Cruising outpost #18 spring 2017

From the Creators of

CruisingOutpost.com

CUBA is

HOT HOT HOT

THINGS that Go BUMP in the Night COST of CRUISING A Seven-Year Compilation KEEPING Up with the

TIDES Spring 2017 Issue #18

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And we did it O N PU Most o RPOSE! ther bo magazin ating es h 65% adave over s.

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People Who Helped Us Create This Issue

Alex & Daria Blackwell James F. Cash Lee Chesneau Joe Cloidt Elinore Craig Todd Duff Paul Esterle Donna Lynn Gambino Etienne Giroire Scott Kellett Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn Chuck & Patty Ritenour-Ridgway Marilyn Schroeder Robert Scott John Simpson Joy Smith Morgan Stinemetz Gail M. Turluck

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This Issue’s Cover: Many thanks to Mason Mullen for sending in this great photo of Justina Ross on her first sail from Grace Harbor to the Neuse River and on to South River where they anchored for the night. She hails from SouthCentral Kansas!

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Issue #18 Spring 2017

Contents

14

Special Stuff in this Issue 14 23 57 63 84 90 118 124 132 166

My train of thought has left the station.

Things That To Bump in the Night Cuba is Hot Hot Hot The Shannon River Cruise Featured Veteran Cruising Vessel - Amel Super Maramu What is the Real Cost of Cruising Keeping Up with the Tides Against the Wind Butt Naked and Dragging Anchor Loon Harbour Retying a Trampoline

23

Regular Stuff in this Issue Attitudes Bob Bitchin Scuttlebutt Another Way Tania Aebi Trouble with Treb Rich Marker What’s Out There: Monohull - Com-Pac 27/3 What’s Out There: Multihull - Gemini Freestyle 37 What’s Out There: Power Cruiser - Ranger Tug R-29 CB Lifestyle Flotsam & Jetsam Galley Gourmet Harbor Hangouts Weather by Lee CO Events & News I Found It at the Boat Show Life Aboard Robin Stout Bubba Whartz Book Review Capt. Jim Cash Talk of the Dock Zuzana Prochazka Tech Tips Captain Pauly Bosun’s Bag Mackie White Parting Shot Cruisians

10 28 46 48 50 52 54 70 96 116 126 130 135 144 160 162 164 168 170 172 179 181 182

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84

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Attitudes

I’d grow my own food if only I could find bacon seeds.

By Bob Bitchin

The most asked question I get at seminars and gatherings is, where is my favorite place in the world to cruise. The problem with that is, there are so many “favorites” dependant on your mood, and no mood changes faster than a sailors. It’s usually due to weather, or a boat deciding it wants to take it easy.

I do have an answer, but it’s one of those ambiguous statements we all hate to hear. You see, this big blue ball we live on has a lot of beautiful places. Some are easy to get to on a boat, some are not. Some you want to visit to enjoy some solitude, and some you want to visit to live a little history.

Some you want to go to for a good time, and others you want (need!) to visit to fix your boat, or re-supply, or haul-out for a cleaning.

So here are some of the places that I sailed when I was cruising the world and then I went back, taking friends and relatives to share what I found.

First and foremost is the Vava’u Group of islands in Tonga. When we sailed there in the ‘90s we fell in love with the place - true Polynesian culture and safe anchorages which are also some of the most beautiful anchorages you can imagine. We have gone back four or five times, always bringing new people to introduce to the beauty of the islands and the people: white sand, crystal clear water, palm trees and very few tourists. It’s a true Polynesian paradise.

But after you have been in this paradise you start longing for something different. When that happened to us while cruising, we decided we wanted to go and see some ancient civilization. We spun the globe

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we used for our “decision making” and decided Greece was probably one of the best places to sail to experience the civilizations of the past. So, we cast off for the Aegean Sea. It was everything we had hoped for and more 3,500-year-old buildings, great food and very friendly people. It’s hard to beat the island of Delos, or the beauty of Mikanos, or sailing through the ancient caldera of Santorini.

These, for me, provided the best memories we had, but others will have a totally different list because we all will experience different things at these places. I know in Vava’u, one of our best memories is of a Cruisers’ Party we threw there in the early 2000s. The Governor and his family came, and we had Eric Stone and his band playing live on the beach. A friend had a “less than fun” experience there, because as he was pulling into the makeshift haul-out, his prop shaft pulled out and he almost sank.

I think that the same rules that apply for “Going Home” exists for cruising destinations. It’s not the place, it’s the time!

One thing I realized a few decades back was, you can never go home. Home was not a place, it was a time, and the same can be said for cruising destinations.

It’s not where you are, it’s what is going on while you are there.

So the next time you are trying to figure out the best place to point your bow, don’t worry. One thing I can tell you... once you’ve cut your dock lines, your life will be better no matter where you end up going!

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As free spirited as you want to be.

Sunsail is full of passionate sailors, and we know what makes the ultimate sailing vacation. We are driven by freedom, adventure and the joy of life on the ocean, and we’ve been that way since we set sail on the first ever flotilla in 1974.

A Sunsail flotilla gives you the freedom to be as independent or as sociable as you like. Sail in the company of other yachts, guided by a lead yacht and expert Sunsail crew. We like to make our flotillas easy, so we’ll fill up your tanks with fuel awater, plan the route for the week and support you with a Lead Crew skipper, technician and host.

Your group. Your route. Discover together.

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R B

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A true taste of the Caribbean.

Our specialist flotillas take the flotilla concept one step further, adding an exciting twist. New in 2017, Sunsail introduces the Rum Tasting Flotilla held in the British Virgin Islands. Set out from Tortola and follow in the wake of pirates and villains, stopping off at some of the BVI’s most notorious watering holes and distilleries.

they once housed. Sail to Jost van Dyke for a tour and tasting at the Callwood Rum Distillery, the oldest continuously operating rum distillery in the Caribbean. Snorkel off Monkey Point before heading to Leverick Bay for the legendary Happy Arrghh Pirate Show & Rum Party. Embrace the spirit of adventure on a quintessentially Caribbean flotilla.

Delve into the checkered history of the BVI rum trade. Many of the area’s harbors are named after the rum distilleries

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Reserve your yacht while availability lasts. Call 800.437.7880 or visit sunsail.com/rum Bareboat | Skippered | Flotillas | Sailing Schools | Ownership

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Things That Go

B

Sometimes The Difference Between an Ordeal

Anchored in Paradise...

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

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As a liveaboard sailor there is nothing better than dropping the hook and spending the night at anchor. You can pick a beautiful, secluded spot and the boat becomes your own little island of tranquillity. The trick to being content with your spacing is something that comes with experience. The more you gain, the more you develop a feel and a knack for doing it well.

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Bump in the Night and an Adventure Is A Secure Anchorage!

Story and Photos by Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn

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This is how boats should anchor, leaving plenty of space for swing. Monos with monos, and cats with cats.

Early on in our cruising days, we were anchored on the Atlantic coast of Portugal in the late autumn, when the weather is notoriously fickle. Upon checking the latest conditions we saw that the wind was going to change direction and realized, to our deep dismay, that we had miscalculated our position within a very tidal anchorage.

If we didn’t move the boat we would go aground at the next low tide, which was in the early hours of the morning. While not a great situation to be in, at least we had realized our mistake in time and got up at 4:00 a.m. to move the boat into deeper water. However, as we slowly motored to a suitable spot in the eerie dawn light, me at the bow and James at the wheel, the wind picked up and started howling, so we had to scream out our instructions to each other. I looked up and suddenly felt all the blood drain from my face. There, a few metres away, was another monohull heading straight towards us at speed, accelerated by the wind and current, with no lights on and no one at the helm.

We were about to be T-boned.

I squawked out a very loud and short swear word, along with the word “BOOOAAAAT!!!!” barely audible over the blast of the gale, but it was descriptive enough for James to swiftly steer us so that we were now head-on to the other yacht. The logic of this was that a collision might be easier to avoid if we were bowto-bow as we could escape with just a glancing blow rather than have 16 Cruising Outpost pg 14-19 Things That Go Bump in the Night edited.indd 4

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Boats in the Caribbean anchor very close to one another

Nicely spaced - Portugal

another vessel crashing into our beam. Luckily, we didn’t even touch and we stared in horror as the “ghost boat” sped silently past us and eventually ploughed into the shore next to another wreck. It had broken free from its mooring that night and there was no one on board to hear our shouts and warnings.

A close call in the night doesn’t necessarily mean high drama and strong winds. The following year, in Panama, we were buddy-boating with friends on a catamaran and pulled up next to them in a bay. We wanted to be anchored nearby and the forecast showed that no The anchorage where we wind was expected, so we had our worst conditions, cozied right up to them, a Banderas Bay, Mexico distance that some would

call too friendly. The water was deep so we also needed to put out a lot of chain. Catamarans and monohulls behave like very different beasts when left to idle and dance in the water, free from the effects of wind or current. I wasn’t happy with our final position once we’d dropped the hook. “I think we should move, we’re anchored too close to The secluded anchorage is always the best

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Close, but not too close, makes the difference between good and bad anchoring

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Anchoring within a mooring field means paying even more attention to boat movements

Our boat at anchor in New Zealand

A typical anchorage in French Polynesia

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One of our favourite Caribbean anchorages

James reassured me, but I was still grumbling. Sure enough, that night we were woken by a little “bump” and scrambled up on deck to be greeted by the equally sleepy and surprised faces of our mates who were good natured enough to say, “Fancy seeing you here!” rather than blaming us for the situation. In the stillness the two boats had gently bounced together.

Minor though the impact was, it was bound to be repeated over the course of the night if we didn’t do something. In the name of a good night’s sleep our solution was to fender up, raft the two boats together with several lines given the mild conditions, and all go back to bed to deal with detangling in the morning. Thankfully, they www.cruisingoutpost.com

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were nice about it and James only had to put up with a day or two of my I-told-you-so smugness.

Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since then, learning more and more about just how our boat moves and swings in every different set of conditions. The great lesson with any kind of anchoring blunder is to realize and rectify your mistake before your boat (or anyone else’s) gets into any real trouble. The true beauty of the sailing community is that everyone has developed their own know-how from a similar set of embarrassing incidents and encounters. Sure, they’re hair-raising and somewhat humiliating at the time, but so long as you do improve, these bumps will be only to your ego rather than your boat.

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Cuba is Hot Hot Hot!

By Gail M. Turluck

(Editorial Note: This article was written prior to the Presidential election. No one is sure of how Cuba will be affected by the election - stay tuned to www.CruisingOutpost.com for updates.)

With the relaxation in requirements for U.S. citizens to enter Cuba, Peter Goldsmith, Karen Angle and Jeff Dreschler of the Conch Republic Cup got fired up and organized the 8th edition, conducted January 27-February 6, www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cuba is Hot Hot Hot!

from Key West to Varadero, Cuba to Havana, Cuba and returning to Key West. Obviously it was not the first time the Conch Republic Cup raced to Cuba, but it was the first time with government approval.

The event was portrayed as an international race series. Of the 12 categories of permitted travel from the U.S. to Cuba, the Conch Republic Cup, a Cuba/ US sailboat event designed to promote person to person intercultural exchange, fell under athletic competition travel authorization.

“Our goal was to provide a world class format for racers to have a challenging race across the Gulf Stream to Cuba,” said event chair Peter Goldsmith. “We wanted a real race fleet for this event, not a bunch of boats full of people that wanted to get to Cuba.” However, the wind gods stirred

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up all kinds of trouble, preventing far less than half of the nearly 60 participating boats from participating fully. The weather helped make the Conch Republic Cup look more like a flotilla event to get a bunch of people to Cuba, though with a slight racing bent.

I was in a group of 22 sailors from the Chicago, Illinois area that chartered two catamarans to participate in the event. The Bella Maggio, a Fountaine Pajot Salina 48, was home for 12 of us for 10 days. The Sea Dame, a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44, hosted the remaining 10 people from our “Chicago to Cuba” corp.

It was quite a feat to acquire two charter boats with insurance that could participate in the event with many legal restrictions still in place.

Dante’s Restaurant and Pool Bar was headquarters in Key West. The Skippers Meeting/Welcome Party on January 27 set the tone for the fun of

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the coming experience. Lots of delicious appetizers, beverages, and good music were enjoyed.

On Thursday, January 28, the race from Key West, Florida to Varadero, Cuba was to start at 5:00 p.m. The wind gods had something else in mind. Winds of 27-32 knots and gusty from the south with waves of 6-8 feet and higher in the Gulf Stream led organizers to postpone the start until noon, Friday. This posed a quandary for many of the entries, as a noon start would likely cause arrival at Varadero in the dark. The buoys and day markers for the channel into the harbor are not lighted and there are reefs, shoals and islands to avoid.

Those feisty wind gods kept things stirred up just enough that the start was again postponed, this time to 5:00 p.m. Friday, making arrival for the majority of the fleet in daylight the next day.

Conditions at the start, as sunset was approaching, were picturesque: partly cloudy, winds 10-15 knots, seas of one foot.

The fleet headed south to Varadero, arriving on Saturday in mostly sunny skies. Welcoming launches guided them from the outside channel into the Harbor at Marina Gaviota. Other launches awaited to aid with Med moor tie ups. Marina Gaviota is a fully modern marina completed only two years ago, with full electric, fresh water, showers, plus the complete resort.

Much of the required Immigration paperwork was completed in advance through the event organizers. Form CG-3300, the U.S. Coast Guard Application for Permit to Enter Cuban Territorial Seas, as well as the various visa and medical insurance fees, were completed and paid in advance.

A government doctor and Immigration official visited us with health questions, processed passports, official documents, and cleared us in. It took about three hours for this to be completed. Not lightning fast, but with 600 people arriving in half a day, it was handled well. Each person received a paper visa good for 30 days (passports were not stamped), as well as an identification card for marina access and visitor’s medical and repatriation

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Cuba is Hot Hot Hot! insurance. After that, we were free to tour as we pleased with no restriction.

That evening was a welcome party with live music, open bar, and a delicious buffet dinner. Marina Gaviota is part of a Meliá Hotels International operated resort featuring full five star amenities. It was very secure. Right outside the main lobby was a lineup of taxis to whisk you away to Varadero proper, with restaurants, markets, museums, churches, and all the needs of daily life for Cubans along with distractions aplenty for us gringos.

Negotiating a taxi fare was part of the fun. Once the price was set, the driver reported it to a watching supervisor, who also was being watched by another person in uniform with a gun on his shoulder. This reminded us that Cuba is still a Communist country. Surprising was that a driver would wait while you shopped, worshipped, ate, etc., and be right where you left him to take you back from whence you came. The first taxi I rode in was an old Peugeot that needed new shock absorbers 20 years ago. Auto parts are very hard to come by in Cuba.

I decided to go to Sunday Mass at Santa Elvira church in Varadero. Lucky for me the hotel had the time wrong, as I was 20 minutes early which let me claim one of the last six spots open in a pew! While I speak elementary Spanish, it was very difficult to understand the priest. There were no missals, hymnals or bulletins; everything was memorized. There were banns of marriage read. I’ve never seen such joy and anticipation for upcoming nuptials in an American congregation. At the sign of peace when all greeted each other, there was a profound sense of joy, though those around me were Italian, Swiss and Cuban. At the close of Mass was a final surprise, a couple celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary had a rededication of their wedding vows.

Four of us shared a ’57 Chevy Bel Air taxi back to Varadero later that day. Of particular interest to us was Cuban art and crafts. Cuban art is bold, emotive, and low cost. Paintings, woodwork, clothing, handmade soaps, and more were available at art markets. The taxi driver gave us a tour as he drove us into town, and we stopped at the art market for about an hour.

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On the second night in Varadero there was an awards party for the Key West to Varadero race and the day’s course race. We had decided to sit out the buoy races as we wanted more time for touring Cuba. Also, being monohull high-performance racers, we found the performance of the catamaran to be somewhat wanting. The crew of the Bella Maggio got to go up on stage and claim their trophy for second place in the race to Varadero.

After the race party the resort offered a Tropicana Revue in its Las Morlas disco.

For some crazy reason the sailors didn’t pick up on this and attendance was sparse. A few of us women were looking for a club for some dancing. As we walked past Las Morlas, the doorman decided that with 20 minutes left in the show and low attendance, we girls should be admitted at no charge to help fill the house! We were shown to a table where our beverage orders were taken and served promptly. The revue featured about a dozen women and three men dancers. Singing to recorded music, their voices were strong and beautiful. The dancing was well choreographed, and with each passing act, well, the costumes became more and more revealing. Oh, my! We gals had a good laugh as we knew the men in the crew had really missed out on something! Then it was time for salsa dancing which was great fun.

Monday, February 1 was the race from Varadero to Havana. The wind gods were still up to no good, providing almost nothing to work with. This race’s time limit was before dawn. We were uneasy with arriving at Marina Hemingway in Havana in the dark, and we also had serious concern that, due to the forecasted light winds, finishing in the time limit was unlikely. Since we wanted to maximize our time on shore in Havana, instead of racing we left early, motored and sailed when there was suitable breeze, arriving mid afternoon. Only one catamaran competed in this leg.

It was a mostly cloudy, dull day on the water with slightly limited visibility. As we got closer to Havana we were quite disturbed by the quantity of garbage in the water. It was obviously Cuban trash; there were NO logos on the stuff, just plastic bags, bottles, and generic wrappers.

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Our crew’s excitement was electric as we made the turn at Marina Hemingway’s mid-channel buoy (De Barlovento) and made our way to the Customs station.

There were two representatives who took our passports, reviewed the boat’s documentation, and asked some pertinent questions. Because we were already cleared in, after about 15 minutes we were able to progress to Marina Hemingway and tie up.

Marina Hemingway dates back to the 1950s. While some modernization has been accomplished, for example, 50 amp electric was available, the walkways were well worn and other examples of tough times were plain to see. This does not discount the welcome from the dock hands, nor the staff at Marina Hemingway, nor everyone at Club Nautico Internacional de Hemingway de la Habana. Again, we were very secure.

This first night we went out to eat and visited the old Conrad Hilton Hotel and the Sala de Fiestas Turquino on the 25th floor that had a nightly midnight show. It started with the opening of the roof to the night sky, and then a live salsa band for dancing.

We had some concern about potential incoming weather. By the time we arrived in Havana it was more than a possibility. The end of the event was changed to get the fleet home safely but early, as a double-barreled weather system was approaching and would bring northerly gales on the scheduled return date. Organizers changed the schedule so there was just one course race on Wednesday, February 3, and immediately following, boats turned the finish mark and that was their start for the Havana to Key West race back home.

So, we had one whole day, February 2, to cram in as much of Havana as we could. Three of us shared a taxi and went to the art market, followed by a visit to the cigar museum and factory, Sloppy Joe’s in Havana for lunch (just reopened two years ago, fabulous), the Havana Club rum factory, la Floridita Restaurant and Bar (known for creating the daiquiri with guidance from Ernest Hemingway), Hotel Nacional (known for creating

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the mojito with guidance from Hemingway), the Capitol Square with ‘50s model taxis parked all around, and the restored Opera House. On the taxi ride home we were treated t­­­­o a stop on the coast to watch the sun set just as it hit the horizon.

That night the Welcome Party and Final Party were combined and featured a pig roast. The Commodore of Club Nautico Internacional de Hemingway de la Habana made burgee exchanges with many, including four of us from Bella Maggio.

The last morning we went to a nearby José Fuster’s Fantasyland, a neighborhood of mosaic decorated homes, patios, fences and walls. It is simply stunning.

Clearing out required another stop at the Customs station.

Each individual had a brief interview with a Cuban Customs representative and their photograph was taken. The process took about 15 minutes.

The trip back on Wednesday was sailed in winds of 25-28 knots, with a triple-reefed main and jib. Waves grew to eight feet and higher on the beam. A few times a really big wave hit the boat, knocking a crew member across it once, and stowed items out of their place and all over the cabin. We were all tethered, as the catamaran’s motion was unusual and we were really being tossed. As we closed in on Key West, the seas lessened considerably and the breeze eased some.

Reentry to the U.S. was accomplished by a phone call to U.S. Customs, followed by a visit by the whole crew to the Key West airport where our captain and boat coordinator were interviewed by U.S. Customs and we were cleared back in. There was no examination of the boat. This left us with two ­­­­­and a half days to play in Key West. We did all the touristy things.

The final awards banquet at Dante’s was held in the worst of the storm we returned early to avoid; it was blowing 35-40, heavy rain, about 58 degrees, and miserable. We were quite comfortable with our decision to be back in the States early. We all were universal in our desire to return to Cuba, too!

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You’re only as old as you feel. Will someone feel me and tell me how old I am?

Scuttlebutt

All the news that fits

“Like” If You Like Sailing

The American Sailing Association (ASA) now has over 100,000 followers on its Facebook page. That’s double the amount at the end of 2015 and makes it one of the top five sailing-related pages on all of Facebook. The focus of its content is educational, including in-depth and short videos on a range of sailing topics. Check it out!

“Share the Sail”

Sail the San Juan Islands with Us

The second week of August will be the 17th Annual Cruisers’ Party in the Pacific Northwest.

This year we plan on doing a Share the Sail event in conjunction with the annual gathering of the Brethren of the Sound.

We get the boats (sail and power) and set up the route, arrange the stops, cover the cost of insurance, fuel and partial provisioning. Those who want to participate sign up to reserve their cabin. Those aboard share the sailing, navigating, cooking, etc. We will have an experienced skipper on each boat to help! www.cruisingoutpost.com/sharethesail

Nautical Trivia In terms of legal jurisdiction, how much of the United States lies below the ocean?

(Wanna cheat? The answer is on page 44)

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Scuttlebutt Another World Record Attempt

Matt Kent, fourth mate on the U.S. Brig Niagara, is attempting to set a world record for the smallest sailboat to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean. How small is it? The boat measures a mere three feet six inches by three feet six inches!

Matt, who is 33 years old, has spent the last five years designing and building the boat. The aluminum hull is 3/16-inch thick above the waterline and 1/4-inch thick below. The height from the keel to the top of the cabin is seven feet, six inches (guess he’ll sleep standing up?). The interior has plywood with a half-inch of padded, insulated foam anywhere below the waterline. The floorboards open up for storage. On top of the cabin is a bulletproof Lexan bubble window covering the hatch and providing a lookout. The aluminum mast is 15 feet high.

Matt plans to provision with 300 lbs. of supplies including 180 lbs. of dehydrated food and 40 gallons of emergency water. Daily water will be produced with a manual desalinated watermaker.

The 4,700-mile voyage begins March 1st off the coast of Africa and should end three to four months later near Miami, FL. During the crossing he’ll keep in touch by Sat phone and he’s equipped with AIS and an EPIRB. Good luck Matt!

Back Where It Belongs!

In 1996 we returned from our world cruise on Lost Soul and started Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine. Over the next 15 years we became the biggest selling cruising lifestyle magazine and had the only nationally broadcast weekly sailing TV show.

In 2011 we “sold” the company. We were never paid for it and ended up losing it! Both the TV show and magazine were shut down a couple months later.

In 2012 about 800 of our readers “came to our rescue” and banded together to help us form Cruising Outpost, which has grown to become the best selling marine lifestyle magazine in the US over the past five years. These are our Founders Circle members.

In December we won back the Trademark! Good things come to those who wait!

We asked our Founders Circle if we should rename Cruising Outpost and the response was a mix of “absolutely” to “why fix it if it ain’t broke?”

And so, as you can see on this issue’s cover, we have decided to keep Cruising Outpost for our title, BUT we have added “From the Creators of Latitudes & Attitudes.”

Latitudes & Attitudes is a state of mind, and that state of mind is what runs thru every issue.

Check Out www.latitudesattitudes.com

Bob & Jody (& Fred!) creating the first issue of Latitudes & Attitudes aboard S/V Lost Soul 1996

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Spring Boat Show Specials Without The Show!

We Are Skipping The Spring Boat Shows To Pass The Savings Onto You! Call 800 336-0315 Before April 1st To Save On Our Advance Fuel Polishing Systems.

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Don’t Leave Shore Without It 800.336.0315 • www.ktisystems.com WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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Scuttlebutt Matthew Turner to Launch in April

For the past few years, at every one of the Cruising Outpost cruisers’ events we have held a rafe for prizes donated by the boating industry. The proceeds from these events went to the Educational Tall Ship Foundation, to help with the building of the Matthew W. Turner, a tall ship being built in Sausalito to serve middle school aged youth and engage them in marine environmental education and the boating lifetyle.

The project is reaching completion and is expected to launch in April, thanks to the hundreds of people who have volunteered to help build this vessel! Check out www.educationaltallship.org.

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Eight sizes for boats up to 150-ft

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Fortress is the only anchor that disassembles and offers adjustable flukes to provide superior anchoring hold in a variety of bottom conditions.

Testing conducted aboard R/V Rachel Carson, Solomons, MD, August 5-8, 2014. Full test results can be found at www.FortressAnchors.com

www.FortressAnchors.com www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Manufactured in the USA Cruising Outpost 33

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Scuttlebutt Let Us Pray

Lord, please grant me patience because if you grant me strength, I’m going to punch somebody.

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Ocean Tribute Award Announced

Prince Albert II of Monaco is following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father to help protect the oceans.

“It is a family heritage. It goes back to Albert I and his great devotion to oceanography, which was then a very young science.

This was a great inspiration for what my father has done for the Mediterranean, and for what I did with the Monegasque government and with my foundation. “ Prince Albert worked with the producers of BOOT, the largest boat and water show in the world, to create a prize - the Ocean Tribute Award. The prize will be awarded to new ideas that protect the aquatic environment - whether it is a waste, noise or overfishing.

He believes sailors love the sea and will help to clean it up.

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Scuttlebutt The Arctic is Open

The melting ice in the Arctic Ocean is opening it up for expanded maritime and naval activity. In the past that has been limited to naval submarines because of the hidden dangers the ice produced. With the changing environment, naval representatives report there is now an opportunity to open new commercial shipping lanes, increase oil and natural gas exploration, fishing and tourism. Developing a deeper understanding and knowledge of the new environment will be essential for the safety of future activities, however. As an example, sea ice reduces waves and swells. With increased sea ice melt comes more waves and wind which will have many different impacts.

Everything in Its Proper Place

I have CDO. Its’s like OCD, but with the letters in alphabetical order, as they should be.

He say‛s he‛s virtual-sailing!

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Scuttlebutt Build It and They Will Come?

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, announced the building of a 1,400-berth marina and massive lighthouse along its coast. The new Dubai Harbor is planned to take up more than 20 million square feet and include a cruise ship port and terminal. The lighthouse will be 443 feet tall.

The developer, Meraas, which is backed by the Sheikh, will build the project between Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence neighborhood and the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago. So far there are no cost estimates for the project.

Another World Record

Frenchman Thomas Coville has set a new world record for sailing around the world nonstop and alone: 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 38 seconds. He started from an island in the English Channel aboard his Sodebo trimaran, finishing in the Brittany port of Brest where he was welcomed by his family, support crews and lots of champagne. This was his third attempt to break the previous record of 57 days held by Frenchman Francis Joyon since 2008. Joyon was present to help Coville celebrate. Prior to Joyon, the record had been held by British sailor Helen MacArthur who completed the solo circumnavigation in 71 days.

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Scuttlebutt Boating is On the Rise!

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has reported that the recreational boating industry is on an upswing and sales growth is expected to continue through 2017 and on into 2018. Meanwhile, the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the U.S. Commerce Department added that the American recreational boating industry is the strongest is has been in years.

Here’s some interesting ďŹ gures: Adult boating participation has grown 6% annually from 2009 to 2014. Also, in 2014 about 44% of boat owner participants made between $50,000 and $99,000 annually. Sales of new powerboats are expected to increase 6% -7% with 95% of boats sold in the United States actually built domestically. The top 10 states for boat sales are, starting with #1, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, California, Louisiana and Alabama.

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Scuttlebutt Go Sailing App Goes National

You’re never too old for nap time.

Go Sailing, a social networking app which connects people interested in sharing the experience of sailing, has released a nationwide version. Go Sailing originally launched in the San Francisco Bay area in 2013 and quickly developed a large community of users. It was then introduce in the Los Angeles area and now offers a much improved Version 3 for both iOS and Android sailors across the country. The app is available to download free, and no membership is required.

The new V3 Go Sailing ≠includes a map to help sailors easily discover trips, crew or sailing events both nearby and nationwide. In addition to sailing trips it supports sailing-related social events like seminars and dock parties. It also allows sailors to send private messages, making it easy to connect with friends or introduce themselves to skippers and other sailors.

Go Sailing is a gift to the sailing world from the American Sailing Association!

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Scuttlebutt Go Navy!

The U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently demonstrated a new means for protecting harbors - “swarmboats.” These small, unmanned boats patrol the harbor and if an intruder is detected they chase them from the area with only remote human supervision. The autonomy technology used in the swarmboats is called Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing, or CARACaS. It is inexpensive compared to the cost of maintaining manned vessels, and it’s versatile enough to assist Sailors and Marines in many different missions to keep them safer.

In the recent demonstration, the swarmboats patrolled a large area of open water on the lower Chesapeake Bay. When an unknown vessel arrived the group collaborated to determine which boat would approach it to classify whether it was harmless or suspicious. That boat then communicated with the other swarmboats to either track and trail the unknown vessel or to return to patrolling the area. All the while, the group provided status updates to a human supervisor. Kewl stuff!

Let’s Just Sleep on It Shall We?

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.”

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Scuttlebutt New Safety on the Inland Seas Webinar

For all of you lakes, waterways and coastal cruisers, here’s a great opportunity to bone up on all of the safety issues you could encounter.

Presented jointly by the Great Lakes Cruising Club and the Cruising Club of America, the two-part webinar will draw from US Sailing’s A flare demo is part of the Webinar.

Safety at Sea and CCA’s Safety for Photo by CCA/Ernie Godshalk Cruising Couples curriculums.

The webinar, which is geared to both sail and power boaters, takes place on April 4 and April 6. Each session runs about an hour including interactive Q&A with the instructors, Sheila McCurdy and Ron Trossbach.

Both are extensively experienced boaters with thousands and thousands of sea miles behind them.

Part One is Basic Tools and Practices for Cruising Safety. It addresses the need to periodically review and update procedures for using safety equipment such as VHF radios, MOB devices, EPIRBs, flares, etc. Part Two is Putting Safety Skills into Practice in Short Handed Situations, which is how most cruisers cruise.

The webinars have been highly discounted as a public service to reach as many recreational boaters as possible. Registration is only $10.00 for the two-session class. To register just visit www.GLCCSchool.com, click on “Free Enrollment” to enroll with the school; register for the class there.

Skipper and crew can participate in class sessions together under one registration. Each registrant will receive links to review recordings of the sessions as often as they desire after broadcast of the live classes.

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Scuttlebutt Fishing with Condoms?

Yes. They’re not just for birth control anymore. At least not in Cuba where they are used for fishing off the seawall. Condoms are inflated to balloon size and tied to baited fishing lines, floating them further out to sea where the catch is better. Regular balloons are expensive in Cuba, however condoms are government subsidized and cost less than a cent each.

Called “balloon fishing,” the practice has become increasingly popular. One fish is worth an average month’s salary, but the balloon fishermen say they are simply feeding their families. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention and decades of limited resources in Cuban have resulted in some very inventive solutions!

If It’s Gonna Happen, It’s Gonna Happen Here

Captain Ron was wrong! According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan for boating safety, most boating accidents happen in the boat operator’s home port, not “out there.” Violations of navigation rules are the most common source of accidents, deaths and injuries. Excessive speed, improper lookout, inadequate onboard navigation lights and operator inattention were the top contributing factors in the 1,482 accidents, 1,116 injuries and 102 deaths reported nationwide in 2014. One of the goals of the strategic plan is to figure out why these incidents occurred.

New No Fishing Zone

At the 35th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the United States and 24 other government entities approved to preserve Antarctica’s Ross Sea. At 598,000 square miles it is now the largest Marine Protected Area.

The decision prohibits industrial fishing and will be in effect for the next 35 years. The toothfish, aka Chilean Sea Bass, is the main commercially valuable fish.

The Ross Sea is considered one of the last unspoiled ocean wilderness areas on the planet.

Plans are to keep it that way with more MPAs to come. The new protection starts on Dec. 1, 2017.

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Scuttlebutt Around the World Emission Free

Energy Observer, a 100-foot multi-hull racing boat designed in 1983, has been converted into the first self-sufficient boat powered only by emissionfree energy and will depart this spring for a sixyear circumnavigation. She is equipped with solar panels, wind turbines and a hydrogen fuel cell system so she will be powered by the sun, wind and self-generated hydrogen.

The boat will be stopping in 101 ports in 50 different countries over the course of the circumnavigation, demonstrating that there are many solutions for energetic transition and that, “All solutions are within nature,” according to French environmentalist Nicolas Hulot who attended the project presentation at UNESCO headquarters. The Energy Observer project was conceived by skippers Frederic Cahairel and Victorien Erussard, along with scuba diver and filmmaker Jerome Delafosse.

Equipped with a diversity of renewable energies, when there is no wind or sun, Energy Observer will be able to produce hydrogen through electrolysis of sea water. Florence Lambert, the director of the CEA Liten Research Institute which devised the energy system, stated that it is a good example of what energy networks will look like in the near future: a well balanced mix of renewable energies and hydrogen storage systems.

Get the Lead Out

According to a director’s order issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, lead fishing tackle will be phased out of public lands managed by the U.S. government by January 2022. The federal order stated, “Exposure to lead ammunition and fishing tackle has resulted in harmful effects to fish and wildlife species.” The order is being opposed by the American Sportfishing Association.

Nautical Trivia

(Answer to the question on page 28) Fifty percent, half of the United States, lies below the ocean, and most of it has yet to be explored.

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MATH: Mental Abuse To Humans

Scuttlebutt ACTIVE PIRACY REPORT from the ICC - A Narrative of the Most Recent Attacks (as of press time) January 30, 2017 - 0345 UTC, Freetown Outer Anchorage, Sierra Leone: Duty deck crew onboard an anchored container ship informed the OOW that two robbers were sighted on the forecastle. Alarm raised, PA announcement made and crew mustered. Hearing the alarm and seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped without stealing anything.

January 24, 2017 - 1750 UTC, Mamonal Inner Anchorage, Colombia: Unnoticed, robbers boarded an anchored chemical tanker, stole the ship’s properties and escaped. The theft was discovered by the crew during routine rounds.

January 9, 2017 - 0755 UTC, Guayaquil Outer Anchorage, Ecuador: Unknown numbers of robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier, stole ship’s properties and escaped unnoticed. The theft was noticed by the duty crew during routine rounds. Incident was reported to the local agents.

January 18, 2017 - 1955 UTC, Chittagong Anchorage, Bangladesh: Four robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored container ship using a hook attached with a rope. Duty crew noticed the robbers on the aft mooring station and raised the alarm, made an announcement on PA system and mustered the crew. Seeing the alerted crew, the robbers escaped with the ship’s stores. The incident was reported to the Port Control and Chittagong Coast Guard. After a few hours the Coast Guard notified the ship that two suspicious boats were stopped and searched but the stolen stores were not recovered.

January 15, 2017 - 0215 UTC, Jose Anchorage, Venezuela: Two robbers boarded an anchored LPG tanker via the anchor chain. The robbers took hostage the duty AB on the forecastle, tied him up and threatened him with a knife. They then removed the hawse pipe cover and four more robbers boarded the tanker. The robbers took the AB’s mobile phone, stole ship’s properties and escaped. The AB managed to free himself and informed bridge who raised the alarm and crew mustered. Port Control informed.

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Another Way We live in times of information overload. Even gas pumps blast news and entertainment clips while you fill the tank. The first time voices started blaring from the payment screen, I almost had a heart attack, then got annoyed. The trick is figuring out how to ignore gas station media as much as all the other blather assaults in restaurants, bars, airports, taxis, billboards. Even weather has become sensationalized, its nail biting behavior broadcast everywhere with hyped taglines like “storm of the century,” and “polar vortex.” So much entertainment, so little usefulness.

For most people who aren’t farmers or mariners, weather information is necessary for deciding between suede or rubber, when to cancel a barbecue or hike.

Dozens of weather services wait to break days down into hour-long increments of likelihood. If you believe accurate predictions are even possible, the problem is knowing which one you’ll want to use when the weather really matters—when to get your hay in dry, or set out on a North Atlantic passage. For this, I’ve come to rely on a site called passageweather.com. Ask other sailors if they know about passageweather, and the answer will immediately reveal who goes offshore, and who doesn’t.

When it comes to the promise of fair or foul weather out in the middle of the ocean, no information is too much information. Or, is it?

Okay, this little intro isn’t coming entirely out of left field. Let me return to where I left off three months ago. Quick summary: last time I wrote, Sam, my nearly 23-year-old son, was embarking on a solo passage to the Caribbean with my 32-foot, 34-year-old sailboat. I described the preparations and reasons why he was doing this, never mentioning the boat’s age and her bimini.

Before he was about to actually take on the North Atlantic, neither was a huge concern. But, for two days at the end of the first week in November, he was tied to a mooring in Newport Harbor waiting for me to tell him he had a good weather window, and I was home, glued to the computer

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screen and passageweather, obsessed. Just about every waking and sleeping thought was tortured by visions of miasmic blobs of foul weather parading across his path, imagining how the hunk of fiberglass would manage, if the bimini would survive, if Sam would live to tell a tale. The story never ended well.

If I’d been doing this passage from Bermuda to the Caribbean, it would have been totally different.

The boat and I could have handled just about anything together. Worrying about myself is not even close to the same thing as worrying about a relatively inexperienced offspring in the middle of a cold and stormy sea while feverishly awaiting updated maps. The obsessive eye, glued to passageweather and the worsening winter weather situation, did not help the obsessive thoughts.

Passageweather reminds you it relies on donations, which you can make in gratitude while clicking on weather maps that forecast out at gradually lengthening intervals for one week. Light blue and darker blues are the colors you want to see, indicating winds between 10-20 knots.

Various shades of green, orange and red are not good.

In fact, they are alarming. One visit after another to the website revealed a predominance of greens, oranges and reds that looked hairiest and most contrary just when he’d be crossing the Gulf Stream.

I’d left Sam alone in Newport Harbor. Literally. In summer months, the place was crowded with anchored and moored vessels of every imaginable size and budget, swarming with launches, dinghies and little day sailing fleets racing between everything. Now empty, a couple forlorn boats floated here and there. As Sam blithely dreamed of all the big fish he’d be catching underway, inventorying his lure collection, chomping at the bit and waiting for word from me that he could leave, I was haunted by passageweather generated visions of howling winds and tremendous waves. When the most current wind speed and direction forecasts for the waters between Newport and Bermuda had been fully absorbed, I clicked

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on pages describing wave heights and precipitation. Again, for wave heights, the blues are okay, greens and oranges, not so much. Again, green and orange abounded.

I paced the house surrounded by pictures of Sam’s happy life, while my imagination pictured him in the desolate harbor, the safest place on the planet. I heard the halyards clanging in the cold and sporty northerlies, ready to haul up sails we’d triple-reefed before I left.

Then, my imagination watched him drop the mooring line and slowly motor out onto what now felt like the unsafest place on the planet. Completely at the mercy of the ever-changing weather-model interpretations that would be my child’s reality for the next couple of weeks, I was suffocating from an uncontrollable fear delivered by the information overload. And, sought even more information.

Finally, at wits end—and until you’ve been there, “wits end” is the most abstract of terms!—I called Commander Weather, a service that interprets the models and gives you the best routing advice.

They, too, were disconcertingly uncertain.

On Sunday, there was a way to weave around the worst weather, on Monday, the way had disappeared. Then came the moment when the information flood swallowed up the last vestiges of my rational faith in Sam, the boat, in happy endings.

The time had come to not care if Sam would be disappointed, to not care what the yard guys would say when we motored back in and asked to be hauled out for yet another winter, to know when to fold. I called Sam, pulled the plug, and immediately felt all the drama get sucked out of my atmosphere.

Instead of freaking out at having Mom thwart his best

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stab at adventure ever, he shrugged, answered an email to set up a job interview, and a week later, moved south and became a working man, safely driving his truck around New England inspecting steam traps. In serene calm, I thanked Commander weather for their help, paid my bill, sent a donation to passageweather, and have not consulted it once since then—until now, just to make sure I got the color descriptions right. Instead, I happily winterized the boat, something that one week earlier, I’d been swearing I never wanted to do again.

Who knows how it would have turned out?

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and if I hadn’t had passageweather, and Sam had just left on a nice day following a front, he might have had a rollicking adventure story to tell for the rest of his life. Then again, maybe not, and no amount of information would have be able to change that outcome. Some things we can control, and all things being relative, I am contentedly back to avoiding gas pump screens.

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What’s Out There?

Com-Pac Yachts has become known for exacting attention to detail and commitment to value. The 27/3 is built in their traditional style, with stainless ports and deck hardware, plus lots of teak to please the eyes.

The Com-Pac 27/3 is one of the more popular sizes for a pocket cruiser. She’s fast, tracks straight, and accelerates swiftly in light winds. She maneuvers tightly, turning within her own length, and motors as well as she sails.

The 6’ 10” cockpit with port and starboard seat lockers also has wet storage under a contoured helmsman’s seat.

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Pocket Cruiser

Wide decks and cabin top provide plenty of room for sail handling or just lounging in the sun.

The Com-Pac 27’s interior allows 6’ 1” standing headroom, six berths and a large enclosed head with standard hot water shower. A full galley, hanging locker and loads of storage space help to satisfy the needs of a cruising family. Three large hatches and eight opening ports ensure ample ventilation and a bright, airy atmosphere below.

The two cylinder, fresh water cooled diesel or the powerful sail plan with standard 135% roller furling

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Com-Pac 27/3

Genoa smoothly propel this cruiser through crowded harbors or across open water. The Com-Pac 27/3 combines performance and strength in a very attractive package.

If you’d like more info on this great pocket cruiser go to their website at www.com-pacyachts.com, email them at info@compacyachts.com or give them a call at 727-443-4408.

Get all the facts: www.com-pacyachts.com Com-Pac 27/3 LOA 29’7” LWL 24’3” Draft 3’6” Beam 9’6” Power 20 hp Diesel Fuel 12 USG Fresh Water 55 USG Displacement 6,000 lbs.

Berths 6-8

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What’s Out There?

The new Gemini “Freestyle” 37 is flexible and accommodating. It can be tailored however you see fit.

It can be outfitted as a basic family sailing catamaran, a day-charter boat, or with luxury appointments for relaxation and dining, including chaise lounges, an outdoor galley and wraparound bar.

A low base price enables a family and their friends to get out on the water in a similar style to an open

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Cruising Catamaran

picnic boat. Deck furniture is available as modular, built-in sections from the factory, either at initial purchase or as a retrofit. The boat also has an optional, full-size, hardtop canopy that can be used as a sun deck or a platform for solar panels.

The boat is good for use as a single owner/operator, or as a charter. The option is yours. You can see more about the vessel at www.Geminicatamarans.com.

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Gemini Freestyle 37

Get all the facts: wwwgeminicatamarans.com Gemini Freestyle 37 LOA 38’ 2” LWL 34’ 10” Draft 2’ 10” Beam 14’ Power 1-25 hp Fuel 56 gal.

Fresh Water 60 gal.

Displacement 7500 lbs.

Holding Tank 18 gal. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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What’s Out There?

The new Ranger Tug R-29 CB offers the comfort, convenience, and utility of a command bridge with seating for four. Access to the bridge is an easy climb up the teak steps from the aft cockpit area.

On the bridge you’ll find a full suite of electronic controls. These include VHF, bow and stern thruster controls, Volvo engine controls, spotlight remote, lighted compass, and optional Garmin autopilot and Navigation system. You’ll also find convenient grab rails for safety, 12V power, cup holders, and weatherproof speakers.

This new design offers a curved front window and an overhead glass atrium for visibility from the

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Power Cruiser

lower helm station and salon area. The aft cockpit seating arrangement includes a reversible seat, port and starboard jump seats and a teak table for outside dining.

The opening cabin bulkhead with reversible seat also provides additional cockpit seating while bringing the outside in.

The R-29 CB can accommodate up to six adults on three separate berths, including the forward island berth with en-suite head. Standard stern and bow thrusters make docking exceptionally easy.

This boat comes ready to cruise, and is trailerable for accessing new cruising grounds.

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Ranger Tug R-29 CB

Get all the facts: www.rangertugs.com Ranger Tug R-29 CB

LOA 33’ 4” Deck Length 28’ 10” Draft 28” Beam 10’ Power Volvo 260 HP Sleeps 6 Fuel 145 USG Fresh Water 60 USG Dry Weight 10.800 lbs www.cruisingoutpost.com

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19/01/2014 19:28 2/6/17 1:26 PM

Cruising Ireland A Week on the River Shannon

Our cruise started at Carrick-on-Shannon, a town in County Leitrim. My wife, Valerie, and I had traveled from the United States to Dublin, then to the upper-middle part of the Republic of Ireland to acquire our charter boat. We were to provision it for a seven-day cruise due south with just the two of us on board. We would then leave the boat and continue our trek across this lovely and enchanting country.

We arrived at the charter company headquarters on the river just north of an age-old, long-standing bridge. It would now serve as the gateway to our Irish riparian adventure. With the sun happily glowing above us we made our way down to the harbor where our boat was ready and waiting for us to come aboard. It was a clean and attractive 32’ single diesel-powered cruiser with twin staterooms on either end, each with its own vanity, toilet and shower. In between was nestled a nice lower www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Captain James F. Cash

galley, main salon and dinette, and inside helm station. Up the companionway was an aft deck with the outside helm and lounge area. It was compact, but more than enough for the both of us, especially considering that the forward stateroom served as Valerie’s personal luggage, wardrobe and souvenir storage.

A rainbow appeared in the distance beyond the bridge, while swans swam around in front. Was this real? Yes, because then we received the friendly and official vessel run-through and cursory demonstrations, a simple and informative navigational guidebook for our cruise, and questions answered. Then we were off to town again for provisioning. When our shopping was completed the market’s van was happily offered and loaded, and our supplies delivered to the boat! This was just a precursor to what the Irish hospitality was going to be like for our entire visit around the country.

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Cruising Ireland

Our Sunday morning began with me walking to town, listening to the church bells, hoping to find wire ties to hoist our U.S.A.’s Stars and Stripes and fly our colors. I hurried back to the boat and improvised with the deck brush and its handle, not having a staff on board to attach the flag to. Then we were off!

We headed up the river to our first destination, rather than south to the town of Boyle at the north end of Lough (“lokh,” Irish-English, a lake) Key. The day was bright, sunny and almost warm(ish!), so instead of pants I wore shorts for the first time in Ireland.

From the marina, up the Shannon, and then over to the Boyle River, graceful white swans floated in every direction: in the middle of the river, on both sides of the boat, and in the reeds close to shore. Against the backdrop of gently rolling, brilliant green landscape, a sky filled with puffy white clouds and a glint of sunlight off the water, the swans made it seem like we were in a fairy tale illustration. I was following the chart looking for markers, and was enjoying my second cup of coffee fortified with Teeling whiskey, which probably added to the surreal impression. However, our photographs taken on the cruise are proof positive of this phenomenon.

Our trusty guidebook stated that M.J. Henry’s Pub & Shop in Cootehill was Not To Miss! So, we pointed the boat in that direction straightaway. When the channel

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narrowed dramatically, we found ourselves cruising by Sunday golfers on the green, close enough to hear their conversations and the whack of the balls being hit as they teed off over the water on a Par 3.

Soon we reached Cootehill, pulled over to the town quay by the bridge, tied up and hiked into town. We were directed to M.J. Henry’s by a pleasant lady walking her little dog, and even though it was still Sunday morning, I was able to enjoy a breakfast beer and converse with the proprietor in this tiny Irish bar. We asked about dining and were directed further up the river to Tara Marina, where we found a lovely lunch setting overlooking the river.

By the time we reached our recommended, but out of the way Lough Key, the sky had darkened and a cold, light rain was falling. Boyle Harbor, where we were to put in for the night, was down a narrow canal off the river on the west end of the Lough. When we finally got tied up the rain was heavier, the sky a dark gray, and it was cold and wet. We got settled and turned on the boat’s heater.

Later, we bundled up and started up the ramp for a walk to town. The owners of the boat moored next door were just returning on their bicycles, and after seeing we had only one umbrella between the two of us, went inside their boat and brought out another one for us to borrow, offering their bicycles as well. We preferred to go on foot, so they wished us luck and pointed us in the direction for www.cruisingoutpost.com

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the two-kilometer walk to “town,” as they gave each other a quick smile and shrug. It seemed way longer and by the time we reached what we believed to be the main street, there was no one about. It was dark and we were both cold and wet.

I saw a sign pointing to Clarke’s Bar & Restaurant, and I went inside to check out the dining situation.

Valerie, still wet and scrambling to take the rain-soaked poncho off over her head on the sidewalk outside, comically struggled with it, not realizing the show everyone could see from inside the crowded pub. She stumbled in looking like a drowned rat, and seeing the view outside, realized how amusing it must have been for the patrons inside their cozy environment. On the positive side, there was a warm fire in the hearth and all the heads that turned seemed friendly. James Clarke, a fourth-generation owner of Clarke’s, smiled and said, “Looks as though you folks may need a drink” … and we did.

We had a delightful dinner and dessert with his daughter-inlaw as server and food guide. Mr. Clarke showed us the portraits of his great grandparents that started the establishment in the late 1800s.

Though the rain had let up a little, when it was time to go the Clarkes insisted on calling us a cab for the return trip, which turned into two trips as I had to go back to retrieve our borrowed umbrella! When we got back to the boat and returned the umbrella, our kind boat neighbors insisted we join them for a night cap. Two very nice native gentlemen on a boating holiday, we enjoyed their edification on being Irish, politics, and in their opinion, the high points of their native country that were Not To Miss! They also insisted that I finish off their bottle of whiskey. So as not to put a damper on the hospitality extended, I obliged.

The next morning I was anxious to get going as the sun was up and the rain had passed. So we headed back down the Boyle River to Lough Key where we ducked into a bay near Castle Island, where the picturesque and historied ruins of the McDermott Clan’s castle remain.

Once the stronghold of the Lords Lieutenant of Ireland, it is now a County Park. Nearby is the Lough Key Forest Park, an 800 hectare (1976 acre) activity compound popular with families and tourists. The area is comprised of huge areas of scenic woodlands and islands. There are facilities for camping and caravans, and it’s home to the Moylurg Tower, a super tall, modernist structure where one can command a view of three neighboring www.cruisingoutpost.com

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counties. The entire Lough Key area has copious points of interest—historical, modern day, and of course the fanciful legends intrinsic to Ireland.

Back on the Shannon headed south, we made Dromod in time to get the last slot on the wall at the marina. With a couple hours before our dinner reservation at the Not To Miss! Cox’s Steak House, we went exploring for photo opps. If one was to design a version of a quaint Irish town, Dromod would be it. Valerie described it as almost too perfect. Again, flowers, flowers, everywhere. Dinner was another gastronomical success. For me, this was turning into a fantastic dream cruise, filled with gourmet food and delectable booze.

Come Tuesday morning, we approached the lift bridge at Rooskey. The charts advised “Large Boats Only” to call up for a lift. Watching the bridge get closer and wondering what constitutes a “large boat,” I finally decided it looked high enough. As I ducked down and watched the helm barely clear, I heard a whomp and looked back to see my jury-rigged mast/flag staff canted over to port.

I decided for the next lift bridge we were going to be a “Large Boat.”

The Rooskey Lock was only a kilometer down the river. The light was green and we were the only boat. The lock keeper helped and we locked down without a hitch.

It was a short cruise further to Tarmonbarry where we had intended to put in for lunch right by the bridge, but the Not To Miss! restaurant was closed. I waited for this bridge to open and immediately entered another lock. After this lock the weather turned unpleasant and for the first time I switched to the inside helm. It was like driving a motor home.

Valerie fixed a lunch of leftovers, bread, butter, chutney and beer in our cozy little galley. We ate inside while I kept us pointed down river.

We were cruising with the swans on the glassy water which reflected the wide skies, endless belts of greenery dotted with grazing cattle, sheep and horses, and the homes of those who were fortunate enough to exist in that blessed harmony. The clouds were low and gray now and the rain a constant drizzle that kept the wiper clicking back and forth on the windows.

As we entered Lough Ree, the largest of the loughs in Ireland, the visibility had decreased and I was following markers and watching the chart closely.

This was where the infamous “Lough Ree Monster” supposedly haunted the waters. Similar to the stories about the Loch Ness Monster, an internet search

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brings up varied accounts of sightings and events involving the one here.

I pointed out the inlet to the bay where the ruins of Rindown Castle were located. This rang a bell with Valerie and she said, “Well then, we missed our turn,” pointing to Lecarrow Harbor on the chart which we had decided was a good stopping point for the evening. There was supposedly a little hamlet there, but it looked to be down a very, very narrow canal at the back of Blackbrink Bay. I made a U-turn and backtracked up the Lough and found the entrance. The rain had let up and the sun was actually trying to peek though the gray as we cautiously inched our way into the canal with branches scraping both sides of the boat.

Shortly after breaching into a very small harbor another boat left, giving us the last open space, but I was going to have to parallel park this 32-foot, single screw powerboat in a space just vacated by a 20foot boat. It wasn’t pretty, but we made it with the help of a few sympathetic boaters on shore grabbing our lines.

It was a short, scenic walk through a wooded area into “town,” with a building that housed a pub on one side, grocery on the other, and a restaurant on the other end of the street. I hesitate to call it a town, yet this is what rural Ireland is all about. It was Coffees Grocery and the proprietor was John Coffee, third generation owner and established by his Grandfather in 1918 after returning home from WWI. He sold us some provisions and a winning scratch-off ticket from the Irish National Lottery that paid out €8.00.

Finally, Valerie had won! “I need to go find postcard stamps!” In every village or city we were in during our visit to Ireland, this had become her euphemism for “I need to find Irish Lotto tickets!” Not being a gambler myself, I took the position that if luck exists on Earth, this is probably where it is, amongst the many rainbows we saw and leprechaun-themed trinkets in every tourist shop visited.

We had dinner across the street at the Yew Tree Restaurant, which appeared to be the only game in town.

Luckily, however, it was excellent! I was again amazed how these gourmet eateries are able to sustain themselves in the middle of “nowhere,” but they do and we were happy for it!

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The next morning we headed out early, but not as early as the “weed-eater” that entered the canal just as we were untying our lines. This is an amazing boat, literally like a floating lawn mower, that mows and stores the underwater reeds that would otherwise clog the canal.

Can you imagine the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers going to the expense to keep a single lane boat canal open to a marina which can host only a dozen pleasure boats?

When the strange “weed-eater” got to a wider spot in the canal it pulled over to let us pass, and soon we were back out on Lough Ree heading south, no monsters to be seen. With the sun shining we took the short detour into the bay and around to see the ruins of famed Rindown Castle.

We made our way to Athlone, where we put into the city’s marina.

Being the second largest city in Ireland, this was a bustling place where, sadly, the cruising guide suggested we be cautious about leaving valuables aboard. It definitely was far from the quiet and quaint harbors we had gotten used to.

After settling in we crossed the bridge to the old section where the obligatory castle and museum were. Of course, I found Sean’s Bar and it was Not To Miss! because it was reportedly the oldest continually operated bar in all of Ireland. By the looks of it, they could have been pouring Guinness some years before Christ was born. I loved it though, because while standing at the bar among a group of animated Americans I was asked my choice, and after savoring it, I learned it was charged to someone else’s tab.

When I inquired the patron said, “Don’t worry, enjoy!”

My kind of bar!

Dinner was at Thyme Restaurant on the East Bank and it was another hit out of the park. We were also struck and impressed with how, on almost every menu we had seen thus far on our trip, the local farms where the food was grown were listed, even here in large Athlone.

The next day we were up and out early with our first stop being Clonmacnois, a sixth century Christian monastic settlement. Or, it had been. Today it is just a preserved ruin. Though crowded with tourists, the striking site, set upon a gently sloping hill overlooking the river, was very reverent and had a peaceful, quiet aura about it. Standing next to a Celtic stone cross, knowing it was www.cruisingoutpost.com

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carved 1500 years ago, is a very humbling experience.

Learning the history of Clonmacnois made it a most memorable of sites.

Back on the river we pulled over at Shannonbridge and had lunch at Lukers Bar. It had started to rain again, but we were warm and dry inside with a crackling fire burning in the hearth. While we ate at our dining table next to the window overlooking the bridge, we watched as several locals tried over and over to get a hold of a pretty gray horse that had gotten out of its pasture and was trotting around the parking lot and neighboring farm gates. The proprietor of our establishment could be heard on the phone: “Yes, she’s gotten out again ...”

The unfolding, amusing scene would easily allow one to forget we were living in the fast-paced era of space travel and cyber communication.

The rain let up enough for us to get back in the boat and on the Shannon without getting drenched, to Banagher, not far down the river. The town’s marina, just north of the bridge where we tied up, was a large water-filled box with a small opening at one end, with the cleats at the top of the wall like a lock. Though it was September, at this latitude it was staying light until almost 8:00 p.m., so after securing the boat we had the opportunity to enjoy some sights and walked across the bridge to Banagher Castle.

We had dinner reservations at Flynn’s Bar & Restaurant on Main Street, and of course dinner was another fabulous meal, but that was now the norm. What made dinner at Flynn’s stand out was that their credit card machine was not working properly, but instead of insisting we find an ATM and pay with paper Euros they said, “Just come back tomorrow and pay us then.” Looking back, we recalled that our friendly boat neighbors back in Boyle said Banagher would be a great place to stop. So after the dining experience, we will offer it up in our own Not To Miss! category. Hard to imagine a restaurant in the USA telling a couple of foreign tourists to come back and pay tomorrow for a $75 meal.

The next morning dawned sunny and the air was warming fast. Valerie and I walked back to Flynn’s to www.cruisingoutpost.com

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have some breakfast and pay our bill from the night before, then back to the boat for our last day on the River Shannon.

Soon we were approaching Victoria Lock, our last lock of the cruise. The lock was full so we had to pull up to the wait mooring. We made it through the lock and were heading downstream again toward our final destination of Portumna.

The cruise base was hustling and bustling with new charterers anxious to get underway, and boats were stacking up to be checked in and out. We were instructed where to moor and were checked out with the understanding we had one more night on the boat. We visited Portumna Castle and Gardens, an unforgettably grand and majestic “home” built by an Earl in the early 1600s at the cost of around £10,000!

Later, we caught a taxicab into town for an outstanding dinner experience at the simple but elegant La Bouchon, another in the long line of gastronomic triumphs we had on the River Shannon cruise.

A reader may get the idea the cruise was just a “pub crawl” down the river. It was that, but what a crawl! We did not eat or drink anywhere that was not remarkable, even the places we stumbled upon without a recommendation. The cruise itself, however, was so much more than that... The awesome beauty of the countryside is everything one views in the advertisements and brochures, and much, much more. We had opportunities to tread on ground where people of what was then the “western civilization” had lived, planned their lives and consecrated a new religion and way of life 2,000 years ago. We saw pre-Anglo Celtic villages and the mammoth castles built by Normans and English to protect nobles from the locals they exploited. Some were only a “mere 1,000 years old.” The hospitality we experienced as cruisers was tremendous.

A “trip of a lifetime” is an overused cliché, but so apropos to describe a cruise down the River Shannon in Ireland. It’s Not To Miss!

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Don’t Miss The One-Day Marine Weather, Seamanship, Navigation Strategies & Boat Outfitting Symposium Pacific Strictly Sail - Sunday April 9th Craneway Pavillion - Richmond, California arly!

E t o p Your S e v r e s Re

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Lee Chesneau is a highly experienced mariner and senior marine meteorologist who had a distinguished and extensive career with the U.S. Navy as a naval officer, NOAA’s Satellite Service (NESDIS) and the National Weather Service (NWS).

Lee also served as a U.S. Navy civilian Ship Routing Officer.

Lee served at several U.S. Navy fleet weather centers and on aircraft carriers USS Saratoga and USS Guam.

Lee is also an accomplished U.S. Coast Guard certified instructor for “Basic and Advanced Meteorology” at several continuing training institutions for professional mariners (MITAGS, Linthicum Heights, MD, STAR Center, Dania Beach, FL, Pacific Maritime Institute, Seattle, WA, and the Maritime Institute, San Diego and Alameda, CA). He offers the same curriculum to educate and train commercial fishing and recreational boaters at trade shows on becoming self-reliant in their own marine weather knowledge of forecasting, strategic vessel routing, and prudent decision making.

Pam Wall is well known for outfitting world cruisers, consulting on prospective routes for sailing, sailing instruction, and as a seminar speaker who encourages and educates all who attend her seminars on the cruising lifestyle.

Along with her husband, Andy, and two young children, Samantha and Jamie, Pam has sailed around the world on their custom-made Freya 39, KANDARIK. Pam’s boat was built at home and took her family “Around the World,” and later, back and forth across the Atlantic to Europe three times. Pam worked for West Marine for over 20 years as their Outfitting Manager and Cruising Consultant.

Currently Pam is working for the well-known sailboat and powerboat designer, Steve Dashew. We strongly encourage you to join Pam at Strictly Sail Pacific 2017 - Richmond, with her tantalizing, free seminars beginning on Thursday, April 6th. Then, she will dazzle everyone on Sunday, April 9th with her critical role at the “Marine Weather, Seamanship, Navigation Strategies & Boat Outfitting Symposium.

Load this URL into your browser: bit.ly/PamandLee 62 Cruising Outpost

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Phone: 401.289.2540

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2/6/17 2:14 PM

Cr uising Ou t pos tʻs Fe at ure d Ve teran Cr uising Ve sse l

My Motu 1990 Amel Super Maramu Ketch

Let’s face it. In North America, Amels are about as rare as Lamborghinis in Iowa. They’re one of those weird looking French boats you see somewhere, but who has actually ever been on one, much less sailed it anywhere?

There are a few of them out there though. We’ve seen them anchored out in the Caribbean while sailing there, or seen an occasional one in a marina, and we saw a few while crossing the Pacific. There’s even a somewhat famous one called Delos doing an around-the-world voyage with a well-produced set of videos on the Internet.

Still, they aren’t common at all over on this side of the pond.

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Over the years, on our various cruising adventures, I had sometimes seen an Amel sailing or at anchor, and yet I never really learned much about them until one day I was asked to survey one located in Panama.

Well, if I was going to survey a boat I have never familiarized myself with, I needed to go through a whole lot of learning fi rst, and so I set about on a three week crash course in Amel and what they were all about. Then I flew to Panama to survey a late ‘90s Super Maramu.

This particular boat had already been around the world and had been cared for in a less than exemplary manner. But what struck me immediately was the incredible engineering and careful thought to detail

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My Motu

that was evident throughout the vessel. Even though she had been somewhat neglected, the boat was still crossing oceans and appeared seaworthy in every way.

As the years went by I had the opportunity to survey quite a few more Amels. I learned, through these investigations, about the many changes and improvements that went on continually with the boats through the evolution of the company from its inception, back in the 1960s. What I was most impressed with then, and what continues to shine as the single most impressive aspect of these yachts, is the quality of every single component used in the manufacturing process.

In these days of cost cutting and price competition for size versus value, Amel has, throughout its seven decades of boat building, chosen to ignore this line of thinking in favor of only choosing the best of materials and the best in engineering, regardless of cost. When they became dissatisfied with the glass fiber cloths available on the market, they had their own special flat woven cloth made for them. They fiberglass in every single piece

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of interior wood for extreme rigidity, and when choosing interior woods for their bulkheads, structural members and furniture, they determined that the plywoods and hardwoods available on the market were inferior to their specifications. So they sent an employee to West Africa to oversee the purchase of trees, the drying and milling of the lumber, and the eventual production of woods to their exact specifications. When they made the shift to in-mast electric roller furling, no one was making a reliable, trouble-free design, so they engineered their own.

For the drive system on their engines they had their own special transmission created that is super reliable, quiet and vibration free. The cost? It was secondary to the quality of the product. And when it came to the stainless steel and fittings for these vessels, they had their own super high quality pieces made to their specifications. That you see forty-year-old Amels sailing around with original chainplates and rust-free stanchions and rails is proof that this attention to quality has paid off in the longevity of these yachts.

So, when faced with the need to buy our next cruising boat, we put the Amels on our short list along with Oyster, Northwind, Hylas, Taswell and Hallberg Rassy. Ultimately, we chose the Amel. Part of the reason we decided upon a

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My Motu Super Maramu was because according to Amel, 497 of these were constructed between 1989 and 2006. Because now so many Super Maramus are getting to be 10-20 years old or more, many of the wealthy owners of these boats are selling them to buy a new Amel, or to retire from yachting. So when you look on the used market, it is somewhat flooded right now with these fantastic bluewater cruisers. It is possible to buy a Super Maramu for a fraction of what they were selling for ten, or even five years ago, and the prices of these boats in Europe and the Caribbean are now becoming comparable with many of the inferior production boats more commonly available.

So what makes an Amel so special beyond the quality construction? Well, first of all they are ketches and while most modern cruisers think ketches are a thing of the past, the reality is that a proper high performance ketch rig is in many ways superior to a single mast arrangement. The Amels have large mizzen masts and the boats balance superbly. With the tremendous flexibility of the number of sail combinations and reefing positions one can incorporate, it is easy to keep the boat moving well even in light air, and because a ketch, by its very nature, is more forgiving and easier to handle shorthanded on a boat if this size, it is a safer and more pleasing boat to operate.

But the single biggest feature that places Amels apart from virtually any other production boats out there is that they have five watertight compartments and two closable submarine style doors, so these boats are virtually unsinkable.

With only three below-thewaterline through hulls and with their closable and sealable compartments, sinking an Amel would be difficult.

We’ve seen boats with foam flotation that claim to be unsinkable, but on those boats the wiring and all the systems would be ruined. On an Amel?

The wiring runs are all up high and most of the critical systems are sealed in their own watertight area. One year, as a demonstration at a boat show, an Amel had its forward sections flooded and they took people out sailing to prove that not only could an Amel survive having its WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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Cr uising Ou t pos tʻs Fe at ure d Ve teran Cr uising Ve sse l forward cabin flooded and bring its people back, but that the compartment could be emptied out and cleaned up with no adverse damage or resultant effects.

Years ago, out on the edge of the Gulf Stream in heavy weather, we narrowly missed hitting an adrift 30-foot-high steel buoy at night. Sometimes, rushing along offshore in 25 knots of wind on a moonless night makes me think about floating containers and other objects we could hit which, when sailing fast, could possibly hole our boat.

That an Amel has watertight bulkheads forward and aft, plus a watertight engine room, is a reassuring feeling when plowing along at nine knots in gusty weather.

And comfort? Okay, we’re spoiled. We LIKE the standard Amel features like a dishwasher (you heard me right), washing machine, watermaker, air conditioning and electric winches, retractable bow thruster, electric roller furling and the protected helm station. We’ve sailed gaff rigged schooners, dealt with hank-on sails at the end of plunging bowsprits, and lived with primitive systems over many tens of thousands of miles and I have to admit, the creature comforts that come standard on all Amels are kind of nice!

Yet Amels are cookie cutter boats and so there are few options. Sorry, but you get a watermaker, a generator and AC and a dishwasher, a washing machine and electric roller furling whether you want it or not. And if you don’t like the upholstery? Well, you can change it, but they are all the same.

This helps, actually. When you call up Amel and ask them a question about something they can tell you to, “Go to the forward head, look up to your right and open the panel, you will see a red wire attached to a relay. Check this connection and see if the circuit breaker for the mast motor is in or out.” Every one of their boats is the same and the company carries parts for virtually every system, so the fact that Amel has what could almost be considered legendary customer service, even for boats that are 20 or 30 years out of production, is a testament to a way of thinking that has gone by the wayside with many manufacturers these days.

Amel maintains two factory service centers in Europe, as well as one in Martinique with its own service dock. It carries a substantial

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My Motu parts inventory to keep the many boats that pass through the Caribbean running reliably and trouble free. So when you own an Amel, even an old one, you are not on your own should a problem arise. You have a dedicated team of very proud and knowledgeable employees standing behind you.

Our Amel is named My Motu. Motu is, of course, the Polynesian word for the little islets that surround the outer reef of an atoll or high island. She was sailed single-handed across the Atlantic when she was only two years old by an avid Italian yachtsman who then made the Caribbean his home. For the next 20 years she was sailed seasonally up and down the Caribbean chain as far as Trinidad and the Virgins, and each year was hauled out and lovingly put away under covers for the summer. Because of this, when we found her she was in extraordinarily well preserved condition with zero evidence of any osmosis and very low wear and tear.

She has new sails and many other recent upgrades, like a fuel efficient Volvo turbo diesel with only a few hundred hours so far, and an equally new diesel generator with low hours too. We had the opportunity to update her to 21st century standards with a new 650 watt E-21 solar array, new dingy davit and arch system, and some new and updated electronics too. Then we installed all new standing and running rigging even though the existing original high quality rigging all appeared perfect!

Since acquiring our boat we have sailed the length of the Eastern Caribbean chain in both directions and are now residing in the BVI where we intend to work for a few more years and sail locally as much as possible. After that?

It will be time for us to sail west again to new adventures. Our Amel will take us back to the South Pacific to find that one special island … My Motu!

MY MOTU - 1990 AMEL 52 LOA 52’ 6” LWL 42’ Draft 6’ 9” Beam 15’ 2” Power Volvo D2-75 turbo diesel Fuel 185 GA Fresh Water 265 GA Displacement 35,000 lbs.

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Cruising Outpost 69

2/2/17 11:20 AM

Li f es t y l e A Look at Why We Do What we Do

Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Lifestyle section folks from all over the world give an insight into what it’s really like out there. If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? We prefer you send a digital pic, in as high resolution as you can. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken.

We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide! Email to: Lifestyle@Cruisingoutpost.com.

By Gabriel Erdely sailing near Oakville on Lake Ontario with Eniko

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By Captain Joe, cruising in Canada. harvesting the pure Canadian polar ice for those margaritas by the diesel stove

By Captain Jeff, Caribbean

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2/1/17 12:53 PM

By Krys McMeekin aboard Axara, a Hanse 342, during a summer cruise on the Bay of Quinte1

Taylor Swift out for a daysail on the Kennedy yacht off Martha’s Vinyard

By Kevin Spellman, panorama at Petite Martinique

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By Jeremy Whitaker, Santa Cruz Island, CA

By Captain Mike in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

By Doug Shipley, on the Chesapeake

By Doug Greene, sunrise while delivering a Beneteau 40.7 from Long Beach to San Diego

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2/1/17 12:54 PM

By Henry McKevitt Gun Cay, Bimini, Bahamas

By Chris Stokes of Vivian Stokes (6 years) on a Cal 24 in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

By Keith Coy, San Diego Bay

By Jay, with wahoo caught on the way from Anguilla www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Ian Davies of some signage in the Bahamas

By Dave Lavesque, BVIs

By Brent & Janet Schulze, Catalina Island

At Corsairs on Jost Van Dyke, BVIs

By Jamie Rodriguez, Biscayne Bay

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By Allison Gieschen of baby Orion at the wheel

By David Willmington

Anonymous photo, but it does capture the beauty of sailing!

By Jim Paddock of Faith, Leslie & Lora in the BVIs www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Mark Johnson, Lake Macquarie sunrise Toronto, Australia

By Glenn Miner, Interlude from Sandusky, OH locking through the Erie Canal at lock 9 on the Mohawk River on a late October morning

By Dave Dudgeon

By Capt Gumbo, M/V GUMBO in Newburyport, MA

By Mark Roozendaal, S/V Speakeasy, of a whale shark in Bahia Concepcion, Sea of Cortez, Mexico

By Gary Rubin, North Atlantic crossing

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2/1/17 12:55 PM

By Les Sutton & Diane Grant, S/V Gemini, an Albin Nimbus 42, at Calida Partida Anchorage 15 miles north of La Paz

By Mark Osterrath of Meghan enjoying a sunset somewhere between Galรกpagos and the Marquesas on Amelie IV

By Kami of her father on a fatherdaughter sail

Ruthie (7) and Vivian (5) sailing with dad, Chris Stokes, on Branched Oak Lake near Lincoln, Nebraska www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Marvin Antle of the bay at Medulin, Croatia

By Ronald Koris

By Sam Steele, Resurrection Bay, Thumb Cove, S/V Radiance and S/V Creola

By Mike Martell, moonlight in Soper’s Hole, BVIs, on board S/V Mary Rose

By Mike Pitre at Norman Island BVIs

By Stewart Longman, Steve and his coffee underway. Jervis Inlet, BC

Oops... sent in by Dave Calhoun (Troprock)

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Dopes on a rope - picture of the crew of Cyganka, by Dan Parilla

Donna Barfield, Provo to Clarencetown via Myaguana, Plana Cays, Lady Slipper Cay, Bahamas

By Fred Haberlandt of sunset at Block Island

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Cruising Outpost 81

2/1/17 12:57 PM

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The Most Asked Question

What Is The Real

Polis Bay, Ithaca, Greece

As we have cruised from port to port and country to country over the past nine years we have received a lot of questions and comments, but one theme seems to be more prominent than any other: what does it cost you?

The questions or comments take the form of how much does it cost you, I could never afford to do what you do, you must be really rich to afford such a lifestyle, or how did you make so much money to afford to go cruising.

First, let me say Patty and I are not rich. We live on Social Security only. Yes, we have a 401k someplace, but it is being reserved for the time we really need it. So let’s talk about what it costs us to cruise.

First, a bit about us. We bought a 2001 Jeanneau DS40 brand new in 2003. We sold our house nine years ago and set the goal of getting from Miami to the Bahamas and back without sinking our boat. Things kind of got out

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of hand and we sailed not only the Bahamas, but Miami to Mexico to Colombia, then crossed the Caribbean to Jamaica and on down to Trinidad. In 2013 we did a twohanded crossing of the Atlantic and cruised the Med, wintering over in Tunisia and Turkey. The summer of 2016 we set off from Kusadasi, Turkey and circumnavigated the Black Sea. We live on our boat full time and as I write this we are back in Kusadasi for a second winter.

There has been a lot written about what it costs to cruise on forums, in articles, Beth Leonard’s being one of the better ones, and discussions. We have read you can do it on $500 a month (you have got to be kidding) to at least $4,000 a month, or the worst one, “everything you have.”

But the ones we have seen all deal in generalities and not exact specifics. So we thought, let’s tell people exactly what we spend, each and every penny. From a cup of cay

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in Cruising...

Cost Of Cruising?

A Seven-Year Look At What It Really Costs

By Chuck & Patty Ritenour/Ridgway

to a bottom job to trips to see the kids and groceries while we are there, we record our cost.

We do not start out with a budget and that may sound strange from a couple of former corporate executives who lived and died by budgets. We start with our income and go from there. As before, we live entirely on our Social Security. But first we must confess that we live in sin. Patty and I have been together for 18 years and have no plans to marry; been there done that. As such we do not suffer the marriage penalty Social Security puts on married couples.

Second, we both had somewhat high paying jobs where we maxed out of FICA contribution each year, so we draw the

maximum Social Security benefit. We know each month how much we have to spend. From there we look at our priorities and spend accordingly.

Our first priority is the boat. SoulMates is not getting any younger and she gets used very hard. As she is our year round home, we take good care of her and try to keep her in first class condition. We also look at our upcoming sailing season and adjust our preventive maintenance if it looks like an especially hard sail or if we are sailing to an area where there may be a lack of parts, as we did when we crossed the Atlantic or took on the Black Sea. We break down the boat costs into four categories: boat parts,

Istanbul, Turkey

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Cruising Outpost 85

2/5/17 10:20 AM

Your First Step Planning a Cruise...

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CRuising boat supplies, boat repair and boat upgrades. Boat parts are parts that we purchase such as ďŹ lters, extra water pump, light bulbs or blocks.

In the business world you would call them depreciable items, though not exact. Boat supplies are items that are used, and in the business sense disposable items, and include such things as boat soap, coolant, and oil.

Boat repairs and upgrades are pretty self-explanatory, but we include bottom jobs as boat repair and only true upgrades such as a new solar panel, larger reefer condenser or watermaker. From 2009 to 2015 we have averaged 25% of our outlay for Cornith Canal, Greece these items.

Our second category is insurance.

We maintain full coverage on SoulMates for both loss and liability.

We have had to adjust our coverage depending on where we sail and work with IMIS to insure that we are covered. When we left the hurricane prone Miami our insurance went down, but when we sailed into Montenegro, the port captain

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A Look At What It Really Costs

Porto Palermo, Albania insisted that we carry 1 million euro liability instead of the $500k USD that we normally carry. Thus, our insurance went up. As we sailed the Black Sea IMIS worked with us to hold off any increase until we sailed out of Georgia to Russia. We had to buy a short term rider that insured us for loss, but not piracy or theft. We felt the risk reward tradeoff was worth it and let me tell you, it was. We do not carry health insurance as we ďŹ nd medical costs around the world are very inexpensive. In Colombia Patty had hand surgery from a hand surgeon that cost $1,500. In Trinidad I had half my nose replaced from too much sun for about $1,600. In Tunisia I had torn a shoulder tendon that had to be put back with two screws and that cost about $1,500 while Patty had

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surgery on her other hand for about $700.

We have looked at insurance policies and the premium and deductible are too high.

Our age does have something to do with it as we are 71 and 70. Our insurance is about 7% of what we spend and our out of pocket medical costs average 6%.

Eating is important and we do like to eat and sample local wines. Food, alcohol and eating out take about 18% of what we spend.

We are full time liveaboards and as such we spend a bit of time in marinas waiting out weather seasons, be it hurricane or winter. In some locations we are forced to take marinas, such as Colombia, where our insurance company insisted on it (that has now been dropped) or the Black Sea. We also take marinas when we travel inland or to sit out bad weather when we feel we cannot get adequate protection while at anchor. Our dockage costs average 13% of what we spend.

One reason we cruise is to see and learn about new and interesting, or not so interesting, places. We do inland travel as we sail, such as this summer when we visited and traveled through Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and a bit of Romania and Bulgaria. We see little reason to sail this far without seeing the sights and try to visit as much as possible. But this is one area that we view as discretionary. Last year we wintered over in Kusadasi, Turkey and did almost no sightseeing, as we knew we were going to spend a lot on the boat to get her

Cruising Outpost 87

2/5/17 10:21 AM

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ready for the Black Sea. Included in this section are any trips we make back to see our families, which we do on occasion. By the way, if we are with our family and go out to eat or buy groceries, we include that cost so all our expenses are included. Our

sightseeing is averaging about 11% of what we spend.

Of course, we do not always have wind, so we have been averaging 5% on diesel and gasoline.

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A Look At What It Really Costs

Hammamet, Tunisia

such things as cruising guides, propane, communications, internet, mail, laundry, gifts, Customs and Immigration, etc. Could we spend less? Of course, but we keep pushing the limits of where we sail and what we want to see and experience. Could we spend more? Of course, but that may jeopardize our long term future.

So now you ask percent of what?

For the time period between 2009 and 2015 we have averaged $3,100 a month. In that time we have sailed the East Coast of the USA, the Western

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Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean and Mediterranean, and prepared for the Black Sea. The lowest was the Western Caribbean at $2,300 a month and the highest was $3,500 in the Med. But remember one thing, all costs are in USD. When we arrived in the Med in 2013 and in 2014 the exchange rate was $1.30 to 1 Euro - ouch! So currency uctuations can affect what you spend and are a serious consideration of when and where you decide to sail.

We hope this helps as you prepare to cut your dock lines and join us.

Cruising Outpost 89

2/5/17 10:21 AM

What Goes U p . ... Must Lookin g at the R

By Captain Alex Blackwell

A very important factor when selecting an anchorage in many parts of the world is the tide. As we touch on in various parts of our book, Happy Hooking – the Art of Anchoring, tides are a major consideration when anchoring. In brief, tides are the changing depth of water over the course of time – usually changing more than once in a day.

The physics of tides is an immensely complicated topic, which far surpasses what a boater needs to know. We will cover the only the basics that affect boating here. More detail is, of course, available in the scientific literature.

ise and Fal l

Tidal waves and variations, which can, in places, be quite significant.

Courtesy of Goddard Space Flight Center

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Where they do overlap they may add up or cancel each other out. They may also be slightly out of phase. Some places will thus experience a semi-diurnal tide, with two nearly equal high and low tides each day. Other locations may experience a diurnal tide with only one high and low tide each day. A “mixed tide” or two uneven tides a day is also possible.

Tides are not limited to the oceans, but can occur in Regsuch $39.as a set other water bodies as well. Large lakes Superior While they last that and Erie can experience tides of 1 to 4 cm. However, $20. a set is not something anyone is likely to notice.

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Tides also produce reversing currents known as tidal streams. The moment that the tidal current ceases is called slack water or slack tide. The tide then reverses direction and is said to be turning. Slack water usually occurs near high water and low water.

The ocean bathymetry greatly influences the tide’s exact time and height at a particular coastal point.

There are some extreme cases. The Bay of Fundy, on the east coast of Canada, is often stated to have the

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Cruising Outpost 91

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What Goes Up Distribution of Tidal Forces

world’s highest tides because of its shape, bathymetry, and its distance from the continental shelf edge.

Measurements made in November 1998 at Burntcoat Head in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, recorded a maximum range of 16.3 meters (53 ft.). Likewise, in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in France it can also exceed 16 meters.

Tide tables list each day’s high and low water heights and times. To calculate the actual water depth, add the depth on the chart (shown in MLLW) to the tide height for a given time found in the tide table.

Take this tide into account when crossing shallows and when anchoring. Clearly, if there is a 10-foot tidal variation between low and high tide and you anchor close to the time of high water, you need to be certain you won’t be sitting on the bottom when the tide goes out. Similarly, you need to allow adequate scope for the increasing tide if you are anchoring closer to the time of low water.

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Must Come Down

The Rule of Twelfths

The Rule of Twelfths is useful for determining approximately how fast the tide will be coming in or going out. It also helps in understanding how tide-driven current speeds will vary over time.

Simply put, in the first hour after low tide, the tide will rise 1/12 of the way to high tide. In the second hour, it will rise 2/12. In the third and fourth hours it will rise 3/12, in the fifth 2/12, and in the sixth, 1/12.

(Totaling twelve twelfths) This same sequence of twelfths is repeated in the subsequent six hours as the tide goes back out.

A logical consequence of this fluctuation in the rate the tide comes in and goes out is that the water currents being driven by these tide changes will also speed up and slow down accordingly. A complication to this arises in many instances where the current change may be offset by a matter of hours from the tide change. This can involve coastal currents around headlands or in and out of bays or inlets. These currents may be quite strong when passing through narrow passages or over shallow ground. Examples of this are the Corryvreckan in Scotland, or the East River along Manhattan. The latter is not an actual river, but rather a connection between Long Island Sound and the Hudson River. These currents can well exceed seven knots. Information on local currents and tidal variations can be found in the almanac covering the cruising ground in question.

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Cruising Outpost 93

2/3/17 12:05 PM

Let Us Hold Your Drink!

What Goes Up

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Tide Heights

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Designed to fit a standard size insulated coozie (coozie not included). The Winch Wench is not just for bottles and cans, but can also be used to hold other items such as small tools or rigging tape, your favorite bottle opener or snacks. One-piece construction and no moving parts to break, this cup holder is sure to give you years of use on your boat.

Another complication with tides is that their amplitudes vary with the phase of the moon and the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth.

Shortly after the full and new moon, one may expect spring tides, which can be considerably higher (and lower) than the neaps following the quarter moons. During the times of the equinoxes, where the sun is aligned with our planetary system, the springs can be much higher again.

Some definitions: • Mean Higher High Water, MHHW: The observed average of the higher high water height of each tidal day • Mean High Water, MHW: The observed average of all the high water heights * • Mean Low Water, MLW: The observed average of all the low water heights * • Mean Lower Low Water, MLLW: The observed average of the lower low water height of each tidal day * • Chart Datum: The datum to which soundings on a chart are referred. It is usually the MLLW. * The National Ocean Service adopted a 19-year period as the official time segment over which tide observations are taken and reduced to obtain mean values.

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There are many resources for determining what the tide in a given location is predicted to do. There are printed tide tables, which are handy to have for one’s local cruising ground. Tide tables are also available for

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2/3/17 12:05 PM

Must Come Down

most locations online. The almanacs mentioned earlier contain tide tables.

There are also many electronic options today. Most GPS chart plotters have tide tables for the regions covered in the maps. There are also numerous excellent apps available for your smartphone, as well as charting apps that also include tide tables.

Alex and Daria Blackwell are the authors of Happy Hooking - the Art of Anchoring and Cruising the Wild Atlantic Way. They cruise on their Bowman 57 ketch, calling the West of Ireland home when not at sea. Alex is also the author of an oyster cookbook and several novels.

Their work can be found on their website coastalboating. net, on amazon worldwide in print and Kindle editions, and in good chandleries.

Illustrations by Alex Blackwell, Copyright Coastalboating.net

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Cruising Outpost 95 2/3/17 12:06 PM

Cruising Stories from the World & Next Door

Taken by Storm

Had we even an inkling that 15 hours later we would be slammed with a crippling storm that would leave us limping into port two days late and lucky to have survived, we would have never left Mystic, Connecticut on this blue-skied, crisp autumn morning.

Our crew of four is headed south to join a Caribbeanbound rally in Hampton, Virginia aboard our 50-foot Farr yacht, Joy For All. By midnight, 60 miles off the northeastern coast, motor sailing with a reefed main in light winds, Gil and I are on the dogwatch counting the stars when the sky turns

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black. An unpredicted maelstrom of heavy winds, rain and nasty seas pipe up. A small low is due in sometime tomorrow, but what the crap is this?

We turn over our watch to Gail and Joseph at 0300, fully expecting this “squall” to abate. Yet I awaken at dawn to the metallic clink of the gimbaled oven dancing the mambo. Rolling from our berth, I step over gear that has been pitched from upper areas. Like a skid row drunk, I lurch into the cockpit where Gil has relieved our crew. Bundled in foul weather gear, silver hair blown amok, Gil’s face is grim.

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Winds have spiraled from a tolerable 25 to 35 knots to 40-plus, now. The seas gather around us like a city of tall buildings. To starboard, a monstrous claw of a wave hovers. The muscles in my shoulders tense and my neck shrinks. It attacks, washing over our cockpit enclosure and leaving us dry but shaken from the impact. Through the companionway I see the coffee pot rolling about the counter like an injured body, spewing liquid onto the floor of our port side, step-down galley.

When I rush to catch it, I slip on the gooey mess made by the powdered coffee creamer, which has catapulted and split open on impact.

The added commotion has wakened our expert sailor and tactician, Gail, and she and Gil consult. Bare poled and under full engine power, we are off the coast of New Jersey. As we turn toward Atlantic City to safety, our speed drops to two knots.

Twelve miles to shore. Six hours of beating hell.

We opt to continue south, edging toward shallower waves near shore, intending a northward turn to reach Atlantic City. Meanwhile the seasick bug has struck Joseph, who is prone across the saloon seat clutching a plastic supermarket bag. Joe has company, for not even Scopolamine patches or Bonine are enough to keep down the nausea that grips us all.

Our thoughts focus on survival as the winds and seas build throughout the day. Bracing with two hands and judging the motion of the boat does not prevent us from slamming into a bulkhead, spinning out and clunking a hip or shoulder, or careening down the steps into the galley or forward berths--not to mention that slippery coffee creamer mess I am too nauseous to clean up. And it is damp and cold, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

We’ve been pounded for 18 hours now, with no sign of reprieve. Wind speed has climbed to a sustained 55

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knots, gusting into the low 60s, and the seas crowd around us like white-haired monsters. From starboard, saltwater gushes over us in sheets, unsnapping the hem of our cockpit enclosure and washing into the boat.

My hair is wet. Water has invaded the insides of my foul weather jacket, and my sneakers and socks are soaked through. My body is tight with tension, fingers and toes are numb. Inner chills send throbs of goose bumps up my arms.

I want to shut my eyes and make it all go away. I want to wake up and find this is a bad dream. Sent below, I crawl into our berth in damp clothes and huddle under as many blankets as I can reach. The chills won’t go away. My head is pounding-caffeine withdrawal perhaps-but I can’t seem to move to get two aspirins.

By first light I know I must rise to help, but I am spacey and move like a zombie. Gail and Gil need something warm to eat, and Joseph is still ill, rising only to take his watch. Oatmeal sounds good, doesn’t it? With effort, I prepare two bowls for the microwave, which is hard heeled to port. By the time the ding goes off, half the mush has spilled into the corner of the oven and is dripping into the sink below. Saltwater I can’t drain backs up into the port side sink, which dips low with the boat’s vicious heel.

But we are moving. The engine plows us through the seas and autohelm is holding course. Our vulnerability is evident as the rudder lifts out of the water and slams back in with the hulking rolling of the sea. I thank the Lord for our sturdy boat and sensible crew. The concept of a Coast Guard rescue flashes through my mind, squished by the risk of evacuation in such treacherous conditions.

The clatter around us is so loud that we barely hear the engine cut out. Propelled only by the storm surge, we

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flop about until we unfurl the main and staysail and get the boat moving on a starboard tack, giving up on our fruitless endeavor to reach Atlantic City and continuing toward the Chesapeake.

As the day goes on we notice the strap securing the dinghy on deck has snapped. As the pressure continues, the dinghy breaks through the lower lifeline, threatening to spill overboard. We try to convince ourselves it will be all right, but the ramifications of a heavy item dangling off the low side make it mandatory we secure it. Knowing there is no choice, my husband sets foot out of the cockpit, while Gail adjusts the sails and alters course to achieve as much stability as possible.

“Don’t go.” I tug at his sleeve, feeling like the heroine in the black moment of a thriller novel. “I’d rather lose the dinghy than lose you.”

Ignoring my pleas, Gil clips his harness onto the jack lines. Dropping low to the deck, he inches forward. He is tall, so even stooped he appears to be standing. I want him crawling. I worry, will the harness hold? One spill, one

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mistake, and he could be snatched from me forever. My insides are a block of frozen nerves. I cannot move. I barely breathe. Gail concentrates, trying to maintain balance. She is steady, reliable, and even-tempered.

And my husband’s life depends on her.

Gil is on deck too long, his wet frozen fingers redoing clasps and tying saltwater-riddled lines. Spiky tendrils of his hair whip about with the wind and rain, as cold and sharp as icicles. I hate him for endangering his life, even as I acknowledge his bravery in doing what needs to be done. Finally, he turns and heads back. I can’t wait. I want him safe inside the cockpit. I grab his hand as if it were a lifeline and help him in. I could have lost my best friend, my soul mate.

In the distance an EPIRB sounds. On our radar is a blip about 12 miles to starboard. The VHF radio bursts through with a call to the Coast Guard. In these conditions there is no way we can reach them in time to help. We later learn of a failed sea rescue where an expert sailor died, and of two boats still missing.

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On day three conditions are far from good, but the wind is abating in small increments and taming the seas.

We start to crack jokes. Our stomachs gurgle with hunger.

I remember to take my blood pressure pills, brush my teeth and change my underwear. As I comb salt-crusted tangles from my hair I even consider showering. On my evening watch a patch of blue sky amid the clouds promises clearing, even as it continues to rain. The curve of a neon orange sun appears from under a charcoal cloud bank and splatters flashes of brightness across the horizon.

It is going to be over. We are going to make it in.

By dawn we are sailing under clearing skies in a comfortable 25-35 knot wind. We restore ourselves with real food and dry clothes. Sunset brings us to the approach of Chesapeake Bay. With Gail’s skill we manage to hold course and sail through the entrance channel. Our spirits soar.

With the boat fairly stable, Gil works on the engine, but no luck. We arrive by towboat at the marina, thankful to be safe.

Later, at the rally, an old friend says, “Gil owes you big time for corralling you into crewing on that trip.

Maybe some jewelry….”

I shake my head. “He got us here safely; that’s gift enough for me.”

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Tintin visits the bird islands

Having spent several months bringing his new OVNI 435, Tintin, slowly north to Arisaig from the River Hamble, Clive just wanted to go cruising. Stuart and I joined him for eight days.

We’d bought a detailed chart of the Sound of Harris with half an idea of visiting St. Kilda.

Perhaps we’d be lucky, finding a weather window to land there during a changeable July.

On our first day we were blessed a fast 60-mile reach across the Minch to Loch Boisdale in F4/5 southwesterlies, mostly lee-bowing a south-going tide which sped up the passage immensely. We arrived in cool drizzle and poor visibility, lucky to have already enjoyed the company of a small pod of dolphins and spotting one basking shark. This long day was followed by a gentle

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By John Simpson

sunny afternoon sail north to Loch Maddy, where we saw two minke whales en-route. Both of these harbours in the Uist’s have recently built small marina berths. This has rewarded them with improved visitor numbers from cruising yachtsmen.

The next day’s forecast looked perfect to head out to St. Kilda. We left about 0830 to catch the tide through the southern part of the Sound of Harris via the Cope Passage.

Weather must be settled to attempt this shallow transit.

The route out into the ocean swell has shifting sands with a bar that can occasionally dry at its western extremity. (Tidal overfalls with dangerous breakers develop rapidly in heavy weather!).

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Light southwesterly winds meant we had a calm ocean to motor/sail, reaching Boreray and the high sea stacks that surround this island group by 1700.

This allowed us time to gaze in wonder at the gannets, fulmars, puffins, shearwaters and petrels using these rocks to rear their young. Concentrated here, 40 miles west of the Hebrides, are most of the largest colonies of sea birds in Western Europe. Bird numbers are estimated to be a roughly a million, which gives these islands World Heritage Site status.

On the final five-mile trip towards Hirta and our anchorage in Village Bay, Clive and I began to joke after seeing such a tremendous, amazing aerial bird display.

We speculated that an exciting St. Kildian breakfast

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menu could be added for visiting tourist vessels, Items such as pan-fried gugga (air dried gannet) in seal oil and puffin eggs, plus an extra side of sea salt bladderwrack salad (seaweed) with a garnish of baked bonxi (giant skua) beaks might give them a proper salty bird atmosphere!

After a gentle night at anchor we had a quick chat with Calum, who’d arrived slightly earlier than us the previous day on Sportscotland’s Somerled (part of Cumbrae’s Hebridean cruising program). It was good to see a boat I’d chosen for my old sailing center still doing well. They were departing whilst we went ashore to visit Hirta.

Tuesday is personnel and resupply day on the island, with the helicopter whizzing twice to and fro from Benbecular. Clive and Stuart were lucky enough to meet one of the three wardens, Emma, on

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their walk up the hills. Emma was collecting skua pellets to analyze their diet and she mentioned that as well as all the myriad of sea birds, a peregrine, owl and merlin were here this year plus, quite unusual, five red phalaropes.

We spent another good night at anchor before leaving on a fast sail back with westerly F4/5, once again enjoying the company of a slighter larger and livelier pod of dolphins.

On our return trip we used the more northern, deeper, Leverburgh Channel through the Sound of Harris to Loch Maddy. There, we enjoyed a fine meal ashore of scallops and black pudding (deciding this might be kinder for the puffins!).

Two gentle daysails using the gennaker to Loch Bracadale, we weighed anchor at a lovely anchorage close to Orbost (where we watched

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a Sea Eagle being mobbed by a buzzard). Then we visited Loch Scavaig with it’s amazing inshore Loch Coruisk. A large American yacht arrived shortly after us, asking how much chain we’d laid. Quite a lot.

This was followed (via a quick pit stop in the north of Soay) to the site of Gavin Maxwell’s old shark factory. Unfortunately, the engine stopped whilst leaving Loch Bracadale. We discovered that the starboard fuel tank was empty. It took Clive and I some time to discover a blocked fuel line, clear it and re-bleed the engine. Stuart enjoyed himself on deck single-handing the boat whilst we cussed and sweated below with the diesel…

We finished a fine cruise with a fast sail back to Arisaig. It had only briefly rained twice on our trip. I felt lucky. It was my second visit to this amazing island group. If you ever have a chance to visit St. Kilda by yacht, grab it with both hands…

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You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when…

By Donna Lynn Gambino Donna looking out at the snow from Blue Moon, a Willard 40

“Live on a boat,” he said. “It will be fun!” he said.

“He” was my boyfriend at the time and is now my husband. Considering we’re still on board after 15 years he must be right... but don’t tell him I said so!

We love our home afloat here in Connecticut on the shores of Long Island Sound, but there are times in the dead of winter when we look at each other and say, “What are we doing here?” With the severe winter of 2014-2015, we were saying that quite a bit and started a top 10 list of reasons you know you’re a liveaboard in New England.

1. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you get more exercise walking to the shore head then you get from your gym membership One of the drawbacks of winter in New England is that there is no pump-out service for the holding tank. We are lucky to have a very large holding tank on our Willard 40, but we still try to limit its use during the winter so we

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take a lot of walks up the dock to the shore heads in our marina. Just don’t fall in the water! Hypothermia sets in very quickly when the water is icy cold, so it could be a one way trip.

2. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… even salt water freezes.

The ice around the boat in Connecticut waters usually isn’t thick enough to endanger the boat, but occasionally it can make a nasty sound when rubbing against the side of the boat in high winds. It can even take off some of the bottom paint. Some people use ice-eaters, but they are noisy power hogs. We have been known to use a two by six plank of wood to pound on the ice around our boat and break it up enough so we can get a good night’s sleep.

Last winter the ice was so thick it was pushing the boat against the dock and we were worried the weight of our boat (33,000 lbs.. dry weight) was going to crush the dock.

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Long walk to shore-side heads (building in the background), and Donna shoveling

So we did a lot of ice remediation. It has the side benefit of a good upper body workout and it was the first time we actually felt really warm in a long time! I even made it into the marina newsletter last February with the caption “We break ice the old fashion way, we get our wives to do it.”

3. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you have icicles inside the boat.

We have learned over the years that living aboard in northern climes requires we insulate most ports and windows on the boat with a layer of plastic. However, a few are left uncovered so we can vent the boat on a daily basis to get rid of humidity. On those uncovered windows, Jack Frost goes to work every night covering the surfaces with elaborate patterns and icicles form around the bottom. We are probably the only people who wonder what the R-value (insulation value) is for Ziploc bags… which are perfect for insulating ports.

4. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you need a putty knife to apply your shampoo in the morning.

Breaking up the ice with a 2 by 6 plank of wood

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There are a whole variety of liquid products we take for granted until the temperature drops below freezing.

The other morning I went to wash my hair and couldn’t get the shampoo out of the bottle because it was frozen. My husband, always helpful, offered me a putty knife. We have resorted to using the microwave to thaw our dish soap and don’t forget about warming up the clothes detergent before going to the laundromat.

5. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… water from the tap is so cold it hurts to wash your hands.

Our water tank holds 300 gallons of water which lasts us a couple of weeks. By the end of that time

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the water temperature is just barely above freezing and it seems to takes forever before the hot water makes it through the cold copper pipes. We use heat tapes on all our plumbing to keep the pipes from freezing, but it’s not enough to avoid severely cold water first thing in the morning.

And yet, you don’t want to waste water by waiting for it to heat up.

6. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you wear hats to bed.

We don’t usually heat the forward cabin where we sleep since the combined heat from two humans at 98.6 degrees each is enough to keep us mostly comfortable with our mil-spec sleeping

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Note the set of three green hoses just under the windows

bags and heating pads at our feet. But we find we need to wear hats to bed to keep our noggins warm. We need all the help we can get to keep our gray matter working at our age. My husband says he finds my hat-covered head strangely alluring… but there’s no accounting for taste.

7. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… your veggies freeze overnight.

Our heating philosophy is that we only heat the occupied parts of the boat while the rest of the boat goes cold. The only exception is the head… I HATE a cold bum, so we always keep the head warm. During the day, that means we are in the main cabin (saloon/galley) where we each have a ceramic heater at our feet. At night we turn off the heaters in the main cabin and the area goes to ambient temperatures (at or below freezing). Vegetables have a tendency to freeze solid in our little refrigerator, so we have learned to keep the produce in a bin in a warmer spot in the cabin. By the way, the bilge makes a great turkey storage area before a big Thanksgiving celebration, just don’t tell the guests where the bird has been. We tend to get funny looks while shopping for a turkey since we have to take a tape measure with us to make sure the bird will fit in our little marine oven. We sound like something out of a bad Alfred Hitchcock movie when we say, “I think she’ll fit in the oven.”

8. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… humidity is your enemy Land-based houses have to deal with a lack of humidity during the winter due to the heating system,

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but this is not the case on a boat. The small area of a boat with two humans who are 70% water, plus the temperature difference from outside to inside, create a very humid environment.

This is especially an issue with bedding. We take the bedding off our bed every morning and put it in the sun to dry.

We cover our boat with clear, plastic shrink-wrap which makes a solarium on sunny days where we dry everything.

If we didn’t, our boat would be a f loating fungus farm. By the way, a zero-gravity chair (folding lounge chair) under the clear plastic cover on a sunny day is awesome! It can be 20 degrees outside and 80 degrees under the cover. All we need is a fake plastic

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palm tree and drinks with little umbrellas to make the illusion of a tropical beach complete.

9. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you know what the “Amp Dance” is and how to do it. People who live in houses or what I call a “people box surrounded by dirt” rarely Amp meters have to worry about drawing too make it easy much power when using electrical to monitor appliances. On a boat, with limited your batteries 30 or 50 amp shore service, it can be quite a challenge, especially since we heat with electric heaters.

So, we have to carefully monitor our amperage use (hence the “Amp Dance”). You have to turn off the water heater to run the microwave or turn off the coffee maker to run the toaster oven, etc…

On more than a few occasions a morning shower has been

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Donna caught napping on the flybridge

thwarted because we forgot to turn the water heater back on the night before… Luckily, my husband designed and built a new power panel with amp meters, so we don’t have to guess at the loads anymore.

10. You know you’re a liveaboard in New England when… you know what the “Hose Dance” is and how it’s done Getting water to the boat when the marina has shut down dock water is a challenge. We wait for a “good day,” sunny with high temperatures in the upper 20s to 30s. We have to run 300 feet of hose up the dock to a spigot on shore and hope to get the water running through the hose before ice builds up. We call it the “Hose Dance” when you’re trying to clear an ice-clogged hose by stepping on it to break up the ice inside. Once you finish filling your tanks you have to drain down the hose by holding it up over your head as you walk from one end to the other so it wont freeze solid for the next person who needs it. My husband is affectionately known as “The Hose Master”…oh get your mind out of the gutter, I know what you’re thinking!

“Live on a boat,” he said.” “It will be fun!” he said.

Still, I wouldn’t change it for the world… unless we could take her south in the winter!

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DIARY OF A FIRST MATE

We are living on a boat named Dancin’ Lady, which we have rented for three months this winter. However, I think the boat should be named Rosalita. It is an interesting old boat. It was built in the ‘70s and it has wonderful, beautiful paneling all throughout. However, it does not have a working heating system and it does not have a working air conditioning system. Instead, we heat the boat with space heaters, and both of us are a bit dubious about space heaters. We have found that you cannot overtax the electrical system or you will blow the breakers. Consequently, one cannot run heaters and make coffee at the same time. This makes for difficult choices on the mornings when the temperature dips into the 30s.

The toilets on this boat are tricky. You have to make sure that the vacuum system is not impeded in any way at the opening. If it is, that water will drain out of the bowl, and then the water pump will run continuously. When the

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By Marilyn Schroeder

water drains out of the toilet bowl it makes a loud sucking sound. This happens after one has deposited a bowel movement into the toilet bowl and a small residue has not flushed away. The remedy for this is to monitor the toilet after you use it, and if you hear a loud sucking sound, you must grab a bowl brush, spray the bowl with cleaner, force open the bottom of the bowl with the foot lever, and scrub the bowl’s exit vigorously. If the water pump runs continuously, it will burn up and the toilet will no longer work. Or, sometimes, the pump will just decide that it is old and tired, and it will burn up anyway. One of them did that.

Fortunately, we have three bathrooms on the boat.

Any such problem on the boat will trigger a visit from Dave, the marina mechanic, who gets the unenviable job of pretzeling himself into small spaces to fix our boat problems. These began shortly after we arrived. I awoke one morning, made my sleepy way to the bathroom, er,

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head, and discovered that the carpet in the hallway was wet.

So was the bathroom floor. The toilet was leaking quite a bit of water. Shortly after my panicky call, Dave arrived to tighten up something at the base of the toilet. He had to come do it again later when it leaked, and also for the toilet at the forward head. Dave commented that he’d never seen anybody have such trouble with toilets. I told him our toilets at home were no trouble at all.

Dave is a taciturn fellow who regards us as blooming idiots who cause him extra work. When I greet him with, “Good morning, Dave!” he usually grunts. However, Dave is bribable. He has a weakness for cashews. I make it a priority to always have a can of cashews on board.

Last year we rented a house. It had a working furnace, an adequate electrical system, and toilets that worked without our thinking about it. There’s a lot to be said for that..

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The shower is very interesting. When you want to shower, you must remember to reach up and dial a timer which turns on a light in the shower and also turns on a pump to pump out the water in the bottom of the shower stall. If you forget to do this, it will trip a breaker, cancel the power, and stop the water from flowing from the shower head. Haven’t forgotten yet.

The plus feature about the boat is that we are at the end of a very long dock, and we get to observe a continuing parade of a variety of seabirds who swoop and dive and preen in front of us. The minus feature about the boat is that we are at the end of a very long dock, which is tough on my artificial knees, especially when I am carrying bags of groceries.

The answer to that problem was to rent a three-wheel bicycle with a basket on the back, and use that to ferry

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necessities to the end of the dock. Unfortunately, that did not fix my knees which still hurt.

The boat has given us a few exciting moments.

These seem to occur at night when there is no one on duty at the marina. The first time this happened we were treated to fluctuating electrical current which had the lights flashing on and off and the TV making startling noises as it received and lost power. This was accompanied by an acrid smell of burnt electrical. We later found that the power cord to the boat had become defective.

The next time we experienced burnt electrical was when a water pump burned out at about 10:30 at night. We decided that we should sleep on the sofa for the night, since sleeping in the master stateroom would be a death trap if the boat were to catch on fire. About 12:30 I had a terrible kink in my neck, and I decided that since

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I couldn’t smell the burnt smell any more, I would go to bed. So I did.

One night about 7:00 p.m. the boat emitted a loud roar from the starboard side engine room. By now we were old hands, but we couldn’t figure out the current disaster. We called the owner who came promptly and discovered that somehow during previous repairs, the water tanks had been filled as if for a voyage, but when all the water was used up the water pump had nothing to pump. It was howling in rage and threatening to burn itself up.

We became intimate with the breaker box. At least the many switches were pretty accurately identified, so one day, when I discovered that the shower pump was running long after husband had finished showering and had apparently gotten hot and stuck, I calmly grabbed a flashlight, located the switch for the aft

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shower and turned it off myself. Later, after it cooled, it could be turned on and went back to working normally.

Whew! A visit from Dave averted.

The boat is like a dowager aunt who is in poor health with brittle bones. You need to treat her respectfully and carefully. I can sympathize--I feel that way myself.

Shortly after we arrived, I sized up the kitchen.

Working sink, check. Working stove, (yay!) check.

Microwave, check. Dishwasher, check, unnecessary.

Under-counter refrigerator, check. Hmm! The door to the freezer falls off. That was eventually resolved when Dave crafted a new hinge contraption for the freezer door. Now the door doesn’t fall off, but it is tricky to close--needs a special touch to latch it and bump it totally shut. Actually, the smart move is probably not to use the freezer compartment at all. Who needs ice cubes?

I don’t know what they will do if any major appliance in the kitchen needs replacing. The doors are only two feet wide, and taking something from the main deck down to the kitchen would be impossible down the narrow curving stairway. In fact, traversing the walkway down the length of the boat is elbow jogging. If the boat is rocking in the wind, you are likely to get a sneaky kidney punch from a doorknob when the boat makes a sizable lurch. The walkway is narrow and there is a twoinch step up to step into any bathroom, er, head.

You need to remember to wear shoes at all times unless sleeping. Otherwise you will suffer from broken toes. This is especially true in our bedroom, er, stateroom. The space on either side of the bed is about 12

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inches, and the base of the bed has drawers built into it which lurk diabolically, ready to snare a toe.

The bed itself is queen size on a platform. This presents another problem for me, since I’m only about five feet tall. The bed is nearly as tall as my waist. I cannot sit on it, and getting into it requires scaffolding. I solved the problem by buying a small folding stool which allows me to scale my way into the bed.

My life has become attuned to the sound of pumps running and how long they run. I lie in bed and listen for the toilet pumps. If they keep running, I must get up and do maintenance on whichever toilet is leaking out its water. When the wind blows hard and the boat rocks, it activates a bilge pump somewhere, and I lie in bed and contemplate how much water might be in the bottom of the boat, and whether I might wake up to fi nd the mattress afloat. Husband Bill has no such qualms. He delights in being rocked by the cradle of the deep. No sound of pumps bother him---poor hearing has its advantages.

(Written several weeks later...) I think the Rosalita heard my carping about her. Last Sunday we had an extremely low tide. That meant that our boat was much lower than the dock, and our gangplank went from the boat up to the dock at about a 45-degree angle. However, a plus about our gangplank was that it had a waist-high railing on each side. I had depended on that railing many times before. On Sunday I started up the gangplank with my cane, my purse, and a good-sized bag of trash to take to the garbage bin, and when I reached the end of the gangplank, I had to make a big step down to the dock. As

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2/5/17 11:25 AM

I steadied myself with the railings to help me step down, they both collapsed under me. I fell backward onto the gangplank. Now I was headfirst down on my back at the 45-degree angle, still clutching my cane, my purse, and my sack of garbage, although all my long fingernails on my right hand had broken off.

Husband Bill had been reclining on the couch, eating pistachios. My crash brought him to the door exclaiming, “What can I do? What can I do?” So I handed him my cane, my purse, and the bag of garbage. And since I didn’t want to roll off into the bay, I scooted on my back, back down the gangplank and through the door into the boat before I checked to see if I could get on my feet. I could, but boy! Did I ever hurt. I ended up with a purple bum on both buttocks, strained shoulder and upper arm muscles, and a huge bruise on my right arm.

Ol’ Rosalita has a mean streak in her.

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Pg 96-115 Flotsam edited.indd 21

Cruising Outpost 115

2/5/17 11:26 AM

Passage Cookies

By Elinore Craig

─

䜀

一 一䤀 㔀 䄀 ㄀䌀䰀䔀

䘀 䘀 伀

䄀䐀䐀 夀䔀䄀刀匀 吀伀 吀䠀䔀 䰀䤀䘀䔀 伀䘀 夀伀唀刀 匀䄀䤀䰀匀 圀䤀吀䠀 吀䠀䔀 䰀愀䴀䄀唀一䔀夀 倀刀伀䌀䔀匀匀℀ 伀瘀攀爀 ㄀㔀 Ⰰ 匀愀椀氀猀 刀攀挀漀渀搀椀琀椀漀渀攀搀 椀渀 ㈀㘀 礀攀愀爀猀℀

㤀㠀─ 漀昀 愀氀氀 猀琀愀椀渀猀 爀攀洀漀瘀攀搀℀ 刀甀猀琀Ⰰ 洀椀氀搀攀眀Ⰰ 最爀攀愀猀攀Ⰰ 愀渀椀洀愀氀 ☀ 瘀攀最攀琀愀戀氀攀 猀琀愀椀渀猀 最漀渀攀℀ 刀攀猀椀渀猀 爀攀瀀氀愀挀攀搀 最椀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀 愀 戀爀椀氀氀椀愀渀琀 眀栀椀琀攀 猀愀椀氀 琀栀愀琀 椀猀 唀嘀Ⰰ 䴀䤀䰀䐀䔀圀 ☀ 䴀伀䤀匀吀唀刀䔀 瀀爀漀琀攀挀琀攀搀⸀ 倀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 刀攀瀀愀椀爀猀 搀漀渀攀 漀渀 猀椀琀攀⸀ 圀攀 搀漀 椀琀 愀氀氀 昀漀爀 氀攀猀猀℀ 䴀漀搀椀昀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀猀Ⰰ 刀漀氀氀攀爀 䘀甀爀氀椀渀最Ⰰ 匀甀渀戀愀渀搀猀Ⰰ 䘀甀氀氀 䈀愀琀琀攀渀猀Ⰰ 刀攀攀昀 倀漀椀渀琀猀Ⰰ 圀椀渀搀漀眀猀Ⰰ 攀琀挀⸀ 䘀甀爀氀椀渀最 䜀攀愀爀Ⰰ 䘀甀氀氀 䈀愀琀琀攀渀 䠀愀爀搀眀愀爀攀Ⰰ 䰀甀昀昀 吀爀愀挀欀 䌀漀渀瘀攀爀猀椀漀渀猀Ⰰ 䐀甀琀挀栀洀愀渀Ⰰ 匀匀 䠀愀爀搀眀愀爀攀Ⰰ 䰀椀渀攀Ⰰ 䰀甀 䰀愀稀礀 䨀愀挀欀猀Ⰰ 伀瘀攀爀 㔀 猀愀椀氀椀渀最 椀琀攀洀猀 椀渀 漀甀爀 渀攀眀 䌀愀琀愀氀漀最甀攀⸀

䌀栀攀挀欀 漀甀琀 琀栀攀 瘀椀搀攀漀 愀渀搀 爀攀焀甀攀猀琀 愀 挀愀琀愀氀漀最甀攀 愀琀

椀渀昀漀䀀猀愀椀氀挀愀爀攀⸀挀漀洀 縀 㠀 ⸀㐀㌀㌀⸀㜀㈀㐀㔀

眀眀眀⸀猀愀椀氀挀愀爀攀⸀挀漀洀

116 Cruising Outpost

pg 116-117 Galley Gourmet edited.indd 2

On short passages of one-three nights, (a) eat more snacks and fewer full meals and (b) discover that getting out of a cozy berth for night watch sometimes requires incentives beyond the fulfillment of doing your part.

Yeah, we all want to pull our weight, but a 2:45 a.m. alarm usually gives me second thoughts about the wisdom of choosing the boating life…

This recipe scores on two points: refueling and a reason to roll out of bed.

The cookies are satisfying jolts of carbs and protein while the chocolate gives the crew something to look forward to at dark o’clock.

As a bonus, they are gluten-free and do not use eggs or processed sugar. With careful substitutions, they can even be made vegan.

Do not use whole oats – quick oats are more ground and somewhat powdery.

You can make your own by measuring, then quickly pulsing 4-5 times in a blender or food processor (aboard Nakamal we have a small handheld blender and an inverter, but I have always used quick oats).

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For peanut butter, I use a powdered peanut butter called PB2 (find it on Amazon - once I spied it in a Walmart in Chula Vista, CA). You can also use another kind of butter such as almond, or a home-made nut butter.

If you have access to them, we find that the Ghirardelli 65% cocoa chocolate chips are marvelously large and fill a bite with dark chocolate yumminess.

Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies (aka Passage Cookies) Yield: 10-11 cookies Ingredients • 2 and 1/3 cups (190g) quick oats • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 cup (250g) peanut butter • 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup (or honey or agave syrup) • 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup) • 1/3 cup (60g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips • optional: 1/3 cup (33g) sliced almonds (for two people or short passages, I cut the recipe in half): Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C - or whatever you need to set your boat oven to in order to approximate this temp.)

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. You can grease your baking pan but the paper makes cleanup a lot easier. Your choice – more trash or more water.

3. Combine the ingredients into a large bowl, saucepan, etc. Mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The dough will be sticky and thick.

4. Drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and slightly flatten the tops to desired thickness. The cookies will not spread in the oven so make them the size you want (I use a tablespoon or soup spoon so mine are smaller than the original recipe which says to use 3 Tbsp. per cookie).

5. Bake until edges are very slightly brown, approximately 15 minutes depending on your oven. Do not let them get too dark or they will taste dry!

6. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets completely. Cookies stay fresh at room temp for one week if they last that long, or a couple weeks in the fridge if you have refrigeration.

7. Make ahead tip: Cookies can be frozen up to three months, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

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Cruising Outpost 117

2/6/17 1:11 PM

Against After over four weeks in Turks and Caicos, which consisted of two-plus weeks in Provo and two-plus weeks in Grand Turks, all on the hook, the decision was made to continue south to the Dominican Republic. We’d been anchored in crystal-clear Caribbean blue a little over 100 yards from shore in Cockburn Town. It contained a very large and safe dinghy dock. Nice restaurants and markets were within walking distance.

The best feature for us was that we had excellent snorkeling and diving right from our vessel. We were anchored in 18 feet of sandy bottom and all around us were coral formations. About 160 yards behind us was “the wall” where our shallow anchorage dropped off to 50 - 60 feet and then very quickly to 600 feet plus. The coral heads there were absolutely amazing. But it was time to say goodbye.

We departed Cockburn Town about 1500 hours for the almost due south, 100-plus nautical mile run to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, then on to our ultimate destination in the DR, Samana.

Departing Cockburn Town we had to sail south-southwest to make

118 Cruising Outpost pg 118- Against the Wind edited.indd 2

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2/5/17 12:41 PM

The Wind

By Robert Scott, S/V Honeymoon Forever

our way around Little Sandy Cay, Salt Cay and Big Sand Cay before we could turn southsoutheast approximately 170 degrees to head into Puerto Plata.

The winds were east-southeast and we raised all canvas. In no time at all we were clipping along into the high sevens, low eights. Time passed quickly. We sailed past Cotton Cay, Salt Cay and finally Big Sand Cay. As we passed Big Sand Cay the winds picked up quickly to a steady 22 - 24, so we reefed in the main and jib to about 50% each.

Then we raised the staysail, setting our tack for the long stretch across the ocean which would include depths way over 13,000 feet. We got settled in for the nighttime passage which would take us just west of the Silver Banks - the winter breeding grounds for the mighty humpback whales.

Onward through the night, we took turns keeping watch and napping. We were really getting tossed around with six- to eight-foot swells hitting us from all directions. There was no consistency to them, just a great big washing machine effect.

The hours ticked by slowly. The stars were amazingly bright, with only the slightest sliver of a crescent moon showing, but the night drug on. By 0515 there was already light in the sky, and although we still had the same seas, somehow the ride seemed smoother in the light!

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pg 118- Against the Wind edited.indd 3

Cruising Outpost 119 2/5/17 12:42 PM

Against The Wind The DR’s rough north coast

Vivi awoke around 0640. We were about four hours out from our destination, still in 10,000-plus feet of water. When we were a couple of miles out of the marina entrance we radioed them for entry instructions. They requested that we tie up at the fuel dock for the process of checking into Customs and Immigration before being assigned our slip.

We were concerned about all of the corruption involving local officials in the Dominican Republic that we had heard and read about taking place, but our concerns were quickly laid to rest. We encountered some of the most pleasant and friendly people, from the Commandant to Customs and Immigrations. The process went smoothly and quickly (well, Island Time quickly), and we were soon in our slip chilling out after a rough night of the ocean’s madness.

After a week’s stay it was time to gear up for the trip around the north side of the Dominican Republic, eastward and then south as we headed to Samana Bay. A journey of approximately 140 nautical miles, the plan was to break it up into two legs as we had no desire to run at night in this part of the world - off of this coast. One of the main factors was the local fishermen, who take the smallest of vessels into these very rough waters and spend days out there until their small boats are full. They use drift nets and have no lights of any kind. We encountered them on the way into DR from Turks during the day, and had no desire to encounter them in rough seas in the dark, for their safety and ours.

With the first light in the sky we headed out of the comfort and safety of the marina, raising the main and a 50% jib. Once out of the relative calm

眀眀眀⸀椀渀猀甀爀愀渀挀攀洀愀爀椀渀攀ⴀ漀渀氀椀渀攀⸀挀漀洀

䤀渀猀甀爀愀渀挀攀 昀漀爀 匀愀椀氀漀爀 戀礀 匀愀椀氀漀爀猀

䐀爀⸀ 䈀爀椀愀渀 ☀ 䨀漀愀渀 䠀攀瀀戀甀爀渀Ⰰ 䨀漀椀渀琀 䐀椀爀攀挀琀漀爀猀⸀ 伀瘀攀爀 ㈀ Ⰰ 猀攀愀 洀椀氀攀猀 ☀ 㤀㔀 礀攀愀爀猀 漀昀 猀愀椀氀椀渀最 戀攀琀眀攀攀渀 甀猀⸀ 䨀漀椀渀琀 䐀椀爀攀挀琀漀爀猀 漀昀 琀栀攀 䤀猀氀愀渀搀 䌀爀甀椀猀椀渀最 䄀猀猀漀挀椀愀琀椀漀渀 昀漀爀 ㄀㄀ 礀攀愀爀猀⸀

䰀伀䌀䄀䰀 圀䄀吀䔀刀匀 漀爀 䄀一夀 伀䌀䔀䄀一 䤀一 吀䠀䔀 圀伀刀䰀䐀

䄀一夀 䌀刀䄀䘀吀 ⴀ 䄀一夀圀䠀䔀刀䔀 ⴀ 吀圀伀 倀䔀刀匀伀一 ⴀ 匀䤀一䜀䰀䔀䠀䄀一䐀䔀䐀 䌀伀䄀匀吀䄀䰀 ⴀ 䈀䰀唀䔀 圀䄀吀䔀刀 ⴀ 吀䠀䤀刀䐀 倀䄀刀吀夀 ⴀ 䌀䄀一䄀䰀 䈀伀䄀吀匀

䴀愀椀渀 愀最攀渀琀猀 椀渀 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀Ⰰ 一攀眀 娀攀愀氀愀渀搀Ⰰ 唀匀䄀 愀渀搀 琀栀攀 倀愀挀椀昀椀挀 䤀猀氀愀渀搀猀 昀漀爀 䔀搀眀愀爀搀 圀椀氀氀椀愀洀 䴀愀爀椀渀攀 匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀猀 匀䰀⸀ 簀 䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀㨀 栀攀瀀戀甀爀渀䀀椀渀猀甀爀愀渀挀攀洀愀爀椀渀攀ⴀ漀渀氀椀渀攀⸀挀漀洀

120 Cruising Outpost

pg 118- Against the Wind edited.indd 4

一漀眀 愀挀挀攀瀀琀椀渀最 焀甀漀琀攀 爀攀焀甀攀猀琀猀 瘀椀愀 䄀瀀瀀氀攀 漀爀 䄀渀搀爀漀椀搀 搀攀瘀椀挀攀猀

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2/5/17 12:42 PM

DR’s local fishermen - 11 miles offshore of the shallows we were hit with the full force of the Atlantic. We were instantly immersed in six- to eightfoot seas that were anything but regular. This part of the DR coast is lined with tall cliffs and is quite uninhabitable as there are no natural coves or bays for shelter. As the waves and swell cross the Atlantic they have no place to disperse their energy, so they slam against the cliffs and that energy then rolls back out to sea, creating additional turbulence. The plan was to try and make the area of Las Terranas before sunset and drop a hook in shallower, quieter waters. We made it as far as El Burro, where we found shelter from the winds for the night as the sun was setting.

At first light we had coffee and a light breakfast, weighed anchor and headed off with the intention of making Samana that day. We headed back into the deep waters as the shallows on this part of the coast are very rocky and not exactly charted properly. As soon as we came out of the shelter of our anchorage we were blasted once again with 25- to 30-knot headwinds and very sloppy seas. As we plowed through them we passed Coson, Punta Bonito, Portillo and Cayo Limon, just motoring at this point. We were already exhausted and it was only 1015 hours! We rounded Ensenada La Posa and turned southeast. So Our backyard in Turks

刀愀琀 䜀甀愀爀搀猀

䬀攀攀瀀 瘀攀爀洀椀渀 漀昀昀 礀漀甀爀 戀漀愀琀℀ 刀漀琀愀琀椀渀最 搀椀猀挀 攀愀猀椀氀礀 猀氀椀瀀猀 漀渀 礀漀甀爀 搀漀挀欀氀椀渀攀猀 愀渀搀 愀渀挀栀漀爀 挀栀愀椀渀⸀ 䌀漀洀瀀愀挀琀 礀攀琀 瘀攀爀礀 攀昀昀攀挀琀椀瘀攀⸀ 䄀瘀愀椀氀愀戀氀攀 椀渀 琀栀爀攀攀 猀椀稀攀猀Ⰰ 椀渀挀氀甀搀椀渀最 挀漀洀洀攀爀挀椀愀氀 猀栀椀瀀瀀椀渀最 愀渀搀 氀愀爀最攀 礀愀挀栀琀猀⸀ 圀漀爀欀猀 攀焀甀愀氀氀礀 眀攀氀氀 椀渀 琀栀攀 洀愀爀椀渀愀 漀爀 漀渀 琀栀攀 栀漀漀欀⸀

刀愀椀渀洀愀渀 圀愀琀攀爀洀愀欀攀爀猀 䄀 倀漀爀琀愀戀氀攀Ⰰ 栀椀最栀 漀甀琀瀀甀琀 眀愀琀攀爀洀愀欀攀爀 琀栀愀琀 椀猀 猀椀洀瀀氀攀 愀渀搀 氀攀猀猀 攀砀瀀攀渀猀椀瘀攀 琀漀 瀀甀爀挀栀愀猀攀 愀渀搀 漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀⸀ 刀攀搀甀挀攀猀 眀攀椀最栀琀 愀渀搀 愀氀氀漀眀猀 礀漀甀 琀漀 欀攀攀瀀 礀漀甀爀 椀渀瘀攀猀琀洀攀渀琀Ⰰ 琀愀欀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 眀愀琀攀爀洀愀欀攀爀 眀椀琀栀 礀漀甀 眀栀攀渀 礀漀甀 搀攀挀椀搀攀 琀漀 猀攀氀氀 礀漀甀爀 戀漀愀琀⸀

䠀礀搀爀漀 䌀栀愀爀最攀爀猀

嘀䤀匀䤀吀 伀唀刀 圀䔀䈀匀䤀吀䔀 䘀伀刀 䘀唀䰀䰀 䰀䤀匀吀 伀䘀 倀刀伀䐀唀䌀吀匀

眀眀眀⸀猀眀椀ⴀ琀攀挀⸀甀猀

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pg 118- Against the Wind edited.indd 5

Cruising Outpost 121

2/5/17 12:43 PM

Against The Wind

Peace and quiet in Las Galeras now, instead of taking the full brunt of the ocean right on the bow, we were taking it on the port side creating a lovely rolling motion which left us glued to our seats. We scanned the charts to find a place to duck into and drop a hook to get out of this nastiness. We saw that to our starboard was a large natural bay. Deciding to put the winds and rough ocean behind us, we turned westward and headed in.

The charts show it as a very rocky bottom mixed with open areas of sand, with depths from 600 feet at its opening to 30-plus feet before coming ashore at Playa Rincon.

We spotted an area called Bahia de Las Galeras, which has a natural protective cove area. This put us in about 15 feet of water surrounded by reef with a sandy bottom and very little of the ocean’s surge.

We were suddenly facing a beautiful white sand beach with chairs, umbrellas and a small bar and restaurant. It is called La Playita and it is in the town of Las Galeras. Upon going ashore we met the

120 Cruising Outpost

pg 118- Against the Wind edited.indd 6

owner of the establishment and asked if it was okay to anchor our boat there for a while, at least until the winds and waves calmed down. His answer was “Hola mi amigos, mi casa es su casa”! So after an incredible lunch of Pescado la Plancha we hung out on the beach and enjoyed cold Presidente beers. While there we saw several signs for a place called Chalet Tropical and asked about it. We were told that it is a local bed and breakfast right up the road within walking distance.

So, with the vessel safe and secure in the cove, we decided to go for a walk about and check out this B&B for future reference. As we walked through the gates we were greeted by a woman with a great infectious smile and an Italian accent. As Vivi speaks Italian, in no time at all they were fully engaged in a conversation. Her name is Sarah Paradiso and she is the owner and proprietor of Chalet Tropical.

She built it up over the course of the last 17 years. It has six guest homes all made

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2/5/17 12:43 PM

Vivi and Sarah, owner of Chalet Tropical

From $175/night!

from local woods, rocks and thatch. They are an absolute delight inside and out. We asked if there was any availability for a day or so and she said yes. We knew it was going to be blowing hard for the next few days, so Vivi and I went back to the vessel, gathered up our necessaries and checked in for a few days.

I could write a dozen pages describing the intricate detail inside and out of the Chalets, as Sarah missed nothing and thought of everything to make one’s stay comfortable. The daily rate includes a breakfast of your choice - delivered at the time of your choosing, to your Chalet. The units have all the modern conveniences and are all in a marvelously rustic and tropical setting.

Sarah was a walking lexicon of local information and directed us to all of the great local establishments for our lunches and dinners. The days passed by very quickly and all of my weather sources told me we had a nice window to finish out our journey. With big hugs and kisses we bid Sarah and her crew goodbye, promising to return in the near future.

Honeymoon Forever was waiting for us right where and as we left her, her bow pointing towards the open ocean as if to say, “I’m ready, let’s go.” We got all systems ready and headed out of the security of the cove, rounding Punta La Caleta and making our way towards Punta El Cabito, which would be our last leg heading easterly before we would turn southwest, making a run towards Punta La Palometa.

We were blessed with mild winds and fairly decent seas, so our little “break” in Las Galeras paid off. In a few short hours we made our turn due west and sailed wing and wing for the remaining 8.5 miles of our journey as we made our way into Samana Bay and the Puerto Bahia Marina. Our long, arduous journey from the Turks and Caicos had ended and it was time to enjoy some downtime in a full service marina.

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Cruising Outpost 121

2/5/17 12:43 PM

Butt Naked and Dragging Anchor

By Joe Cloidt

“So Joe, got any good naked stories for us?” my sister asked with a mischievous grin on her face. Some may think that is an odd question to come from a sister, and some may think it even stranger that she had asked me at a gathering after our step-father’s funeral, but that’s how our family rolls.

After a quick glance at the half dozen family members standing around us, I knew I had a captive audience.

“Why yes, yes I do!” I replied with an even bigger grin, thinking back to a recent sailing adventure. And like most of my sailing adventure stories, it started with, “It was a dark and stormy night...”

Actually, this story didn’t start with a dark and stormy night, it started with some pleasant spring weather. I had taken a week off from work for a trip down the Intracoastal Waterway on Florida’s east central coast. My home port is in the Melbourne area and I had headed south to Peck Lake, an anchorage just south of the St. Lucie inlet. The lake is a popular overnight stopping point for those traveling the ICW. While the lake is fairly good size, the anchorage area is relatively small with shallow water on either side of it. The sandy bottom has

124 Cruising Outpost

pg 124-127 Dragging Anchor edited.indd 2

also been slowly covered with a thick black muck that sometimes makes it difficult to get the anchor to hold.

Every time I have visited the lake some unfortunate boater has run aground there, usually on a falling tide from the nearby inlet. But once you get settled in, the lake is a nice place to idle away a few days.

When my trip started the weather was perfect; blue skies and a nice east breeze that made for some fine sailing.

But once south of Ft. Pierce the weather became unsettled, with light and variable winds along with partly cloudy skies. By the time I arrived at Peck Lake it was mostly cloudy with just a few cat’s paws rippling the smooth water.

I dropped the hook in the middle of the anchorage, with plenty of swinging room well away from the other boats already there. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing with a big mug of tea while watching the boats coming and going along the ICW. After dinner and a rum drink, I called it an early night as it had been a long day and all that relaxing can wear a sailor out.

But before heading in I did my usual boat check to make sure everything was secure and take one last look at the

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2/5/17 1:27 PM

weather. The cloud cover hadn’t broken and the only stars visible were the masthead anchor lights from the nearby sailboats. There wasn’t even a breath of wind to stir the water, which had all the boats pointing in different directions, their anchor lines slack.

The next day broke gloomy and I was surprised how late I had slept, not having been woken early by the first light peaking in through the front hatch. I made my first cup of tea for the morning and headed up to the cockpit to watch the early morning departures of those needing to move on towards their next anchorage. After breakfast and boat chores, I took the dinghy into the shore to do some exploring and beachcombing. The rest of the day was spent napping and reading as the cloudy skies and lack of breeze seemed to put a damper on my spirits. I tuned in to the NOAA weather late in the afternoon hoping to hear news of sunnier weather. The forecast was still calling for unsettled weather locally, but hinted about clear skies and a nice breeze to the north. It was too late to head out then, but I planned on leaving in the morning and head back north to the Ft. Pierce area.

Just before happy hour, a couple of sailboats from Canada came into the anchorage and rafted up together between my boat and the shoreline. I gave them a quick wave before going below to open the wine and rummage around for crackers. As I sipped my wine, a couple more boats came racing into the anchorage, hoping to get their anchors down before dusk. It was still cloudy when I went below to fix dinner, but I could feel the fi rst stirring of a breeze coming up. By the time dinner was done and the galley cleaned up, a nice light southeast wind was blowing through the lake that had all the boats gently tugging on their anchors. I took this as a good sign that the weather was changing. Little did I know just how it was going to change.

The prospect of good weather lifted my spirits, so I poured myself an extra stiff Mt. Gay and ginger ale, put some good jazz on the stereo and headed topside. In warm weather the mosquitoes and no-see-ums here at the lake will eat you alive unless the wind is up, so it’s a treat to sit in the cockpit without feeling like a human meal. To add some icing on the cake, the occasional star peeked through the breaking clouds. Things were looking up, but since 9:00 p.m. is the cruiser’s midnight, I was soon nodding off. I headed below for the V-berth and fell asleep dreaming of blue skies and full sails.

Normally I’m a light sleeper, and that goes double when I’m on the boat. It always takes me a few days to get into the rhythm of the motion and sounds of the boat. So when the first rumble of far off thunder woke me, it was no surprise, despite the rum.

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The thunder didn’t sound threatening so I nodded off again, but when the first few drops of rain coming in through the front hatch hit my face, I figured I better get up and do a boat check since I couldn’t remember if I had closed the port over the galley stove. Now, I should mention here that I sleep in the nude. No big deal even though it does sometimes startle new crew members when they wake in the middle of the night to see the captain stumbling around naked in the cabin doing his boat check.

But, I always keep a pair of shorts handy if I know I have to go topsides. I groggily got up, without grabbing my shorts, and headed into the saloon. Just then a brilliant flash of lightning lit up the cabin. The almost immediate crash of thunder had me instantly awake. This is when the proverbial “all hell broke loose” part happened.

The boat was suddenly slammed over by a tremendous gust of wind, followed by the roar of a torrential downpour of rain. When the next lightning bolt hit, I glanced out the side port light and it took me a few moments to realize the

Cruising Outpost 125

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two rafted up sailboats were now on my starboard side, not the port side. The wind had swung all the boats completely around. It also took me a few moments to realize that the anchor was dragging and I was bearing down on those two boats! I flew up the companionway ladder to the cockpit, sans shorts, and was instantly pelted by the stinging rain coming in almost horizontal. I fired up the engine, threw it in reverse and shoved the throttle lever to full, hoping to avoid fouling the other boats’ anchor rode. All the while the lightning and thunder continued to crash all around, with the gusts of wind knocking the boat back and forth.

With the engine racing, my boat starting backing down away from the other boats, but a sudden wind shift pushed the bow around and once again I felt the boat slipping sideways towards a bad ending. My slim hope of avoiding a collision turned into a cold knot in the pit of my stomach when I saw that my bow wasn’t going to clear the other boat’s bow.

I rushed forward to fend off while hollering at the other boat, and was relieved to see the couple on board also going forward. Thankfully, they had been on storm watch in their cockpit. We all reached the bow at the same time, just as the gap between our boats closed. Grabbing each other’s bow rails, we tried pushing each other off, but the pulpits just kissed before my boat slid past theirs. My momentary relief of avoiding a head-on collision disappeared when my anchor started to grab, swinging the stern around so that now our boats were laying parallel to each other and neither boat had fenders out.

I hurried back to the cockpit, threw the transmission into forward and spun the wheel to port, trying to keep our boats from grinding toe rails together. My boat swung out, but the next gust of wind pushed me back despite me giving it full throttle. We all met at mid deck this time, and fended each other off before I went back to the cockpit to try to drive the boat off to port again. Once again the wind pushed me back towards the other boat.

I was headed back to mid deck just as the couple from the rafted boat came over to help their friends. With the best intentions, the guy flicked on his mega-watt search light only to catch me in mid stride in all my naked glory.

Despite the storm still blowing all around us, there was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he had the good sense to shut off his light.

126 Cruising Outpost

pg 124-127 Dragging Anchor edited.indd 4

Half blinded from the spotlight, I grabbed my upper lifeline and was leaning out to grab the other boat when suddenly the lifeline went slack! I felt a sickening sense of free fall as I pitched forward into the darkness between the two boats. But halfway over the rail, my right upper thigh caught the lower lifeline, bringing me to a rather painful stop. After I realized I wasn’t going into the water, I found myself balanced on the lifeline, my toes barely touching the deck, my butt up in the air and my upper body hanging upside down over the side of the boat with my hands pressed on the side of the hull to keep me from going all the way in.

My first thought was that I was about to be crushed between the two boats. My second thought was of my doctor warning me not to hang upside-down after a recent surgery. My third thought was, I must look pretty damn foolish being in the position I was in.

Hoping my head wouldn’t explode, I tried to get back up on deck, but couldn’t get any purchase to heave myself up. Then I heard a laugh and the lady on the other boat said, “Bet that’s going to leave a bruise!” I couldn’t help but laugh also, as I knew she was right. Finally managing to grab the toe rail, I wiggled my way back up topsides. I got to my feet with a very firm grasp on the standing rigging, trying to get my bearings and let some of the adrenaline rush subside. The woman then said, “I think the worst of it has passed,” and sure enough, within a minute the wind had died down to a gentle breeze as the squall moved offshore.

We checked that everyone was okay and from what we could see in the dark, there was no apparent damage to the boats. I went back to the helm and slowly moved my boat off to retrieve the anchor. Once the anchor was up, trying to find a spot to drop it back in was difficult, as all my landmarks and the other boats were just vague shapes in the dark. Finally finding an open area, I dropped the hook back in and backed down on it hard to make sure it was buried deep.

I cut the engine and sat there for a few minutes collecting my thoughts. The engineer in me logically reviewed what happened and what to do to prevent it again.

The cruiser in me knew that “stuff happens,” but part of me was ready to sell the boat and take up gardening. Now that the excitement was over I felt exhausted and headed below to my nice, warm, dry bunk.

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一漀 䌀漀漀欀椀攀 䌀甀琀琀攀爀 匀愀椀氀猀 䠀攀爀攀

渀搀 ℀ 椀氀 愀 甀渀琀猀 愀 猀 氀琀椀ⴀ 椀猀挀漀 䴀甀 瀀 䐀 漀甀 䜀爀

When I stepped off the companionway ladder into a puddle of water my heart sank. The last thing I wanted to do at this point was to mop up the cabin. Reluctantly, I turned on an overhead light to see how bad it was. The galley looked like it had been sprayed down with a fi re hose. There was water everywhere. It filled the stove top, it had run down the counter tops into the storage lockers, and my supply of dry kitchen towels were soaking wet, not to mention the puddles on the cabin sole. With a very large sigh, I closed the open port above the galley and went to look for a dry towel in the head. Drying myself off fi rst with my last towel, I then used it to mop up the bigger puddles and figured the rest would keep until the morning. As the clock showed it was now 3:30 a.m., that wasn’t too far off. I finally crawled into my bunk wondering why these things always happen in the middle of the night before dropping off to sleep.

I guess it was my mind looking for its “happy place” after the excitement that had happened just hours before, because just before I woke up I had a dream that the water was like glass, not a breath of wind, and the sky was a clear, brilliant, deep blue. But when I did finally stir and looked out the front hatch it was far from my pleasant dream. The sky was still gray, drab and overcast with a band of low dark clouds just over the horizon to the south.

I made a cup of tea, then went topside to inspect the boat and was pleased to see there wasn’t any damage to the hull or toe rail. I followed the slack lifeline to the bow expecting to find a failed turnbuckle or broken wire. Surprised to find both intact, I was puzzled what had let go.

I then saw the clevis pin that attached the turnbuckle to the bow pulpit lying on the deck, its circular locking clip missing. Then it came to me. When our bow pulpits had kissed last night, the clip must have gotten caught and pulled off, dropping into the water. The clevis pin stayed in place until it finally wiggled out from me grabbing the lifeline, causing the lifeline to go slack and almost sending me overboard.

With that mystery solved, I went below to clean up the rest of the cabin, had some breakfast and found a spare circular clip, this time mounting it on the inboard side of the pulpit rail. The clouds on the horizon were slowly rolling my way and I knew it was time to get out of Dodge. After pulling up the anchor I passed by my neighbors to check on them. My apology for all the commotion was graciously accepted.

I headed back north and was chased by rain storms all morning, but just south of Ft. Pierce the sky cleared, the sun came out and I found a nice quiet cove to anchor. Life was good again and any thoughts of trading in the sailboat for gardening slowly faded away. And oh yeah, the bruise on my leg was the size of Manhattan and just as colorful!

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Cruising Outpost 127

2/5/17 1:28 PM

䜀漀 䌀爀甀椀猀椀渀最 Ⰰ 一漀琀 䌀愀洀瀀椀渀最℀ 圀愀琀攀爀 䴀愀欀攀爀 昀漀爀 匀栀漀眀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 刀攀昀爀椀最攀爀愀琀椀漀渀 昀漀爀 䌀漀氀搀 䈀攀攀爀⸀⸀⸀

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F I N D O U T W H Y O N P A G E 1 5 7.

While you cruise the world, or the backwaters of your local cruising area, there are certain places that just seem “right” for the lifestyle we all love. The establishment spotlighted here are cruiser friendly, will go out of their way to assist cruisers.

1000 ISLANDS HARBOR St. Lawrence River Clayton, New York

For boaters who plan to traverse the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands region, the Town of Clayton has just completed a 49-slip transient dock facility which is located adjacent to the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel.

Three of the slips will accommodate 60- to 80-foot craft while the remaining slips can accommodate boats that are 30 to 60 feet in length. The slips are complete with electrical and water plug-ins, and a wheelchair accessible ramp connects the dock to the shore where a new building houses rest rooms for boaters. Slips are available through the remainder of the 2015 boating season on a first-come basis at no charge for up to 15 days per vessel.

“We are very excited to have this project become available to the boating public,” said Justin A. Taylor, Town of Clayton Supervisor. “The demand for slips during the summer months has often exceeded supply.” The slips are staffed and operated by the Town of Clayton.

“The presence of the boats that will dock at the slips just outside our doors will surely enhance the experience of guests staying at our hotel,” noted Todd Buchko, General Manager, 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel.

“In addition, we will welcome boaters for refreshments, a meal or an overnight stay.

128 Cruising Outpost

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About 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, a AAA Four Diamond Hotel, offers 105 deluxe guest rooms and suites, sophisticated dining, and state-of-the-art function space on the St. Lawrence riverfront in the heart of New York’s spectacular 1000 Islands region. The hotel opened in July, 2014 as the third of Buffalo-based Hart Hotels’ Harbor Hotels brand, which also includes the AAA Four Diamond-rated Portland Harbor Hotel in Portland, Maine, and the AAA Four-Diamond rated Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, New York. 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel is located at 200 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY 13624, 315-686-1100. For more information, visit www.1000islandsharborhotel.com.

Cruise with us. Hagerty.com | 800-922-4050 | Local Agent Hagerty is a registered trademark of The Hagerty Group, LLC. ©2016 The Hagerty Group, LLC. Vehicle make, model and logos are property of their respective owners and do not imply any affiliation with Hagerty.

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2/6/17 2:21 PM

By Lee Chesneau

How Meteorologists Put Their Forecasts Together Weather forecasts are made by collecting as much data as possible about the current state of the atmosphere. In the marine environment, as it affects boaters the most, marine meteorologists are particularly interested in determining relative humidity, and combined with sea water temperatures, fog potential.

Measuring parameters such as atmospheric pressure as it directly relates to wind and over the ocean environment, also results in sea state conditions.

It is vital to the marine weather forecast process that the parameters just noted are made as real time observations at standard time intervals (UTC/Zulu) on a world-wide basis at the surface, as well as aloft in the atmosphere. The observations come from weather balloons, then human interfaced observations at sea from commercial ships, non-human interfaced fixed buoys, and on land, automatic weather stations.

The atmospheric numerical weather prediction models take the initial conditions (or analysis) as the starting point, and evolve the state of the atmosphere forward in time using understanding of atmospheric physics and f luid dynamics. Weather models are also the basis in which the popular GRIB files are generated.

Today’s weather forecasts are often depicted on TV, the internet, and with YouTube like video segments, with more and more emphasis on numerical weather prediction model solutions, without the disclaimer that it

130 Cruising Outpost

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needs. Computer IT specialists then can color enhance or parse out certain data to make it more pleasing to the eye, or simpler reading of the data without altering it.

This is the most disconcerting trend that has evolved over the last several years.

Fortunately for boaters, there is a solution and alternative source for the most accurate forecast possible. It begins with the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS has field offices at several levels: the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), or the National Hurricane Center (NHC). All provide human originated and fettered forecasts from original raw weather model output. Most importantly, however, the forecasters who work for the NWS are meteorologists with Bachelor of Science (BS), Masters (MS), and Doctorate (PhD) degrees. They also routinely receive additional formal training that would enhance their skill level for specific jobs, such as Nexrad (Next Generation Radar) or Doppler Radar.

The following three graphics depict a meteorologist attempt at altering model solution by forcing the model to accept ship reports. The initial model solution is very poor. When human intervention is involved, forecasters integrate and force the model to accept perfectly good ship reports, resulting in improved initial conditions, and thus improved model forecast output (but by no means perfect). For

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example: Commercial ship reports that observe and record local weather conditions are recruited to participate in an international program called the Voluntary Observation Project (VOS). The forecaster has an opportunity to review the vessel reports and overlay them with other data such as meteorological satellite imagery as well as model data to see potential inconsistencies.

The graphic on the left illustrates real time ship observations overlaid on tip of meteorological satellite imagery. The graphic on the right is overlaid initial model output that appears to significantly be off in accuracy (low pressure circulation center is analyzed 600 nm to the northeast of apparent circulation center).

The forecaster adds the human intelligence value which then can alter poor initial model output toward a better solution (not perfect).

The next step is to review and compare other forecast models and either pick a different model’s solution or have a composite blend. When the forecaster makes a final decision, the human intelligence originated forecasts may be an entirely different solution to any model’s output, or be very similar where multiple models have similar agreement.

The forecaster then must decide which forecast model to base a forecast on.

What the boater now needs to do for his/her forecast decisions is to learn to come up with a forecast system of their own, based on their own surface forecasts and comparing them to local observations.

Every boater needs to understand that no matter what resources are used in determining weather forecasts, it is prudent to view human intelligence originated forecasts as the standard to compare all other forecast resources to.

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Cruising Outpost 131

2/6/17 1:05 PM

All Alone in a Superior Paradise:

Loon Harbour

by Scott Kellett

It is very, very rare when life awakens you and you realize just how human we really are.

Exploring Lake Superior’s far northern shore is something my wife Cindy, daughter Genna, and I have wanted to do for some time. The remoteness and beauty both scare and excite me. Compared to other places on the world map, clear, COLD, northern Lake Superior is a seldom-explored wilderness. The average water temperature is about 40 degrees F (a little warmer on the surface), and a long swim is about eight minutes.

We left Duluth, MN (western tip of the lake) on August 18th on our Ocean Alexander 426, hoping for good weather, fair seas and untamed nature. Our first stops were in Silver Bay, MN, Grand Marais, MN, the Suzie Islands (MN)

132 Cruising Outpost

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and Thunder Bay, ON. The stop in Thunder Bay was to experience “RibFest 2016” and it did not disappoint. The days were in the low seventies and the nights were clear, crisp, and the Gin & Tonics… fantastic!

Leaving Thunder Bay we headed to Loon Harbour, a place we were told not to miss. It was here that this “numbers guy” felt the strange desire to somehow try and put his thoughts in writing while sitting under the stars.

“Anchored in Loon Harbour, on the far northern Canadian shore of Lake Superior, it was a beautiful sundown after a fine meal and now a glass (or two) of wine. The wind has laid down for, hopefully, a long nap and the only sounds are the occasional far off bird, the sound of fish seizing dinner on the surface, or self-made.

Truly, there is no sound. The only sign of

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She’ll love a real kitchen.

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F I N D O U T W H Y O N P A G E 1 5 7.

human life is the vapor trail left by passing aircraft.

We are as remote as we have ever been… kind of liberating... all alone with no one here to save us or to partake in our appreciative, thankful, and amazing evening. We as boaters, are fortunate to be able to travel to remote destinations like this.

The call of a distance loon echoes while a billion stars awake from their daytime slumber. I count more satellites than shooting stars, but it makes no difference…

I nervously said to my wife today, after passing through some narrow and rocky channels, “If you’re never scared, you’re not living.” I am now not so sure that’s true… as I sit here in awe of God’s creation.

Did I mention there’s no noise? … NOTHING.”

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Cruising Outpost 133

2/6/17 1:08 PM

Having put it in print I hit the rack, but couldn’t wait to wake up, make coffee, sit on the bow and live it again. The beauty and tranquility of that evening was spectacular. Of course, the dinner of baked pork chops, couscous, sautéed carrots and peppers didn’t hurt either.

Sadly, there was only eight days left on this adventure, but so far we’d been fortunate. Two “weather” days made us miss out on anchoring at Otter Cove and Moss Island Harbour, but at nine knots the natural beauty we’d seen was unsurpassed.

Leaving Loon Harbour we made our way up the Nipigon Straights toward Red Rock, ON. Just past Red Rock we cruised within 20 feet of steep rock cliffs with ancient Indian pictographs that date back hundreds of years. A few miles further north we arrived at our destination, Nipigon, ON. Nipigon Marina is the most northerly freshwater port in North America and the only place to pass latitude 49 degrees north (49th Parallel) on the Great Lakes.

The young man working the marina told me that last winter they had a week where the high for the week was -35F. Nice place to visit.

After a good night’s sleep and some much needed provisioning we left Nipigon and headed back toward Silver Islet, ON. In the mid to late 1800s this tiny (80 feet

134 Cruising Outpost

pg 132-134 Loon Island edited.indd 4

in diameter) island was the worlds most productive silver mine - $3.25 million of silver was extracted, a massive fortune back then. Because of dock issues on the mainland (dock closed) we could not tie up for the night, so we decided to go further on to Tee Harbour. After setting the hook on the east side the wind shifted (surprise?) and started to blow. After a dinner of baked chicken, boiled potatoes and green beans, up came the anchor and off to the west side we went. It took a couple of hours to get a good set with the anchor. Exhausted, we fell asleep, awoke early and headed off.

Our last stop before heading back to our familiar Minnesota harbors was Thompson Island, ON. This Canadian gem is all it is said to be. The horseshoe cove has been made into a little Utopia by Canadian boaters. Everyone is welcome here. One thing about being in Canada… Canadian boaters are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Time moves too fast when out on a voyage. All too soon we were back in Minnesota waters headed home. Another trip enjoying family, nature and the magic of being on the water, we now have great memories of a fantastic adventure.

But more importantly, we have another safe voyage behind us.

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2/6/17 1:09 PM

Cruising Outpost Event News If It’s Gonna Happen It’s Gonna Happen Out There Issue #18

Evening Edition

Strictly Sail Pacific - Richmond, CA Get ready to sail in for a great show and an even greater Cruisers’ Party Add to the hundreds of booths with new boating gear and dozens of boats on display, this year they are even planning a regatta for boats in the area to sail in! There will also be seminars, a Cruisers’ Symposium, and of course, a Cruising Outpost Cruisers’ Party with live music, pizza, cold beer, and plenty of camaraderie with other boaters as well as people from the boating industry. Don’t miss it!

Spring 2017

Pacific Marine Symposium

Last year the Pacific Strictly Sail Show moved from Oakland to the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. Well, it turned out to be one of the best shows in years!

It’s hard to beat the Craneway, as it has one whole wall that is glass, looking over the San Francisco Bay to San Francisco! It is about as perfect as a location could be.

On Sunday, April 9th, two of the most experienced speakers in the boating world come together for a full day’s Symposium on marine weather, seamanship, navigation strategies and boat outfitting. Lee Chesneau, and Pam Wall will be sharing their vast knowledge.

Reservations are required.

See the show’s website to reserve space: enter the following URL in your browser: bit.ly/PamandLee.

Come Sail with Us in the San Juan Islands and Enjoy the 17th Annual Cruisers’ Party

Where in the World?

We combine our Share the Sail with the annual gathering of cruisers

We need your input!

We have a few cabins left for our 2017 Pacific Northwest Share the Sail. Join us for seven great days in the San Juan Islands. Aug. 7-13th.

Sail the many islands that make this one of the favorite cruising grounds in America, and then sail into Anacortes for the two-day Cruisers’ Weekend.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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It doesn’t get much better than this! For more info and to hold your spot go to: www.cruisingoutpost.com/ sharethesail, but do it soon!

Where in the world do you want to go?

Bora Bora? The Spanish Virgin Islands? Greece?

We are ready to expand our Share the Sail to go to the best places on Earth. Email bob@cruisingoutpost. com and let us know!

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17th Annual St. Pete Boat Show Cruisers’ Party

O

nce again cruisers from all over gathered in St. Petersburg, Florida to celebrate the cruising lifestyle with the Eric Stone Band on stage. St. Pete will always hold a special place in our hearts, as this was where the idea for the Cruisers’ Parties started.

An estimated 500 people packed the party barge for free beer, pizza and great music. The weather was great, the company was great, and the whole event was enjoyed by all who came.

A raffle was held to raise funds for the Educational Tall Ship Foundation, which plans on launching their new tall ship in April. Joining us to make this happen once again were our cosponsors at Forespar, Solar-Stik,

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Coppercoat, Kanberra, Fortress Anchors, Great Bay Distributors, Mack Sails, Murray Yacht Sales, Beta Marine, Handcraft Mattress, Sunsail and Boat Show Management.

If you have never participated in a Cruisers’ Party, this is the one you don’t want to miss.

The raffle winners, Jim Guthormsen & Nancy Stone

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section www.cruisingoutpost.com

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• Climb aboard 400 boats, 10-100’, New and Pre-Owned - Saltwater and Freshwater • Demo many of the boats on display • Browse over 200 Vendors • Sign up for the “Take the Helm” on-water program • Attend Free Hourly Seminars hosted by Industry Professionals

Tel: 561.842 8808 • info@SouthWestIntlBoatShow.com

www.SouthWestIntlBoatShow.com

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2/5/17 11:11 AM

WORLDS LARGEST BOAT SHOW

OVER 2.3 MILLION SQUARE FEET! ...AND MY FEET FEEL EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!

Okay, I’m impressed. No, impressed isn’t the word for it. I am flabbergasted! I have been going to and working at boat shows for over 40 years. I have been to shows that have as few as 10 exhibitors and I have worked at what I once thought were big shows, like Ft. Lauderdale, Annapolis and Miami. They now stand in the shadows of the undisputed champion, BOOT Dusseldorf.

Let’s start with sheer size. Over two MILLION square feet.

It’s hard to imagine until you see it; more than 360 manufacturers of sailboats, motor yachts, multihull boats, catamarans, day-sailers and dinghies. And then there are the hundreds of exhibitors of clothing, equipment, and sail

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makers. Each hall was packed with more sailing and boating gear than I ever thought existed.

In the larger halls you could see the latest designs from Jeanneau, Bénéteau, Bavaria and Hanse, and of course, Hallberg Rassy, Dufour, X Yachts, Oyster and Swan were well represented. If you look at some of the photos here, you will see a new trend in hull design that seems to be coming out of Europe.

The largest exhibit was Bavaria Yachts.

There were also halls that housed SCUBA, kayaks, and don’t forget the mega-yachts. Then there was the new 30-foot-wide permanent wave for surfers on their boards!

The location of BOOT was about as perfect a place as you

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could ever ask for. The trains from the city stopped right at the entrance and the airport was a short 10-minute drive. People fly in from all over the world for this, the world’s largest boat show. From the opening of the doors, the crowds were packing the entry and when the opening bell rang you would have thought they were giving away free boats or something. The place was jammed.

What was amazing to me was how many countries were represented. Manufacturers of boats and gear from all over the world attend this. Round-the-world sailor Sönke Roever’s popular cruising workshop was presented together with other well-known speakers in daily seminars. Language was never a problem. Wherever you went they spoke German, English and French, as well

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as Italian and Greek. If you had a problem communicating there it was no one’s fault but your own.

I spent four days wandering the halls and never had a problem.

There were also chartering companies from more places than I ever knew existed. Add to that the hundreds of gear manufacturers, many of whom had solved problems we never knew existed!

BOOT is so large they have artificial lakes, reefs and rivers

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for people to “test ride” canoes, kayaks and small sailboats. And then there’s the fun stuff: the models, hard to find hand-made rigging parts, charts, electronics and... well, you get the idea. If it’s done on the water, it’s covered at this show.

And I have to tell you, if for no other reason, the food in Dusseldorf is worth the trip... But if you decide to go next year, be sure to wear comfortable shoes. This show is HUGE and you will be putting more than a few miles on those puppies.

If you are into boats, this is the show everyone has to see at least once in their lifetime!

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Register Now! l l

Preview new & brokerage sailboats

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Discover the latest in marine equipment & accessories

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New Demo Area in Ego Alley! Try out kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards and small sailboats Listen to live entertainment and enjoy food and drink tastings Register for valuable door prizes

Learn to Sail at a Hands-on

First Sail Workshop

BUY TICKETS ONLINE! For more info:

AnnapolisBoatShows.com

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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I Found It At The Boat Show Since we get to (have to??) spend a lot of time at boat shows, we figured we probably should do some actual work. Strangely enough, drinking Painkillers and eating show-dogs doesn’t quite measure up to what the IRS people think is work. So, in order to be able to write off all the boat show expenses, we actually have to walk around and find new stuff to feature in the magazine. It’s not an easy job, but someone’s gotta do it!

Andersen Winches Three Styles Including the New E-1 Below-Deck Electric

The folks at Ronstan and Andersen Winches have had a line of stainless self-tailing winches for many years and have built a reputation for great serviceability and strength. Now they have increased their stainless steel winch line to include the new E-1 under-the-deck motor-drive.

They have had an abovedeck electric motor-drive winch that a lot of cruising boats have upgraded to when they don’t

have the under-deck space for a motor-drive. Now, the E-1 offers under-deck mounting as well, so boat designers and those who are refitting have an option to graduate to underdeck electric winches!

The cut-away on the right shows how simple the design is, allowing for cruisers and owners to service them with ease.

If you’d like more info on these stainless winches you can find it at Ronstan.US as well as at Andersenwinches.com.

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I Found It At The Boat Show

LEHR Propane Outboards No More Need to Carry Gasoline Aboard

Captain Bernardo Herzer came up with the idea for propane powered outboards when he was aboard the vessel Sea Surveyor in the North Sea. Having already converted small engines while on other ships, he carried the idea through to the outboard.

It’s a natural! It means you no longer have to store gasoline onboard your boat. An extra propane tank is easier to tuck away and safer to carry.

“Propane is just safer, more efficient and more reliable,” said Captain Herzer. “That’s why we used it on our ships.”

PROPANE OUTBOARDS Years later, LEHR is now a ground-breaking leader in the research and development of environmentally friendly technologies. As the most awarded propane company in the world, LEHR utilizes a patented technology which ensures that its marine products are the cleanest, greenest and most reliable engines on the market today. They offer the world’s first propane-powered line of marine outboard engines, and they are being manufactured in five sizes, ranging from 2.5 horsepower to their 25 horsepower model. The line is available in multiple shaft sizes and they come with a three-year warranty.

If you want more info on this line of propane 2.5 powered outboards you can go to golehr.com.

HP

9.9 HP

15 HP

5 HP

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Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section 146 Cruising Outpost pg 144-148 ATBS edited.indd 4

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I Found It At The Boat Show

Gill Bags

For When You Have to Go from Land to Boat, or Visa-Versa

The Race Team Bag

The all-new Race Team Bag is lightweight, but still holds 60 liters. Its dimensions are L31 X H13 X W15 and it only weighs 5.8 lb. empty. It uses secure Velcro fastening and a roll-down closure for a watertight seal. It has been created from puncture resistant, waterproof PVC tarpaulin fabric and features stitch-free, high frequency welded seams.

The Cargo Bag

This bag has an 85 liter capacity and offers wet or dry storage so you can keep wet gear, like boots and bathing suits, in the wet area without them soaking into the dry area. This is a non-wheeled option with a substantial amount of space. It is easy to fold and stow to keep more room on the boat for you!.

The folks at Gill have been creating great waterproof and water resistant bags for years.

We found these three to be particularly helpful in getting from boat to shore, shore to boat, and even when flying to and from the boat.

The problem is usually the need to get a lot of gear to the boat and to make sure it will arrive dry and secure. It has to be able to collapse and stow away so as not to take up too much room in the cabin.

The way they have managed to make these bags live up to these requirements is by using a combination of fabrics that are light, strong and keep your stuff dry. These bags are created combining an outer skin of 75% Nylon that has been PVC coated, and 25% Polyester PU coated. The lining is 100% Nylon that has been PU coated and the webbing is 100% Polypropylene for strength. Oh, and they have detachable carrying straps as well!

The Compact Bag

This 40 liter bag has space for sailing boots and just about anything else you need to carry aboard. It has the same storage attributes as the larger bags but on a smaller scale. The U-shaped two-way zippered opening provides easy access to the spacious main packing area plus large, ventilated end compartment for sailing footwear, toiletries, etc.

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section www.cruisingoutpost.com

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I Found It At The Boat Show

Sebago Cyphon New C3 Technology for a Faster Dry Out Time For the upcoming Spring/Summer 2017 season, Sebago taps into its sailing heritage to provide a comfortable performance water shoe with water-resistant mesh materials.

Part of the Cyphon Sea collection, this lightweight sneaker is engineered for the needs of an active sailor and features an outsole that grips the deck and dock. It offers maximum breathability and dry out time as well as a drainage system that keeps water out. Features include: • Superior flexibility and lightweight durability (mesh uppers help contribute to the lightweight durability) • Water-resistant, no-sew technology • Elastic bungee lace system with locking toggle for easy on/off • Anit-microbial, mesh-covered, removable, perforated EVA footbed for increased water drainage • EVA midsole designed for additional shock absorption promotes all-day comfort • Rubber, non-marking, slip-resistant outsole with aggressive, channel-siped design offers exceptional grip

Cyphon Sea Fisherman

Cyphon Sea Sport

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and Marine Sports Expo

April 6-9, 2017

Craneway Pavilion and Marina Bay Yacht Harbor • Richmond, CA Special Events Daily • On-Site Parking 50,000 sq. ft. of Exhibitors on Land • On-The-Water Training Clinics In-Water Displays of the Latest in Sail and Power Cruisers & Yachts Hundreds of Seminars to Expand Your Knowledge Buy your tickets online by March 31st to take advantage of a $2 early bird discount!

PacificBoatShow.com

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

Pacific strictly Sail Ad.indd 1

Produced by:

Cruising Outpost 149

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1979 56’ Nautical Developments - $239,900 Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218

1998 52’ Santa Cruz - $350,000 Dave Wilder - 410.292.1028

1978 50’ Gulfstar - $120,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1984 47’ Bristol - 204,500 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1980 47’ Mariner - $120,000 Dave Wilder - 410.292.1028

1980 44’ Cherubini - $215,000 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

1989 44’ Morgan - $109,900 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

2013 44’ Jeanneau - $275,000 Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218

1986 42’ Tayana - $130,000 Wayne Smith - 516.445.1932

1974 42’ Whitby - $78,500 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

2001 40’ Sabre 402 - $194,500 Shirley Trabazo - 786.587.8748

1980 39’ Cal MK II - $79,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295

To see more details about these and all other yachts around the globe, please visit our website at

www.curtisstokes.net 150 Cruising Outpost

pg 150-151 Curtis stokes ad.indd 2

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Worldwide Yacht Sales Yacht Charters New Yacht Construction

1986 38’ C&C - $49,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1986 38’ Ericson - $52,000 John Arnaud - 443.808.1595

2008 38’ Hunter - $123,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1995 36’ Catalina - $65,000 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

2005 36’ Beneteau - $98,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1981 36’ Pearson - $32,000 Wayne Smith - 516.445.1932

1976 35’ Fuji - $44,500 Michael Martin - 440.781.8201

1985 34’ Irwin - $23,900 Dave Wilder - 410.292.1028

1988 34’ Pacific Seacraft - $74,500 Shirley Trabazo - 786.587.8748

2005 33’ Hunter - $68,500 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1989 33’ Siltala Nauticat - $81,750 Michael Martin - 440.781.8201

1988 31’ Tartan - $45,000 Bob Butler - 860.989.3192

1.855.266.5676 | 954.684.0218 | info@curtisstokes.net www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 150-151 Curtis stokes ad.indd 3

Cruising Outpost 151

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152 Cruising Outpost

pg 152-153 Eastern Yachts.indd 2

28’ Alerion Express 30’ Catalina 30 31 Catalina 309 31’ Catalina 310 31’ Catalina 315 31’ Beneteau 311 31’ Pearson 31 32’ Catalina 320 32’ J 100 32’ Island Packet 33’ Hunter 336 33’ E33 L Morse 34’ Beneteau 343 34’ Pearson 34 34’ Ericson 34 34’ Catalina 34 35’ Catalina 350 35’ Catalina 350 35’ Bristol

2001 1995 2006 2001 2013 2004 1985 2001 2006 1997 1996 2010 2008 1985 1987 2001 2007 2006 1973

60,500 34,995 SOLD 58,500 153,000 59,900 29,900 69,900 109,900 85,000 39,000 139,900 88,900 SOLD 39,900 75,400 109,900 116,900 19,970

35’ Hunter 356 2003 36’ Catalina MKII 1995 36’ Catalina MKII 1999 36’ Catalina MKII 2001 36’ Beneteau 361 2001 37’ Case Motor Sailor 2002 38’ Catalina 38 1983 38’ Catalina 380 2001 38’ Catalina 387 2005 39’ Camper Nicholson 1977 40’ Catalina 400 2004 41’ Beneteau 411 2001 42’ Endeavour CC 1985 42’ Sabre 1988 42’ Catalina 2002 42’ Pearson 424 1978 44’ Catalina 445 2011 47’ CT 1983 47’ Catalina 470 2001

82,100 59,500 103,900 89,900 SOLD 60,000 SOLD 124,900 149,900 39,500 175,000 114,900 59,900 159,900 169,000 SOLD 315,900 79,900 SOLD

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Cruising Outpost 153

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Cruising Outpost 157

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pg 158 Little Yachts.indd 1

2/5/17 11:27 AM

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Life Aboard Six People, One Boat

We dropped our anchor behind a catamaran named Aphrodite in St. Thomas, USVI. We wondered if all those kids playing on the stern were from their boat, or were they having a gathering? We went by and spoke with Lorraine, the mom, and found out the catamaran was home to this Canadian couple and their four children.

There was a rope swing off the boom so the kids could swing into the water behind the boat. They seemed to be quite mature and confident, as most cruising kids are.

Everyone was happy, enjoying the day, and we wanted to know more about them.

Cruising Outpost: Tell us about your family.

Lorraine: We are a family of six from Ottawa, Ontario. My husband and I have been married for 12 years. Our kids are Betty, age 10, Paul, age 8 and 5-yearold twins, Henry and Karen.

Cruising Outpost: What made you decide to live on a boat and away from your home country?

Lorraine: Impulse and intrigue. My husband had suggested sailing to me before and I honestly hoped it was an idea that might evaporate. Years later, he mentioned the

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idea to me again and this time we were looking for a change - something that would allow our kids to explore the world and experience different cultures. After visiting the Annapolis Boat Show and reading Diane Stuemer’s book “Northern Magic,” I was captivated. I was intrigued by the adventure and the desire to share time as a family. I could not say no. The call to the sea was greater than the call to suburbia. My husband had sailing experience whereas, I did not. But I simply had to try, otherwise I might forever be wondering ”what if?”

Cruising Outpost: Tell us about your home: Lorraine: We live aboard a St. Francis 50-foot catamaran. It is a galley-down design with four berths and four heads.

Cruising Outpost: How long have you lived aboard?

Lorraine: We have lived aboard since August of 2015.

Cruising Outpost: What are you doing about school for the kids?

Lorraine: We began homeschooling by trying to emulate and follow the Ontario, Canada curriculum. We created schedules and tried to establish routines, but it felt very contrived. We soon discovered that there were www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/8/17 11:55 AM

Editor Robin Stout Aboard Mermaid

many approaches to homeschooling and that it didn’t have to feel awkward.

Reading the book “The Well Trained Mind” by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise unlocked a door for us. The book promoted a paradigm for teaching that turned us full circle from struggling teachers to passionate educators. Our method is to stick to the basics, promoting math, research, logic and language skills. Because we have four children and they need a lot of guidance, homeschooling is a two-parent effort.

Recently, we spent six months in Luperon, Dominican Republic.

During three months of our stay, our children attended the local public school. The school was generally a positive experience. Our kids were exposed to the Spanish language and made some friends. They were also occasionally let out early without notice. One time all four of the kids wandered the streets of Luperon until their dad reached them by taxi.

Cruising Outpost: How do you provision and store food and goods for a family of six on a boat?

Lorraine: We eat a lot of beans and rice. But, I try to vary our diet. We use much of the storage space for dry goods as well as fresh and frozen items.

We peel the labels off our cans to prevent insects from laying their eggs. We heard they are attracted to the glue on the cans. We dispose of all packaging and put our pasta and oatmeal in Ziploc bags.

We have enough powdered milk to last us a full year.

We shop in bulk when we find prices are low. I generally buy enough produce to last us for two weeks. We never buy bananas as they cause other produce to deteriorate more quickly. We have ample rice, flour, oatmeal and canned goods aboard.

We have an ice cream maker because one of our children has serious food allergies and can’t eat frozen treats on shore. It is a decadent treat to eat freshly made ice cream while anchored in the Caribbean!

Cruising Outpost: How do you handle laundry aboard for so many people?

Lorraine: I do all of our laundry by hand. I bought two enormous 15-gallon tubs in the Dominican Republic.

They were very inexpensive, costing about $4 US to purchase. I use them to wash and rinse our laundry. We have reduced our laundry by eliminating clothes from our closet. My kids have an unlimited supply of underwear www.cruisingoutpost.com

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and swimsuits, but they have only three shirts and three pairs of shorts each. I encourage them to put dirty clothes in the laundry; otherwise, they can wear their clothes again. I hang our laundry on the guardrail and anywhere else that seems convenient. I use large clamps to dry towels, sheets and blankets. Everything else is put on the guardrail with ample pegs. I’m getting better at laundry.

We haven’t lost an item of clothing for the better part of a year.

Cruising Outpost: What advantages and disadvantages do you find with a family on a boat in a foreign land?

Lorraine: Our children are exposed to different ways of life.

And, I’d like to think they are being raised with empathy. That said, we have no car, of course, and we walk everywhere. As a result they are exposed to the seedier side of life that other kids might not see. All of my kids have been into a bar, and my two sons have played darts.

Cruising Outpost: What is your favorite part of this lifestyle and what is your least favorite part?

Lorraine: My favorite part of this lifestyle is spending quality time as a family. We enjoy seeing natural wonders like deserted beaches and turtles feeding.

I’d like to exercise more. Boat maintenance and homeschooling are quite all-encompassing.

The kids like to collect shells and to swim. They sometimes miss making (and keeping) friends.

Cruising Outpost: Ask the children what advice they would give other families considering this way of life.

Betty (age 10): Kids should bring Legos and books, but don’t bring toys that require lots of stability such as card towers. Also, you will need snorkeling gear and beach toys. Bring detangler for your hair!

Stay on the top level or on the helm seat to avoid seasickness. Fresh air helps.

Make a paper Christmas tree because a real one would fall over.

Paul (age 8): Board games and coloring books are good toys to have aboard.

Henry (age 5): You need to keep your boat clean so nothing falls around.

Karen (age 5): Pack all of your clothes into your cupboards.

All the kids: It is important to close cupboard doors before you sail.

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2/8/17 11:55 AM

Bubba Whartz

By Morgan Stinemetz

Who Was That Stranger?

You would not think that a location as dark and “They ford frigid rivers. They cross mountain ranges. gloomy as the Blue Moon Bar--a place where the odor They keep on moving, driven by instinct, and cover of stale cigarette smoke, spilled beer and urinal ground that has been covered by countless millions of deodorant cakes presents sudden and rank olfactory caribou before them. overload for the uninitiated--a place where neon tubes “Some of those animals are very young and weak. advertising brands of brew loom out of perpetual dusk Some others are old and also weak. The wolves who live like the Northern Lights--would be the site of a in that part of the northwest--obeying the same instincts tremendous debate. But is was. that percolated in the veins of their ancestors--follow the The debate took place in May. Bubba Whartz was herds, preying on the sick and the lame and the young, declared the winner by an overwhelming margin. I was picking off the slower animals. there. I heard the rhetoric. I saw it happen.

“This is nature at its most efficient. The wolves cull The debate took place after a man the herd and, as a whole, the herd itself Whartz later referred to as “some grows stronger, because its weaker “Whistles and shouts and dweeb” stopped in for something cold members are lost to natural predation. hand clapping exploded in Wolves, then, serve a useful purpose. and ordered an O’Douhl’s. the Blue Moon Bar. It was The denizens of the Blue Moon, “Alcohol acts much the same way. lined up along the bar rail like birds deafening, joyous and It is a known and proven fact that the on a fence, haw-hawed some at the consumption of alcohol kills off brain continuous. Whartz was guy’s order, winking and nudging raised up on the shoulders cells. I submit to you that alcohol, like each other with ill-concealed glee. the wolves following the caribou herds, of the regulars and paraded kills off the weaker and slower brain The stranger noticed. around the inside of the “You guys may laugh, but I know cells, cells that might have died on their room two times, then set that my spurning the evils of strong own anyway. drink will make me into a better and “The consumption of beer in down gently on the edge of stronger man,” he said, his eyes appropriate quantities will kill off the a pool table.” shining pinkish in the reflected glow of bad cells, leaving the stronger, younger a neon beer sign. cells in place to transmit electrical Whartz immediately took up the energy more quickly and more challenge. Rising from his bar stool, stumbling only efficiently. Drinking beer is not in any way detrimental to slightly, Bubba took a deep breath, set his beer glass your health. Drinking beer is good for you because it rids down carefully on the bar and faced the stranger. If it had you of cranial detritus. It sloughs off the old and promotes been the Wild West, this would have been where guns growth of the new. would have come out. But this was Florida in 1998.

“If there were more serious drinkers in this “You know,” Whartz began, “I was watching one of country we might not have lost some of our those National Geographic specials on the TV just last technological edge to other markets. Think of how week. It had to do with the migration of the caribou herds much beer Germans drink and how the cars they up in northwestern Canada. Those huge herds, hundreds manufacture--Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs, Porsches-of thousands of animals at a time, answer some primal have been the standards by which other automobiles urge to migrate long, long distances. have been judged for years!

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“I say to you, fellow Americans and good friends, that drinking regularly or drinking to excess occasionally is one sure way to get rid of those bad cells. Alcohol is good. Alcohol is necessary. It is part of the American Way!” Whistles and shouts and hand clapping exploded in the Blue Moon Bar. It was deafening, joyous and continuous. Whartz was raised up on the shoulders of the regulars and paraded around the inside of the room two times, then set down gently on the edge of a pool table.

“I’ll drink to that,” someone cried aloud, carried away by the sheer emotion of Bubba Whartz’s forceful presentation.

The passion of the moment must have struck Doobie, too. “A free round, on the house!” she declared.

There were more cheers and shouts as the Blue Moon regulars, with Whartz carried ahead of the rush like a piece of flotsam in the surf, surged toward the bar, where Doobie was putting freebies up as fast as she could draw them.

I noticed the guy who had ordered the O’Douhl’s put his drink down. His head was low and his eyes downcast as he maneuvered against the current of moving men and made his way toward the door of the Blue Moon Bar. He opened it, and the late afternoon sun shone inside for a second, cutting across the linoleum floor and casting long shadows of reaching men against the east wall of the bar.

No one even noticed the man’s disappearing act, so caught up were they in the heady moment of Whartz’s stunning debate victory and Doobie’s largess.

In the future, one might imagine, the Blue Moon regulars may talk about the time an outsider came into the bar and left shortly thereafter without a trace, the only remembrance of him a lingering, unanswered question: “Who was that stranger...?”

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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2/4/17 2:52 PM

Cruising Outpost’s

Book Review

The Most Excellent Adventures of Tenacity

By Cindy Fletcher-Holden Perusing my stack of reviewable books, I noted that Cindy FletcherHolden’s book cover displayed a photograph of a sailing ketch with nice lines, and though flying the Stars and Stripes, it was anchored alongside a village that I discerned was not American. Anticipating an ocean crossing, I looked closer at the entire title which read, “Big Waves, Cheap Wine and Farting Camels!” Farting camels?

That tipped the scale.

After the flash-forward first chapter of sailing into a gale, the author commences with “The Dream,” where we are introduced to the main characters: Cindy, her husband Robert and two cats, Perkins and Dabola, followed by the finding, buying and fixing the right boat to fulfill the dream.

They found a Bruce Roberts designed 47’ ketch called a Dillon 47, after the guy who originally bought the plans, made some minor modifications and had a few hulls built.

They dove into their own modifications and decided, given the journeys ahead, to bite the bullet and replace the entire rig. With an eye toward their tight budget, they laid a plan to sail to Europe via the Azores, with Portugal as their primary destination. They recruited extra crew members and set a departure date of early Summer.

As the cast-off date approached, Cindy got cold feet and even asked, “Why are we doing this?” Fortunately for the reader, that feeling passed and with the help and best wishes of family and friends, the lines were finally untied.

“We are off!”

Crossing the Gulf Stream, wind from the southwest and on the starboard quarter, wind and waves picked up and life aboard became a juggling contest. So, a short detour was taken where they put into St. Georges, Bermuda, and concentrated on boat chores.

It was on the next ocean leg that the entertaining “Middle of the Ocean Gazette” was first published. The MOTO 164 Cruising Outpost

pg 164-165 Book Review edited.indd 2

Review by Capt. Jim Cash

Gazette featured such headline stories as “American Yacht Enters Azorean High,” “Seas Not Safe for Serious Spenders,” the “Police Beat,” and “Obituaries,” where we learn that “Sam Squid” has met his premature demise on the deck of Tenacity. We also learn “Science Agrees … This Ocean is Darn Big!” and later that “The Most Dangerous Item Aboard a Cruising Boat is a Calendar.” Amen to that.

However, the truth is that time flies when you are having fun, and soon they are putting into Horta Harbor on the island of Faial in the Azores, where Tenacity leaves its mark with the traditional cruiser’s painting of the boat on the harbor’s wall. While there, Sea Week Festival is enjoyed, and the Lisbon Symphony. A ferry ride to the island of Terciera provides insight to the true history of the Festival of the Bulls.

Cruising means never staying in one place too long, and with Tenacity we are taken from the Azores eastward to the mainland of Portugal, putting into Cascais.

Here, we are treated to one historic and romantic European village after another, learning about “extreme cobblestoning” and fado, a Portuguese cultural music featured in restaurants and cafes, well known in the region as fado houses.

Winter does get cold in Portugal, and while deciding where to winter an infestation of roaches occurred on the boat. A temporary move ashore was required, staying in the city of Sines for Carnival, which is a grand Portuguese tradition. By now the nights were “freezing,” so they headed for the south coast of Portugal. Cindy and Robert even managed to find a place to ice skate in the charming fishing village of Ferragudo (the book’s cover photo), but soon it was time to move on to a new country … “Next stop Spain.”

Warmer waters were an incentive to do boat maintenance. Some say the definition of cruising is doing boat maintenance in exotic place. Very true. Cindy agrees.

In between boat chores the opportunity to explore brings Tenacity up the Guadiana River, anchored between two countries and between the towns of Alcoutem, Portugal www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/5/17 12:08 PM

and San Lucar, Spain. This is where the “Guadiana Glue” is discovered. Many cruisers sail into there but never leave, as they become “glued” to this beautiful spot.

Back down the river with preparations underway to tackle the Atlantic again heading south and westward, the first landfall is Porto Santo. While there, a fellow sailor from the UK gives an auto tour. Like all the islands, Cindy declares they could stay there forever, but being cruisers they are soon off to another inhabited island in the group, Madeira. Cruising down to the city of Funchal allowed a view of the fireworks competition, and a “Levada Walk,” a beautiful walking tour of water distribution canals (Levadas) dug out in the 16th Century.

Soon it was time to think about heading southwest, as they still had the Canary Islands on their agenda.

Off they went with an old friend joining as crew.

After stops in Graciosa, Arricife, and Playa Blanca, a reservation at the marina in Gran Tarajal brought them to the island of Fuerteventura. Here, fi nally, we get to read about “farting camels.” It was Robert’s birthday and he was treated to the camel safari, touted in the cruising guide as a “not to miss” experience, but advising, if possible, get on the leading camel … for obvious reasons.

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The jumping off point for the return across the Atlantic was going to be Las Palmas, which is also the final port for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) which was about to begin. Preparations started, friends joined the crew for the sail back, and plans for a final departure from Europe were finalized with the “trades” at their back. However, boat engine challenges bring Tenacity to Mindelo on the island of Saint Vincent in the Cape Verdes. Christmas and New Years are celebrated while engine work is completed, and at the start of the New Year they’re off again with the western side of the Atlantic and the island of Antigua on the distant horizon.

Old friends join in for an “island hop” up the Leeward Islands, with a stop at the Spanish VI’s island of Culebra, before crossing over to the Turks and Caicos. Here, they learn that since these are coral islands, and parrot fish eat coral and poop coral sand, the beaches are made up of a million years of fish poop.

Crossing the Gulf Stream, they return to the USA at Ft. Lauderdale. From there they “follow the magenta line” of the chart plotter up the Intracoastal Waterway back home, re-crossing Tenacity’s wake as the Chesapeake Bay is reentered. Now that was an adventure - and what “cruising” is all about.

Cruising Outpost 165

2/8/17 11:50 AM

Tying A Catamaran Trampoline

By Etienne Giroire

The trampoline on a multihull, catamaran or trimaran is often the most enjoyable place to lounge, relax and enjoy navigation and anchorages. As a multihull expert, I am often appalled how badly installed the trampolines / nets are on an otherwise superb multihull.

The installation of a multihull trampoline, while a simple operation in itself, can be easily botched by lack of expertise and laziness. Best results are achieved with independent lashings, not with a continuous line which, while much quicker, will eventually chafe and will not give the tensioning required to get a nice, firm, underfoot feeling and allow too much sagging.

It is necessary to know that multihulls’ nets are manufactured up to 15% smaller than the hole they fill. This means that they will have to be

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stretched up to the edges of the hole and that’s not possible with a continuous lashing rope. More over, when that line chafes through, a large gaping hole will open on the side of the trampoline; not a safe scenario.

This is why independent lashings are the best mechanical means of fastening the trampoline to the boat.

They will allow the sailor enough purchase to stretch the net and will last longer as they are seized stiff, hence, not chafing. It is a hard, back-breaking job; a long day’s work. You need gloves, hat, water, pliers, fid, hot knife with a piece of wood to cut the polyester line on, time, and the will to deal with it.

First step is to install the corners of the net. This will be a tough job in itself. Every independent lashing is a 3 to 1 purchase. It’s best to use 3/16” covered polyester line, which will not stretch and will last as www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/2/17 2:02 PM

long as the net. Dyneema / spectra line is an overkill, and not necessary as the independent lashing will be short and not allow any stretching. Every lashing will act as a purchase so it is important to lay them properly, without crossing, or they will bind and you’ll need to adjust them several times in order for the net to stretch up to its designed spot.

Then, every 6” – 8” or wherever the fixations of the nets are, mushroom bolts, slides, rods… you’ll fasten a lashing with a very short knot: I favor the node capstan / 2 half hitch with a stopper knot around the rope edge of the net. Then pass the lashing line 3 times around and pull tightly. You’ll have to stretch the net in several pulls, helped by the next lashing, and all along the net… It is a good idea to leave the old net under the new one, as it makes the job safer and easier. To wet the net will make stretching easier.

Again, this a difficult, tedious and physically demanding job, but the result is worth it. For more info go to www.atninc.com.

Etienne Giroire founded ATN Inc. in 1985 after 15 years of extensive racing, delivering and skippering maxi boats.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost 167

2/2/17 2:02 PM

Talk of the Dock - What’s N

Up a Creek - With a Paddle

The paddle sports market has exploded and with that comes some cool new gear

If you don’t already own something you paddle, you’re way behind. Just check out the paddle sports market statistics: over 22 million Americans (nearly 8% of the population) have tried paddle sports (rafting, canoeing, kayaking or stand-up paddling (SUPing).) In 2014, enthusiasts managed seven paddling outings per season, which was up 9% from the previous year. Recently, these statistics have been changing faster due to an increased interest in SUPs or stand-up paddle boards. Starting in 2013, SUPs continue to add more first-time participants than any other sport in the U.S. In 2008, the Coast Guard designated SUPs as vessels and because they are human-powered, they have the right

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of way in most situations. Remember that the next time you have to dodge wobbly participants of a SUP yoga class and yes, that’s a thing.

Participation splits nearly evenly among men and women and over 70% of people say they do it for exercise. It’s most popular with those aged 14-44 but older folks are also discovering that SUPing is packed with Zen qualities so you can work your body and rest your mind.

SUPing is a standalone or companion sport meaning you can toss one on your sailboat or rent one for a charter week and voila – you have a small carbon footprint toy for when you’re not sailing. www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/5/17 12:14 PM

s New & What’s Goin’ On?

By Zuzana Prochazka

All The Latest News That Fits Between The Sheets As an “Insider” Zuzana sees a lot of what’s happening inside the boating industry. If you are into the boating lifestyle, chances are you’d like to be privy to some of the things that will affect your lifestyle as soon as they become available. So here is some of the inside info she has found while working the boat shows and industry functions.

Until very recently, 90% of SUPs were manufactured overseas although the bulk was sold in North America.

That sounds like a business opportunity and many have jumped aboard with specially designed accessories including yoga mats, water shoes, lights, locks, transport wheels and even a “wind paddle” which looks like an umbrella for downwind work. (Hint: an old umbrella will have much the same effect but will save you about $130 although it’s nowhere near as sleek.)

You may see boards and accessories everywhere – note the square footage dedicated to the segment in West Marine and other purveyors of outdoor equipment.

Chances are there’s a SUPer in your family or circle of friends already. They may casually rent giant stable boards for occasional fun or be a fanatic with a speciallydesigned racing board. Either way, if you like them a lot and want to get them a birthday present, or you just need to apologize for something, stowage options and tunes are among the top accessories for a SUP addict. Here are two that’ll make you think, wassup?

Soft Cooler/Fish Bag – Hobie You can fish from a SUP – really. I’ve seen SUPs that have a chair and rod holder. You’ll also need a place to store the day’s catch. You can tie on a cooler but that’s an inelegant solution, not to mention it’s not secure if you lose your balance and go in the drink. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Keep your fish cool in a soft-sided, zippered, formfitting cooler from Hobie. Half-inch closed cell foam insulates the vinyl-coated triangular cooler that closes with a secure YKK zipper. D-rings make handles to carry them or tie them on. They come in two sizes and several colors and they keep contents (including your lunch and happy hour snacks) cool all day even in the sun. Price $129-$179. Hobie.com.

StereoActive – by Fusion Entertainment Prolific New Zealand marine stereo manufacturer, Fusion, has built the perfect paddle sport portable stereo called StereoActive so you never have to sweat it out without tunes.

You can take your chances and play music off your cellphone but you’ll need a waterproof case and good balance. StereoActive is waterproof to IPX7 standards and it floats. Simply load it up like an MP3 player via a micro-USB stick. (It’s also an AM/FM receiver with Weatherband available in the U.S. only.) It has up to 20 hours of continuous battery life and an LED charge indicator. Two 20-watt speakers are angled up to throw sound at the paddler. The unit is made of UV-resistant polycarbonate and has large scalloped buttons so you can skip tracks or change the volume with your paddle without ever bending down.

A separate storage compartment called ActiveSafe is available to hold your phone, car keys, money or credit card in a safe and dry place. It attaches below the stereo unit. There’s a permanent puck mounting system for a quick release so when you want to use the stereo at the beach, in a tent or in the house – just puck it.

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2/5/17 12:14 PM

Tech Tips

from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop There are a lot of little things that can make your boat easier to use and more enjoyable. Here are some tips from Paul Esterle, the author of Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop. More can be found at www.captnpauley.com.

Multi-Purpose Seacock Sometimes winterizing your inboard diesel can be a pain. Disconnecting the cooling water inlet hose and placing it in a bucket of antifreeze while running the engine is usually not fun. So, I put together a multipurpose seacock to alleviate this problem.

First I placed a tee above the existing cooling water seacock. Then I routed the right hand leg of the tee lead to the cooling water inlet to the engine while the left hand leg had another ball vale with a quick disconnect fitting on the end.

To use for winterizing the engine I can close the inlet seacock and open the top seacock. Then, just connect a length of hose to the quick disconnect fitting and place in the antifreeze container.

You can also use this as an emergency bilge pump by connecting a hose to the quick disconnect

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fitting and placing it in the bilge. The engine cooling pump then acts as an emergency bilge pump. Use a filter or screen on the end of the hose.

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

2/2/17 1:53 PM

Tech Tips from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop

Making Composite Insulating Panels It is common to insulate the hull and cabin top in most areas, but the inside of lockers and storage cabinets are often overlooked.

To remedy this I developed a quick method of making insulating panels that could be installed in those spaces. I used 3/4” extruded polystyrene foam as the insulator. Do no use the common “bead board” type of insulation as it will retain moisture.

Epoxy a layer of 1/8” marine or aircraft plywood to the foam. Weight down the plywood evenly to get a good bond. Then apply a layer of Formica laminate to the plywood surface with contact cement.

New Insulation New Insulation

SHIRTS - HATS - FLAGS - MUGS - STUFF! Classic, old favorites and all new designs!

I’m baaaack!

Did ya miss me?

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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www.LatitudesAttitudes.com Cruising Outpost 171

2/2/17 1:53 PM

The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser

ATTENTION GULF COAST BOATERS: Paul Stehfest, former owner of HSH Yacht Sales, is excited to announce that he has joined Little Yacht Sales. Little Yacht Sales represents new Catalinas, new Hunters and is the largest brokerage for quality used sail and power boats on the Gulf Coast.

Indigo: Celestial 48 Center Cockpit Ketch Bluewater cruiser made famous by Bob Bitchin and lots of other sailing magazines as well as Lats & Atts TV. Numerous upgrades: custom heavy duty bow/ground tackle solution, custom dodger, genset, 2800 watt inverter, 900 Ah of AGM batteries, custom sail bags, Maxprop feathering propeller, full electronics at helm including two color chartplotters, 48-mile radar, autopilot, VHF and RAM, instruments and repeaters for redundancy, and more.

Excellent layout, master aft with island king sized berth, new interior upholstery, separate engine room, 250 gallons of both fuel and water, dual Racor fuel filter system, 32” flatscreen TV with BluRay player, microwave, standup fridge/freezer, etc.

She gets recognized and collects compliments everywhere she goes and she’s ready to chase sunsets with a new owner. $149,000. totemgroup@msn.com

“Whether buying or selling, sail or power, give me a call or send me an email so that we can discuss options that best fit your needs.”

paul@littleyachtsales.com 903-401-9049

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⠀㈀㔀㌀⤀ 㠀㔀㠀ⴀ㠀㐀㠀㄀ 眀眀眀⸀吀栀攀吀愀渀欀吀攀渀搀攀爀⸀挀漀洀

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pg 172-177 Bosun's Bag.indd 3

䘀漀爀 愀 氀椀猀琀 漀昀 甀瀀挀漀洀椀渀最 攀瘀攀渀琀猀 攀洀愀椀氀 䰀攀攀䀀眀攀愀琀栀攀爀戀礀氀攀攀⸀挀漀洀

⠀㈀ 㘀⤀ 㤀㐀㤀ⴀ㐀㘀㠀 泰 眀攀愀琀栀攀爀戀礀氀攀攀⸀挀漀洀 泰 氀攀攀䀀眀攀愀琀栀攀爀戀礀氀攀攀⸀挀漀洀

Cruising Outpost 173

2/5/17 1:47 PM

The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser

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Wanna Cheat? Here are the answer to this issues Maritime Crossword Puzzle.

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pg 172-177 Bosun's Bag.indd 5

Cruising Outpost 175

2/5/17 1:48 PM

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The Bosun’s Bag

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Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser

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pg 172-177 Bosun's Bag.indd 6

Year 1 - 2013 Year 2 - 2014 Year 3 - 2015 Four full issues plus free “wallpaper” and a Bonus TV Show!

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2/5/17 1:48 PM

Get the Outpost at these Local Direct Dealers

Available at Most Magazine Outlets: West Marine, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo & Chapters plus these great local Marine Stores Does your local Marine Store carry Cruising Outpost?

If not, let them know that it’s as easy as 1 - 2 - 3

1. Go to our website - 2. Sign up to be a direct dealer - 3. Make more sales!

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pg 172-177 Bosun's Bag.indd 7

Across

1 6 8 9 10 11 12 15 18 19 20 23 25 27 29 30 33 34 35 36

Large headsail Make a knot, e.g.

Perpendicular to a ship’s length Receding ocean motion Squeaky wheel’s need Lead-in for “sees” or “seas” Shipyard repair ramp Make taut Sandy hills Early afternoon Deviate from course Underwater features That girl or that boat Space Transport boat Seaside pools Initials of a famous Canadian singer Part of G.M.T. Navigation technology Lively

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13 14 16 17 21 22 24 26 28 29 31 32

Shipshape Awesome glacial sight Verne skipper Boat beams What you might do in drydock- make anew They blow behind you Hurricane center “Aye” at sea Blustery Helm heading, abbr.

It can point on a dashboard Exist Globe Indications It might be due Free Willy animal A long way Battery size Paddle

Down

Wanna Cheat? The answer to this is on Page 175

Bocas Marina Bocas del Torro Panama

Cruising Outpost 177

2/5/17 1:48 PM

178 Cruising Outpost

pg 178 Jolly Rover.indd 1

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2/5/17 10:56 AM

www.cruisingoutpost.com

_pg 179 Mackie White Edited.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 179

2/2/17 2:00 PM

In th

there isis issue less tha n

Cruising Outpost

L i s t o f A d ve r t i s e r s

37.5%

Advertis

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And we did it O N PURPO SE! Most

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Here is where you will find some of the smartest companies in the industry. There are others, but they just haven’t found us yet. Give ‘em time!

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Boat Brokers Curtis Stokes & Associates 150-151 Eastern Yachts 152-153 Kadey-Krogen Yachts 157 Little Yachts 158 Moorings Yachts 154 South Coast Yachts 155 Sunsail Yacht Sales 159 Wagner Stevens Yachts 156

Boat Shows SW International Boat Show 138 United States Yacht Shows 143 145 Trawlerfest Pacific Strictly Sail 149

Bosun’s Bag Format Ads

Boat Cats Boaters Resale Shop of Texas CruisingConcepts.com Cruz Pro CTex Innovations Fatty Knees Forget About It Gig Harbor Boat Works Hart Sytems Hydrovane International Marine Indigo Boat for Sale Keylime Sailing Club Kiss-Radio Tek Kitsap Maritime Heritage Foundation Kiwi Grip - PYI Lee Chesneau Weather LMSRF Masthead Enterprises Matthew Turner Tall Ship Nautical Gold /Tropical Jewelry No Wear Guard Ocean Medix Offshore Passage Opp Outland Hatches Paul Stehfest Sailmakers Supply Sonset Marine S/V Attitude Tradeswinds Nautical Tufted Topper

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A paper cut is a tree’s last revenge.

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Advertisers: You can reach the most active segment of the boating community - In Print or On-Line.

Cruising Outpost - Winter - Spring - Summer & Fall Issues Next Issue: Summer 2017 - Ad Insertions by 4/17/17 - Art Due 4/23/17 - On Sale 6/7/17

www.cruisingoutpost.com

180 Cruising Outpost pg 180 Ad List.indd 1

-

Ads@cruisingoutpost.com

-

510-900-3616

#105

www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/7/17 3:32 PM

Parting Shot

Photo by Jake Fuller, sailing northbound, north of Cape Mendicino, CA

www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 181 Parting Shot Folder edited.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 181

2/2/17 1:59 PM

* Cruisians

*A small, exclusive group of people who are mentally ill and feel, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone, that by getting on a small boat about the size of a jail cell and heading out into the most inhospitable place on Earth (the ocean), they will somehow enjoy themselves.

Now here’s a group that likes to have fun. Jim & Laura Witt are seen at a recent Caribbean Cruisers’ Party with Scott Hess. They cruise on S/V Perseverance which is a 1999 45-foot Bruce Roberts motorsailor. She weighs in at 63,000 pounds (that’s the boat, silly!).

They originally hail from northern Michigan, but now seem to be enjoying the weather in the Caribbean a lot more!

Who left the bag of idiots open???

This is Ron Hebert aboard S/V La Vie Dansante, a 1989 Morgan 44 CC built

by Catalina. He sails out of Corpus Christi, TX. The picture was taken by crew member Neil Gallagher in the Gulf of Mexico during the 2013 Harvest Moon Regatta from Galveston to Port Aransas, Texas

This is Horst and Sandy. They are living the dream on board their boat S/V Willow Dew which is a 39-foot Lagoon. They are out of Jasper, Alaska and have been cruising since 2011. They tried to blame it on us, but we think the weather may have led them to this lifestyle!

182 Cruising Outpost

pg 182 Cruisian's edited.indd 1

Meet Tony. She has lived in the San Juan Islands aboard Traveler, which is also the home of our Ad Director, Lisa O’Brien. That kinda figures, as this is Lisa’s daughter. They are both cute!

Joe & Julianne Frank have been a big part of the Outpost family for years, and with Lats&Atts before that. They have “made the break” and are currently cruising in the Caribbean. Bob & Jody hope to “escape” and join them soon!!

Meet the man that is responsible for changing the lives of more sailors than anyone we know.

Alan Olsen has run the Call of the Sea Foundation for more than 30 years. In addition, he is now the CEO of the Educational Tall Ship Foundation. Oh yeah, and he taught Bob Bitchin how to sail!

This is Judy Wahl getting ready to go to the top of the mast while cruising in El Salvador. Husband Jeff shot the pic.

When not cruising they run the Lewis & Clark Resort on the Missouri River. www.cruisingoutpost.com

2/2/17 1:58 PM

AirlineFullPageAd.qxd:Layout 1

pg 183 Airline ad.indd 1

7/22/13

2:33 PM

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2/4/17 5:19 PM

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