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CRUISER'S
PARADISE Banderas Bay, Mexico
YOUNG SAILORS
The Changing Face of Cruising
CRUISING
THE BLACK SEA BOB & JODY'S
EXCELLENT TROPICAL ADVENTURE THAT
SINKING
FEELING
BOAT SPOTLIGHT Summer 2017 #19
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In th
there isis issue less tha n
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Advertis
ing! And we did it O N PURPO SE! Most o th e r boating magazin es h 65% adave over s. Person Responsible for This Bob Bitchin bob@cruisingoutpost.com
Editor at Large Sue Morgan sue@cruisingoutpost.com
Boat Show Queen Jody “Bitchin” Lipkin jody@cruisingoutpost.com
Staff Infection Tania Aebi Contributor Zuzana Prochazka zuzana@cruisingoutpost.com
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Media Princess Tabitha “Bitchin” Lipkin tabitha@cruisingoutpost.com Marketing & Video Darren O’Brien darren@cruisingoutpost.com
BS Party Manager Dave Dudgeon dave@cruisingoutpost.com
Boat Show Slaves Jessie Zevalkink & Katie Smith (Also Godmothers to the Office Cats!)
Intern Copy Editor Natalie Shorr
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People Who Helped Us Create This Issue
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This Issue’s Cover: Paul Shard from the TV show Distant Shores is seen here checking out the mast rigging before setting off on another sail. He and wife Sheryl have been filming their adventure for more than ten years! It’s a great show! Next Issue Goes On Sale September 5, 2017 Printed in the USA
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Issue #19 Summer 2017
Contents
Special Stuff in this Issue 12 19 57 64 84 92 118 120 122 128 130
Regular Stuff in this Issue Attitudes Bob Bitchin Scuttlebutt Another Way Tania Aebi Cap’n Cap’n Rich Marker What’s Out There: Monohull - Island Packet 490 What’s Out There: Multihull - Fountaine Pajot 47 What’s Out There: Power Cruiser - Minorca 34 Lifestyle Latitudes & Attitudes Weather by Lee I Found It at the Boat Show Harbor Hangouts Tech Tips Captain Pauly Life Aboard Robin Stout Bubba Whartz Book Review Capt. Jim Cash You Think That Was Dumb? Talk of the Dock Zuzana Prochazka Bosun’s Bag Mackie White Cruisians
8 28 46 48 50 52 54 70 96 124 140 143 156 158 160 162 164 166 168 177 178
12 Ninety-nine percent of all lawyers give the rest a bad name.
Young Sailors - Six Weeks in Greece A Cruiser’s Paradise - Banderas Bay, Mexico Hawaii to Juneau - Cruising Alaska Featured Cruising Vessel - Wylie Custom 59’ Cruiser Cruising the Black Sea’s Southern Coast That Sinking Feeling Catch of the Day Entering Narrow, Shallow and Unlit Tidal Places Pyrate Radio - When Pyrates Ruled the Airwaves Pacific Boat Show Cruisers’ Party Bob & Jody’s Excellent Caribbean Adventure
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Attitudes We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. - Will Rogers
By Bob Bitchin
For awhile I thought that sailing was going to fade, as the “greying” of sailing seemed to be an unstoppable force. Every boat show I would find a few more of our older readers missing. Even people who were the heart of the marine industry were dropping off. But, I am starting to think there is hope! All of a sudden (or so it seems to me!) there are a lot of youthful sailors out there. Not just sailors, but cruisers. Real cruisers! Young families are being seen more and more in the cruising ports of the world. At first I wondered how they were able to be out there. I know when I lived aboard for 35 years it was a daily grind to afford the lifestyle. When Jody and I cruised the world before starting in the marine magazine business, money was always a worry. But you know what? We did it. And now a new generation of cruisers is out there doing it! I think that the internet has a lot to do with younger sailors being able to be out there cruising. Many that we have met work on-line. As time goes on, wireless and other options make it fairly easy to make a living while on a boat. Just look at our motley crew. It’s true we are a small company, but we have no “offices.” There is no nine to five grind. No commuting. Our Ad Director, Lisa, lives in the San Juan Islands aboard the trawler Traveler with her husband Darren, who is our Marketing and Video Director, along with their sixyear-old daughter, Arriana. When someone calls our “offices” the phone is answered by a robot somewhere off in a cloud. If the
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call is for me the phone in my pocket rings. If it’s for advertising, Lisa’s pocket rings. If it’s for Editor Sue, her pocket rings on her 40-year-old Cheoy Lee yawl, Because, which is in Redondo Beach. Our “show slave” and feature author, Jessie, sends in her stories from wherever she is sailing. She finished her “Great Loop” with Katie and is getting ready to set off with her fiance, Luke, to sail from her home in Michigan to his home in London where they will tie the knot. Then they plan on sailing back across the “pond” to the Caribbean. She’ll be writing her articles on the boat and sending them in when she hits a place with wireless. Jessie’s former sailing companion, Katie, now lives in the snow-packed mountains near Mammoth Lakes and loves the snow (and her many animals), but she still gets out and sails and helps at the boat shows on some of the weekends we have to “work” (said laughingly!). What I am trying to convey is, as the sailors are “greying,” new sailors are able to get into the sailing life due to the advances in technology. When you read this issue, take notice of how many stories and articles are from people who are under 40. Five years ago this wasn’t possible, and five years from now, who knows? So I think that sailing is secure for the foreseeable future. Power cruisers, catamarans, monohulls; the of type vessel is unimportant. What is important (at least to this old guy) is that cruising as a way of life is alive and well, and starting to grow again. And I, for one, am very glad to welcome them into the best lifestyle in the world... the cruising lifestyle!
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Young Sailors
Six weeks on a bareboat in Greece!
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By Ian Drogin
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My friend Aaron popped his head above water a couple hundred feet offshore from Masouri Beach, on the island of Kalymnos in the Greek Aegean Sea. The look of concentration mixed with excitement glistened on his face behind his cheap snorkel mask. “Right here!” he yelled loudly as he pointed towards the sea floor. “There’s a small patch of sand between the weeds.” I yelled from the cockpit for Aaron to move aside, and thrust our 44-foot Bavaria sailboat into gear. Anna and Tyler stood at the bow and helped direct me to the target, while Aaron and Spencer reported on our progress from the waters below. We were
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attempting to drop anchor next to a picturesque Mediterranean beach, towered by prolific walls of red limestone that made Kalymnos a climbing mecca. The only two mooring lines at the beach were already taken, and locals had informed us that the sea floor had too many weeds to hold an anchor. Nonetheless, we had decided that the idea of anchoring our boat within swimming distance of the idyllic little town of Masouri was too magical to pass up, and so Aaron and Spencer had swam the length of the beach to find the only weedfree clearing that might possibly hold our anchor. Experienced sailors might laugh at our strange method of finding a good anchor hold, but putting on the snorkel mask for this purpose was a routine practice for us. We were on our first real sailing trip as captains of our own boat, and I was still getting used to maneuvering our
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Young Sailors eleven ton floating home. After a few failed attempts, the anchor landed perfectly in the middle of the small patch of sand along the sea floor. After letting out more chain and testing our hold, we felt confident we were in an ideal position. We shouted our elations, dove into the crystal clear water, and swam the short distance to shore. This day marked the middle point in our six-week journey around the Aegean Sea, and we were out on the town to celebrate our arrival to Kalymnos. Exploration into sailing was the result of campfire fantasies that slowly took shape around our kitchen table in Lake Tahoe, where our crew of five lived together during the previous ski season along with a few others. At first the idea of sailing and climbing in the Aegean was just a random idea that sounded awesome, but after several email exchanges with various authorities and a few high energy brainstorming sessions, we realized it was more attainable than we originally envisioned. My brother, Tyler, arranged a bareboat charter with a company called Sailways (which was fantastic), and my friend Spencer and I enrolled in the required sailing classes through a sailing school in Santa Cruz, California called Pacific Sail (highly recommended). After that, we booked our flights and were ready to go.
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Six weeks on a bareboat in Greece!
Our expedition around the Aegean Sea was a voyage to explore new lands and learn another culture, but it was also a journey to explore ourselves both mentally and physically. We are a group of close friends in our twenties, which includes two sets of siblings, and we all share a fiery passion for exploration. We’ve gone on many adventures together over the years, but there was something different in establishing a goal that required us to continuously grow in so many ways. Even after taking a sailing class and hiring a climbing guide to help us learn the basics, we were continuously tested in our problem solving, decision making, communication, teamwork, and at times our tolerance to deal with hardship and uncertainty. But that was why we signed up for the challenge - we knew it would encourage us to grow in ways that would extend far beyond sailing or climbing, while offering us boundless excitement along the way. Among the activities required of us on a daily basis, none was as constantly present as the process of making decisions. Where should we sail next? Where was the best place to drop anchor? What time should we set sail in the morning? Should we call for help? And on and on ad nauseam.
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Young Sailors Although Spencer and I technically shared the title of “captain,” we were all inexperienced and wanted to make decisions together so long as our actions felt responsible and safe to everyone on board. Before our first crossing we realized that decisions under sail often required an urgency that only an autocratic decision making process could support, and so Spencer and I took turns leading our crossings, until the rest of our crew felt confident stepping into the role of captain as well. In situations that were less time sensitive, making decisions was far less simple. With five of us highly engaged in the process and feeling free to speak our minds, even simple situations sometimes caused lengthy discussions, especially at the start of our trip. One evening we arrived under sail to the beautiful little island of Nisos Archangelos, but were dismayed to find that the anchorage was already quite crowded. We drifted along the outskirts as we discussed the possible places we could park: We all wanted to be close to shore, that we agreed on, but each had different concerns. We dropped anchor directly behind a catamaran and in front of a large monohull, with a smaller sailboat to our right and the shore on our left. Some of us were concerned about swinging into the boat on our right and thought we should move closer to shore, and I was nervous about the rocks to our left and felt the opposite. As we often did in these situations, we each voiced our thoughts and tried to address the differences in how each of us were evaluating the situation. In similar situations, sometimes one of us would explain the rationality for a particular decision and we all came into agreement. At other times we understood one another’s judgement
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but simply disagreed. In these kinds of situations, we generally would discuss until we all felt understood and all arguments were exhausted, and then proceed with the option that seemed best to the majority. However, we each had veto power, and if anyone felt strongly that a decision was unsafe we would not pursue that option. In this case, we came to the realization that it was impossible to satisfy my concerns about the rocks, and also some others’ concerns about the boat on our right, and so we explored another corner of the cove with snorkel masks until we found a place that seemed perfect. That evening we skipped rocks from the shore, cooked a delicious meal, and slept in hammocks on deck beneath the Milky Way. Over time, making decisions became easier as our confidence grew and we expanded our radius of familiarity. Although the moments of pure relaxation and bliss, such as emerging from the sea onto the shores of Kalymnos, brought an uplifting and rejuvenating spirit to our trip, it was the everyday experiences of managing our boat and learning how to sail that really made our trip inspiring to us. When we first envisioned sailing through an exotic Mediterranean seascape, it was easy to sense the magic that the experience would bring, but we were uncertain of the challenges that such a journey would entail. I know that our future expeditions will see much improvement, one of which is already in the planning phase, but it feels great to know that we were able to learn and grow together as a group of friends, while experiencing places and environments that will stay with us always. Â
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A Cruiser’s Paradise Banderas Bay, Mexico
By Terri Potts-Chattaway
We fell in love almost immediately as we rounded Punta de Mita, the northernmost tip of Banderas Bay. It wasn’t just the wide expanse of the bay with calm seas and a warm breeze, or the white, sandy beaches lying against a backdrop of the Sierra Madre mountains, or even the promise of humpback whales who live and calve here in the winter. It was the prevailing westerly winds that caught our sails and sent us soaring effortlessly over the gentle waves, that captured our hearts. My husband, Jay, and I have been cruising through Mexico on our Hardin 45’ for four winter seasons. In 2013 we sailed from Oxnard, California down the Pacific Coast of Baja, California and up into the Sea of Cortez. In 2015 we left La Paz and crossed the sea over to Mazatlán and headed south, exploring the mainland. Along the way we have seen many beautiful coves and met many wonderful people, both cruisers and Mexican nationals. But if you want to sail your boat, if you want to have the perfect sailing conditions almost any day of the year, then Banderas Bay is the spot.
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A Cruiser’s Paradise
Imagine... You awaken to the sun rising over the mountains. It brings warmth, yet there is a coolness to the air that crosses your skin. Friends arrive, one by one, bringing lunch and drinks. You untie the lines. Once past the breakwater, you lift the mainsail and motor-sail out into the bay. There is no destination. The only thought is to find wind and whales. You find both. You watch as the humpbacks move through the water. You see their backs. They wave their tails. Suddenly, one breaches, rising its entire body out of the sea, and then lands with a loud thud, creating a huge splash! At 1400 the thermal comes up as promised. With 15 knots of wind you set sail on a beam reach and glide through the flat seas at six knots.
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This is just one of the advantages you’ll find when cruising Banderas Bay. There are many marinas and several anchorages in the area from which to choose. After several weeks on the hook, Jay and I chose Marina Riviera Nayarit as our first stop, more commonly known as La Cruz because of its location. It lies in the northeast corner of the bay in a small Mexican town, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz is home to both the marina (with a fuel dock and full-service shipyard) and an anchorage, and is very popular with the cruisers. Once we arrived we could see why, as the staff was warm and welcoming. Walking around the marina, it was abuzz
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with sailors from all over the world. The energy and excitement was palpable, for this is not only a destination, but a mecca for those traveling to Central and South America or across the ocean to the South Pacific. Almost any day of the week one can find an educational seminar, exercise class, or a casual get-together and potluck. Families traveling with children benefit greatly from the Kid’s Club. In La Cruz, the Kid’s Club brings together cruising children; teaching them to explore their natural
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surroundings, encouraging them to intermingle within the local community and, at the same time, celebrate the joy of being children. There is more to La Cruz than just the offerings of the marina. Cruisers come here not only to gather and share information and to prepare for the next leg of their journey, but to enjoy the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. Funky, fun, a great hang; this is how I would describe the music scene in La Cruz.
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A Cruiser’s Paradise
Just walking along the cobblestone streets during high season you will hear music coming from every direction. The warm evenings bring out the residents and visitors alike. All throughout the town, the many restaurants’ seating overflows into the streets creating a festive atmosphere. Whether you are dancing to a band at Ana Bananas, eating a fi ne meal at Octopus’s Garden, or listening to traditional Mexican folk music at La Cava, you are sure to be entertained. There are many other towns to visit in this beautiful stretch of land called Riviera Nayarit. Sayulita and Punta de Mita are both known for surfi ng, and Bucerias for its
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kite boarding and wind surfi ng. All are seaside towns with popular beaches and restaurants. As you head south along the bay you will fi nd Nuevo Vallarta, a resort community that caters to tourists via condominiums, single-family homes and hotels. This is where Paradise Village Marina resides, our next stop in Banderas Bay. “Listen to those birds!” I said to Jay. We were entering through the channel on our way to the marina when I noticed the loud cacophony of bird calls coming from the trees. I was used to the robins’ song of spring in New England and the cry of seagulls along the California shore, but this was
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different. I knew by the timbre of their caws we had arrived in the tropics. Banderas Bay (Bay of Flags) was discovered by the Spanish in the 1500s. Sailing across the waters they saw a horizon filled with colorful flags, each representing one of the many tribes that called this land their home. It is a huge bay covering 500 square miles, with a coastline that changes from flat, sandy beaches along the north and east, to dramatic cliff sides in the south cascading from the Sierra Mountains into the sea. The lush, tropical foliage is rich in color with its flowers of bright pinks, vibrant reds and deep purple.
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In some areas the bay can be as shallow as 30 feet, and in other areas it drops to as much as 3000 feet, creating a natural habitat for a plethora of sea life. It is a fisherman’s haven. And then there is the metropolis that surrounds the bay, giving one the opportunity to drop out in a small village or enjoy the bustling city life of Puerto Vallarta. Venture inland and you can visit an old mining town set in an arid landscape, or visit waterfalls while walking through the jungles that cover the mountains. And any day of the year, the sea temperature is warm enough to jump off your boat and take a swim.
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A Cruiser’s Paradise
Once docked, we discovered Paradise Village Marina has much to offer too. Known to be a world-class marina, it is run by Dick Markie and his wife, Gina. Dick, having lived in Puerto Vallarta for over 20 years, has a wealth of local knowledge and Gina is efficient, helpful and just a delight to work with. As a marina resident, we were welcome to all the amenities of the Paradise Village Resort which included the use of three pools, a spa and a gym. There is also a mall and casino on the grounds, as well as an excellent hospital. The Vallarta Yacht Club, too, lies along the estuary and welcomes boaters from around the world and hosts
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many sailing events. There are CPR classes, HAM licensing exams and boating seminars, as this is another staging area for sailors to gather in preparation to travel further south or to cross the Pacific. Plus, there are many races scheduled each year. In fact, Jay and I arrived just in time for the Banderas Bay Regatta, an annual race held every March for the cruising crowd. Having stayed at both marinas, we found Paradise Village quite the contrast to La Cruz. Where Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz seems more like a cruiser’s outpost, Paradise Village Marina, sitting adjacent to the Paradise Village Resort, has the
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feel of a tourist wonderland. Though La Cruz is more remote than Nuevo Vallarta, both have easy access to the local bus system and both host a weekly artisan’s/farmer’s market making shopping convenient. In addition to these two marinas, there are two other marinas in Banderas Bay, Marina Nuevo Vallarta and Marina Vallarta, giving cruisers options to choose from. There are some lovely anchorages, as well. On the north side there is Punta de Mita and La Cruz. Heading south alongside the mountainous terrain, the bay is much deeper and anchoring in one of the beautiful coves becomes a challenge. Yelapa, a
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tourist favorite, has a few moorings to offer, as does Las Animas, a local favorite. With all its diversity, Jay and I have found ourselves cruising the bay over several seasons. We have visited different anchorages and marinas, explored the towns and mountains, the beaches and jungle. We have eaten delicious meals at fine restaurants and simple fare at beach-side palapas, explored the Romantica Zone, and walked the Malecon. We have swum amongst the sea life in warm waters. Yet in the end, we found the real beauty of Banderas Bay to be the prevailing winds and calm seas. It is truly a sailor’s dream.
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Paid Advertising Content
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My train of thought has left the station.
Scuttlebutt
All the news that fits
An Almost Darwin Award
A 29-year-old Washington man wanted to “punish the rich white people for the death of the whales and the depletion of the rain forests,” so he attempted to saw through a 69,000-volt power line... using a tree saw on a long metal pole while wearing dishwashing gloves for insulation. He was found lying on his back with the gloves partially melted on his hands and his pants burned away. He did succeed in causing a temporary power outage for thousands of households and was expected to survive.
Wonder What B Will Look Like?
This is Sailing Yacht A, the tallest yacht in the world and also one of the top 10 most expensive. Her masts are about 295 feet high and reportedly are the tallest and most highly loaded freestanding composite structures in the world. She was built by Nobiskrug in Kiel, Germany and designed by Philippe Starck. She is now the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht (via hybrid diesel-electric propulsion) in the world and sold for an estimated $450 million to Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian billionaire.
Nautical Trivia Many words in the English vocabulary have nautical origins. One such word is “offing.” Anyone know what that means? And no, death or dismemberment are not involved. (Wanna cheat? The answer is on page 42)
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Scuttlebutt Join Bob & Jody on Our Share the Sail in the San Juan Islands August 11-18 This will be the first Cruising Outpost Share the Sail, and it will not only be fun, but it will start with the 16th Annual Cruisers’ Weekend & Party! We board the boats in Bellingham at the San Juan Sailing Base and head over to join the hundreds of cruisers who will gather in Anacortes this year for the Cruiser’s Weekend and Party. On Sunday we take off and explore some of the most beautiful sailing in the US, the San Juan Islands of Washington State. We will have three monohull sailboats, and each will have a qualified skipper on board from our friends and staff. Share the Sail was created to help people see what the cruising
life is all about, so everyone aboard shares the costs, navigation, piloting, cooking and cleaning. There are still a few cabins available. Cost? Easy! Just $1950 pp double occupancy or $2800 pp for a single cabin. This includes the cost of the boat, the fuel, the insurance and partial provisioning for a week. The route is being planned by Darren O’Brien who has lived aboard in the area for many years, and produced the video’s for the Washington State Marine Parks! This is going to be a fun one! For more info go to cruisingoutpost. com/sharethesail, or email bob@ cruisingoutpost.com.
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Today is the youngest day of the rest of your life.
Scuttlebutt A Floating Classroom!
Kitsap Maritime Heritage Foundation is refitting the schooner Fiddlers Dream as a floating classroom for third through fifth grade students in the Puget Sound area. The education program includes maritime history, culture and marine biology. Fiddlers Dream was built in 2002 from a 1930’s design of John Alden. She is 48.7 feet on deck with a spared length of 66 feet. She is 14 feet wide, 5.7 feet deep and the masts are 58 feet high. The steel hull carries wooden decks and spars. To support the restoration, Kitsap Maritime is offering Deck Plank Pieces aboard the schooner. You can purchase a deck plank piece to support the project at www.kitsapmaritime.org/getplank/. Once the restoration/refit is completed, Fiddlers Dream will travel to Puget Sound ports to provide the education program at schools public, private or home schooled.
Sure it’s fashionable, but it just doesn’t say “Pirate!”
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Scuttlebutt Spring Break Almost Spring Crunch
Two young women on Spring Break in Port Canaveral, FL, had a too-close encounter with a cruise ship. They were on a jet-ski and right in the path of a departing Carnival Magic when one woman fell off the back of the jet ski and flipped it over trying to get back on. Fortunately, a harbor pilot and a sheriff’s deputy saw the unfolding disaster and were able to pull both women out of harm’s way before it was too late.
Congrats to Conch Charters, 30 Years and Counting!
L to R: Brian, Laura, Cindy, Ian, Megs with little Lily, Greg and Debbie.
While we were in Tortola for our third annual Cruisers’ Bash, the folks from Conch Charters showed up in force to help us celebrate the event which they helped sponsor! It seems they were also celebrating their 30th year in business. Brian Gandey and Cindy Chestnut left Canada behind and created it in 1987. Conch’s crew have been advertising with Cruising Outpost since we started, and for over 15 years before that when we were doing Lats&Atts. They are like family. Chartering in the BVIs? Give ‘em a call! Their ad is on page 63!
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Matthew Turner Launched!
After more than three years and 120,000 volunteer hours of working day and night, the Matthew Turner tall ship made its first splash on Saturday, April 1st, 2017. The Matthew Turner, operated by Call of the Sea, a Sausalito educational nonprofit organization, cost about $6.3 million to build, with most funds coming from Marin donors (plus the raffle proceeds from Cruising Outpost boat show parties!). She will be the first tall ship to set sail in Marin in more than 200 years. While the ship is structurally complete, sealed from deck to hull and already equipped with all the heavy equipment like motors and generators, there is still work required to complete the vessel, said Alan Olson, project director. “We need to finish rigging, put up masts and spars, there’s electrical to complete, plumbing and interior work like construction of the bunks,” Olson said. “We’re hoping that she’ll be fully operational by October.”
Bill watches “The Perfect Storm” on his on-board theater system
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Scuttlebutt Help Sought for ICW
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the famed 1100-plus mile coastal waterway stretching from Norfolk, Virginia to Miami, Florida, is getting “thin.” Shoaling has created hazardous conditions in some areas with depths reported less than 5 feet – which reflects a remarkable 7 feet of water depth lost in the waterway’s authorized minimum depth of 12 feet. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA), a waterways interest group, recently gathered in Washington, DC, to ensure the Department of Transportationdesignated marine highway M-95 is a top priority for Congress and the Trump Administration. AIWA members are requesting legislators allocate $50 million for additional dredging needs to come from within the US Army Corps of Engineers operating and maintenance budget. AIWA members also pressed the case for continued allocations for operations and maintenance of navigation projects. It’s money well spent as an estimated 13,000 recreational boaters, or “snowbirds,” make the annual boating migration from the Northeast to Florida each year, averaging $300 per day in spending supporting small-business jobs along the way. Also, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), a charter member of the AIWA, has concerns about boaters potentially forced to take more hazardous offshore routes due to ICW shoaling.
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Scuttlebutt The World’s First Ship Tunnel
After years of talks and plans it looks like a ship tunnel through an area of Norway is going to become a reality. The Stad Ship Tunnel will be a 5,610-foot passageway through the Stadlandet peninsula on Norway’s southwestern coast, an area of particularly nasty weather and wave conditions which have hampered shipping and transport for decades. It will be 118 feet wide, 162 feet tall, and accommodate cruise and freight ships up to 16,000 tons, greatly reducing travel time between cities and towns in the area. Priority will be given to passenger traffic, but leisure boats and other vessels will be able to use it also. Transiting the tunnel will be free of charge for vessels less than 230 feet in length. The tunnel project, which is expected to start sometime in 2019 and will require blasting out an estimated eight million tons of rock, could be open by 2023. The cost is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of US$314 million.
Does This Sound Crazy? Sometimes I question my sanity. Sometimes it replies.
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We’re adults. When did that happen? How can we make it stop?
Scuttlebutt Go Sailing When You Can’t Go Sailing Huh? That makes no sense you say? It does with the Sailaway Sailing Simulator. It gives players the most realistic digital sailing experience to date with an online, persistent world, stunning detail, real-time weather data and more. In Sailaway you can choose from three types of ultra-detailed boats, a 38’ Cruiser, a Mini-Transat or a 45’ Classic Yacht. Making a trip across the Pacific takes months, just as it would on a real boat. With a persistent online world, adjust your settings and your boat will continue to sail even if you aren’t online. You’ll receive updates via email as your boat continues its progress, but you need to check in often – with real-time weather data pulled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conditions can change in just a few hours. There is a range of difficulty settings which allow even the most novice players to blossom into fully fledged sailors, while providing advanced features to challenge seasoned lifelong captains. Sailaway includes options to create your own races with start/finish lines. For more information about Sailaway just visit www. sailawaysimulator.com.
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Scuttlebutt Boat Documentation Warning
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Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant.
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) Consumer Protection Department is advising boaters with vessels having a US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by US mail offering renewal. An increasing number of BoatUS members have complained that these letters direct them to websites that may be mistaken for the actual US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Center located in Falling Waters, West Virginia, and appear to show a significant increase in the annual fee to renew US Coast Guard (USCG) documentation. BoatUS advises that while the USCG does send official annual renewal notices by US mail, other notices being received by members are not from the USCG but rather third-party companies whose name or return addresses may appear similar to that of the official USCG Vessel Documentation Center. The letters look like “real” USCG communications. While third-party companies may legitimately provide services to assist with vessel documentation renewals, the USCG’s own renewal process is simple for most vessels and the price, $26, is often much lower than what third-party services may charge.!
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Scuttlebutt Surf’s Up in Scotland In early May the UK Maritime and Coast Guard Agency reported rescuing a young Scottish surfer who had survived 32 hours alone in the cold Irish sea. Matthew Bryce, 22, from Glasgow, had not been seen since he left to go surfing off the northwest coast of Scotland on Sunday morning. He went into the water shortly before noon and was adrift until a rescue helicopter, run by the Belfast Coast Guard, found him clinging to his surfboard 13 miles off the Scottish coast on Monday evening. Bryce drifted out so far because of the strong tide that runs up into the Atlantic Ocean. There was also a strong breeze on Sunday and Monday, he said. Relatives alerted the authorities that he was missing on Monday after he failed to turn up for an appointment with a friend on Sunday evening, rescue services said. The search operation took seven hours. Bryce was suffering from hypothermia but was otherwise conscious. After he was plucked from the sea Bryce was flown to a hospital in Belfast to recover from his ordeal.
The world as seen by the Flat Earth Society
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Scuttlebutt Lats&Atts Gear is Available Again
Slowly but surely the Latitudes & Attitudes line of “stuff” is coming back! We have gotten the Trademark back and are re-releasing all of the Lats&Atts TV shows for free on YouTube! All 65 episodes! Or, you can get all five seasons on DVD! Also, the original shirt art, Winch Wenches, mouse pads, etc., that made Latitudes & Attitudes a household (or rather, boathold!) name is now back! Oh yeah, for those of you who saved your Lats&Atts gear, it is okay to wear it again! Just go to www. LatitudesAttitudes.com and check it out.
The Navy’s Smallest Recruit
Puskos, a 15-lb., two-year-old jagdterrier, is training as a drug-sniffing dog at the U.S. Naval Station in Norfolk, VA. Although he is roughly five times smaller than most military working dogs, his size makes him perfect for searching out narcotics aboard submarines and small spaces aboard various ships. According to his handler, Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordyn Japec, Puskos has a great nose, he’s fearless, and he’s much easier to carry down the narrow flights of stairs found in most vessels than the typical 80 lb. military dog.
Nautical Trivia (Answer to the question on page 28) In nautical use, offing is the part of sea visible from the shore, but beyond anchoring ground. From off (away), its earliest documented use is 1600. Nowadays it’s used to refer to the future, such as “in the offing.”
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Scuttlebutt So Where’s the Back End?
It looks like they ran out of money half way through building it, but the Ramform Titan was designed this way. At 70 meters it’s one of the widest ships ever built, which gives it incredible stability - perfect for collecting seismic data. The Ramform Titan was built at Mitsubishi in Japan and is owned by Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS). Launched in 2013, this class of seismic ship is easily the most powerful and efficient in the world. Power, capacity and redundancy are the keys to maximizing seismic data production and the Ramform Titan delivers them. Three variable pitch propellers provide 1.8 Megawatts of power, more than sufficient to tow her enormous spread of dual-sensor recording equipment. The propulsion system permits full operations with just two propellers, and just one of the fully-separated, dual engine rooms. She can go 120 days without refueling, which means long periods at sea. No worries - the 80-person crew has plenty of amenities on board to keep them occupied and happy, such as a sauna, fitness room, swimming pool, twoball court, three lounges with televisions and an auditorium!
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Bacon - it’s like meat candy.
Scuttlebutt “Big John” Aydelotte
May 12th , 1947 - March 29, 2017.
Big John Aydelotte was about as close to a legend as anyone could be. To say Big John was larger than life is an understatement. His rescues in Deception Pass near his base for Vessel Assist Northwest in Cornet Bay made headlines. As one of the original “King’s of the Brethren of the Sound,” John helped create one of the largest annual gatherings of cruisers on the West Coast with Latitudes & Attitudes, and then with Cruising Outpost Magazines. In his spare time he starred in the TV Series “Diamond Divers.” He also appeared as “Blackbeard” in the National Geographic historical dramatization of the pirate’s adventures. Captain John M. Aydelotte was married to wife Trish for 40 years. They had three children, Jennifer House, John A. Aydelotte and Jason A. Aydelotte. He left six grand children and three great grandchildren, two brothers, Rick (Rita) and Tom (Tessa), and one sister, Delanie. He was the founder of North Whidbey Water Rescue Program for NW Fire Dept. and had a passion for motorcycles, boats, hot rods, classic cars and hunting. As owner/operator of Vessel Assist for 35 years he often asked stranded boaters, “Are you the ones that ordered the pizza?” He and his wife Trish have been a part of our family for almost 20 years, and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him!
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Scuttlebutt ACTIVE PIRACY REPORT from the ICC - A Narrative of the Most Recent Attacks (as of press time) April 29, 2017 - 0737 UTC, around 47nm SW of Bonny Islands, Nigeria: Armed pirates in a speedboat approached and boarded a general cargo vessel underway. Alarm raised, SSAS activated and all crew retreated into the citadel. The Owners notified the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, who in turn informed and liaised with the Nigerian Navy. A naval vessel was dispatched to assist the vessel. The pirates damaged ship’s equipment, stole crew cash and belongings and escaped before the naval team boarded the vessel to rescue the crew. All crew reported safe. April 28, 2017 - 0620 UTC, Georgetown Anchorage, Guyana: Duty officer on routine rounds onboard a seismic support vessel noticed a boat alongside the vessel and raised the alarm. Seeing the alerted crew, five robbers were seen escaping with stolen ship’s properties. April 22, 2017 - 1442 YTC, Around 5.7nm East of Somali Coast, Somalia: Six armed persons in a skiff chased and fired upon a tanker underway. Master raised the alarm and sent distress message, to which a warship responded. The skiff chased the tanker for nearly two hours and then moved away due to the continuous evasive manoeuvres. One crew reported injured. April 22, 2017 - 0300 LT, Batangas, Philippines: Unnoticed, robbers boarded a LPG tanker at berth, stole the ship’s properties and escaped. The theft was discovered by the crew during routine rounds. April 19, 2017 - 0845 UTC, around 59nm SSW of Brass, Nigeria: Nine pirates in a skiff approached and fired upon a tanker underway. Alarm raised, fire pumps started and non-essential crew retreated to the citadel. Vessel increased speed and conduct evasive maneuvers. While the Master communicated with the escort vessel the skiff was seen aborting and moving away. Crew and tanker reported safe.
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Another Way About a month ago, I spent a week in paradise with eight other people. Paradise is a nice word, right? We tend to have a collective vision of what it looks like, something that involves white sand beaches, palm trees, water of brilliant blues. So, it shouldn’t be too hard to picture our catamaran floating on turquoise, framed by puffy clouds with a little tropical islet as backdrop. One or two other boats drift nearby, and beneath our keels are fish, lobsters and live reefs teaming with lively underwater action. Does this not epitomize the dream of sailing off into the tropics? For many of us, it does, and because this particular location is getting more and more of the kind of attention that invites the hordes, it will not be named in this piece. Rather, I mention it because it’s nice to discover paradise still exists. And, it inspired an observation about an interesting paradox of the whole boating thing. Ever since WWll, sailing, or cruising, has taken off as a way of life, symbolizing a certain kind of freedom with access to the planet and making the world your home. Literally. A boat is a home, so anywhere you go— across the river, or across an ocean, you are home. And, as much as this concept is rooted in the idea that cruising and boats provide a cultural smorgasbord of back and front yards and neighborhoods, it is also true that boats feed right into the homebody nature. You can sail to the corners of the earth, tie up in the remotest locations, and as far as land exploration goes, never get further than the closest food, watering hole, or convenient sight to see. I’ve been running the occasional sailing adventure for many years. Over time, this kind of vacation has become so popular that charter bases have sprung up all around the world. Not too long ago, to see these waters, you would have had to sail there on your own. Now, I can book a rental for a week or two, depending on the location and available itineraries, and fill it with people who will fly across oceans to, well . . . to hang out on a boat.
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For example, on this last trip, warm trade winds, land and offshore breezes pushed us from one idyllic picture to another where we swung at anchor with the occasional dinghy expedition to a snorkeling spot or beach. After three days of this, we had become a cozy little floating house of friends. On day four, we arrived in the small harbor closest to a very old town. A Unesco beauty steeped in history, it still hadn’t been developed for tourism. We stayed two nights so everyone would have a chance to go ashore for the day, shop, eat, visit, just be happy to get off the boat for a minute to explore. And, what happened? Nobody was interested in leaving the first evening. Nobody got off the boat until late the next morning. And, except for one couple that remained ashore for an early dinner, everyone was back by late afternoon to sit around, talk, play cards and prepare our own food. To be clear, it’s not that I run a boring ship. We were a two-boat group, and all the vivacious and fun-loving personalities aboard the other boat arrived home even earlier, early enough to motor away from the tight, mangrove-encircled anchorage with access to town, to re-drop their hook off another perfect beach around a point and a couple hundred feet from one other boat full of homebodies. This got me thinking about how often this has happened, how people attracted to sailing can also be so attached to the nest. One could decorate a passport with lots of pretty stamps in the places I’ve led these trips— the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the South Pacific. With few exceptions, crews land in new countries, find their ways to the boat, unpack, check out the provisions, then settle into the salon or cockpit with a book and a snack. For the week. Or, two weeks. I usually like to make a full day available in one spot where there might be interesting things to do, or to wait out some weather, preferably combining the two. Invariably, the majority of the peeps remain aboard,
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or very close to home. Somebody leaving for a little exploration—venturing any further than the immediate area—hardly ever happens. Several years ago, in Greece, there was a man who did do just that. He’d get off the boat and walk, take ferries to other islands, catch buses for adventures, meeting people, eventually returning to sleep. Did he inspire anyone else to follow? No. Instead, all the homebodies worried about him. Where was he? Did he miss the ferry? Was he a spy? Why wasn’t he back in time for dinner? Another memory still not lost to time. We were in New Zealand, anchored somewhere in the Bay of Islands in, as it so happens, a bay. A lovely, quiet place, it was surrounded by hills and rocks covered with cool subtropical vegetation. A bunch of cruising boats were scattered about, and I met one of them, dinghied over for a visit. They had a super comfortable cutter, sailed it across the Pacific from the US west coast, had been hanging around in this spot for a week. They showed off onboard amenities—the fully equipped galley with appliances powered by the generator, the cozy cabins, the protected pilothouse—it rained often while we were there, which made this feature very appealing. What they seemed most jazzed about, however, was progress they’d been making with some computer game. “What’s it like ashore?” I asked. “Any trails, nice walks?” They looked at each other a little abashedly before replying, “We haven’t been ashore.” While writing this, just as I began wondering if I was taking two disparate experiences to support a tenuous point, a fresh story was delivered on a silver platter via a phone conversation. A neighbor returned from a week of sailing the British Virgin Islands on her brother’s boat. I’d told her all about Anegada before she left, and asked if they’d gone. “Yes,” she exclaimed, “it was my favorite place!” “Aren’t those miles of undeveloped beaches gorgeous?” I asked.
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“Well,” she replied, “I must admit we hardly got off the boat all week. But it was so pretty around the anchorage!” Not to be outdone by these other homebodies, there’s me. I, too, can spend an entire week without getting off the boat once. Unless we are short on provisions, or some sort of administrative task with authorities needs to happen, I am perfectly content to navigate us from one lovely spot to another, and remain aboard. Once the anchor has been set and backed down on hard enough to prove we can withstand a hurricane, the boat’s the place to be, to play cards, to eat, to sleep, to study the charts, fix stuff, and plan the next day. Does this mean anything significant? Does it provide deeper insight into our relationships with boats? How, for many of us, they become a hidey hole with bathroom, kitchen, fridge, a place from which to see the world, while being far from home, yet still being at home? No, it’s just another observation from the ground, something else to talk about next time we’re afloat, sitting in a salon surrounded by paradise.
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What’s Out There?
Island Packets are known as some of the best cruising monohulls currently being built, and this new 490 is just the right size for a couple who want to cruise the world. It is capable of long distance days offshore, but is equally at home exploring coastal waters. This vessel was designed for cruising and living aboard. The boat features an aft deck area suitable for sun bathing or on-deck stowage. The storage bins on either side of the aft deck hold LPG bottles and miscellaneous gear. A central hatch opens to steps leading down into a large lazarette that includes a platform for an optional generator. The fiberglass and teak transom platform
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makes stern boarding safe and simple, and the undermounted retractable swim ladder provides emergency re-boarding capability as well. There is no doubt that the interior design had a lot of input from world cruisers. Every little thing has been well thought out, such as easy engine access and lots of storage options. The attention to detail plus hull strength have made Island Packets some of the most popular cruising boats currently on the market. If you are looking for a real world cruiser, look no further. This one’s got everything.
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Island Packet 490
Get all the facts: www.ipy.com Island Packet 490 LOA 48’ 9” LWL 38’ 1” Draft 5’ Beam 14’ 4” Power 75 hp Diesel Fuel 160 USG Fresh Water 260 USG Holding Tank 55 USG Displacement 32,000 lbs. www.cruisingoutpost.com
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What’s Out There?
The New 47 from Fountaine Pajot is a true cruising catamaran. It is built to go places and to be comfortable both underway and when at anchor. To start, the space that you’ll find when boarding shows it is a comfortable boat for living aboard as well as entertaining. Boarding from the aft “swim step,” which raises when underway, shows the attention to detail they have put into this new design. The cockpit is perfect for entertaining and the foredeck’s huge sun lounger is as comfortable as you could ask for. Inside, the saloon has been designed to take advantage of as much natural light as possible. The
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well equipped galley has an island and plenty of storage for your cruising needs. There are two layouts available: a three-cabin owner version featuring the master suite that occupies an entire hull, complete with en suite head, and two generous guest cabins each with en suite heads, or a five-cabin charter version with private en suite heads to the four double guest cabins, as well as convenient to the crew quarters. Fountaine Pajot has earned a reputation as a fast and comfortable cruiser, and the 47 lives up to that reputation. If you would like more info on this New 47, or any of their other performance cruising catamarans, go to www.catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com.
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Fountaine Pajot New 47
Get all the facts:
www.catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com
Fountaine Pajot New 47 LOA 46’ Draft 4.2’ Beam 25.3’ Power Fuel Fresh Water
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2x40 hp 2x124 gal. 185 gal.
Displacement
13.8 tons
Holding Tank
25 gal.
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What’s Out There?
Those looking for a compact power cruiser may find it in this offering from Minorca Yachts. It was nominated for the 2016 European Powerboat of the Year, and won the 2016 Croatian Boat of the Year Award. The Islander 34 was designed as a very comfortable couple’s cruiser, and with two staterooms it’s easy to invite friends along for the voyage. It has been laid out to maximize the living space, and allows for good storage as well as being easy to get around in while underway. That’s one of the advantages of a compact cruising powerboat.
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Another great feature of the Islander is the large windows surrounding the salon. They provide plenty of natural light and give a great view of all that is going on around you for safer navigating when underway, or just for sightseeing. The Islander 34 will provide a comfortable ride either at displacement speed or while on a plane. In all it is the perfect power cruiser for a couple or small family seeking adventure. If you’d like more info on this, or any of the other Minorca Power Cruisers, go to www. minorcayachts.com.
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4/28/17 5:01 PM
Minorca Islander 34
Get all the facts: www.minorcayachts.com Minorca Islander 34 LOA 34’ Draft 3’ 7” Beam 12’ 6” Power Twin Diesel Fuel 172 GA Fresh Water 92 GA Displacement 17,000 lbs. Cabins 2 Cruising Range 12-19 knots www.cruisingoutpost.com
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Hawai’i to Juneau: Crossing Oceans and Cruising in Alaska By Jennifer Goff
We arrived in Alaska 19 days after leaving Kauai’i. We had completed our crossing of the Pacific and were feeling delighted and proud of ourselves. Actually, Sitka was not our destination when we left Hawai’i, but plans changed en route. We intended to reach landfall in Prince Rupert, northern British Columbia, but felt that as we were passing so close to Alaska, it would be crazy to miss it! We would like to share some of the highlights of our summer cruising through Alaska and Canada on the Inside Passage. The Ocean Crossing from Hawai’i to Sitka The voyage from Hawai’i had gone really well with no dramas. It took a day or two to settle into the motion of the boat and to adjust our appetites and sleep patterns to passage-making mode. We had some fantastic sailing for the first few days, making good speed and www.cruisingoutpost.com
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covering 145-160 nm each day. Distant Drummer was totally in her element. As we crossed the big fat high between Hawai’i and the Pacific Northwest we were enveloped in fog. For a week we could see ships around us on the AIS vessel tracking system, but we never caught sight of them, even those less than a mile away. We felt very isolated. In the middle of the high the wind dropped and for three days we were transported northwards by a current through a wonderfully calm sea – it was like being in The Voyage of the Dawntreader (C.S. Lewis, the bit at the end!). Once we were out of the current there was still no wind, so we motored for a day or two to reach the north westerlies on the top of the high. Then we tacked the only one of the entire passage! As we sailed northeast it got colder and colder, and the piles of
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Distant Drummer in Icy Strait with Glacier Bay in the background
night-watch clothing got bigger and higher. I think the dampness of the fog made the cold even deeper and more penetrating. With a 20-knot wind the boat was flying along at 7+ knots, but we were absolutely frozen! Hanging Out in Sitka When we reached Sitka we tied up at the transient dock in Eliason Harbor. As always after a passage, it was wonderful to get off the boat, feel land beneath our feet and enjoy a glass of wine and a good meal which doesn’t slide off the table! Sitka is an interesting place. It was the centre of the Russian Empire in Alaska, due mainly to trade in the pelts of the sea otters which were hunted almost to extinction. Now, once again, they are becoming prolific in the area and their wizened, whiskered faces were a common site as we cruised in Southeast Alaskan waters.
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Sitka is now dominated by a vibrant fishing industry and is a stop on the cruise liner itinerary. As testament to its history, a beautiful Russian Orthodox Church stands in the middle of the town and all the islands and passes have long, unpronounceable Russian names. In Sitka we visited a National Historic Park where a walk through the forest follows a trail of totem poles which had been collected from all over Alaska by the District Governor of an earlier time. I was impressed with the beautiful carvings and symbolism! The Raptor Centre was also worth a visit. Wounded birds of prey from all over the country are brought there to be repaired and recuperate. There were many bald eagles and several types of owl including a snowy owl – very cute! We were lucky to have a pair of bald eagles that spied for fish from the trees behind the marina – it was a great chance to get some photographs.
Bald eagles hang out in Eliason Harbor, Sitka
You’ve seen humpback whales breach? This is what they look like when they land!
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After 10 days of rest and recuperation in Sitka it was time to get moving again. In Southeast Alaska there is a fractured network of islands, just like a broken pane of glass, and the Inside Passage threads through them. There are hundreds of bays and coves to anchor in. It is a cruising heaven, but the currents can be strong and even a short voyage needs to be well planned. We were lucky to be cruising during the long days of summer, so a passage on a favourable current could be easily achieved during daylight hours. Threading the Needle from Sitka to Juneau We headed northwards from Sitka through the islands and narrows on the west of Baranof Island, and entered Peril Strait from the west. Peril Strait is a narrow, jagged fissure that separates Baranof Island from its northern sister, Chichagof Island, like a crack in an egg. We anchored overnight in Schultz Cove just before the scary bit – the Sergius Narrows. The channel is about 500m long, less than 100m wide, with a dogleg in the middle. We went through just before high water slack and the current was still flowing strongly against us. There were standing waves and eddies. It was quite good fun, but I wouldn’t want to get the tides wrong (or maybe we did?). We continued moving northwards, trying to guess the ebb and flow of the currents and keeping a sharp
eye out on the shore for bears. Our cruising friends had several sightings, so we were keen to see one. We stopped at Tenakee Springs, an old settlement on Chichagof Island which was once very popular with day trippers from Juneau. It is a community of quaint wooden homes built along a dirt road and we enjoyed picking wild raspberries as we walked along the main street. The springs are located in a concrete house opposite the general store. The store has internet and is adequately close to enable your emails to be downloading while you’re in the baths! The baths were hot and sulphurous, invigorating and warming – lovely! The next few days we spent cruising through the remote and pristine wilderness and anchoring in exquisitely calm coves, all the time heading towards the snowy peaks of the mountains of the Coastal Ranges. The only disappointment of our cruising in Southeast Alaska was how little we sailed in the Inside Passage. There was not much wind and when it did funnel along the steep sided straits it was on the nose with inadequate room for tacking. We celebrated my birthday in Hoonah on board Anne Carolina with a couple of friends that we had crossed from Hawai’i with! Hoonah is a Tlingit (local American Indian) village on the north coast of Chichagof Island which is well known for its wood carving. The local
The Mendenhall Glacier
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Having a little fun in the Sergius Narrows
artists had been consigned to carve the totem poles, house poles and enormous screen walls for a tribal meeting house being built in Glacier Bay. We were lucky enough to be in town just before they were packed for transportation and construction. We met the carvers and we learnt a lot about the carving methods and about the meaning of the various totems. Hoonah is the kick-off point for Glacier Bay and the round trip to the Park Headquarters, up to see the glaciers and back, really needs a week to complete. We decided to skip it and continue on to Auke Bay, the closest anchorage to Juneau from the north, as would see some glaciers later at Tracy Arm. While we were rounding Admiralty Island we were lucky enough to see a pair of humpback whales breaching about 500m from the boat. Even in Hawai’i we had never been so close to whales breaching – it was beautiful and impressive and amazing. www.cruisingoutpost.com
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When we got to Auke Bay we anchored out in a small cove on the north side for the first couple of nights, but then moved into the marina to top up with water and stock up with provisions. One day we rode our bikes up to the
Traditional carving in Hoonah on Chichagof Island
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We were lucky not to meet this tug a little earlier in the narrows!
Mendenhall Glacier which lies at the head of the bay, so we did get to see a glacier after all! Getting a Feel for Juneau The settlement of Auke Bay had little to offer apart from a laundrette and a pub (what more could a girl want?), so we took the short bus ride into Juneau to see what the state capital had to offer. A large part of the economy of the town seems to be derived from cruise ship tourism and this reflected in the shops. We peered through the windows of jewelry and gift shops for a while and
then retired to the Alaskan Hotel for a beer. This claims to be the oldest pub in Southeast Alaska and has a lovely frontier feel about it; low ceilings, dark saloons and a first floor balcony looking down on to the bar below. It didn’t take much imagination to picture the drunken miners and sailors swilling beer and fondling the buxom hussies! Our first weeks in Alaska and our first experience of “high latitude” sailing were fantastic. In fact everyone we met and every guide book we read said that Alaska “defined a new fantastic” and that was truly so.
A welcoming ale with Ron aboard Uhane Kai. They arrived a day and a half before us.
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Watts Up
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A 59’ Custom Wylie Cruiser
By Editor Sue
What do you do when you really love your boat, but your family has outgrown it? That’s a pretty common dilemma which is usually easy to solve. Just buy a bigger boat. Duh. When you are a family of tall people (dad Chet and three sons are 6’6”+), the solution isn’t so easy. The Zahns already had a big boat, a 1966 CCA Cal 48, and they needed something with even more space than it offered. However, they really enjoyed the speed and performance and did not want to give up all of the sailing fun it gave them. After years of looking and not finding anything on the market that met their wants and needs, they decided to build a boat. Chet had been following Tom Wylie’s career for a while and chose him to design it. The main design challenge was to meet the family’s height requirements. Wylie finessed the proportions of the freeboard, trunk cabin, and pilothouse to balance visual aesthetics with the substantial headroom constraint. Tom turned out to be a great resource and spent a great amount of time with the Zahns going over all the things they wanted to do with the boat, along with the things they wanted on it. It was an enjoyable process. Since the Cal 48 had undergone a refit at Dennis Choate’s yard in Long Beach (Dencho Marine) with great results, Chet chose him to build the new boat’s hull and deck. The laminates of E-glass biax fabrics, vinylester resin, and 1” balsa core are developments of tried and true Santa Cruz construction.
The hull
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The hull mold Tom Wylie and Dave Wally own Wyliecat Boats in Watsonville and poured the keel and bulb at their shop. Tom sent down a template for the keel bolts so Dencho could pre-drill the holes. This is when having a hands-on designer paid off. “The keel went on like butter.” A lot of people thought that the team of Wylie/Choate could end badly. Chet’s thinking was that as long as everyone treated the other guy the way they wanted to be treated it would work out. Chet says both Tom Wylie and Dennis Choate did a great job; they both have great ideas and insight as to boats and sailing. Chet admits he might have enjoyed the building process even more than sailing the boat and the boat has come out as good as any boat he’s been on. They “shot for perfection and settled for as good as we could.”
The deck
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Christened Watts Up, the boat left Choate’s yard unfinished. All of the outfitting and interior have been done in the water. The masthead rig came from the Sled class and is aluminum with rod rigging by Sea Tek. All
of the rigging systems were installed over a period of two years and they are still tweaking it. It’s a big rig and they are learning how to sail it better each time they get her out of the slip.
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They originally tried to set Watts Up the same way as the Cal 48, but that didn’t work out very well. Watts Up is one powerful boat, so they added a permanent staysail and a third reef. The rig is the same size as a stock Santa Cruz 70, but the boat weighs more. Tom Wylie did a great weight study and if they weighted down a Santa Cruz the way they would this boat, it would be a water plow. That was the same dilemma they ran into with a used boat. They wanted a boat that would sail as well as the Cal 48, but would also let them motor-sail the equivalent of a small home back from Mexico. Watts Up has a huge cockpit. The seating and a big cockpit table are forward with dual steering stations just aft. Aft of that is a large open transom area which is “closed” by hauling the tender aboard while underway - no davits necessary! The pilothouse has a large, comfortable dining table with lots of seating port and starboard. Stepping below there are two very large aft staterooms along with a, you guessed it, large head with shower to starboard. Okay, you may safely assume from here on out that everything described is large. A forward facing nav station is to port along with a very efficient and well thought out wrap-around galley. To starboard is a comfortable settee. Forward is the master stateroom and the master head with separate shower is in the bow. Watts Up now carries about 260 gallons of fuel and 300 gallons of water aboard. She has a six KW Northern Lights gen set, a Little Wonder 250 watermaker and a 20 gallon water heater. There is a large (about 5 cubic foot) freezer and an 8 cubic foot refer. She’s powered by a Yanmar 4JH4 110hp turbo diesel engine with a 24x18 three-blade Max prop on a 1-1/2 shaft. At 2500 RPM she motors along at about 8-1/2 to 9 knots. Chet thinks they could get her up to about 13 knots but have not done so yet. WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM
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So far, Watts Up has made numerous trips to Catalina Island off the Southern California coast and cruised north up to Bodega Bay. As for sailing her, they’re finding out about apparent wind. On a short trip to Catalina Island with the full main and the 104% genoa, with 11 knots of true wind they were seeing 21 knots of apparent wind. The lesson is reef early and often. The name, Watts Up, was chosen to honor a great friend of Chet’s, Dick Brownell. Dick was also a great friend of Kenny Watts and worked with Sails by Watts, a sailmaker from Torrance, CA. Dick asked Chet what he was thinking of for a name. Chet showed him the Sails By Watts logo and asked him if he thought it
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would be okay to use it as the Watts part of the name. Dick was thrilled. The project of building Watts Up received lots of help from a lot of people: Alan Blunt, Peter Vargas, Dave McCauley and Alan Lindsay (Sea Tek), Don Whelan (Harken), Harry Johnson (H&L Lumber) Carter Miller (Riley Marine) Scott Shelton and Troy Bethel, to name just a few. Chet says a lot of people asked, “Can’t you just find a boat and buy it?” Well yeah, maybe. But Chet likes to build things. Although this has taken a bit longer than he had hoped, they’re still going strong and he thinks he just might have another boat in him. He’s been talking to Tom Wylie about that and promised to keep us posted.
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Watts Up
59’ Custom Wylie Cruiser LOA 59’- 9” DWL 53’- 4” Beam 15’- .25” Draft 7’- 11” Displacement 29,476 lb. Engine Yanmar 4JH4 110hp turbo diesel Fuel Capacity 260 gal Water 300 gal
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5/8/17 11:53 AM
By Robert Miller, Sandusky Bay sunset at Sandusky Yacht Club Marina, Lake Erie
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L i fe s t y l e A Look at Why We Do What we Do
Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Lifestyle section folks from all over the world give an insight into what it’s really like out there. If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? We prefer you send a digital pic, in as high resolution as you can. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken. We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide! Email to: Lifestyle@Cruisingoutpost.com.
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By Patrick, taken in Liberville, Gabon of the U. S. Coast Guard training the Gabonese Navy
At Don Pedro State Park, Florida, of Devil Dogs!
From Lisa Goldman of Yogi in S/V Gypsy’s cockpit, Sea of Cortez
From Marylyn Webb of the Thunderbird
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The crew of Tenacity halfway across the ocean heading westward
From Olivia Frank, taken by the captain while cruising the Florida Keys
T. Brauer, PBR-Professiomal Boom Riders, in the Texoma tropics - life is good
By Greg Sage, Toba Inlet, Desolation Sound, BC
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Cruising Outpost 73 4/26/17 4:07 PM
From John & Jennifer Stallings, S/V Noel’s Delight Benedict Mercadante and wife Laura, a winter sail in the Gulf of Mexico off Central Florida on an Irwin 30
By Larry Grasse, off Kauai, Hawaii
Don Hood’s pirate ship, Great Lakes
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4/26/17 4:08 PM
Taylor Swift sailing on a catamaran
From Ichelle Bennett of Tony with our dog Dalai LaLa, as we travel down the ditch aboard A La Mer
By Ray Muzika, taken in Rovinj, Croatia
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By Gan Eraz of daughter Lev-Yam up on the mast of their boat at the port of Jaffa in Israel
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Of Jim and Michelle Bond, Nashville, TN, between Bequia and Canouon on a bareboat charter with Horizon
Breena in Abaco, Bahamas, aboard S/V Hedgehog
Pirate Cecilia, planning her next attack, taken by Dan (Dad) A yellowfin tuna pulled from the Gulf Stream by Dave aboard Indigo Lady
By Doug Shiply of a shapely lot!
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Paul, Becky, Madison and Kelsey Berger
From Peanut, Suez Canal
By Terry Sovil, Manzanillo, MX
By Dan of sunset at Savusavu Bay in Fiji a week after Tropical Cyclone Winston
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By Patrick Hoey - new bow thruster runs on beer!
Schooner Russamee sailing in the BVIs
From Conn Williamson of Sally the Sailor Dog at Breakwater Marina, Townsville - a fun night!
Bobbie Vurro aboard the Edna Mae, Key West
Bill, Elizabeth and Sue arrive for happy hour aboard S/V Moonraker, Boot Key Harbor, Florida Keys
Robin’s bucket list achieved!
Paul Wright, Valdez a single night’s snowfall
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Rainy day shower by John of Jennifer Stallings
Nick Rogner and Jenny Miller at anchor, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, by Captain Bill Rogner
S/V Carolina Soul crossing Albermarle Sound enroute to the Alligator River
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Fred Lowe, on the way to Port Aransas, Texas
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Of Marlene, taken by Capt. Kim Cansler on Banana Winds, off Miami
Panama City Beach, FL, Pirates of the High Seas Festival aboard the Gulf Wind
Of Ian Davies making Pina Coladas underway while at the Great Barrier Reef
Heather Shine of S/V Cerridwen, putting in a windlass
From Wendy Veltman, S/V 6 Knots, Marblehead, Drummond Island, North Channel
From Terry Billingsby, Pirate Bight, BVIs
Of Scott, ruining another life with the introduction of sailing, Great Salt Lake
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4/26/17 4:10 PM
Of Kathy cooking while underway, heading to Norman Island
Taken by Maureen from their 1972 Gulf Star motorsailer, Puff, in Godland, Southwest Florda
From Jim McLean, Tromso, Norway, the Capital of the Arctic
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Cruising Outpost 81
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Cruising Outpost 83 5/1/17 12:23 PM
Cruising the Black Sea’s South Coast... The North Coast of Turkey By Chuck & Patty Ritenour/Ridgway
SoulMates on the dock in Poti, Georgia
The south end of the Dardanelles Straits have been fought over for centuries. As the gateway to the Marmaris Sea and the Black Sea, control of the Straits meant power and wealth. According to The Iliad, the Trojan War was fought over a woman. Now, we know Bob Bitchin would go to war if someone kidnapped Jody, and he could summon a flotilla, but Bob is not normal and the question is, would a normal man go to war over a woman,
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or would he go to war over treasure and power by controlling a major shipping lane? You decide. Ancient Troy sat on the sea, but today it’s a couple of miles from Troy to the sea. On the opposite coast of the Dardanelles is the Gallipoli battlefield from WWI, one of the bloodiest battles of that war. Trenches as little as 30 feet apart are still there along with numerous cemeteries. As Patty walked through one of them she remarked that
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they were so young, to which Chuck replied yeah, old and inexperienced men plan, young men die. If anything good came from Gallipoli it was the emergence of a great leader the world would come to know as Ataturk, one of Chuck’s hero’s, who dragged Turkey into the 20th century and created modern day Turkey. Pushing on up the Dardanelles against a wicked current, SoulMates finally made the Sea of Marmaris and after a few stops, Istanbul. What a thrill sailing into Istanbul; not that we had not been there, as we spent Christmas there the year before, but that was by bus. Istanbul is one of the great cities of the world with a combination of old and new,
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Cruising the Black Sea’s South Coast... Filling our propane tank in Istanbul
familiar and mysterious shopping thoroughfares and back alleys. They say if you can’t find it in Istanbul, you can’t find it. Before entering the Black Sea we needed a few more spares and to fill our propane tank. When we sailed over from the Caribbean we did not change out our American propane tanks, and while it is difficult, it is
not impossible to get them filled. In Istanbul the marina suggested we see Ismail in the yard who knew somebody who knew somebody who could help. Chuck explained what he wanted and drew up a diagram and showed him the connectors. Ismail said come, and off they went into back streets to a propane dealer who took one look, made up some new
Folds Easily
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...The North Coast of Turkey connections and filled the tank. AH, not OSHA approved, but then again we have been filling these tanks this way everywhere we have sailed. With Ismail’s help we got the last of our parts and a chart of the Bosphorus Straits that showed the currents and counter currents, and at 0530 on a Sunday morning in very light winds, we slipped our lines and headed out to avoid the worst of the ferry traffic. We only had to contend with the freighters as we crossed from one side to the other to pick up the counter current. The entire Bosphorus is radio controlled and you must call on various VHF frequencies as you move north. For the most part the controllers ignore small boats until you call to tell them you are coming back across, and they acknowledge and approve your move. But what an experience, with the sun coming up over Istanbul and the Golden Horn. Patty had a great time site-seeing, whereas Chuck was very busy watching the big ships, the ferries and boat speed as he motored west and then north up the Bosphorus. Seventeen nautical miles later we were in the Black Sea and had good winds from the southwest, so up went the sail and we headed east. The north coast of Turkey is dotted with small fishing villages protected by big breakwaters. Few sailboats venture there. Why you ask? Well, as we were told by a number of freighter captains, the Black Sea is some of the worst sailing in the world. It is simply treacherous and you must watch the weather and have patience. The brutality of it is obvious by the size and strength of the breakwaters, not to mention the broken portion of some of them. As we sailed into the various ports the fishermen on the dock would either wave us to a place to Med moor, or motion us to follow them in and point to a place to tie up. Then, of course,
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On a side street of Istanbul
Patty and a fisherman in Kefken
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Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya in the early morning
came the obligatory cup of cay, Turkish dangerous. We found that out when we approached Tirebolu. The wind usually tea, and some questions as to where we came from. At times it was as if we just picks up just after noon, and we decided to push it one day arrived from Mars, and do another 10 and the fishermen Each port was very miles in very light were amazed that different and unique. winds. Within an we were there. But Caylioglu is an abandoned fish the welcoming was hour after noon, the farm and town with big docks wind went from overwhelming. It used by the whelk fishermen. was not just being five knots to 25 knots and the flat kind to strangers, it was a measure of great respect from seas went to three feet on a two- to foursecond interval on our nose. We worked one seafarer to another for the effort past the harbor entrance and turned across and challenge to get there. As we were told many times, the Black Sea is called the breaking seas that lifted and shoved us sideways, toward the breakwater before Black on purpose, as it can be extremely A gift of cherries and bread in Tirebolu
Everything you need to plan your next voyage
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...The North Coast of Turkey SoulMates tied up among fishing boats in Kefke
SoulMates got around. We surfed into the harbor at over eight knots, hoping that the charts were correct and we had plenty of room and water under us. We did, and were relieved when we tied up to the dock. Just after tying up, a man drove up and welcomed us, saying he saw us come in. He gave us a kilo of cherries and two loaves of bread. That made things a lot better. Each port was very different and unique. Caylioglu is an abandoned fish farm used by the whelk fishermen. We watched them come in, unload and then start a soccer game until some wild donkeys showed up. They gave up soccer to ride donkeys. We were sailing the Turkish coast during the time of the Muslim Ramadan holiday, but in one port the guys on the dock were so amazed that they put cay on and broke Ramadan to have a cup with us. In Trabzon we went looking for a new Turkish flag and ended up in a cay house with a freighter captain who gave us cay and made us drink while Fisherman riding a wild donkey in Caylioglu
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Cruising the Black Sea’s South Coast... SoulMates rafted to a big boat in Sinop
Patty with David, our agent and C&I in Batumi, Georgia
SoulMates tied up in Rize
Area around the Batumi, Georgia, port at night
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he and his friends talked with us and got us a flag. In Sinop we met Mert Kanal, who was wearing a Houston, Texas shirt and spoke great English. He goes to the USA each year and owns Okyanus Balik Evi, a very famous restaurant known for its anchovies. He would not serve them to us because they were frozen and not the quality he is known for, but the meal he prepared for us was the best we’d had in a long time. Chuck had been to both Samsun and Trabzon before, as a young Air Force medic 50 years ago. He did not recognize Samsun, with a memorial to Ataturk where he came ashore to start the war of independence, or the monument to Amazon women who, legend says, lived nearby and fought in the Trojan War. But Trabzon, he recognized. The old street from the Air Force base down and the old market, he said, neither had changed. I guess when you are several hundred years old you may look the same. Continuing our northward trek we stopped in Rize, the tea capital of Turkey. Turkey produces over 6% of the world tea and since WW1 has been a staple of the social fabric. Turks drink over 1,000 cups of cay (chai) a year and cay houses are everywhere. For two to five Turkish lira you can sit, sip and talk. Why the difference in price? Local prices vs. tourist area prices. The last stop in Turkey was Hopa. As we entered and looked for a place to tie up, Chuck motioned to a man on the dock in old dirty clothes, walking around a Coast Guard boat, and asked if we could tie up in front of it. He motioned yes and came down to catch the lines. Once tied up Patty went below and before she knew it Chuck had the guy on board and they were talking. OH NO, Patty thought, he has adopted another one. Well, it turns out the guy was the Captain of the Coast Guard boat and a great guy. When Chuck left to check out of Turkey, he came over to say goodbye to Patty and they talked a bit before he went on patrol. This was not our first experience with the Turkish Coast Guard. Sailing along the coast, the Turkish are a bit sensitive of foreign boats and we were stopped and boarded. SoulMates has an ACER AIS that sends out SoulMates’ name, so it was a bit of surprise when one beautiful sailing day her name came over the VHF and asked that we strike our sails and prepare for boarding. A young captain and old NCO came on board, and after a complete inspection and no real issues except for some rum on board, which was eventually classified as personal consumption, they were on their way with a warning to get a new Turkish flag. There was a bit of fraying on the one flying; proud Turks dedicated to protecting Turkey.
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5/2/17 2:50 PM
...The North Coast of Turkey Tea growing on the hills of Rize
Leaving Turkey we sailed north to Georgia. Our cruising guide said we had to go out 12 nm and then back in. If we transited the 20 nm along the coast there was a possibility of the Georgian Coast Guard arresting us. Fortunately, it was a calm day as we headed out and then back to Batumi, only to be totally ignored by the Coast Guard. But the welcoming committee sent by the Georgians was a complete surprise, as we had never seen so many dolphins that accompanied us in, providing a show that would make any Sea World jealous. As we approached Batumi we radioed the Coast Guard to announce our arrival. We were answered by David Pirtskhalaishvili who runs Batumi Yacht Harbor and is an agent. When he heard our radio call he alerted Customs and Immigration and as we entered the harbor, caught our dock lines. He not only provided agency service but he also arranged to move SoulMates next a police boat for safe keeping when we traveled inland to Tbilisi and Armenia. Batumi, itself, is a resort destination and was scheduled to have a Trump hotel until the USA election. We wanted to sail to Russia and had worked hard to obtain a visa that had a date specific entry and exit. With just a couple of days before our Russian entry date we sailed to Poti for a quick visit and to check out of Georgia for the overnight sail. Our visa was to start on July 19. On July 18 Chuck got up all excited, turned on the instruments and told Patty, let’s get ready. As he got off the boat with papers in hand to check out, the captain of a tug tied up next to SoulMates asked if we were leaving today. Chuck said yep, we are out of here, to which he said no, you’re not and pointed to the breakwater just as a huge wave broke over the top of it. Chuck had checked the weather and it did not look that bad, but this is the Black Sea and the forecast does not always match reality. So we sat for two more days to wait on good weather for the 125 nm sail to Sochi, Russia. The Russian visa was for 29 days and we had just lost three days of it due to weather, but that is sailing the Black Sea.
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We weren’t more than halfway out of the bay, cautiously heading three miles around the treacherous rocks and shoals of Point Abino, on the way to our new marina. I was at the boat’s helm and Joe was checking the engine when he popped up his head, his face flushed red, and said four words no sailor ever wants to hear: “We’re taking on water.” This journey was neither spur of the moment, nor was it reckless. In fact, we had delayed it by several months, tweaking this and fixing that, in order to be responsible sailboat mates with a ship-shape vessel. Here we were, gleefully returning our 36-foot treasure back to the water
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after three sad summers without her, only to have the exhilaration of being back on our boat instantly drowned in a sickening numbness and covered with an adrenalinecaused buzzing in my head. We have owned Smiles-A-Lot, a 1981 Cheoy Lee Clipper, for over a decade. Our lifestyle with her usually consisted of summers spent aboard in Canada, then hunkering down in furnished rentals to wait out the remaining six months of the year. After unexpectedly buying our first home (a cozy, fixer-upper cottage), our split attention to the maintenance of both boat and rental meant that neither beloved project could www.cruisingoutpost.com
5/3/17 9:13 AM
That Sinking Feeling
By Heidi Schneiderman
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thrive. Reluctantly, we had parked the boat and become landlubbers for three years. There was a hole in my sole that sailing usually filled. We love analyzing weather patterns. We love the water. We love the sound when, after motoring out of the harbor, we kill the engine and hear nothing but the waves slapping the bow and the occasional flutter of the sails. Finally, that kind of perfectly calm day had come. We launched to navigate the 10-mile journey from where we were stored on land to our new home on Lake Erie. Suddenly, we felt the futility of our meticulous preparations. It was a feeling I had never experienced on our boat, in spite of surviving microbursts (storms that ripped up 100-year-old trees and created nearby waterspouts), and a catastrophic rigging accident during which I broke my back. This was new to me, and my numbness was masking the terror of losing our long-lost love. Joe didn’t want to turn around because the yacht club we left from had only moorings-- no docks, no launch ramp, and no travel-lift to glide into from the water. We had been carried out on their one-of-a-kind jerry-rigged aquatic tractor, and released into the water after a ride across the beach, down the slope and into the lake. The size of our boat strained the capabilities of their “equipment.” Once, while being hauled out by this same device, our boat almost fell out of the slings and could have crashed onto the beach six feet below. We couldn’t wait to get to our new, public marina. Unlike our previous location, they welcomed dogs, which was a must since we had always considered our pets to be part of our crew! In the water, our 30 HP Yanmar engine, with the compartment doors open, rattled impatiently. The bilge pump nagged, straining at full blast to get rid of the water as fast as it was pouring in. It was a cacophony that screamed, so I didn’t have to. I went and looked at it, then wished I hadn’t. It was more water than I had expected, but for now it was contained in the engine compartment. I convinced myself that we were not
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in imminent danger unless the water rose above the floorboards. So far, the bilge pump continued to retain the water in the engine compartment. The engine had always been the least of our worries on Smiles-A-Lot. The Yanmar replaced the original engine-work performed by the previous, loving owner. It had only 500 miles on it at our time of purchase. One of the simple pleasures we’ve enjoyed for our seven years of sailing (prior to this mishap) was the instant and reliable start-up of our motor. She always purred like a jaguar. Subsequently, on our lengthy list of repairs (for the preparation of our return to sail), we had the three fuel injectors professionally cleaned, the fuel pump completely rebuilt, the Racor fuel filter replaced, and our two diesel gas tanks un-gunked and professionally hand-cleaned. We knew clean fuel and tank was a key deed towards smooth sailing. As I mentioned before, this was not an unplanned re-birth! We had to get to the new marina, which had the proper equipment and personnel who could help us. Joe told me to phone them with a “heads up” about our situation, but not to issue a Mayday just yet. Then we launched into troubleshooting mode. What was causing the leak? It appeared to be coming from the dripless at the engine shaft. This was one crucial piece of equipment we could not have tested out of the water. We weren’t blind to the possibility though; when we launched we had started up the engine and looked for
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leaking at that very spot, but there was none. The vulnerability must have been there all along, only to break apart and reveal itself under the duress of traveling out a mile into the water. We tested the throttle to see if certain speeds made the leaking worse and found that we had to limit it to six knots, which was about half what we were capable of. Our agonizing trip would now take much longer, meaning we had to hope the bilge pump wouldn’t die, forcing us to surrender a sinking ship to failure. Joe touched the pump – it was scalding and feverishly overworked. He kept that to himself. While I drove, Joe came up with two back-up plans (in case the bilge pump gave out), including a design using plumbing pipe he had bought, but hadn’t yet installed, to manually siphon water overboard. Meanwhile, I went into a calm, logical, emergencymanagement mode without even being aware of it. I looked at what we would attempt to save – our boat documents, wallets with licenses, phones – that seemed to be it. Joe had our PFDs out and stacked, and every cushion out on the deck, ready to be tossed as floats should we go down. I had brought some plastic garbage bags. If we went down, I told myself we would be okay, just wet. Luckily for us it was late summer, so the water would be warm enough to ward off the potential of hypothermia. A May or June launch-and-sink would have been life-threatening, so all our repair delays seemed to have brought about at least one bright side. Suddenly my train of thought was interrupted by the sight of an approaching sailboat. Once within view, Joe gave them the double-arm wave, a boating signal for an emergency, so they sailed up alongside us. I couldn’t hear their conversation over the roar of the engine and the bilge pump, but within a few minutes Joe came back to the cockpit towards me with a glimmer of a smile on his face – his first show of relief since things began going downhill. Joe said they would be leading us into the harbor, and if we sank, they would rescue us! Joe reassured me that under maritime law it is actually illegal not to help during an encounter with a stranded boat, so we felt secure. We phoned the marina again as we entered the harbor. (Our radio also chose this critical moment to break, just to add to our adventure). The cheerful folks at the front desk said the dock master and crew were waiting for us at the gas dock, next to the travel lift. Of course, I didn’t like the idea of being parked even one second without being safely in the slings, but they needed to board the boat and inspect the engine for hazardous environmental leaking. Joe readied the fenders and parallel-parked our 36-footer in front of a gathering crowd. Word of a sinking
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ship had travelled quickly through the marina grapevine. The D.M. inspected our leak. There was only water, reduced to a trickle now that the throttle was in neutral; no gas or oil had escaped. Then, he identified the leak site at the connection of the dripless and the prop shaft. After the inspections we were approved for the travel lift. Restarting the engine, we were moved to the slings and attached to the massive lift in the water where we would remain parked until we could get the leak fixed. Miraculously, the bilge pump had held out for the entire journey. Bilge pumps normally run for about one minute every several hours, but it managed to last over two hours. We had pushed our nerves and our bilge pump to their limits, and both had held strong. That night Joe and I returned home, sharing the kind of exhilarated conversation two people have when only they know what ordeal they just went through. We were grateful that our boat wasn’t at the bottom of Lake Erie, but we also found out we had developed a mutual resolve, while still on the boat, to accept that outcome. We knew all that really mattered was that neither of us had drowned. Then, Joe gave me the best compliment I’ve ever received: According to him I was, “like Spock or Obama,” while he had been concealing a mental meltdown, thinking he might faint on several occasions during our predicament. Floored by how calm and pragmatic I was, he knew he could face the crisis. Then we were giggling as he teased me about how it’s the silly things that rattle my nerves (like spiders, cranky people, loud and sudden noises), but when this huge crises hit, I became incredibly calm. Go figure! The next day we drove back to our new marina with a card and gift for the couple who had kindly guided us into the harbor, but we never did find them. They were just transient sailors in our amazing community of cruisers, helping out a ship in need.
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Funny Thoughts About Provisioning By Lea Ann Rock
David and I have been cruising for many years; first on our Island Packet 40, S/V Faith and, now on our Tayana 48, S/V Nomad. Today we just made the final provisioning run for our cruise to the Bahamas. I am a geeky numbers girl, so it figures that I love the provisioning job. I enjoy thinking of everything we might need for months and the challenge of purchasing quantities which leave the customers in line wondering what evil is about to devastate their town. Buying so much beer, you have to sign “the book” stating you are not in
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the beer selling business. I think you might need a license for that little enterprise. With dock carts full, the wheels groan in complaint as you stagger down the docks. You find yourself filling every available space with that special something you will want over the next month, two, three or year. Finally, you must devise a location system so you can remember where you put that box of dark chocolates. It’s terrible to empty every locker looking for a candy bar at midnight while you are supposed to be sailing the boat.
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Provisioning can be a very tedious job. I can already feel the heads nodding up and down. Over the years I have encountered various methods of solving the provisioning dilemma. The “I’ll Get it There” Person: On, the joy of being a new cruiser and believing all is available on remote islands. This cruiser can’t figure out why everyone is getting so stressed before leaving on a cruise. They don’t understand the need to pay your credit card more than once a month to keep the balance within a reasonable range. No, they laugh, drink and party on the docks as you push another cart of supplies to the old mother ship. They are forever asking, “Do you really need all of that toilet paper?” I must always remind myself these souls are sentient beings and deserve to continue living. I have yet to hit one with a roll of paper towels, but I have enjoyed the delightful thought. The “I Have Two Weeks Worth” Person: This cruiser is easy to identify in the first liquor store. They have this stunned look. They turn and say slowly, “Is that really the price for a case of Bud?” Their feet are cemented to the ground and their hands cannot reach their pocket. “I could have bought three or four cases for that price in the States.” Yep, they are a sad spectacle. The “I Buy Only as Much as We Need” Person: We were having drinks on a boat one night and the conversation turned to provisioning. One wife said her husband insisted she buy exactly the right quantity of everything. Their boat would leave on a cruise loaded and with perfection would return empty. Now, I had to admire this idea. I mean, perfection and provisioning in the same sentence. I gave this system some thought, but just could not imagine it working. You really need some wiggle room. Take wine; you sit in port and say, “I will only drink one glass of wine a day.” If you don’t give yourself a little wiggle room, aka surplus, you aren’t going to be enjoying your favorite California wine in the islands.
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You need to get ready for jugs of stuff you wouldn’t have touched in college, let alone elementary school. Now that is saying something! The Spreadsheet Person: I have only met this type of provisioner once and it was scary. She told me she bought groceries one time a year. Honest! She had a spreadsheet that had all items on the boat and it was coordinated to the lockers. Every time, now imagine this, every time she used an item it was removed from the inventory. I have to take my hat off to this person. As much as I love numbers, I could never keep up this system. I like to walk the beach, find shells, kayak, meet people, go to beach parties and, of course, play dominoes. No, this was truly too much like work. The Nomad System: So what system do we use on Nomad? First, I do an inventory of everything on the boat. Next, I make a list of everything we need based on years of experience and subtract the things we already have. I love coffee and you only have to pay $20 for a can of Folgers once and you learn to add a little wiggle to your estimates. Next, I put a note by the items indicating which store we need to procure the items from to create my shopping list. When we get down to the final days before we leave, I usually have a couple of index cards with the stragglers I have not been able to find anywhere. This cruise it was fast rising pizza yeast. I finally had to give up on locating this product. Sometimes I have a very methodical way of storing goods. This year we are running late and I just put everything wherever I could find space. Needless to say, I will be looking for that chocolate around midnight when I should be sailing the boat. No matter your provisioning style, I have yet to hear of a cruiser starving. You will find what you need. It might not be exactly what you want and it might be very expensive. The good news is, the next cruise you will know more about your needs and how to provision better for your vessel.
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How To Survive Living in Small Spaces By Genevieve Stolz
Whether its on a sailboat, in a hotel room, an apartment, or a dorm room, most people will encounter “living in small spaces” at least once in their lives. It’s all fine and dandy if you’re on your own, but living with others in cramped quarters can create difficult situations for even the most socially adept. For most of our married lives, Eben and I have found ourselves in quite a few tiny homes. Our relationship has survived, and thrived, with us living (full-time) in hotels, a 33-foot boat, a 41-foot boat, more hotel rooms, and a 23foot travel trailer. Not only are we crazy enough to spend all this quality time together, but we added two little people to the mix. It’s like a social experiment to see how many clowns we can fit into this circus car. Living in close contact has been a journey into ourselves and our relationship, learning what we need, how we express it, and how we deal with that. I think we have a healthy marriage and parenting perspective, and I attribute
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some of that to the fact that we have really been living with each other for so many years (what’s the saying, “one year on a boat is equal to seven years of marriage on land”?). Tips to Thriving in Tight Quarters Communication: Living in a small space means you are going to be in each others “bubbles” quite often. Learning to communicate effectively is probably the BIGGEST key to navigating each other, literally and figuratively. There will be times where you will physically have to step aside to let the other person by, or you will bump into each other trying to get something done. A polite “excuse me” or “sorry” can go a long way in preventing frustrations. • Be clear. If you know what you want or need, be clear about it. No sense beating around the bush; it will just lead to confusion and misunderstanding. If you can outright say what it is you want, it makes your partner’s job a lot easier, they don’t need to decode your actions.
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• Arguing is normal. You are different human beings (with different needs, wants, thoughts and emotions) trying to co-habitate in a small amount of space. Things are bound to flare up at some point, but DO NOT let them fester. Sitting on hurt feelings, thinking it will pass, is just fooling yourself. Instead, it will jump out when you least expect it. Example: Eben and I were arguing about a parenting move, and all of a sudden I’m bringing up something that had happened weeks prior that I thought “had passed.” A trick we used (that Eben learned from his parents) is, every night before going to sleep we ask each other for forgiveness if we have hurt one another. This way, if we have something that has been on our minds, well, here is a chance to discuss it and move forward. • Learn how your partner communicates. Eben and I are VERY different communicators. He is quite vocal, prompt, and uninhibited, where as I need time to process and am quite intimidated by confrontations. Knowing how each of us responds to a situation allows us to communicate (and listen) to the other better. He knows that I will struggle to bring something up unless prompted, and I know that he needs to discuss things as they happen to feel resolve. Because our communication styles are different we have learned that sometimes you have to set aside your “communication comforts” to help the other person feel “safe” in the conversation. Respect: We are all different people with different needs when it comes to personal space. Learn what your roomie needs
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and respect that. Some people need some alone time, while others are full-time social butterflies, Accept that there are differences and be okay with them. As a parent I have had to give up a lot of my “privacy,” but I still have some boundaries, and I make sure that everyone in the family respects that I would prefer NOT to have an audience when I am pooping. And they do, most of the time. Empower and Praise Each Other: Everyone likes to be complimented, praised, and thanked. Its good for the soul and can only bring positivity to the situation. Instead of dwelling on someone’s faults, why not look at the good that they are bringing to the living situation. Eben sewed me some bags for making storage easier. It may seem small, but I have thanked him several times. It has helped our living situation. You did the dishes, “thank you.” You installed the flooring, “you’re awesome.” You cleaned up the cockpit, “thank you.” You made us some money, “thank you.” Every one of those “thank you’s” is worth saying, and every accomplishment is worth celebrating if it brings a smile to someone’s face. Clean Up and Make It Feel Like Home: Feeling comfortable and happy in your living space is definitely going to affect your mood and how you interact with others. So make sure that you feel good with your tiny home. Keeping that space clean can also affect your being. Clutter can be stressful, a cause for arguments, and even physically dangerous in small quarters. The last thing you need is to be tripping over stuff, losing stuff, tripping over SOMEONE ELSE’S stuff (even more frustrating), breaking stuff, etc, all because it just wasn’t put back to where it belongs. In a tiny home everything has its place, and a good rule is, once you are done using it, put it back in its rightful place. It’s as easy as that. Go Outside: Just because you live in a small space doesn’t mean you have to be in it 24/7! Need some space? Step outside
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and get some. Go for a walk, go discover a new spot, or just go sit somewhere alone for a few minutes. It may do you some good. Don’t forget to Laugh: It may feel ridiculous that in the middle of the night you actually have to crawl over your partner to get to the bathroom, but why get upset over that? Just laugh about it. It is funny and would be a hilarious sight for an outsider to watch. A good laugh is good for the soul. And even better, laugh about it with your significant other. “Oh sorry, I just accidentally kneed you in the head trying to make my way to the head (boat bathroom)”! Be grateful: This is a crazy adventure; you are living somewhere small, so enjoy it. It won’t always be like this. The kids grow up, scenarios change, finances change, life changes; enjoy the small spaces and the lifestyle you currently have. The spot you are living in is temporary (even if it lasts for years and years) you will not forever be in that same spot in that same situation. So yes, my kids are all up in my space, but I invite them to be, because one day they will feel like they are too big to come cuddle me in my bed every morning. And Eben, he may build me a big house one day, and I can 100% guarantee that at some point I will miss bumping into him in our boat galley (kitchen) as we try and manoeuvre our way through making meals for the family. I am grateful for the NOW, no matter how small it may seem, it is awesome. And even if it is small, it is still much bigger than what some others have. We’re fortunate. Side Notes to Keep in Mind • If the relationship isn’t in a good spot to begin with, moving into cramped quarters won’t fix that. Maybe the dream has always been to sail the Caribbean, but taking a rocky relationship and cramming it onto a boat is not going to solve your previous problems. More likely than not its only going to aggravate them. Now you’ll just be fighting in the tropics. We’ve all seen those couples, on
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vacation but clearly not enjoying each other’s company. The palm trees and sandy beaches don’t change the fact that you still have to lay next to this person tonight. So maybe get your s#!t together first, and then go and enjoy your vacation together. • Be aware of outside stressors. The sailing and traveling lifestyles are full of the extra stressors that can affect how you interact with one another. You may have been the best of communicators and the perfect smallspace roomies before taking off, but travel is going to throw a ton of new triggers at you that will cause you to act differently. Think about it; not only will you be living smushed together, but you will be discovering new countries, different foods, foreign languages, illness, etc. (And in sailing, add to that the stresses of the weather, new life skills of anchoring, the boat head, the mechanics, and how any good mistake could sink your home!) Being thrown in a new situation is stressful, so be there for one another.
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Five Things to Remember When cruising (and the captain is barking orders at you like a rabid dog)
Oh, the joys of cruising. Anyone who has spent time at sea, day in and day out with a partner, will tell you it isn’t always palm trees and turquoise water. There are plenty of times when a storm is brewing and I am not just talking about the weather. The key to sustaining any kind of sanity in a relationship with your captain (and the boat) is to put a few gentle reminders in your pocket. Here is a list of my top five that actually work on and off the water. 1). Don’t take it personal: Yeah, yeah, yeah I know, easier said than done. But when we get out of our own
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By Debbie Lynn
way this concept changes life dramatically. It is good to know when the captain is screaming for efficiency and safety, or just yelling to be an ass. * If the captain is the latter, get your own boat. 2). Act, don’t react – Break it down: Good reasons are usually behind the firm tone of voice and their instructions. More often than not, we need to be attending to something that has the potential for danger or damage. Yes, it can seem dramatic, but when all hell is breaking loose there is no time for hurt feelings. It is time to “get ‘er done” or die
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l
because being on the brink of chaos has too many unsavory consequences. *If this is just too much to handle, don’t get on the boat. 3). Breathe: I can feel the eye roll from here, but I am telling you, instead of lashing out when the orders are flying, take a huge breath‌ or many. I am talking about a momentary pause that can save you from a meltdown and keep things from spewing out the mouth that you might regret later. Seriously breathe. It also helps in desperate situations. *If you are considering jumping overboard or the ever-popular mutiny, try breathing first. 4). Talk it out: The best relationships are built solidly on communication. There has to be give and take, especially when we are stuck at the hip 24/7
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with someone. I often find a quick explanation on the solution (not the problem) helps to clear the air. This gets a better reception than escalating a squall and when it is all said and done. It is done. Don’t dwell. * If that doesn’t suit you, you can always turn to the “Cruisers Forum” for sympathy… Yeah, that one, try that. 5). Analyze the bark: Use the experience as a learning tool, not an ego-trip or fuel for fiery argument. I don’t care how old we are (and most of us are old), we should know that there is always something to learn. The captain needs our attention, our knowledge and cooperation three-fold. * If we can’t give our attention to them, we should completely forget about the boat and stay home. Once I learned to manipulate these five things, life before, during, and after the cruising was simplified. And as in life, we either sink or swim. I however, prefer
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to ride the wind and thankfully I have an amazing captain whose bark is way worse than his bite.
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Bite The Bullet Boat yards are the dirty little secret of boating life By Holli Holdsworth
Everyone talks about long walks on beaches, about beam reaches, winches, and even bilges. They wax lyrical about sunsets and freedom, and the magic that is the sailing lifestyle--we all do! It’s in a sailor’s nature to focus on the positive, otherwise we’d never take on the oceans! However, that’s not all there is to it. What no one is willing to disclose to prospective cruisers is that you will spend months or even years in a boat yard during your boating life, without exception. What this entails is NOT something that makes it into the sailing brochures. It’s expensive, it’s dirty, it’s disappointing. You will either buy a fixer-upper with the idea that it will take you a month or so to have her seaworthy, only to be trudging through the muddy gravel of the boat yard to the public showers. At midnight. In the pitch dark. A year later. Or, you will buy a shiny new boat and head off into the wide, blue ocean, only to discover that your bottom
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coat needs repainting every year, involving a necessary trip into some slings and onto ‘the hard’. Or, you will have a minor brain glitch out there one day and end up on a reef, or up close and personal with a channel marker. In that case, you will find yourself back on land in a jiffy. You must first survive the nail-biting haul out. There’s that ominous sound of massive machinery as the travel-lift positions itself over your beloved home and the cloth slings are wedged underneath. No matter how many times it happens, it’s still unfathomable. Tons of nautical weight comes slowly up and out of the water and hangs in mid-air. Your heart skips a beat. Or two. Then, your boat is driven into a corner somewhere, based solely on availability of space. It matters not to the gruff yard guys whether it’s out in the boondocks, miles from the washrooms and showers, and in a mosquito-
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ridden swampland. This is to be your yard, your home ground for a week, a month, or far longer. You may find yourself with long-term liveaboard neighbors, whose space has morphed over the years into a makeshift workshop, junk pile, trailer park replica. You will definitely find that everything is a hazard. Various multicolored cables, cords and wires crisscross your path like snakes playing Twister. All the Earth’s less desirable creatures will find their way to your boat: ants, wasps, spiders, mosquitos, no-see-ums--even four-legged intruders like raccoons may make their way aboard to see what’s on offer in this new, strangely shaped ‘building’on-blocks. You may find that workers in coveralls and bandito scarves spend days and weeks on the boat next to you, grinding heinous chemical compounds into a fine dust that lands on and
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adheres itself on your boat, in your boat, even in your eyes, nose and throat. Long forgotten are the sunsets at anchor, a gentle breeze blowing through your hair, sitting with cocktail in hand as the sun drops gracefully into the ocean. Now it’s all workmen, trucks, lifts, paint, fiberglass, wood, gravel and mud. Your
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home has become a crude shell with layers of perpetual dirt and dust, where all the basics must be ‘outsourced’. Nature’s call entails a trip across the puddles into a cell-like public toilet where the spiders, frogs and lizards continue to share your space. Showers are even more challenging. Matted balls of someone else’s discarded hair line the chipped grimy floors, and undoubtedly (as you close your eyes under that anticipated stream of hot water), you remember that you’ve left your shampoo way back across the yard on your boat. If your fridge/freezer is water cooled, you also find yourself with no refrigeration. It’s like camping in a construction yard. It’s an unnatural state of being in a hostile environment. Boats need water and cruisers need floating homes. Only the
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desire, the anticipation, the promise of being once again set free on the water, keeps cruisers going under these harsh conditions. Some have never left the boat yard and quite possibly never will. But their dream is alive, though there are those boats you pass everyday, rusted, with overgrown weeds growing up the sides, no sign of life. And you know that, sadly, this is the place their sailing dreams came and died. Even those of us who’ve made the deliberate choice and followed through in leaving terra firma behind, must return to it in its worst possible form --the boat yard-from time to time. “It builds character,” they say. It makes you appreciate the days at sea. It is an ugly truth we all choose to ignore when we can, a secret we almost forget until the need arises again, and we find ourselves right back in the yard, gravitating to the solace of the captain’s lounge, with air-conditioning and a great internet connection, posting the photos of our last season in the Bahamas. Sometimes ya just gotta bite the bullet. You know what they say, “In order to kiss the maiden, first you have to slay the dragon” … or in this case, go to the yard!
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ONE YEAR LATER... SEQUOIA... LAKE MEAD By Dana Gordon From Big Red to Little Red... From Sail Power to Diesel Power
Last winter, after deciding to put our sailboat, Audacious, on the market for sale, we researched different trailerable power tugs and trawlers and decided on a Ranger Tug. Late spring we headed up to their boat building factory in Kent, WA and there she was, a red 2012 Ranger Tug 25 SC trade-in, our imagined dream boat!! No-brainer, no second thoughts, we bought her. We quickly sold our 29.9 Bristol in Moss Landing and dropped the price of Audacious in Mexico. Then in November, now owners of a one ton diesel truck, we drove up to Washington, received our one-day sea trial in the freezing rain, and headed home to Big Sur, still in the rain, with our tug in tow. In January we trailered Sequoia 1200 miles to San Carlos, Sonora, MX, where we stayed in Marina Real while we sold Audacious (that’s a whole other story). Over the next two months we outfitted Sequoia, originally set up as a basic weekender, for extended cruising: SSB/Ham
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radio and antenna, additional solar panel, stern anchor system, composting head, manual fresh water hand pump with filter, two raw water foot pumps, teak galley wear holders, Engel freezer, dinghy davits, outboard motor brackets, and a barbecue. On Easter Sunday we headed back to the U.S. to a family wedding, the Alameda Boat Show and Lake Mead for the month of April. But wait! First, a side excursion to the Arizona Organ Pipe National Monument, five miles across the border, to boat camp in the middle of the desert. Surrounded by huge saguaro and organ pipe cacti, carpets of spring wildflowers and star-studded night skies, we hiked during the day and sat high and dry in our cockpit each happy hour watching the sunset over the desert mountains... in between many questions and conversations with other fellow campers. Obviously, we were the talk of the park... a boat camped out in the desert .. what a sight and what fun!!!
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Lake Mead, a Nevada/Arizona reservoir from the Colorado River, once the largest man-made lake in the U.S., is now second to Lake Powell. We thought, oh boy, easy, no stress, inland fresh water lakeside boating compared to the big bad ocean stuff. Well, were we ever surprised; shocked at how it actually was. We arrived at our marina on the north shore of the Nevada side, miles up from Hoover Dam, on a late Friday afternoon and checked in. Getting a slip for April, we left Sequoia to go back to CA for a wedding and the boat show. Upon our arrival back to the boat, we readied her for an off-the-dock birthday week cruise around the lake. First, we discovered there were no marine charts available. I asked the houseboat rental dockhand about that and he gave me a cartoon like map he gives the renters and pointed out, somewhat, places to go and not due to
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the low water level. Okay! Got it! Then we found out most of the marinas do not carry diesel fuel, so we had to plan accordingly and we learned you were not allowed to carry extra portable fuel tanks either because of pouring and spillage. Before leaving the dock where wifi was available, Micah checked out Passage Weather and other various sites to get the latest weather patterns for the coming week. There was one wind system coming to the area in five days, so we planned on being at a particular marina up the lake on that day, which happened to be Micah’s birthday too, so protection, diesel fill-up and a birthday dinner out! Finally, off we went on our big adventure, a relaxing inland lake birthday week cruise. Heading east up the lake toward the Colorado River, we decided to go all the way out the first day, then slowly work our way back towards the marina
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by the end of the week. With beautiful, multicolored, high, steep cliffs straight down to the smooth, mirrored, clear water, life was good. Interesting, no animals noted in the sky, on land or in the water. Seemed a little creepy weird being on a boat and not seeing wildlife. Maybe we were really on the moon! We made it to a little cove, our first night anchorage, which we had picked out after doing some reconnaissance on other spots along the way. Now keep in mind, between the two of us we are very experienced at anchoring, having done so hundreds of times on numerous boats over thousands of miles in different bodies of water. We picked a spot, dropped the hook and oh no, it didn’t set. So up it came. Thank goodness I now have a push the button electric winch. We try again with no luck. At least Sequoia has a big, color fish-finder screen which gives us
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a view and depth of the bottom underwater, better than anchoring totally blind. On the third try the anchor finally grabbed, but being a little skeptical and uneasy, we launched the dinghy and grabbed our mask to take a look. Well, the chain was wrapped around a big boulder with the anchor just sitting there on its side on rocky rubble. That wasn’t going to work considering the cliffs all around the boat were only a few feet away and if we drug anchor... So, up again. It was time to pick a new spot. Finally, we got smarter and found a small, sandy hump area that was actually a runoff from a canyon wash on shore. First try, the anchor set in sand, which was only a few feet across, but we got it. Lesson learned after three failures and an hour of time: look for the sandy washouts from gullies. The thing is, Lake Mead is very deep right up to the shore
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with the exception of these tiny, sandy humps. We could be in 60-100 feet of water literally yards from shore, too close to be, and no anchor would set in the deep rock and pebble. Have to say, by day seven we got it, finally! On my birthday we picked the best cove of all, a big, wide, beautiful sandy beach and wash. Perfect. But no, the anchor wouldn’t catch there, so around the corner to another little spot where it did. On shore we saw a flock of beautiful birds wading, ones I’ve never seen before, black necked stilts. Nice birthday present! The next day would be the last night at anchor before the storm, Micah’s birthday and our overnight marina stay. It was across the lake to a beautiful, very narrow, deep cut canyon called Burro Cove. And yes, we did see a half dozen burros come down out of the hills to drink. Wow, more wildlife! Traditionally, on a cruise you spend one night a week staying up all night on anchor watch, which means the wind has picked up and/or changed direction and you’re not certain the anchor will hold. This was the night. Out on deck, sure enough, there was a 180° wind shift plus increase to 35 knots and gusty. NOT good! The wind funneled through the steep, narrow canyon walls shifting multiple directions and accelerating. So for the rest of the night, in the pouring rain, with the canyon wall just a few feet behind the transom, the bow of the boat sailed
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through the eye of the wind back and forth as much as 90° each side. We hoped our anchor would hold and thus, the official “night anchor watch.” Audio Book Somehow during the awake and worried night watch hours, in the deep recesses of my memory I had a recall or epiphany... the VHF radio that we have has NOAA weather ReadSobywe the author broadcasts. WOW!! turned on our VHF and lo and - Bob Bitchin behold, there were current NOAA weather conditions for the Lake Mead area, albeit a little late, but better late than never. If we had remembered about this weather gathering option the day before, we would have known the front was ahead of the last know arrival time. We made it through the sleepless night just fine (thank you oversized Rocna anchor). At dawn on Micah’s birthday, before another predicted, strong, opposite wind direction blow was due to arrive in a few hours (yay NOAA VHF weather), we cranked up our Yanmar 150 hp turbo to 13 knots and crossed the lake to that birthday is 5.5 the knots full Treb marina stop. NoThis more for Lincoln us! adventure novel. It started on a24 hours: We ended up having a wonderful birthday Emerald Bay... ended dinner, shower,boat and in refuel. Funny, theand place was empty; upboaters half-way aroundInthe world! we were the only around. fact, only us and a few employees. 5It Disc seemed no wildlife, so Set odd, no people, 5.3 Hours empty. Oh yeah,Reg. there$27.95 were a few ducks lots of big, Justand $15. funny looking fish under the docks that came out as I fed w w. bTwo o b bofi tthese c h i nducks .com them bread and w crackers. actually followed us for miles the next morning as we were slowly motoring along through the canyon passages, maybe because I was still tossing them snacks?
Emerald Bay
Audio Book
Emerald Bay
by Bob Bitchin
Read by the author, this is the full Treb Lincoln adventure novel. It started on a boat in Emerald Bay... and ended up half-way around the world! 5 Disc Set Reg. $27.95
5.3 Hours Just $15.
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Over the next two days we had a wonderful cruise back to our original marina where our anchorages were in sandy coves full of flocks of birds and other boaters. We hadn’t seen one other boater the rest of the time, and of course, very little wildlife. The entire week was one of the most challenging and strange boating weeks either of us have ever had on the water. When I next ran into the houseboat rental dockhand he asked how our trip was. I mentioned the difficulty anchoring each night and he then said, “Oh, no one anchors in Lake Mead, that’s why there are no anchors on any of the rental boats.” Now he tells me. Why didn’t he mention that a week ago when we went over the map? And did we notice, while walking around looking at all the boats before we left, no anchors? Obviously not! Always said I’d make a bad detective. Well, apparently everyone drives up onto the sandy beach washes bow to, then puts stakes out each side and ties to the stern anchoring the boat in one place... though they are all flat bottom with outboards or outdrives that lift up. Sequoia, being a semi-planing, slight V hull with an inboard diesel, shaft, prop and rudder, that’s not happening; only actual anchoring, swinging offshore style for us. Real showers time meant a mile-long hike in 90° way uphill from the docks (cause the water level is SO low), to the showers, only to discover the showers are turned on by
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tokens obtained at the office. So, back down, thank god only part way, to buy those tokens and uphill again to finally take those much needed showers, especially now that we are super hot and sweaty. Dividing the tokens between us we went to our his and her sides. I didn’t understand the directions about tokens and time, and halfway through my shower the water stopped and I was totally covered head to toe in soap with no more tokens. Micah was around the other side in the men’s area, so outside I went, naked and covered in bubbles, holding my wash bag, making it to Micah unseen, I think! We finished rinsing, sharing very quickly mind you, the rest of his water ( who knows how much time
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we had left), and no more tokens. Funny, they never mentioned any of this shower business when we checked in and I did ask about the showers then. I know I did. Another thing we failed to notice the hundred times we went through the three sets of gates from shore to our boat during that month, were these particular signs posted. For some reason only known to the mystery gods (like all of a sudden remembering the VHF radio for weather), two days before we were to head home I happened to finally see and read these signs on every gate. They were notifications stating how any boat being in Lake Mead longer than a week and then leaving had to be specially cleaned and inspected for invasive species, and appointment had to be made to get this done. So, two mornings later after hauling Sequoia out at the boat ramp, we drove over to the cleaning station next to the showers. Everything that had lake water in it had to get very hot, 130° high-pressure water pumped through for several minutes each area. The inboard engine, the head and its holding tank, the two raw water foot pumps, the outboard engine, the bilge and its pumps, and the entire bottom of the boat... everything. That took about an hour. We also found out then, from the girl doing the cleaning, that if we had not gotten this done (she gave us an official cleaning certificate proving it was done where and when), that upon entering a California inspection station they would not have let us through. The Border Patrol would have held us there until we got a portable company to come clean our boat (at a very high cost) before letting us pass. As it was, they did a very close-up visual inspection and paperwork verification. The service at Lake Mead was free because we had bought two Nevada invasive species decals that we needed to post on our boat and dinghy during the month there. Fortunately, the office
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did tell us about that when we first arrived. If we didn’t have them we would have been fined several hundred dollars times two. Every boat must have a decal, all for $25 each. Thank goodness I happened to take note of those gate posts two days before!!! Well, what can I say? It was great to get to our new permanent home port of Monterey Harbor, where saltwater meets a plethora of wildlife in and around and above the ocean. What started as a “let’s do an easy, relaxing, fresh water inland lake boating fun birthday week experience” turned out to be ... a sterile feeling, wildlife empty, challenging on the edge, but certainly beautiful adventure instead! Guess we got spoiled being in Mexico and the Sea of Cortez the last five years, no rules and like a virtual zoo. Like my mother used to say.... “Well, it’s always something, never nothing!”
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Catch Of T he Day Outrider. As is our usual custom when at anchor, we headed out on an early morning dinghy fishing by Anne E. Mott trip to replenish our seafood supplies. We managed to land two trigger fish and, having just netted our third, were in the process of removing the treblehook lure from its mouth when one of the two remaining treble-hooks snagged the net. I grabbed the fish with a towel in the hopes I could hold it still while Jeff removed the hook from its mouth and untangled the net. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, he yanked up on the hook to free it, but as he did so the third treble-hook sank a pointy little barb into my finger, burying itself deeply in the flesh. Luckily for me, the fish flopped into the bucket free of its hook, the net came loose from its barb, while I ended up with the lure dangling from my forefinger. We returned to Outrider where Jeff carefully removed the lure assembly, leaving me with just the treble-hook protruding from my finger. We deemed it wise to weigh anchor and make the seven mile There’s nothing like a quiet, peaceful morning of trip to nearby Loreto in search of medical assistance. fishing, attended by frolicking dolphins and leaping rays, Within an hour and a half we were anchored off town to set the tone for the day. There’s also nothing quite like where we launched the dinghy and headed ashore. Jeff an ensuing trip to the emergency room to dampen said dropped me off in the small boat basin, heading back to mood with a swift reminder that complacency has no keep an eye on Outrider. I tried in vain to hail a taxi, but place aboard a boat. all were occupied by passengers from a huge cruise ship Our fish tale begins in an anchorage on Isla Coronado, anchored off town. I spotted a couple of ambulances parked Baja California Sur, Mexico, aboard our sailing vessel,
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nearby, so I approached the one occupied by a young man. I tried to explain that I needed help in securing a taxi to take me to the Community Hospital a couple of miles away. At first he didn’t appear to understand, so I held up my bloodied finger, hook and all. He flinched, then yelled to a nearby colleague who came running over, took one look at my finger and motioned for me to get in the ambulance. Pointing to the vehicle I said, ‘no gracias, mucho dinero.’ After a short discussion with his colleagues, he assured me in English that the ambulance ride would cost me nothing, but I would have to pay the doctor’s fee. I agreed and off we went, me in the back with paramedics Abel and Francisco, and Martin at the wheel. They delivered me to the emergency room entrance, escorted me into the doctor’s office, sat me down and then watched as the doctor worked his magic. He numbed my finger, clipped the shaft containing the two exposed hooks with a large pair of clippers, pushed the remainder of the third hook through the skin with tweezers, grasped the barb where it poked through, then pulled the hook all the way out. He cleaned and wrapped the wound, then dismissed me. It probably would have taken less than ten minutes had I not been so insistent upon taking those photos while he worked. The total bill: 100 pesos ($US6). I was escorted back to the ambulance and asked whether I’d like to make any other stops before returning to the boat basin. By that point I’d actually had enough excitement for one day, so I politely declined their generous offer. They dropped me off. Their bill? Nada, nothing ~ just as they’d promised. I gladly made an onthe-spot donation to the Bomberos/Paramedics of Loreto. As I waited on the dock for Jeff to show up, the wail of a siren caught my attention. I turned just in time to see the flashing lights of the ambulance as it made its way down the malecon and out of sight, my three heroes off on yet another mission of mercy. I was back on Outrider less than an hour after departing. My finger looked none the worse for wear, it didn’t hurt, and I’d had more fun than I’d have thought possible. While the scar is all but gone, the memories fondly remain of how I, myself, became the catch of the day.
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Entering narrow shallow & unlit tidal places By John Simpson
Gone are the days when you were trying to find the minute entrance to Messwold, Merdemere, Jock’s Jarl, Sodwort or Ardardbrouth, especially when it was windy, the visibility wasn’t brilliant, or it was dark. It certainly didn’t help if you were wet, cold and quite knackered from a tough passage, needing to find the place quickly before there was not enough height of tide left. Or, with the sun behind the boat, having to climb the cross trees to see and understand where any lurking big bombies (coral heads) lay in the way of what looked like paradise. Perhaps we shouldn’t forget that it wasn’t always easy, and not celebrate those old days. I’d possibly have less gray hair! GPS and chartplotters have changed the way we tackle small, difficult bays, creeks, rivers and harbours, especially at night. Though it’s worth remembering that in some places, what you see on your plotter isn’t correct. A healthy degree of skepticism and care is still necessary. Luckily, most entrances are usually much easier to find nowadays. Many folks will remember trying to plot some dodgy bearings on a damp chart, or praying that the contour lines given on your old chart aren’t just a figment of some ancient surveyors imagination! Places with shifting mud or sand banks can be more difficult than rocky areas. But remember, they are still finding uncharted rocks even in well cruised places. One tiny place I remember rather too well was Newtown Creek. I was coaching some very experienced sailors on an old Bank yacht. This was a few years ago
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Art by Rich “Magic” Marker
during the winter equinox. It was blowing a good yachtsman’s gale from the west and gusting more. Quite a well-charted zero contour line lay on the western side of the entrance, which took you towards the first green post. Once into the lee of the Isle of Wight, the wind diminished which allowed us to sail slightly slower. Not realizing that water was much higher than normal, the green post was just spotted roughly 75 yards to port. We bore away and saw the entrance. It would have much better for my nerves to have had the engine running on standby. Unfortunately, it kept overheating if the boat healed to port too much, as the saltwater cooling inlet wasn’t low enough! Once into the creek, we dropped the mainsail and turned east. The wind was funneling and blowing very hard again, but I knew there were three visitors mooring buoys. Turning into the wind, we managed to lasso the last one. I profusely thanked the crewman on the bow that he’d managed to snag a buoy. Though our anchor was ready to drop, by the time it bit we’d have been blown out of the narrow creek. With such a high tide the boat would have been sitting either on top of the training wall or well inland! In the past, much caution was needed to ensure that what you were seeing was the right entrance. It’s still quite easy to suppose you’re in the correct place even using a chartplotter. However, nothing’s lost by pulling back, hoving-to and then having another scan. If the place you are heading towards is supposed to be lit with just a single light, don’t be surprised if it ain’t
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working! Once I nearly hit a little group of islands in the Caribbean called Los Testigos when racing another small boat for a wager. Both wind and current combined to make the trip much quicker than expected. Spotting the sea breaking ahead, I stopped the boat and waited until dawn. Nobody had mentioned to us that the light on the island only worked if a transient Venezuelan fisherman carried a car battery up the hill to make it work! Enjoy the challenge of entering tight places like Hellhaven, even at night (where the one light is only turned on during the week!). But also be mindful of a healthy degree of doubt... Spoken by one for whom it’s all gone totally wrong sometimes!
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Murder, Mayhem & Music When Pyrates ruled the (air)waves! By Paul Francis
The insistent ‘ring-ring’ of my phone shattered the quiet of a soggy English October afternoon in 1995. On the other end of the call was one Roy Bates, a retired British Army Major who cautiously inquired if I would be prepared to cast a telecoms eye over a WWII offshore gun platform that he claimed to own just outside England’s three-mile territorial limit. Telecoms being my business, and sparked by curiosity, this began my association with a modern-day pirate. The pirate story begins with the English government radio authority asserting that the amazing music of the sixties was ‘not appropriate’ for broadcast on BBC. Pirate radio stations quickly launched, transmitting from the WWII gun platforms and anchored ships just outside the three-mile territorial limit. These stations were much loved by the British public as they supplied everything that the BBC did not at the time, pop music and edgy DJs. But the radio pirates themselves are much of the story. My new friend, Major Bates or ‘Prince Roy’ as he preferred to be addressed, turned out to be a notorious character whose story left me spellbound. He spread out dozens of documents and charts on my desk as irrefutable evidence of the legal and sovereign status of the Principality of Sealand (Officially known as ‘Rough’s Tower’), a WWII gun platform about six nautical miles off the east coast of the county of Suffolk, of which he was the selfdeclared sovereign ruler.
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Obviously, a trip to Sealand was in order. I met Major Bates and his wife, ‘Princess Joan’, at their family home in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, a small fishing port. The trip out to Sealand was in calm water and little wind, so we made good time, waving at friends aboard a becalmed sailing yacht en-route. The speck on the horizon that was Sealand soon loomed as a massive concrete monument, virtually blocking out the sky. We came alongside and the Sealand crew lowered a bosun’s chair for the 100-foot lift to the platform. Trying not to show my stark terror, I held on for dear life until I stepped onto the platform and took in a spectacular view. The trip was worth it! Exploring sailors or boats taking advantage of the fish attracted to such offshore structures would never guess what the platform contained. Hidden in the massive concrete legs were comfortable living quarters, offices, radio studios, generators, as well as the telecommunications equipment that I was ostensibly there to inspect. There were radio transmitters below and a tower on the top, all ready to broadcast pirate signals to enthusiastic listeners. But pirates will be pirates: In his quest for royal status in his own country, Major Bates had previously taken over another offshore fort called ‘Knock John Tower’ by physically ejecting another self-styled pirate broadcaster, ‘Screaming Lord Sutch’, who broadcast as ‘Radio City’. WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM
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Sealand... the first Pyrate Radio Platform
Roy broadcast there for a year as ‘Radio Essex’. Alas, this conquest was for naught as the platform turned out to lie inside the three-mile limit. The UK government, particularly the Royal Navy, were not amused! The next plan was a partnership with Ronan O’Rahilly, a feisty Irishman and owner of the famous pirate ‘Radio Caroline’. They agreed to join forces and relocate both of their stations to Roughs Tower, just outside the three-mile limit. The partnership is reported to have ended in a battle royal, won by Major Bates, who forcibly ejected Mr. O’Rahilly. Major Bates told me that he took control of Roughs Tower on Christmas eve, 1966, and declared this fortress island the independent state of ‘Sealand’, Claiming ‘Jus Gentium’ (Law of Nations) over a part of the globe that was ‘Terra Nullius’ (Nobody’s Land). He said that he fought off another pirate gang, and on September 2nd, 1967 the Sovereign Principality of Sealand was born – and defended! Oddly enough, the legality of the Principality of Sealand has been upheld by the United Nations…. Sometimes the pirates do win! The radio pirates still rule the (air)waves… aaarrrgghhh, but that’s another story. Radio Caroline, another “Pyrate Radio” platform
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Meteorological In recent years there have been some significant oceanic low pressure systems that have made news because of their impact on land or at sea (especially when ships have been affected). It is time to bring to light to Cruising Outpost readers the facts about these storms. Albeit newsworthy, they are not necessarily rare, nor are they infrequent. Climate change issues have often been tied in with severe weather, but that is not the reason for the seeming increase in numbers of powerful oceanic storms. So, Just What is a “Meteorological Bomb?” 1. A synoptic scale “Middle Latitude Low Pressure System” that migrates between 30 and 60 degrees latitude and that deepens or drops in barometric pressure at a rate of 1 millibar (mb) per hour over a 24hour time frame. 2. They are sometimes referred to as “Wave Cyclones” or “Extra-Tropical Cyclones” (the later meaning low pressure systems that form, deepen, weaken, and move outside of the tropical latitudes located between 30°N and 30°S). 3. The characteristic features of “Extra-Tropical Cyclones” are that they possess frontal boundaries such as “Warm, Cold, Occluded and Stationary Fronts.” 4. In meteorological jargon a “Meteorological Bomb” is known to deepen “One (1) Bergeron” per day, plus or minus a latitude adjustment factor. Near latitude 45°N (or S) the adjustment is 18 mb per day, and near 60°N the adjustment is by definition a 24 mb drop in pressure per day.
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5. Note that many “Wave Cyclones” deepen that magnitude in less than 12 hours. The Following are Guidelines for Identifying “Meteorological Bombs” • It is extremely important to note that the best forecast tool available to detect “Meteorological Bombs” is a good set of commercial ship observations; those human derived weather reports that are observed and transmitted at least every synoptic reporting cycle (6 hours…00,06,12, and 1800 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) or ZULU (Z)). • Synoptic ship reports, buoys, plus today’s newer advanced technology strides, such as enhanced “Meteorological Satellite” data (“QuikSCAT”), are critical not only for a good surface analysis but to the entire forecast process. • “QuikSCAT” is remote sensing satellite data that utilizes specialized microwave radar measuring near-surface wind speed and direction under all cloud and weather conditions over the Earth’s surface. It has truly, dramatically improved determining real time conditions especially over the oceans., • The “QuikSCAT” instrument is attached to a polar orbiting satellite that orbits the Earth at 600nm from pole to pole every ninety (90) minutes, recording swaths of the ocean’s surface and estimating surface (sea level) wind direction and speeds. • Collecting real time data at a specific UTC/Z time standard, such as 00/06/12/18Z, is called
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Bombs initialization. One or two reliable ship reports, as well as a QuikSCAT satellite pass of remote sensing imagery, can mean the difference between just a “Frontal Wave” or the start of a “Meteorological Bomb” resulting in remarkably strong wind speeds within the developing “Wave Cyclone Low Pressure System.” • These winds often exceed those winds that are defined more precisely than the mathematically derived, theoretically derived “Geo-strophic Wind Approximations” which are commonplace in a purely academic calculation. • “Geo-strophic Winds” are stronger in value than true surface wind values in that they do not account for any frictional effects of true surface winds. Warm Air is a Prime Trigger for “Meteorological Bombs” • Impressive “Warm Sector” frontal zones (the area between the “Warm and Cold Fronts” are associated with an “Extra-Tropical Cyclone,” particularly at the lower portion of the middle latitudes (30 degrees), which is indicative of advection (transport) of warm air. • Abundant moisture in the “Warm Sector” of a “Middle Latitude Low Pressure System” is indicative of “Rapid Intensification” or strong “Cyclogenesis.” • Traditional enhanced “Infrared” (IR) meteorological satellite imagery often depicts extensive cloud masses in the “Warm Sector.” • Many “Extra-Tropical Cyclone Systems” were old “Hurricanes” or “Typhoons.” Extensive warm temperatures with abundant tropical moisture are the needed additional fuel for “Rapid Intensification” (One Bergeron). • Strong “Static Stability” means a steep negative “Temperature Lapse Rate” through the lower and middle layer of the troposphere, the lower portion of the atmosphere where most weather occurs (in other words, rapid decrease in “Ambient Air Temperature” with altitude).
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Meteorological • These sets of atmospheric conditions would be conducive to the presence of strong “Convective Thunderstorms” accompanied by frequent “Lightning” strong gusty winds over water areas, and “Waterspouts.” • The trailing portion of a “Cold Front” will sometimes show strong “Convection” just ahead of a newly developing “Warm Sector” frontal zone. • The presence of strong upper level “Jet Stream” winds (over 200 knots in its core). These winds are of a “Zonal” west to east nature which is indicative of a tight surface frontal boundary of strong temperature contrasts. • Contrary to higher latitude “Wave Cyclones” which tend to be slower moving systems, lower latitude “Extra-Tropical Cyclones,” especially those that develop into “Meteorological Bombs” usually move
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伀䘀䘀匀䠀伀刀䔀 匀䄀䤀䰀匀
一䔀圀 匀䄀䤀䰀匀
唀匀䔀䐀 匀䄀䤀䰀匀
伀一䰀䤀一䔀 倀刀䤀䌀䤀一䜀 泰 䈀唀夀 匀䄀䤀䰀匀 伀刀 䌀伀一匀䤀䜀一 夀伀唀刀 伀圀一
⠀㐀 ⤀ ㈀㘀㌀ⴀ㐀㠀㠀 泰 㘀 䰀攀最椀漀渀 䄀瘀攀⸀ 䄀渀渀愀瀀漀氀椀猀Ⰰ 䴀䐀 ㈀㐀
The figure above represents the good old days when political correctness (for weather) was a bit less and allowed for one to use the term “bomb.” This allowed one to clearly see how this type of “Middle Latitude Low Pressure System” stands out amongst all the other Extra-Tropical Low Pressure Systems.” The two figures on the right show how today’s terminology has changed (on the top, a 1015 Mb Low to “RPDLY INTNSFY”). The figure on the bottom depicts exactly how the 1015 Mb Low evolved in 24-hours as a significant HURCN FORCE” 986 Mb “Meteorological Bomb.” Note that the change in pressure over 24-hours was 29 mb (greater than “1 Bergeron”).
10% off!
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Bombs quite rapidly (35 knots or more) under a “Zonal Jet Stream” flow pattern. • Sea Surface Temperatures... “Middle Latitude Low Pressure Systems” develop over water temperatures of 15 or 16 degrees Celsius (some of the stronger systems will develop over areas of strong thermal gradients (e. g. Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Currents) • The “Mature Wave Cyclone” has a classical characteristic “Comma Head Shape Cloud Pattern” with wrap around cloud bands just outside the center of circulation… quite apparent on “Meteorological Satellite Imagery. • Keep in mind that low barometric central pressures are not always evident by ship or buoy reports, but the newer QuickSCAT technology will provide very accurate data on “Wave Cyclone” wind strength.
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17th Annual Pacific Sail, PowerBoat Show & Cruisers’ Party
Cruisers’ Party
O
ur Cruisers’ Parties actually started because of the Pacific Strictly Sail Show about 18 years ago, when we went to a “party” thrown by someone and we had to buy a ticket, then stand in line to get our one drink, and then stand in another line to get some Chex Mix. Not exactly what a cruiser calls a party, right? We came up with the idea that a real cruisers’ party needs beer, pizza, and should, above all else, be free to attend! Thus was born the Cruisers’ Parties we all know and love. Last year the Pacific Strictly Sail Show moved to the Craneway Pavilion, which is a perfect place for a boat show. This year it was changed from the Pacific Strictly Sail Show to the Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show, but it is still put on by Sail America and once again, we got our sponsors to help us supply free pizza,
beer, and the Eric Stone Band. Bitchin’s nephew, Eric Forrester, even got to step in and play base with the band! We had 125 pizzas and plenty of cold beer, and the band was better than ever for those who got out and danced. It was a fun event! This year’s sponsors were Handcraft Mattress, Kanberra Gel, the Maritime Institute, Edson Marine, Mantus Anchors, Forespar and the Educational Tall Ship Foundation. The proceeds from the raffle went to help finish building the tall ship Mathew Turner. The grand prizes were two of the new Forespar PureWater+ Systems, and an afternoon sail on a Sailtime boat for six people skippered by Captain Lisa herself. There were dozens of other prizes that were donated by the exhibitors and sponsors at the show, and we want to be sure and thank them.
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Winners of the Sailtime Cruise
PureWater+ winner
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Bob & Jody’s Excellent or, two idiots (that’d be us!) do four events on five It all started most innocently. Jody and I were trying to figure out how we could fulfill our promises to be in five places at one time, and thought we had come up with the answer. We had to figure out how to work the Miami Boat Show, sponsor the party there on Saturday night, then do the Cruisers’ Party on Sint Maarten the following Saturday night, then go sailing with friends in the BVIs, then do the 20th Anniversary Dark & Stormy Regatta, and sponsor the Cruisers’ Party in the BVIs as well. Seemed simple enough! When we got back to the office after the Chicago Boat Show, I would try to finish the Spring issue, then hop on a plane to Dusseldorf for “BOOT” (the largest boat show in the world!). I would finish the issue on the plane, then when I got back to our offices in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, just 800 feet above a dam that was breaking, we would fly to Miami, and, well... make it all happen! What could go wrong? Well, as it turned out, pretty much everything including the fact that they evacuated the town below our home. We were okay (above the lake!), but the only way to get in or out of where we lived was on Highway 162. It was closed a few miles above our house due to too much snow, and now it was closed down-mountain due to the dam about to break.
So, it took us five hours to go the 90 miles to the Sacramento Airport the night before our 5:00 a.m. flight(?!) where we had booked a room a few miles from the airport. In the dark of the morning we crossed over the Sacramento River. It was a mile wide. Normal is about 500 feet wide! But we made it! Before we knew it we landed in Miami and were met by Jessie and her mom, Clair, who had driven our “show van” down from the Chicago Show. The next week was a blur. The Miami Strictly Sail Boat Show opened, and it turned out to be a pretty good show: lots of old friends and some new, and then the Cruisers’ Party on Saturday evening. An estimated 500-600 people showed up for the 17th annual party. We had the Eric Stone Band there for the entertainment, and cold beer flowed free for most of the night (until we ran out after six kegs!). The pizza turned out to be a bit of a problem. We had ordered 150 pizzas from the same place we order every year, but somehow they got lost this year and it took them over an hour to find the party site at the rear of the Bayside Marina. By the time they got there, about 7:30, those in attendance swamped the “Pizza Table,” but in the end everyone got free pizza, so it turned out to be okay.
The Strictly Sail part of the Miami Boat Show at Mia Marina at Bayside
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t Tropical Adventure
islands in three countries in 23 days (Whew!)
By Bob Bitchin -Additional Photos by Jody, Dr. Daniele Saint Cyr & David Diederich As with most of our events we had a raffle with prizes The volunteer pizza crew ready for the onslaught donated by our sponsors and others in the marine industry that were at the show. The money from the raffle has gone to the Educational Tall ship Foundation for the past five years, and their project tall ship, the Matthew Turner, is scheduled to launch by the time you read this! The sponsors for this year’s Miami Party were Beta Marine, Coppercoat, Forespar, Handcraft Mattress, Kanberra Gel, Mack Sails, Mantus Anchor, New England Rope, Strictly Sail Miami and Tradewinds Radio. Without those people there would be no Cruisers’ Parties! In the morning we hopped an American Airlines flight directly to Sint Maarten in the Dutch East Indies. Soon we were meeting with Dan Horn from Tradewinds and Pyrate
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Bob & Jody’s Excellent Tropical Adventure Radio with Dr. Daniele, along with our Life Aboard Editor Robin Stout and husband Mike. That afternoon we sat at the St. Maarten Yacht club watching a 312-foot ship, Limitless, pass thru what looked like an impossible opening, and then the rest of the afternoon we watched as cruisers and charterers passed in and out of the lagoon each time the bridge opened! Since we had a couple days to play before the party (when we would play some more!), we rented a car about the size of a large toaster, and with Dan and Dr. Daniele we played tourist and circled the island. One of the real highlights of this trip was the Sunset Bar located on the beach next to where the planes land and take off from the Princess Juliana International Airport. It was here we
This year’s official ticket picker
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or, two idiots (that’d be us!) do four events on five islands in three countries in 23 days (Whew!) learned just how silly people can be. It wasn’t easy catching a photo of the idiocy that was going on, and video doesn’t really translate too well to the printed page. Let me paint a word-photo for you. What look like normal people sit and have a few beers (or some would say “too many” beers), then, when a plane would taxi to the end of the runway, dozens of these foolish people would go stand next to the fence on the beach. As the jet would rev its engines prior to takeoff, the jet blast would blow these seemingly normal people across the beach and into the ocean. It seems that tumbling head over heels is fun, even with your skin being sandblasted from the force of the jets. Oh, and for your edification, I opted out of this little adventure. I must be getting old (or smarter!). Jody and Robin made arrangements to go and see the folks at the Nature Conservancy who are working to help the shark population come back. They are doing this with the help and funding from Sir Richard Branson (more on him a little later in the story!) The Nature Foundation manages the St. Maarten Marine Park, the only designated
nature park area of the island. The establishment of a terrestrial park will one day be a reality and the two nature parks will combine to make a national park system. The Nature Conservancy has spearheaded a number of projects over the years and is also presently active in various activities that help to promote environmental awareness
Coming thru the narrow opening at the St. Maarten Yacht Club drawbridge Silly people dodging aircraft at Sunset Beach, St. Maarten
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Bob & Jody’s Excellent Tropical Adventure in the community and conserve our fragile marine life, something that is very important to all cruisers. While Jody and Robin were visiting the conservancy, I was trying to finish that last edits for the Spring issue. I completed it just a few minutes before Jody returned, and soon we had Dan and Daniele jammed into the mobile shoe box they called a car and we were off to explore the island. It was made a lot easier by the fact that Dan had lived on the island for years, so we had a built-in tour guide. We drove around the island while Dan explained points of interest, including where four-five cat houses were located. Not sure how he knew this (lol), but he did seem to know the history of these places pretty well! We made a lunch stop at Bikini Beach, which was on the French side of the island. Actually Bikini Beach might have been a misnomer. There were a lot of people NOT wearing bikinis. Let me say this about that... Some people should look in a mirror before shucking their duds. They are not doing anyone a favor out there. On the other hand, some were quite nice to look at. I was asked to keep my clothes on by those with me!
After a great two-hour lunch on the beach, we finished our tour of the island. Before long it was time for the Third Annual Sint Maarten Cruisers’ Party which was being held on Kimsha Beach at the Buccaneer Bar, where it has been hosted for the past three years. Once again, we need to thank our sponsors who helped make this gathering possible: Forespar, Pyrate Radio, Handcraft Mattress and Kanberra Gel. Without their help we couldn’t do these events. We also need to thank Bernard who runs The Buccaneer Bar on Kimsha Beach. This is the third year he has helped us put on this event, and I don’t think there is a better place on Earth for an event like this! This has become one of the mellowest events we do, with real cruisers from all over the world joining together in a casual beach party in paradise! This year we had about 250-300 cruisers in attendance, and some were real standouts. In the photo below is a gentleman who sailed with us crossing the Tehuantepec 20 years earlier. Now he is out sailing with his family! There was also Chris Root and Joyce Baker who had just bought a Lagoon 42 and
The crew at Sunset Beach
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or, two idiots (that’d be us!) do four events on five islands in three countries in 23 days (Whew!) sailed in for the party. Then they sailed up to Tortola a week later for that Cruisers’ Party! Also, the women from the group “Women Who Sail” showed up in force and helped keep the party mood alive and well! The entertainment was outstanding this year, as singer/ songwriter Don Clayton joined us to handle the music. He works with Tradewinds Radio a lot, and was also a sponsor of this event with the Atrium Resort, right next door! The beach was alive with the sounds of good music and camaraderie late into the night. Well, late into the night in cruisers’ terms. There was a drawing at the end of the event for a Pure Water + System from the folks at Forespar. About 10:00 p.m. the crowd started to dwindle, but the diehards stayed and joined the group of bikers that rode in for a little fun on the beach. The next day we made our way to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. This is where we would be joining the 20th anniversary of the Dark & Stormy Regatta. We spent a couple days with old friends Charles and Joanna Tobias, and then met our old friends Gary and Tory Rubin who were there cruising on their Hylas
54. We met them in Trellis Bay at the Loose Mongoose, which is a cruisers’ hangout. In fact, when Jody’s dad lived on Tortola for many years on his home-built steel junk-rigged ketch, he was a champion at horseshoes there. He was also one of the reasons we were in Tortola at this time of the year.
Women Who Sail at the Cruisers’ Party
Sunset at the Buccaneer Bar on Kimsha Beach
Buccaneer Bar’s owner Bernard (l) with entertainer Don Clayton (r) www.cruisingoutpost.com
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Bob & Jody’s Excellent Tropical Adventure You see, his old friend, Marty Halpren, started this event 20 years ago, and he was a part of that start along with Lou Schwartz who, at that time, owned the Jolly Roger in Soper’s Hole. So we had arranged to change the date of our Cruisers’ Party in the BVIs to coincide with the 20th running of the regatta.
It was going to start on Marina Cay at Pusser’s, so we conned Gary and Tory into “sailing” us there. It was less than a mile, but oddly it ended up taking us a few hours to sail there! Getting there is MORE than half the fun. After a great meal at Pusser’s on the beach of Marina Cay, we spent the evening in one of the four bungalows on the island. It was a magical night. First time I ever slept there not on a boat, and it seemed odd not to be rocked to sleep. In the morning we gathered for the skippers meeting behind the Pusser’s Store, and then the race was on! It started with the fastest boats and then each category followed. The cruisers had their own class! The race was to Anegada and once there we had the whole next day to play. We headed to our favorite beach, Cow Wreck Beach on the north shore of Anegada. It has an honor bar and is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As we sat there on the sand a red helicopter f lew over, and I thought to myself, how kewl must it be to look down on this
The happy winner of the Pure Water+ system, and it was her birthday, too!
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or, two idiots (that’d be us!) do four events on five islands in three countries in 23 days (Whew!) place. Then it landed. A few minutes later Sir Richard Branson walked out onto the beach with his grandchildren. This is the man who funded the Nature Conservancy that Jody had just visited. We had to thank him for doing so, and Jody got a photo with the man himself! How kewl was that? That evening there was a party held at the Anegada Reef Hotel for the regatta participants, and in the morning we boarded the boats for the trip back. I had been on the committee boat coming over (a trawler) to get photos, and Jody had sailed with Marty, Lou and Dolly aboard Ruffian. For the trip back I was lucky enough to catch a ride on Reed’s boat, Changes in Latitudes, which was an older Hunter that sailed quite well. The weather for the sail home was a little rough for a regatta, with 35to 40-knot winds and seas estimated to be as high as 10 feet. It was a pure downwind run, and many of the cruising boats that don’t run spinnakers ended up sailing wing and wing. Not the best point of sail for heavy cruising boats! The race ended at Peg Leg’s in Nanny Cay. Since we had decided to move our Cruisers’ Party to the end of the Dark & Stormy, this was the place to be on that night. Unfortunately, the wind we’d had
Lou Schwartz, Commador of the West End Yacht Club, with Marty Halpren of the Dark & Stormy www.cruisingoutpost.com
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Bob & Jody’s Excellent Tropical Adventure during the day was bringing in some funky weather for that evening. Rain fell most of the evening, but the cruising attitude prevailed and we had about 200 hard-core cruisers who gathered for the event. One of our long-time advertisers, Conch Charters who have
their base located there, showed up in force. They were also celebrating their 30th Anniversary! They have advertised with us in Cruising Outpost, and in Latitudes & Attitudes before that, for almost 20 of those years!
The start of the Dark & Stormy Regatta off Marina Cay
Running wing & wing on Ruffian
The finish line for the Dark & Stormy at the entrance to the Anegada anchorage
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or, two idiots (that’d be us!) do four events on five islands in three countries in 23 days (Whew!) It was a very fun night. Once again, without our sponsors like Handcraft Mattress, Forespar, Corsairs, Kanberra Gel, Conch Charters and Tradewinds Radio, we could not have had this event. All of a sudden we realized... we’d done it! After Chicago and Dusseldorf, we did the Miami Show, the Cruisers’ Party, then toured Sint Maarten, visited the Nature Conservancy, enjoyed an afternoon watching large boats go thru a small opening, watched people get blown across a beach, watched people who should not go forth naked onto the beach (and some who should!), had Jody with Sir a Cruisers’ Party on the Richard Branson beach there, then sailed with at Cow Wreck friends off Tortola, spent a Beach night on Marina Cay, sailed The winners of the Pure Water+ System by Forespar, Dave & Renee Harrington
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with the 20th Anniversary of the Dark & Stormy, met Sir Richard Branson on a beach, sailed back to Tortola in a storm, had a Cruisers’ Party on Tortola, and then... (catching breath here), we flew back to Miami where we picked up our show van and DROVE back to our home in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California from Miami. It was not an uneventful month!
Bob with Steve & Dan from Tradewinds Radio at Peg Leg’s in Nanny Cay
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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!
Lazy Cloud Fill with Air and then Comfort is a Breeze!
We saw this at the Miami Boat Show and it’s truly a useful idea on a boat. You can use it as a chair, a sofa, or even as a bed. As a chair it is much softer than a normal one. As a sofa it’s a good place for kids and for playing. As a bed, well, you get it, right? The Lazy Cloud has multi-layer protection made by external Ripstop Polyester cloth and internal PE airtight plastic. The liner is directly protected by the outer layer. Is it portable? Yes! It makes the perfect outdoor beach lounger, sleeper, or sofa. It will
float in water holding one to two people. Use it while swimming and other activities. It can also be used indoors if preferred. It will work on your boat as a bean bag chair or as a comfortable sofa/bed. It’s also easy to clean with a damp cloth. The Lazy Cloud is great for travel. It fits in its own carrying bag with shoulder strap and although it supports up to 400 lbs. when inflated, it weighs just 2.5 lbs. Its dimensions are 92’’ x 28’’ before inflating and 86’’ x 34’’ x 26’’ after. Check it out at their website: lazycloudbed.com.
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I Found It At The Boat Show
MATRIX VHF/AIS/GPS The Standard Horizon GX2200 gives youVHF with AIS and GPS! If you have plans to Standard Horizon go “out there” this is one Matrix GX2200 item you definitely want aboard. The new Matrix GX2200 from the folks at Standard Horizon features a 66 channel WAAS GPS antenna integrated into the front panel of the radio, so there is no need to hassle with wiring the radio to a GPS for Digital Selective Calling or Automatic Identification System. The GX2200 comes out of the box and ready to go, acquiring AIS SART targets, DSC calling, position sharing, waypoint navigation, and navigation to DSC distress calls. This can all be performed with just a few simple steps. The MATRIX AIS/GPS displays call sign, ship name, bearing, distance, speed over ground and course over ground and allows you to contact any AIS Ship. Standard Horizon Matrix GX2200
Optional RAM3 Second Station Mic
The GX2200 also features a CPA “closest point of approach” alarm and TCPA “time to closest point of approach.” One antenna input is all that is needed since the MATRIX AIS/GPS utilizes the VHF antenna to receive. They say that nothing is foolproof, as fools are too ingenious, but we think this just might be foolproof! You might also want to consider getting the RAM3+ Optional RAM3 Secsecond station microphone. ond Station Mic This is a very popular accessory among the cruising community. It will control all of the functions that are on the main radio, including AIS. So, once again, if you are heading offshore, or just want to feel secure in your surroundings, this is the VHF radio/AIS/GPS you should be looking at! For more info go to www. standardhorizon.com.
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I Found It At The Boat Show
Emergency Overboard Ladder The Folks at Swi-Tec have Come Up with a Simple Answer
The folks at Swi-Tec have come up with something that just about every cruising boat should have aboard, an emergency man-overboard ladder. The Swi-Tec Swim and Emergency Ladder is made of water-resistant material and has wide steps made of durable GRP, which sink into the water when deployed. Having steps below the surface make it easier to get a foothold. You will also notice the handles on both sides of the ladder which make it easier to pull yourself up and climb back on board. The unit attaches to the toe rail and the exposed handle is adjustable so that it can easily be reached and pulled by someone in the water. The ladder is over 8’ long (8.24 actually!) to allow it to reach below the water. The Swi-Tec Swim and Emergency Ladder requires very little storage space and is available from www.swi-tec.us.
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Cruising Outposts There are some places where cruisers just seem to gather and this is one of those places!
Our friend, Andy Keenan, is a man that can filter more beer through his system than he can diesel through his Filter Boss System. He suggested that one of his favorite cruising hangouts, the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina on Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas, should become a recognized Cruising Outpost. In June, 2011, Mike Withers became part owner in the Bluff House. He is an avid cruiser himself, exploring the Bahamas on his Hunter 46 sailboat. The Bluff House Beach Resort & Marina was the first, and is now the oldest resort in the Bahamas’ Out Islands. It began as a private home in the early 1950s. As many of the traditional English Victorian and American Colonial homes of its day, it was a gathering place for a unique mix of interesting and cosmopolitan people, along with boaters from all over the world who were looking for a comfortable night on land, good company, excellent food and genuine hospitality. Many have described the Bluff House as the most special piece of property in the Abacos. The island of Green Turtle Cay is an explorer’s dream with tropical foliage surrounding trails opening to white-sand beaches and small cliffs/bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Perched atop the highest point on the island, the Bluff House sits on 12 lush acres of palms and pines with its own private, powder-sand beach. The property is easily accessible by boat or ferry from either the Sea of Abaco or White Sound Harbour. The Bluff House has two restaurants, the tranquil Turtle Beach Bar on the Sea of Abaco with its own beach, volleyball court, paddle boards, etc., and the Ballyhoo Bar and Grill overlooking White Sound Harbor and the marina. More information can be found at http://www. bluffhouse.com. www.cruisingoutpost.com
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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.
Installing Flexible Tanks Installing an extra fuel or water tank for storage is a good idea on cruising boats, both power and sail. In most boats there are areas perfect for this. Here’s how to do the job easily, and permanently... First, buy the right tank for the purpose: the right size and the right material. They are available online from five gallons to hundreds of gallons. They are inexpensive, so don’t cheapout. Be sure to get good quality, rubberized fabric bladder tanks. Be sure to pick the right location, as they will need plenty of support and good access.
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Always verify there is nothing sharp in the installation area. Then apply a layer of neoprene foam or similar as a tank protector after you have decided on the best location for fill, drain and vent lines Install fittings in the tank if not already installed, and test fittings for leaks. Install eyebolts to locate tank and place the tank. Run your fill, drain and vent lines. Be sure to protect hoses from chafe if they pass through bulkheads on the way to the tank. Fill up and check for leaks. That’s it, you are done!
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4/26/17 4:35 PM
Tech Tips from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop
Save Your Wiring with Drip Loops If you live or cruise on a boat, there is one thing I can guarantee: it will leak. We don’t know where, and we don’t know how it happens, but every boat seems to have at least one “permanent leak.” These leaks are annoying when they are dripping on your pillow or your bunk, but when they get to your wiring you can have some real adult fun! Captain Pauly has a simple trick you should do on your boat to eliminate problems inherent with water following your wiring. This is something that always seems to happen no matter how hard you try to keep all your wires dry. Drip loops are used with wiring devices like bus bars and terminal strips. The wire simply loops down below the device and then back up to make the connection. The idea is that any water running down the wire will drip off the bottom of the loop instead of running down into the bus bar or terminal block. Oh, yeah, be sure there is nothing under the loop that might be damaged by water! Or, you could fix the leak! (Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna happen!)
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4/26/17 4:35 PM
Life Aboard Living Aboard in the Spanish Virgin Islands
While sailing in the Spanish Virgin Islands we met Rick and Sue Klumb of S/V Orion. They live aboard their sailboat in Culebra, a small island off Puerto Rico. They have lived in many places on this planet and love Culebra. We didn’t see many liveaboards in the Spanish Virgins and wanted to find out why they like it so much. Cruising Outpost: Please tell us a little bit about yourselves. Rick and Sue: We are both retired, living the dream on our sailboat in the Caribbean. We are based in Culebra, a small sister island off Puerto Rico. Since November of 2012 we have been full time liveaboards with no more land base and away from any dock. Our cruising area covers Culebra, Vieques, the South Coast of Puerto Rico, and the USVI. We have no schedule and sail away whenever we feel like it, weather permitting, of course. We bought Orion in 2007 and until 2010 docked her in Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club (PYFC) where we are members. We sailed every weekend, weather permitting. At that time PYFC did not allow living on your boat (except for transients), so in preparation of moving onto our boat permanently we applied for a slip at Marina de Salinas in Salinas, Puerto Rico and sailed there at the end of 2009. We became full time liveaboards in March, 2010 after the last of our children went away to college, and having sold our house in Ponce in record time. Cruising Outpost: Tell us about your home. Sue and Rick: Orion is a 1973 Morgan 41 Out Island… sloop rigged. We bought her in 2007 from a couple in St
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Thomas, USVI and have been sailing her since then. The interior was lovingly re-built by her previous owners, something we appreciate to this very day! Orion has a huge center cockpit for a monohull of her size. She is a “walk-over” model, which means that she has no interior walk-through to the aft cabin. This allows for a big galley with lots of storage to port and starboard. It also makes the center cockpit a very comfortable place with seating of the same height level – great for lounging. Another benefit of the “walk over” model is that the engine room is fairly easily accessible with a little “wiggle room” to work in. And of course, Orion’s huge aft cabin with its own head and shower is very private. Orion weighs 27,000 pounds and is made of thick fiberglass. She has a full keel of only 4.2 feet, so we can go places where lots of other boats can’t go due to their draft. Since we live and cruise full time in “hurricane country” this is an important factor for us. During the Atlantic Hurricane Season we have to seek shelter from some storms in a secure mangrove area. A 4.2 foot draft lets us hide further in the canals where there is more protection. We have had her re-fitted over the years, including new chain plates. We opted for a Coppercoat bottom paint system and had it applied last year. Whatever she needs we get it done because she is our home. The Morgan 41 Out Island was inducted into the hall of fame! Over 1000 of them were built and most of them still roam the seas, held in honor by their various owners. We are so proud to be amongst them! www.cruisingoutpost.com
4/26/17 4:37 PM
Editor Robin Stout Aboard Mermaid
Cruising Outpost: Why did you decide to live aboard a boat? Sue: We love the ocean and nature. We were motor boaters before venturing into sailing. We spent many fun family boating hours with our children, usually ending up at some small island where we would explore under and above the water. Rick studied marine biology and knows almost everything that lives in the sea, so our family snorkel trips were not just fun but also very educational in nature. We became fascinated with sailboats about 14 years ago when we met a German couple, Klaus and Lilo, at PYFC. They had their boat on the hard for a bottom job. The name of their boat was Swantje and the hailing port was Heilignehafen. We asked if they were from Germany (like me) and they were! They had a slip at Marina de Salinas and invited us to come visit. We became very good friends and they were the ones who inspired us to look into sailing and we will never forget that. The slip next to Swantje was a Morgan 41 Classic that had been rescued and brought back to life by a local couple that sailed her on weekends. On one of our visits the owners were aboard and invited us to have a look. We were surprised and fascinated and couldn’t believe the size and that it had an aft cabin and two heads with showers. It instantly started our love for the Morgan 41 Out Island, a love that continues to this day! When gas prices started to go sky high we started looking into buying a small sailboat to learn to sail. We joined the Ponce Power Squadron and took advanced courses up to piloting. I developed a love for knots and helped teach them at USPS public boating courses. In the meantime we were lucky to find and older MacGregor 26 for a reasonable price, bought her and fixed her up. Then we started sailing every weekend. We have many great sailing friends at PYFC who encouraged us along the way. We sailed our MacGregor for almost two years until we found our “big forever boat” Orion. Cruising Outpost: How did you end up choosing Culebra as your home base? Rick and Sue: We left the marina life for good in 2012 with the intention to slowly make our way down the Caribbean Island chain to Grenada. We had no schedule and did not want one. We started living the dream by sailing away into the sunset… just like that. We spent a while in Vieques, the other sister island of Puerto Rico, and one day set sail for Culebra. When we arrived we took a mooring ball at Dakity right behind the reef just inside the main channel. It was our first mooring ever and despite being nervous we managed to grab it and secure our mooring line and chafe guard. We spent a lot of time in and around Culebra, exploring the different anchorages and getting to know the people. www.cruisingoutpost.com
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We simply fell in love with the spirit of the island and her people! We knew Culebra from previous visits when we spent family vacations there and rented a house with some friends for a few weeks. Another time we stayed at the Villa Boheme and let our then pre-teen children each bring a friend along. We explored the island and went snorkeling every day. We let the kids go out and did not worry one bit about their safety, something we could not have done in the city on the main island of Puerto Rico. Culebra was as enchanting then as it is now. This time, it was just the two of us on our own sailboat, a totally different experience and we loved it so much we did not realize how time was flying. One day we talked about our plans and re-confirmed to each other that we did not have a plan. Our plan was not to have a plan, to stay where we wanted to stay. We looked at each other and we both knew that we wanted to stay in Culebra and make it our home base. That’s it! Culebra is only a few hours away by plane from Florida where our children live. We can keep our telephone provider, our bank, etc. We are used to hurricane season and know what to do if one heads our way. We have integrated into the Puerto Rican culture. We have three places we call home: Ponce, Salinas and Culebra. In all three of them people greet us with “welcome home.” We are humbled and honored! Cruising Outpost: How do you deal with day-to-day things such as grocery, banking mail, doctors, etc? Rick and Sue: Culebra is a pretty laid back island. There are no big hotel chains or restaurant chains and no big supermarket chains. Everything is family owned and life is simple. We love that! We buy most of our day-to-day groceries in town. We do our big provisioning in either Ponce or Fajardo on the main island when we are sailing the south coast. Everything else we buy in Culebra. We like to support the local community. There are no American banks in Puerto Rico, so we do online banking with our bank in the States. In addition, we have an account with a local bank. We have a mailbox in the Culebra Post Office, which is one of the most efficient ones we have ever experienced! Medical care on the island is a different story. The small hospital in Culebra is for emergencies only and to stabilize patients for transfer to Fajardo or San Juan hospitals if necessary. Culebra has no pharmacy. There is also a small health clinic and a general practitioner. Luckily we are both healthy and don’t need to see a doctor often. Cruising Outpost: What advice would you give to people considering this way of life? Rick and Sue: Just do it and don’t wait too long…
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4/26/17 4:37 PM
Bubba Whartz One Never Knows
Right Guard, the 27-foot ferro-cement sloop helmed by Capt. Bubba Whartz, imperious owner of a Coast Guard “six pac” license, and a rock-solid belief in his own personal rectitude concerning maritime proficiency, slipped along the ICW on a broad reach so comfortable it could rightly make one imagine pushing one’s very own platinum bar across an expanse of navy blue velvet whilst Melania Trump lightly scratched one’s back. It’s true that such occurrences may be uncommon, when they happen. Capt. Whartz has reminded mariners of widely diverse proficiencies that there’s an upside to being sufficiently aware so as to perceive and appreciate the completely unbelievable when it arrives. Holding a multimillion-dollar winning lottery ticket counts as an example of such a splendid moment, as well. Right Guard was making four knots over the bottom, but the particular part of the Intracoastal we were in was not wide—75 yards, maybe—and on holiday weekends’ Saturday afternoons the narrow slot was also a passage for motor yachts that transited this slot at what Bubba referred to as max wake dispersal speed. He explained that MWD speed was not as fast as full speed, but oncoming power boat skippers, Bubba allowed, had an inkling they should slow down for sailboats. They didn’t know how much, though. So they slowed down to where their vessels put out bigger wakes. Bubba postulated that the concept of no wake has not taken hold yet among yachtsmen operating power craft wherein horsepower available exceeds the IQ of the skipper by a factor of 10. The tobacco-chewing, live-aboard, live-alone skipper, buoyed up by the quiet of the day, the lack of maritime traffic, the perfect breeze and chamber-of-commerce weather launched into a soliloquy concerning the extra measures of safety and comfort that automatically append themselves to any voyage captained by a professional mariner. “It all comes for a price, does it not?” I asked the skipper. He was unable to answer immediately because he was finishing a Siberian Mimosa. Sybarites the world over know a Mimosa is a combination of fresh squeezed orange juice and champagne. A Siberian Mimosa has two ounces of solidly frozen vodka added. Such an anomaly is achieved by the use of liquid nitrogen. Should one be unable to imagine the downside of a Siberian Mimosa—both in the prep and consumption— then gaining proficiency in an activity like sailing that involves constant risk assessment is out of the question.
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By Morgan Stinemetz
Additionally, such adversely encumbered souls must consider lifetime avoidance of the possibility of getting overserved in business establishments dispensing alcohol, stay away from members of the opposite sex whose attractiveness makes one light headed, eschew smoking materials that come with the guarantee: “this won’t hurt you,” and forget real estate deals in which many pesky and vaporous details will be “taken care of at closing.” Several moments had elapsed since I had asked Capt. Whartz about professionalism coming with price tags attached and the answer he ultimately offered. It would please me greatly to think that he had considered my query of such importance and depth that he stopped to consider all the ramifications before answering. But no. “Jesus!” Whartz gasped. “That drink froze my vocal cords. You asked me something, but I cannot recall what it was.” “It had to do with professionalism on the water and if mariners who carry a captain’s license may charge a higher fee for their services because they have enough experience to warrant doing so,” I summarized. Whartz was not impressed with the thoroughness of the inquiry. “You sound like one off those White Houses press wackos,” he grumbled. “Their questions are so long and involved that by the time the person who is to answer it begins to do so no one in the room can remember what the point of the question was, not even the reporter who asked it. The best response to such complex questions is verbal fog. Maybe. Maybe not. That’s perfect. “Professionals—licensed captains like me—operating watercraft and have the necessary experience to ensure a lovely voyage, know what rules keep people from getting hurt and can get things done easily by using diplomacy,” Bubba explained. “Is there another option, Bubba?” I asked. “Brute force is an option. It never works,” Bubba replied. “The only people out on the water who carry the equipment to apply brute force are police…Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers, municipal marine units, county marine units. When those guys get involved, often times, what remains is an oil slick of ill will.” “Why?” “Bad judgment and embarrassment. The people the cops bust knew better from the get-go. But when they get called for an infraction, they think the police are being brutal, and sometimes they are right. Police officers have short fuses, www.cruisingoutpost.com
5/1/17 12:35 PM
effective unions and free legal help…all they need. The prosecutors, it’s my guess, know the drill. Many of the cases against cops for wayward behavior never get at what the issue was in the first place. In short, operating a vessel after taking drugs or drinking too much is real dumb. Still, it happens every day. People die. Kids get limbs traumatically amputated. Property is destroyed, families torn asunder. Professional captains can save the day,” offered Bubba. He went on to explain in elaborate detail that individuals whose livelihoods are intertwined with transportation of human beings and materiel worldwide carry a heavy load of responsibility, both morally and financially. And, Captain Whartz emphasized, mariners who have earned the right to be referred to as Captain by their peers do not make petty blunders. Years of training and experience have shunted stupidity to an unused siding of transport memories so seldom recalled that the memory tracks they lay upon had long ago gained a familiar ochre patina, rust. Capt. Whartz was winning me over. The relentless drumbeat of logic I could understand quite easily drummed on. And on. And on. It eventually became Barney’s Song. I could snap. However, something flashed in a dark corner of my brain, a firefly flicker of recall, the only point of light on a moonless night. And I asked a question that I’m not sure I should have. “Bubba, do the names Jacob Van Zanten or Edward Smith mean a thing to you?” “No. Should they?” “I think so. Jacob Van Zanten was the captain of the KLM flight 4805, a 747 that hit a Pan Am 747, while KLM 4805 was in the middle of an unauthorized takeoff from Tenerife, Canary Islands, on March 27, 1977. Five hundred eighty-three people died. Edward Smith was the skipper of the Titanic and more than 1,500 souls were lost when the unsinkable ship went down on April 15, 1912. The men in charge were licensed professionals at the pinnacle of their callings. They were also human. Humans make mistakes,” I stated. Ten seconds of total silence followed my mistakes comment. On the 11th second we hit an ICW marker. Right Guard pivoted around the marker, the vessel’s shrouds hooking onto the day board as the boat was spun by tidal current. We were going nowhere. Captain Whartz had not been paying attention. But as we assessed the immediate situation together we also saw the emergency lights from a Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission patrol vessel that we had not previously noted switch on. It was no more than 50 feet on the other side of the ICW marker. Out in the sweet Florida fresh air that occasionally—when the wind blows from land at a low speed—smells of orange blossoms, warmed by the free Florida sunshine, Right Guard was center stage in its very own Blue Light Special. WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM
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Cruising
Book Let’s Go Cruising! By Joy Smith
Let’s Go Cruising! is fundamentally a “how to” book, rather than a tale of any particular cruising experience, which we usually review. However, I found this (as did my wife) to be a refreshing and encouraging reference guide. You can tell right away that Joy has spent a lot of time afloat. The book is easily readable and is straightforwardly sectioned into parts, starting with acquiring the right boat for what one wants to accomplish, getting the boat ready, actual cruising tips, systems, and “off-season”—though if planned correctly there are no off-seasons (smile). That is covered in a chapter about “Extended Boating Season.” Joy hails from Mystic, Connecticut, so she understandably writes about the off-seasons. Let’s Go Cruising! presents some very interesting anecdotal statements, and to start Joy relates that “Boating is like camping in that the expectations of comfort are low and the rewards are great.” No matter what your idea of comfort is, she is certainly right about the rewards. Note, in the section where she is guiding us between choosing sail vs. powerboats: “If your idea of
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www.cruisingoutpost.com
4/29/17 5:55 PM
Outpost’s
Review Review by Capt. Jim Cash
boating is relaxing time on the water, you are a sailor at heart.” She does emphasize that the choice is primarily dependent on where you plan to cruise and the necessity for speed. (It is interesting that, unless crossing oceans, cruising sailors are powering their boats the majority of the time. This “statistic” is based on my own 50 years of “sailing” experience, as it seems that unless you are in the trades, the wind is too light, too heavy, or on your nose. (Oh, but when it’s right, it is soooo right). Joy brings up a very practical point about naming your dinghy that, quite frankly, I hadn’t thought about. She says, “Avoid the temptation to name your dinghy after your boat, such as T/T My Boat (Tender To). We are reminded that if you do, every time you go ashore, everyone (including those less scrupulous) will know you are away from your boat. Hey, everyone go see what we have on board you might like to have/take in our absence! When we actually shove off, we are treated to key rules. “Lay down the law,” she says. Wear boat shoes, use PFDs, no peeing off the side, etc. I have always said there are two kinds of sailors: 1) those that have run aground, and 2) those that are going to run aground, and Joy agrees, stating, “Every boater runs aground at least once …” and gives us solutions right out of Chapman’s itself. From groundings, we get helpful instruction in docking, mooring, rafting, locking, going under bridges and more. The informative section on systems gives us a good checklist to avoid problems and do preventive maintenance. We are even given tips on how to entertain both ourselves and guests on board. The section on weather reminds us that when you are cruising, it is not always sunshine and fair winds, and she shares how to supply one’s “ditch bag” … yikes! Joy’s comprehensive and easy to read guide will be very beneficial for those wanting to learn more about boats and cruising them, confidence in doing so, but most importantly, how to enjoy all things boating. She certainly does!
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Cruising Outpost 163
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Let Us Hold Your Drink! Made in the USA!
Cruising Outpost Exclusive!
The Winch Wench
You Think That Was Dumb? We all mess up at least once, and most of us a lot more than that. Here are some anecdotes from folks who not only have made a few mistakes, but actually fess up to them. Got a story of your own? Why not send it to us!?
The Fake Storm
Winch Wench fits in any sailboat winch socket. Just snap it into your empty winch socket and now you have the coolest drink holder standing by and ready for your favorite beverage. 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.
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We were motor-sailing along slowly, as we made our way east from Fiji to American Samoa. The seas were almost flat; the sails caught just breaths of wind. Down below, the engine rumbled along and heated the already sweltering cabin. The off-watch crew lazed about, existing in the half-conscious stage one experiences on passage. I was on watch and, as we puttered along, the skies
began to darken. The clock said it was 2:00 PM, far too early for the sun to set. The sky, from the horizon to the bow, rapidly turned from gray clouds to a black-asnight wall. We could only think to ourselves, “this wasn’t in the forecast...” When it became clear the looming darkness would soon be upon us, I hastened to lower the sails. Down below, the crew was called into full action; storm sails
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4/26/17 4:41 PM
Ad Style to Your Coffee Don’t Dream Your Life.. Live Your Dream! by Kyle Danielewicz were readied, drogues prepared, objects stowed, and quick food made accessible for the coming storm. Once we had done everything we could to prepare the boat, we perched in the cockpit, anxiously waiting for the wind to hit us. We kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting... Nothing happened. The sky kept getting darker and more ominous with every passing minute, however, no gust of wind hit us. Then I yawned. What time is it anyways? I stuck my head down the companionway to glance at the clock. It read two o’clock. But wait... wasn’t it two o’clock two hours ago? Turns out we weren’t facing a looming storm; we were facing the dark. We never thought to check if the clock’s batteries were dead - which they were - and instead prepared for a gale. Lesson learned: Check the time before you assume the dark is a storm. Your clock’s batteries may have just died.
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Cruising Outpost 165 4/26/17 4:41 PM
Talk of the Dock - What’s N
Cool Stuff Heating Up this Summer
Each year, the big boat show in Miami presses the reset button and the floodgates open, spilling out new boats, products and info on must-do charters. For the duration, industry folk live on caffeine and in sensible shoes, running hard to cover even a small portion of the mayhem – insane traffic be damned. As the lead judge of the National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Awards, I get to see some of the freshly launched boats and products firsthand and sometimes, I even get the scoop on special charters. So in case you missed it, here’s what will be lighting up this summer and the rest of 2017. Giant Cats If you think a monohull is just half a boat, Miami Strictly Sail is your show. Builders come from all over the world to show off their multis. This year, two big beasts were at the center of the spectacle: HHCatamarans 66-foot, all-carbon speedster and Lagoon’s 77-footer that reaches up into superyacht territory.
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Built in Xiamen, China, the Morrelli & Melvindesigned HH66 is all-carbon, right down to the toilets. Hull #3 named Nala was showcased just before hitting the Caribbean racing circuit. This kitty will reach speeds in the mid-twenty-knot range and fly a hull at 16 knots of boat speed. And yes, that’s scary as hell but also the most fun you can have with your foulies on.
www.cruisingoutpost.com
4/30/17 2:47 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. Lagoon’s 77-foot flagship is a small city with six separate entertainment areas: the fabulous flybride, spacious saloon, comfortable cockpit, swanky swim platform, and fantastic forward deck. Wait that’s only five. Oh yeah, the 377-square foot master stateroom has its own patio. The side of the starboard hull opens out to form a private veranda from which you can jump in and swim without ever having to bother with the rest of the guests. Yup, it’s like that. Now, that’s a Charter If you breathe this rarified air where four to five million dollars for a giant cat is pocket change, now you’ve got something to spend it on. For the rest of us, Miami always brings a nice selection of Leopards, normal-sized Lagoons and even powercats that are all a kick in the pantsespecially on charter. Sunsail launched a rum charter flotilla in the British Virgin Islands with eight-day cruises departing June 23, July 21, November 17, and December 8. You’ll visit rum hotspots like the Callwood distillery in Cane Garden Bay and partake of rum-pairing dinners at Ocean’s 7 Beach Club on Cooper Island and the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda. Tropical breezes, billowing sails, lots of fellow sailors and rum – what’s not to like? During the months of July, August and September, Sunsail is also offering flotillas in Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. Cathedrals, caves and paella will be served up in spirited sailing conditions in the Mediterranean. For foodies, Sunsail has tours in Croatia and Italy offering visits to vineyards and wineries. Swirl (swill?) wine as you tuck into mounds of almonds, olives, grapes, and figs as well as handcrafted meals. Supplements to regular flotilla pricing apply so bring your VISA card and a loose-fitting bathing suit. For fun with twin 220 HP engines, check out Mooring’s powercats in the BVIs. I just spent a week flying from place to place at 20 knots and boy, can you get a lot of snorkeling in when you reach your next destination in a half hour. The Leopard 433 was the easiest boat I’ve ever driven and I may never get over that flybridge visibility or the size of that shower. www.cruisingoutpost.com
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Outstanding Optics Finally, if spending money on big cats and specialty charters is not on your list because your own boat is begging for budget, consider upgrading your nav desk with a new MFD. Raumarine and Navico (B&G and Simrad) rolled out sexy new screens that will make your old chartplotter look like a toy. With flush-mounting matte-finish glass that can be seen perfectly even at a 75-degree angle, Raymarin’s Axiom line runs on the lightning-fast Lighthouse 3 operating system. These all-glass optically bonded touchscreens deliver exceptional colors and sharp contrast. Air cavities are filled with high-grade optical epoxy so moisture and fogging are minimized and a cleaner path is created for the transmission of light. You can dial down the screen’s sensitivity so it isn’t impacted by rain or spray but rather only by the touch of your hand. The matte finish cuts down on glare in sunlight and the swipe-to-power design is touchscreen only with no hard keys or buttons. Navico introduced SolarMAX HD glass on some of their backlit, multi-touch displays. These screens have wider viewing angles so you can see them even when you’re off to the side. The glossy in-plane switching (IPS) screens have a balance of bright LED backlighting and advanced anti-reflective coatings creating superior color separation and accuracy. You can see the display in bright sunlight even with sunglasses. Gorgeous.
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4/30/17 2:47 PM
The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser
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. $149,000. totemgroup@msn.com
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5/2/17 2:26 PM
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泰
㐀 吀愀渀欀 䤀渀猀琀爀甀洀攀渀琀
䄀挀挀甀爀愀琀攀Ⰰ 爀攀氀椀愀戀氀攀Ⰰ 瀀渀攀甀洀愀琀椀挀 爀攀愀搀椀渀最猀 甀瀀 琀漀 琀攀渀 昀甀攀氀⼀眀愀琀攀爀 琀愀渀欀猀
吀愀渀欀 䤀渀猀琀爀甀洀攀渀琀
吀䠀䔀 伀刀䤀䜀䤀一䄀䰀 倀刀䔀䌀䤀匀䤀伀一 吀䄀一䬀 䴀䔀䄀匀唀刀䤀一䜀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀
⠀㈀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 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 3
Cruising Outpost 169
5/2/17 2:27 PM
The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser
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170 Cruising Outpost
pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 4
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5/2/17 2:28 PM
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pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 5
Cruising Outpost 171
5/2/17 2:29 PM
The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser
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The Real Video Story Behind Captain Bob:
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The story of one man’s escape from civilization to the world of cruising. This is the story of how Latitudes & Attitudes came into being. Never boring. A look into what the reality of cruising is all about. 48 Minutes. Now on DVD
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172 Cruising Outpost
pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 6
www.cruisingoutpost.com
5/2/17 2:30 PM
You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk
Wanna Cheat? Here are the answer to this issues Maritime Crossword Puzzle. Go ahead, no one will know.. except you! on Page 175
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pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 7
Cruising Outpost 173
5/2/17 2:31 PM
The Bosun’s Bag Hard To Find “Stuff” For The Cruiser
Audio Book
Emerald Bay
Now Available!
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A full year of Cruising Outpost on one DVD!
Four full issues of the best read in Cruising - all on one DVD for easy referal
Television
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Emerald Bay
by Bob Bitchin
Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
Read by the author, this is the full Treb Lincoln adventure novel. It started on a boat in Emerald Bay... and ended up half-way around the world! 5 Disc Set Reg. $27.95
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pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 8
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5/2/17 2:31 PM
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pg 169-175 Bosun's Bag.indd 9
Down
1 Ocean 2 Calm periods 3 Type of tide 4 Tentacled sea creature 5 “Alcatraz” survival crafts 6 Garnish piece 7 “Send the Coast Guard!” 9 The way of the Chinese 14 Popular beer category 15 Start to Francisco 16 Light fog 18 A while back 19 Query 20 Sail material 21 Famous Triangle 23 46.1 mph, in knots 24 ___ hands on deck! 26 There are two of these on a catamaran 28 Quebec lake 29 Up to this point 30 It rises in the east
Wanna Cheat? The answer to this are on page 173
Green Turtle Bay 239 Jetti Dr Grand Rivers, KY
Across
1 St. Maarten and Saint Thomas 5 Deteriorates through exposure to water 8 River mouth Displays, as a flag 10 11 Hit the shore, as a wave 12 As well 13 Boat specs, for example 17 Where slips may be showing 20 Room on board 22 Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the ___” 23 Life preserver 25 Compass heading 27 Cruisin’ get-together 30 Don’t let this shore bird get near your burgers! - 2 words 31 America’s Cup competition 32 Mantas
Cruising Outpost 175
5/2/17 2:32 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
34.4%
Advertis
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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!
Active Duty Subs 126 Annapolis Hybrid Marine 123 113 Aqua Marine Artisan Mattress 86 117 ATN Bacon Sails 126 Balmar 40 Bellhaven Yachts/Charters 146-147 Beta Marine 115 Beta Marine J-Prop 101 Blue Water Sailing School 10-11 Bob Bitchin Books 112 Bocas Marina 107 Celestaire 32 38 Clamptite CO Coffee Cups 165 CO Cruising Guides 88 CO Products 163 CO Subscriptions 82-83 & Back Issue CO Winch Wench 164 Complete Yacht Service 126 Conch Charters 63 Coppercoat 99 Cruising Solutions 127 CS Johnson 103 Curtis Stokes & Assoc. 144-145 Distinctive Sails 122 Eastern Yacht Sales 153 Edson Marine 29 El Cid Marinas 34 Elan Yachts 2-3 eMarine Systems 44 eMarine Systems 105 eMarine Systems 127 Emerald Bay Audio Book 114 Fortress Anchor 89
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Boat Brokers Bellhaven Yachts/Charters 146-147 Curtis Stokes & Assoc. 144-145 Eastern Yacht Sales 153 Kadey-Krogen 155 KSY Global Yacht Brokers 150 Leopard Brokerage 154 Little Yacht Sales 151 Moorings Yacht Sales 152 South Coast Yachts 149 Suncoast Yachts 148
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pg 177 Mackie White.indd 1
Cruising Outpost 177
4/26/17 4:25 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.
Meet Reed. He has been cruising in the Caribbean for more years than he likes to admit to. Bitchin cornered him while at the 20th Annual Dark & Stormy Regatta in the BVIs and bummed a ride back to Tortola from Anegada. It seems that his boat, Changes in Latitudes, had room. It was a wild ride back!
How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand.
Peter Burton kept popping up in places we were at, first at the Miami Boat show, where he’d delivered a boat, and then a few weeks later while we were sitting at the Loose Mongoose in Trellis Bay, Tortola, BVIs. He’s a USCG licensed captain and stays pretty busy skippering charters out of Viques, P.R.
Kim & Mehrnaz Arnall try to get out sailing at least 6 months out of the year on their boat, S/V Snow Shoo. They hail from Little Rock, Arkansas and really love the cruising lifestyle. They just need to get out for the other six months too!
178 Cruising Outpost
pg 178 Cruisian's edited.indd 1
Here are Joe and Melinda Day of Daydreams. They are on a spinnaker run to Paradise Cove, Malibu, Southern California. Joe found it was easy to take this with his selfie stick.
Chris Root and Joyce Baker just purchased a new Lagoon 42 catamaran, Disco Volante. They live on Little Torch Key, FL, and chose the 6 months on - 6 months off cruising lifestyle. Their first sail on her was from St Maarten to the BVIs for the 2017 cruisers parties!
We met C. J. Hobbs and Ryan Onski of St. Thomas, outside the Anegada Reef Hotel. They were sailing for Stewart Sonnenfeldt on S/Y Salamanda, an Oyster 53’. They sail in fun regattas when not working on their project boat, which is a Pearson. This is Lucas Sullivan. We met him while on the committee boat at the start of the Dark & Stormy in the BVIs. We “got to” pull the anchor with 150’ of line in by hand! Fun! www.cruisingoutpost.com
4/26/17 4:27 PM
pg 179 Airline by Sink.indd 1
5/1/17 1:05 PM
pg 180 Sailrite ad.indd 1
5/1/17 12:56 PM