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CHARTER IN THE CARIBBEAN

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SAILING D E C E M B E R 2015 www.bwsailing.com

PASSAGEMAKING PLANNING FOR A PACIFC CROSSING

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR CRUISERS

KNOCKDOWN PREPAREDNESS BWS REVIEWS

AMEL 55

DECEMBER 2015

{ CONTENTS }

20 20 BWS Interviews Rick & Julie Palm Veteran cruisers reflect on their many miles of sailing, their boats and the life they have found on the water with George Day.

36 Practical Passagemaker

36

Fitting Out Readying a small boat for a Pacific crossing.

by Nadine Slavinksi

42 Caribbean Charter 42 Caribbean Escape

24 24 Classic Passage

52

Touche’s Second Expedition to Svalbard

by Judith Jacobsen

52 Blue Water Boats Uniquely Amel—the New 55

30 World Cruising Places No One Ever Goes The second part of Barbara and Bram’s exploration of little-known islands.

by Barbara Dahn

DEPARTMENTS 6 8 12 16 48 4

FEATURES

Captain’s Log Blue Water Dispatches Biewenga Offshore Heather Francis Onboard Holiday Gifts

62 66 68 77 80 82

58 Boatswain’s Locker Knockdown or Capsize Are you ready?

by Pete Dubler

Chandlery Back Issues World Sailing Adventures Brokerage Classifieds Broad Reaching-Andrew Cross

Cover photo: Sailboats at Punta Nera on the coast of Elba Island Photo courtesy: @depositphotos

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

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very year at this time, as the days grow shorter, the shadows longer and the cold starts to paint frosted ferns on the windshield of my car here in Newport, RI, I hear the words in my head to the old Joni Mitchell song “The Urge for Going”. Tom Rush made it a hit many moons ago.

Volume 20, Number 12 Blue Water Sailing, LLC 747 Aquidneck Avenue, Suite 201 Middletown, Rhode Island 02842 - USA phone: 401.847.7612 • fax: 401.845.8580 web: www.bwsailing.com SUBSCRIBER HOTLINE 866-529-2921

Editorial Editor & Publisher

Assistant Editor

Now the warriors of winter They gave a cold triumphant shout And all that stays is dying And all that lives is gettin’ out See the geese in chevron flight Flapping and racing on before the snow They got the urge for going And they got the wings so they can go This is the time of year when cruisers hoist their sails, roll out genoas and point their bows south. We’ve got the wings to go. On the west coast, the Baja HaHa fleet, with 137 boats registered, set off in late October bound for the sun and warm waters of Mexico.

On the east coast, the Salty Dawg Rally, with 80 boats registered, gathered in Hampton, VA in late October in preparation for a departure to the B.V.I. in early November. The SDR is special to BWS since we were part of founding the event with Bill and Linda Knowles and I sit on the non-for-profit’s board.

The rally has evolved tremendously in the past five years since the first rally took off from Hampton. This year we ran the Spring and Fall rallies, a Fourth of July Gam in Bristol, RI that drew a great crowd and we hosted seamanship seminars in Newport RI, Annapolis, MD and Hampton, VA. The SDR is truly becoming one of America’s leading cruising associations. Check out the website at www.saltydawgrally.org.

This year more than in recent memory the sound of the geese honking as they wing southward, the sight of friends leaving the docks and heading south and the pure call of the sea have stirred me. I got the urge for going.

Luckily, old friends Rick and Julie Palm, who graciously subjected themselves to being the subjects of the BWS Interview this month, page 20, offered me a berth in the SDR aboard their new Outremer 51 catamaran and I didn’t have to think twice about accepting.

So, after finishing up this issue, I’ll pack my sea bag and head to sea for a couple of weeks. Now and then, it is good to be as free as a goose.

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SAILING

photo by Bill Kund

George Day george@bwsailing.com Kira Munger kira@bwsailing.com

Editors-at-Large Andrew Cross, John Neal Amanda Swan Neal Contributing Editors Bill Biewenga, David Burch, Patrick Childress, Rebecca Childress, Pete Dubler, Heather Francis

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Subscriptions: Rates for one year (12 issues): $29.95 in the United States; $44.95 for Canadian subscriptions; $64.95 (air) for all other foreign.

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Blue Water Sailing is copyrighted 2015. All rights reserved.

Reprinting, photocopying or excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of the publisher.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to: Blue Water Sailing, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-3000; Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 41760516. Return Undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S8. Email Address bws@themagstore.com Ph: 866-529-2921 Blue Water Sailing USPS No. 014597 ISSN No. 1091-1979 is published monthly by Day Communications, 747 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown, RI Periodicals Postage Paid at Newport RI 02840 and additional mailing offices.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

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{ CRUISINGDISPATCHES }

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by Robert Beringer

CHANGES IN VESSEL DOCUMENTATION RENEWAL

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ooking back, I am glad he did. This type of USCG registration is the gold standard, providing conclusive evidence of nationality and ownership outside U.S. waters, unhindered commerce between the states, and easier access to preferred mortgages. My payoff came at the customs dock in Nassau, when the agent was visibly relieved to see the “documentedâ€? box checked off on his form, and within ďŹ ve-minutes I had my 90-day cruising permit.

Documentation is intended for vessels of at least ďŹ ve net tons (most boats longer than 25 feet should qualify) and wholly owned by a citizen of the U.S. It is valid for one year and renewed annually, gratis.

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Free, that is, until November 2014 when the coast guard began charging $26 for the privilege. Well, nothing good lasts forever.

If your vessel is documented, it’s important that you renew each year by the anniversary date or you will be assessed at $5 late fee. The easiest way to do this is to go online to www.uscg. mil/hq/cg5/nvdc and click “Renewal� (have your official vessel number ready). You will then be directed to www.pay.gov where you may pay with a debit or credit card, money order or check payable to USCG. The document should arrive within two weeks and you should always have a COPY onboard to present to law enforcement on demand.

Documented vessel owners should

receive a snail mail Notice of Renewal 45 days prior to expiration. Do not ignore this! If you pass one year beyond your anniversary date your vessel will be removed from documentation and it will be an unpleasant and expensive hassle to get it ďŹ xed. Note that you don’t have to wait for the anniversary, you may renew early.

If you would like to document your vessel, on the same page click “Instructions & Formsâ€? and you will be directed to CG-1258, which you may complete online, print, and mail with fee of $133. Happy sailing. BWS Captain Robert Beringer’s ďŹ rst ebook, Water Power! a collection of marine short stories, is available at BarnesandNoble.com.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Salty Dawg Rally Update

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he Fall Salty Dawg Rally fleet started to gather at the Bluewater Marina in Hampton, VA in late October as the crews began final preparations for the rally from Hampton to the Bitter End Yacht Club in the B.V.I. This is the fifth running of the Fall SDR, which was founded by Bill and Linda Knowles who sail every year with the fleet aboard their Jeanneau 54 Sapphire.

More than 80 boats have signed up for this year’s Fall Rally and the crews are comprised of experienced sailors from around America and the world.

The docks in Hampton were electric

with excitement and good humor as the fleet of cruisers got to know each other, hoisted their SDR burgees and got their boats ready for the long ocean passage.

The route to the B.V.I. leads from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, southeast across the Gulf Stream, then eastwards to about 60 degrees west, then south through the intertropical convergence zone to the tradewinds that will carry the boats to landfall.

Once at the Bitter End, the Dawgs get good discounts on moorings while they are there.

There are many benefits to becoming a member of the Salty Dawg Rally.

Those who pay the $250 membership qualify for a whole range of discounts on fuel, groceries, grog, moorings and more while they are in the B.V.I. For more information log onto the organization's website at www.saltydawgrally.com. BWS

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{ CRUISINGDISPATCHES }

Book Review Voyaging with Kids

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The three voices in the book, with their unique personal experiences, adds a new dimension to the topic.

These three authors have so much experience that their advice and guidance is invaluable.

Having sailed around the world over a period of five years with our two sons—who grew from eight and 11 to 13 and 16—we appreciate all of the advice in Voyaging With Kids. I wish we had had this volume before we set out and didn’t have to figure out how to make family cruising successful one mistake at a time.

If you harbor the dream of sailing away to explore the world with your family—particularly if you have very young kids or teenagers, the two most problematical categories of young voyagers—Voyaging with Kids will be an invaluable resource, one that will travel with you through the years and over the miles of oceans you cross.

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Join the Salty Dawg Rally and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow blue water sailors. Sail to and from the Caribbean, attend free safety and seamanship seminars and demonstrations provided by veteran passagemakers and the 8 6 &RDVW *XDUG $QG EHQHĂ€W IURP WKH PDQ\ YDOXDEOH GLVFRXQWV WKDW DUH available only to Salty Dawg Rally members.

Events in 2015 (Check the website for the exact dates: www.saltydawgrally.org.)

May: Spring Salty Dawg Rally from the B.V.I to Hampton, Va. July: Annual Fourth of July Celebration in Bristol, R.I. September: Safety and Seamanship Seminar in Newport, R.I. September: Visit the Salty Dawg booth at the Newport International Boat Show

October: Safety and Seamanship Seminar in Annapolis, Md. October: Visit the Salty Dawg booth at the Annapolis Sailboat Show October: Safety and Seamanship Seminars in Hampton, Va. October: Annual Family Halloween Party and Rafe in Hampton, Va. November: Fall Salty Dawg Rally from Hampton, Va. to the B.V.I.

Go to saltydawgrally.org for more information.

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etting to the masthead and back to deck level can be as safe and as pleasant as a walk in the park. Getting to and from the park, of course, has its own inherent risks, too. Preparation and practice will go a long way towards safely revealing an exciting view from aloft.

Whether fear is part of the formula or not largely depends on knowing the safe procedures for ascent and practicing them. During my 15 years as a bowman, “going up the rig” was part of the job description in virtually every ocean, all conditions and around the clock. Now, my occasional flight up the rig is merely a matter of getting a job done and an opportunity to re-visit my youth. Incorporating some of the newer techniques, here’s how to enjoy the experience.

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First, choose a high quality climbing harness. I’ve used Black Diamond as well as Petzl climbing harnesses available from REI, Easter Mountain Sports and other mountaineering stores, and I’ve also more recently used Spinlock’s mast harnesses. Although I frequently carry my own, older climbing harness, I found that the Petzl harness was significantly more comfortable than the older Black Diamond, and the Spinlock version of the climbing harness may be the most comfortable of all of them.

Climbing harnesses have an advantage over traditional, hard bottom bosun’s chairs. While up the rig, if you are tossed upside down, you will stay in a properly fitted climbing harness.

In a bosun’s chair you could easily slip out and fall. Some people argue that a bosun’s chair is more comfortable, and in many cases that may be true.

But if you get a well-designed climbing

harness, you can have some degree of comfort and a vastly greater safety margin. For singlehanders going aloft, ATN makes mast ascending devices that allow a sailor to go up the rig without help from below and work at the very top of the mast. (See: http:// www.atninc.com/atn-mastclimbersailing-equipment.shtml) Further adding to the safety margin, several years ago I started wearing an offshore helmet when going aloft offshore. Sailing helmets can also be used to protect the helmsman from an onslaught of flying fish, but primarily I’ve used my Gath helmet while ascending the mast. (See: http://www. murrays.com/G-SH.html) I know for a fact that it has saved both my head and other sailors’ heads from banging into the rig when we went aloft.

That alone was worth employing a helmet. If you think wearing a helmet while riding a bike and your head is BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

{ OFFSHORE }

Black Diamond

6 feet above the pavement is a good idea, you might consider wearing a helmet when your head is 80 or 100 feet above the deck and the mast is gyrating inches from your brain. It’s not a piece of gear merely designed for America’s Cup multihull sailors.

Attaching the halyard to the climbing harness is a critical safety step. I never rely on a halyard shackle to be the only or primary means of keeping me attached to the halyard. My preference is to have a screw post carabiner on the climbing harness. I then tie the halyard to the carabiner. A screw post carabiner is yet another piece of equipment from mountain climbing.

The lightweight devices are locking so that they won’t open unless you make the effort to open them, and their breaking strength is certainly many times stronger than required.

Using a bowline knot to tie the halyard to the carabiner, the halyard shackle is free but still attached to me. If I clip a lazy halyard to the base of the mast and wind that halyard up hard, I can attach the halyard shackle that’s tied to me around the lazy halyard. As I go aloft, the lazy halyard acts as a guideline. If I lose my grip on the mast as the boat heels over, I will still remain relatively close to the mast. My arms and legs don’t need to work nearly so hard to stay close to the mast. Rather, they can be used to fend off from the mast as I take the express ride to the top.

Given an option, I generally think it is best to make normal mast inspections during daylight hours. However, if an emergency is at hand, working aloft may be necessary day or night.

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{ BILLBIEWENGA }

alternatives. If there is a significant possibility that delaying a trip up the mast until daylight may create or add to a serious problem, then I would think that a trip up the mast at night is warranted. Needless heroics shouldn’t be encouraged, but deferring a significant problem might lead to a greater problem than a night ascent. For night flights up the mast, I use a headlight rather than trying to hold a small flashlight between my teeth.

There are several headlight models, originally designed for cave diving and mountain climbing. Petzl makes a very good model and there are also various LED models with long-lasting “bulbs”. Having the light strapped to your head leaves your mouth available for other things such as communicating with the rest of the crew.

Good communications with the people on deck will go a long way toward making the trip aloft a safe one.

A few other tips include: assign one person to watch and listen to the person going aloft especially as the sailor goes past spreaders, the inner forestay, baby stay, etc. Do not rely on the winch’s self tailers, and wearing shoes or boots while going aloft is definitely on the highly recommended list.

On deck, the tailer’s responsibility for safety cannot be overstated. It is his duty to ensure that there are enough wraps on the winch drum (at least three or four) while the person is going aloft. He takes in the halyard tail hand-over-hand, maintaining control at all times whether the winch has a self tailer or not. While the person is aloft doing his job, the tailer ensures that the line is securely tied off, again, not relying on self tailers as the only means of securing the line. As the per14

son is descending, the tailer may reduce the number of wraps to two or three. While he is smoothly and steadily easing the halyard, one hand is placed loosely covering the line on the drum and prepared to stop the descent if necessary while the other hand allows the line to be eased. Either hand can stop the line with or without the aide of the other hand, but both hands should be used. Prior to lowering the person who is aloft, the halyard tail should have been flaked or laid out in a figure eight to ensure that the descent would be smooth.

Meanwhile, the helmsman needs to be aware of what is happening aloft. In very heavy weather his attention may be on wave patterns, and at night, he may be all consumed in driving. So he should be kept informed about what is happening up the mast. Is the person going up? Is he tied off and secure? Is he at the masthead? Someone should keep the deck watch informed if they can’t see for themselves. The person up the rig is the most important person on the boat when he is aloft.

Prior to going aloft, the helmsman and person making the ascent should discuss which point of sail might be most appropriate. There’s no one right answer. In some cases, such as flat water with moderate breezes, close reaching or even beating may provide the most stable conditions aloft. In light air, broad reaching or running can result in the mast waving around at the masthead. In heavier conditions, rather than slamming over waves and pitching the masthead forward and aft, broad reaching may be more appropriate. If the person going aloft thinks it would be more stable for the helmsman to run off, the driver should attempt to maintain a wind angle of between 140 and 150 BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

{ OFFSHORE }

degrees—somewhere off the quarter.

Running dead downwind should be avoided so that there is no danger of an accidental jibe. Similarly, if the person going aloft thinks it best to go to weather, a close reach may be best.

Beating may cause too much slamming as the boat goes over the waves, especially on a multihull. Each hull hits the wave at a different time, adding to the jerky motion at deck level—a motion which is amplified up the rig.

Mast steps are a useful and convenient way to get up the mast, but with a great deal of heel or erratic motion, it becomes progressively more difficult to use them. Whether using mast steps or not, however, a good climbing harness, properly worn and attached is still very highly recommended. To think that you can get aloft without a safety backup is to court disaster.

We have had steps on multihulls on which I’ve sailed, and they certainly made it easier to tail the halyard as the other person went aloft. Regardless of the steps, however, we always employed thorough safety systems when going up the mast, and we occasionally trailed a tagline behind us and attached to the back of the harness as we went up.

Taglines attached to the person going aloft have several purposes.

Often. they are used to retrieve additional equipment from deck-level.

If the person aloft needs a screw driver or another tube of silicon, it

can be attached to the line, and the person aloft can haul it up more easily than coming back to deck level and fetching it. Sometimes they are used to bring a lazy halyard back to the deck while the other person remains aloft. Taglines can also be used to position a person “in space”.

Using several taglines—one run forward, one aft, and one athwartships, aboard fully crewed boats we have been able to haul someone aloft and position him in the middle of a hoisted mainsail for repairs or in other awkward places. But one of the main reasons is to be able to bring a person safely down from the rig by pulling him slightly away from the mast if he is unconscious. It can be a safety line back to the deck as the tagline pulls the person slightly forward and the halyard is eased.

By learning the safest techniques with good people on board and using the techniques in fair weather as well as foul, the risk of injury is minimized. By making frequent trips up the rig when conditions are good, you become more accustomed to the heights and procedures. The frequent trips aloft in good conditions also serve another purpose; they minimize the likelihood that a flight up the mast in heavy weather will be required.

Double check the equipment every time you go up. Good practice makes perfect. Like they say on the airplanes, “Buckle up, and enjoy the flight!”BWS

ATN Mastclimb www.bwsailing.com

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{ HEATHERFRANCIS }

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mpromptu gatherings are pretty standard among yachties, especially around the holidays. The time honored tradition of “sun downersâ€? is often potluck style, everyone bringing some finger food to share. However, given short notice and limited ingredients onboard some people are pushed to their culinary breaking point. Grabbing a bag of chips might be a quick ďŹ x but it is far from a nutritious one.

TAKE A DIP A great way to please a crowd is to make a dip. Store bought dips, although convenient, can be full of oils, additives and calories and all the ingredients to make a scrumptious spread are right in your galley. Served with a selection of cruditĂŠs, crackers and bread a delicious dip can almost be a meal.

If you like a dairy based dip, yogurt is a great starting point. All natural yogurt is full of active bacteria that is essential to a healthy gut, so look for 16

brands that have as few ingredients as possible or make your own onboard.

With the addition of minced garlic, lemon juice and dried or fresh herbs such as basil, oregano or dill you can make a veggie dip in a matter of minutes.

Yogurt also goes well with fruit, which boats in the tropics often have an abundance of. Add a squirt of honey and a little ground cinnamon and ginger and you have a dessert dip that even the kids will love.

If you’ve been out sailing for a while, crunchy cruditÊs might be at a premium but that doesn’t mean you can’t serve veggies. Potatoes and squash are two examples of vegetables that keep well onboard and can be used to make tasty, low fat spreads.

Thin extra mashed potatoes with a little low-fat milk or yogurt and seasoned with garlic, paprika and parsley. Top it with a little crumbled bacon and it will taste delightfully decadent. Squash combines well with herbs such as thyme but to make things more interesting try pureeing cooked squash with a splash

of coconut milk and some curry powder for an Asian inspired spread.

When provisioning watch out for crackers that are heavily avored as they often have MSG listed in the ingredients. For an easy to store and leaner option to crackers try cutting tortillas or pita bread into wedges and toasting them briey in a dry frying pan. Corn chips may seem like a healthy alternative to a bag of potato chips but are often just as high in fat, so take a moment to read nutrition labels. Rice crackers are crispy and light and are great to serve alongside dips and spreads; break large ones into bit sized pieces for a rustic look.

ONE TRICK PONY It is great to have a fall back recipe—that always-delicious, made-in-aminute, never-fail dish that everybody loves. Back in South America, where cans of refried beans were cheap and plentiful, mine was a bean dip. One night, I brought a bowl of bean dip to a friend’s boat and as I placed it on the cockpit table someone I didn’t know exclaimed “Oh, this must be Heather’s Famous Bean Dip!â€? It was deďŹ nitely time to shake up my refried reputation.

Beans are a staple on most boats, not only do they keep well but they are BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

{ ONBOARD }

one of the most economical and healthy items in the pantry. They are packed full of protein and low in fat. I carry an assortment of dried beans and lentils on board, but for those days where I need a short notice snack I reach for the canned variety. White, black, red, refried, lentils and chickpeas; you can find almost any kind of bean in a can, just read the label to make sure it isn’t packed full of preservatives or added sugar.

To transform my bean dip recipe I simply changed up the type of bean I used and mixed and matched flavors. Suddenly I had a new dip for every can of beans in my galley. When using canned beans always remember to discard the water from the can and rinse the beans before use. Canned beans are usually high in sodium so I always wait until final tasting to add additional salt to the recipe.

FIVE MINUTE FIX When the clock is ticking and I am looking for a fun delicious snack to bring to the party, I pull out my heavy bottomed pot and a bag of popcorn kernels. Gone are the days of boring, and fattening, movie style popcorn; this snack has gone gourmet.

A recent trend is to pair flavored popcorn with wine. Skip the over-processed store bought flavor packets and reach for the spice rack instead.

For traditional matches try grating some parmesan cheese over hot popcorn and serving it with a bold red. To compliment a cool, crisp white wine dust lightly buttered popcorn with dried rosemary or thyme. A classic combination that goes with any drink is a drizzle of good olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

Virtually a blank canvas, popcorn will carry any flavors that you sprinkle on it, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Try serving a fiery Mexican version by adding lime zest, salt and some smoky hot paprika to the bowl. For a holiday inspired sweet treat, sprinkle popcorn with icing sugar, cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. If you like a more exotic take on things, try my personal favorite and shake freshly popped popcorn with a bold, spicy curry powder.

Popcorn not only takes only minutes to make it transports well, can sit on a table for hours without spoiling and requires no dishes to serve.

If you’re planning a beach gathering why not impress your friends; make a fire and pop the popcorn right over the coals. www.bwsailing.com

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BYO‌COMMONSENSE The beer is cold, the company is warm and the conversation is owing; there is a reason it is referred to as “happy hour.â€? It is easy to overindulge, especially in warmer weather

where you may be quenching your thirst with a cocktail instead of water. Using a few simple tricks you can cut your consumption of alcohol while still enjoying a social drink.

If you prefer wine, enjoy a spritzer by mixing your favorite grape with soda water, or add a little juice and some tropical fruit and sip on sangria. Beer drinkers can choose a light beer that save on calories and are lower in alcohol. Rum has long been the drink of choice with sailors.

If you’re a fan, next time try mixing a single shot in a tall glass, but be careful if you drink it with soda that you aren’t doubling up on sugar.

Every season there are new reports of boating accidents; boats big and small running aground, dinghies ipping and yachties getting injured or killed by a prop. There are no lines to stay between on the ocean so many of us forget that a tender with an outboard is considered a motorized vehicle. In

most countries allowable blood alcohol limits that apply to drivers on land also apply to boaters. It is always important to drink and drive responsibly.

Here are a few common sense habits that should be a part of every one's daily dinghy routine. • Wear a kill switch cord, even when starting an outboard. If wearing it on your wrist gets in the way trying putting it around your ankle. • Carry a VHF in the dinghy, you never know when you might run into trouble. • Keep a light handy, especially if you’re heading out in the evening. • And most importantly never let someone drive home drunk.

So the next time you give or get that last minute invitation and the sun is already bending towards the horizon remember; making food that is healthy and delicious doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Enjoy a stress free sundowner and don’t forget to toast to your health! BWS

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Just $10.99 for 12 issues Same great boat reviews Same great cruising stories

Now in digital format Subscribe online at

www.zinio.com search for Blue Water Sailing 18

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HEATHER’S FAMOUS BEAN DIP Bean dips are fast, filling and fun to make! The variations are endless but each dip follows the same method and starts with the same base. By changing the type of beans used and the flavors added, a delicious new dip is designed.

Here are the four simple steps: * Start with a base of onions and garlic.

Add a can of drained and rinsed beans. Warm slightly and lightly mash.

Add herbs and spices and mix well to combine.

Remove from heat.

Turn into a nice bowl and add toppings.

Serve dip with crudités, bread, toast points or crackers. Enjoy! * BASE: In a small frying pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add half an onion, finely minced, and sauté until translucent. Add one to two cloves grated or finely minced garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.

BEANS AND FLAVORS: Mediterranean Dip—use white beans and add a teaspoon of dried herbs de provence or half a teaspoon each dried basil and oregano. Top with a few strips cooked and crumbled bacon and a tablespoon of crispy fried capers.

Indian Dip—use lentils and add a teaspoon of ground cumin, one small tomato finely diced and chili powder to

taste. Mix well and cook until tomato breaks down slightly.

Top with toasted cumin seeds and fresh cilantro.

Mexican Dip—use black beans, add a half teaspoon each cumin and oregano and one or two chipotles in adobo, finely minced depending on how hot you like it. Top with diced tomato and pickled jalapeños. Add some diced avocado if in season.

Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center Available via almost any communications method onboard... SSB radio voice...email... voice telephone...interactive Internet webcast...fax • Weather Forecasts & Routing Advice: geared specifically for small sail & power vessels, with the information you need to support good tactical decision-making.

• Value-added: forecasts focus on the “worst-plausible” forecast for your interests, then suggest routing or tactical decisions. The result is faster, safer, and more pleasant trips—day trips, overnights, or offshore passages.

• Economical plans: by the day, month, or year.

• Geography: Atlantic N of the Equator, including Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and entire US E. Coast, Canadian Maritimes, and both E-bound and W-bound Atlantic Crossings.

For more information, visit: www.mwxc.com or email info@mwxc.com Chris Parker, Marine Weather Center 5130 Medulla Rd, Lakeland FL 33811 ph 863-248-2702, fax 863-248-4666

www.bwsailing.com

19

{ BWSINTERVIEW }

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ick and Julie Palm of Cushing, Maine have spent their lives together combining their busy professional careers with their love of sailing and the cruising life. Together they have completed a westabout circumnavigation aboard their Tayana 52 Sojourner, have cruised extensively aboard their Saga 48 Altair and last year they took delivery of their new Outremer 51 Archer in France and sailed her home via the Caribbean.

I ďŹ rst met Rick and Julie in Panama

20

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Now well-known in the cruising eet, Rick and Julie have mentored

many rally sailors and inspired many new cruisers to live their cruising dreams. We caught up with them by phone as they prepared to sail in the 2015 Salty Dawg Rally from Hampton, VA to the B.V.I Blue Water Sailing: Hi Rick and Julie.

To start can you briey summarize your sailing experience?

Rick: Well, I have sailed for most of my BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

life. When I was a kid I sailed a little dinghy in Connecticut where I used to spend weeks of summer vacation.

I got pretty proficient at it and really enjoyed it. It’s one of those funny things. Later, I was serving in the military during the Vietnam war and was stationed in Thailand. Somehow I became the sailing instructor for the base recreational services so I got to spend some of my tour on the water sailing. When I came back from that, I bought my first larger boat, a 29 footer, in 1979, and sailed that around Lake Michigan a bit. Then I shipped the boat east to the Rappahannock River, put it back in the water and with a girl that I was dating then took it down the coast and through the Bahamas for the winter. I came back to New Jersey to go back to work and met Julie there.

We’ve been sailing together now for 36 years now.

Julie: I think we’ve heard it before, but I think it was a prerequisite to a second date that I would sail and buy into Rick’s 10-year plan to sail around the world. Before we set off we did a practice run to Bermuda and back and lots of sailing on Long Island Sound.

We sold the Ericson 29 and bought a C&C 34 that we raced for a couple of years until we decided that racing wasn’t our thing. Then we bought a Tayana 37, thinking we were going to go around the world in that. One thing led to another until we sold the house and ended up selling the 37 and buying our Tayana 52 that we named Sojourner. That’s the boat we took around the world. When we got back, we sold the 52 since it was a bit big for coastal cruising. We went back to work and not long after, we bought a floating condo in the form of a Gulfstar 44. Eventually, we sold the 44 and bought our Saga 48 Altair. And now we’ve just made the transition to the 51 catamaran. So, we have a few boats in our history.

Rick: Let me back up a little bit. We had originally planned to do the circumnavigation in the Tayana 37. At the time I quit my regular job and got a job with a guy who was importing Tayanas from Taiwan as a boatyard mechanic so I could learn a lot more about everything to do with boats and how to repair them. Paul Skilowitz owned that company and he’s the one who introduced us to the Jimmy Cornell rally and to the Tayana 52.

Once we got ourselves hooked into the rally idea, I stumbled across Steve Black’s first Caribbean 1500, which we joined. So we sailed south to the BVI with that rally and then cruised the East Caribbean for three months until we met up with the Europa rally that had come across the Atlantic from Gibraltar. You know, I had had this idea of sailing around the world for a long time and I have no idea where it came from. But we were able to take this mid-career sabbatical and sail with the rally around the world. It was a great way for us to make it happen and then go to back to work when it was over.

BWS: The rally took you west around the world. What were the highlights of that experience for you both?

Rick: There are many highlights. One of them was getting together and voyaging with this international community of sailors.

Julie: We had a lot of fun. There were eight or nine British boats and the same number of Italians. There was this wonderful Irishman and there were Belgians and Finns and Germans and French. And at least four or five American boats. It was this floating community and, because it was put together by Cornell, it had a real European, cosmopolitan flair.

BWS: What were you favorite cruising spots along the way around the world?

Rick: I couldn’t name just one, I’d have to go with two. For me, one of my favorite places was Tonga in the South Pacific. We were diving a lot with a compressor onboard and four tanks.

We each did more than 300 dives on the trip around the world. In Tonga, we’d do four dives in a day and then move to a new island to do four more the next day. Tonga was just stunning.

The people were wonderful.

Julie: Particularly the Va’vau Group of islands. It’s this interesting archipelago of beautiful islands and the most lovely people.

Rick: The second place that we loved

BWS: Tell us more about the circumnavigation you did with the Europa Rally? www.bwsailing.com

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{ BWSINTERVIEW }

was Thailand. We spent several months there and were there through the holiday season. Thailand is full of wonderful sites. We did some diving.

We did some land touring to places like Bangkok. The country is beautiful the people are warm and friendly.

Julie; We were kind of lucky back then because we could plan to go up the Red Sea. That meant we could cruise from Australia up through Indonesia, Bali, Singapore, Thailand and Srti Lanka. Then, we could sail over to Djibouti and up the Red Sea. The Red Sea itself was a horrible sail with strong winds on the nose and tacking back and forth endlessly.

BWS After completing your circumnavigation, you went back to work and sold Sojourner. What was the next big cruising plan?

Rick: Right away we had another plan to take off cruising again in 10 years. We didn’t necessarily want to sail around the world again but we were really in love with the concept of cruising. We were willing to go back to work to get ourselves into good financial shape again so that we could go cruising. We didn’t make it happen in 10 years but we did do in 14 years.

Julie: Now we don’t have to go back.

We have retired and now we can lead the cruising life at our own pace.

BWS: How long did you take to sail up the Red Sea? Rick: Probably two or three weeks but it felt like six years. We did some day hopping along the way and stopped at Jacques Cousteau’s underwater sea habitat that was on a beautiful submerged coral atoll. We had another couple onboard with us who had spent a lot of time working in Saudi Arabia and they had always liked the Red Sea…until that trip. We’d stop from time to time and wait for the wind but it was hard going.

BWS: You had the opportunity to build your Saga 48 Altair from scratch.

What was that like?

Rick: When we were about two years from retirement, we started looking around at cruising boats. We had read Steve Dashew’s books and got caught up in the long, narrow style of boats that he was designing and building.

So when we found the Saga 48 that was to be built by Saga in Canada, we decided to go up and take a look at the first hull that was just coming out of the mold. We got to know the builder and I think he was excited to have experienced sailors and cruisers for customers. We very quickly laid out an equipment brief for the boat and the builder was great about working with

BWS: Yes, I remember. We all lost a lot of weight going up the Red Sea. Julie: Yes, we always referred to the experience as the “Red Sea diet.”

22

us to make Altair a true offshore cruising boat. You know we sailed the boat for 13 years, making at least six round trips to the Caribbean with Caribbean 1500. We took her to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and all around New England. We loved the boat and think it was a perfect couple’s cruising boat.

In the end, even at 48 feet, it turned out to be slightly on the small side.

Julie: It was a Bob Perry design and we were fond of his boats. We’d already had a Tayana 37 that he designed and sailed his Tayana 52 around the world.

We really like the way he approaches cruising boat design.

Rick: One thing about Perry is that he can draw a sheer line that is just stunning. Our Tayana 52 was the prettiest boat that we ever owned. It was the aft cockpit version that really stretched out the look of the boat and enhanced the lovely sheer.

BWS: Now you have recently made the transition to your Outremer 51 cruising cat Archer. What inspired that transition?

Julie: We were in St. Lucia around Christmastime a few years ago and our kids were visiting. But they had to rent a house ashore because our Saga 48 was quite narrow and really not big enough for the four of us. In the course of that week we were invited to somebody’s catamaran for dinner and then another fellow invited us over to see his cat and all of a sudden we got to thinking that these big cats really looked neat. We had charted an older cat back in the 90s, which was an awful design. But now we discovered that modern designs could really sail and were proper cruising boats. So we decided this might be a way to include the family in more sailing and cruising. It might enable us to sail longer in our lives. And, we thought a move to a cat might put some new life into our sailing adventures.

Rick: One of the big things about making this move from a monohull to a cat was that we didn’t want to give up BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

the sailing performance that we had with Altair. So looking for a cat for us became a quest to find something that would perform at least as well as our current boat. We do talk about the comfort of Archer and the ability to sit at anchor and not roll or being able to cook pasta while running downwind in 35 knots of wind. But in the end we needed a boat that can really sail well.

We weren’t looking for a boat that could sail 20 knots. But we did want to be able to make average speeds on passage of 10 to 12 knots so we could make 230 to 260 mile days without killing ourselves or the boat. And even at our age, we wanted a boat that we could easily sail by ourselves.

BWS: Archer is a French built production cat, an Outremer 51. How did you equip the boat to fit your requirements?

Rick: Focusing on the sailing aspect first, we decided to add a staysail since we knew we might face heavy weather at some point and it was an option.

And we added a full symmetrical spinnaker for fast running downwind.

Julie: But the process for us was more about not including things because we had decided that Altair and her systems were a little bit too complicated, which meant that we needed to carry or wait for spare parts and needed to spend time on maintenance and repairs. We wanted to make Archer simpler and lighter, so we don’t have a generator, it’s a 12-volt boat, and we don’t have things that are often found on boats of this size like a washer-dryer, microwave, icemaker or dishwasher.

Rick: Yes, Altair was a very complicated and well equipped boat. But with Archer, I wanted to get back to the much simpler systems that we had on Sojourner that had served us very well as we sailed around the world.

On Sojourner we could fix everything onboard and didn’t have to spend time in exotic places waiting for parts to be shipped in. We could go diving inwww.bwsailing.com

stead. So, on Archer there is very little that I can’t fix myself. We left France aboard the new boat after only a week of shakedown and had very few problems on the 3,000 mile passage across the Atlantic. For us, keeping the boat simple makes cruising much better.

BWS: What was the first passage across the Atlantic aboard Archer like compared to passages on Sojourner or Altair?

Julie: It was a light air passage so we had an eleven-day tutorial on how to sail a cat downwind in light winds, which was unlike passages we had made across the Pacific or Atlantic before when there was always plenty of wind.

Rick: Well, we sailed 2,100 miles between the Cape Verde islands and St. Lucia in light winds all the way and we only motored for five hours. Most of the monohulls that came across at the same time were a couple of days slower and had burned almost all of their fuel. I think we used four gallons of diesel for the whole crossing. To me, that says a lot about cruising in a performance catamaran.

BWS: Thinking back on your 35 years of sailing together, what really stands out about the cruising life and the adventures you have had together?

Rick: Cruising is a great thing for a couple to do together. You have to trust each other and you get to share some really neat experiences. And there are rough times too. So, cruising for us is all about doing it together.

And it allows us to get away from the incessant pressures and stress of life ashore. Julie and I spent years traveling all over the world in our business lives and cruising gives us a chance to enjoy a simpler life together, which is why we got married in the first place.

Julie: One of the things that I love about cruising is that it is really easy to figure out what are the things you can do something about and what are the things you can’t change. So, you can’t do anything about the weather, so don’t worry about it and just deal with it as it comes. The things you can do something about, well, you can do something so don’t worry about those either. So, it makes for a very nice life.

Rick: We all talk about stress a lot in modern life. But when you are cruising and you run into a weather situation, say, for a few days, you know that when it is over, it is over. You don’t have to dwell on it or relive it. You learn from it. But it’s over. And you can move on living in the moment and knowing you don’t have to worry about things you can’t change. BWS

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24

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

TOUCHÉ’S SECOND EXPEDITION TO SVALBARD

by Judith Jacobsen

T

he light was soft with just a hint of sunset colors, as the sun hung low on the horizon. We had set off from mainland Norway in the evening and now it was midnight, but at this latitude (nearly 70 degrees North), the sun doesn’t set from late May to late July. The Barents Sea was like a mirror, only a slight swell with the reflections from the sun. This was our second trip to Svalbard, and having been seasick last year, I was prepared, but in the end, I worried more about having enough diesel. However, the sights are much better when you’re not feeding the fishes. We saw dolphins and a couple of whales, along with the numerous birds.

We arrived at Bear Island, nearly two days later and anchored in Walrus Bay, where there were remnants from where they processed walrus about 200 years ago. The Dutch navigator and explorer, Willem Barents, who re-discovered Spitsbergen, and for whom the Barents Sea got its name, also named Bear Island as his crew had their first encounter with a polar bear here.

Once ashore, we discovered some old whaler’s graves and enjoyed the lovely sunshine, hoping for a little bit more wind for the next step to Spitsbergen.

However, this was the kind of (rare) weather that allowed sailors to visit the meteorological station at the northern part of the island. So we motored up there, anchored in the exwww.bwsailing.com

posed anchorage and went ashore.

We were greeted heartily by the friendly people manning the station, were shown around and invited for coffee before the skipper had to join the Bear Island Skinny Dipping club. This is duly documented and a certificate signed by witnesses and giving important stats. Mine stated that the water was 37.8 degrees Fahrenheit, the air 39.4 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind at 6.4 knots.

After that we left and motored on to Hornsund on Spitsbergen, proper.

We arrived early the next morning in sunshine and beautiful blue skies—it was positively warm. After a leisurely brunch, we were ready to meet the French boat in the anchorage and

Wanny Woldstad

go ashore. Several reindeer observed us calmly, not the least bit afraid.

The French had loads of diesel and kindly lent us 10 gallons, as we were a bit worried that we might run out of fuel. You certainly don’t expect the Barents Sea to be this calm. This year, the weather allowed us to go to the nearest glacier and get some beautiful photos, before we sailed on north.

To go ashore in Spitsbergen, you must have a rifle to defend yourself against polar bears. Last year we had rented one in Longyearbyen, but that is halfway up Spitsbergen Island and means you can’t go ashore anywhere else along the way. So this year we had rented one from the mainland and were now free to explore new places.

We sailed out of Hornsund, and turned up along the coast to Dunøyene (Down Islands), 10 nautical miles away. Still no wind, but we enjoyed the glorious sunshine and were surprised to see huge icebergs floating on the horizon, having to dodge several of them. In the calm, Hyttevika (Hut Bay) anchorage was perfect, with a view to the main hunting cabin built for the first female trapper: Wanny Woldstad, who we’d read lots about. Wanny Woldstad was quite a character.

Widowed, she supported herself, driving a cab in Tromsø in the 1930’s. Trapping was very active and when the trappers returned to Tromsø to sell their skins, they would often take a cab. Her cab was especially attractive, as it was the first to have a heater installed.

She listened to all their 25

{ CLASSICPASSAGES }

26

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

stories and was so impressed that she wanted to see this magical place.

When a partner suggested she come along, she didn’t think twice. But she didn’t go there to be a trapper’s wife or helper, she wanted to hunt herself. She shot many polar bears and generally was a fully contributing hunter and trapper for five years.

We sailed up the coast, past the magnificent Torrell Glacier, the Ice Islands (the glacier providing the ice) and way around the flack at the entrance to the fjord (The first discoverers did not know it was a fjord —several fjords, in fact, when they named it Bell Sound). Pretty much all entrances to the fjords up here have a shallow area, reaching way out and must be rounded before making the entrance. Finally, we actually had some wind, so we aimed for the best anchorage for that wind. But the wind changes a lot in fjords, so in fact we had wind straight from the Nathorst Glacier, making for a choppy

www.bwsailing.com

Nordaustlandet

Kongsjord Ny-Alesund Spitsbergen

Longyearbyen Svea Glacier

Torrell Glacier Dunoyene Hornsund Barents Sea

27

{ CLASSICPASSAGES }

anchorage. It was late and we needed some sleep, but we didn’t stay long the next morning, instead headed for Fleur de Lys harbor and the Recherche Fjord. If you think these place names sound French, you are correct.

Most of the names here are from the explorers. From 1838 to 1840, a large French scientific expedition plied these waters in order to study the

area, carrying out cartography and meteorological observations from the aptly named Observatory mountain.

Two large glaciers empty out into the fjord: The Renard and the Recherche glaciers. Of course, these have withdrawn since then, and the observations from the expedition tell us a lot about the change in climate since then. Before the expedition, there had been Russian trappers and Dutch whalers here. Everywhere there are remnants of the blubber ovens and their camps. Fleur de Lys harbor is a very well protected harbor behind a peninsula, and the dry climate of Svalbard has perfectly preserved a couple of wooden whaling boats built between the World Wars.

Here a Norwegian trapper caught the ‘white fish’ (Beluga whales) and tried to make a living catching and canning the fish. Like many other adventures on Svalbard, the success was limited and the adventure short lived. Unfortunately, the swell came right into the tiny natural harbor, from the only direction that would prevent us from being able to anchor and go ashore. Instead, we sailed by and continued to the bottom of the Recherche Fjord, where an entrepreneurial Norwegian tried to start up a tourist destination. He built a cabin, which at the time was called a Villa, but now it’s just a very crooked and dilapidated shack. We wanted to go ashore and see this, but next to the cabin we spotted a roaming polar bear and immediately changed focus. We let the boat drift while we watched the BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

King of the Arctic. It was a female, and she meandered down to the water and into the sea. When we felt she got too close to Touché, we slowly sailed away.

And no, we didn’t get close enough to establish the gender. But the bear was carrying a tracker and those are only put on female bears, as the male bears’ neck is too thick to be able to carry a tracker without it falling off.

We leisurely sailed on to Aksel Island which lies almost completely across the entrance to Van Mijen Fjord. On the island, one of the few remaining trappers lives, but unfortunately he was not at home. What a beautiful place to live. A view to several glaciers, high mountains with snow on top and the excitement of a polar bear coming by every now and then. In fact, we heard from some other sailors,

www.bwsailing.com

that every other day a polar bear was sighted here. We went on to Fritjov harbor, a wonderful natural lagoon on the north side of the fjord. The catch to get to this place is that you have to navigate the strong currents between Aksel Island and the narrow spit that separates the narrow sound from the entrance to the anchorage.

We had calculated the arrival to around slack water, but didn’t get that quite right and of course the wind piped up from the east, meaning we had it right on the nose, plus against the current. That was certainly exciting; if you want to find out how it feels imagine being run through the heavy duty washer cycle. We got tossed and turned with vertical waves going every which way. But it didn’t last too long and at least there were no icy bits we

had to look out for. Inside the lagoon, behind the spit, it was calm and serene with a gorgeous view of Fritjov Glacier, two nautical miles away. The air is so incredibly clear, everything seems so much closer than it is. So even though the photos show the boat right up against the glacier, it’s still a good deal more than the safety distance away from the face of it, to protect us against calving, which not only creates waves, but also may send large ice chunks in all directions. BWS Looking for a full keel cruising boat, Judith and her husband first chartered an Island Packet in the Caribbean. They then purchased Touché, their IP 380 in the UK. They currently reside in Denmark and are looking forward to a trans Atlantic passage.

29

{ WORLDCRUISING }

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by Barbara Dahn more alive. I like everything about sailing...well maybe not squall lines coming through repeatedly on my watch during the night. Rough weather continued through the night and in the morning, as I woke from a quick sleep, there, to starboard, was Guanaja.

Places No One Ever Goes

F

our to five knots moving along pleasantly, a fine day of sailing. We had caught tuna and the wind was in our sails, the water was relatively smooth and Bram might actually like sailing today.

Most days on the choppy criss cross waves that can be the Caribbean, the mantra of the day is “I hate sailing”, but today was a day to feel great... until a little black cloud settled above 30

us. The evening brought with it consistent 20-25 knot winds and those short mixed waves again. Donna Dee, a 1981 Hughes Columbia 40, rocked and rolled. Bram likes to say “she sails like a brick,” but she is perfect for reefs and shoals and crossing bars.

Few boats sail easily in that kind of sea. I love it though, and everything about Donna Dee. But then again, I love anything about boats and being in weather, no day is the same and I feel

GUANAJA The Bay Islands of Honduras lay ahead. I woke Bram, “I see land,” I said with glee. “Why did you wake me?” he grumbled, “we have another eight miles, two hours, to the harbor.”

He was a little grouchy not having gotten much sleep in the rocky rolly night and maybe a little annoyed at my exuberance so early in the morning.

Two hours later, we came though the reef, marked by wooden pilings and a distinctive white dome shaped house. We had arrived at a place no one ever goes, well not so many anyway. Floating as if it were a mirage, was a low island, Bonacca, with houses of pinks and greens, aquas and weathered wood grays. Fishing boats were lined up like sentinels, BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

fishing and lobstering being the base for Guanaja's economy. We anchored in the sheltered calm inside the reef just off of one of two fuel docks where Bram dropped the dinghy and went to check in.

As usual he also checked out the places to get a first beer, and that is when Red (real name, Trinidad) found Bram. Red Saunders is a native of Guanaja but had the last name of Saunders because his grandfather was one of those who came from afar (New York), fell in love with paradise and stayed. Red was to be our tour guide (one of his many small jobs that “fill the basket”) for the low island where the majority of the approximately 10,000 Guanajas live. Houses were so close together that the threat of fire brings everyone out to fight and defend homes. We wandered the narrow alleys with Red telling us stories.

Many houses had been rebuilt after Hurricane Mitch had settled over the island for two days in 1996 and pounded the island with 180 mile an hour winds. We wandered around colorful stilted houses, water surrounding and under many. Guanaja has been called the Venice of the Caribbean with its canals and bridges—as Swan Island is being called the Galapagos of

the Caribbean with its pristine reefs. I think that both have merit on their own without the need for comparison. We stop to meet Red’s sister and brother-in-law.

Bram had wonderful conversations of common interest; engines, fishing, fishing lures, all in Spanish of which I speak little to none, but their animated conversation can almost be understood without language!

I sat and stared out the window at the beautiful blue of the Caribbean, watching children play freely and happily under the stilted houses.

Outside we checked out the 17 foot fishing boat used to catch mahimahi, wahoo, tuna, dorado, among other large fish. After saying our good-byes, Red wanted to show us a more affluent area taking us through the little neighborhoods, each having a neighborhood store. We rounded a

corner and found ourselves in front of a very large half finished structure. It was in the shape of a ship. It’s owner had been a lobsterman who had run out of money. Bram is always looking at the possibility of things and saying “we could buy that and make it into a...” Red then pointed out an island with a prominent red roofed building and explained that the island had been in the same family for generations.

The contracted deed Guanaja, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras 16.4667° N, 85.8833° W for the two brothers who now owned the island stipulated that the property can never be sold, it can only be passed on to another member of the family.

Then Red took us back to a bar for a couple beers. We did find a wonderful tortilla shop that we frequented whenever we came to town. There was a cute little chica making the tortillas. She rarely smiled but when she did it was with her eyes and Bram fell in love. www.bwsailing.com

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Above; the stilted houses of Guanaja, below; the water world is a child's playground, Red helps Bram understand the islands

I swallowed my jealousy with each delicious tortilla we had.

EXPLORING THE ISLAND After our tour of town, a couple beers with Red and checking out Bram’s new 32

island girlfriend, we returned to Donna Dee and moved her to Sandy Bay also called Marina Bay, a well marked anchorage inside the reef and to the northeast of Bonacca. We anchored over a very nice sandy bottom, but

don’t look for the marina as there isn’t one. Time to make plans for exploring the mangrove canals and finding the perfect bar, preferably with Wi-Fi. Morning brought another beautiful day in paradise. Bram made yet another great breakfast and we went back to town this time in the dinghy, to replenish the rum, beer and cigarettes. It had become our quest to find the best cheap rum available in places no one ever goes. It was a Wednesday and the major market was closed as were most stores. Thursday is the day that the supply ship comes in and it seems as if everything was closed saving energy for the big market day that would be tomorrow.

After asking a few questions of the locals, a man smiled and motioned us to follow him. He took us to a neighborhood market where we found Plato, a local rum, $12 for a half gallon. Bram’s cigarettes were $2.50. We brought our prizes back to the boat and quickly were back in the dinghy and off to explore the canals through the mangroves.

Riding in a dinghy with Bram was a bit like a high speed motorcycle ride through the mountains on a winding road. The canals actually seemed to be more like watery driveways for homes accessed by boat. One of these canals however, was a bit different. It looked to be a marina that had been stopped mid-construction or may have been destroyed by Mitch as abandoned hulls suggested. Could this be the marina of Marina Bay? As it turned out, the canal with its many side arms, was constructed by a local hotel owner as a hurricane hole for his own boats.

It was time to check out two of the three possible bars that were convenient to our anchorage. The first turned out to be strictly a local bar.

The young woman behind the bar was thumbing through the iPod she held, switching quickly from latin song to latin song before they were finished.

Two young men, I might say boys, BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

The architecture of Guanaja: the Villa on Dunbar Rock, top; a hurricane proof cement house, bottom

played pool on the other side of the bar. They kept making eye contact with me and smiling. If Bram had his tortilla girl, I had my pool boys. After a beer or two, we knew that this was not “our bar.” We decided to check out the bar called the Manati across the bay. There we found our “Cheers”.

There was a fine cast of the usual suspects. Gar (American) and Brian (Canadian) had each come to the bay about 20 years ago, dropped anchor and had stayed. They had their regular seats at the bar which they predictably filled at 5:00 p.m. each day. Florian, a German had flown in 25 years ago and had come back for every vacation since. He had a hammock with his name on it upstairs from the bar and several children in town who were his godchildren. The proprietors of the Manati, Annette and Klaus, also German, had come to Honduras to open a motorcycle dealership some 20 years earlier on the mainland. Then, the Honduran economy had crashed but instead of going home they escaped to the island of Guanaja to open a barestaurant (as they called it), the Manati, and found their home. www.bwsailing.com

Annette had said that they usually had about 17 boats in the bay in front of the bar at this time of the year. Howe v e r, t h i s y e a r t h e re were fewer and when we were there, there were five boats and two of them belong to Gar and Brian. Guanaja is not that easy to get to when not coming by boat. To fly there one must first fly to either San Luis de Paolo, then Roatan, then on Thursdays only, to Guanaja. Though I understand that you can pay more to fly in at times other than the regular once a week flight.

There are several lovely resorts on the beautiful Caribbean blue reef. Diving and snorkeling are excellent as part of this second largest barrier reef system in the world. At the visually interesting Hotel Dunbar, there is diving available for hire.

Savanna Bite offers a beautiful aqua setting for beach time, snorkeling, diving or just enjoying the warm sea breeze that wraps around the island.

To shorten the trip

to the relatively unpopulated back side of the island, a canal had been built, the equivalent of a highway for commuters. Quiet water, sandy beaches, possible mosquito and sand flea infested stretches of island are up for sale. We play a bit of “what would we do if we bought...” So many interesting possibilities in paradise.

Back through the split in the island I noticed more of the small canals off to the side. The homes that they went to were not visibly evident, the canals were their driveways. So much is hidden here.

The afternoon took us to Savanna Bite for snorkleing. On our way back we spotted on the shore, what looked to be ruins and it turned out to be just that, but recent ruins, not ancient.

Another victim of hurricane winds, a deconstructed resort sat in a perfect spot on the edge of perfect blue water.

Arched windows spoke to the Spanish influence of the area as did what was left of blue and red tiles around a pool filled with greenish water. Remnants of

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docks for visiting boats and pools that held fresh fish for dining were outlined on the ocean side. A faded tennis court invited us to a possible pretend game.

What was most curious was the lack of broken dishes or the other artifacts, not even a shard. I poked through the brush and kicked at the refuse inside and no bits or pieces were to be found.

Power lines but no road led to the ruins. If this place was to be reclaimed, it would need to to be bulldozed and supplies brought by boat. Another “What would we do with this...” Life is full of so many of these wonderful possibilities.

That evening, we wandered over to

a resort near our anchorage. We tied the dinghy to the dock and walked up a groomed pathway where we found several cabanas, one with its own pool, and more gardens. The main building was two stories. A lovely veranda of dark wood and colonial appointments, upholstered rockers and tall louvered shutters to block out winds, graced the upper area.

Bram and I sat in companionable silence sipping at beers when suddenly we were accosted with the sounds of wild revelry. What sounded as though a group of Americans had suddenly joined us around the corner of the veranda. Screams of

laughter, “Hola” and then “Oh, MY, GOD!” followed again by raucous laughter. Bram went around the corner and there they were, two parrots having a party on their own!

In the morning we took one more trip to Manati. We were getting comfortable here and Bram declared that it was time to leave as he would soon become like Brian or Gar. We planned our escape and were on our way along the southern edge of the island heading west to turn up to the north side for the night. Our next stop would be Tres Puntas just across from the mouth of the Rio Dulce. Bram made chicken and potatoes with peanut butter sauce and mayonnaise, I am told, a Dutch tradition. It was amazingly delicious as was everything Bram put together in the kitchen. Dutch or not I would eat it every day if I could. BWS Photographer, artist and sailor, Barbara Dahn sails her own Beneteau First 305, Outrageous, on Lake Champlain in the summer and crews with friends including Bram van Dijk on his Columbia 40, Donna Dee, in the Caribbean and anywhere else they wish to go in the winter months.

Above; one of the gas docks around Guanaja, below; cold beer is available, where the parrots party, a big hook for a big fish

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Chicken and Potatoes with Peanut Butter Sauce 4-5 yellow potatoes or russets 2 chicken breasts salt and pepper olive oil 1/2 red onion, minced finely 4 cloves of garlic, minced finely 1/2 jar of smooth peanut butter 1/4 soy sauce Tabasco sauce Cream Mayonaise

Above; the island's fishing fleet; below, the tranquil nature of Guanaja

www.bwsailing.com

Heat olive oil. Fry sliced potatoes until browned and done. Salt and pepper chicken breasts and sautée in olive oil in. (I had spent days peeling small cloves of garlic and placing them in a jar of olive oil to preserve them as well as making a wonderful garlicy oil that Bram used for sautéeing) Remove chicken when cooked, set aside to rest. Stir fry onion and garlic, add peanut butter and soy sauce stirring to combine. Add tabasco taste. Add cream to thin to desired consistancy. As the sauce is heating, slice the chicken. Serve on sliced potatoes and chicken with mayonnaise on the side. Bram claims that this must be served with mayonnaise as this is a Dutch dish.

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FITTING OUT

by Nadine Slavinski

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utfitting a boat for an ocean crossing is no easy task.

Like so many aspects of cruising, every decision represents a trade-off: cost versus utility, safety versus comfort, savings versus preparedness. Given a finite amount of space, what should your priorities be?

Having completed an Atlantic crossing on an earlier trip, we were able to make informed decisions about exactly what gear we wanted for the Pacific. Crossing the Pacific on a relatively small boat brings its own set of challenges and rewards. We knew we’d have to remain self-sufficient for long periods of time and manage our resources carefully. Economy of space and price were top priorities: our wish 36

From forward, looking aft; small staysail on a removable inner stay, one of four solar panels, the coach roof-mounted Viking life raft, and off the stern, the vane of the Hydrovane self steering device.

list was long, but our pockets and You life raft for two reasons: first, it’s lockers only so deep, so we knew we service interval is three years, and second, there are service stations couldn’t have it all.

Bit by bit, we settled on a final list around the world. At the same time, and set off. Of course, every sailor has we repacked our grab bag with fresh a different definition of what consti- flares and supplies and made sure to tutes a “necessity.” What follows is update the emergency contact inforour version, tailored toward outfit- mation on our EPIRB. ting a small boat A ditch kit should be for a big ocean packed and ready on a moderate to go at a moment's budget. notice.

SAFETY GEAR In preparing our sloop for departure, our biggest expenditures were safety gear and sails.

We upgraded to a Viking RescBLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Just as important as that gear, however, is preventative safety equipment that costs a fraction of the price, such as quality life jackets, tethers, and jacklines. Many boats run jacklines along the length of the deck, but surprisingly few install a jackline in the cockpit. We find the cockpit jackline equally important since it allows us to clip in before leaving the cabin.

It’s easy to make your own: just use a length of heavy line attached to U-bolts that are securely mounted to

cruising fleet in multi-party conversations. Radio nets also build comraderie and provide entertain- Markus, adjusting the self-steering while ment during long clipped in the cockpit jackline for night watch. days at sea. Satstandalone devices with their own ellite phones are expensive (both the device and displays. While we relied entirely on minutes of service) and do not of- paper charts for our Mediterranean/ fer the same range of advantages, in Atlantic/Caribbean cruise, in the Pacific, we gradually shifted toward our opinion.

With our SSB and a Pactor Modem, we could download email messages and weather reports, as well as report our position to radio nets during blue water passages

the cockpit.

In terms of safety equipment, we also consider an SSB transceiver an absolute must. With our SSB and a Pactor Modem, we could download email messages and weather reports, as well as report our position to radio nets during blue water passages. SSB radio nets are a great resource where solutions to problems can be solved using the collective knowledge of the www.bwsailing.com

ELECTRONICS Our budget allowed for a radar that we rarely used—but when we did, we were glad we had it. We also carried an AIS receiver which was useful off the coast of North America and Australia, though rarely in between. The Pacific is full of small fishing boats of dubious accountability, and only a fraction transmit an AIS signal.

Our GPS, radar and AIS units were

electronic charts. We used an old laptop running OpenCPN (a popular open source charting software) and interfaced to our GPS’ NMEA output as a chartplotter. Still, it wasn’t until Fiji that we started using electronic charts for coastal navigation, and even then, we always carried paper charts as a backup.

In Panama, we came across a wonderful—and free—computer operat 37

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the hard disk from our navigation laptop and run the software from an SD card. This reduced the laptop’s current draw to about 1 Ampere—a lot less than a typical marine chartplotter. This is something to keep in mind when considering electronics and computers for a Pacific crossing.

You should also remember that you’ll be without Internet connectivity for long stretches, which means you can’t always keep up with automatic downloads for software patches and security updates. This was another advantage of Navigatrix: it works out of the box without the need for constant updates.

Our Parasailor helping to keep up boat speed in calm weather en route to New Zealand.

ing system called Navigatrix, created and maintained by sailors for sailors.

Navigatrix includes a comprehensive compilation of electronic tools for navigation, communication, information and security, ideally suited for use on a boat (including OpenCPN Chartplotter, zyGrib GRIB file viewer, Airmail for HAM and Sailmail, GPS interfacing, MS Office compatible word

processor and spreadsheet, and more).

It is extremely robust and can be installed on the hard drive alongside your current operating system or run from a 4 gigabyte USB stick (hence it works even if your hard drive doesn’t).

Navigatrix comes fully preconfigured and can be downloaded for free at www.navigatrix.net.

With Navigatrix, we could remove

SAILS One of the advantages of buying a used boat is the wardrobe of sails that often come with them. Our Dufour had already been equipped with a removable inner forestay and two staysails (including a tiny storm jib).

We rarely used these sails, but were glad to have them the few times we

A key piece of every cruiser's gear: a solid anchor.

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

did encounter a gale. In fact, we used the “baby” staysail several times but never used the storm trysail we carried. When we left North America, we also carried a triple-reef point mainsail, a light-weight 130% genoa, and an innovative new head sail we call a twin genoa. It consists of two lightweight genoas sewn onto the same luff tape that can be flown wing on wing downwind or lying against each other on other points of sail.

On long downwind passages, we always flew the twin genoa at night since one person could roller-furl it quickly from the cockpit in case of a squall. By day, we switched over to our Parasailor: a spinnaker-like sail with an air slot and a lifting “wing” that makes it ridiculously easy to set and fly. We loved this sail not only for its efficiency, but also for the dampening effect it had on the boat’s roll.

ANCHOR RODE From our first trip, we knew we could count on our 44 pound Rocna anchor for holding in just about any kind of conditions. However, the 100 feet of 10mm stainless steel chain that served us well in the Mediterranean and Caribbean would not be adequate for many deep-water Pacific anchorages. Therefore, we swapped the chain for 200-plus feet of 8mm galvanized chain. That’s one of the many tradeoffs of cruising: weight versus length and price. We packed an additional one hundred feet of line to extend the overall rode length. In a stern locker, we carried two Danforth anchors and another thirty feet of chain and line for the rare instances when we anchored bow-to-stern. One good snubber and a second back-up line worked wonders, even when we sat out several gales at anchor.

POWER Power is another subject that merits an entire chapter, especially since different crews have vastly different power needs. Some crews rely heavily on generator power, which seems www.bwsailing.com

illogical given the abundance of wind We only ran our ancient refrigeraand solar energy, not to mention high tor for basic cooling purposes when fuel prices and distances between fu- power permitted. With good insulaeling points. Their decks are typically tion, we found that running it for a cluttered with jerry cans which can few hours at night was sufficient to reduce mobility on deck and pose a keep staple items cool all day. This hazard in rough conditions. worked perfectly for cheese and beer For us, it made more sense to but not for fresh meat, which we genminimize our power consumption and erally did without (instead, we relied make the most of available space by on canned chicken, eggs, and quality using a flexible arrangement of renew- canned hams). In a similar vein, our able energy sources. Our sloop carried only source of warm water was a solar four solar panels (for a total peak shower which was very effective when output of about 150 Watts), of which the sun was out. (When it wasn’t, we two were permanently mounted on used the stove to heat water.) Solar the dodger. The other two could be showers come in various models: set up either on the bow, atop the bi- check for one with a sturdy nozzle mini, or amidships. We also carried a that’s easy to turn on and off. dual tow/wind generator: on passages, Using a foot pump to bring fresh we towed it off the stern rail, and at water to the galley sink helped us reanchor, we converted it to wind mode duce our power needs, too. The foot and hoisted it on the inner forestay. pump also gave us the ability to draw With this arrangement, we could very small amounts of water—say, for meet all our power needs at anchor brushing teeth. Similarly, we used or underway, by day and by night, We used a mid-sized inflatable and on cloudy or Zodiac throughout the trip windless days. It was a rare occasion when we had to run the engine to power our batteries.

We managed very well on these power sources because we do not rely heavily on powered equipment such as a watermaker or autopilot. Our Hydrovane selfsteering worked extremely well throughout three y e a r s o f n e a rconstant use. The auxiliary rudder also gave us a secondary means of steering should our main rudder sustain damage.

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An inflatable kayak is a good solution for smaller vessels carrying crews eager to explore new shorelines.

simple solar garden lights as additional anchor lights in crowded harbors.

Resource-conscious as we were, we never felt like we were roughing it. On the contrary, we reveled in the simplicity of it all and had correspondingly fewer electronics to maintain or repair.

ON DECK On hot tropical days, it’s vital to shade the deck from the sun. We created a large deck awning for days spent at anchor from an old sail and used smaller hatch covers underway.

As for cockpit shade, we like having a system that folds back easily for those glorious nights under a starry sky. The biggest improvement we made to it came when we paid a New Zealand canvas maker to replace and redesign our aging bimini. She added an infill flap that zipped into the open slot between the dodger and the bimini – a simple addition that made a huge difference to perceived space on board.

We used it at anchor on rainy days to create a protected space in the cockpit.

The new bimini also came with a raincatcher fitting that helped us augment our fresh water supply.

Many sources recommend carrying a hard-sided dinghy for the coral shores of the Pacific, but this wasn’t an option given our deck space. We used a midsized inflatable Zodiac throughout the trip, and though the dinghy floor was heavily patched by the time we arrived in Australia, the outer shell never suffered a puncture. It was small enough 40

to fit on deck for short day trips in good weather, but for longer passages, we always deflated and lashed it at the foot of the mast (for lack of locker space). The outboard sat on a bracket on the stern rail and we used a pulley system to lower it with relative ease. Sounds complicated, but we could have the dinghy and outboard stowed very quickly once we got the hang of it.

A small cruising boat doesn’t have much room for fun extras, like the kayak I always dreamed of. I finally got my wish in a sturdy inflatable model that could be bundled into a relatively small space in the cockpit locker. My fears that the kayak would meet an early demise against the coral of the Pacific were for naught, and it performed well in all but the strongest cross-winds thanks to an attachable skeg. The kayak served several functions: as a secondary dinghy, so our crew could go to two different places at the same time; as a vehicle for shallow-water exploration; and finally, as a playtime platform for the kids while at anchor.

GAS AND WATER Like many boats, we used LPG gas for cooking and consequently had to deal with different systems and standards as we crossed the Pacific. Standard North American propane bottles are handy since they can also be filled with butane—provided you have the right adapter. However, local busi-

nesses in French territories are only permitted to fill blue butane bottles (the type used in Europe). A typical way around this is for several crews to buy one large butane bottle together and gravity feed their propane bottles, then return the blue bottle to recover the deposit. In most other islands of the Pacific, you could practically show up with a plastic bag and find someone willing to fill it with the local LPG mix.

New Zealand requires that gas bottles are locally inspected and stamped for a fee. North American steel propane bottles will meet local standards but lighter weight fiberglass or aluminum models may not.

Remember, there aren’t many marinas in the Pacific, and it’s often necessary to jerry-jug water from ashore.

Rather than carrying large jerry cans for transporting water, we kept a large supply of five liter bottles which were much easier to carry and hoist from the dinghy to deck. We found outstanding water quality on many of the islands we visited, with few exceptions (the Galapagos Islands, Hiva Oa, and several dry atolls). Using our 70 gallon supply sparingly, we were able to stretch our fresh water for over six weeks at a time.

CLOTHING In our three-year trip, the coldest temperatures we experienced came when we left the US East Coast for the Caribbean in November, and in leaving New Zealand for Fiji at the end of May. I was happy to have a few layers of warm clothes, though I kept the selection small since they would only be used for a week or so at most. In terms of foul weather gear, look for a jacket with a fleece liner at the collar and forehead; otherwise, you’ll soon feel chafe. Given the warm temperatures, I didn’t invest in quality pants. Instead, I used inexpensive fisherman’s overalls over polypropylene long underwear the few times I needed protection against cold and damp (perhaps 10 times over three years).

Most of the time, we wore light sumBLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

mertime clothing: T-shirts, bikini tops and lightweight, quick-dry running shorts (these are comfortable, have a built-in liner that eliminates the need for another layer, and dry quickly).

Finally, a wide-brimmed sun hat is a must for any sailor. Look for a hat that cinches under the chin and can also be tightened around the crown of the head to help it stay put in a blow.

MISCELLANEOUS GEAR Another important piece of equipment is a sturdy bucket with a reinforced handle and line to scoop salt water for various uses. We also carried a three-foot wide inflatable child’s wading pool that fit into the floor space of our cockpit. The original idea was to have a safe, on-board recreational option for a three-year-old.

Soon the pool was serving double duty as an inflatable laundromat, either in a marina or at anchor—a very practical accessory!

After our first sailing trip, I learned the value of nesting tupperware: it takes up a fraction of the space a mismatched set of containers does. Plastic egg cartons are worth their weight in gold, as is a selection of Zip-loc bags in all sizes.

As for reading material, we became Kindle converts during our sailing time. Much as we love the feel of a real book in our hands, there’s nothing like the huge capacity and convenience of an e-reader. I’ll never forget the time I was pining for a new title off a remote Fijian island and found just enough of a signal to download exactly the book I wished for—bliss! In e-readers as in any other portable devices, it pays to consider battery life and power consumption. Our basic models could run for days, even weeks, before recharging. Newer models with extra features consume much more power.

No matter what devices you choose to carry, make sure you can plug them in on board. Twelve-volt chargers for almost any small device (including camera batteries and e-readers) can be found on the Internet. www.bwsailing.com

For the most part, we didn’t miss what we didn’t have, since the Pacific made up for it all with a thousand other prizes. If we could have somehow fit more on board, I would have liked a portable printer to print photos for the friendly islanders we met along the way. A printer would also have allowed us to print notices for enterprising locals who offer their services to boaters. A watermaker would come in handy for extended stays in lonely atolls with no reliable fresh water source, though the cost, space, and power trade-offs ultimately struck this item off our list.

Ultimately, every crew will create a unique list of equipment they deem critical. Some crews carry SCUBA gear and compressors to make the most of diving opportunities in remote locations. Others bring all the comforts of home along for the ride and have the space to accommodate them. If this style of cruising is for you, go ahead and enjoy. If, however, your budget or tastes run to the more Spartan end of the spectrum, don’t worry: your Pacific experience will be every bit as rich and comfortable as theirs. A voyage of a lifetime isn’t defined by discretionary gear but by balmy days, fresh breezes, and a constantly stimulating environment at sea and ashore

Bimini with a built-in rain-catching spout

—all of which the Pacific provides in generous supply. BWS Nadine Slavinski is the author of Lesson Plans Ahoy: Hands-On Learning for Sailing Children and Home Schooling Sailors. Together with her husband and young son,she cruised the Atlantic and Pacific aboard her 1981 Dufour 35, Namani. She is also the author of The Silver Spider, a novel of sailing and suspense, as well as Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor’s Guide to the Coconut Milk Run. (See nslavinski.com for more information and free resources on home schooling).

This view from aloft shows Namani's four solar panels sucking in the Amps on a sunny day in Bora Bora.

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

THE VIRGIN ISLANDS The U.S. and British Virgin Islands are so well laid out for sailing and chartering, they could have been designed by the charter companies and built by Disney as a marine theme park.

In the U.S. Virgins you can sail out of St. Thomas and explore the many harbors and coves around the island and nearby St. John. There are great places to eat, good snorkeling and fun hikes in the hills.

Or you can head west to the Spanish Virgins and explore Culebra and Vieques where the beaches are perfect and the Puerto Rican influence spicy and raucous.

In the B.V.I., you will find dozens of tempting spots to cruise and some famous beach bars to visit. There is the new Pirates and the Willie T at Norman Islands, The Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda’s North Sound and the famous Foxy’s and The Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke. Or you can chill in the quieter anchorages and swim and relax the week away.

www.bwsailing.com

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ST. MARTIN, ST. BARTHS AND ANTIGUA The Leeward Islands of the West Indies, from Anguilla south to Dominica, are a chartering Paradise with hundreds of anchorages and plenty to do ashore. For North Americans, St. Martin and Antigua are the most often used islands for starting a charter in this section of the Caribbean since that is where the largest charter bases are located.

From St. Martin you can be lazy and just poke around the islands visiting both the French and Dutch sides and sampling the many bistros, bars and night clubs ashore.

Or you can head out to Anguilla where the beaches are perfect and the diving around Sandy Cay some of the best in the area.

Southward, you can visit Isle Forche, where the harbor is in the caldera of an ancient volcano and then sail to St. Barths to sample the Caribbean’s swankiest destination. Here the food is wonderful and the people and yacht watching unparalled.

Antigua is an island long favored by sailors and it was here in the years after the Second World War that the Nicholson family invented the Caribbean charter trade. The islands remain a sailor’s haven and a great place to charter. You can poke around the island for a week or make the short passage north to Barbuda where the beaches are amazing and the solitude total. Or you can charter during Antigua Race week and enjoy one of the winter’s most fun regattas and parties.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES The Windward Islands of the West indies are famous for boisterous sailing, amazing islands and some of the Caribbean’s finest reefs. From charter bases in St. Vincent, you can head south to Bequia where shipwrights still build wood sailing vessels and the locals take part in an anTOBAGO CAYS nual whale hunt.

From there you sail south to the Grenadines. Mustique might be the first stop but you may not be able to anchor and go ashore if the British Royals or other jet setters are there since it is a private island. On southward, the Tobago Cays are the gems of the region and the diving is spectacular. You’ll find plenty of places to eat ashore and explore on Canuoan, PSV and Union and your might get all the way down to Carriacou before returning to St. Vincent.

For cruisers who have explored the wide world, the Grenadines remain one of the planet’s best cruising destinations.

UNION ISLAND

www.bwsailing.com

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{ CARIBBEANCHARTER} GRENADA

BELIZE

Like Antigua, Grenada is a sailor’s island with several charter bases and lots of anchorages to explore. You can cruise around Grenada for a week quite happily while you explore the beaches, the beach bars and the many good restaurants.

The hiking in the mountains takes you through lush jungles and nutmeg plantations and leads you to tall waterfalls where you can swim on hot afternoons.

Or, you can sail northward to the southern Grenadines, sailing by the infamous Kick’em Jenny —an active underwater volcano—and make landfall at Carriacou. From there you can explore the Tobago Cays.

Grenada’s capitol St. George’s is one of the prettiest towns in the Caribbean and home to good restaurants, shops and a classic fort from the days of the Napoleonic wars.

The Central American nation of Belize is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef. Inside the reef the sailing is in fresh trade winds but flat water. There are hundreds of anchorages, reefs to snorkel over and famous places to visit like Lighthouse Reef and The Blue Hole.

The islands are not all that developed so chartering is more rustic here than in the rest of the Caribbean. You will eat aboard some evenings and will find that the beach bars are scattered around the cays. You go to Belize to enjoy the diving and snorkeling and to be amazed by the coral formations and the abundance of tropical fish.

Ashore there are rain forests to explore—eco tourism—and ancient Mayan ruins to visit. The country is well set up for tourists and charterers and offers a winter sailing vacation unlike anything else you will find in the Caribbean.

ST. GEORGE'S GRENADA

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

BELIZE

Xunantunich www.bwsailing.com

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{ HOLIDAYGIFTS }

%:6 V $QQXDO +ROLGD\ *LIW *XLGH B&G’s Chartplotter for Sailors

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High Output Audio Speakers from Fusion

&G has long been a marine electronics company that has had a close affinity with sailing and sailors. The new seven inch, touch screen Vulcan chartplotter is the company’s latest foray into systems that make navigation and sailing easier and more efficient.

Designed to be the core of an expandable system, the basic Vulcan has a built-in GPS and will perform all basic nav functions of plotting waypoints, setting routes and tracking courses.

The Vulcan uses Navionics digital charts. With built in Wi-Fi, the Vulcan can partner with your tablet or smart phone so you can carry a chartplotter in your pocket. With NMEA 2000 protocols built in, the Vulcan can accept data from sailing instruments, which allows you to use the Vulcan’s SailSteer and TrueWind functions that sailors and racers find so useful. www.bandg.com.

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New Zealand based manufacturer of high quality speakers for audio systems, Fusion recently introduced a new line of Signature speakers that combine new styling with the company’s renowned sound quality and all-weather capability.

The new speakers are available in the 6.5 230 watt model or the 7.7 280 watt model. The elegant cases come in Classic White, Sports White or Sports Gray.

Interestingly, the speakers can be equipped with LED lights that can emit either a sparkling blue or white light to add accent lighting to any yacht’s interior. www.fusionentertainment.com.

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Gill’s New Marine Foul Weather Jacket

G

ill has earned a place in the marine market as one of the most innovative and successful manufacturers and distributors of high quality apparel for sailors, racers and boat owners of all types. Their brand new FG1 Marina Jackets that are just being introduced are made with their new 1Dot, 2.5 fabric that is 100 percent waterproof and breathable. Instead of a separate liner, the jacket has a DryTouch inner print that absorbs moisture and reduces odor. The Marina is a perfect light weight foul weather jacket for rainy days afloat when the offshore gear is not needed. www.gillna.com.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Gill Race Watch for All Sailors

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here is something about sailors and their watches. In addition to the time and the date, we all seem to need countdown timers, stop watch functions, alarms and keys locks. Plus, we need the watch to be extremely durable, water resistant and attractive enough to be worth wearing. A price under $100 helps, too. Enter the Gill Race Watch which is packing all of the features any sailor would need and comes in some very cool color combinations that will appeal to both men and women. The case is carbon reinforced ABS plastic with a stainless steel back and the strap is made from flexible, hardwearing TPU. And it costs five cents less than $100. www.gillna.com.

Tri-color LED Lights from IMTRA Save Watts

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EDs have changed the world of marine lighting by reducing the energy bill for running our interior and exterior lights. The new Largo dome light from IMTRA burns a scant 4.7 watts or roughly a quarter of what a standard 20 watt incandescent bulb consumes. A versatile tri-color light, the Largo is dimmable and can be switched from white to red to blue. Being a surface mounted light, the Largo will fit over any old light or is perfect for retrofitting lights where none were before such as over a chart table, in the engine room, over the galley or in large hanging lockers. The light has a polished stainless steel bezel and a simple two-wire electrical connection. www.imtra.com.

Rope Bangles For Sailors

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emon & Line is a Newport, RI based company that specializes in finely crafted rope bangles and unique nautical metal bangles. They also offer excellent braided belts. The new Sakonnet Bangle uses a tight Nantucket basket weave of custom double-braid line to create a tight woven bangle with attractive cherry end caps. The bangle can be worn with formal wear at the yacht club or out sailing for the afternoon with friends. And it makes an excellent holiday gift. www.lemonandline.com

www.bwsailing.com

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{ HOLIDAYGIFTS } Jump Start Your Dead Batteries And More

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dead battery can be a real problem for cruisers who do not have a back up generator or a separate starting battery on the engine. But batteries do go dead and you need to be prepared. The new Weego is the answer. A pocket sized battery that packs a punch when attached to a battery, the Weego uses revolutionary battery and charge control technology to provide the amount of charge you need to get your engine started. The largest model will jump start a 75 horsepower diesel engine while the smallest model fits into your pocket and will charge your cell phone and keep you on the air. www.myweego.com.

Crystal Magnifier Makes Charts Readable

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eems & Plath in Annapolis, MD has been selling fine navigational equipment and marine accessories for decades. This year they introduced a nifty chart table aid that will definitely appeal to those of us who both use paper charts and wear glasses. Somehow, for many, the type on nautical charts gets smaller every year. Hence, the need for the Crystal Magnifier. This clear magnifying glass sits right on the chart and provides four-times magnification. With its own compass rose, it is perfect for reading the tiny print on charts and navigating through narrow channels. It comes in a handsome feltlined box. www.weems-plath.com.

Explorer Binoculars Perfect for Cruising

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good set of binoculars are essential in the cockpit of every cruising boat and a really good pair are much valued by experienced navigators.

The new Explorer seven by fifty binocs from Weems & Plath fit the bill perfectly because they are waterproof and they float. Built into the Explorer are an illuminated bearing compass and a range finding reticule. The ability to take accurate compass bearings and ranges vastly improves the navigator’s coastal piloting and navigation and can be life saving when encountering ships at sea. www.weem-plath.com.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Sport-aSeat Offers Comfort

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or the last 28 years, Lynne and Nevin Paradise have been manufacturing and selling one of the best portable seats on the market and have become fixtures at boat shows across the country. This year, they are handing the reigns of the company to Patty and Christian Frezza who will continue to run the company as a family business and will continue to provide a high quality seats at a fair price. The Sport-a-Seat provides independent back support and a comfortable seat. The back can be adjusted into six positions. Filled with high density foam and covered with durable Sunbrella, a Sport-a-Seat will last for a long, long time. It can be stowed in its own bag and will fit in any sail locker. www.sportaseat.com

WinchRite Grinds Winches For You

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e use winches for a lot of jobs on our boats from hoisting the mainsail to grinding in the genoa sheets to hauling your partner to the top of the mast. Winches help a lot but these all can be tough and back-breaking jobs. The choice to refit your boat with electric halyard and genoa winches involves a www.bwsailing.com

Give The Gift of Sailing All Year Round—Blue Water Sailing

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perfect and very affordable gift for the sailors in your life is a gift-subscription to Blue Water Sailing. You will give a full year, 12 issues, of the only magazine that really speaks to cruisers and those dreaming of heading over the horizon. Our authors— George Day, Bill Biewenga, Nadine Slavinski and many others—are all veteran voyagers and circumnavigators so what you get every month and will give to your friends is the real deal. Plus, your friends will get four issues of Multihulls Quarterly—a total of 16 magazines—all for the low price of just $29.95 (U.S.). Log on to www.bwsailing.com, click on “Subscribe” and then click on “Gift Subscription.” It’s that easy and your friends will thank you every month all through the year ahead. large out of pocket cost. But there is an alternative, the WinchRite. Using new, advanced brushless technology in the powerful electric motor, the WinchRite can turn any winch that you can turn manually and do it faster and longer than you can. Hoist the mainsail or haul in sheets with the pres of a button. The battery will last for the equivalent of eight mainsail hoists or dozens of sheet trims and can be recharged in an hour using AC current from an inverter. At just under $800, the WinchRite solves that grinding problem without breaking the bank. www.sailology.com 51

{ BLUEWATERBOATS }

8QLTXHO\ $PHO{7KH QHZ

7KH QHZ $PHO LV D WUXH $PHO GHVLJQ WKDW KDV EHHQ LPEXHG ZLWK QHZ OHYHOV RI OX[XU\ DQG VW\OH by George Day 52

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

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he morning we sailed the new Amel 55 off Newport, RI in Narragansett Bay, the breeze was moderate and blowing from the north. So, once we dropped the mooring lines in Brenton Cove and motored

www.bwsailing.com

clear of the mooring field, we decided to head north, into the breeze, since the wind seemed much lighter at the mouth of the Bay. The new 55 handled easily under power and we even used the bow thruster to help us make some tight

turns in the mooring field. The engine room is right below the center cockpit and accessed via a large trap door that forms the cockpit sole. This is a huge space that we explored prior to setting off. Two adults can fit in the engine room and work together on repairs.

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The five cylinder Volvo engine sits in the center and is accessible on both sides so routine maintenance is simple. The hatch is large enough so the engine itself can be hoisted out without modifying any furniture. The Onan genset is mounted to port next to the engine and outboard of that is the main AC/heating unit. The water maker is mounted on the forward engine room bulkhead. Everything is accessible and well thought out.

If you didn’t know better, the engine room would make you think you were aboard a much larger mega yacht.

With the hatch closed and the engine running at 2000 rpm, the noise and vibration were minimal. The propeller is fitted to the aft end of the cruising fin keel and 10 feet from the rudder aft so there is very little prop wash as you steer the boat. This ingenious prop arrangement means the prop is always protected from flotsam.

We motored into the bay and rolled out the in-mast furling mainsail and then the mizzen. Like all Amels, the 55 is only available as a ketch. The in-mast furling systems use electric winches to deploy and furl the sails as the unique outhaul winches on the booms work in synch with the motors that turn the furling mandrels inside the masts. Deploying and furling the two sails is accomplished with remote switches mounted at the helm.

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With the main and mizzen deployed and sheeted home hard on the wind, we rolled out the genoa with the Reckmann electric furling system and soon we were sailing smartly. For a big boat with a fairly short split rig, the 55 responded nicely to the breeze and accelerated pleasantly.

We spent some time tweaking the sails to get the best shape for upwind sailing and once we had her settled into the groove found that the 55 was happy sailing upwind at about 32 degrees to the apparent wind. You could pinch her up to 28 degrees if you needed to but the optimum angle was 32. As for speed, in the 10 knots of true wind we were sailing upwind at 6.5 knots. Not bad.

The 55 is no lightweight speedster.

The boat’s hull has a very full yet modern form with a slightly raked bow and transom and pleasantly traditional sheerline.

The full sections fore and aft provide a lot of interior volume that enhances the accommodations. Plus, the hull shape gives the boat an easy motion in waves.

Under the water,

the keel is a moderate cruising fin with a lead bulb while the rudder is fitted to a full depth skeg for protection from underwater collisions.

The idea behind the underwater appendages is to allow the boat to dry out on an old fashioned tidal grid without damaging the rudder or keel.

North of the Newport Bridge, we threw the 55 through a series of tacks and found that she carried her way through the eye of the wind and settled onto the new tack easily and without fuss. Having electric winches on the genoa sheets made this very easy.

The 55 is truly set up for a cruising couple who want to voyage on their own without crew. All lines and sheets can be controlled from the helm and everything is electrified for ease of handling. While there are a lot of systems to maintain in the sailing rig, they do make handling a boat of this size and displacement possible for two people.

When it was time to head back to Newport, we fell off the wind and trimmed for a power reach. Even though the apparent wind fell to below 10 knots the 55 still slipped along very nicely. The helm was always completely balanced and under the control of the autopilot the boat steered straight and true. With an asymmetrical reacher and a mizzen

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

staysail, we could have added a knot or two to our speed.

Ketch rigs are uncommon these days since they represent a lot of extra cost initially and are less efficient sailing hard on the wind than sloops. Yet, for true cruisers, sailing hard on the wind is usually frowned upon and only attempted under duress. Reaching and running are the angles of choice and a ketch excels at these.

And, ketches are excellent in heavy weather. The old tactic of sailing under “jib and jigger”—headsail and mizzen with no mainsail—offers an easily balanced rig that will function well in very strong winds. Plus, the 55 is fitted with a fore staysail on a Reckmann furling system that will be your storm jib when needed.

The helm in the cockpit is command central for the 55 as it is for all Amels. A low windshield wraps around the front of the cockpit and then there can either be a hard top overhead or the standard ”cabriolet” soft dodger that can be

www.bwsailing.com

folded away in good weather. Both versions offer great protection from wind and rain so standing watch at the helm is never an uncomfortable experience.

With all sail controls and navigation instruments right at the helm a lone watchstander can maintain control of sail trim, navigation and keep an eye out for ships without leaving the comfort of the large helm seat. Visibility from the helm is excellent whether scanning the horizon for ships or parking the boat in a marina slip.

We sailed back into Brenton Cove and rolled up the sails with the push of buttons. One person can do this easily.

We picked up the mooring without trouble and got the 55 put to bed. We came away from our two hour test sail impressed with how easy the 55 is to handle and sail. The systems are well thought out, the winches in the right places and the controls all handy to the helmsman.

The boat sails well and will really shine when the wind is blowing and

the seas getting up. With the split rig and staysail, you have many sail combinations to settle the boat into the right grove. And with a mizzen staysail and a reacher, you will be able to make really excellent daily runs in the trade winds. The 55 is a boat with long legs just begging to head over the horizon.

LIVING ABOARD Amel was founded by Henri Amel and the company has long been under the founder’s influence. An experienced cruiser, Amel set out to build what he envisioned was the most practical cruising boat for a couple.

In the early process, he came up with some idiosyncratic design ideas and some signature features.

The Amel Maramu and Super Maramu made the company’s international reputation. And it also earned the designs the nickname of being the “Citroens” of cruising yachts, meaning that they

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were uniquely French, imbued with interesting engineering concepts and had innovations that were not widely embraced by other builders.

The early boats were based on the notion that form must follow function and in that compromise some fine finish and yacht styling was lost. The rigs, hull construction and systems were, however, superb and respected by experienced cruising folk. The engine room, rudder design, electric power rig and helm design are all tributes to this thinking.

Henri Amel passed away some years ago and his company under new management has gone through something of a revolution. The all new 55 and the larger 64 are the fruits of this change.

When you step below the 55 for the first time—particularly if you have sailed the older Maramus—your jaw will drop.

Nothing significant has really changed but everything is different.

The extremely high finish level of the joinery is now yacht style and elegant. The placement of lights and the choices of fabrics are appropriate and stylish.

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The galley is still an alley to port at the foot of the companion stairs and is still one of the best sea-going galleys ever designed. But now it shines with fine fittings, beautifully made cabinets, modern appliances and handsome counter tops. There is ample storage and plenty of counter space for fine cooking.

But don’t be fooled completely. Just as in the past, when you open the aft galley lockers you will find all of the control boxes for the electronics built into the helmstation, right where you can get to them for maintenance and repair. The original Amel concepts are still there; they have been given a new look and a new style.

The 55 we sailed was the two cabin version with two double cabins of relatively equal size and comfort. There is also a three cabin version in which the large space for the master cabin is split into two smaller cabins.

The after cabin will be the owner’s stateroom and is lushly appointed. It is neatly divided with a couple in mind —each can have their own hanging and storage lockers, their own drawers and their own vanity desk. The head is

huge and has a separate shower.

Going forward through the passageway, the “day head” is to starboard. In the passageway there is a narrow sea berth that is perfectly placed for the off watch while offshore. The bunk is near the boat’s center of gravity so will have the least motion in a seaway. It is close enough to the companionway so the on watch and off watch can communicate. And it is small enough so you won’t roll around once the lee cloth has been rigged.

The saloon has the galley to port, the chart table to starboard—also within earshot of the helm—the large dinette to port with seats for six and a bench settee to starboard. It is interesting to note that you are never out of reach of a hand hold, a counter edge or something to brace a hip against as you move through the saloon. At sea, you will be grateful for this seemingly small detail.

The forward cabin as noted is just slightly less luxurious than the after cabin but won’t encourage guests to depart before the last second of their invited stay. There is a centerline double berth, plenty of storage and a large head.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Amel 55 LOA LWL Beam Draft Air draft Displ. (light) Displ. (max) Water Diesel Sail area Engine

In the new 55, function is still a vital ingredient in the design’s formula. But, a healthy dash of comfort, luxury and style have been added and that makes all the difference. The new

www.bwsailing.com

Amel 55 compares very favorably to any cruising boat in the luxury class and brings to the party all of the unique and well thought out attributes that make an Amel an Amel. BWS

56’8” 48’6” 16’4” 7’3” 69’9” 47.400 lbs.

52,910 lbs.

212 gals.

237 gals.

1,614 lbs.

Volvo diesel

Amel USA McMichael Yacht Brokers Mamaroneck, NY 914-381-5900 www.mcmichaelyachtbrokers.com

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{ BOATSWAIN'SLOCKER }

.QRFNGRZQ 2U &DSVL]H $UH <RX 5HDG\" *UDYLW\ ,W V D JUHDW WKLQJ &DQ W VDLO ZLWKRXW LW .HHSV WKH RFHDQV DQG XV IURP VSLQQLQJ RII LQWR VSDFH %XW ZKHQ D FUXLVLQJ ERDW H[SHULHQFHV D NQRFNGRZQ SHUKDSV DV D UHVXOW RI D VXGGHQ MLEH RU WDNHV D URJXH ZDYH DQG FDSVL]HV UROOV RYHU JUDYLW\ FUHDWHV KDYRF DQG FDQ SURGXFH DOO VRUWV RI GDPDJH ZLWKLQ WKH ERDW DQG LQMXU\ WR LWV VDLORUV by Pete Dubler 58

Strap secures laptop from ďŹ&#x201A;ying while ďŹ ddle keeps it from sliding forward

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o demonstrate how extensive this damage and disorder can be, in 2011 the British magazine Yachting Monthly conducted two controlled capsizes of their 40â&#x20AC;&#x2122; crash boat, rolling the boat 360 degrees using a crane while video cameras captured the mayhem that ensued within the cabin (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Gqe1Sxa2GXo). During the ďŹ rst rollover, steps were taken to secure items within the cabin. In the second, the protective measures were removed. The contrast between the two tests is compelling. This led me to study our boat and implement simple but effective measures to secure our boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content while at the same time not inducing undue inconvenience in our daily access to anything on board.

BLUE WATER SAILING â&#x20AC;˘ December 2015

FOREMOST, KEEP THE CREW ONBOARD Having an orderly cabin after a capsize or knockdown is great but not at all helpful if the crew is no longer with the boat. This principal reinforced our practice of using tethers in the cockpit at all times during night watch and of course in any rough sea conditions.

Since one of the most off-balance times in the cockpit is during the entering or leaving of the cockpit, make sure you have a means of clipping into a tether before leaving the cabin.

BIG AND HEAVY STUFF FIRST A typical house battery bank on a cruising sailboat may consist of two or more 4D size AGM batteries, each weighing about 125 pounds. Whether they are in a battery box in a lazarette or under a berth inside the cabin, this sort of mass breaking free and “falling” across the boat could cause massive damage, tearing off a lazarette lid, smashing cabinetry, shattering a hatch, etc. Most likely the cover on a battery box could not retain such forces. To keep our batteries in place we set a 3/8 inch aluminum rod through the sides of the glassed-in battery box. Of course, the rod must be kept clear of the battery terminals.

And there is probably lots of other heavy stuff in your lazarettes. Keeping these items onboard during a knockdown or capsize means keeping the hatches of the lazerettes closed.

On our boat, we use snap hooks in the lock hasps. These are more convenient than locks and are more positive than an open lock hanging in the hasp. A short piece of line through a small hole in the side of the lazarette keeps the snap hooks handy.

Another set of heavy objects that we would not want flying around the cabin are the hatches in the cabin sole. These must be latched down positively. For hatches that you would not remove often, PYI makes a floor anchor fitting which may suit your needs. All of our sole hatches though www.bwsailing.com

T-handle latches secure sole hatches

use a Perko T-handle latch on one end and a 3/8 inch stainless steel pin which slides into a slightly oversized hole at the other end to defeat gravity in the case of a capsize.

LOCKING UP THE LOCKERS All lockers and drawers that could empty their contents athwartship needed a means to be held closed regardless of the motion of the content within them or the angle of the boat.

The very convenient finger latches

on most locker doors are subject to releasing when something within the locker presses on them. It took over thirty short barrel bolts to provide a means to secure all of the locker doors or drawers aboard our Pearson 424 that did not already have another form of positive latch. Each barrel bolt required a teak spacer to create a standoff from the cabinets. The receiver provided with each latch was not necessary and would have required the spacer to be thicker.

Battery in solid box with aluminum rod holddown

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include your wonderfully sharp dividers and any number of other items that could become dangerous projectiles during a capsize. The lid of the chart table itself if broken free could also be very destructive. Barrel bolts on either side of the table conveniently secure our chart table lid now. The laptop on the chart table had to be secured as well. Since we have a few laptops of different dimensions on board, a flexible solution was required. The answer turned out to be simple. A nylon strap and two twist lock fasteners screwed into the chart table keep any of our laptops in place.

The leaves of a saloon table, if not secured, could fly upward in a knockdown or capsize and break off, as they did in the Yachting Monthly video.

Underway, when not in use, the table should be folded and secure. A length of bungee cord, looped at each end and strung between hooks in each of the opposing table leaves holds them from swinging up and is easy to release when using the table.

Holddown for refrigerator lids is convenient and easy to remove

Turnbuttons secure under berth locker lids

GALLEY OR SHOOTING GALLERY The galley presents a few special

The lockers under our main berth and v-berth have floating lids which are convenient to remove while (inconveniently) holding the mattress up with one’s head or back. I did not want to make things any more difficult but these lids definitely needed some form of positive latch. Stainless steel turn buttons, normally used to hold window screens, were just the thing. (source: http://kilianhardware.com/ ststtu.html) For a bit of extra security, I used longer screws than were provided with this hardware. Open book shelves full of books, CDs, DVDs or other items can be simply secured with a fixed or removable batten.

DON’T FORGET THE TABLES The content of a chart table may 60

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

Refrigerator bar slides sideways and forward to remove

challenges. Any items kept on countertops can be secured with bungee cords connected to the cabinets with screw eyes. Knives should live in drawers with positive latches or, if in a knife rack, there must be a means to secure them. Our knife rack is both convenient and secure—barrel bolts came to the rescue here as well.

During the Queen’s Birthday Storm in June of 1994, one crew suffered severe injuries to their feet from broken china and glassware on the sole of their cabin after a capsize. (They had lost track of their shoes also). Glassware should be replaced with plastic cups and glasses.

Similarly, china is best replaced with Corelle or Melamine which, while it still can break, is much less likely to.

The large lid of our refrigerator and freezer compartment is a massive hinged unit that could cause some serious harm flying around the cabin. The cold contents of the refrigerator and freezer could also create a real mess in the cabin if let loose. We needed a means of holding down the lid but wanted something very convenient to unlatch and that would not clutter up the cabinet top nor make keeping the surface clean difficult. The gaskets of the lid raise it above flush with the cabinet top.

Barrel bolts, while simple would not meet our criteria here. A quick-release mechanism was fashioned out of two blocks of Plasteak, a ¾ inch spring ball plunger, and a 5/8 inch aluminum rod. www.bwsailing.com

Spring ball in socket receives the rod and provides tension to hold it in place

READY FOR SEA There are still plenty of potential unidentified flying objects not addressed in this article. Gear hammocks will likely retain their contents during a rollover but make sure they are adequately secured so they don’t come free. These are a great place for the odds and ends. Check all other cabinet tops, sink tops, or other flat surfaces before setting out to sea. Our coming off anchor checklist now includes the securing of such items. Are we prepared for a capsize or knockdown

now? We feel our boat is much more secure for such a circumstance. Nonetheless, we’d never look forward to one.BWS For over a decade now, Pete Dubler has been writing for BWS about projects on his Pearson 424 including articles in this series detailing her complete restoration and refit. During 2015, under a phased retirement program, Pete and his wife Jill will spend more time shaking out S/V Regina Oceani and plan to depart for worldwide cruising December 2015.

Locker and drawer latches

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BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

THE CHANDLERY

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ZDWFK V\VWHPV IRU FRXSOHV $8*867 &KDUWHULQJ VDLOLQJ VFKRROV H[SHGLWLRQV RIIVKRUH QDYLJDWLRQ WHFKQLTXHV VDLOLQJ ZLWK FKLOGUHQ 6(37(0%(5 6LFLODQ VRMRXUQ ERDW VKRZ SUHYLHZ QDYLJDWLRQ ZLWKRXW *36 'LVFRYHU\ FDWDPDUDQ 2&72%(5 &RFRV WR +DZDLL $,6 1DSD 9DOOH\ $QWDUHV L 7DUWDQ 129(0%(5 &RPSOHWH JXLGH WR ŵWWLQJ RXW %DKDPDV *XDGHORXSH (DVWHU ,VODQG 3DP :DOO LQWHUYLHZ '(&(0%(5 6XUYLYLQJ SLUDWH DOOH\ HQJLQH LQVWDOODWLRQ best cruising areas; Oyster 46 -$18$5< 1HZ PDULQH HOHFWURQLFV DSSV GLJLWDO FKDUWLQJ &DOLIRUQLDőV &KDQQHO ,VODQGV &DWDOLQD )(%58$5< 6RFLDO QHWZRUNLQJ FXVWRPV &DULEEHDQ *UHHFH )UHQFK 3RO\QHVLD 6DEUH 6HDZDUG 0$5&+ 6XPPHU VDLOLQJ JXLGH %RFDV GHO 7RUR %HQHWHDX 6HQVH $35,/ )LWWLQJ RXW VHOI VWHHULQJ DQFKRUV SURSV %DKDPDV 0RURFFR -HDQQHDX 0$< 5HVWRUH UHŵW D FODVVLF FUXLVHU ZKDW FUXLVHUV ZHDU FUXLVLQJ LQ ,WDO\ 6RXWK 3DFLŵF SDVVDJH 1RUZD\ JUNE 5LJ UHDGLQHVV .DQWRQ $WROO FDWDPDUDQ LQ :DQJDQXL 1= VDLOLQJ WKURXJK D KXUULFDQH FROG ZDWHU VXUYLYDO northeast cruising; Bavarias JULY %D\ RI ,VODQGV 1= 3DQDPD &DQDO DQFKRULQJ VPDOO ERDW VDLOLQJ %HQHWHDX 2FHDQLV AUGUST 6HDVLFNQHVV 869, VDLOLQJ LQ WKH 6RXWK 3DFLŵF 0DXULWLXV ZRUOG VDLOLQJ DGYHQWXUHV %DYDULDV SEPTEMBER %RDW EXJV KDWFK UHVWRUDWLRQ .XQD <DOD 0HG VDLOLQJ 'XIRXU ERDW VKRZ SUHYLHZ OCTOBER 6DLOLQJ 1= WR WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV SURYLVLRQLQJ WKH WKH 3DFLŵF ',< VOLSFRYHUV ŵWWLQJ RXW 7DUWDQ NOVEMBER *DOOH\ FRQVHUYDWLRQ VDLOLQJ WKH 6ZDKLOL FRDVW *XOI 6WUHDP FURVVLQJ HPHUJHQF\ PHGLFLQH SRZHU DECEMBER (QJLQH UXVW /LQ /DUU\ 3DUGH\ ERDW KDXOHG LQ 1= UHODWLRQVKLS PDLQWHQDQFH %UXFNPDQQ 0.,, JANUARY *DODSDJRV :HVW 6XPDWUD 0DOWD VSDU UHVWRUDWLRQ UHYDPSLQJ HOHFWULFDO V\VWHPV %HQHWHDX 2FHDQLV FEBRUARY 7ZLVW LQ \RXU VDLO 9DYDőX VDIHW\ HOHFWURQLFV YDUQLVKLQJ WKH FDELQ VROH ERDW GRQDWLRQ &DWDOLQD MARCH )RRG SURYLVLRQLQJ *UHHFH FKDUWHU VDLOLQJ WKH 'DOPDWLRQ FRDVW ZLQG SRZHU VDLO GRQőW PRWRU APRIL 3XUFKDVLQJ VDLOV &RVWD $OHJUH 0H[LFR WUDFNLQJ \RXU SDVVDJH $XFNODQG WR 0RRUHD ŵWWLQJ RXW ,3 MAY /D\HULQJ FORWKHV (FXDGRU UHPDVWLQJ LQ WKH 3DFLŵF +\ODV JUNE %DNLQJ EUHDG 7REDJR VDLOLQJ LQ 0DLQH HOHFWULFDO FLUFXLWV +DQVH 0RRG\ '6 JULY +HDYLQJ WR 0DUWLQLTXH WHQGLQJ \RXU WHQGHU SRFNHW FUXLVHUV &DWDOLQD AUGUST 6KHHW OHDGV FUXLVLQJ $XVWUDOLD WKH $EDFRV UHSODFLQJ SRUWV 6HDZDUG 5. %HQHWHDX 6HQVH OCTOBER 1= WR WKH 86 ,QGLDQ 2FHDQ ŵWWLQJ RXW 0RUULV -HDQQHDX JANUARY *LQR 0RUHOOL FUXLVH 1HZ =HDODQG SHWV RQERUG QDYLJDWLRQ HOHFWURQLFV %HQHWHDX 6HQVH FEBRUARY ,VOD 0XMHUHV 0H[LFR 7KDLODQG WR 6RXWK $IULFD H[HUFLVH RQERDUG HYHQLQJ ODQGIDOO FRPPXQLFDWLRQV RQERDUG ZLQFK PDLQWHQDQFH 7DUWDQ )DQWDLO MARCH &ULVLV PDQDJHPHQW (DVWHUQ 0HG &DULEEHDQ FKDUWHULQJ GLHVHO HQJLQHV +XQWHU APRIL &RPPLVVLRQLQJ ŵWWLQJ RXW 1HZSRUW WR $QQDSROLV %RQDLUH 6 6 JUNE 5XP &D\ %DKDPDV YR\DJLQJ JDOOH\ ZLQGODVV LQVWDOODWLRQ JULY 3DUWQHUVKLSV 6DPRD *XOI 6WUHDP FURVVLQJ UXGGHU VQDJ PLG RFHDQ VPDOO ERDW FUXLVLQJ 5LYRODW 9LQWDJH AUGUST +LJK ODWLWXGH VDLOLQJ 0H[LFR WR WKH 0DUTXHVDV &DULEEHDQ FKDLQSODWHV -HDQQHDX &DWDOLQD SRFNHW SEPTEMBER 7DKLWL &DULEEHDQ FLUFXPQDYLJDWLRQ 9DQXDWX VQXEEHUV ERDW VKRZ SUHYLHZ EX\LQJ D ZLQGODVV OCTOBER /LYLQJ RQ WKH KDUG 3DQDPD WR *DODSDJRV

FLUFXPQDYLJDWLRQ %ORFN ,VODQG ŵWWLQJ RXW %DYDULD 9 129(0%(5 7VXQDPL *DODSDJRV WR 0DUTXHVDV $ODVND HQHUJ\ DŶRDW LQVWDOO D ZLQGODVV 2\VWHU DECEMBER % 9 , 'RPLQLFD 0DUTXHVDV WR WKH 6RFLHW\ ,VODQGV VHZLQJ FDQYDV IDYRULWH FUXLVLQJ VSRWV ;3 -$18$5< 5LR 'XOFH SDUW 0DUTXHVDV $WODQWLF FRDVW RI (XURSH QDYLJDWLRQ HOHFWURQLFV WXQLQJ ULJV %DYDULD & FEBRUARY 5LR 'XOFH SDUW ,, +DLGD *ZDLL )LML FRPPXQLFDWLRQV DW VHD 'HQPDUN $OOXUHV MARCH 1LXH 3RO\QHVLD 0DUTXHVDV WR 3DQDPD UXWV of cruising; Northwest Passage; storing water, Beneteau 38 APRIL *UHJRU 7DUMDQ 6RFLHW\ ,VODQGV 1RUZD\ ŵWWLQJ RXW KHDOWK LQVXUDQFH &RQWHVW &6 MAY 6RXWK 3DFLŵF 3DQDPD /DNH 6XSHULRU VDIHW\ DW VHD UHSODFLQJ D FKDUWSORWWHU $OHULRQ JUNE $QWDUFWLFD UH HQWU\ OLIH RQ ODQG .LQJGRP RI 7RQJD VDLO SHUIRUPDQFH 6DWXUQ AUGUST 1HZ =HDODQG 6YDOEDUG 1RUZD\ ZRUOG FUXLVing adventures; Bavaria Yachts SEPTEMBER (TXDWRULDO FURVVLQJ 1HZ &DOHGRQLD OLYLQJ WKURXJK D KXUULFDQH )UHQFK *XLDQD JHQHUDWRUV +DQVH OCTOBER ZRUNLQJ ZKLOH FUXLVLQJ VWHHULQJ ZLWKRXW D UXGGHU ŵWWLQJ RXW ZLQWHU FKDUWHUV 'XIRXU NOVEMBER 0DOWD 7RQJDQ IHDVW %DMD EDVK HQHUJ\ RQ ERDUG VHOI VWHHULQJ -HDQQHDX DECEMBER 3DSXD 1HZ *XLQHD )UHQFK 3RO\QHVLD WR 1LXH VHDVLFNQHVV % 9 , DODUPV VHOI VWHHULQJ *XQŶHHW JANUARY 7XUNH\ +DYDQD WR 0LDPL ZHHNHQGHU WR EOXH ZDWHU VDLORU HOHFWURQLF QDYLJDWLRQ GRGJHUV +DQVH FEBRUARY 6DOW\ 'DZJ 5DOO\ 7XDPRWX FRPPXQLFDWLRQV DW VHD WKURXJK KXOOV SURSV 2XWERXQG MARCH 3HQUK\Q &RRN ,VODQGV FOHDULQJ LQ SURFHVV FKDUWHU $PHULFD 6HDVFDSH *DUFLD ([SORUDWLRQ APRIL )LWWLQJ RXW UHHIHU PDGQHVV QDYLJDWLRQ HVVHQWLDOV %DYDULD & MAY 6DIHW\ DW VHD SURYLVLRQLQJ WRSV -D\DSXUD ŵEHUODVV FRQVWUXFWLRQ %HQHWHDX JUNE &UXLVLQJ 6YDOEDUG GLVFRYHU 3DODX 3DQDPD &DQDO SW SHUIRUPDQFH VDLOLQJ 6DORQD JULY 3RFNHW FUXLVHUV &XED SW 6RFUDWHV FLUFXPQDYLJDWLRQ 3DQDPD &DQDO SW AUGUST &XED SW %& FUXLVLQJ XVHIXO NQRWV HDVW FRDVW to the Caribbean, Azuree 46 SEPTEMBER &XED SW *DODSDJRV $QWDUHV 8QLYHUVLW\ 7UDQVDWODQWLF UDFH ERDW VKRZ SUHYLHZ

Issues are $6.00 each or $4.00 for 10 or more Order by phone: 888-800-SAIL (7245) or www.bwsailing.com Visit our website for all back issues

0DKLQD 2IIVKRUH

&UXLVLQJ 6H0LQDU Learn the latest practical and rewarding aspects of ocean cruising from accomplished world cruisers and instructors John and Amanda Neal.

Jan. 10: Toronto Boat Show Feb. 6: Seattle Silver Cloud Stadium Feb. 20: Vancouver Granville Is. Hotel Apr. 9: Strictly Sail Pacific This intensive, exciting and interactive seminar features over 18 topics including Choosing the Right Boat, Equipment Selection, Storm Avoidance and Survival, Safety & Medical Concerns, Communications, Anchoring, Galley Essentials, Managing Your Escape & Cruising Routes Worldwide.

Seven months a year John and Amanda conduct sail-training expeditions worldwide aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 46, Mahina Tiare. This seminar incorporates the knowledge gained from their combined 642,000 sea miles and 79 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience.

8 hours of detailed instruction with PowerPoint illustration follow the 260 page

Offshore Cruising Companion Seminar Fee: $179 single, $299 Couple.

Details and online registration: www.mahina.com or call 206.378.1110

ZZZ 0DKLQD FR0

A YEAR FOR MAKING MEMORIES

We believe the best part of memories is making them. Don’t let next year pass you by.

Now’s the time to start new traditions while embracing old ones.

Come and experience one of over 30 new additions to our ever-expanding fleet, from our classic Sunsail 38 and graceful 47 to the spacious 51. We’d also love to introduce you to the new star of our fleet, the 404 catamaran – putting in an appearance all over the Caribbean this winter. Pack them full of family and friends (or just a cruise for two!) and set sail on our modern, spacious fleet.

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Offshore Sail-Training Master ocean voyaging, storm tactics, navigation and seamanship with expert instruction aboard Mahina Tiare III, a Hallberg-Rassy 46, with John & Amanda Neal’s unique curriculum.

w w w. m a h i n a . c o m www.bwsailing.com

77

The Multihull Company The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leader in Multihull Sales, Service and Charter The Exclusive Dealer Of These High-Quality Catamarans

The Balance 421

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2008 Catana 90 $4,750,000

2004 Privilege 435 â&#x201A;¬299,000

2013 Leopard 58 $1,195,000

2010 Balance 601 $1,099,000

Chris Rundlett Grenada 473-457-3245 &KULV 5XQGOHWW¶V ¿ UVW VDLOLQJ DGYHQ WXUH ZDV RQ D VPDOO 6XQ¿ VK RZQHG E\ WKH 8 6 &RDVW *XDUG ZKHUH KLV IDWKHU ZDV VWDWLRQHG LQ 1RUWK 'DNRWD 6LQFH WKHQ KH GUHDPHG RI ELJJHU KRUL ]RQV DQG VDLOHG ZKHQHYHU KH KDG WKH FKDQFH &KULV LV D WUXH VRQ RI D VDLORU ZKR VWDUWHG KLV PDULWLPH FDUHHU WHDFK LQJ 86&* &DSWDLQV /LFHQVLQJ FRXUVHV LQ WKH 3DFL¿ F 1RUWKZHVW 7KLV OHDG WR WHDFKLQJ VDLOLQJ LQ WKH 6DQ -XDQ ,V ODQGV RI :DVKLQJWRQ 6WDWH ,Q &KULV VWDUWHG ZRUNLQJ ZLWK D VDLOLQJ VFKRRO LQ WKH &DULEEHDQ +H HQMR\HG VDLOLQJ LQ WKHVH H[TXLVLWH ZDWHUV VR PXFK KH GHFLGHG WR VWD\ ,Q &KULV VWDUWHG WKH SUHPLHU $PHULFDQ 6DLOLQJ $VVRFLDWLRQ D൶ OLDWH VFKRRO LQ WKH &DULEEHDQ /7' 6DLOLQJ ³/LYLQJ WKH 'UHDP ´ 7KH\ KDYH QRZ RSHQHG D VHFRQG ORFDWLRQ LQ WKH *UHQDGLQHV DW WKH 3RUW /RXLV 0DULQD *UHQDGD SDUW QHULQJ ZLWK 7KH 0XOWLKXOO &RPSDQ\ &KULV DQG &KU\VWDO IRXQG WKDW PDQ\ RI WKHLU VDLOLQJ VFKRRO VWXGHQWV ZHUH LQWHUHVWHG LQ EX\LQJ ERDWV ± PDNLQJ WKLV D QDWXUDO SDUWQHUVKLS *UHQDGD LV D JUHDW FUXLVLQJ GHVWLQDWLRQ ZLWK LWV VRXWKHUO\ ODWLWXGH H[FHOOHQW PDULQH VHUYLFHV DQG DFWLYH FUXLVLQJ FRPPXQL W\ 3OHDVH FDOO &KULV RU &KU\VWDO DW LI \RX ZRXOG OLNH WR GLVFXVV WKH DGYDQWDJHV RI EX\LQJ RU VHOOLQJ \RXU \DFKW LQ WKH &DULEEHDQ 2U VWRS E\ WKH R൶ FH DW 3RUW /RXLV 0DULQD WR VD\ µKL¶ QH[W WLPH \RX DUH LQ *UHQDGD

2009 Catana 50 $749,000

1990 Prout 50 $269,000

2003 Lagoon 470 $329,000

2000 Shuttleworth 44

$230,000

2011 Lagoon 560 $1,149,000

2012 FP Orana 44 $399,000

2001 Privilege 465 â&#x201A;¬315.000

2014 Isara 50 $1,299,000

2011 Lagoon 500 $669,000

2006 Voyage 450 $330,000

2008 FP Eleuthera $690,000

2011 Matrix Vision 450

1997 Catana 471 $409,000

2004 Dolphin 460 $429,000

2005 Catana 582 $699,000

2010 Knysna 480 $585,000

$378,000

w w w. m u l t i h u l l c o m p a n y . c o m Need Assistance? Have Questions? Contact us!

215-508-2704

The Moorings Yacht Brokerage has the world’s largest selection of pre-owned charter yachts.

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he Moorings Yacht Brokerage sells over 200 pre-owned charter yachts from the world’s best manufacturers each year. A leet yacht purchase includes the same “blue-water” ready equipment used to safely sail the boat from the USA, France, or South Africa factory to one of our many global bases. You too can take advantage of the same proven value realized by every other satisfied buyer worldwide whether you plan to sail locally or internationally. Call or email for more details on our select opportunities to own today. #FTU #PBUT r #FTU &RVJQNFOU r #FTU -PDBUJPOT r #FTU 4FSWJDF

2011 BENETEAU 50

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2009 BENETEAU 43

Oceanis 43.3 and 43.4 3 & 4 Cabin available. Well equipped.

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2010 LEOPARD 384

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Following Models Specially Priced Starting at Only...

‘12 Leopard 39-3 cab... $269,000 ’12 Leopard 44 ........... $399,000 ‘13 Leopard 48 ....….... $579,000 ‘11 Jeanneau SO 409.. $120,000 ‘04 Beneteau 50 ......... $199,000 ’11 Jeanneau SO 53 .... $300,000

2009 JEANNEAU 44I

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81

{ BROADREACHING }

by ANDREWCROSS

-XVW 6DLO 7KH %RDW

I

was on the dock casting off lines when Jill put the engine in reverse. Then, when she powered up to back us out, nothing happened. We didn’t move. Not good.

After securing us to the dock again, I immediately expected the issue to be transmission or gear cable related and took a look below to find the problem. Everything was ship shape.

Back on deck, we shifted into forward and the boat moved, but just slightly.

The prop?

In a stroke of good luck, a diver happened to be working on the boat adjacent to us, so I asked if he could take a look at our prop. He obliged, and after a quick inspection informed me that one blade of our two blade folding prop was missing. I wasn’t sure at what point we lost it, which made a potential search useless, and the diver was reluctant to retrace our steps through the marina due to the thick mud.

We floated several options on how to get a new prop and install it so we could get back down to Seattle. None of them were quick, easy or cheap in 82

the San Juan Islands. Fortunately, a northeasterly breeze of 15 to 25 knots was forecast for the next 48 hours, which made our decision easy. Sail.

With just one blade, we couldn’t move in reverse, but we could move in forward just enough to get us out of the marina and put the sails up. So the next day we limped out of the marina at noon, set the sails in 15 knots of breeze and shut down the engine. We had 62 miles to go.

Out of the San Juan Islands and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca we went.

Once clear of the islands, we popped the spinnaker and were making a cool seven knots towards our destination— all velocity made good. But I knew it wouldn’t last.

As the sun set the wind died. Our sails went limp and steering became futile. Fortunately, we were getting the beginning of a flood tide that swept us southward towards Seattle. Zephyrs came and went for about two hours before the wind started filling in again.

It soon kicked back up into the 15knot range and we were off. We made good time and arrived at the marina

around 1:00 a.m., but we still had one last task at hand. Docking. Because our slip was north facing with our bow in, I knew that we could use the wind to slow us down as we made our final turn.

As I trimmed the sails, Jill sailed us down the inside of the breakwater and through the marina. I rolled the genoa up as we passed the fuel dock and then started creeping the main down. When we turned into our fairway I dropped the rest of the sail and our speed slowed to a crawl. Ghosting forward into the dark, Jill turned us into the slip and I got off with an aft spring line in hand, snubbed it on a cleat and we were there.

In total we sailed 62 miles in 13 hours, which was an average speed of just under five knots. The whole episode was a good reminder that when the engine fails, it doesn’t matter—because after all, we’re sailors. BWS Andrew, along with wife Jill and sons Porter and Magnus, are currently cruising the Pacific Northwest aboard their Grand Soleil 39 Yahtzee. Follow their adventures at threesheetsnw.com/yahtzee.

BLUE WATER SAILING • December 2015

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