would be in the Bodega Bay Marina for a week until the winds subsided off of the north coast. We were
given a weather window by the Coast Guard two days later since we were sailing south. We timed our departure from Bodega Bay and around Point Reyes so that we came under the Golden Gate Bridge at slack tide. This was the best sailing that we had experienced so far. The weather was clear with 15-20 knots of wind blowing from the west as the bridge came into view. Although many pleasure boaters who sail in and out of San Francisco Bay may take the beauty of the bridge and the bay for granted, for us it was a magnificent experience and a major milestone in our trip down the coast. We spent a week at the Berkeley Marina making minor repairs and enjoying the bay area. We left San Francisco Bay on the outgoing morning tide headed for Half Moon Bay and then on to Monterey. Monterey Bay, a national marine sanctuary, was alive with gray whales and dolphins. Sea lions were plentiful, too. Boat owners who keep their vessels on moorings in Monterey Bay have to put bright orange plastic netting around their boats to keep the aggressive sea lions from boarding. We spent a night at anchor in Stillwater Cove in Carmel before leaving early in the morning for a long sail past the mountainous Big Sur coast. The weather
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report again called for light and variable winds of 10-20 knots yet we experienced close to 30 knots off of Point Sur. We reduced sail and moved in closer to the shore below the point. Here the wind was lighter and the seas smoother. This was a very clear day and we could see the cars on California Highway One, the ribbon of road carved out of the coastal mountains. We had learned from our experience on the north coast that sailing in the lee of a point offered some protection. We also took note of the fact that
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the NOAA weather buoys are often 18 to 20 miles offshore. This does not always give an accurate reading of the winds closer to shore. For our purposes, sailing safely within five to eight miles off of the shore was better for our timing. We wanted to be at our anchorage before dark. We rounded Piedras Blancas and anchored at San Simeon Bay with Hearst Castle in the distance. We had only one major headland left to round – Point Conception. This is another headland where currents collide with
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wind and waves. We paid close attention to the weather reports and asked fishermen in Avila Bay for local knowledge in rounding the point. We passed on Morro Bay and anchored in Avila Bay, convenient for boaters rounding the headland in both directions. I should point out that my husband Roger and I are both from the Los Angeles area although we have lived in the Seattle area for more than 30 years. We learned to sail at different times in Santa Monica Bay and we had both sailed the coast south from Santa Barbara to San Diego in a variety small boats. But we had never rounded the infamous point. Below Point Conception the coast of California turns to a southeasterly direction and the water is warmer. Following Coast Guard and local recommendations, we set out at 2300 hours accompanied by two other sailboats that were also anchored in Avila Bay. We kept in radio contact throughout the night as we rounded Point Sal and Point Arguello. The charts did not show the oil drilling islands offshore but they were clearly visible at night with their bright lights. We rounded Point Arguello at 0600 the next morning and I took my watch at the helm at daybreak. The seas had been calm with light winds during the night. The day dawned flat and gray as Black Dog II rounded Point Conception at 0810. It was so gray that I could not see the mountain tops that are San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands to the southwest. I remembered what I had learned years earlier sailing in Southern California. If you could see Santa Catalina or the other Channel Islands, you would have a wild and windy ride heading toward them. I was now grateful for the gray sky and water off of Point Conception as we motor sailed towards Santa Barbara. We spent time in Southern California visiting family and old friends before moving on to San Diego and joining the Baja Ha-Ha. Our experience working the weather has made sailing the coast of Mexico and Central America very pleasant.
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Law of the Sea
By Paul E. Newell, Navi-Guesser and Sailor-at-Law
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As Cruisians, we are expected by our Bitchin Cruiser-in-Chief to know the Law of the Sea that may be applied to our sailing ordeal-adventures. While we may very well know how to trim our sails and ice down greenies, we often know little of the complex legal system that may judge us, particularly in foreign waters. Probably the most famous of the many “sea laws” is the original promulgation by Eleanor of Aquitaine (which is somewhere in France?). Eleanor had a little island called Oleron,
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which today is a fancy yachting destination for the froggish people. Because even in 1266, there were too many Cruisians floating around in various states of disarray and confusion, she decided to make some laws about their activities. An important concern for seamen and their passengers in that time was the lack of GPS and chartplotters. Bad things happen when we do not have our GPS and chartplotters. Cruisians had to rely on “pilots” who knew the local waters in order to safely bring a vessel into the harbor. These villains demanded great sums of cash for their services, and they often used those funds to purchase wine and other strong spirits. This then resulted in overhangs, which caused aches in the head (“mal a tete” according to Eleanor) and forgetfulness. This naturally led to unexpected contact with large rocks and resultant loss of cargo and passengers. Eleanor did not approve of this conduct. So, Eleanor’s laws, known as the “Rolls of Oleron,” contained the following article: Article XXIII If a pilot undertakes the conduct of a vessel, to bring her to St. Malo, or any other port, and fail of his duty therein, so as the vessel miscarry by reason of his ignorance in what he undertook, and the merchants sustain damage thereby, he shall be obliged to make full satisfaction for the same, if he hath wherewithal; and if not, lose his head. Having witnessed first hand the ability of modern day boaters loaded down with electronic equipment to nonetheless miscarry their vessels, it would seem that adoption of Eleanor’s Article XXIII would be a significant encouragement for modern Cruisians to navigate carefully.
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Ready? Hell, I’m Not Even Sure I’m a Sailor! By Dave Gaspar
It was the second day of a four-day bareboat chartering class where we went from Portland, Oregon, to Astoria, Oregon, made a loop out to sea, then went back to Portland. I was below deck when the instructor came down. He was dedicated to his job and normally fairly serious, and this time was no different. “I know that you are planning to take your own boat south in a few weeks. I don’t think you are ready yet,” were pretty much his words. He went on by offering me chances to crew on some of the boats he would be hired to deliver in the future, or maybe someone he knew would ask him if he knew anybody who wanted to crew on a boat. He even said he would be glad to see if there were good, experienced people who might want to crew on my boat when I left. But all I heard was, “I don’t think you are ready yet,” and I was tempted to give him a right cross to the jaw. The night before I had slept beside one of the other students in the forward berth who, while being a great guy during the day, had a snore like chain link dragging across broken concrete. With only an hour of sleep, my mood wasn’t the greatest. That was late summer 2010, and for five years leading up to it I had taken two other sailing classes
(Basic Keelboat and Coastal Cruising), had bought a boat (a Catalina 27), practiced with it, sold it, then bought the boat I now have, a 1978 Hans Christian 34. I had been all over the Columbia River and knew currents well, could dock and leave with a doubleender alone, anchor, and determine the heading of that huge ship that seems to be aiming directly at you coming down the river-- even at night. I had sold my home, moved onto my boat, and was in the process of selling my small business. I lived alone, sailed alone, and to my mind (at the time) no instructor that I imagined had never sailed alone, was ever going to tell me, “I don’t think you are ready yet,” and get me to believe it. It’s a mentality thing, but I was wrong about his intentions. I left Portland shortly afterward. I had jack lines, a drogue, survival suit, radar, a reflector, a small 4” GPS/chartplotter, paper charts (that I knew how to plot a course on, then translate to my digital), depth sounder, and a wheel driven autopilot. Due diligence, right? In Astoria I made my first error. I waited three days for a weather window to head south, but I was antsy, ready to go. So as soon as I heard on the VHF that the Columbia bar was going to be open I
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headed the boat to sea. NOAA said that the swells were west and 12 feet, wind was 20 knots northwest. But the swells were supposed to lessen by evening and so was the wind. It didn’t turn out that way though. It got worse. The wind went from 25 to 30 knots with higher gusts. Without going into details I can tell you, I got sick for the first few hours, then my autopilot failed, six of the plastic guides going up my main mast got snapped, my roller furling got back-wrapped, jammed, and tore a section of the sacrificial layer flapping in the wind, my propeller shaft broke the shear pin in the coupler, then tore the keeper and spun it between the shaft and the coupler, ruining both. And to literally add insult to injury, while being thrown about on the helm seat, my butt had so many blisters that I had to tape a piece of plastic between it and my underwear to keep them and my pants from sticking to me. I was exhausted and slightly dehydrated. Words cannot express my thanks to the Coast Guard, who towed me the last few miles into the Newport, Oregon Harbor in the darkness of the following night. After they helped tie my boat to the dock, inspected it, then left, I slept fitfully. I had failed in my first attempt! The instructor was right, I wasn’t ready. I looked out through my cabin porthole in the morning thinking, “Everyone out there knows it too.” I was defeated, sad, and mad at myself. Even the constant barking of the sea lions on the breakwater across the bay was no comfort to me. I put on some coffee and cursed as I picked up all of the debris strewn across the floor of the cabin. These were from cabinets opening up and dumping their contents; something that had never happened on the river. I think it was shortly after I had taped the first layer of plastic to me and cinched my belt that a knock sounded on my cabin. It was an older gentleman,
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named Ken (not his real name). He worked part time for the marina, had a tanned and weathered look, and a mild, chuckling manner to his voice while he asked me about the condition of my boat... I explained as best I could, feeling very sheepish and embarrassed, especially about the Coast Guard towing me in. His next question really threw me though, “Did you have any fun?” he asked, still mildly amused.
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“Yeah, actually I did,” I said. I thought about how much of a kick it was that my boat was screaming along faster than it had ever gone before; that I was amazed at the mass of stars at night and how the near-full moon seemed to be touching my shoulder as it passed above me; how the swells tossed by the wind at night made me think of waves on a beach as I drove into them; the awe of being far away from everybody and everything
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that I knew; the sprays of light across the water and foam when the sun goes down and up; those transient whitish streaks in the water at night. I related some of that to him. He nodded while I talked. Then he gave me the names and numbers of the local boat yard and sail repair people, directions to the marina office and showers. I thanked him. Then he stunned me again by saying, “So, where you planning on heading from here? Mexico?” Me? The failure? I hadn’t even made a successful first jaunt. I forget exactly what words I used, but it must have been akin to, “After this fiasco, I’m not sure what I’m gonna do.” “Well, you haven’t given up yet, or you would have been asking me if I knew anybody who wanted to buy a boat. Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and get your boat fixed,” he said and walked away down the dock. He stopped by quite a few times in the following days and told me stories of the places he had gone with the boats he had owned, the really cool things he had seen and done, and he pointed out his boat a few docks away that he lived aboard. He said that during his cruising life he had met his wife in Samoa. He welcomed me to stop by and visit, but to make sure he was there first because, “She’s barely civilized, and never keeps her hand far from her knife to protect our boat.” I did walk down his dock one day and looked at his boat, which seemed a larger and varnished version of mine. I didn’t know if he was there though, so I kept my distance. I’m not a total fool. Hell, I’m not even sure I’m a sailor.
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Cruising Outposts
Cruising Outpost - The Shed -
The Shed By Bob Bitchin
Ocean Springs
7501 HWY 57 Ocean Springs, MS
Gulfport
15094 Mills Road, Gulfport MS
One of the most fun Cruising Outpost’s there is has three locations, each of which are very welcoming to cruisers. In Fact, they cater our Advanced Cruising Seminar in Biloxi every year (this year at the Maragaritaville Casino!) What makes The Shed such a great Cruising Outpost is the fact that the owners are avid cruisers. Brooke Lewis, Brad Orrison and Brett Orrison began their BBQ and Blues journey in 2001. This wild ride has taken them on quite a successful trip. It all began with dumpster diving, using G-Maw’s Lowes credit card, and learning to slow smoke meat and put a menu together. When they opened the doors folks simply loved it. One evening while dumpster diving, Brad Orrison, knee-deep in hardwood flooring, had an epiphany: “I’m gonna build myself a take-out barbecue joint with all this junk!” Brad (24) and his sister Brooke (19) hammered and nailed. They practiced cooking, smoking, and timing meat to perfection. A few weeks after opening, Brother Brett (22) who had just graduated from Full Sail University in Recording Arts and was the sound engineer for the House of Blues in New Orleans, breezed in with all his knowledge and contacts to set up one of the finest Blues venues in the South. Now, The Shed had all the elements it needed to become a true BBQ & Blues Joint. The Shed is truly a family affair with Brad at the helm with the ideas, Brooke making sure that those ideas make money, Brett on the sound, Mom telling everybody about it through marketing, their G-Maw manning her beer bar (she doesn’t even drink beer) and Daddy O making sure they don’t do anything stupid. Oh, and when Daddy O tried his best to retire, the kids came up with something for him to do… make BBQ sauce for all The Sheds! So now Daddy O is the “Saucerer” at The Shed Saucery! BUT WAIT!!! There’s even more to the story... It’s the customers, affectionately known as “ShedHeads.” After eating at The Shed, folks started volunteering to
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help. They would bring in more junk to spruce up the place, build additions on the building so they would have a place to sit, and offer to do anything they could do to help Brad and Brooke put out more BBQ to keep up with the crowds. So, over the years the little 300-square-foot take-out has morphed into 9,570 square feet including the office and stage. It seats 120 inside and an additional 450 outside. The Shed’s not a fancy restaurant. As a matter of fact, it’s not a restaurant at all… it’s a full-fledged JOINT. The Shed is an Experience, a Destination to enjoy! The original Shed is located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. There are now three Shed BBQ locations where you can get fed: Original location at 7501 HWY 57 Ocean Springs, MS, 39565 Gulfport location at 15094 Mills Road, Gulfport, MS, 39503 Mobile location at 5753 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL, 66608
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Cruising Outpost - Bitter End Yacht Club - Cruising Outpost -
The Bitter End Yacht Club Virgin Gorda Sound - British Virgin Islands
By Bob Bitchin
Our favorite stop in the BVIs is the Bitter End Yacht Club. As a matter of fact, I celebrated my 60th birthday there. I don’t think there is a more beautiful place in the islands. The Bitter End is a family run resort, with the Hokins all participating in its growth and dedicated to the enjoyable vacation of every guest. There are accommodations for up to
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18 yachts including eight large yachts (up to 150’) and ten smaller yachts (sail and/or power) and most slips are in ten feet or more of water. Eight slips can accommodate boats with drafts of 15 feet or more. The Dockside Bar and Restaurant and main bar have views that can’t be beat. The Bitter End is proud to be one of our official Cruising Outposts.
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utpost - The Chowder Barge
The Chowder Barge Leeward Bay Marina Wilmington, CA
This is the ultimate Cruising Outpost. There is none better! It is the floating Chowder Barge in Leeward Bay Marina, Wilmington, CA. Dingy in or tie up at the 40’ guest slip on the end of the barge! The food rocks, the Captain’s Mugs of brew are huge, and you feel at home when you walk in. Oh, and owner, Nyla Olsen (on the right) is Popeye’s great-granddaughter. For real!
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Sunrise Resort, Abaco, Bahamas -
Sunrise Resort Abaco, Bahamas
Sunrise Resort and Marina on Grand Bahama Island is our newest Cruising Outpost and it is a welcoming stop for cruisers crossing to or from the U.S. The resort is just 70 nautical miles from Florida, tucked in a quiet and protected cove just off the Atlantic Ocean. This intimate resort is a relaxing, cruiser-friendly place to dock, mingle with other boaters and explore the island. Where Sunrise really shines is service, earning it a top spot on TripAdvisor and a 2012 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Lead by General Manager Ta’Shar Cuccurullo, the friendly Bahamian staff members welcome guests with warm smiles and go out of their way to ensure a memorable vacation.
The beach area is phenominal
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amas - Cruising Outpost - Sunrise Resort, Abaco, Bahamas Sunrise Resort & Marina is an official Port of Entry for the Bahamas, with customs and immigration clearance located on site. A full-service boat yard with 40-ton capacity is adjacent to the resort and can provide everything from fuel and parts to maintenance and repairs.
The only marina resort on Grand Bahama with floating docks, Sunrise features 70 protected slips equipped with fresh water, electric pedestals and TV cable. The marina resort has 24-hour security and boaters receive full use of the resort amenities as well as access to the laundry, showers and cable TV.
The entrance channel is easy
The pool area
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Dockside Tropical Cafe Coming Soon:
Dockside Tropical Cafe Boot Key, Marathon, FL
It’s about time! After 20 years of playing at waterfront venues, and after almost 15 years playing at our Cruisers’ Parties all over the world, it looks like Eric has found a home. Dockside is currently closed for modifications and upgrades. It has been an icon as one of the most popular hangouts on Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, in the Florida Keys. It’s often referred to as Boot Key Harbor’s “living room” by the cruisers. Eric Stone and his wife, Kim Hess, who writes the Healthy Cruising columns, are now planning to add a tiki hut roof, new and additional dinghy docks, a tasteful blend of tiki and island themed decor, food and drinks and of course, the best music in the Keys! If you want to be a part of Eric Stone’s Dockside Tropical Cafe check out the progress at www. docksidetropicalcafe.com. Follow them on facebook at: www.facebook.com/DocksideTrop /www.twitter. com/DocksideTrop.
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Cruising Outposts Cruiser-friendly places where you can go and feel right at home...
Corsairs Great Harbor Jost Van Dyke
Dixie Barbeque 3301 N. Roan St Johnson City, Tennessee
The Chowder Barge Leeward Bay Marina Wilmington, CA
Latitude 22 Roadhouse Behind the power plant Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Bloody Mary’s On The Beach Bora Bora
Margaritaville Casino 160 5th Street Biloxi, Mississippi
Neptune’s Treasure Anagada British Virgin Islands
El Cid Marina & Restaurant Puerto Morelos (Just S of Cancun) Mexico
Bitter End Yacht Club North Sound Virgiin Gorda, BVI’s
The Bocas Del Torro Bocas Del Torro, Panama
The Shed 7501 Hwy 57 (Exit 57 off I-10) Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Pusser’s Marina Cay British Virgin Islands
El Cid Marina Mazatlan Mexico
The Shed 15094 Mills Road Gulfport, Mississippi
The Shed 5753 Old Shell Road Mobile, Alabama
Long Island Breeze Long Island The Bahamas
Sunrise Resort Grand Bahama Bahamas
Port of Delcambre 307 Isadore Street Delcambre, Louisiana
The Mango Bar & Cafe Moorings Charter Base Neiafu, Vava'u Group, Tonga
Rose Corser's He'e Tai Inn BP 21, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
Looking for a place where cruiser’s are welcome? Here’s a few that will welcome you with open arms! They are all cruiser friendly and are “official” Cruising Outposts!
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Coming Soon Indiantown Marina 16300 SW Famel Avenue Indiantown, Florida
The Dockside Lounge Boot Key, Marathon, Florida
North County Grill & Pub 420 St Joseph Ave Suttonbay , Michigan
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Book Review
by Capt. Jim Cash
More Tales f rom a Gimbaled Wrist By Michael L. Martel Normally I reserve these reviews for non-fiction books about a true-to-life cruising adventure. Though Capt. Mike claims on his title page the book is a work of fiction, his collection of short stories reads more like his actual cruising experiences. I suppose he may have changed the names of some characters to protect the innocent from law enforcement, but in reading the stories it was often like de’jâ vu for me, as I’m sure it would be for anyone with some cruising experience. Mike has entertained readers in the former Lats & Atts and other venues, so if you enjoy good sea yarns these latest tales are worth your while. I’m sorry I had not had the privilege to read the first in the twobook series, and was caught unaware of the term “Gimbaled Wrist.” Mike quoted the lyrics from the chantey Tanqueray Martini-O! by Jon Campbell from which the title came, and now it seems apropos as I imagine sailors sitting in the cockpit, sharing sea tales, and holding their drinks level as the boat heels with the gusts from a Nor’easter.
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The 27 separate stories take place mostly along the New England shore with a few sojourns to Bermuda and the Caribbean. Each story is no more than a 10-15 minute read, even if you are dosing in the cockpit on a warm afternoon. Some are tender as in Men of the Sea where he tells of a young boy accompanying his grandfather on a short fishing trip. Some are funny stories as in Last Trip of the Season, where an odiferous, forgotten bait bucket mixes with a fall snow squall to highlight the afternoon delivery, and Perils of ‘Nautical Cuisine’ where Mike makes a case for Beer as the staple for every evening meal. His story about being reunited with Privateer, a previously owned 1931 vintage yawl, grabbed me personally, having just restored a 1938 Atkin yawl myself (volume 1 Cruising Outpost). What is it about old wooden boats that kindle up emotion like family? I can’t imagine my eyes welling up as I gaze upon a ‘60s vintage, cracked and faded fiberglass Coronado... but show me an old wood Herreshoff, Atkin, or Alden and I can get misty every time.
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There are several stories about the late season cruise aboard Mary Rose, a 1926 Herreshoff schooner, from Rhode Island to the BVIs with a stopover in Bermuda, and his page-and-ahalf titled Church’s Beach on Cuttyhunk Island, reads like poetry. Mike even gets a chance to rant against the sometimes tiresome and antiproductive trend toward cultural diversity in Voices Among the Cellar Holes. For those of you that have done long deliveries you will relate to the emotions stirred up in First Light of Sombrero Island, and when you remember those late night watches with coffee flavored with the local libation (I call sauce) to keep the blood circulating, the yarn Coffee with a ‘Stick’ In It will bring a smile to your lips. Mike has a fascination with Captain Joshua Slocum… My favorite story is the time the natives
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of Southern Chile snuck aboard the Spray one night while anchored in the Magellan Straights, only to find the Captain had scattered carpet tacks along the deck; apparently they exited quickly screaming in pain… But I digress; there are many references to the iconic tome Sailing Alone Around the World as in Mike’s stories Farewell to Captain Slocum, Autumn River Cruise on Spray, were he describes the voyage as “sailing a cement barge across a sea of molasses with a handkerchief for a sail,” and others. The real beauty of the book for me was that almost every story reminded me of one of my own, and I guess that’s the point of a good book. It is supposed to help your mind wander, whether back to your own memories, or forward toward the future of memories yet to be made. In this case, at least for me, Capt. Mike has accomplished both.
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Seafaring Fiction Unfathomable Sea! Whose waves are years! Oceans of time, whose waters of deep woe Are brackish with the salt of human tears! Thou shoreless flood which in thy ebb and flow Claspest the limits of mortality … - Percy Bysshe Shelley From the time of the ancient mariner man has long been committed to the sea, I think, because as John F. Kennedy said, “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea we are going back from whence we came.” I derive a great deal of reading pleasure and endless inspiration from books involving seafaring adventure. Here is my list of what I consider to be the Top 10 of the seafaring fiction genre: 1. The Odyssey, by Homer. In case you don’t recall, this is the ancient poem written around the end of the 8th century BC that tells the tale of the Greek hero Odysseus (Ulysses, in Roman mythology) and his voyage back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. From the Cyclops to the Sirens, it is an epic tale unlike any other, and it is from this that we use the word Odyssey to refer to an epic journey. It’s Homer’s Odyssey! Read it!! 2. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in May, 1883, Stevenson brilliantly plants the images that universally come to mind when one hears the word “pirates!” Here you have Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, buried treasure, peg legs, parrots, X marks the spot, Ben Gunn, the Black Spot, and pirates a plenty! Might I suggest that you acquire a copy illustrated by N.C. Wyeth? It will truly add to your reading pleasure, again and again. 3. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. This classic tale, first published in October, 1851, ranks in literary circles as one of the Great American Novels. It presents the tale of Ahab, the captain of a whaling vessel, out for revenge against a great white whale. Based on an actual event that occurred in 1820 where a giant sperm whale rammed a whaling ship out of Nantucket, the Essex, causing it to sink, it’s good versus evil, as seen through the eyes of the wandering sailor, Ishmael. It’s complex and it’s riveting, and I believe that it is a must read, at some point, in every man’s life. 132 Summer 2013 pg 132-133 Blackbear.indd 2
By Steve Buckley
4. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. This one is a bit difficult for me to explain in just a few sentences. So much so, that I had to wait until I was finished with the others, and then come back to it. However, after trying to whittle it down, I have decided to not even attempt to explain it, because I find myself getting too caught up in it. I’ll simply say this; I think it is one of the finest literary accomplishments ever! Published in 1952, it deservedly won Hemingway the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and greatly contributed to his being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Now, I am going to go out and sit on my deck with my first edition copy, light up a fine Cuban cigar and sip some Pyrat Rum. 5. Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. This is the splendid tale of a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island, enduring run-ins with cannibals, pirates and an assortment of other dangerous characters. There is no doubt that Defoe drew from the real life events involving Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish mariner who became a castaway when his ship wrecked off the coast of Chile in 1705. You might think that given the four years that Selkirk spent on the island, Defoe would not have needed to so fictionalize the account, but thank goodness he did! 6. Captain Blood, by Rafael Sabatini. This is the first in Sabatini’s trilogy about the exploits of the fictional character, Dr. Peter Blood. Set in the time of the brazen buccaneer, Sir Henry Morgan, you can see where Rafael drew from Morgan’s real life pirating exploits to frame his character, as well as the historical background he describes throughout. It’s Port Royal and pirates and the plundering of booty! I have to make a suggestion here. After you have read the book, watch the movie version starring Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and Olivia de Havilland; perhaps a bit dated compared to Captain Jack Sparrow, but still a swashbuckling good time! 7. Cup of Gold, by John Steinbeck. This is Steinbeck’s first novel, and not one that received much acclaim, except from me, perhaps. It’s loosely based on Henry Morgan’s sacking of Panama, and his amorous affairs and piratical activities throughout his campaign. Morgan’s exploits apparently delivered much in the way of inspiration for seafaring Cruising 4/25/13 3:12 PM
adventures! Cup of Gold is in no way comparable to some of Steinbeck’s more accomplished literary works; say for example, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath. In fact, not even close. However, it is good historical fiction involving one of the more famous buccaneers from the Golden Age of Piracy, and it’s Steinbeck. What’s not to like? 8. Reap the Wild Wind, by Thelma Strabel. First published in 1940 as a serialized story for the Saturday Evening Post, Strabel gives us the fictional account of a Key West family of wreckers and their exploits involving the competitive nature of the salvage business born of the many ships that wrecked upon the shoals of the Florida Keys. Set in the 1840s, Thelma brings into play the piratical activities that took place, on land and at sea, as the local residents competed for the salvage rights. Having been to Key West more times than I care to admit, and seeing firsthand the many homes built there with the planks that were recovered from the wrecks, I imagine that there is a great deal of truth behind this fictional account. Anything associated with Key West and/or pirates and you have my attention. 9. Wake of the Red Witch, by Garland Roark. Published in 1946, this was Garland’s first novel. He passed in 1985, but from 1946 to 1967 he wrote more than a dozen seafaring adventures, all worthwhile reading. However, I find Wake of the Red Witch to be his finest work. It’s a fictional tale of love and betrayal, revenge and justice, set in the East Indies in the 1860s, and is similar in many respects to Strabel’s Reap the Wild Wind. 10. The Book of Pirates, by Howard Pyle. This is a little apart from the rest of the list, but I find the stories here-in to be a must read for anyone interested in the genre of seafaring fiction. The artwork alone is worth a look, as Pyle gave us the modern image of the stereotypical garb worn by pirates, however impractical that it would have been. If you can, get a hold of a first edition with the original plates still in tack. It may prove a bit difficult (it was published in 1921), but I swear that you can smell the sea when you open a copy of one of these rare beauties. As you can see, I personally lean towards the swashbuckling themes. I wasn’t sure how this would play out, as I have never really tried to rank or make a Top 10 list. I found it to be a difficult assignment, but fun just the same. Cruising pg 132-133 Blackbear.indd 3
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A Night To Remember By Drew Whitler of S/V Impulsive It had been a long couple of days. I had headed out of Charleston Harbor on my 1987 Morgan 41 Classic, Impulsive. With me was my oldest friend in the world, Hod Arnett. We have known each other since kindergarten and have been best friends through grade school, high school, college, and even the USAF. He had been with me on one very major trip I had taken with Impulsive and several charters in the BVI. We were on our way to Fernandina Beach to meet up with another crew member, Marty Coalson. He and I worked together for a number of years and he had been interested in sailing for some time. This was to be his first adventure on a sailboat, to test if this was really something he wanted to do. You know the dream (thanks to Gardner McKay and his ship the Tiki as it plied the waters of the South Pacific)... sell the house, buy the boat and take the wife, sans kids, on that round
the world sail. Even as I type this, and I already have a boat, I keep thinking… count me in, Marty!! I had been trying to dissuade him of that idea until he took the kind of trip he was signing up for with Hod and me. His wife, Dianne, seemed truly grateful. Well, he was on a schedule and waiting for us at the marina in Fernandina Beach, FL. Now, Hod and I and a couple of others had tried to sail around the ICW in Georgia several years ago on a journey from the Chesapeake to the Keys, but the Atlantic kept suggesting, and in no uncertain terms, that we might be better off trying the long and winding route through Georgia on the ICW. We had tried for Florida, but made only 13 miles in 14 hours. Stono inlet, the first inlet from the Atlantic south of Charleston, looked like a likely respite. Now I know others would have said, why not keep going, but this
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was our first real foray into the North Atlantic, and getting beat up for the next couple of days just didn’t seem worth it. We are, after all, a couple of old boys from the flatlands of Illinois and Nebraska. Coming into Stono inlet was a trip, since there was nary a light visible from shore except for one dim white marker way inside the inlet on the point of land marking the river’s entrance into the bay. This was also a first time completely dependent on and trusting the chart plotter as well, because, with the exception of the lights on the channel markers, we were pretty much sailing blind. We did find an anchorage in a creek in 12 feet of water and were surprised to see we had parked in the middle of absolutely nothing. Got to love that chart plotter. The next morning we checked the NOAA report for the area and decided to try it again. Never, up until then, have I experienced a NOAA report to be accurate. And once again, it was off by about 120 degrees and the waves were much higher than they predicted. We only made it to the north end of Hilton Head Island (thankfully before the sun went down), and decided we would take the inside route the rest of the way to Florida. We did get stuck at a place called Devil’s Gate at low tide trying to find a way through, but only until we got enough weight up on the boom and out over the side and were able to reduce our five-foot draft enough to push through a little mud to a spot with six feet of water. Well, that’s another story, and this is about the trip that did work out to Fernandina Beach. The difficulty Hod and I discovered was that with only two of us to stand watch out of Charleston, neither of us were really out of the cockpit for the next couple of days. Catnapping just doesn’t quite fulfill the need for rest. NOAA turned out to be pretty accurate and we were sailing the entire way. It was, when we felt rested enough to notice, a treat that most flatlanders will never get the chance to experience. I have to say it was the most remarkable sailing experience I had
ever had (at least in a positive way) up until that point. Dolphins off the bow, the Milky Way overhead and the unceasing rhythm of the Atlantic were the perfect antibiotic for the hectic disease of civilization. While we were clearly enjoying our voyage, the time awake was beginning to take its toll on both of us. Not on our friendship, mind you, which has managed to survive 60-plus years of living, but on our collective and individual judgment. As we approached the entrance to Fernandina Beach, I remembered that the rock jetties pushed out into the Atlantic around three miles. Since it was about 9:30 p.m. in January, they were not visible to the naked eye. We had taken down the sails and cranked up the iron jenny as we turned Impulsive west into the entrance. At this point it is probably important to tell you that Hod had been taking some medications for a condition that has since cleared up, the side effects of which were the possibility of visual instability. Well, hallucinations really! At any rate, neither of us felt like we were at anywhere near 100% functioning, so anything manifesting itself out of thin air should not be a surprise. Our exhaustion, the lateness of the day, the darkness of the night and the fact that in front of us were these two fixed and immovable jetties that we could not see left us... well, me at least... a bit on edge. The really positive aspect here was that the chart plotter clearly showed the jetties in front of us about 1/2 mile. It was at this point that two things happened. I don’t know if the first had to do with a solar flare or a temporary electronic malfunction, but the chart plotter did this spinning around on the screen and seemed completely unable to fix our position relative to the jetties. Hod, thinking fast, immediately went into the salon and grabbed my iPad, which has iNavx loaded onto it. He turned it on and booted up the chart plotting App. This would have worked beautifully if either of us had thought to dim the screen. Alas, neither of us did, until it was too late. Once we fixed our eyes on that screen, both of us were functionally blind to anything else.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
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At this point, my exhaustion was beginning to take hold and I was in the grip of absolute panic. The chart plotter had failed, I was blind, and the rock jetties were hungrily anticipating a meal of fiberglass and aluminum. I grabbed my iPhone and called Marty, who had been awaiting our arrival most of the day. He was at the marina and I briefed him... well more like screamed at him, about our circumstances and asked him to find someone there who might give us some assistance. He managed to get the phone number of the Sea Tow’s “on call” representative. This guy’s name was Capt. Joe. I have been a subscriber of Sea Tow for several years and had never had any need to call on them. I think Capt. Joe would have helped me even had I not been a member. I called him and gave him the brief, in I’m sure a panicky sounding state, of my condition and he proceeded to calm me down. Now, I’m thinking he was going to hop in a runabout and come meet us and guide us into the harbor. That initial thought gave me some relief from what was rapidly becoming an increasingly apoplectic state. While this was happening, Hod was beginning to experience the potential side effects of his meds. He kept holding up the iPad to my face, re-blinding me, and I felt like I swatting flies to get that bright screen away from my eyes. Capt. Joe was a stalwart of cool, calm and collected. He told me he could talk me in faster than he could come out to guide me in. I confessed that did not relieve the surging sense of panic I was feeling, but his continued calm eventually won out.
Meanwhile, while Capt. Joe was helping me acclimate to the lights on shore and getting me focused on the range markers, Hod suddenly told me we were about to run into a dock with people dancing on it. I peered out into the gloom, with Capt. Joe assuring me that there was no dock in front of me, searching for the scene Hod so convincingly told me was there. Once Capt. Joe got me lined up with the range markers and convinced me I was in the middle of the channel, safely away from the hungry jetties, I began to calm down. Now that I thought I had a handle on my panic I tried to calm Hod down. He screamed at me from the bow, where he was effectively blocking my ability to see the range markers while trying to help me peer into the darkness, that there was a tree directly in front of us. Capt. Joe heard my response and assured me that if the range markers were one on top of the other (and they were), I was in the middle of the channel and there were no trees there. I do not know what those prescription drugs were that Hod was taking, but some night when I am safe and absolutely certain of surviving the night, I want to try some of that stuff! I think we may have found a legal way to take a trip and never leave the farm. About this time, whatever had messed with my chart plotter decided to give it back to me. When the screen flopped over into what I had been expecting all along, I could now clearly see Impulsive in the middle of the channel and the rock jetties beginning to fade into the distance. As we entered the ICW and made the turn south towards the marina, I told Capt. Joe thanks for all
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his help, and that I thought we were okay from that point to the marina. But he said he was going to stay with me on the phone until I saw the lights of the marina. I cannot thank Capt. Joe enough, and I never learned his last name. As we saw the lights of the marina and I tried to tell him how grateful I was for his help, he just said “That’s what we do at Sea Tow... we try to make sure people are safe!” He told me we should have a drink and toast him after we tied up. No problem there, amigo! As we pulled up to the marina, there was Marty standing there waiting for us. It was about 10:30 p.m. The last hour was probably one of the most
confusing and clarifying hours I had ever spent on a boat. Marty was waiting for the story, but not until after we had some wine. He is a bit of a wine aficionado and had brought with him a couple of his favorite bottles, which we drained... and then some! He had also convinced the restaurant to stay open until we docked and had been able to get some nourishment. Once we had secured Impulsive to the dock, we sort of staggered up the ramp to the restaurant where Marty had stowed his gear and the wine, ordered something to eat, and Hod and I both started recounting our separate versions of what had become “a night to remember!”
You might be a sailor if you think of duct tape as a long-term investment..
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Educating Lubbers By Jim Bloom As we drove away from the Marsh Harbour Airport, I turned around to first-time cruisers, daughter Kary and grandsons Phillip and David (then 15 and 13 respectively) and said, “Remember this word, “WET.” I’ll tell you about it when we get to Snappa’s where we’re having lunch.” Snappa’s, next door to Harbour View Marina, is a great place for lunch or dinner, they’re right on the water, have good food (nothing fried) and have a dinghy dock.
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Three sides of the restaurant open onto the water with great views of the harbor and usually a breeze. On several nights a week they have live music and a very active bar. As our Leopard 42 catamaran, Valiant Lady 2, was anchored about a hundred yards away, it was a perfect place to leave the dinghy and have lunch on our return. Our guests also get a flavor of the Bahamas right from the start. After ordering and catching up on family news, one of the boys said, “Grandpa, you were going to tell us about WET.” Our plan was working; they remembered to ask. “WET is very important to remember,” I said: • W is for Water, • E is for Electric, and • T is for Toilet. All are very important on a boat and if not handled properly,
any one of them can cause a lot of problems and in the worse case even sink the boat. That last one really got their attention. We explained... Water: There are two types of water, fresh and salt. We want to conserve fresh water and keep it in the boat. Salt water we want to keep out of the boat. Unlike home, we do not have a pipe running to the water company. We only have 210 gallons of fresh water on the boat for cooking, drinking and washing, so we can’t waste it by letting the water run. (They wouldn’t
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have understood that for a sailboat, 210 gallons are a lot!) When we shower, we get our bodies wet, turn off the water, soap down, scrub, then rinse off. We don’t let the water run! (At his point I neglected to tell them about our 12 gallon/hour 12 volt Village Marine water maker.) Electric: Again, we don’t have a cord to the electric company. All of our power comes from our batteries and we have to keep them charged. Use the electricity you need but don’t leave lights burning when you leave your cabin. If we drain the batteries, we won’t be able to start the engines or use anything on the boat that requires electricity. For a week I went around turning off lights when the boys were on deck; so much for the education. (I also neglected to tell them that the engine batteries were isolated from the house batteries. Oh well.) Toilet: This is VERY important! Unlike the toilet at home, you don’t just flush it, you have to pump it. We’ll show you how to use it when we get on board. But you have to be aware of two things: one, if it’s not toilet paper and, two, if you have not already eaten it, it does NOT go into the toilet. That includes hair from your combs and brushes! When we show you how to use it we’ll point out a little lever that, if not in the right position, could possibly sink the boat.” (Nothing works like a little fear to get compliance.) At this point I figured we gave them enough “rules” to remember and I didn’t want to overload them and spoil their trip. I knew there were more
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rules coming; rules that we as cruisers take for granted and are onerous to the uninitiated. Just about that time our mahi sandwiches and hamburgers arrived, so we settled down to some good food and more conversation. About the time we were finishing, one of the boys jokingly asked, “Grandpa, what about DRY?” Not to burden them with more rules, I just told them that DRY was important, but not as important as WET and we’d discuss that onboard. After getting bags stowed, we showed them around the boat and taught them how to use the head. Here, we started with the nautical terms. We then explained that if they caused a problem with the head, we would provide the tools and the instruction as to how to disassemble the marine toilet so they could repair and/or remove whatever was stuck. (Again, fear does wonders in getting compliance.) A week later the trio were quite comfortable on the boat and beginning to get the hang of it. In fact, our youngest grandson decided to stay aboard another two weeks and sail back to West Palm Beach with us. “DRY,” however, is for another story.
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HOME AWAY FROM HOME Need a Break From Cruising? Off Season? Why Not Try Housesitting! By Anne Mott
The clock was ticking, time was running out, and still we were no closer to determining where we would spend the summer months that lay ahead of us. It was late May and we were in the Sea of Cortez aboard our sailboat Outrider, a Westsail 42, anchored at Isla Coronados, roughly seven miles north of Loreto and 120 miles north of La Paz, Baja Peninsula, Mexico. Things were starting to warm up in the Sea, with daytime temperatures nearing the 90s, the slightly cooler evenings providing little to no relief. Outrider is our home, and since she stays behind in Mexico when we leave to escape the heat of the summer hurricane season, we would soon find ourselves without a roof over our heads if we didn’t come up with a plan. Living aboard Outrider as she waited out hurricane season safely tucked away in a marina in La Paz would be one option, but not one we relished in that harsh, desert-like environment. Even with airconditioning aboard it would be unbearable, having to
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hibernate below like moles during the day, emerging only after the merciless sun had slipped away for the night, to shop for groceries at the nearby supermarket. Working outdoors on boat projects would be impossible. Spending four to five months aboard in the northern Sea of Cortez up around the Bahia de Los Angeles area, as many cruisers do, did not hold much allure for us either, due to regular visitation by strong chubascos packing powerful winds, thunder and lightning, and always that never-ending heat that just sucks the life right out of you. None of these options would work for us, so I decided to take a quick look to see what the world of house-sitting had to offer as an alternative to sweating away our lives in purgatory. Lately I’d been checking out some websites that specialize in house and pet-sitting, and had eventually narrowed my viewing down to one website that worked best for me, Housecarers.com. They allow you to browse their entire site and see all their listings in full, prior to actually having to subscribe. Once you
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find a listing you like, you subscribe for $50/year, submit a profile and photos, and are then free to contact the homeowner. I do believe they also offer a limited, free membership which allows you to join, browse, and receive house-sit alerts, but in order to post a profile and photos, and contact homeowners, you do need to subscribe. The website is updated every couple of days. Some of the other websites I’ve looked at post sample listings from earlier periods, but nothing current, and you have to subscribe prior to being able to see current listings. I did not like the idea of having to pay before I could even see what a site had to offer. There are many house-sit sites on the internet, and these are just a few of them: www. mindmyhouse.com, www.housesittersamerica.com, www.caretaker.org But back to my search. Up until now nothing had caught my eye, but since my options at this point were pretty minimal, I decided to give it one more try. Luckily for me, we were able to pick up internet access from Loreto using the Telcel Banda Ancha, a broad-band (cell-tower) USB device. I quickly logged onto the computer, went straight to my favorites and clicked on Housecarers.com to see if anything new and exciting had been added to the database since I’d last checked a few days earlier. And there it was, the one I’d possibly been waiting for. The title of the advertisement which caught my eye included the words ‘California Coast,’ so I promptly clicked on the listing to read the details and found that it matched perfectly with our requirements for a house-sit, as far as length of sit, location, responsibilities and dates. I quickly signed up for my subscription even though we both had doubts that we’d be selected for this particular house-sit, since the ad had already been on the website for a couple of days. It was highly likely someone else had beaten us to it by now, as house-sitting has become very popular.
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Audio Book
Emerald Bay by Bob Bitchin
Read by the author, this is the full Treb Lincoln adventure novel. It started on a boat in Emerald Bay... and ended up half-way around the world! 5 Disc Set 5.3 Hours Reg. $27.95 Just $15.
www.bobbitchin.com
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The website urges you to pick a catchy title for your profile as you are competing with hundreds of other house-sitters already on the site. I chose something that mentioned cruising and wanting to escape the hurricanes and heat of Mexico, then quickly submitted the profile and photos of ourselves and our boat. I then contacted the homeowner via the website email system, which linked back to our profile. In the email I explained in detail what our situation was, what our goals were, and how we could help them meet theirs. The homeowner contacted me within one day, promising to get back to me once he had reviewed all the applicants. I emailed him back immediately, thanking him for his response and offering to answer any questions or concerns he might have. He responded with a few questions, which I answered the same day. Since we had done two months of house/petsitting for cruising friends in Washington the previous summer, I emailed them requesting a reference which I then forwarded to the homeowner. He responded shortly thereafter to say that we had been selected to care for his pets and home. He mentioned that we would not need to pay for any utilities, and all we had to do in exchange for our fully furnished, wellequipped guest apartment was to take care of the two dogs, walk them twice daily, give them lots of love and affection, and keep an eye on the house. We agreed upon an arrival date that would allow us an overlap of five days in order to familiarize ourselves with the dogs, the home, and the requirements of the owners before they left on their European vacation. The whole process, from the time we’d joined Housecarers.com to the time we got the nod of
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The author’s boat, Outrider, a Westsail 42.
approval, had taken us no more than six days. How quickly our reality had changed. We had gone from looking at being displaced and unsure of our future, to taking care of the beloved pets and home of total strangers for three months. With a feeling of elation we made our way back to La Paz, prepped Outrider for hurricane season, and departed for the San Francisco Bay area to start our house-sit. We arrived on the chosen day, met the owners and their dogs, and learned the ropes over the next few days. We took plenty of notes, met neighbors, friends and other helpful contacts, all the while becoming more comfortable with the dogs, both very loving, sweet-natured and professionally trained. Taking care of dogs was new to us as we had always been cat people, but we had just recently lost Perkins, our beloved feline companion of 15 years, so we actually welcomed the idea of getting some muchneeded pet fixes. Canine companions Once we’d can be a side benefit! settled in and got
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Captain Bob:
Other People’s Paradise The cruising lifestyle as it really is. The Video story of one man’s escape from civilization to the world of cruising. A look into what the reality of cruising is all about.
DVD - 48 Minutes run time. 95 Reg. $29.95 Special Price $19.
FTW Publishing 1900 Oro Dam Blvd #12-111 Oroville, CA 95966
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to know the homeowners a little better, we asked them about their selection process, and how they had decided upon us. They told us that they’d chosen us above the 60 or so other applicants because we were cruisers, and they knew we would not be returning to Mexico before early October, which is when they would be returning from their overseas trip, as it is too hot south of the border until at least mid-October. It turns out that they themselves were cruisers, and had spent some time down in Mexico, so they understood our situation better than most. They were wonderful people, and made sure that we had everything we needed for our stay before they departed. In fact, they even put Jeff on their car insurance so that we could use their van to transport the dogs to and from the parks, instead of our own vehicle. The handoff went smoothly, the owners feeling confident about leaving their beloved dogs and home in our care. The dogs settled in nicely, and within a couple of days of the owners’ departure were responding quite well to our commands and hand signals. Despite our initial anxieties about sharing our living space with two big dogs (they each weighed about 65 lbs), the house-sit turned out to be a wonderful success. Since the dogs were so well behaved, it made things a lot easier, and quite quickly
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we grew to love them as our own. We enjoyed our daily walks with them, all of us getting a healthy dose of exercise and fresh air as we explored nearby parks and neighborhoods. The crowning glory of our house-sit was the beautiful apartment overlooking the bay, which we got to call home for three months. We never tired of the stunning views we enjoyed right from our living room of the San Francisco skyline across the bay, Alcatraz and Angel Islands in the distance, the Bay Bridge, San Rafael Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, sometimes shrouded in fog. All too soon it came to an end, and we were relieved of our responsibilities. The owners were very pleased with the way in which we had cared for their dogs and home in their absence, as well as having kept them apprised of their mail, urgent phone calls or other minor issues on a regular basis. In fact, the house-sit worked out so well that we’ll be going back there next summer for about six weeks, following a three-month house-sit for our cruising friends in Washington. House-sitting is definitely a win-win situation for everyone, as we cruisers end up with a place to call home for a while, and the home-owners get to experience peace of mind while away, knowing that their homes, and perhaps even pets, are being well cared for in their absence.
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This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must B
There is No Place Anywhere Near This Place That Looks Anything Like This Place,
So This Must Be The Place! Bristol, Rhode Island
Cruisers heading north from the Caribbean in the spring, perhaps with the intention of going to Maine, should make it a point to consider Bristol Harbor and Bristol, Rhode Island, a layover point on their way north, or when cruising the waters between Long Island Sound and lower Cape Cod and the Elizabeth Islands. I’m fortunate to be able to call these waters home, and it is one of the finest cruising grounds between Maine and
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By Capt. Michael L. Martel
the Chesapeake. Between the eastern end of Long Island and Montauk, one finds great destinations including Block Island, Newport and Narragansett Bay, the Elizabeth Islands, Buzzard’s Bay, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and lower Cape Cod. There are plenty of places to pause for a day or two, and many cruisers often choose charming Newport. But Newport is a very busy and noisy place in the summer, rather expensive, and if you
Cruising
5/3/13 4:05 PM
s Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be aren’t in the crowded harbor, you’re exposed to your inflatable dinghy, you’re probably going to get weather and wakes. splashed a bit, but not much worse. The town of Bristol is similar to Newport in many At the northwest end of the harbor you’ll find ways, though on a smaller scale. Once a bustling Bristol Marine, a full-service boat yard and marina Colonial seaport of privateers and rum distilleries, (but no fuel) that in addition to being able to take care it’s only another 10 nm or so to of everything that is boat, rig, the north of Newport, directly and engine-related, also rents up the bay, which on a summer slips at their dock (limited) Historical view of Old Bristol afternoon is an easy downwind and moorings in the mooring romp with the prevailing field. They also run a launch southwesterly blowing steady service. Find them at www. and directly behind you. bristolmarine.com. They can In the harbor, the holding easily be hailed on the usual ground is good (muddy) with VHF channels. average depths of 16 feet in the Right next door is the anchorage area at low water. Bristol Yacht Club (www. The anchorage area is south bristolyc.com) which extends of the crowded mooring field, and if your boat has reciprocal privileges to many other small yacht clubs high freeboard, you’ll find the views of the town, and is a friendly place to have a drink at their wellPoppasquash Peninsula, nearby Hog Island and stocked bar and grab a shower. During the summer, Prudence Island delightful, green, and the perfect many of their members are off cruising and thus make accompaniment to sundowner cocktails. You can find their moorings available to the Club to accommodate Bristol Harbor and approaches easily in nv-charts’ visiting yachts. Hail the BYC dockmaster or steward on Region 3.1 chart set (www. VHF 9, 16, or preferably 68 to nv-charts.com), Rhode Island to check for availability. The BYC Nantucket Sound. also runs a launch service. Bristol Harbor is well The only issue with the sheltered from the east, north, BYC and Bristol Marine is and west; and directly south, that their facilities are on the low-lying Hog Island provides opposite side of the harbor some shelter. However, the from the Bristol waterfront, harbor is vulnerable to the and it’s a rather long walk (1.5 southeast and southwest. The miles+) around the head of southeast isn’t a problem the harbor to get into town. unless a tropical system comes It’s fine if you have a bicycle. blowing in, which is rare. But However if you are out in the in the summer, the prevailing Bristol Harbor anchorage area, onshore southwesterlies can make the harbor a choppy your best bet is to use your dinghy to motor right to place in the afternoon. The southwest breeze or ‘Sea the waterfront. Turne’ as it has been known here for 300 years, pipes There are limited dinghy dock accommodations at up around midday to an average 14 – 16 kts as the day the Harbormaster’s dock, the Bristol Town Dock, and warms, but generally dies flat calm around sunset. at Independence Park, all fairly close to one another. It makes the harbor choppy enough that, if you’re in Southeast of the mooring area is the Herreshoff
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This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must B
Marine Museum complex and dock. In addition to being a great museum to visit, the Museum also offers dockage (with electricity) and mooring rentals for transients. There’s no launch service; use your dinghy. Visit www.herreshoff. org. The Museum monitors VHF 68. One of the great things about a stopover in Bristol is that once you’re ashore, you’ve got the best part of the town right on the waterfront, with restaurants, a hotel, and B&Bs along Thames Street, which runs N – S along the water. Several excellent restaurants are within only a few minutes’ walk from your dinghy. These include Quito’s (seafood), Redlefsen’s (European Bistro), The DeWolf Tavern (American Steak and Seafood), Aidan’s (Irish pub), and a few more. One block up from Thames Street is historic Hope Street, with stunning historic architecture, delightful shops of all kinds, plus a couple of banks with ATMs, coffee shops, and the famous Bristol Bagel Works, where literally all of Bristol’s regular folk and sailing people go for bagels and great sandwiches. We have two large grocery/supermarkets in Bristol, but they are not within walking distance of the waterfront. But if you need to get around, wellknown local musician Mike Carroll operates Bristol Car Service and can get you anywhere you need to go reasonably, www.bristolcarservice.com. Lastly, there are no fuel docks in Bristol Harbor, but that’s not much of an inconvenience; New England Boatworks, less than 5 nm away (within sight, back
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toward Newport) at East Passage Yachting Center (www.neboatworks.com) has gas, diesel, and water. Of course, there are plenty of fuel docks in Newport where you can gas up before heading up the bay. Holding tank’s full? The Bristol Harbormaster operates a pump-out boat on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact the Harbormaster on VHF 16 or phone (401) 253-1700. When it’s time to leave, get your anchor up early and try to get underway by sunrise, motoring down the bay to Newport, or alternately, around through Mount Hope Bay and out the Sakonnet for a Buzzard’s Bay/Cape Cod Canal destination. Getting out of Narragansett Bay early, you might have a gentle norther for the early part of the morning, or at least you won’t have to beat into the southwesterly while working your way south. Remember that Bristol is home to the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in the nation, complete with a great parade, and the whole town, quite literally, has a two or three-day party. It’s a great time to be here: the harbor is full, everything’s open, there are colorful events including old-fashioned Firemen’s musters and water battles. The harbor is the best place to be when Bristol’s population swells to many thousands of patriotic celebrants, and the harbor is a ring-side seat for a great fireworks display the night before the 4th. So, if you’re cruising up this way, stop and pay Bristol a visit, have a beer and a stuffed quahog (clam) or two, and relax before heading onward.
Cruising 4/25/13 3:17 PM
is Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be
The Western Caribbean on a Cat
By Bill Mosher
After only a two-hour flight from Miami, we arrived at the airport in Honduras. We were chartering a catamaran from Parrot Sailing for this trip. Once we got our luggage we were all off to the Rio Dulce. We stopped at the Guatemala border where our passports were quickly processed and each person paid a fee of $3.00 U.S. We were extended a friendly welcome by the border officials. One and one half hours later, we arrived at Bruno’s Marina, Bar and Restaurant on the Rio Dulce.
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There are two theories about arguing with women. Neither one works.
Cruising
We retired to the bar for a few drinks while our luggage was loaded aboard our catamaran and decided to have dinner at Bruno’s. The cost was a whopping 5 to 8 dollars each for dinner, and beer was less than a dollar. We were talking with the local expat sailors at the bar and the evening breeze was coming through the palms off the Rio Dulce. There was some reggae and salsa playing and the expats were dancing with the local Spanish girls. Not a bad place to end the day.
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This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must B
Eventually we dinghied to our boat where our cabins were ready. The large hatch above our queen size berth pulled in a cool breeze, we could see the stars clearly and surprisingly, there were no bugs. Eventually we drifted off to the most relaxing sleep we’d had for months. We were soon underway to visit the Castillo de San Felipe, then down the Rio to bathe in the hot springs that come right out of the rock wall into the river. This is a knee deep area, where we picked our favorite temperature and had a relaxing afternoon in the warm water. After, we boarded our boat and moved to a secluded jungle-enshrouded bay for the night. It was very quiet there, with exception of the parrots and monkeys. There was a bar on top of the hill where we went after dinner and enjoyed more local expat company. The next day we sailed through the 300-foot-tall gorge and out to the Bay of Honduras. After quick stop in Livingston to check out, we were off to the lower fishing grounds and reefs of Belize. It was about 10 a.m. and we were sailing on a northwest course in over 180 feet of clear water, dragging four lures, two off each side of our catamaran. We had pulled in a few Spanish mackerel, a couple of king fish, more than
152 Summer 2013 Pg 148-153 This Place .indd 6
a few barracuda, and some tuna. Suddenly the depth sounder came up sharply to 20 feet, then to 12 feet. This was a table top completely surrounded by more than 150 feet of water. We could see the rocks and sea fans below the surface. Then the outboard line screamed off the reel and the pole bent almost double, so we tightened the drag a bit to keep the fish from going in a hole. It was either a big grouper or a big red snapper, and if he got in a hole in the shallow water we would lose him. So we allowed him to take out just enough line to keep him moving across the bottom. The boat was moving at about three knots to keep undue pressure off the mouth so we didn’t pull the hook out of this big one. We sailed off the shelf into 180 feet of water, slowed the boat to a crawl and horsed the monster in. It was an 18-lb., 40-inch-long mutton snapper. He spit the lure and hook out as we lifted him out of the water with the gaff. We had dinner for several good meals, not counting what we already had on board. We arrived about 3:00 p.m. at our destination, a beautiful cay in the Sapadilla National Park in Belize. We went ashore and enjoyed the pristine, unspoiled beach, then had snapper for dinner, a couple of sundowners, and retired for the night, again with a sea
Cruising 4/25/13 3:17 PM
is Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be The Place - This Must Be Why are you reading this? This is just a line to make the page look pretty.
breeze through the hatch and a beautiful star filled night sky. The next day we snorkeled the reefs. The captain took us to a reef that was close to the surface so we could stand up on a sand bottom and prepare ourselves for snorkeling. Then we could swim into deeper water to visit the reefs that were surface level with deeper sides to them. If we had a gear problem we just returned to the dinghy where we could stand up and deal with it before again going out to the reef. This allowed us to get our confidence and soon we were snorkeling like old pros. We returned to the boat before the sun was too close to the horizon and got ready for dinner. After showers and a change we put the snapper fillet on the grill for dinner, had a couple of beers and waited for it to smell like it was done. Inside, the ladies had set the dinner table and put side dishes out; a lot of avocado and freshly prepared vegetables. A lot of water was served with the meal which was well received after the long day of snorkeling. Before we retired to the salon for dinner, with our drinks in hand we all met on the large front
deck of the cat to enjoy the sun as it set into the Mayan mountains to the west. It shined a fire of golden hues on the underside of the clouds between us and the mountains - an unbelievably beautiful sight. We all thought to ourselves, “Ahh!!! Just another day in paradise.”
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4/25/13 3:21 PM
Miami Cruisers‛ Party Bigger, Better and More Fun
Once again, cruisers came from all over for the Miami Strictly Sail Boat Show Cruisers’ Party. This year we had folks from Puerto Rico, Canada, France, Central America and Europe join in to celebrate the cruising lifestyle. Joining Cruising Outpost as sponsors for this year’s event were Harken, Dream Yacht Charters, Beta Marine, Sailology, Copper Coat, Murray Marine, Spectra Watermakers, Mack Sails, Forespar, Technautics, Kanberra, and of course the NMMA, producers of this great show.
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The Cruising Outpost parties are always free, and there is always cold beer and pizza as well as great music. Eric Stone was live, in concert with Steve Hall on lead guitar. Eric has been part of these events since they started. A raffle was held with proceeds going to Mystic Seaport Museum for the refitting of the Charles W. Morgan, which is the only remaining New Bedford Whaler. The prizes for this raffle included a Spectra Catalina Watermaker, a Dream Yacht Charter vacation in the British Virgin Islands, a Winchrite
Cruising 4/25/13 3:22 PM
electric winch handle from Sailology, as well as dozens of other prizes donated by the marine industry. The custom decanters from Pusser’s Rum were some of the more sought after prizes. These events have become an integral part of the larger boat shows in the country, allowing cruisers and the marine industry to mix in a social atmosphere. Photos clock-wise from top: The party group. Enjoying free pizza (the best kind!). A happy Pusser’s Rum decanter winner. The winner of the Winchrite. A happy Susan Gagger, the Dream Yacht Charter winner. The folks from Murray Marine and Spectra with the Grand Prize winner. Volunteers serving up the pizza. Eric Stone & Steve Hall entertaining the troops. The raffle ticket sales team.
L. - R. Dick Murray of Murray Marine Matt Wood, the winner of the unit, Bob Bitchen, Ray Carter and JT Halden of Halden Marine , the dealer for that area.
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158 Summer 2013 pg 158 San Diego Boat Show.indd 1
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The South West International Boat Show
Cruisers’ Party An Estimated 1,000 People Gather to Celebrate Sailing on the Gulf! For a number of years Sail America has been trying to get a good representation of the sailing side of boating into a boat show in the Houston suburbs, where an estimated 1/3 of all registered sailboats between 25 and 50 feet are found. This is a huge market, and they have been overlooked by the sailing industry for too long. Last year a group of sailing industry people joined with the Sail America and the South West International Boat Show in League City to see what would happen. We had fun (duh!).
Cruising Pg 159-161 Texas Party.indd 1
On Saturday evening the Cruising Outpost Party took place. An estimated 1,000 people were in attendance for the party, and it was a great event. This year’s party was sponsored by some of the true greats in the sailing industry. Harken, Spectra Watermakers, Yacht Equipment Services, Kanberra, Copper Coat, Sailology and Little Yacht Sales all helped make this a great cruisers’ party. The music was provided by Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef, one of the most popular trop-rock bands in the Houston area.
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There was a raffle held at the party with the proceeds going to the Mystic Seaport Museum, to help with the refit of the Charles W. Morgan. The grand prize, donated by Y.E.S (Yacht Equipment Services) and Spectra was a $6,000
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The Sick Mind Of Bob Bitchin 17.
95
$
The Sailing Life
This is a collection of stories by the founder of Latitudes & Attitudes and Cruising Outpost that give an insight into why people go cruising. This is not a "How to" but rather a "Why to!"
Starboard Attitude
17.
95
$
This is a sequel to The Sailing Life. A collection of stories that give an insight into why people go cruising. This will give you a reason to "cut the dock lines" and go!
Letters from The Lost Soul
19.
$
95
The story of a world voyage that ended with the creation of Latitudes & Attitudes & Cruising Outpost Magazines. This is the real story behind where it started.
King Harbor
watermaker. Jim Glandt is the dealer that helped give this away with Spectra. Ryan Curington was the very happy winner! There was also a Winchrite electric winch handle and dozens of other great prizes, including a whole bunch of frozen shrimp from The Port of Delambre! Everyone had a great time, and, oh yeah... did we mention? Jody got to sign her first breast (see below)!
14.
95
$
An action-adventure novel. Follow delivery skipper Treb Lincoln as he finds out why a research vessel in the central Pacific is planning to destroy paradise, and how he stops them.
14.
$
95
Emerald Bay
Newlyweds Treb Lincoln and his bride visit Catalina Island, and in a matter of seconds, a drug deal gone bad changes his life. Action packed and never dull. $
14.
95
A Brotherhood of Outlaws The first book by Bob Bitchin, long before he started sailing. A look into what the real world of the outlaw biker was like in the 70s & 80s. The first Treb Lincoln novel.
FTW Publishing 1900 Oro Dam Blvd #12-111 Oroville, CA 95966
www.bobbitchin.com Add $2.75 Postage for First Book and $1.50 For each Additional
Cruising Pg 159-161 Texas Party.indd 3
Summer 2013 161 4/30/13 10:08 AM
Bubba Whartz
“A character witness?” “Well, he’s a good customer,” she replied. “So, was there really a hearing?” “Yes, there was. It took place in St. Petersburg, at the By Morgan Stinemetz Coast Guard facility downtown just day before yesterday. It didn’t last long though, but it seemed like an eternity.” “What happened,” I asked. BUBBA HAS A COST GUARD HEARING “Bubba told me that he had a plan for making quick It was just a minor infraction that the Coast Guard work of the hearing, but he didn’t tell me what it was,” tagged Bubba Whartz, the skipper of the home-built, Doobie said. ferro-cement sloop Right Guard, with. Something about “What was the plan?” the flares on his boat being a few weeks out of date. If “The week before the hearing, Bubba started on a Bubba had been a little more laid back, he could have strict diet of Mexican food. Lots of beans. Then he added gotten off with a warning, just a piece of paper that cucumbers and broccoli to that. By the time the hearing officially said, “Don’t do this again.” came around, he was like a ticking time bomb, ready to According to Doobie, the baretenderette at The Blue explode. But he didn’t tell me about it ahead of time. We Moon Bar, that was not how it went down, however. went up to the hearing in separate cars anyway.” “You know how stubborn Bubba is when he thinks that “What happened in the hearing room?” he has had his freedom stepped upon?” was the way she “The hearing officer, a Lieutenant Commander, phrased it after she had put a glass of suds on the bar for called the hearing to order and took our names. He me and collected my money. also received into evidence one of the out-of-date “I know he has some strange ideas of just what personal liberty entails,” I said. “There was a time a few years back flares that Bubba brought with him. The officer was reading the Coast Guard regulations regarding flares when he did kind of a vigil on Right Guard to show his support of a bunch of people in Montana who were holding into the record when Bubba had a gas attack. It was noisy, of course. The officer out against the law up there. I stopped for a second and think it had something to do “Bubba has been banned went on. Five seconds with the right to bear arms from The Blue Moon Bar until then later Bubba fired off another or, maybe, an overdue library he gets his bowels back in order. salvo. The hearing officer book. Whatever it was, Bubba up and opened a window. thought those people’s rights He has another six days to go,” got I was glad that he did. The had been abridged.” said the baretenderette. air in that hearing room was “I don’t know what gets not safe to breathe.” into Bubba from time to time, “How did Bubba react to but he sure makes it hard for this?” I wanted to know. himself when he gets in a snit. He doesn’t know how to “Like it hadn’t occurred,” Doobie replied. “But we all resolve conflicts very well, but he sure likes the getting knew that it had. It is just that no one wanted to mention it even part,” Doobie said. within the context of an official federal hearing.” “You are right about that,” I agreed. “I can think of a “That makes sense to me,” I agreed. “How can you half dozen times he has settled scores with motorboat make reference to something that is intangible anyway. people or jet skiers or dock masters. Sometimes it wasn’t What Bubba did couldn’t be addressed in a normal pretty. So, what is it that I heard about Bubba having a way, could it?” problem with the Coast Guard?” “Most of the things that Bubba does cannot be “He was sailing in Sarasota Bay when he was addressed in a normal way,” Doobie affirmed. She was, stopped for a safety inspection by a Coast Guard of course, right. boat. They found that some flares on the boat were “What happened next?” apparently not legal. Something like that. Bubba came “The officer was trying to conduct this hearing in a in here and told me that the flares were only just out military fashion, kind of spit and polish, and Bubba kept of date and he thought the Coast Guard was picking gumming up the works. At one point, the hearing officer on him,” the bartenderette explained. “He said that he got out a pack of matches and lit a couple, but other than didn’t want to have an infraction on his record, him burning real brightly for a bit they did not make any being a licensed Coast Guard captain and all. He said difference. Sometimes we heard what Bubba was doing. that he wanted a hearing on the matter, which is, I Sometimes we didn’t. But in every case we knew what he guess, his right. Then he asked me if I would appear had done within seconds. It was unmistakable.” with him as a character witness.”
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“Beans and cucumbers and broccoli will do that to a man,” I said. “Well, we’d been in the hearing for about five minutes,” she continued, “when the hearing officer tried to dispel the stench by desperate measures. He set off the flare of Bubba’s that was on his desk. I guess he figured that if a few matches are good enough to get rid of a small stench in a bathroom, then a flare would be of sufficient strength to do the same thing in a hearing room that was about ten times the size of a bathroom.” “Makes sense to me,” I commented. “It made sense to me, too,” said Doobie. “But no one reckoned on the amount of gas in the room. When the hearing officer set off Bubba’s out-of-date flare, it burned so hot from all of the methane gas available that it set off the sprinkler system. Pretty soon we were all soaking wet, the hearing was over and a fire alarm had gone off. As we got out into the hallway, there were some Coast Guard enlisted men running our way with fire extinguishers. They were not necessary. The hearing officer had heaved the flare out the open window. It landed in a lifeboat and set that on fire.” “That was it?” “Well, not quite. I was wearing a white blouse and no bra, so I got a lot of attention from the Coast Guard people after it became translucent, but Bubba told them to back
off. I was his personal friend, he said, and he would take care of getting me dried out.” “Did he?” “Yeah, he took me outside into the sunshine.” “What about the hearing on Bubba’s flares?” I wanted to know. “I don’t think the Coast Guard will have Bubba back to finish the interrupted hearing in our lifetime,” said Doobie. “They are not stupid. Because of, as Bubba described it, a pissant little infraction the Coast Guard in St. Petersburg will have to spend lots of money getting that hearing room refurbished from the water damage, and then someone will have to write reports about the fire and why it happened. Then there is the lifeboat. Besides, Bubba said, they didn’t have any evidence anymore. The hearing officer had expended Bubba’s flare trying to get rid of the smell. “No, I think that the Coast Guard has had all the Bubba Whartz they can stand,” Doobie surmised. “How about you?” I asked. “Bubba has been banned from The Blue Moon Bar until he gets his bowels back in order. He has another six days to go,” said the baretenderette. You know, Doobie’s story was worth the price of another beer, which I had. Without Bubba being around it was like a two-for-one sale.
Thinking of Living Aboard? You Need These Books! E scape From Someday isle ia a “how-to” guide, but also a manual on recognizing and setting life’s true priorities. Whether you are an armchair adventurer or a seasoned sailor, you’ll enjoy reading this book. If you’ve ever said “Someday, I’ll . . .” then you should read this book. Discover the highs and lows, tricks and triumphs of a rich and diverse liveaboard community through letters, articles, quotes, tips and photos taken from the pages of the Living Aboard magazine. Karen Larson of Good Old Boat Magazine says, “If you’re dreaming of a liveaboard lifestyle, this is one book you don’t want to miss.” 7.3” X 9.1” (234 pages)
FTW Publishing 1900 Oro Dam Blvd #12-111 Oroville, CA 95966
w w w. b o b b i t c h i n . c o m Cruising pg 162-163 Bubba Whartz.indd 3
Many boaters and non-boaters fantasize about leaving behind the house, lawn and moving aboard a boat. The information in this book was garnered from 18 years of the best letters, articles, and firsthand accounts from Living Aboard magazine. It is also a compendium of the pitfalls, disappointments, and setbacks. It is a high-octane dream-feeder for liveaboard aspirants. Organized to present a complete guide to living aboard, it goes well beyond equipment and supplies, and delves deeply into liveaboard rights and the law, and more. Every liveaboard should have this on their bookshelf. Approx. 8” X 10” (238 pages)
$18 each or 2 for $29 Free Shipping! Summer 2013 163 4/25/13 3:24 PM
Talk of the Dock
By Zuzana Prochazka
9.9 hp Propane Outboard by Lehr
Ah, the outboard – a necessary but often maligned piece of equipment that, throughout the years, has been responsible for stinky air, scraped knuckles and sheens of spilt gasoline floating on the water. Those days may be in the past however, since now there are other options to power your tender. Lehr has just introduced the third model in their award-winning propane outboard line. This engine has 9.9 horsepower, an electric start and the option for remote steering – in other words, you can put it on a center console dinghy with a wheel. The new motor comes with a 15” or 20” shaft and weighs in at just under 88 pounds which is five pounds heavier than a comparable gas engine. Unlike its 2.5 and 5 hp siblings, the new 212 cc four-stroke motor is powered by a 10 or 20-pound propane tank that you put in the dink, not a onepound camping stove bottle that you plug directly into the engine. It can be a typical metal tank like you use for cooking aboard, or one of Lehr’s composite models that are ideal for the marine environment.
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With this bigger engine, Lehr now makes sense for a broader segment of the tender market that requires more power. The 9.9 burns approximately a gallon of propane per hour at wide open throttle (4,600 rpm) or about .44 gallons per hour (3,000 rpm). Depending on the size of the tank, your speed, and the sea and wind conditions, you’ll be able to run from five to 14 hours per tank. Propane is cheaper than gas, burns cleaner, and doesn’t produce any emissions whether into the air or water. The patented fuel-metering system replaces the carburetor or fuel injection on gas-powered outboards. With Lehr’s pressurized system and no choke, starting is easier regardless of temperature. There are also no worries over winterizing, or storing your outboard when old fuel gums up the carburetor. Depending on shaft length and options (with/ without electric start and tiller/remote steering) the price ranges from $2,600 to approximately $3,600 which varies by retailer. For more information, visit goleher.com.
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Outboard Alternatives Travel 1003 & Cruise T by Torqeedo
If you currently don’t carry propane, for example if you have a trawler with an electric cooktop and a large battery bank, then an electric outboard might make more sense. The disadvantages of an electric motor are charging time, expense and overall range/speed. The advantage is that it will be much quieter than either gas or propane-powered engines. Torqeedo made headlines a few years back with their Germanengineered electric models and over the years, they have grown and improved their offering. The Travel 1003 is a waterproof (IP 67) electric motor that is roughly the equivalent of a 3 hp gas engine and can power a boat up to 1.5 tons. It weighs 31 pounds with the integrated lithium-ion battery and can be carried easily to and from your dinghy. It comes with either a long or short shaft and has an onboard computer that uses GPS to calculate your remaining range. At slow speed, half throttle and full throttle, the 1003 will run 10.5, 3.5 and .5 hours respectively, at speeds of two to five knots. From fully discharged, the charging time is 15 hours and you can just disconnect the battery and take it home to charge. You can also purchase a second battery and double your run time or buy Torqeedo’s proprietary solar panel that will charge even as the engine is running but it
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will set you back another $1,000 over the engine price of $1,999. The next step up is the Cruise T 2.0 (5 hp) and 4.0 (8 hp). The T stands for “tiller” but the Cruise is also available with a remote steering package as in the Cruise R. Depending on the horsepower, the T models use one or two batteries – either Torqeedo’s proprietary brand or AGMs. The 2.0 weighs just under 40 pounds while the 4.0 is one pound heavier. Of course, this doesn’t take into account the batteries which will need to be stored in the dinghy and can weigh in excess of 80 pounds. The 2.0 will power a boat up to three tons at speeds of 1.5 to 6.5 knots for 2 to 110 hours depending on throttle. The 4.0 will power a boat up to four tons from 3 to 11 knots for 1 to 8 hours also depending on throttle. Pricing on the Cruise T ranges $3,299 - $3,849 depending on shaft length, horsepower and accessories. Finally, Torqeedo also offers an 80 hp model that was just introduced at the Miami boat show. Unfortunately, this will not be a suitable model for dinghies because the batteries it needs would swamp your tender and the starting price is around $80,000 for the package. That said, it is kind of cool. For more information, visit torqeedo.com.
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Never Replace Flare Getting Tired of Buying New Flares? Check This Out!
I don’t know about you, but in the 40 years or so I have been sailing, I figure I have invested megabucks buying new flares. Not only that, but with the overzealous Harbor Patrol dudes trying to increase revenue, I found that soggy flares that won’t light are not exactly considered legal in the dink. So I add the cost of a few tickets, and we are into real money. So what’s the answer? Well, it’s a neat little doodad I saw at the Chicago Strictly Sail. Jim O’Meara, the CEO of the company, told me they called it the Omni Directional Electro Optical or ODEO Flare. A mouthful for sure. It is available from North American Laser Flares. We don’t need to get into what a pain in the butt disposing of old flares is. Yeah, when I was a kid it was fun. But it just seems like a waste of money now, burning perfectly good flares because the Coasties want to see a different date. With these laser flares, you don’t have to replace them! These goodies use laser technology so there’s no dangerous flammable pyrotechnics. The side benefit
of that? It won’t hurt you, your boat, your equipment, or the environment. It’s even FDA approved laser light technology which is safe for boats and people. It’s also as easy-to-use as turning on a flashlight and runs five hours continuously on one set of batteries. Best of all, it’s visible from all directions for 3-5 miles. The ODEO Flare floats so it can be used in “man overboard” situations. Of course it’s waterproof, and made with salt-water and chemical-resistant materials. It can be tested before each outing and during safety briefings. Oh yeah, did we mention no expiration or disposal concerns? How long does it last? How about a ten thousand working hour lifetime with manufacturer’s warranty. Okay, with all this kewl stuff, there must be a drawback, right? Well, it’s not cheap. But once you figure what you’ve spent on old flares, and let’s not forget dinghy tickets for outdated flares, all of a sudden this unit is looking pretty good. Check it out at www.odeoflares.com.
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Yacht Thruster Spin Your Boat in Its Own Length Here is an idea that I am sure has people palm-slapping their foreheads saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I mean, here is a super simple way to handle your boat in tight quarters, and it’s basically a bolt-on. The compact eXturn System, now produced by Sleipner (also the owner of Side Power Thrusters), includes a solid machined aluminum body housing, a hand built motor using rare earth magnets, German cut worm gears and Swiss components for exceptional reliability and strength. These sealed motor housings, coupled with proven relay technology and state of the art controls with built-in safety features, provide an incomparable thruster system for both power and sailboats. You can use them as bow or stern thrusters in a power range for
boats from 17 feet to 70 feet. These things are easy and quick to mount with no fiberglass lamination involved; a lot less expensive than the Tube Thrusters. Half of the purchasers choose to self-install due to the simplicity. Once installed there is never a concern about moisture or corrosion affecting the workings of the thruster motor. In operation, the Yacht Thruster is both powerful and quiet, and with a continuous operating time of five or more minutes, (30 minutes in every hour), it will provide the operator with abundant time to move their boat as required against the wind or tide without timing out. For more information check them out YachtThruster.com.
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Anchoring Basics Always Remember - Anchoring is a Spectator Sport By Alex & Daria Blackwell Unless you are far offshore, at some point or another you are going to need to park your boat. This may be because you want to or because you need to. In either case you have three choices. You can go to a dock, which lacks many of the plus points of being away from land. You can pick up a mooring, which often has a number of challenges and unknowns associated with it. Or you can drop a hook (common term for anchor), which just happens to be our preferred choice. Just like knowing how to stop your car before you start is perhaps the most important part of driving, anchoring is perhaps the most important skill you can and should acquire in boating. Anchoring a boat can be a lovely dance in a harbour or a painful and often embarrassing display of Homo sapiens’ inability to plan or communicate. Anchorage Selection Most anchorages consist of one of three types of bottoms: mud, sand, or rock, with mud being quite predominant. The cruising guides and harbour charts will indicate where the best anchorages are and what the bottom composition is likely to be, so there’s not much guesswork. Just bear in mind that how the cruising guides rate an anchorage may have more to do with the anchor they used, than how good or bad the holding actually is. Usually an anchorage will be in the prevailing lee of an island or shore. The best anchorage for any
particular night depends on the weather conditions predicted. Listen to the weather report for your area on your VHF first. Then choose your spot for maximum protection from the wind and the waves to keep your family snug and comfortable all night long. If is going to be hot, then you may want to pick a spot where you will be able to scoop in some breezy relief. Shelter and holding are not the only things that may determine where you wish to anchor. Reasonable access to shore side activities can be also be important factors. Anchoring Method Anchoring is a spectator sport. It is a fact that as soon as a new boat enters a harbour, binoculars come out scanning the new arrivals and keeping a close eye on their technique. So it pays to be prepared. Here is a method that works best for us when setting the anchor.* 1. Choose a location that will be best suited for predicted overnight conditions (e.g., in the lee of a high shore). Prepare your anchor and rode on deck. If you like being prepared for eventualities, add a trip line (a line equal to maximum expected depth attached to the crown of the anchor with a buoy to the surface). 2. Check the tide to see where it is now, and how it is likely to affect the depth relative to your draft as well as to the amount of scope you will need. 3. Drive in a circle around the perimeter of what you expect your swing to be to make sure there
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aren’t any obstructions, boats that could swing close, or variables in depth that weren’t charted. Your boat will swing, sometimes in a 360° circle. 4. Point into the wind and head for the centre of your circle. 5. Stop the boat, and let the anchor drop slowly to the bottom. 6. When the anchor reaches the bottom, start reversing slowly (or let the boat drift backwards) and slowly let out some more rode. This achieves two results: the anchor will land on the bottom in the correct orientation, and the rode is cleanly stretched out from it. 7. When you have let out three times as much rode as the water is deep, tug on the line repeatedly to set the anchor. If you are using a windlass, gently apply the brake. You should feel the anchor catch securely. 8. Let out the some more rode and secure it on a sturdy cleat. 9. Reverse your boat slowly to make sure the anchor is securely buried. Applying too much power will simply pull the anchor out. This is best done with one person at the bow and one at the helm of the boat. While the helmsman reverses, the other person carefully places a hand on the rode that is stretching away from the boat. If the boat drags, the vibration is easily felt. At the same time the helmsperson should take a sight on a near and distant point to see if the boat is moving. If it drags, pull up the anchor and start again in slightly different spot or with a different
anchor. (Remember a different anchor may work better on a given bottom). 10. Now you can let out the remaining rode. Use adequate scope. We use at least a 5:1 ratio of rode to depth. 11. If you have a rope rode, attach a chafe protector where the line passes through the chock (and anywhere it may come in contact with something else). If you have an all chain rode, add a snubber to absorb the shock loads with a chafe protector. 12. In light air, or if you are at a location with changing currents, it is advisable to weigh down your (rope) rode. This will help prevent wrapping it around your keel if you have a modern fin-keeled sailboat. We use a 4-pound lead weight, which we tie to the rode about 15-20 feet from the bow of the boat. If we then drift over the anchor, our rode is usually safely lying on the bottom. 13. If you have an anchor alarm on your GPS, set it so it will keep watch for you overnight. You’ll sleep much better! Just always remember electronics are not fool-proof. It always pays to stay vigilant. It is always a good idea to go topsides during the night to check things out; the weather may have changed, or someone else’s anchor may be dragging. But even if nothing has changed, you will also see how beautiful it is out there at night! *Every boat, every bottom, every anchor, every condition, every situation is different, so what works best with our gear for us may not be best for you. Please be sure to consult your equipment manufacturers for their specific recommendations.
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Up the Mast! Etienne Shows Us the Ascender from ATN
Etienne Giroire is an experienced racer, sailor and inventor. Since his company started in 1985 he has created many innovative products, but most people know him from “hangin’ around” at boat shows. You see, one of his first creations was the MastClimber. It allows a person to hoist him/ her self to the top of the mast by their self, higher than just about any other system. So at the boat shows he spends countless hours going up and down a mast showing folks how it works. His latest product is the Ascender. It is the same unit he uses on his MastClimber, but it allows boaters to use their own bosun’s chair. As we all know, sailors are not known for throwing money away, and being able to use your bosun’s chair for
double duty makes all the sense in the world. So now a cruiser can ascend to the top of his mast when he needs to, using his own muscle power and his own bosun’s chair. This is the only mast ascender conceived to operate in a marine environment; manufactured with anodized aluminum and stainless steel so it will not rust. Its open design allows it to be fitted OVER a taught halyard / synthetic shroud / stay from 3/8” up to 5/8” and enables the sailor to climb the mast alone. It can also be used as a safety, in conjunction with the ATN MastClimber. You can check out Etienne’s video at http://bit.ly/Z6u8Hw or get more info from his website at www. atninc.com
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DIY Hard Dodger Step by Step Way to Do It
By Rick Johnson
This is what I wanted but could not afford.
After reading a story on Sailblog.com about building a hard dodger, I decided to give it a try myself. The first step was to acquire a soft dodger frame. I was lucky enough that a friend (Charlie Silver, owner of Marina Sailing in Newport Beach, CA) gave me a nice 1” stainless steel dodger frame. Thanks again Charlie. The next step was to buy a 4x8 sheet of fiberglass reinforced panel at Home Depot. This had a smooth side and a side with a texture (cracked ice). I sanded both sides and put the textured side up where I would be adding fiberglass cloth and resin. I laid the sheet of FRP out on my garage floor and started sanding with 80 grit sandpaper. After smoothing the textured side and removing any coating on the FRP, I flipped the panel over and repeated the process on the other side. I ended up with a sheet of FRP about 1/16” thick. After mounting the dodger frame where I wanted it on my 1990 Catalina 34, I used some duct tape to hold the frame open and in the correct position. I laid the sheet of FRP on top of the frame and using some duct tape to hold the ends down on the frame, I was
able to run a pencil around the frame so I would know where to cut (we will come back to this later). I then drilled 3/16” holes in several places in the FRP, so I could use plastic wire ties to attach the FRP to the frame. I also used some 1” aluminum “L” metal, which I pop riveted along the edge, to make sure that the ends of the FRP remained straight. At this point I noticed that I had cut the FRP wrong on one side. Damn! You can clearly see, in this photo that
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the port side is not level and is cut higher than the starboard side. This would be the point when you remember your father telling you to measure twice and cut once. I should have gone back to Home Depot and bought a new sheet of FRP. Instead I cut a piece to fix the mismatch and pop riveted it in place. I also decide I wanted a “lip” on the forward edge. I felt that this should make the dodger stronger and when the windows were added later, would help keep any water out. I laid the remaining FRP over the top of the dodger and marked a 3” wide piece to attach to the forward edge. I cut a number of 4” pieces of 1”x1/8” aluminum and bent them to a 40 degree angle (I think it was 40 degrees). Each piece of aluminum got three holes drilled and the leading edge was pop riveted to the rest of the FRP dodger. Something very important, which I almost forgot, is making sure the pieces of aluminum that hold the lip do not become glued with resin to the underside of the FRP. I placed blue masking tape on the top of each piece of aluminum. That way the worst thing that would happen is that I would glue the masking tape to the FRP. I was concerned about fiberglassing over the plastic wire ties. My original hope was that I would be able to
pull the wire ties out and fill the voids. The more I thought about this the more it seemed like a bad idea. During one of the many trips to Home Depot I noticed stainless steel wire ties. Since these were flat and very thin, I decided to use them instead to attach the FRP to the dodger frame. If they could not be removed, they would not create a “bump” in the fiberglass and they would not rust. This worked out very well. I had decided that I wanted to add the fiberglass in two stages (both on the boat) and sand everything smooth between the stages. I would add several alternating layers of 8 oz fiberglass cloth and heaver Bi-axel cloth. Then I would drill out all the pop rivets and remove the aluminum angles. I sanded everything smooth with 80 grit sandpaper on a Makita palm sander. A put little blue masking tape across the bottom of the holes and then finished the fiberglass layers. I bought some 6 oz (fine) fiberglass cloth to try to give the surface a very smooth finish. If you look closely at the lip and forward edge, you can see a discolored area. This is because I used three layers of fiberglass tape before starting the actual cloth layers. I bought 3”, 4” and 6” inch tape and covered the area of the lip and the forward edge
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of the dodger with increasing widths of tape. It was hoped that this would strengthen this area as well as adding more curvature to the lip area. You can also see the dark spots where I drilled out the pop rivets before adding the next layers of cloth. I used MAS Epoxy with a slow hardener. The temperatures were in the 70s and I was able to add six layers of cloth during each of the two stages (12 layers total). The cloth (both types) should be already cut to size and a roller to work out the bubbles helps. I had to work quickly but never felt like things were out of hand. Working the cloth around to lay flat did not present a problem. Although I had already removed all the paper drop cloths I used to cover the deck, you can still see that I wrapped the dodger frame in plastic wrap to keep off the fiberglass resin. The drop cloths were not 100% effective and if I was to do this again I would either add additional layers of drop cloths or mount the dodger frame on a workbench on shore. In the picture above you can see some of the stainless steel wire ties. This photo again shows the stainless steel wire ties. You can also see that the masking tape on top of the aluminum pieces holding the lip were indeed glued to the FRP
After sanding, using in order 80, 100, 150, 180 grit sandpaper, I painted the hard dodger using Interlux PrimeKote epoxy primer. After sailing with the hard dodger several times I have lowered it by another 3” and moved it forward by about 2”. I purchased 1” stainless steel metal pipe clamps from McMaster-Carr (part #8874T44) to attach the hard dodger to the frame. I used 1/4”x1/2 ”stainless steel carriage bolts and used a square file to file the holes square. A pencil line helped mark the location for the mounting holes, it’s not a flaw in the hard dodger. There are a total of eight of the pipe clamps and 16 carriage bolts holding everything together. The below picture shows the current state of the hard dodger project. I still need to do some more sanding and then go back and paint the dodger with Interlux Perfection epoxy paint. The hard dodger is not perfect, but was well worth the effort and the $400 involved.
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The Art of Enjoying a In the middle of refitting our old wooden boat in depths of winter when it was dark and cold, I sometimes questioned our motives on why we did it. Sure, we loved the boat and the pleasure we all got as a family from sailing her, but was this work that my wife and I did compensated for enough? One winter I met an old hand who showed me a much better way of fitting out. The boat was afloat at her mooring close to the town quay in Lymington. I’d spent most of the day boiling up pitch on the stove, then pouring it between the lands of my clinker planks so no fresh water would be trapped in certain areas, but would run off into the bilge. This was an area I’d identified where ‘Blauwe Slenks’ frames had gone soft before, and wouldn’t happen again whilst I was looking after her (on the principle that you don’t own an old wooden
boat, you just keep her in trust for next person!). The old watering can of pitch took an age to boil, so I’d also been painting (grey) in the forepeak, before replacing all the newly varnished mahogany planks of her interior lining. Not surprisingly for a February day in the UK, the colour of the sky matched the colour of my paint; it was damp and bleak. So occasionally, with the boat well shut up, I had to go on deck just to breathe some cold fresh air. The combined vapours I’d been breathing weren’t quite ‘Colombian Gold!’ During one of these breaks, David Gay, who had obviously spotted me in my cockpit, rowed across and invited me for a cup of tea on his own old boat. I didn’t know him well, but we had seen one another when he was about to examine some of my YM candidates, or at the odd RYA YMI meeting.
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Good Refit By John Simpson
“Come over in about half an hour, John,” he said. “When you’ve finished. The light will be gone soon anyway!” It gave me fresh incentive to try and finish some of my painting before I couldn’t see the runs anymore. Then I duly sculled over to visit him on his boat, Mutine. I knocked as I came aboard, and David greeted me covered in paint (including his hair) with his overalls on, explaining that he had been painting his deck head. He didn’t’t think it a good idea to light his stove, but a ‘Pinkers’ might be just the ticket. Joining me in the cockpit David produced a couple of large, paint splattered, halfpint mugs of ‘Pink Gin.’ By the time he poured the second, the evening mist looked really good and the cold had gone. We had moved into discussing his days of running ‘Royalist’ sailing square-riggers. “Always finish your days of refit feeling good,” he said. “Then you’ll be back for more“! Certainly, as our refit wore on through the winter, occasionally we’d meet again. He mentioned that he quite understood why I thought Mount Gay rum and fresh lime made a reasonable drink to end the day, and I became educated in the importance of Angostura bitters with gin as the Navy drinks it! Both our old yachts ended up gleaming like new pins with David’s different way of viewing a refit!
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49’ 2006 Jeanneau 49DS Please Call 47’ 1983 CT $119,000 45’ 1992 Bruce Roberts Cutter 89,000 43’ 2008 Beneteau 219,500 42’ 1979 Pearson 424 65,900 42’ 2007 Catalina 209,900 41’ 1987 Bristol 41.1 Aft Cockpit 144,900 41 40’ 2004 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 154,900 40’ 1983 Endeavour 40CC 96,750 39’ 1989 Pearson 84,900 39’ 1985 Jeanneau 39 Regatta 34,900
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38’ 2001 Catalina 380 114,900 38’ 1988 Ericson 38 69,900 38’ 1986 Island Packet 38 127,900 37’ 2007 Island Packet 370 274,900 36’ 2012 Island Packet Estero 349,000 36’ Catalina MkII several from 87,900 36’ 1990 Pearson 69,900 36 35’ 1984 C&C Landfall 34,500 35’ Catalina 350 2 from 114,500 34’ 2000 Gemini 105M 109,900 34’ 2002 J105 88,000
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From the Galley Dan-Dan Noodles
By James Gyore
Many different versions of Sichuan (or Szechuan) style dan-dan noodles exist. I’ve tried this dish all over the world and consider the best example of this dish can be had at the Shanghai dumpling palace right here in Melbourne, Australia. Varieties of fresh udon noodles packed in 200g long-life satchels are great for cruisers. They don’t require refrigeration, in spite of being fresh, and they don’t need a great deal of water to prepare; just enough hot water to cover and heat, that’s it. They have a long shelf life too. This spicy street style dish is a perfect match for beer, and is peasant food at its best.
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Dan-Dan Noodles (Serves two generously)
Ingredients
• 500g pork, minced • 400g fresh udon noodles (2 packets) • 1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 3 green onions, chopped (a small brown onion can be substituted) • 1 tbsp brown bean sauce (hoisin sauce, if you can’t find brown bean sauce) • 1 tbsp rice wine • 1 tsp S–ichuan pepper, ground (or black pepper)
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• 3 tsp chilli flakes • 6 whole dried chilli • Vegetable oil for cooking and cucumber to garnish Directions Heat a little vegetable oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add pork and cook until separated and pale. Add the other ingredients except cucumber and simmer till a thick sauce forms, not unlike a bolognese sauce. Warm udon noodles in a bowl or thermos of hot water. Add noodles straight to pork to warm, if plate presentation is not a priority or if water consumption is. Divide noodles between bowls and ladle pork over and garnish with cucumber slices.
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Did I Do That? by Stuart Gogh, our man in the UK
I do consider myself somewhat fortunate in that I However, as hopefully most of us know, in the have dual nationality. I am a British citizen by birth US, Canada, South America and some countries in and an American citizen by choice. I understand of SE Asia, it is the opposite way round. “Red Right course, that this is in no way unique and that I am not Returning’ is the name of the game. about to gain any awards for special achievements, This was something that I became very much there are literally many thousands of people who have aware of when I first arrived in the US many years such and similar status. ago. Within a very short space of time and without But I have to say, it is a little bit special and I feel any particularly damaging claims on my BoatUS rather privileged in that I have been given this kudos. insurance, I actually found it very easy to adapt to. One of the things it does provide me with, aside from In my odd little mind, for some reason ‘the wrong the opportunity to travel to most places in the world way round’ seemed to make sense… not sure of the without applying for as many tiresome visas as I structure of such thoughts in any normal person, would normally have to do, is the chance to look at something to do with mirrors possibly? the different aspects of life in All went well, as the story both countries from each side of goes… until I returned to the UK The only thing I can liken it the coin, as the saying goes. some five years ago, following 12 Britain and America are years of sailing in US waters. For to is perhaps driving on the joined together by a similar some mysterious and unfathomable wrong side of the road. language… ‘kind of’… if you rationale, I found I could not return catch my drift. But we certainly to the system I had been originally see things from a slightly different perspective taught, understood well, knew and grew up with. sometimes, which I believe is healthy and good, but can I am still, to this day, several seconds behind occasionally be confusing to a simple soul such as I. everyone else on board when searching for the Take for example the International Buoyage correct buoys in a seaway channel. My mind System. Ever since the Egyptians lit the first beacons automatically and without reason thinks ‘Red to warn mariners of rocks, navigation marks have Right Returning’ immediately followed by… are been keeping mariners safe over the centuries. It is you sure… quickly moving on to… no that’s not fair to say that an understanding of buoyage is pretty correct… go the other way. By which time, my important when you’re heading out to sea, or in my crew has now dealt with the issue and is already case, returning home. considering the next obstacle. Here in the UK, and for that matter in the majority This dilemma has reached a stage where my of the rest of the world, Red is to Port and Green is to quickly diminishing number of regular sailing friends Starboard when heading towards land from the ocean now accept and expect this slight time delay in in a marked buoyed channel. Always has been and computing the issue in my brain. I am either forgiven probably always will be. as perhaps showing early signs of dementia or having
186 Summer 2013 pg 186-188 Did I do that.indd 2
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We all mess up at least once, and most of us a lot more than that. Here’s an anecdote from one who not only has made a few mistakes, but actually fessed up to them. Got a story of your own? Why not send it to us!? He did!
become a product of the accumulated side effects of an alcohol-related past. Either way, it all results in the fact that I am actually finding it harder and harder to locate crew these days. Newcomers on my sailboat sometimes view things in a much broader and more cosmopolitan light, simply putting it down to my lack of sailing knowledge, or possibly a slightly cavalier attitude towards rules and regulations. They could be right with either, I don’t really know. The only thing I can liken it to is perhaps driving on the opposite side of the road. As we all know, America drives on the right and the UK drives on the wrong. I am very fortunate in this regard, in that it doesn’t make the slightest difference to me which side of the road I drive on. For some auspicious and unexplained reason, I adapt within seconds to whichever country I am in. This has proved very healthy for the odd pedestrian and other drivers several times, when leaving airports minutes after my arrival in a new country in a hazy jet lagged state. Here’s the thing… once out of the car and I have quickly metamorphosed into a pedestrian, I am instantly ‘all at sea’ when attempting to cross the street. It is as if the international buoyage system is following me around like a dark cloud, hovering above my head and playing tricks with my mind. Result: absolute total confusion. As I attempt my first crossing, somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I can still hear my mothers voice from 60 years ago, telling me as a little boy… ‘look right, look left and look right again, before you cross.’ By the time that thought has occurred to me and I have managed to unraveled it, knowing it is the opposite of what I really need to do, I have probably escaped death by fractions of an inch.
Cruising pg 186-188 Did I do that.indd 3
Summer 2013 187 4/25/13 4:05 PM
Some cities have been gentler with me than In the meantime, I keep battling on with my others, for example, Savannah where I lived for own inverted international buoyage system in 11 years. I found that I had more time to think my on-going efforts to sail safe and look good than, say in New York. Or, at the same time. It is, was it simply that the good I believe, made slightly ......somehow got used to the people of Savannah had easier for me in the UK idiot Englishman who had not somehow got used to the because of the coastal fog, yet mastered the childish skill of idiot Englishman who had which provides me with a not yet mastered the childish certain amount of cover. crossing a road? skill of crossing a road? I Not to mention a welldon’t know and perhaps never rehearsed, ready-made will, unless I go back and establish if they were excuse designed to reassure new and non-toojust being kind and forgiving to me at the time, or knowledgeable crewmembers that they really are they had lost the patience to drive around me. in good hands… ‘kind of.’
188 Summer 2013 pg 186-188 Did I do that.indd 4
Cruising 4/25/13 4:06 PM
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Cruising pg 189-191 Classifieds.indd 1
Sumer 2013 189 4/30/13 2:42 PM
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190 Summer 2013 pg 189-191 Classifieds.indd 2
Cruising 4/30/13 12:53 PM
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Summer 2013 191 4/30/13 12:53 PM
Cruising Outpost
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Advertisers: You can reach the most active segment of the boating community - In Print or On-Line. Cruising Outpost Quarterly - Winter - Spring - Summer & Fall Issues www.cruisingoutpost.com Ads@cruisingoutpost.com 510-900-3616 #105
192 Summer 2013
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Cruising pg 193 Mackie White.indd 1
Summer 2013 193 4/25/13 4:04 PM
* Cruisians If coloring weren’t added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.
*A small, exclusive group of people who are mentally ill and feel, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone, that by getting on a small boat about the size of a jail cell and heading out into the most unhospitable place on Earth (the ocean), they will somehow enjoy themselves.
Don Hood and Jackie may look like pirates, but actually they are kewl. Here they are at the Dock E6 party at Reefpoint Marina in Racine, Wisconsin, where they sail from. Don is the “spiritual” leader of the yacht club and goes out of his way to help folks who need it. He also plays a pretty convincing Santa Clause!
Kelly McQuire has five CDs on the market, and we were lucky enough to run into him at a Texas store opening where he and Bitchin co-hosted a couple of auctions. They had a ball! Meet Captain Black Bra. Her real name is Lisa and besides being a licensed captain (where she earned her nickname at the recent sail in the Grenadines!), she also runs the San Francisco Sailtime base. Lisa is an avid sailor who loves the sea and knows how to have a good time wherever she is. We met Brendan Ormandy at the Chicago Strictly Sail Show. Brendan sails on a 46’ pilothouse cutter on the Great Lakes with his dad. The boat doesn’t have a name. They say it really doesn’t need one, as it’s so much fun they just call it “The Boat.” They like The Boat just the way it is. 194 Summer 2013
pg 194 Cruisians.indd 1
Chuck Larson was in need of a little change, so he headed out from Santa Barbara and over to Florida, where he boarded a sailboat and decided to head “out there.” His motto is, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” He said he’d write from Nassau. Okay Chuck, we are waiting!
This lady is a real clown! No, seriously, she is an actual clown. Her name is Linda and she is also known as Mama Shed because her children, Brooke and Brad, own the Shed Barbecue (a Harbor Hangout!). She has performed at the local school as a clown for more years than she will admit! Allan Onik is the first mate of the sailing vessel Ice Wars II. He enjoys reading and watching NFL football while rooting for his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you see him on the water, Allan is very friendly and would love to give a tour of the vessel to curious ocean-goers. Cruising
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