Cruising Outpost #24 Fall 2018

SAIL AWAY FROM IT ALL AND LIVE THE LIFE YOU DREAM OF!

CruisingOutpost.com

HERDING CATS IN

TAHITI 10 BOATS & 90 OUTPOSTERS

BVI UPDATE WORLD'S BEST CRUISING GROUNDS

FOOD

GLORIOUS FOOD PROVISIONING IN OUT OF THE WAY PLACES

COMING HOME IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!

CRUISING

WITH KIDS & BUSINESS Fall 2018

Issue #24

From the Creators of

BOAT SPOTLIGHT BLUESCAPE ROYAL CAPE 53 ELAN E5

U.S. $9.99 - Canada $10.99

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there isis issue less tha n

33%

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

Person Responsible for This Bob Bitchin bob@cruisingoutpost.com

Editor at Large Sue Morgan sue@cruisingoutpost.com

Associate Editor Katie “Bitchin” Chestnut katie@cruisingoutpost.com

Boat Show Queen Jody “Bitchin” Lipkin jody@cruisingoutpost.com

Staff Infection Tania Aebi Contributor Zuzana Prochazka zuzana@cruisingoutpost.com

Life Aboard Queen Mother Robin Stout robin@cruisingoutpost.com

Web & Art Guru Richard Marker rich@cruisingoutpost.com

Media Princess Tabitha “Bitchin” Lipkin tabitha@cruisingoutpost.com Marketing & Video Darren O’Brien darren@cruisingoutpost.com

BS Slaves Jeff & Marie Inshaw Jeff@cruisingoutpost.com

People Who Helped Us Create This Issue Bill Ciccotti Capt. James F. Cash Dennis Mullen Devon Thurtle Anderson Jeff Wahl, Jessica Lloyd-Mosten Jessie Zevalkink John Simpson Kia Koropp Lea Ann Rock Lee Chesneau Morgan Stinemetz Paul Esterell Paul KortenKamp Rick Taylor Russell Edward Furnas Terri Potts-Chattaway Valerie March

This Issue’s Cover: One of the Share The Sail boats entering the pass into the lagoon in Bora Bora. Yes, it is the most beautiful island in the world!

Next Issue Goes On Sale Dec 3, 2018 Printed in the USA

People Who Didn’t Help Us At All Vladimir Putin Kim Jong-Un Ayatollah Khomeini Xi Jinping

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Contents

In 1889, the Queen of Italy, Margherita Savoy, ordered the first pizza delivery!

Issue #24 Fall 2018

50

Special Stuff in this Issue Welcome Back to The BVIs Bob Bitchin The Atlantic Crossing Jessie Zevalkink Easter Island: The Trip of a Lifetime There’s This Place: Dunure, Scottland Tahiti Share The Sail You Really Can Have it All The Barquentine Matthew Turner Going Your Own Way Cruising Cuba Coming Home... Not Always an Easy Thing to Do Zihuatanejo Sailfest Food, Glorious Food Richmond Cruisers’ Party

13 42 50 56 70 96 106 120 130 140 146 152 161

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Regular Stuff in this Issue Attitudes Bob Bitchin Outpost News Another Way Tania Aebi What’s Out There: Monohull -Elan E5 What’s Out There: Multihull - Royal Cape 53 What’s Out There: Power Cruiser - BluEscape Lifestyle Latitudes & Attitudes Weather Lee Chesneau Life Aboard Robin Stout Talk of the Dock Zuzana Prochazka Tech Tips Captain Pauly I Found It at the Boat Show Cap’n Cap’n Bubba Whartz Morgan Stinemetz Bosun’s Bag Mackie White Cruisians

8 22 38 64 66 68 84 110 134 102 138 144 165 175 188 190 197 198

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CRUISING OUTPOST (USPS 011-950) IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY CRUISING OUTPOST, 9353 Oroville Quincy Hwy, Berry Creek, CA 95916.

Periodical Postage paid at Berry Creek, CA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CRUISING OUTPOST, PO Box 15416, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5416.

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™

© 2018 The Bitchin Group, Inc.

Cruising Outpost 7 7/29/18 10:40 AM

Attitudes Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

By Bob Bitchin

I think I may have discovered the perfect political climate. In today’s world, that is not an easy thing. For some reason unbeknownst to me, politicians seem to live in a life of poly-tricks (that means many tricks).

Cruisers and liveaboards have a different lifestyle than land-slugs. And, in case you haven’t noticed, we are pretty much outnumbered!

Now, being a sailor, cruiser, or boater, the chances are you see things a little different than the majority of folks. Unfortunately, we live in a democracy.

No, don’t start screaming “commie” at me. That’s not what I mean. What I mean is this: For some reason, land-slugs like to tell people what to do, and when to do it, whereas sailors live by a different rule: Each person has their own way of doing things.

Have you ever noticed, when you go on someone’s boat you see things done differently than how you’d do it? And, if you are smart, you don’t tell them how you do it, because every Captain has his or her way of doing things. That said, there must be a right way and a wrong way, or so you would think.

But I remember about 40 years ago, when I was just getting into this “game,” stepping on board the Stone Witch. She was a 74’ square-rigged topsail schooner. All I saw were a buncha ropes. Yeah, I know, there’s no such thing as rope on a boat—but there is if you are a land-slug, which I was!

So anyway, there were all these ropes hangin’ down. It was a mess. After about three days at sea, as we sailed south towards Mexico and Guatemala, I figured I’d square the boat away and make the lines a little easier to recognize.

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I won’t go into the dressing down I took from the crew, who knew what each line was for, and they “used to know” where they were, but not after El Bitchin “cleaned it all up.” They couldn’t find a line.

Here’s the thing, on my boat I know where everything is. Another skipper wouldn’t have the foggiest. That’s because as you work on a vessel you find logical places for stuff. But it follows your logic, no one else’s.

Take something as simple as dock lines. Now, every boat has dock lines, right? So you’d think there was just one right way to tie up your vessel. But just wait until someone throws you a line, and you do with it what you think is right!

I remember this one time, pulling into Catalina Island for an event we were sponsoring. On Lost Soul we had our regular crew, and we also had Eric Stone and the band, with all his gear on deck. As we pulled along side the dock, Eric threw a line to someone standing on the dock. As soon as they had it in their hand they cinched it to a cleat. Unfortunately, we were still underway, at about two knots. When 42 tons of boat hits the end of the line, well, let’s just say there was a deafening “thud,” and we now had to contend with a gash in the hull.

It wasn’t really the fault of the “skipper” on the dock. He just did what he thought he was supposed to do. He and I did not think alike.

So, the next time you are on a friend’s boat, look around, see how they do things, and try to resist the temptation to tell them “the right way.” There is no right way. There is no wrong way. There is just “your way.”

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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Join the Outpost in Saying

“Welcome Back” to the

Join the Celebration! New Dates! February 1 Thru 15, 2019

On the following page s you will f ind spe cials on by-the-cabin charters, bareboat charte rs, dr ink s, me als and re sorts. The BVIs are “Ope n for Busine ss” and want you to see how they have come back , so you k now that now you can come back to the be s t sailing in the WORLD! WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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Come and He lp We lcome Back the BVIs Charles Tobias at Pusser’s says all of the Pusser’s restaurants and stores are open for buisiness.

Vinny from Corsairs on Jost Van Dyke is ready, able and willing to make your stay a fun one! Stop by and say “Hi.”

Cane Garden Bay awaits with its beautiful white sand beach and plenty of BVI hospitality!

De Loose Mongoose has been the home of cruisers for decades, and they are anxious to see you again!

Welcome Back to Paradise!

The people of the British Virgin Islands want to show us how well they have come together to rebuild their cruising paradise. For many years the BVIs have been home to the real cruising lifestyle. Now it’s up to us, the cruisers of the world, to come back and support them and to see how well they have recovered from the devastation of two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes. We need to do our best to show them it was worth the work.

What’s “our best” you ask?

That’s simple. We have to go there to support them and show that people are anxious to start cruising there

Marche´ Bar and Grill in Trellis Bay is a popular Beef Island spot and they’re back in business.

BVI Welcome Back Specials for February 1st thru 15th, 2019

10% Discount Off Rally Fees!

The Salty Dawg Rally from Hampton, VA to the Caribbean departing on 11/3, to arrive in the BVIs by 11/15. www.saltydawgsailing.org

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10% off all Instruction & licensing at the BVI base, location on Scrub Island. www.offshoresailing.com

Special rates during the event. www.proteuscharters.com www.cruisingoutpost.com

8/1/18 1:51 PM

Febr uar y 1 Thr u 15, 2019

Neptune’s Treasure on Anegada is ready for all comers! They offer great meals, tropical drinks and rooms for crew changes.

again. After the devastation by hurricanes Irma and Maria it was a hard fight to come back. The people of the British Virgin Islands joined together, and in just a few days had meals being served. Every day since Irmaria (the islanders’ name for the two devastating hurricanes) they have made progress. Now they are ready to invite “their people” (that’s us) back to the islands to see how well they have come back. Don’t let them down. As they say, “Be there or be square.”

Sail Your Boat, Charter or Join the Share The Sail Join the Welcome Back to the BVIs celebration from February 1st thru the 15th and see for yourself!

Sailing your own boat? You can still join the festivities.

The folks at the Bitter End Yacht Club are hard at it, and they hope to be open. We’ll keep you informed on our website!

The “Willy T” is moving to Great Harbour on Peter Island.

Be sure to stop by and say “Hi!”

The Anegada Reef Bar is one of the best places to stop for a cold one while visiting the island. Stop by and see why!

Scrub Island Resort is ready, able and willing to make your stay as good as it gets! All facilities are open and waiting!

BVI Welcome Back Specials for February 1st thru 15th, 2019

Free Night & Champagne Conch offers a “free night” stay aboard with free champagne to all charters during this event! w w w.conchcharters.com www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Aaaargh! Get your free 8oz Voodoo Rum Punch with a purchase of any food item. Ye be limited to 1 per customer, but that should do it! w w w.corsairsbvi.com

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He lp We lcome Back the BVIs

Sugar Mill Hotel will open in October and they are looking forward to seeing the cruisers.

Want to bareboat charter? Just about every charter company is offering special rates. Want to join our “Share The Sail” by-the-cabin f lotilla? Kewl!

Just go to the Cruising Outpost website at www. cruisingoutpost.com and select the “Share The Sail” drop-down menu to join the Outpost staff for a one-week cruise thru the islands.

We are planning a number of gatherings during the week at some of our favorite places. If you are chartering a bareboat or on your own boat, you can sign up to join the crew as we sail an itinerary to hit all of the places we have been going to for

Join Bob & Jody and the Outpost Staff

Share The Sail BVI Feb. 2nd - 9th Special discounted rates for the “Welcome Back to the BVI” event www.cruisingoutpost.com/sharethesail

Turtle Bay House at the Nail Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda is ready for your visit!

BVI Welcome Back Specials for February 1st thru 15th, 2019

20% Discount The Nanny Cay Hotel is offering a 20% discount during the event. A great boutique hotel. www. nannycay.com/hotel

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Save $250 on any new MarineMax Vacations power catamaran vacation booked bet ween Feb 1st - 15th, 2019. www.marinemax.com

$200 off Cruising Outpostʻs Share-The-Sail “By-the-cabin flotilla Charter” February 1st thru 15th, 2019 www.cruisingoutpost.com WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

8/1/18 1:55 PM

Febr uar y 1s t thr u 15th, 2019

The Road Town Ferry Dock is back open and ready to receive folks and help them “get around.”

years, like Foxy’s, Corsair’s, the Willy T., Leverick Bay, and Trellis Bay for the Full Moon Party. But don’t feel like you have to join the group. The hospitality in the BVIs is legend, and they are going all out to welcome all cruisers for this two-week “Open House.”

As we want to make it easy for you to see how well they have come back, here is a link to the very latest info on the islands: www.bvitraveller.com/ news. ​British Virgin Islands Traveller is a website dedicated to helping the BVIs recover by promoting travel and tourism after the hurricanes. They update

Leverick Bay will be the site of one of our ShareThe-Sail Parties while cruising the area!

Conch Charters are offering special rates to cruisers for this event!

Peg Leg’s on Nanny Cay is now open and serving meals and drinks on their beautiful white sand beach.

The North Sound of Virgin Gorda awaits cruisers and they are looking forward to this “Welcome Back” event.

BVI Welcome Back Specials for February 1st thru 15th, 2019

Daily Happy Hour in the North Sound, $4 Rum Punches & Painkillers, $1 off Beer, Glass Wine & Well Drinks. Everyday 4 - 7 pm. w w w.leverickbay.com www.cruisingoutpost.com

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50% Off overnight marina slip The 50% discount will apply to your entire stay.

Mention this ad at of booking (877) 890-7444.

Restrictions apply.

Valid February 1st thru 15th, 2018.

Stay updated with the special deals as they are announced by watching the BVI section of our Share The Sail area. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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He lp We lcome Back the BVIs

Maria’s Hotel is the place most cruisers stay when awaiting their boat - priced right and comfortable.

Myett’s Cane Garden Bay Irma Edition. They’re open daily with great food, drinks and a beautiful view. Come join them.

Scotland Villa in Smuggler’s Cove is again available for vacation rentals in Tortola on the northwest coast.

the site regularly to help keep you informed as all of the places we’ve grown to love “come back” online. You can check for the latest updates anytime you want to. The site was built by Chuck Metter of MetterDigital Marketing to help the people of the islands get the word out on how they are coming along. As you can see by the photos here, they are doing pretty well and are ready for us to come back.

Let’s not let them down!

Join us for the “Welcome Back to the BVIs Event in the British Virgin Islands Febr uary 1st thr u 15th, 2019.

The anchorage on Anagada is open for business. Sail out to the most beautiful island in the BVIs!

The anchorage in Great Bay on Jost Van Dyke is ready, able & willing to have you visit. Photo taken from Corsair’s

Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke is open for rum, jokes by Foxy and shakin’ your thing on the dance floor. “Come one, come all.”

The Soggy Dollar Bar in White’s Bay on Jost Van Dyke is ready, able and willing to welcome all back to paradise

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Febr uar y 1s t thr u 15th, 2019

Surfsong Villa Resort in Well Bay on Beef Island is a boutique resort with the privacy of a villa.

Cane Garden Bay has always been a refuge for cruiser’s and they are awaiting your pleasure!

The folks at Jost Van Dyke Scuba are now taking people out scuba diving and filling tanks!

Cow Wreck Beach, which is our favorite in the islands, is open for all with their “honor bar” and great burgers! www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost News

Outposters News If It’s Gonna Happen It’s Gonna Happen Out There Issue #24

Evening Edition

Fall 2018

The very first Cruisers’ Party

No More St. Pete Party Due to new ownership of the St. Petersburg, Florida Boat Show, after 21 years there will not be a Cruisers’ Party at the show. This was where the Cruisers’ Parties started, when Latitudes & Attitudes created the idea for a free party with beer, soft drinks, pizza and good music, to bring cruisers and the industry together. The last remaining Cruisers’ Party in the U.S. (we still sponsor them in the BVIs, Tahiti and other kewl places!) will be at the Richmond, California Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show next April.

Help “Welcome Back” The BVIs New Dates - February 1 thru 15th As you are probably aware, the British Virgin Islands were hit, and hit hard, by two Category 5 hurricanes in a row last year. It devastated most of the islands and affected all of the people who live there.

For the past year they have been “bringing it back,” and now they are ready to welcome all of us back to enjoy the paradise that is Mecca for cruising sailors. To that end, you will find plenty of “specials” on boats, rooms, meals and more during this event. You can read more starting on page 13.

Join the Outpost on a Catamaran!

Don’t have a boat? Just want to participate? Join the Cruising Outpost Share The Sail Flotilla! We have 8 boats with plenty of room. No experience needed! Each boat will have a staff member aboard to make it all the more enjoyable!

The Share The Sail Flotilla will be February 2 thru the 9th. We will visit most of the islands to see how well our boater’s paradise has come back!

Find more info on Page 13 or you can go to www.cruisingoutpost.com/sharethesail.

Nautical Trivia “Dutch courage.” That term has been around forever. But does anyone know what it really is or how it came about in the first place?

(Wanna cheat? Answer is on page 32)

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Cruising Outpost News To me, drinking responsibly means don’t spill it.

Lost & Found

Sailing from Hawaii to Bellingham, Washington this past June, Jim and Joy Carey were on the final leg of their 17-year, 70,000-mile circumnavigation.

Then, just 180 miles from shore, the worst happened; a storm rendered their 46-foot sailboat, Kelaerin, totally disabled, filled with seawater, and swept away their life raft. After determining they had no alternative, the couple activated their EPIRB and a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon, responded and rescued them. They were transferred to emergency medical services personnel with symptoms of hypothermia. The boat was left adrift and a notice to mariners was issued.

Along with the loss of Kelaerin, their home for the past 30 years, the Carey’s lost everything else they owned, including all the pictures and mementos from their 17-year around-the-world voyage. That is, until over a month later when the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Barracuda found Kelaerin while on routine patrol near Fort Bragg, more than 440 miles south-southeast from her position when abandoned. The Barracuda crew inspected the vessel’s seaworthiness and took it in tow toward the coast. A Coast Guard Station Fort Bragg 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew relieved the tow and moored the vessel in Fort Bragg. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders contacted the owners to notify them their vessel had been found.

How’s that for a happy ending!

Why So Tired?

Pretending to be a funtional adult is exhausting! www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost News Time to Face Facts...

Life is not a fairytale. If it’s midnight and you’ve lost a shoe, you’re drunk.

Most Popular Boat Names

Boat names can reveal a lot about the personality, passion, and life experiences of a boat owner. This year, BoatUS decoded the most popular boat names ordered through its online boat graphics and lettering service. They are: Grace Freedom Seas the Day Therapy Second Wind Serenity Perseverance Rum Runner Pura Vida Knot on Call Shenanigans Reel Nauti Kale Yeah Flounder Pounder Bite Me Ship Happens Shaken Not Stirred Mojo Risin’ Jolly Toots Penny Pincher One-upman Ship

Brite and Snappy

Star brite, a subsidiary of Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc, has announced the acquisition of Snappy Marine, Inc, a leading distributor of teak care products for the marine industry. By acquiring Snappy, Star brite immediately expanded its product offerings and market share. As an industry standard in teak care products, Star brite will be able to efficiently expand the Snappy product line while also positioning it for entry into homecare markets.

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Cruising Outpost News 2018 Lionfish Challenge

In dog beers I’ve only had one.

Hey Florida readers! Sign up quick for the 2018 Lionfish Challenge. You could win up to $5,000, all while helping rid Florida’s waters of the non-native lionfish. The competition started May 19, and participants have through Labor Day, Sept. 3, to enter catches via photo or by submitting tails to checkpoints located at select dive shops and FWC offices.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urges Sunshine State divers and anglers to register now at MyFWC.com/Lionfish. Participants who harvest FWC-tagged lionfish will receive a customized Lionfish Control Team long-sleeve performance fishing gear shirt. The first tagged lionfish that is removed from each of the 50 reefs will be eligible for monetary or product-based rewards.

Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific and believed to have entered Florida waters from an aquarium release. They are now established along the southeast coast of the U.S., Caribbean, and across the Gulf of Mexico. Due to its venomous spines, the invasive species has few predators and can negatively impact native fish and reef habitats.

In addition to the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water which donated $5,000 toward the effort, support for the program also comes from the American Sportfishing Association, Yamaha, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Coastal Conservation Association of Florida, the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Dive Rite, Narked Scuba, and Lionator Pole Spears.

The Key to Happiness “To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.”

― Carleton Mitchell

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Cruising Outpost News Sea Ray Closes Yacht Production The decision to discontinue Sea Ray yachts was a difficult one. Brunswick Corp. will better address changing market preferences and evolving demographics with its Sea Ray brand as it moves to shut down its yacht and sport yacht division. It will continue to emphasize outboard-powered models under 40 feet.

New Uses for Old Nets Discarded fishing nets have become a real threat to the ocean environment and the survival of many ocean species. Fortunately, some manufacturers have taken notice and are beginning to recycle these nets into products. Volvo has announced its plans to incorporate 25% fishing net product and recycled plastic into their manufacturing by 2025. Costa, the sunglasses company, has teamed up with the pioneer in recycled fishing net products, a company named Bureo, to make their high-end sunglasses. Hopefully more companies will follow their lead - a big step in the right direction.

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7/31/18 12:41 PM

Cruising Outpost News Woot Woot! boot Celebrates 50th Anniversary

boot, the World’s largest boat and watersports show, will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, and the demand for exhibit space is greater than in the 49 previous years.

The trade fair will be held from January 19 - 27, 2019 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Even though boot is 50 years old, it remains young and relevant, keeping up with trend sports like surfing on the five feet high and 29.5 feet wide wave, or diving in the new Dive Center. For 2019 trend themes will include “fractional ownership” which was introduced at boot 2018 and will be expanded.

The sailing segment at boot 2019 will include a new feature: the organizers of the Clipper Race will present their exciting regatta, which keeps adventurous sailors busy on busy on the world’s oceans for 11 months. It is open to both professional and amateur sailors.

At the last staging in 2018, 1,923 exhibitors from 68 different countries occupied 2.3 million square feet in 16 halls. 247,000 visitors came to Düsseldorf from 102 countries 110,000 people experienced “THE WAVE” and 1,500 of them surfed the five feet high and 25.5 feet wide standing wave.

For further information on visiting boot 2019, visit www. boat-duesseldorf.com. For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at www.traveltradeint.com.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost News Running Out of Time Despite the fact that there are less than 30 animals remaining, the small and highly endangered vaquita dolphins failed to receive an “In-Danger” designation from UNESCO World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They put the status on hold until next year, delaying any action to protect the species which is found in the waters of the northern Gulf of Baja, Mexico. The rapid decline of the vaquitas is blamed on gill nets and illegal fishing practices in the Gulf. It is currently estimated that without protection, the vaquitas will be extinct within three years.

WWII Mystery Solved Divers from a United States expedition team identified the remains of the D/S Octavian, a Norwegian freighter reported missing in 1942. The wreck lies 70 miles off Cape May, NJ. For decades historians believed that the Octavian was sunk by German submarine U-203 on January 17, 1942 off Nova Scotia. So what is it doing off the coast of New Jersey?

Officials concluded that the Octavian was sunk by German submarine U-123, not U-203. According to logs from the U-123, the submarine would go on to sink four additional ships off Cape Hatteras, NC, and damage a fifth.

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7/31/18 12:41 PM

Welcome Back To The BVIs

Newe!“SHARE THE SAIL” t a D Feb. 2nd - 9th, 2019 Reserve Early This Will Fill Fast!

This is a by-the-cabin flotilla Share The Sail event.

We supply the catamarans, food, fuel, insurance, and a staff member. Everyone shares the piloting, navigation, cooking, sailing, and events.

Join Bob and Jody and the family and friends of Cruising Outpost welcoming the BVIs “back online!” Spend 7 days and nights cruising the beautiful British Virgin Islands. We will have events with live music, drinks and pupus at a number of cruiser hangouts and join with other cruiser’s to Welcome Back The BVI’s

Live Music

All boats are catamarans and offer double cabins with en suite heads.

Come and sail the most popular sailing grounds on Earth!

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Wanna See About Joining Us? www.cruisingoutpost.com/sharethesail Email: Jody@cruisingoutpost.com 510-900-3616 Cruising Outpost 31

8/4/18 1:25 PM

Cruising Outpost News No One Gets Out Alive

Here-in Lie the Culprits

“A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.

Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.”

― Webb Chiles, Sailor

We all know that plastic waste is choking our oceans, killing aquatic life and forever altering pristine marine landscapes. But did you know that a whopping 95% of that comes from only 10 individual river systems, eight of which are in Asia?

Dr. Christian Schmidt, of the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, says, “The 10 top-ranked rivers transport 88 to 95 percent of the global load into the sea.” Among the top plastic polluters are the Yangtze River (727 million lbs,), Xi, Dong and Zhujiang rivers (233 million lbs,) and the Ganges River, from which 1.2 billion lbs. of plastic waste flows every year.

Nautical Trivia

(Answer to the question on page 22) So, some of you may have deducted that “Dutch Courage” is alcohol. Ding ding! Give yourselves a pat on the back. Better yet, have a drink! But wait... Where did the term come from, and why? “Dutch courage” referred to the alcoholic drinks that the crews of Dutch merchant ships had before they headed up the Thames into London, where the population was starving and plague ridden.

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Cruising Outpost News

I’m happily medicated for your safety.

Not Just for Land Yachts Anymore Winnebago, the RV manufacturer, has purchased the venerable Chris-Craft Company, which dates back to 1874. Chris-Craft is famous worldwide for the beautiful, open cockpit, mahogany-hulled powerboats they built from the 1920s through the 1950s. Their current lineup includes stern drive and outboard power-boats from 21 to 38 feet. The goal for Winnebago is to expand beyond motor homes and travel trailers into an outdoor lifestyle products company.

Three Strikes and He’s Out Niall Macdonald of Scottland was rescued 500 miles off the coast of Massachusetts after starting his third attempt to row across the North Atlantic Ocean.

After 36 hours in rough seas he had abandoned his 24-foot rowboat, which was taking on water, launched his liferaft, and set off his emergency radio beacon. He was picked up by a Dutch cargo ship heading for Canada.

Macdonald first attempted to row across the North Atlantic in 2014, but aborted the attempt only a few days out when he injured his back in rough seas. He called off his second attempt last year after waiting six weeks for a decent weather window which never arrived. He has decided three tries are enough and this one would be his last.

The Three Stages of Life I’m at that awkward stage the stage between birth and death.

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Cruising Outpost News Power to the Boaters A recent editorial in BoatU.S. Magazine brought some important information to our attention: According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation contributes $374 billion to the American economy each year. This equals 2% of the U.S. gross domestic product, higher than the motion-picture industry. Why is this important? Because it gets the attention of policy makers like Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Interior, Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the EPA, and others whose decisions affect boaters. They know recreational boating and fishing and marine manufacturers are significant employers and contributors to the American economy. Our voices will be heard. Get active and get out and vote!

More on the BVIs Share The Sail Flotilla For those who are interested in joining the Outpost Staff in the British Virgin Islands in February, here’s a little more information about what is happening.

Air fares are low, and we are discounting the cost to join us by $200 per person for this event.

The cost for sharing a large and comfortable catamaran, with a double cabin, is just $2600 pp, double occupancy. That includes the boat, insurance, provisions, fuel, and of course, the events and parties!

For over 20 years we have been doing these events all over the world: Greece, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, the BVIs, the Grenadines, Antigua, Croatia and more. We have had over 1,000 happy sailors (and a grouch or two!) sail with us to see just what the cruising lifestyle is all about.

This event is special. This is to help bring back the economy of the BVIs. They have rebuilt, and we at CO want to bring a bunch of folks to help them continue to recover, and to have one heck of a sail and party while doing it.

To that end we will participate in a number of events, dances, and entertainment at some of the most well known and beautiful spots on Earth. Got your own boat or want to bareboat charter? You can still join in on the fun. Just be there! More news at www. cruisingoutpost.com/sharethesail.

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www.cruisingoutpost.com

8/1/18 4:30 PM

Cruising Outpost News ACTIVE PIRACY REPORT from the ICC - A Narrative of the Most Recent Attacks (as of press time) July 10, 2018 - Sandakan Port, Sabah, Malaysia: Unnoticed robbers boarded a berthed tanker, stole ship’s properties and escaped. The theft was noticed by the duty crew on routine rounds. Incident reported to the local agent who informed the port police and PFSO. Local police boarded the tanker for investigation.

July, 05, 2018: 1640 UTC - Batangas Anchorage, Philippines: During routine rounds, duty crew onboard an anchored gas tanker noticed an unauthorized person on the forecastle deck. He immediately informed the duty officer. Alarm raised, crew mustered and a search was carried out. Upon checking, ship’s stores were reported as missing. No unauthorized persons found onboard. Incident reported to local Authorities.

July 03, 2018 - Around 220nm SW of Bayelsa, Nigeria: Duty officer onboard a tug noticed a fishing boat lowering a long skiff into the water. The skiff with four to five persons onboard started approaching the tug and closed in to a distance of 0.5nm. Master raised the alarm, increased speed and headed into the swell. Several attempts were made by the skiff to get closer to the tug, but failed due to the rough weather. After following the tug for over five hours the skiff moved away.

July 03, 2018 - Chittagong Anchorage, Bangladesh: Eight robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored bulk carrier using ropes attached to hooks. The robbers took hostage and tied up the deck watchman, stole the aft mooring ropes and escaped. Incident reported to local agent.

July 03, 2018 - Lagos Secure Anchorage, Nigeria: Duty AB on routine rounds onboard an anchored product tanker noticed a boat tied up to the anchor chain and alerted the bridge. The AB sighted a robber approaching him and retreated into the accommodation and secured the doors. Master raised the alarm, SSAS activated, distress message sent, patrol boats informed via VHF, crew mustered and ship’s whistle sounded. Upon hearing the alarm, the robber escaped. Two patrol boats responded to the calls and searched the area.

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7/31/18 12:41 PM

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7/28/18 12:01 PM

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Cruising Outpost 37 7/19/18 11:59 AM 7/28/18 12:01 PM

Another Way Even if you try to focus on solutions, not problems, sometimes problems are just too huge. About a month ago, I was in the middle of the ocean where you can really feel the immensity, the power of heaving swells, the way a tranquil flat calm can turn into choleric wind-whipped breakers in a matter of hours, the reliability of its capacity to be the boss of everything. It’s a place I have been returning to ever since I was a teenager, reconnecting with this force. You’d have to be a zombie if being at sea didn’t make you feel something amazing.

On this particular passage, I got seasick for some hours spent wondering what was wrong with me. I like my house, being dry, land. Why would anyone ever willingly jump at the chance to be in a tilted hunk of plastic pounding through walls of water, hanging over the lifelines and wanting to be anywhere else but there? This despair was soon followed by a bipolar upwelling of emotion I attempt to describe as an enormous gratitude for being given the chance to know the ocean compounded by a great love for it. As usual, when illness passed, awe was restored, and it lasted until I saw a familiar sight among the waves. Not a dorsal fin, not a lollygagging mola mola, not a spout, nor a big ship on the horizon, but a bobbing, shriveled handful of silvery plastic.

Yet another helium balloon.

Increasingly, the awe has been accompanied by a profound sadness. The sea is not just a force to be reckoned with, but also the last true wilderness, and for millennia, humans have been treating it as if its ability to absorb our interference were infinite. In my lifetime, proof this isn’t really true has revealed itself from off the most populated coastlines to hundreds of miles from anything.

I don’t know how many articles, books, speeches, movies, news stories we need to see and hear to believe that even the mighty ocean is vulnerable to the relentless consumption of a humanity that puts itself and its needs before all else.

“Need” is a very loose term, too. Why did anyone ever invent the helium balloon? Why would anyone buy them for graduation, birthday, Father’s or Mother’s Day? Only children appreciate for more than a minute the silvery plastic being magically lifted skyward by a gas that is also a finite resource, while these horrible things float on

38 Cruising Outpost pg 38-39 Another Way.indd 2

oceans everywhere forever. Nobody “needs” this stuff except for the manufacturer’s bank account. Can’t imagine a single child or grownup has ever suffered from being denied a helium balloon.

Recently, my sister said I wasn’t angry enough, that I needed to resist the power and money hungry political climate rolling back all kinds of environmental and humanitarian progress we’ve made. But, is anger ever the answer to anything? When the engine starts coughing just as you’re heading up a channel, will anger help?

When the wind suddenly clocks on the nose and you can’t make directly for your destination, will anger make the idea of tacking better? No need to answer, these are real problems that can be solved with calm action and rational approach—and some patience, tools and spare parts. But, what can I do about filthy beaches aside from trying to gather what I can? What can I do about helium balloons floating on the ocean other than try to scoop them up, put them in an overflowing dumpster destined for a landfill once we make landfall? If just one scapegoat is needed, helium balloons make me angry. Very angry.

You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the Pacific gyre, the area of concentrated plastic debris occupying a space in the North Pacific somewhere between twice the size of Texas and Russia. Look at a map of the world to see how big Texas is, not to mention Russia.

Sobering. Then, if you read about the Pacific Gyre, you will also see gyres exist in all the oceans, vast areas where major currents bring all the trash together. And, most of this garbage is plastic, from appliances and boats to tiny broken down pieces of toxic waste that gets into all sea life and eventually, through the food chain, back into us.

If you don’t know it takes hundreds, if not thousands of years, and maybe even, forever, for plastic to biodegrade, then you’ve been living under Mount Everest, which is also getting plastered with rubbish. The highest mountain in the world is now a garbage dump. Craziest of all, most of the virtually irreversible damage we’ve done has happened in the last 90 years, when plastic first started feeding our mad consumer culture. Ninety years is all it took to reach critical mass.

And, by critical mass, I mean this: Several years ago, we were sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. A thousand WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

8/2/18 11:19 AM

miles from both the Canaries and Caribbean, we were motoring through a flat calm when I went to the foredeck to take a bath. Leaning over to fill the bucket with sea water, I noticed unnatural-looking floating matter. Not plankton or small suspended bits of sea life, but plastic shreds hanging just below the surface, a cloud that went on and on and on. I wanted visibly plastic-free water and waited. And waited. And waited. Mile after mile after mile, we kept cleaving a bow wave through this speckled water. In the fabled middle of nowhere, the ocean water was too full of crap for me to delight in a bath.

Sailing across the Indian Ocean thirty-two years ago at the age of 19, I encountered my first gyre of plastic debris floating at, or just below, the surface. This ghastly sight left a huge impression. I wrote about it in my logbook, then book, and spoke about it for years. I can still remember a younger me, filled with the recent wonders of Sri Lankan memories and the success of stopping a stern tube leak, being thoroughly dismayed by the spoilage of floating jerry cans, lines, bags, and bottles.

This past spring in the Caribbean, another sight on a much larger scale left another massive impression, especially since I, and all my years of sailing and chartering and leading groups on sailing vacations around the world has made me completely complicit. In the wake of the hurricanes of 2017, hundreds of fiberglass

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boats—cruising, charter, fishing— now litter coves and anchorages, flung ashore by the storms. These former sailing vacation facilitators are huge hunks of plastic, filled with foams and fabrics and metals and ever more plastics, all hard to carry off in a plastic bag. What will happen to them? They won’t rust away into nothingness or rot like steel or wood. Will the islanders find some sort of equipment that can lift the plastic skeletons and carry them off to . . . off to where? A grinder? A boat cemetery?

These coastlines will not return to the idyllic places of sand, beach plum, mangrove and palm trees anytime soon.

Not in my lifetime. I have to come home to clean my road sides, take care of my family, worry about another invasive heading for the warming norther latitudes. What can I do about this mess? There’s no easy or practical fix. Faced with such enormity, anger still does nothing.

On this last passage, the helium balloon was the straw that unleashed tears, for the first time ever not for me feeling sorry for myself in another situation involving obnoxious weather, or a broken something. Sitting on the stern of the boat, gazing out over the last great wilderness, the tears came, like the Indian beholding piles of garbage in the commercial campaigning against litter.

Melodramatic, perhaps, but heart breaking. Literally. It was a visceral pain felt for my role in the cumulative effect we’re having on a force that had once felt so indomitable.

Cruising Outpost 39 8/2/18 11:20 AM

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Cruising Outpost 41

7/31/18 5:19 PM

AT L A NT I C C R O S S I N G England ahead.

Canada behind.

Greenland to port.

Brazil to starboard.

Jessie is “overly enthused� to see land

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7/24/18 10:26 AM

Today marks our halfway point across the Atlantic ocean. Dead center between departure and destination.

By Jessie Zevalkink

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pg 42-47 Jessie's Atlantic Aventure pt II EditedBySue.indd 3

I strip down naked and put on my favorite outfit, an American flag onesie that I bought in Charleston, SC four years ago.

I remember walking out of the store into a swamp of humidity, wondering WTF I just spent $58 on. A tiny piece of material that awkwardly fit my body. It’s a high-waist cut, making my already short torso appear shorter. It wedges up you-know-what in both the front and the back. It smashes my already small boobs smaller. For some reason I have an insistent desire to wear it every 4th of July. And so I have. Today is year four. Despite its’ offensive fit, I’m beginning to think that it was, indeed, a wise purchase.

It also happens to be my favorite holiday. Fourth of July. I am celebrating my favorite day of the year, in my favorite outfit, in a gale, in the rain, alone.

I’ve set up my self-timer to document this historic moment. The camera hangs from a sail tie in the companionway and oscillates with the swells. I take at least 37 self- timed photos before I get one with all body parts appropriately placed either inside my leotard or outside of the photograph. I smile big. It’s genuine. I am having a blast.

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AT L A NT I C C R O S S I N G Luke’s father greeting them in Falmouth, England

44 Cruising Outpost pg 42-47 Jessie's Atlantic Aventure pt II EditedBySue.indd 4

I prance around on deck to reef the main. Straps fall down my shoulders. Wedgie in full effect. It’s raining. The waves are… 10-12 feet. The wind is building and I don’t tether in because I am invincible (or dumb) in my American Flag suit. It howls 38 knots. We surf down swells at 11.3 knots. Four hours pass and this could be the first watch that I am not ready to be over, although I can’t wait to wake Luke up. I’m ready to party.

A wave strikes the starboard side violently. My body stiffens and my eyes widen under the assumption we have hit a whale.

The savage wave wakes Luke up in a panic before I get the chance to. He admits to seeing me through the port hole as I was flopping around on the deck reefing the main. I am disappointed to hear this because in my mind I situated the sails with grace and coordination. With the body of Pamela Anderson. In reality, I tripped and held onto the mast for dear life. I struggled to uncoil the halyard in the body of a 12-year-old boy.

I play Chris Stapleton again; this album has become our sound track. I extract our highest quality ingredients.

The kinds that scream “wealth” and “celebration” - imitation lobster and a can of Trader Joe’s Vegetable Soup. It takes all four of our hands to prep holiday lunch. I hold the pot and start the burner. Luke opens the can and dumps it in the pot. I keep the contents from spilling out over the edges and the flame from starting anything else on fire. Luke gnaws at the plastic packaging of the fake lobster and rips it open. We work hard to stay

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in position. Just when I think I’ve found my balance I lose my suave as a wave lifts me and I smash my hips into the knobs on the stove.

We lavish in “fresh lobster soup” and “ice cold champagne.” We high five. We cheer. We are kids.

Another wave breaks over the cabin top and into the galley dumping gallons of water directly on my head. I stand there soaking wet wondering why the ocean just did that to me. How rude. The ocean laughs at me. Luke laughs at me. It takes me a moment for me to laugh at me.

This is the greatest 4th of July with the shittiest weather I have ever had. I struggle to rest because, well, we’re halfway across the ocean and this is awesome.

Three Days Until Landfall I’ve been curious about what happens to those who spend days, weeks, months at sea. My time frame will amount to 17 days at sea, and 86 days in the water from Michigan to England. With these days has come a composite of understandings. There has been a marriage of calculated decision making and luck. Luke and I have been able to cross this ocean with ease, unbuttoned, with wind at our back and manageable seas.

I have felt a collection of emotions, but shockingly, “scared” has not been one of them. I walked into this a warrior, ready to face eternal rest if that’s where the ocean led us. Dramatic yes, the chances of death are

Celebrating landfall with friends & family in Falmouth

Sunny passage from the Scilly Isles to Falmouth

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Cruising Outpost 45 7/24/18 10:27 AM

AT L A NT I C C R O S S I N G

Luke waiting on Jess to kayak to shore, St. Agnes, Scilli Isles

Desireé peacefully anchored in St. Agnes Bay

Local birds and beers at the local pub “Turks Head”

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slim… however, preparing for an ocean crossing forces you to imagine yourself in every bloodcurdling situation.

I was ready to meet God, or have some sort of divine enlightenment. Ready to redefine my idea of fear. Ready to inflate the life raft. Ready to sink into troughs of mountainous waves and feel the fire hose spray as we reached the peaks. I don’t know what I thought, but I expected it to be far different from its reality. However we are not there yet. I don’t dare speak too soon about my epiphanies.

One hundred miles till landfall. We are wide awake when we spot the light of iconic Bishop Rock through the mist. This is it. This is landfall.

My superstition is telling me to be very careful.

We’ve made it this far unscathed. It’s not too late to mess up. Luke is at the helm having so much fun and I’m a little jealous because I am taken by the anxiety of rocks. We have a 20-knot breeze just off our port stern, and are flying along at seven knots though midnight mist. Luke is a happy man. I sit aside him an anxious woman. The depth sounder is reading off 70, 60, 50, 40 feet. Through the spurts of rain and washed-out moon we make out sections of rock off our port side. I stare diligently at our GPS because I can’t see anything else, and read out course changes as we navigate the south side of the Scilly Isles, just 50 miles off the coast of England.

We turn hard to port and head northwest into St. Agnes Bay. I crank over the engine and drop the sails. Luke steers us in. Half a mile into the protection of the surrounding rocks, everything goes silent. The wind lets us be. The mist refrains and the clouds begin to divorce. A patchwork of stars and a blanketed moon cast light on the anchorage. We set the anchor twice before we are able to trust. On round two, we are rooted to the earth.

Only two other boats in the neighborhood. I want to go wake them up and tell them what we have just done. I want to call my family. Dance with strangers. Run around naked. But I don’t.

Instead I go to the bilge and retrieve our last two Budweisers that I hid from Luke.

We sit in silence and taste the joy of stillness, the pleasure of untroubled waters.

Each bubble of carbonation brings with it a sigh of relief, accompanied by a grin. Nothing significant needs to be said. We are safe. We are proud. We smell the sub-tropical earth and www.cruisingoutpost.com

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float in a pond under the stars. I can’t wait to see where we are when the sun wakes. We sit closely in the cockpit until first light. By 5:00 a.m. we are, for the first time in 17 days, able to lay down and sleep together.

We did it. Everything. Is. So. Still. We black out.

Come morning I title my time at sea: “World War Me” and I admit to the egocentricity of this title. A drunken brawl with my psychological self. In combat with my physical self.

A dogfight with environmental wellness. A duel with mother nature. Cyclical rounds of punishments and treats. Genuine panic and delight. Internal angst and ecstasy.

Mind over matter is what I faced, and it’s not a particularly attractive face. Just when I was convinced my mind was too weak, something reminded me that “World War Me” wasn’t that hard and I needed to calm the f*** down because we were perfectly fine. I’d collide with gratitude and all of a sudden find myself tearing up at the sight of a gannet diving for its supper.

These ventures are not intended to last forever. They are simply earnest curiosities that must be understood, ravenous appetites for something more difficult than the life of convenience to which most of us are acclimated.

I take home with me the exact same woman who left 86 days ago. Who feels fiercely about attempt at bravery.

Seeking flexibility. Avoiding unfavorable influence. And the ability to create our own opportunities.

Jessie marks her territory in her favorite outfit

St. Agnes anchorage.

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The Trip of a Lifetime to

Easter Island

Jeff Wahl, S/V Just Passing Wind

We have all heard about faraway places, but instinctively know that we will never be able to get there. These are places like Spitsbergen Island, Nor way, Antarctica, or Easter Island the places that are so remote that you don’t even put them on your bucket list.

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Well, we had the unexpected opportunity to fly to Easter Island. That’s right, I’m writing about flying to a remote island in a sailing magazine. I knew that we would never be able to sail to Easter Island and have always heard the stories about the hazardous coastline.

So, I just tucked that thought away and dreamt of realistic places that we could visit, like the Galapagos Islands, the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, etc., etc., etc. You know, the doable places.

While walking the docks at Marina Taina, Tahiti, we happened to overhear someone commenting that another boater had flown to Easter Island. Of course, I said, “What? How much?” For the low, low price of $600 US (each) we were on the next plane to Easter Island.

The flight from Tahiti flies and returns every Tuesday morning. The hardest part of the whole experience is making the 3:20 a.m. flight.

After a pleasant five-hour flight on LATAM Airlines, formally LAN Airlines, and a five-hour time zone difference, we landed in the early afternoon on Easter Island. Like kids in a candy shop we started walking and looking around. In awe, we saw our first Moai (the head statue) in downtown Hanga Roa, a mere three blocks from our motel, Taha Tai. Hotel rooms run from $80 to $180 US. Being the adventurous ones that we are, we signed up for some Island tours. Over the years I have found that I can learn a lot more, and much faster, from listening to a guide and asking questions, rather than hibernating while reading several books. We did read an overview of the island’s history from a great book, A Companion to Easter Island, but it all comes together when someone is pointing out the location in front of you and the small details that would have been overlooked, and telling the back stories.

We saw Bird Island, where the annual Birdman Competition was held to elect a new leader for the next year on Easter Island. Driving around the island, taking in the barren landscape that was once completely treed, it reminded me of western South Dakota with the lack of trees and the open prairie. Although there are several tree groves on the island now, the tour guides can quote which year every tree was planted.

The island is lined with hundreds of Moais. Some Moai are in groups and some just out there by themselves, representing the 18 clans that claimed their territories on the island. I really found the quarry with new Moai in different stages of development to be interesting.

Surrounding the quarry were some 300 more Moai waiting to be moved to their new, permanent location.

The island is only 64 sq. miles, so most everyone had to get along. But, as resources were over-taxed by the

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The Trip of a Lifetime

excessive population growth, the clans got restless to the point that the short ears (lower class) had enough of the long ears (upper class) ruling the island. Unrest probably came about with starvation. Almost all the Moai were tipped over and destroyed as the population imploded.

From reading the history of the island, we learned there were still plenty of souls living when the Dutch discovered the island in 1722. Sadly, over the centuries to follow, with whalers bringing small pox and European diseases, the population was decimated. Then, to top it off, ships from Peru came to enslave all but 111 of the remaining population, and took the new slaves back to Peru to work the mines. Unfortunately for history, those enslaved were the elders with the knowledge of the history and folklore of the island.

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Needing a relaxing laidback week, we found it on Easter Island, as the island is known to the world. The official island name is Isle of Pascua; the natives call the island Rapa Nui. This island is so laid back that the horses even graze in the cemetery. Love it.

During our week stay we were able to walk every street of Hanga Roa, the main town on the island. It would be very easy for the island to boast. They grow the largest flowers I have ever seen, and they have lots of shops and plenty of restaurants.

While traveling we love to eat where the locals eat. This is not the case on Easter Island. I do not remember seeing even one local in any restaurant. You need to remember that this is a small town, making it very easy for the locals to walk home for lunch. This island is built on the tourist trade, so a “cheap� hamburger is $20 US. Other islands could learn how to expand their tourism service and hospitality from visiting Easter Island. We found several young couples on their honeymoon. The town is exclusively for travelers. While we never found a five-star restaurant, almost every restaurant would qualify as a three- or four-star. As such, with being an island that produces nothing, all food stuffs (supplies) are flown in. A warning: be prepared for menu shock! We were forewarned of the high food prices, so we brought along

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Easter Island a jar of peanut butter. You would be surprised how well a simple peanut butter sandwich takes the edge off. That, and sharing the oversized meals, helped us cut our food cost in half.

The service was superb everyplace we went - from restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops, dive and surf shops, and museums - the locals knew their tourism. Even though we speak mostly English, we had no problem getting translation almost every place we visited. We loved the national park signage being written in both Spanish and English.

Even though Easter Island is part of Chile, you do not see much Chilean influence.

Always keeping a weather eye, we saw seven sailboats come and go around the island during our stay. Most of these boats landed on the island once or twice while getting rested up to head on west. No sailboat stayed for more than a few days - after finding out how rugged the coastline is, in addition to the ever-changing weather, they leave. During our week we saw two nice bluebird days, two rainy days, and for the balance we had wind from 15 to 35 knots which changed direction daily. We found three sailboats that had been craned onto the yard after having bad luck with the coastline. One will never be made sea worthy again and two have complete rudders being shipped in. There are no chandleries and only limited trades on the island. The southern coast takes the blunt of the blow with the swell coming directly from Southern Ocean storms. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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In 1993, Kevin Costner made a film, Rapa Nui, about the history of the island. The influx of money brought with the filming helped locals be able to purchase homes and other niceties. The island was settled by the Polynesians from the west on their Pacific expanse. The island inhabitants are working on keeping the Polynesian culture alive.

A must-see is the Polynesian dance show at Kari Kari, a high energy performance.

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The Trip of a Lifetime

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Easter Island We have been seasonal cruisers since 2005, starting with the dream of cruising the world seasonally.

Someday the dream will become full-time upon retirement, if retirement ever happens! For 2018, the plan is to continue to explore French Polynesia. From our base in Marina Taina, Tahiti, we plan to cruise the Tuamotus and the Society Islands. Easter Island was an unexpected week-long bonus to our dream. Sometimes you have to take advantage of low laying fruit and expand your experience.

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pg 56-57 Blue Water Sailing School.indd 2

7/29/18 10:57 AM

pg 56-57 Blue Water Sailing School.indd 3

7/29/18 10:57 AM

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7/27/18 1:13 PM

There’s This Place:

Dunure, Scotland

By John Simpson

Welcome To The Land Of “Outlander”

Dunure was a quaint place to visit last winter. It’s situated six miles south of Ayr, and it felt just like the kind of small fishing hamlet you would expect to find in northeast Scotland!

Surprisingly though, there was an unexpected amount of activity whilst I was there with part of a film set being built for the “Outlander” series.

Like Maidens slightly further south, both these harbors were very successful during the 19th century with excellent fishing grounds; until fish stocks started to decline in the early 1970s.

There used to be a railway (closed during Dr. Beeching’s cuts) called the Dunure and Maidens Light Railway – built about 1905.

It was mainly to serve the Turnberry Hotel but probably would have been used by the fish trade to get their produce to market. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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There’s This Place: Dunure, Scotland

Dunure is a tiny little harbor; one I’d looked into visiting whilst coaching at Cumbrae. This was before realizing, quite sensibly, it would be difficult to dry out a fin keel yacht here.

The moorings in the harbor are set up on long trots to keep the boats away from the walls.

Geographically, to any sailor’s eye, the answer why craft are kept away from the side is self-explanatory: Dunure and Maidens have shallow bars and are impossible to enter at LW (low water aka low tide).

Dunure is roughly level with the southern tip of Arran. Any strong prevailing southwestly or westerly, even northwesterly wind can make it almost untenable to enter without local knowledge due to this long fetch. And then

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indeed, it’s a difficult lie alongside a wall (particularly the tiny basin at Dunure) with any large or massive swell!

Local Scottish fishermen who worked all-round their coast regularly overcame these sorts of problems back then; they still do now…

There were quite a few sailing boats on the hard, and a solitary inshore fisherman working from the harbor. Harbor charges are very reasonable.

It’s still a lovely, unspoilt village; but for most sailing or boating enthusiasts, the weather needs to be calm or kind for them to visit, with a type of shallow craft that can dry out or possesses beaching legs. This probably keeps away many potential sailors...

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Cruising Outpost 63 7/24/18 2:53 PM

What’s Out There?

Cruising Monohull

If you are looking for a comfortable cruising monohull that has a regattawinning spirit, the Elan E5 could be the boat for you. Use your boat for cruising and enter the beer can races too.

Some of the features that enhance this vessel’s performance include a retractable carbon fiber bowsprit, a genoa furling system, a keel-stepped mast and an adjustable split backstay.

The E5 features clean lines and a distinctive exterior with hard chines, twin rudders and twin wheels, a carefully tuned sail plan and a comfortable cockpit with a teak-covered seating area.

Optimized for shorthanded sailing, the interior meets the most demanding requirements for both comfort and luxury. The furniture, made with a natural oak veneer, is conveniently designed to offer both space and comfort.

The fully-equipped galley make meals easy to prepare, even underway.

If you’d like more info on this very comfortable cruising vessel, just go to: www.elan-yachts.com.

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Elan E5

Get all the facts: www.elan-yachts.com/ Elan E5 LOA

39’ 3”

LWL

36’ 11”

Draft (standard/option) Beam Displacement Power

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pg 64-65 Elan E5 EditedBySue.indd 3

7’10 / 6’4” 12’ 8” 17,100 lbs.

38 hp Volvo

Fuel

34 USG

Fresh Water

73 USG Cruising Outpost 65

7/24/18 2:54 PM

What’s Out There?

The Royal Cape Catamaran’s Majestic 530 is truly an outstanding cruising catamaran. From concept thru delivery, the development team focuses on fundamental features like safety, style, space, and stability while maintaining Category A Safety Certification.

Wide walkways with solid stainless steel rails, roomy flybridge and cockpit, hardtop bimini, watermaker, air conditioning, and full sail package are just a few of the standard items. First class amenities

66 Cruising Outpost

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Cruising Catamaran

in the beautiful and spacious interior, large bridge deck, galley, salon, navigation center, en suite cabins and impressive master suite with king berth make it comfortable underway, while at anchor and for living aboard. Also, the semi-custom build of the Majestic 530 gives buyers an opportunity to design a dream yacht with personal touches that meet their lifestyle.

No boat in this category can boast the space, comfort and affordability of the Majestic 530. Want more info? Go to www.royalcapecatamarans.com.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/24/18 2:55 PM

Royal Cape Majestic 530

Get all the facts:

www.royalcapecatamarans.com

Royal Cape Majestic 530 LOA 53’ LWL 49.2’ Draft 39” Beam 28.2’ Power two 80hp Volvo Penta Fuel 320 gal Fresh Water 220 gal Displacement Capacity www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 66-67 Royal Cape 530EditedBySue.indd 3

18 ton 12 persons Cruising Outpost 67

7/24/18 2:56 PM

What’s Out There?

The BluEscape 1200 is the first model in a new line of power cruisers by Delphia Yachts.

It was designed to make everyone on board feel comfortable, which is the best word to describe this new design. Cruising on this boat allows you to feel like you are in a luxurious apartment while spending time on water.

The hull features a combination of unique and modern, with large open decks and a roomy cockpit.

The interior reflects the latest trends of design, offering a panoramic window and large cabins.

68 Cruising Outpost

pg 68-69 BluEscape 1200EditedBySue.indd 2

Power Cruiser

The BluEscape is easy to maneuver, which can be further enhanced with the bow and aft thrusters available as options. The shallow draft gives you the ability to explore “skinny water” areas and get into shallow harbors like you find in the Bahamas.

Delphia Yachts was launched in 1990 by two brothers, Piotr and Wojciech Kot, and has become the largest yacht builder in Poland and the third largest in Europe. You can get a lot more info on the Delphia BluEscape line, as well as others in the Delphia lineup, at www.sjyachts.com.

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7/24/18 2:57 PM

BluEscape 1200

Get all the facts:

https://www.sjyachts.com

BluEscape 1200 LOA 40.85’ Hull Length 39.37’ Draft 2.76’ Beam 13.98’ Power 50-220 hp Fuel 80 US gal Fresh Water 80 US gal Waste-Water Total Weight www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 68-69 BluEscape 1200EditedBySue.indd 3

40 US gal 18,739 lbs Cruising Outpost 69

7/24/18 2:57 PM

Entering the pass into Bora Bora

Herding Cats 10 Catamarans, 90 People Sailing the

Most Beautiful Area on Earth

By Bob Bitchin with unwanted comments from Jessie Zevalkink, Zuzana Prochazka, Eric Stone, Tom Brownell, Lisa & Darren O’brien, Andrew & Sharon Gober, and Jeff Inshaw. (comments are color coded. This is the key!)

Ran into some our readers while anchored on the back-side of Bora Bora 70 Cruising Outpost

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7/24/18 3:03 PM

Jumping for joy off the Jessie & Katie boat

in Paradise

Twenty years ago, we did our first Share The Sail in the Sous le Vent area of French Polynesia. That trip included the islands of Raiatea, Taha’a, Huahine and Bora Bora - AKA paradise! So, when we decided to do our re-birth, what better area than that? Working with our old friend Scott Farquharson from Proteus Charters, we soon had seven boats reserved. Kewl!

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7/24/18 3:03 PM

Herding Cats in Paradise Entering Huahine

Jody, Jeff & Debbie enjoying an afternoon

Brian & Stephanie pretending to like each other... lol

Dorothy from Berry Creek enjoying the view in Bora Bora

72 Cruising Outpost pg 70-79 Tahiti Share The sail EditedBySue.indd 4

Using iNavX to navigate

We announced the event and were kinda surprised at the response. In just a couple weeks we had almost 90 people signed up. Quick calculations told us we were gonna need more boats. After a lot of negotiating we ended up getting a total of nine boats, all large catamarans.

Now, as many of you may know, getting to paradise is never an easy thing. With the airline price increases, the transportation had doubled in cost; but, everyone managed to get it arranged, and on the 28th of June, 89 people started arriving in Raiatea.

Olivier was the temporary manager at the Dream Yacht Charters base and was very helpful. But you can imagine trying to get the nine skippers and 89 people onto nine boats, as well as provisioning and making sure everyone had snorkel gear. Then there was the chart briefing. The chart briefing was fun. It was supposed to be just the skippers, but we ended up with about 75 people jammed in for the briefing.

That said, by about 2:30 p.m. the boats started to leave the docks and head out into the jade green waters of the lagoon that surrounds Raiatea and Taha’a. We spent our first night anchored behind the reef next to the pass we would use the next day to head over to the island of Huahine. We had one local skipper we had hired, as we didn’t have enough staff for all the boats. (Hey, we are a small company, remember...lol.)

The boats headed over to the anchorage next to the pass. The anchorage was calm, located just inside the reef, and the water was a warm 85° F. After a quick swim, we dined on cheeseburgers in paradise and had an early evening as people tried to catch up on the sleep lost in getting to Tahiti.

Before leaving the US we talked with the folks at iNavX, which is the navigation system we wanted to use on this trip. We downloaded the app and charts, and as it turns out, on the boat we were on the nav system was located below decks, and the steering above decks. The fact we had iNavX really made a difference! www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/24/18 3:03 PM

The Polynesian damcers at the Mahina Lodge in Huahine

The crew of the Bob Boat heading to a dive spot The sail (I use the term loosely!) from Taha’a to Huahine is about 22 miles. In the morning, the winds were light and variable as we headed out the pass. The boats left on their own time. The first left about 7:30 a.m. while the Bob Boat had a leisurely breakfast, downed a quart or two of surprisingly good coffee, and took a morning swim.

Leaving the pass, we hoisted the main and started motoring across the 22-mile gap. Surprisingly the wind did start to pick up, but only hit about 8-10 knots. We angled off to the north and hauled out the jib. We were able to make about 6-7 knots; the course was 90° off, but it felt so good to sail we just let her run for about an hour.

After we got on the right course and started motorsailing directly to the pass we noticed the seas were huge, like over 25 feet, BUT they were almost 30 seconds apart.

We barely felt them. As we approached the island we saw they were breaking large on the reef.

Huahine has to be one of the best places on earth for a boat, or should I say best places at sea? In any case, it is a beautiful island. As we cautiously motored around the inner reef we saw that most of our fleet was already in and anchored.

Some of the people decided to take a tour while others swam and snorkeled. Then then there were those who spent the day visiting other boats and swapping stories.

With nine boats there is always plenty of variety and options for hangout areas. However, the most popular place seemed to be the Huahine Yacht Club.

Some of the stories centered on equipment issues aboard the older boats (it’s not uncommon that charter boats are “sailed hard and put away wet”). We felt a little left out of the conversation as our boat, Kiwi, a 2017 Bali 4.5, was perfect. So we started complaining that if you didn’t push the button on the large stand up refrigerator/ freezer just right, the ice-maker didn’t work. I got punched in the shoulder a few times for saying that!

The crew on the Bob Boat split up, with the majority going ashore to take a tour of the island. Jody and I jumped into the dinghy and headed over to the Zuzana www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 70-79 Tahiti Share The sail EditedBySue.indd 5

Kim Hess-Stone, aka Yoga Kim, meditating in Tahiti

Drifting down the lagoon in Taha’a

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7/24/18 3:04 PM

Herding Cats in Paradise Just a portion of the people who attended the Cruiser’s Party at Bloody Mary’s in Bora Bora. This was the third time we hosted a party here, and it was FUN!

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Boat, for intellectually stimulating conversation of course ;). After a few minutes we headed across the entrance channel over to the Jessie Boat.

The crew on the Jessie Boat, soon nicknamed the “Babe Boat,” had Jessie, Katie, and Tabitha (my granddaughter) and her boyfriend Chris, as well as Brian and Stephanie from St. Augustine, and David and Teresa Conlon.

Why did we call it the Babe Boat, you ask? Well, when you see the photo taken on the bow, you will have your answer.

Somehow three to four hours passed, along with about a half-dozen cold beers (each). Just before sunset

we were joined by the crew of the Eric Stone Boat and the Lisa & Darren Boat. We gathered on the foredeck for a photo of the group, and soon we were all heading back to our own boats for dinner and to enjoy a beautiful tropical evening at anchor in a very calm and protected lagoon.

The next day we had an adventuresome motor up the narrow and sometimes challenging inner reef. About halfway up to Motu Mahara, we anchored off the island and swam or dinghied ashore.

Once ashore a very nice local named Ziggy welcomed us, and soon was leading the ladies on a “Jody Walk.”

Jody is notorious for long walks. He had the ladies climbing a lava-rock wall barefoot, and they all loved it.

Jessie, Katie, DadBob & granddaughter Tabitha

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Herding Cats in Paradise to the island of Taha’a. Taha’a sits just north of Raiatea and The beach was beautiful, and the snorkeling was great. is one of the least visited but most beautiful islands in the We spent an hour or so on the beach, then made our group. It is the only island that you can circumnavigate way back to the boats and headed further up-island to without ever leaving the lagoon. We carefully negotiated a sleepy lagoon, where the Hotel Mahana Huahine was busy arranging for our Tahitian barbecue and Polynesian our way around the island, avoiding the numerous reefs, and settled on a pristine anchorage dance show. where the water was such a bright The evening was magical for all aqua that just looking at it made it eighty-six people who arrived after hard to focus on anchoring. anchoring in the picture-perfect That afternoon and evening, lagoon. The Mahana was the perfect people visited between boats, swam, location for this event. The food was snorkeled, and enjoyed the warm beyond compare, and so far above clear waters. On the Bob Boat what we expected as to be almost The shark dive in we dined on fresh sashimi, sushi, ludicrous. There were so many Bora Bora was a and seared tuna steaks. We had a Polynesian specialties you couldn’t big hit! great mix of people from all over fit them on the plate, and the tropical the US and Canada who spent the drinks were plentiful. evening under the stars and getting After dinner they brought out a group of Polynesian dancers to entertain us. The show was to know each other. The Z Boat proceeded with Hinano calisthenics until all biceps were bigger and stronger. excellent, with local dancers showing us the dances that We spent the whole evening looking out at the island have been a part of their society for hundreds of years. of Bora Bora, just 23 miles away, and watched the sun set The dancers were great, and the sounds of the Polynesian behind our next destination. Bora Bora is one of the most drums filled the building and wafted out over the lagoon treasured islands in the world. to those who were anchored out.

In the morning the boats gathered and started on The next day we wound our way out of the tight the crossing to the magical island. Now, I gotta tell ya, channel to the opening and made our way about 22 miles

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7/24/18 3:05 PM

leaving the western pass out of Taha’a is a true religious experience. Without a visible landmark you get to negotiate between a green and a red buoy (and in Tahiti, it’s “Red Wrong Returning,” or “Green Right Returning”).

Once you pass between the buoys, you then get to guess the correct direction to miss the 13- to 15-foot breaking seas on both sides of you.

Okay, there are those who have done this who will say, “What an idiot, there are bearing markers on the island you can line up.” To Tabitha in a great these doubters I should add, we left photo by Jessie in during a squall and couldn’t see over Bora Bora 100 feet. Add to that 10- to 12-foot rollers were pushing us out the pass, and you will get a small idea of the true fun we were having. But, somehow, all nine boats made it, and we were soon in a 20-mile washing machine with some of the most mixed up seas and little to no wind. What fun!

We were the sixth boat to exit the pass. We hit one giant wave on the way out that was at least 30-35 feet (it was more than half the height of the boat’s 68-foot tall mast), which gave everyone onboard quite a thrill! It made the reported six- to seven-meter seas on the crossing tame by comparison.

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It was rocky and rolly as we motored with our mainsail up to try and level the boat. But, being a catamaran, the motion was kinda fun, rocking side to side while rocking forward and aft. Still, we all managed to make it through the channel without puking, and we were soon anchored in a beautiful lagoon.

Here, the crew of the Bob Boat dove in and swam to where one of the hotels was doing a shark feed, and we were surrounded with sharks and rays. It was a great afternoon.

In the morning we motored around the small island and over to where Bloody Mary’s is located.

After a quick trip to the town docks to reprovision (gotta get more rum!), we headed over to Bloody Mary’s to tie up at their dock, so we wouldn’t have to stumble too far after the party. We have been going to Bloody Mary’s for almost 25 years now, and it is our favorite place on the islands.

They have four moorings for guests, so we had to split up, with some cruisers at anchor and others on the moorings. The Z Boat did the march up the hill behind Bloody Mary’s for a great aerial view of the reef below.

All survived.

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Herding Cats in Paradise It was another magical night. The weather was perfect, night was as beautiful as it could get, with little-toand the people at Bloody Mary’s bent over backwards no clouds and millions of stars overhead, including to make this one grand event. At 5:30 p.m., the bar was the Southern Cross. We all got a kick out of Jeff and invaded by 86 of us. At 6:00 p.m., the Debbie’s kids, who kept texting photos music starring Eric Stone began. The from the Boston fireworks. drinks were good, and the food was Early the next day the crew loaded great. It was buffet style, with more food into the dinghy and headed across the than anyone could eat (even me!). reef to the dive spot where giant bat rays Many of the people in our group were known to hang out. They were were in Tahiti for the first time, and huge, some as big as ten feet across. this was their first time seeing the A little later we headed over the Southern Cross constellation. So, when shallows and up to the last anchorage Eric started to play “Southern Cross,” in Bora Bora for some swimming, the sand dance floor was packed with snorkeling, and diving. We pulled into barefoot cruisers in their finest aloha the most beautiful clear water we had shirts and tropical dresses. seen this trip. It was only about six feet Twenty-five years ago, Jody and I deep, but a few yards away you could first sailed in and met Craig, who runs stand in four feet of crystal clear water.

Stand-up paddleboards Bloody Mary’s. This is the fourth time While there, the originator of the in Bora Bora we have brought a group in for a party Spectra Water Maker system, Bill there. But this year, we were surprised Edinger, kayaked over to say hi. He’d to meet the original owner, who started Bloody Mary’s 43 sold the company to Katadyne a couple years earlier years ago. and was now cruising on his custom trimaran. He was There are no words to describe how great this party anchored less than 50 feet behind us. How’s that for a was. We had the perfect weather, the perfect group of small world? cruisers, and Eric Stone live, filling the large palapa-style The crews of the Outpost fleet all loaded into dinghies restaurant with tropical sounds. to motor around to the outside of the reef for some more There were at least a dozen after-parties going snorkeling, and to see the eagle rays. Meanwhile, Dorothy late into the night aboard the various boats of the fleet. and I stayed aboard and had bat rays and huge fish Midnight skinny dipping was involved, but as we all surrounding the boat while we fed them bread. It was a know, what happens in Bora Bora truly magical spot. As a matter of fact, never happened. the snorkeling at the backside of the reef In the morning the four boats that was the best anyone had ever seen, and were on the seven-day Share The Sail there were a lot of experienced cruisers headed back to Taha’a and Raiatea, while who have dove all over the world, and the remaining boats, on the ten-day they all agreed: This had to be the most event, did a little shopping in town. We beautiful anchorage and snorkeling Eric & Kim Stone then headed around to the pass and the anywhere. Period! backside of Bora Bora. One couple on In the morning, it was time to head the Bob Boat had reservations at the Four to see more of paradise. We motored Seasons Hotel on the reef off Bora Bora, so we decided this around to the Bora Bora Yacht Club to spend the night would be a good place to anchor and spend the night. If it’s there. We reserved a table on the dock at the club and good enough for the Four Seasons, I guess we could hang dinghied in for a good meal... or so we thought. awhile, right?

For some reason, which we still have not figured Since we were one of the seven-day boats that left out, the normal meal time we expected, about an hour, in the morning, we decided to come clean and admit the quadrupled. After watching a great sunset, we were pretty truth: the ice-maker on our boat worked great! And I have much ignored all evening. As cruising is a vocation that to admit, every time we used it I could hear Bob’s voice in takes patience, we were pretty much okay with it all, but my head: “I can’t recommend decadence as a way of life, we did notice that table after table would come in, get but it has worked for me”! served, finish, and leave while we waited.

That night, being the Fourth of July, the barbecues The next day we sailed (motored actually) out the were all busy turning out burgers and hot dogs. The pass, and made our way back to the island of Taha’a.

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We found a decent anchorage near the Coral Gardens, which Captain Zuzana said was some of the best snorkeling she’d seen, and soon her point was proven. It was truly beautiful.

That night was Debbie’s birthday on our boat. We’d known about it before leaving the states, so Jody packed candles and paper plates with a birthday theme and brought them with us. In town she bought one vanilla and one chocolate pound cake, and while no one was looking she piled one on top of the other, with a layer of Nutella between them, and then frosted them with chocolate frosting. That night we toasted Debbie’s birthday in style.

Once again, a magical evening.

The snorkeling was so good that when we awoke the next day we decided to go out again before we pulled up anchor. Next, we planned to sail out the Paipai pass, and south to Vaoaara Bay on Raiatea, where there was to be a dance competition in a small village on the western coast.

We decided to use the inside passage and, using just our gennaker, sailed between reefs following the red buoys on the island side and staying inside the green buoys to the outside. There were some passes that were pretty narrow, but that made it all the more exciting. It took less than an hour to make the four miles from where we anchored off Taha’a to the anchorage on the west side of Raiatea.

As we approached the anchorage we saw the Jeff Boat and the Tom Boat on moorings and slid into a mooring nearby. As the sun set, the drums started and the bay was filled with the sounds of Polynesian rhythms. It was surreal.

By nightfall there were four boats moored, and the crews went ashore to see the “dance-off” for the island of Raiatea. Each island has a dance-off to choose the best dancers from that island. Then the winners from each island move on to find the best from each island group, like the Society Islands, Tuamotus, Marquesas, etc. The winner of this contest will move on to the world championships in San Diego, California!

Sitting under the stars aboard our catamaran, hearing the drums, and looking up at the Southern Cross was about as good as it could get!

But all good things must come to an end (Why is that, Captain Ron?), and in the morning we all headed out to return the boats on the northern coast of Raiatea. Fueling and unloading took only an hour or so, and soon everyone was heading in multiple directions. Some were staying a few days in Raiatea, some (like me and Jody) had to get back ASAP so we could get this issue put to bed, and others f lew to Moorea, Papeete, or back to Bora Bora to extend their time in the area.

It was hard to say goodbye. Many of the people from this event have participated before in our Share The Sails - we even had people who were at our very first one, 20 years ago, right here in the most beautiful cruising area on earth, the Society Islands of French Polynesia.

Our next event is in the British Virgin Islands. Join us, won’t you?

Sunset while anchored on the backside of Bora Bora. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Herding Cats in Paradise Another View The Tahiti Share The Sail Through The Eyes Of Our Outposters

Sharks, Mantas & Rays

From the distance we saw the magnificent monolithic structures that make up the skyline of Bora Bora. We arrived and anchored off the island after a magnificent sail through 8- to 12-foot swells.

We dinghied over to a cruising boat from Vancouver, Canada. “Did you hear about the manta rays here?” Wow, manta rays? Where? When?

“Over there by the shore around 8 a.m.”

The next morning we had a quick coffee, jumped in the dinghy, grabbed Nadine and Ken and headed to the spot. We found a dive boat so figured following them was a good bet.

We handed over our smelly bag of five-day-old tuna to feed the mantas. We were a little nervous about swimming around with it in waters with sharks and rays.) The scuba divers entered the water and were soon out of sight.

No way were we going to see any mantas. We decided to head back to the mother ship and then we saw a couple of local guides taking out snorkelers.

We swam over and looked down—there they were. Giant manta rays swimming around—five or six. Magnificent creatures.

Our adventures on Bora Bora continued. We took the dinghy with Noel and Nadine to shore and walked about a kilometer down the beach. We entered the water and caught a ripping current.

What a ride, and beautiful coral. As soon as Val got in the water, a large blacktipped shark cruised by. Immediately she gave the universal hand signal for shark. No one else saw the shark. What a thrill!

The next visitor was a large barracuda who watched us intently and then swam off into the deep

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By Valerie March

blue. Then, “Val, eagle ray.” Sure enough, an eagle ray circled us, and then, two more.

After an amazing morning of snorkeling, it was back to the mother ship. The captain and crew raised the anchor and Curie, captain and crew, sadly left Bora Bora and headed for the open seas towards Raiatea.

It was a beautiful sail to Raiatea—a sail that makes your heart soar. Little did we know that we were about to enter “reefer madness” as Dennis, our scribe, described it.

“What’s going on with these markers?” Quick reverse, then oops—crunch. We were hard aground on a coral head. After much debate and good effort, we almost got off, but it wasn’t going to happen.

The big motor cat rescue boat arrived with four handsome and fit Polynesian men who only spoke French. Stan to the rescue!

He seemed to have unearthed his childhood French from Montreal.

We were af loat again and moving; everyone needed a stiff drink. There was lots of conversation as we all settled in to enjoy the sunset.

After a morning trip to the pearl farm, we went back in the afternoon to snorkel nearby. Stan, Houston, Ken and I anchored about 100 metres northeast of the hut. It was a beautiful reef, but then Val saw a large shark cruise by.

It might’ve been a grey shark or bull shark. Shark signal once again on the head and lots of yelling, but no one else saw it. Do they believe I saw a shark two days in a row while snorkeling? Houston and Ken decided to get out of the shark infested waters and headed for the dinghy. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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The dance competition was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So authentic—not some cheesy show put on for the tourists. Truly a celebration for the local village. Beautiful French Polynesian costumes.

The most moving performance of the evening was the one celebrating Mother Earth; a massive Polynesian woman simulating giving birth with the entire community celebrating joyfully.

It was a short motor back to the Dream Charter Yacht base on a rainy day - a bad weather front coming through. We were very fortunate with the weather during our 10-day adventure.

It was really terrific to meet Bob and Jody after so many years of reading Latitudes & Attitudes.

Great folks who’ve led and are leading a life of adventure.

Chaos & A Turquoise Paradise On the dock—Curie, our 55’ Catana catamaran isn’t ready. Jody’s pissed and so is Marie. No ice. Meetings and greetings amidst confusion and chaos, nobody is allowed on their boat. Provisions are unaccounted for, it’s getting hot, and luggage and crew are piling up on the dock. Confusion and chaos, until we shove off, then the starboard steering idler falls off.

Anchored four miles out, fix idler.

Swim. Fresh tuna for dinner with wicked wasabi among gorgeous, lush, green, mountains and motus.

Up early for full Strawberry Moon and sunrise at 6:34. Heading to Huahine this a.m. with wind on the nose and nine boats. Smiles are spreading.

Our group: Jeff and Marie, Noel and Nadine, Craig and Houston, Stanley and Val, Dennis and Marlene, and Ken. Jews, Protestants, Catholics, Agnostics and an Atheist.

Democrats and Republicans. Gracefully ageing hippies and a cop. And Houston.

Craig fixes breakfast of sausage and eggs and Nadine does spaghetti dinner for 11, most of whom have never met before. Hang out, swim, tan, and drink, while anchored in a turquoise lagoon off Huahine for a beautiful moonrise.

Lazy Day on Huahine—Banana pancakes for breakfast, then eight go to shore to shop. Swim, snorkel, snooze, and then off to dinner with Tahitian dancers at local restaurant… “How did they do that and what did I just eat?” Love the lack of organization as far as “flotilla” goes… Our boat, Curie, feels free. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Dennis Mullen

Now what? Pulled anchor at 7 a.m. Off to Taha’a for vanilla and pearls. Beautiful day with following winds and seas, hanging off the bow with “Rollin’ Blues” under my feet. Tied to a mooring ball in an absolutely gorgeous Taha’a lagoon for a swim before dinner. Stanley leaves on an SUP and returns with ukuleleplaying local leader who entertained and brought limes.

Bora Bora. The water is over 9’000 feet deep on the way here and we are riding waves that are over our heads and vertical, with Bora Bora getting closer and closer and greener and greener. What a chunk of rock. Bora Bora is 5.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide with a chunk of basalt jutting 2,835 feet into the clouds, and there’s only one way in and one way out through the ring of coral that surrounds the sapphire lagoon.

Michener was right…Bora Bora is the prettiest place on the planet. Eleven people, strangers becoming friends, working together for a South Pacific sunset with steaks and garlic mashed potatoes is as good as it gets…dishes and all…anchored off Bora Bora, halfway around the world. This dream trip of a lifetime is 10 times better than I expected and Marlene is beautiful. We are going to Bloody Mary’s tomorrow night, but Marlene is beautiful here tonight, here on Bora Bora.

Mauruuru to Bob and Jody for putting this all together, to Jeff and Marie for captaining Curie, to the crew of Curie, and most of all, to Marlene!

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Herding Cats in Paradise

Diving In The Islands

By Tabitha Lipkin

During our Tahiti Share the Sail, I took a different approach to seeing what the French Polynesian waters had to offer… I took a peak below the surface with Top Dive.

When you imagine Tahiti, I know you’re thinking about the palm trees, over-water bungalows, and Mai Tais that put even the best bars in the world to shame, BUT, you should also take a moment to realize it hosts some of the most biologically diverse species on the planet.

My first dive was in Papeete the day I arrived. I spent most of the day exploring with my new friends Rolfi (our driver), Jessie, Katie, and my boyfriend Chris, looking at the diversity of the land and markets. Little did I know that the best diversity was about a 20-minute boat ride outside the reef to “White Valley”.

“We saw a tiger shark this morning,” said my Dive Master Franc. “I hope we see it this afternoon.”

Franc was expressive and very happy to help me film my experience, fully preparing my GoPros and his for our excursion.

Top Dive had arranged a private dive with just me, Franc, and our captain. The three of us descended to an immediate greeting of HUNDREDS of blacktip reef sharks… several schools of fish… and one very curious lemon shark. No tiger shark on this dive. The waters were so warm and clear, and I was having such a fantastic time - I looked down about 40 minutes in at my computer and I couldn’t believe how fast time had f lown. This was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

My second dive was scheduled for several days later in Bora Bora. The morning was foggy with pink and purple undertones from the sunrise. My Dive Master Enzo picked me right up from the dock of Bloody Mary’s to take me to see the manta rays. It was about a 25-minute boat ride to the other side of Bora Bora. There, we were not the only divers… But after a few laughs with Enzo I knew we would have the most fun.

“When you see the manta ray, lay low, they don’t like the big movements and will come closer if you’re still,” Enzo said.

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Another View

Before I could do any of that, we spotted a manta ray almost immediately upon descending. The sheer size, grace, and stillness of the water around the ray felt like a sign of good luck.

To which it was… Before the end of the dive we saw a total of five different rays about the size of a pickup truck within a span of about 40 minutes, each equally as awe-inspiring as the next. People always ask me, “Weren’t you afraid?” No. Mantas have almost no way of harming you. They’re big gentle giants. Their tails don’t sting. They’re not aggressive, and they bring a sense of calm to the ocean.

Next time you visit French Polynesia, take in all you can above the surface, but don’t forget to see what’s below as well.

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7/24/18 3:15 PM

Lifestyle A Look at Why We Do What we Do

Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Lifestyle section folks from all over the world give an insight into what it’s really like out there. If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? We prefer you send a digital pic, in as high resolution as you can. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken. We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide!

Email to: Lifestyle@Cruisingoutpost.com.

By Chris, Key Largo sunset at Upper Keys Sailing Club

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By Raymond Muzika, Fragata ARA Libertad, near left, Alexander Von Humboldt II, Charleston, SC

By Heather Shine, S/V Cerridwen and crew

By Greg Sage, Pacific Northwest

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By Joe Perez of Joe & Ted during Westpoint Regatta rounding Alcatraz in SF Bay

By Gary Czarnecki of 51’ Formosa S/V Eagle in Catalina Island’s Avalon Harbor - very rare to be there all alone!

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

By Ian Davies, standing watch somewhere between Fiji and Vanuatu

By John Simpson, River Colne, Ipswich

Taylor Swift helping friends off boat

By Gordy Cox of Gordy and crew on a Moorings 4800 in Bora Bora

St. Pete’s Four Dock crew on Wardwick Cay, Bahamas: from the left - S/V SE of Disorder, S/V Z-Raye, S/V Sanitas, and S/V Orion at the far right www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Brian Camper, Folsum Lake, CA

By Bill Gregan on Key Largo’s Bayside

By Jessica, crewing in Maine

By George Johnson, sunset at Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club, Brooklyn, NY

By Jeff Reiner

By Bonnie Severt of sailboats preparing to transit the Panama Canal

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By Pierre Allemand of Emmanuelle sailing in Switzerland

By Mark Gonsalves, Abacos

By Capt. Ron, S/V La Vie Dansante, Harvest Moon Regatta, Gulf of Mexico

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By Lauri of Captain Chock from S/V Free Spirit, with crashed Japanese Zero Fighter plane on Ollet Island, Maleolap Atoll, Marshall Islands

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?Â

Brian and Alisha, the view from Sausalito

By Ken Peckham, Hurricane Hermine took a bite out of this poor boat

By Dave Stahnka, Roberton Island

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Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

By Jeff “The Mouth that Roared” of the Winter FPYC Winter Regatta

By Bob Hemstreet of Abra Cadabra on 4th of July

By Jim Guthormsen of Family Island Regatta in Georgetown, Exumas in the Bahamas

By R. Holiman, of Mary & Michelle cleaning the boat, Florida

By Laura Ehlers on a brisk October morning, Lake of the Ozarks, MO

By Paul Cleary, sunset in South Carolina on Church Creek www.cruisingoutpost.com

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By Conn Williamson, trying out our new MPS sails on Jasmyn, a 1982 Amel Mago, Magnetic Island, Queensland

By Alexandra of Alex at Coco Bay on Green Turtle Cay - “It’s like looking down on Heaven”

By Cindy Holden of bird guests

By Gary of Kenai Peninsula in Alaska

By Murray Abbott, Toronto, Canada

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By Nate Kraft, Pacific Coast of Mexico

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7/24/18 3:18 PM

By Bob on S/V Orion abchored in Spanish Wells

By Daniel Bowman of Jake Bowman at anchor, Virgin Gorda

By Gary, Spirit of Sobraon, Malaysia & Borneo

By Mark Wareham, taken on the northeast coast of Newfoundland

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You matter - unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light... then you energy!

By Donna, BVIs

By Don Boger

By Don Wray, of his first hat from Latitudes & Attitudes.

By Charter Subscriber Drew Whitler, CO

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By Earl on a Kentuky lake

By Charles Bukowski, Jost Van Dyke

By Captain Mambo, hard at work in the Bahamas

By Mike, Lake Tashmoo, Martha’s Vineyard

By David Birken of Virgin Gorda

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Yes, You Really Living The Lifestyle

It’s a debate that’s been raging for years, as old as feminism itself: Can women have it all? A family, and a career? Throughout the long history of this ongoing struggle, there’s one very important subset of the population missing from the “Having It All” discussion.

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Can Have It All

With Kids & Business

It’s a demographic defined not by gender, but by lifestyle.

A group frequently ignored, marginalized, and forgotten, but one that may be able to settle the debate once and for all, for all genders. I refer, of course, to cruisers. Can cruisers really enjoy a successful career and a

By Devon Thurtle Anderson

successful family life? Can cruisers “have it all”? The answer is: absolutely.

When S/V Mobert set out from Seattle in 2017, it wasn’t our intention to “have it all.” In fact, our work and family lives had been so imbalanced for so long that our primary

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Yes, You Really Can Have It All

cruising goal was abandoning work completely to focus on our two girls, who were four and six at the time. In other words, we wanted to become what all great cruisers are: glorified bums. I’m happy to report that we were wildly successful in that endeavor. For three months, we cruised the stunning wilderness of Southeast Alaska, filling our days with family hikes, family whale-watching, family fishing, family cultural experiences, and family, family, family. The girls began to thrive in the security and stability of our new, ever-present family unit, and life was good.

As fall approached, we turned south again, and started our three-month journey to the Sea of Cortez.

There, we spent an awe-filled winter snorkeling, swimming, and exploring, all together, all the time. We thought we’d grow sick of each other, but instead our adventure further fortified all aspects of our happy little family, bringing us closer together than we ever knew was possible. I watched the girls grow and blossom, making astonishing improvements in their confidence and maturity. After six months, we had done it: we finally achieved the strength and stability of family we’d spent the last seven years desperately over-working to achieve on land. We certainly didn’t “have it all” in the work/family sense of academic feminist dialogue, but our family was strong and thriving.

As 2017 came to an end, Rich (my husband) and I started discussing the idea of adding work back into our lives. At first, it was more of a joke than a serious proposition. And then an opportunity arose. The former owners of SeaTech Systems were retiring and looking to sell the business. SeaTech’s focus on communications and connectivity for cruisers was a perfect fit for Rich’s technical skills. He was already helping our cruiser friends select, install, and troubleshoot their satellite, AIS, and radio systems. He did it just for fun (and for the occasional free margaritas). Making a business out of it was no great leap. We didn’t realize it, but we were about to “have it all.”

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Kids & Business

The leap was deciding to continue cruising while running our new business. If balancing work and family back home was difficult, how could we balance the two while also making passages, working on boat projects, and dealing with the reality that marina wifi pretty consistently sucks? As with all challenges in life, these challenges presented opportunity. We would be selling equipment designed to keep cruisers connected; surely we could solve these problems for our own business. If not, how could we claim to provide solutions to other cruisers?

So, we entered into negotiations to purchase SeaTech Systems, and simultaneously put the business model itself to the test. For three weeks, we cruised the Sea of Cortez with almost no cell or wifi as we negotiated the purchase and sale agreement. We emailed contracts back and forth, reviewed financials, and finalized and signed the agreement, all via the satellite systems we would soon be selling. The test was a success, and come closing, we were ready to dive in!

That three-week negotiation period also presented the challenge and opportunity of testing our newly forged family bonds. Could they withstand the weight of work? Admittedly, the workload during that time wasn’t overwhelming, but it gave us the inkling that we’d need to reorganize our family foundation to make room for the work to fit in. So, we set about rearranging the pieces to make everything fit.

The test of our family came in January 2018, when we closed on our purchase of SeaTech Systems. Immediately, we flew to Seattle, and just four days

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Yes, You Really Can Have It All

later we were exhibiting at the Seattle Boat Show. Seattle was our home turf, so the girls were able to stay with grandparents during that nine-day whirlwind of a show.

After seven months of 24/7 togetherness, the time apart was both trying and rewarding. Although we missed each other, the girls were able to express their feelings in words and kind actions, rather than the screams and outbursts that plagued them during Rich’s and my former careers. At first, the family bonds stayed strong. But, having only owned the business for two weeks, we couldn’t yet claim that we “had it all.” For that, our familial and business success would have to endure the test of time.

Within a month, we returned to Mobert in the Sea of Cortez and picked up cruising right where we left off.

Although we enjoyed the wildlife, scenery, adventure, and people in the Sea of Cortez immensely, it was time for us to continue south. In what was now nine months as nomads, we’d met many other kid-boats and developed close relationships with a few in particular. With those close few, we made plans to spend the summer and winter of 2018-2019 slowly making our way south through Central and South America. Our trip back to Seattle put us several hundred miles behind our little kid-boat fleet, and we were eager to catch up and see them again.

By this time, we were well-adjusted to cruising.

Unfortunately, that didn’t necessarily make the next adjustment any easier. After going from workaday landlubbers to lazy, carefree cruisers, we now had to find a way to be both: workaday cruisers, if there even was such a thing. We really didn’t know if it was even possible, and our families were even less confident. But, we were determined to make it work.

Maybe a little too determined. We knew from the last few months that we had a strong foundation for our family, and we knew from the last 10 years of our careers we we had a strong foundation for our business. Where we consistently failed, since the day our first daughter was

100 Cruising Outpost pg 96-101 Cruising with Kids & Business.EditedBySuendd.indd 6

born, was trying to put the two together. And, we had to figure it out quickly, or else our entire purpose for cruising finding a balance in life that put family first - was in jeopardy.

At first, our strategy was to simply take as many of those family and business foundational pieces as we could, like little click-together building blocks, and cram them together to make one questionable superfoundation.

We achieved this by doing as much work as possible on days that we had internet, because otherwise how would the business continue to run on days we didn’t have it? Then, on days we didn’t have internet, I mostly just panicked and couldn’t enjoy myself, our family, or our travels, because who knows what important work we were missing? We quickly discovered what should have been obvious, because it was the same mistake we made in our prior lives: cramming in the work was necessarily prioritizing work over family. Our foundation was imbalanced in favor of work; it was ugly and haphazard and unsound; and it was sure to crumble.

So, we started making adjustments. Some of those adjustments were technical, such as upgrading our cellular, wifi, and satellite connections to maximize internet connectivity. Other adjustments were interpersonal, such as leveraging the girls’ newly developed maturity and sympathy to teach them that interruptions were not permitted during phone calls and certain other work activities, and to further assure them we’d give them our full attention as soon as those activities were done. Other adjustments simply involved time management and realistic goal-setting to ensure our blossoming business remained thriving and beautiful, and didn’t overgrow into a snarling, raging beast.

It took a few months, and a lot of experimentation, but ultimately we found our balance. And now, for the first time in my life, I truly feel like I “have it all.”

Admittedly, a few of those click-together foundational blocks are not quite secure, or they’re out of place, and

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7/28/18 11:16 AM

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the foundation is ugly in small places if you look closely; but the structure is sound, and it improves every day. We focus on our work while the girls focus on school, and we take days off to ensure there’s plenty of time for tours, beach days, and boat projects. We’re never quite caught up with all of it, and as long as we’re responding promptly to customers, friends, and family alike, we’ve learned that’s okay. After all, what would we have to look forward to tomorrow if we finished it all today? We’ve learned to prioritize people over income statements, and family above all. We’ve learned that we never could have “had it all” without giving it all up to establish that family foundation first. And most importantly, we’ve learned that anyone - women, men, cruisers, and even land-lubbers - can absolutely have it all.

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Life Aboard

Liveaboards and Cruisers Gather to Volunteer

While chatting with some other cruisers and liveaboards at a Brai (South African BBQ/Pot Luck) on a beach in Martinique, we were surprised to learn that many cruisers schedule their season around being in Antigua for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Why would cruisers and liveaboards be so interested in a race? We had to learn more.

How would we find out more information? Volunteer of course, and that we did.

The Classic Regatta began in 1987 and was open to traditionally designed boats built of wood or steel with heavy to moderate displacement and full keels.

Now, they also allow boats using modern materials built

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using traditional designs. This attracts a wide variety of entrants, from huge schooners with acres of gleaming varnish work to Carriacou sloops, gaff-rigged sloops hand built by local craftsmen down island that were used for inter-island trade, and perhaps a bit of smuggling, before the age of steam.

It turns out that the Antigua Classic Regatta is run by volunteers and most of them are on cruising yachts or live aboard their boats in or near Antigua. Cruisers come from all over the world, and many year after year, just to volunteer in this regatta. This year’s group of volunteers came from six different countries. There were actually more volunteers than positions available. www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/29/18 11:26 AM

Editor Robin Stout Aboard Mermaid

We spoke with Leslie Arnold of S/V Farhaven who is in charge of all the cruiser volunteers about getting involved. Leslie said, “I started participating in the Classics by first crewing on a boat and hanging out at the parties about 10 years ago.

It has always been a very fun and welcoming event, and many cruisers come specifically to find a boat to race on. There is always need for pick-up crew. At first we got involved just for fun, then Kenny Coombs (the man

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who founded the regatta) asked me to copy stuff for the race board. I knew how to use a balky copy machine and it just evolved from there; from helping out on a few tasks to working full time coordinating cruiser volunteers and running the hospitality center. I enjoy meeting people, answering questions and making the event flow well.”

We asked Leslie why cruisers make their plans around volunteering at this regatta. “Cruisers come for many reasons. Antigua in April is a

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7/29/18 11:27 AM

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104 Cruising Outpost pg 102-105 Life Aboard EditedBySue.indd 4

good stopping point for going north or south and Falmouth Harbor is an excellent place to hang out with friends. Many come to get on a boat. Racing on a big wooden schooner or a Carriacou Sloop is a one-of-a-kind experience. Cruisers love to help out and use the skills they have from a lifetime of experience. Mostly it is to appreciate the classic wooden boats and the enthusiastic people who keep them alive. It takes a lot of work to just keep the varnish glowing, let alone keep a 100-year-old boat afloat.”

Mike ended up as a “dinghy wrangler,” which it turns out is a very sought after position. Here’s what Mike had to say about the regatta: “Being a part of the Classic Regatta was an awesome experience. Dinghy wranglers were on the water to assist the classic boats into and out of the harbor.

We got to interact with all the crews as they were leaving in the morning and hear a few tales from the day’s race as they came back in. These are old wooden boats that were being backed into their mooring onto a packed dock, but

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event will be from noon to 3pm.

The event is sponsored by the Fort Myers Beach Anchorage Advisory Committee. For information on

Liveaboards Gather to Volunteer

Preserve State Park, Crystal River, FL www.tsca.net/CRBB/bashdesc.htm.

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the skippers were unbelievably competent in maneuvering them. There were two people in the dinghy. The bowman hangs onto the boat and communicates with the skipper. My bowman was Tony of S/V Longbow, an English cruiser who was on his second lap around the Atlantic. We made a great team, giving the classic boats a push when needed, helping with the lines and offering any assistance needed. I look forward to wrangling next year.”

20 The March 2016 has SOU THWIN DS regatta many sponsors, including Antigua Yacht Club, Mount Gay Rum and Wadadli Beer, the local brew.

That meant that each evening after racing, there was lots of fun and celebrating… even games for the kiddos. There was something for everyone, even a day of English cream tea and dinghy racing. The yachts in the regatta ranged from multi-million-dollar classic yachts to the Carriacou Sloops, which meant the viewing was spectacular. It’s no wonder that cruisers and the liveaboards look forward to the Antigua Classic Regatta year after year. We will be back!

www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 102-105 Life Aboard EditedBySue.indd 5

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Cruising Outpost 105 7/29/18 11:31 AM

The Barquentine Matthew Turner 106 Cruising Outpost

pg 106-109 Matthew Turner - EditedBySue.indd 2

Matthew W. Turner

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he Call of the Sea and the Educational Tall Ship Inc. joined together back in January 2015 to build the 132’ barquentine Matthew Turner in Sausalito, California.

With the help of sponsors, volunteers, and donors, the vessel has come together faster than most thought possible. In fact, over the past few years, all of the proceeds from the raffles that Cruising Outpost has held at their Cruisers’ Parties have been donated for this great ship.

The Call of the Sea was founded in 1985 by Alan Olson and a group of local sailors to provide Bay Area youth the opportunity to sail traditional tall ships, investigate the local marine environment, connect with the Bay’s rich maritime history, and inspire them to be stewards of the sea and earth.

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The Barquentine Matthew Turner Fundraiser Since then, Call of the Sea has served over 60,000+ students, and now sails with an average of 5,000+ students a year.

Enter the Educational Tall Ship Foundation. For the past few years they have been building the barquentine Matthew Turner.

The Matthew Turner at the dock

Captain Alan Olsen

108 Cruising Outpost pg 106-109 Matthew Turner - EditedBySue.indd 4

Bob & Jody w/ Alan

Turner was best known for building fast ships. Over the years, he built over 150 ships in that yard; some of the vessels he built became legendary.

Besides swift commercial vessels, Turner also built racing ships that were fierce competitors.

Just Some of the Boats Built

by Matthew Turner

Anna - A schooner that made a ten-day run from Honolulu to San Francisco in 1886. In the span of 357 days, she made eight round trips from San Francisco to Kahului.

Amaranth - A four-masted barquentine that broke the record for the Astoria, Oregon to Shanghai run by completing the journey in 23 days.

Ariel - A four-masted schooner built in 1900. She was wrecked at Inuboyesaki, Japan in 1917.

Benicia - A barquentine that made the trip from Newcastle, New South Wales to Kihei, Hawaii in a mere 35 days.

Equator - A schooner that was chartered by Robert Louis Stevenson and helped inspire his book The Wrecker.

Emma Claudina - A 126-foot, 266-ton brigantine that was the first ship of the Matson Line. She was named for the daughter of John D. Spreckels.

Galilee - A brigantine that holds the record, 22 days, for the Tahiti to San Francisco passage completed in a wooden-hulled sailing vessel. For three years, while under charter to the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, she was converted to a magnetic observatory.

Geneva - A brigantine with a two-day passage between Launceston, Tasmania and Newcastle, New South Wales.

John D. Spreckels - A 266-ton brigantine that ran at least three ten-day voyages on the San FranciscoHawaiian Island run.

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The Bartquentine Matthew Turner Fundraiser was held to raise funds to complete the vessel. People from all over came to help celebrate this great new tall ship.

While above deck, the Matthew Turner looks like the classic sailing ship she has been designed to be, but below deck you find the most modern and up-todate equipment. And her power? A custom-designed diesel-electric power system from the 21st century.

The galley, navigation station, and heads all offer the latest in marine gear.

If you’d like to get involved, volunteer, or donate, you can fi nd out everything you need to know at their website, callofthesea.org and click on the Matthew Turner drop-down.

Bob & Jody dreaming of the day...

Cruising Outpost 109 pg 106-109 Matthew Turner - EditedBySue.indd 5

7/29/18 11:02 AM

First Stripe

By Lea Ann Rock

H

ow long has it been since you said, “Wow, that was the first time!” Life has changed on S/V Nomad and there are many “first times.” It’s fun, exciting, scary and a little unsettling, but the crew is embracing all the changes.

For years on S/V Faith, we traveled with our beautiful toy Australian Shepherd, Jazz Rock. Jazz loved the boat life. She crossed the Gulf of Mexico, crossed the Gulf Stream and loved the Bahamas as much as we do.

I can still remember her first glass of water with ice. We had a hard sail down to Key West and stumbled into Sloppy Joe’s. The waitress brought over a glass from the bar with water and ice for Jazz. She always considered Sloppy Joe’s

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a high class sort of place. We only have Jazz memories now. She went to Fiddler’s Green on September 11, 2015.

We tried all the arguments about how much easier our lives would be without a dog. They didn’t work because dog people are dog people. May, 2016 found us in Clewiston, Florida purchasing a Miniature Australian Shepherd.

We talked about names all the way to the breeder’s home. The captain, David, is a musician and we wanted a name with a musical theme. We settled on Gypsy Jazz, a popular type of music in Australia. With a last name like Rock, we had it made.

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We brought Gypsy Jazz Rock back to Nomad. Our lives and hers were changed forever. A new crew member is always a chance for disaster. Will the personalities match?

Will the crew member get seasick? Will the new crew want to jump ship at the first port?

Gypsy settled into training. She learned the purpose of the artificial grass, how to ride in a dinghy and the joys of kayaking. She decided her dinghy style would include hanging over the side of the dinghy and getting a little water spray on her face. She is a rough, tough, tomboy and a great crew member. She finds land life full of rules and the word “no.” On Nomad, she is relaxed and enjoys watching the water activities around the anchorage.

In February, Gypsy Jazz’s life changed again with her first offshore sail in the Atlantic. We upped anchor early and made our way out the St. Lucie Inlet. Our first sail was an easy trip from Stuart, Florida to Palm Beach. This trip would ready Nomad for a departure to Bimini.This short trip was also my first offshore sail since getting the

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“Big D” (Type 1 Diabetes). I was a little nervous, but not scared. This was a test and if Gypsy could make the trip, then I could make the trip.

David sailed Nomad while the two girls enjoyed the coastal view. It felt like the trip was ending before we even got started. The Palm Beach inlet was smooth and we had a nice inbound tide; a perfect first experience for Gypsy and me.

David and I had been monitoring the Gulf Stream weather carefully. We really wanted a smooth crossing to Bimini. All reports predicted the winds would shift and we would have a nice crossing. Oh my!! We have been at this game long enough to know better. The wind gods do what they want and laugh at our attempts to predict their behavior. Our crossing was long and we had to fight the wind the entire way. The shift in wind direction was a dream that didn’t occur. Many hours after our planned arrival, we found ourselves at the entry to Bimini.

The plan we made while stateside was to cross to Bimini, check in and clear Customs/Immigration and continue to Nassau. A cold front was approaching, but we would have over 24 hours to get to Nassau to weather the front. After Nassau, we would sail to the Exumas and reach George Town around Valentine’s day.

All of our planning was geared to get us into Bimini with favorable tides. The extra hours we spent crossing the stream translated into a couple of hours on the hook waiting for the inbound tide at Bimini. As we waited for the water to rise, we saw our window of opportunity to get to Nassau diminishing.

Finally, we had to call the game. We decided to wait out the front in Bimini. Now, I like Bimini and I especially love the resort on South Bimini, Bimini Sands.

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A few days tied up to their docks, enjoying the infinity pool, park, and private beach sounded wonderful. You could hear Gypsy and I cheering in the background.

Maybe the wind gods were really on our side. Hey, with the “Big D” I have to have some friends helping out in the heavenly realm.

The tide eventually brought the water back. Soon, we found ourselves snug in a slip with the three air conditioning units humming. David and I sat back to review the crossing.

Gypsy had a wonderful voyage. She slept more than normal. She wore her life jacket without complaint.

She wasn’t interested in her artificial grass, but it was a really rough crossing. We were really glad she did not get seasick. Gypsy stayed with me the entire trip. When I went downstairs to catch a little sleep, Gypsy went with me. She curled up on the bed and never moved. When I took the helm to give David time for a short rest, Gypsy sat beside me as co-pilot.

How did I do? My big job as a Type 1 Diabetic was to keep my blood sugar readings in the zone. Additionally, my Endocrinologist told me to not get seasick. If you suffer from seasickness, you know that it only gets worse if you think about not getting sick. I had been thinking about this since August when I was diagnosed. I have found Stugeron works about 95% of the time in preventing seasickness. I didn’t know if Stugeron would increase my blood glucose readings.

Two hours before we left Palm Beach, I took my first dose of Stugeron. I kept a close watch on my sugar readings and all was well. I had never stayed awake all night and didn’t know how that would affect

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my readings. It appeared to have no affect. I ate snacks as my blood sugar level would drop and took my shots on schedule. The Stugeron worked like always and I did not feel seasick at all.

The highest blood glucose reading I had in the 24-hour period was 141 and the lowest was 78. That is pretty darn good for a rough crossing with a new Type 1 Diabetic. It was not easy giving myself insulin shots in the rough conditions. David slowed the boat and backwinded the sails to smooth the motion. It helped to have Nomad a little less bumpy.

Thursday, we awoke in our slip at Bimini Sands.

I decided Gypsy needed a bandana to symbolize her “First Stripe” for her first crossing of the Gulf Stream.

Gypsy argued that a tattoo was much cooler, but changed her mind when she learned her hair would have to be shaved.

Off we went to North Bimini in search of the perfect bandana. I thought a Gecko Green bandana would be the right color for a First Stripe. The bandana was found and Gypsy wore it like a badge. Now she wants to know if she gets a Second Stripe for crossing the Tongue of the Ocean. That dog!!

If you are wondering if you can live your dream, then the answer is yes. I have sailed for years while enjoying excellent health. Now, life is a little different.

I have an extraordinary captain/husband willing to help me live my dreams. You have to be willing to ask for the help you need, then accept the help. Life is too short to be dreaming... start living!! See you at the next beach party. I will be easy to spot. My dog will be wearing a a bright bandana.

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7/30/18 2:03 PM

W

Marvin The Marlin

e were three days out of St. Helena Island, sailing west with the trade winds in the South Atlantic Ocean. The hand line dragging behind the boat had been all but forgotten, without a bite since departing the island. The sun was beating down and our crew of four were huddled under the postage stamp-sized shade of the bimini over the cockpit. The breeze was nonexistent since we were flying the spinnaker on autopilot, moving with the wind, and only a few degrees south of the Equator.

The deep blue color of the sea was tranquilizing as only it can be when you are a thousand miles to the closest landfall, the bottom is a mile below, and there is not a cloud in the sky.

I was trying to find a comfortable place to stretch out and read the 14th novel I had gone through since the beginning of this voyage from the coast of Africa. This was my first ocean crossing, and the boredom was settling in. I was glad I was doing this, because now I can cross “ocean crossing in small sailboat” off my list. The gentle motion of the boat kept forcing my eyes to flutter shut while I was trying to concentrate on Hemingway.

The 80-pound-test monofilament line attached to a feather jig was wrapped three times around the 4-inch diameter stainless steel arch on the aft of my brand new,

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By Capt. James F. Cash

just “out of the box” sailing catamaran, 36 feet in length, that I had commissioned to be built in Durban, South Africa. A large loop was secured in the line with a springloaded clothespin, then led though a small block on the end of a bungee cord that led into the water to disappear.

Before leaving South Africa and preparing for this adventure, I had visions of highly-polished wood, deep sea fishing poles with big brass reels. I visited a fishing tackle supply store in Durban and talked with an old, wrinkled man who made Spencer Tracy in Old Man and the Sea look like an amateur. His accent was so thick I had to cock my head and stare at his lips to get what he was saying. “All ya need is a hand line and feather jig,” he said after I explained about our upcoming departure. I was prepared to spend thousands and then walked out of the store with a small bag and about $25 added to the South African economy. The old fisherman had been right. On the second day out from Durban skirting the coast toward Port Elizabeth, I decided to try out my new rig. We tied on a feather jig and played out the line. In less than 30 minutes I had hooked and landed a nice tuna and the crew enjoyed sashimi straight from the fish itself.

On this particular mid-afternoon, dozing with my book balanced on my chest, I awoke with a start as the clothespin

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snapped with a loud pop and sailed in a lofting arc out over the water. My stare was drawn toward the line as I saw it tighten around the stainless tube creating a small trail of white smoke from the melting plastic. “Fish!” I shouted as all eyes turned aft. I distinctly felt a noticeable slowing of the boat. Behind the boat, 100 meters away, a large silver and blue fish was dancing on its tail above the surface. My crew shouted, “It’s a Marlin!” We scrambled to get the spinnaker down and prepared to struggle with the fish.

In all our other fish catching experiences, starting with the tuna, when the line tightened, the fish would pop to the surface and skate behind the boat until being lifted aboard.

This fish was different; he did not like being caught and was not coming in without a fight.

With the spinnaker down, the boat slowed dramatically with just enough forward momentum from the reefed mainsail to keep from bobbing in the gentle swells. Two of us put on our sailing gloves and grabbed the line, which by then felt like a piece of steel wire descending into the water. After considerable effort and our gloves being cut down through the leather, we decided to let the fish play and hoped the line did not break. I was thinking maybe we should just let this one go. After all, we didn’t really need to eat it, though it had been several days since we had fresh fish. However, my crew were all for the sport. Boredom at sea does funny things to your brain and it was now “Man Against Fish,” and I too, was caught up in the moment.

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Cruising Outpost 115

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We watched the line and the fish seemingly challenge each other; when the fish would dive, the line would slacken.

When that happened, we would try to gain a few inches, but as the fish surfaced we would lose the line again as it pulled through our gloves. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. “This is where that shiny brass fishing reel would come in handy,” I thought out loud.

“Huh?” was the response from the crew. Then I saw one of them looking at the sheet winch.” There is our reel,” he said, and the next time the line slacked enough to get a purchase, we managed to get several wraps around the port side #65 Lewmar. Now when the line tightened, it held. I could not believe the line had not snapped, but held, and its slackening was happening more frequently as we cranked away.

Soon, the fish was close enough to be seen clearly under the water’s surface. It looked young, skinny, only about seven feet long with a bill no more than a foot long. It turned, and I saw a look in its eye, opened in terror, and the jig securely hooked in the corner of its mouth. A twinge of guilt surfaced again, but I kept my feelings to myself and resumed cranking away.

The fight was leaving the fish and we were able to drag it out of the water onto the steps of the port side sugar scoop. I ran for the bottle of cheap cane liquor we had used to kill all the other fish, pouring a good dollop into the gills. The young marlin exploded with a new surge of energy, almost smacking one of my crew into the water as it tried to stand on its tail and escape. It was hard for me to watch as someone grabbed a hammer and was clubbing the fish in the head. Man had won this fight, or should I say four against one? It took four intelligent human beings more than an hour of exhilarating effort to capture and kill one adolescent, exhausted billfish. I tried not to think about it.

By late afternoon we had butchered the fish, which had been named Marvin, saving the tail fin which was hung prominently from the starboard bow pulpit. The head and bill were slipped overboard and sank gently back to the deep when the filleting was over. We were already envisioning the telling of this story back at our respective yacht clubs. Catching a blue marlin on a hand line—I was sure a liar’s contest could be won with the tale.

I started feeling a little better about our barbaric action later, as the sun slipped into the western horizon. I sank my teeth into the hours-fresh marlin filet covered in garlic and lemon butter accompanied with coleslaw, and sipped a glass of sparkling Cape wine. Bon appetit.

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hrill seekers stalk adventure in the exotic or the extreme. But sometimes, thrills stalk us in the middle of the mundane. God is happy to use nature to remind us we are guests in what is still a very powerful, primeval world.

My wife, Patti, and I were caught munching peanut butter as we puttered along Blakely Island’s eastern cliffs in our Hunter 36. We were heading south toward Anacortes in mid August after spending most of the summer in the San Juans. Life was lulled by the drowsy noises natural for a light wind day: engine gurgling, halyards clinking in the swell, birds calling, small waves off the bow. The sensations were familiar: sun, wind, wheel vibrating under my hands. With the boat on human autopilot, our minds were on books, lunch, and the San Juan Islands we were leaving.

Then a shiver invaded my subconscious: a heavy, wet sigh followed by a swish and a glimpse of gleaming black

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that slid into the water not 20 feet from the starboard. I felt like the paleontologist in Jurassic Park when he fi rst saw the living dinosaurs: startled, amazed, delighted, and awed with just a hint of danger.

I pointed and Patti saw only a shiny smooth circle of water to mark the passing. “Orca,” I whispered as if my voice could possibly startle two tons of dynamic mammal.

Quickly, engine in neutral, cameras out, binoculars up.

We held our breath and 20 yards away he surfaced again. He was about 20 feet long with a three- to four-foot dorsal, the traditional white spot and a curious light patch, almost a saddle, behind his great fin. He ignored us and disappeared as quietly as before. Thirty yards further he did it again.

We scanned the horizon to see if there were more and spotted two dorsals about a half mile away on the port side. Looking back, we found the fi rst one had joined a female. She was smaller all around with fewer distinct markings.

We could almost feel their strength through the hull.

They were huge, but they moved effortlessly with never a splash. Their potential energy felt like the power of an unbroken swell that imperiously shoves your boat on the ocean. When the wind passes by you feel it wrestle with your boat. When the orcas pass by you feel their shrug of indifference.

We were now gliding at less than a knot on our original course while the orcas moved between us

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刀愀琀 䜀甀愀爀搀猀

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

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

䠀礀搀爀漀 䌀栀愀爀最攀爀猀

and the island to a place where the tides and currents created an upwelling. They stayed in that vicinity, apparently hunting. Drawn like moths, we circled out and then coasted back within a couple hundred yards to watch.

(Note: the legal viewing limit in Washington State is 100 yards. Never approach from the back. Always go to neutral when they come close and never cut in front of them. They are bright, but curious, so be careful when maneuvering in their vicinity; there could be one anywhere around you.)

After about 30 minutes the two across the channel came to join the others. As a group they moved southwest around the island and slowly pulled away from the direction we needed to go.

When they were gone, we found we could breathe deeply again. The bread on our half-eaten sandwiches was hard and the ice in our drinks had melted. Time had stood still or perhaps gone back a millennium when the orcas were plentiful and the humans were rare. The centuries had come up to surface and we got to see it.

It was not a tourist’s sighting: no spy hoping, no great breaches. It was just a glimpse of God’s enduring handiwork. Celebrities, even in the Puget Sound, the orcas deigned to be seen as they passed as close as 20 feet when they chose, and as far as a mile when they didn’t. It was business as usual for them, but “zero to the bone” for us.

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

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Going Your Own Way

By Kia Koropp

Sumatra received her name by happenstance when Italian explorer and conqueror Marco Polo returned home and pronounced the island’s name, Samudra, with a lisp and popularized the mutation.

Personally, I’m attached to her previous name for its local translation, “ocean.”

Living on a yacht, I thought traveling to a country called Ocean sounded like a pretty good idea.

Outside of an affection for the name, we came to Sumatra with little expectation other than a feeling that we had missed our opportunities for the year.

At the time we had no clear plan and only fragmented ideas of what we might do with the remainder of the season. We realized that this year, more than any other, we would need to cast aside our expectations and find a new way forward.

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Going Your Own Way The 1292 slip of the tongue was about all we had to go on when deciding to set off for Sumatra. At the time we knew little of the country’s biodiversity, its rich cultural history, its diverse marine environment or the island gems that lie off the coast. We chose Sumatra by default. Forced to cancel our plans for an Indian Ocean crossing due to Braca’s diagnosis, we reunited as a family in May with our son’s diabetic crisis and our daughter’s hand operation behind us. By the time we regrouped it was too late to follow through with our original intentions. John and I felt we had few desired options as we were returning to Atea mid-season; we didn’t want to rush across the Indian Ocean to South Africa on a tight time frame, nor did we want to spend another year in Malaysia or Thailand.

Where could we go that would allow us time as well as new territory?

Sumatra popped up on our radar as an option for the year. Initially I was disheartened; we knew little of Sumatra because there was little cruising information on it. Cruisers do not typically travel her shores as the island lies too far south for boats traveling the northern route across the Indian Ocean, and it lies too far north for boats traveling the southern route. We departed for Sumatra knowing little of what to expect, but prepared for quiet solitude. I had resigned myself to making the most of what we could of the year, but feeling saddened that we’d been knocked off our track.

Sumatra is a perfect example of what happens when the best-laid plans fail: something unexpectedly amazing. Now that I’ve had a preliminary introduction, I couldn’t speak more highly of the country from a tourist perspective: The people are gracious, friendly and good-natured, and the country is diverse and offers a wide range of options. Now that I’ve sailed her shores, I couldn’t speak more highly of the country from a cruiser’s perspective: The islands off the west coast are hidden gems, unspoiled and unexploited. This is contrary to the little information we had prior to arrival. An article posted by a fellow cruiser stated, “You may find hostility against non-Muslims by locals. For safety it is best not to bring women ashore into any village.”

Reading this, I expected a very conservative Muslim society and initially covered myself head to toe when going ashore, and donned a headscarf when walking through any village. It didn’t take me long to recognize that I was a bit excessive. The smiles beamed at me regardless of my covering. I cannot imagine what situation brought on the negative experience of the other cruiser; John and I were warmly received and the kids doted on and adored. We didn’t have a single experience that led me

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to feel uncomfortable with the locals; it was completely the opposite. Braca and Ayla gained a reputation in the places we stayed, their names called out as we passed shops and children flocking by our sides as we wandered down streets. Women and men excitedly waved as we drove past them in our becak, smiles beaming. Where is this enthusiasm in our own culture? The simple pleasure in greeting a stranger, overtures made to assist any possible need or engage at every possible moment? In Sumatra, the people were as pleasant and as engaged as they could be, language barrier not withstanding.

English is not commonly spoken and I did feel a loss at how superficial conversations were without a common language; it would have been so wonderful to get a deeper level of understanding of the people we met. There are so many instances that I would have loved to been able to ask for details. On one beach a local canoe arrived with two very sheepish looking locals, who trotted into the bush and emerged with a bunch of small bags filled with colourful reef fish, presumably to stock international aquariums. Neither of the two men welcomed our curiosity and it was clear that their acquisitions were not legally approved – perhaps shared language wouldn’t have provided answers regardless. On another day, we visited a hut hidden deep in the bush and found thousands of dead or dying hermit crabs, clearly collected and harvested for the shell and not the animal. Were the shells on their way to be ground down into herbal remedies in Asia? Were the www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Going Your Own Way shells sent to replace the outgrown shells of other captive crabs in Western homes? What of the monkey roaming the courtyard by rolling the sides of his wire cage? What about the cock fights in the middle of the village or the monitor lizards bound and tied, left in a twisted heap to slowly die in the blaze of the tropical heat? All were cultural curiosities that we were never able to ask questions of, or answers given in Bhasa that we will never understand.

But, there is no better sign language than a smile, of which we received many, and gestures go a long way in conveying attitude, if not meaning. The locals had time for us, and patience with us. They smiled often and warmly. They waved from a distance and stopped us on passing, wanting to engage regardless of the lack of shared language. Braca and Ayla were once again center stage, the subject of every photo and the object of every curiosity.

This was clearly not the Sumatra that the other cruiser experienced, whose wife was presumably left as caged in her boat as the trapped monkey ashore, and who missed out on the incredibly sociable and fun-loving attitudes that we were exposed to.

From a cruiser’s perspective the published reviews of Sumatra were equally harsh. As the westernmost of the Indonesian chain of islands, the country is off the normal cruising route for yachts passing from the Pacific Ocean into Asia, and few yachts travel south to visit her western shores when making passage through the Indian Ocean. We knew few boats that had traveled this way and Rod Heikell’s Cruising Guide did not give us much faith that it was a worthwhile trip to make, stating “[Sumatra] is no place for cruisers to be during the southwest monsoon since it is very exposed and the seas run high.” It is true that the more north you

get the stronger the winds, but conditions were no more adverse than Malaysia and Thailand this time of year and I couldn’t rate the destination more highly. In fact, outside the occasional squall – less regular the further south you sail – sailing conditions have been good as we traversed her western shores during the monsoon season. Rather than exposed anchorages and high seas, lack of wind was our most common issue. The anchorages have almost all been protected and calm, and while it is true that they can run

deep, we were able to find suitable depth to anchor in every location we visited.

What we didn’t expect and came to us by surprise was the lack of coastal and offshore fishing vessels. A comment made in passing is that the fishing industry is in a huge slump, or perhaps the weather this time of year is too wet and changeable. Not only has the fishing fleet dwindled but the fishing traps that riddle the coastline appear unused as well. These traps are large wooden structures with nets that hang below and miniature houses that sit atop, set on

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Cruising Outpost Sun-Jackette

floats or fixed by poles to the seabed. Regardless of the reason, it is a reprieve for us to be rid of the hoards of Thai and Malaysian fishing trawlers that litter the ocean day and night – so much so that most cruisers refuse to sail at night because of the maze of boats you have to navigate through. While fishing is clearly still an important aspect of village life, it is at a much slower pace – old men still punt around in small dugouts with wooden paddles. Outboards are in use but there isn’t the constant roar of speeding boats and buffering of wakes. Unique to the area is the regional differences of boat: Flat aft end, double-rig with a hut perched on top, small canoes precariously balanced. We are often approached with the day’s catch on offer, ranging from $3-5 for fish, prawn, crab, lobster, or octopus, and it is always, always, offered with a smile.

While Sumatra offers a host of things for the intrepid traveler – to track the illusive Sumatran tiger, two-horned Sumatran rhino or the Sumatran elephant deep within the Gunung Leuser National Reserve, to dance along a line of a hundred bubbling volcanoes, to swim the sleepy shores of Danau Toba’s deep inland lake, have a date with a wild orangutan or smell the scent of the world’s largest flower – our experiences were based on coastal locations and the country’s best known draw card, its infamous surf.

Regardless of all its history and all its natural riches, West Sumatra is only really a name that passes through the lips of die-hard surfers searching for the epic break.

Now that we’ve been here, I appreciate why the surfers have kept this remote coastline a secret: the surf is legendary and the waves empty of the crowds that define other popular international sites. Accommodation ashore is rudimentary however, and the surf camps that crop up are no more than expanded local homes offering places to stay and a home-cooked meal. Land travel can be difficult without well-developed infrastructure and to arrive in the islands requires a complex transportation arrangement.

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䈀漀挀愀猀 䐀攀氀 吀漀爀漀Ⰰ 倀愀渀愀洀愀

䘀甀氀氀 匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀 䴀愀爀椀渀愀 泰 䌀愀氀礀瀀猀漀 䌀愀渀琀椀渀愀 眀眀眀⸀戀漀挀愀猀洀愀爀椀渀愀⸀挀漀洀 戀漀挀愀猀礀愀挀栀琀挀氀甀戀䀀礀愀栀漀漀⸀挀漀洀 䠀愀甀氀 伀甀琀 夀愀爀搀 泰 㘀 ⴀ吀漀渀 吀爀愀瘀攀氀椀昀琀 眀眀眀⸀戀漀挀愀猀戀漀愀琀礀愀爀搀⸀挀漀洀 戀漀挀愀猀礀愀挀栀琀猀攀爀瘀椀挀攀猀䀀礀愀栀漀漀⸀挀漀洀

㤀뀀㈀ ᤠ⸀ 㔀ᴠ一Ⰰ 㠀㈀뀀㄀㐀ᤠ⸀㐀㔀ᴠ圀 Cruising Outpost 125

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Going Your Own Way come in contact with the board more often than our feet, and not only are the waves monstrous, but they also end on jagged coral. It is not a playground for the novice.

While Sumatra has long been a name that has been whispered within intimate circles by the obsessed surfer, recently the dive community has begun setting their sights on the country’s underwater world. Gaining in reputation, the northwestern corner has built a reputation as a dive destination. Having just purchased a dive compressor we were keen to get some time underwater and verify the validity of the rumours. We found them sound. The sites were filled with a diversity of fish life and an abundance of coral. Twenty meters and above was less exceptional, but at depth there was plenty to dazzle the eye.

Given we had independence, we first sought to explore the area ourselves, but soon found the currents in the area too severe and a boat driver a necessity; too bad, as the locals ashore were more than happy to watch the kids while we played underwater, often refusing payment for their services. So we partnered with a dive operation and for a nominal $25 inclusive, we spent our days underwater.

The further south we traveled, the more we were left to our own devices as very few dive operations exist outside Pulau Weh. We continued to drop our kids at the local sitting service – a fisherman happy to sit under a coconut tree for the hour – and played in the underwater garden in the afternoons.

The coral was bleached in places, from tsunami or other factors we are unsure, but there was plenty of new growth and an abundance of marine life: butterfly fish, batfish, leaf fish, trumpet fish, angle and clown fish, box and blow fish, devil fire and scorpion fish, wrasse and blue tang blanketed the reef. Eel, rays, and sea snakes slid between boulders, and reef shark lurked in the shadows.

Unfortunately, the trevally and tuna were always just out of our grasp for our dinner plate and the lobster just a tad too small. What we didn’t see and were happy not to is the deadly saltwater crocodile, though a few friends had some pretty intimidating experiences with swamp snakes

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and a few others had stories of malaria and dengue fever – a reminder that Sumatra is not for the faint of heart.

There are few travelers other than the obsessed surfer and the itinerant diver that find their way to Sumatra’s western shores, and fewer still who do so by yacht. One quote by the owner of a surf camp said that 10-15 boats pass this way a year. In terms of cruising numbers that is an infantile amount of boats transiting annually. Sumatra’s northern neighbors of Malaysia and Thailand get hundreds of yachts passing through in a given season, and an equal amount run the milk route through Indonesia on their way west.

Perhaps cruisers are dissuaded by the Cruising Guide or by the experiences of other cruisers, or perhaps by history.

In line with the country’s looming dangers, Sumatra is also a country with a collection of the world’s largest significant global disasters. The 1883 explosion of Krakatau produced a

noise audible 5,000 miles away, waves that reached England, and changed global weather for three years. More recently, the 2004 Sumatran earthquake and tsunami were so violent that Earth tilted on its axis and more than 300,000 people were killed across the Indian Ocean. The scars left behind after the earthquakes are still visible. At its most extreme, the land shifted 36 meters in places. What we’ve seen at almost every stop is the rise of land by three meters; reef that used to be submerged now ringing the islands, waterfront homes that now look out on an expanse of beach; palm trees once standing now submerged; new tracks of land thick with fledgling growth. We have to navigate with care as the charts are no longer accurate and many areas much shallower than what have been recorded. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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One of the most poignant stops we made was to Banda Ache, a provincial capital that achieved worldwide recognition by being the closest city to epicenter of the earthquake, and as a result, the hardest hit by the tsunami that followed it. Being a low-lying coastal city, the destruction caused by the tsunami was almost absolute and 170,000 people lost their lives. After a multi-year reconstruction effort, it’s now a pleasant town with some bizarre landmarks. There is the ocean freighter high and dry eight miles from the sea, and the most iconic image of all, the 36-meter fishing boat atop a house in an otherwise normal suburb. It was a simple but powerful image of the terror and destruction that hit the city on Boxing Day almost a decade ago. Braca still talks about “the boat on a house” and how sad it was, but his frequent use of “I’m a giant tsunami” in his playtime shows how hard the magnitude of the event is to grasp.

While popular opinion was for us to avoid West Sumatra as a cruising ground, we’ve been pleased to experience such a different side of the culture and country.

That said, there are a few areas where Sumatra poses its set of challenges. It is not an ideal country for either breakages or parts delivery, and so one hopes to bring with them guardian angels or appeased spirits, good fortune or blind luck. Without a third eye painted on our bowsprit to ward off evil spirits, Atea fell pray to a few casualties. At one point in our trip the engine died as we entered Sibolga Harbour, and we had to bring the ship in at night into the busy port under the propulsion of our outboard, dinghy attached alongside with me as driver and John steering Atea at the helm. We did a few unplanned donuts to the confusion of a moving tug, but finally settled her at midnight. After a tiring and long event, we decided to open a sacred/long-preserved bottle of port for celebration… to find it topped with a cork and no corkscrew to be found. Double-wham!

We also had to deal with a continued issue with the alternator bracket that is faulty by design and continues to present problems. We discovered that a corner had nearly cracked through and was close to complete failure. As a result, we urgently needed a welder, otherwise we would have been unable to run the engine. Had we been in Thailand or Malaysia we would have easily been able to get a repair, but in Sumatra these skills were hard to find. We found a roadside welding shop that had us on our way in a few hours with a rudimentary fix at a fraction of what we would have paid anywhere else. We are also in need of a diesel mechanic to help solve a persisting engine oil issue and a radio engineer to fix a defective long-range radio, but these technical skills have been hard for us to find and remain unresolved.

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Going Your Own Way On the upside, at one stage the weather presented us with a surprise squall that delivered 50-knot winds, laying Atea flat on her ear for the first time. While it was fevered chaos onboard at the time, our new sails and rigging upgrades held fast and the event brings consolation that our ship is seaworthy and prepared for the adverse conditions that often present in the Indian Ocean. Leaving the shelter of Asia and the lack of wind that often defines cruising in these waters, we look forward to the rough and wide spaces of the Indian Ocean and finally letting Atea unfurl her sails and let the winds take us.

What comes to stand out for me during our short twomonth stay in Sumatra is how individual experiences are and how personal a recommendation can be, and I am reminded of the importance of following your own path. If I think of the cruisers we met and list their favourite anchorages, there were few that resonated with us. Our best anchorages have been ones we found without following the cruising notes of others and our best experiences have been when we were on our own.

Following our own nose has yielded more than we ever imagined. However, recommendation was spot-on in one area of Sumatra’s listed cruising limitations: It is not an ideal country to depart from for any significant voyage. Provisioning is much more constrained than in Malaysia and Thailand and any hope for luxury items are a distant dream. As we prepare for a long-distance passage to an uninhabited archipelago, much of what we will have to rely on are stores purchased earlier in the year. A-grade flour and rice are not available, let alone staples such as nuts and seeds, milk, butter and cheese, top-grade meat or the decadence of quality coffee or chocolate. That said, produce in the fresh markets in the larger cities is bountiful. This came as a relief, as in all the villages that outskirt the mainland towns have rudimentary produce shipped out one day a week, and the reliability of the supply boat is weather-dependent.

As our time in Sumatra came to a close, I became a regular attendee at the market in Sibolga. For one week I wandered through the labyrinth of crowded stalls, produce spread out on burlap sacks in long lines down the market square. The stall-keepers soon began to expect my daily shop and a kind of camaraderie was built. They would ask for my children by name if they weren’t with me, they would greet me enthusiastically and proudly show me that day’s delivery, and they would hold onto my bags as I continued to shop. I tried to spread my loyalties, but inevitably biases were built around the freshest or rarest of items.

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As the days continued I started to see a part of the undercurrent of the market and developed some temporary friendships, faces that brightened when I pulled up with my shopping bags and my Indonesian rupiah and my lost puppy look. “Mister! Mister! How are you?” was asked by almost everyone we passed and directed to both of us equally.

With very good English, the conversation might stretch to “Where are you from?” before it screeched to a halt, open mouths closing into wide grins. Our greetings were as basic, having learned enough for the pleasantries but falling short of any real communication. A handshake or a thumb’s up would close the exchange and we would each meander on towards completing our individual tasks for the day.

The language in the market was just as constrained as on the street, but the difference was we required the exchange

of meaning in order to complete transactions. “Brapa kilo?”

I’d ask of the weight and cost of an item, then I would gesture a scribble on my hand and pass pen and paper. The exchanges often lead to laughter and cheerful backslapping as they teased in my pathetic attempts to communicate. It always amazes me how much can be conveyed in simple sign language, hand and facial gestures and even if the meaning is totally lost, how much fun it can be regardless.

Given my inability to communicate and my seemingly insatiable appetite for goods, the women were wondrous at the copious amounts of certain products I was purchasing as it was not the average shopping habits of the typical tourist. A woman shook her head when I bought ten cabbages, asking what I did with so many. I asked in return what she would have chosen and she pointed to fresh greens www.cruisingoutpost.com

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and indicated a handful, not a cart full. Items that, at home would be a staple supply, wouldn’t last but a few days in our current environment. I needed produce that would last two months, not two days; it is a long time to run on simple stores. As a result, my criteria for selecting produce that would last the duration was to pick out the greenest and hardest fruit and vegetables. On many occasion I had my entire selection put back into the bin by a helpful local. They would laugh at my apparent ignorance and a collection of observers would gather while I was tutored in a language I didn’t understand as to how to select the best quality: ripe, sweet, and ready to eat. I initially tried to validate my choices, but my mime only confused matters.

Their attempts to help a wayward foreigner were so sweet that I simply gave up on my objective and effusively thanked them for their assistance. John would shake his head when I returned from yet another trip with food that wouldn’t last, knowing that I would be returning to the market the following day to get what I actually went for.

While Sumatra is not a typical stop for the ‘cookie cutter’ cruiser, it has proven itself to be a worthwhile destination for the intrepid soul. We met two solo sailors, one pushed towards cruising by a severe motorcycle accident at home and the other who sought it out as an extension of her globetrotting adventures. They revived in me the passion for risk and challenge. These two adventurous livewires highlight how easily life can pass you by if you are not out there pursuing your dreams and challenging yourself. There were also a few cruisers who come annually as a break from work and the rainy season in Malaysia and Thailand, and an Australian who has come six years running as a short mid-year escape from the fast-paced city life. Each sailor is a prime example of the merit in finding your own way and ditching the notion that there is more value in traveling in a pack or sticking to popular routes. While we knew few people prior to coming, and know only a few more now, those that we have met out here define the kind of cruiser I respect: individuals who venture off the trodden path to make their own discoveries.

And so, this is the way life happens. The greatest things come when the best-laid plans fall through. What I imagined would be an isolating experience turned into something very different. Instead of disappointment, it has been a fantastic introduction to a country I knew little about. In leaving a social lifestyle ashore I was initially reserved about spending the year sailing outside a cruising community for social support, but I decided early that I was going to enjoy our detour and I have had an exceptional time doing so. It is a reminder that wherever you travel there are discoveries that await you, new experiences to broaden the mind and adventures to put wind under your wings. You just need to go your own way to find it.

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Cuban Conquest

Or, How to Have Way Too Much Fun!

By Bill Ciccotti The forbidden door into Cuba is slowly opening, amigo.

More and more yachts and power cruisers are showing up in Cuban ports. It’s only 90 miles away. To get there, you must have a prearranged berth, and all that annoying, essential, red-tape paperwork: U.S. Coast Guard approved permit documentation, insurance with Cuban coverage, passports, Cuban visas, a U.S. Customs Decal for the boat, and a Cuban declaration for a foreign vessel.

My best friend, Brian McAndrew, and I traveled to Cuba under a journalism exemption, as an author in a cultural exchange, and set up an impromptu book signing tour of my latest tropical actionadventure, Key West Reeling. Brian and I are lifelong friends who have done many road trips over the years. Cuba was going to be the grandest of all. We were very excited about the trip. The cigars, rum, and old cars had nothing to do with our enthusiasm. Yeah right! This Cuban tour was going to be a tropical riot. Truth be told, we were only

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using the book signing to get our foot in the door. Tropical adventure was calling, and we were itching to answer those warm Latin songs. We only stayed four days. But, that was time enough to get into trouble and see the sights.

Key West is an ideal launching point and return destination for boaters traveling to or from Cuba – that way you can hit the Sloppy Joe’s bars in each country! We departed from the Stock Island Marina Village.

It has over 215 boat slips, stateof-the-art amenities, and a high-speed fuel system. All you need to do is gas up and navigate off into adventure. According to my charts, it’s about 85 nautical miles from Key West to Havana.

The Florida Straits can be smooth or treacherous, depending on the time of year. If the weather and conditions are good, you can expect a swift and agreeable crossing. If the weather or swells are bad, then it can take much longer. With all our documentation in order, we set out. Our Hatteras sportfishing boat made enjoyable time.

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We didn’t know who or what we’d find along the way to Cuba – whales, sharks, refuge rafts, maybe even pirates!

Luckily, we got dolphins, blue skies, and no trouble. We sighted the first buoy 12 miles from our destination, Marina Hemingway. As we neared the marina, Brian attached a Cuban flag to the mast to let authorities know that we weren’t coming to make trouble. Cuban coastguardsmen waved us by.

Unlike most countries in the region, Cuba´s waters are heavily monitored due to the political tension with the U.S. As you approach Cuba, you can contact the port authorities on HF (SSB) 2760 National Coastal Network.

Upon arrival in a Cuban Port you’re required to register with the port authorities. It’s a rather simple, laid-back affair. You need to buy the tourist card (25 CUC) and register all crew members. Cuban Immigration doesn’t stamp passports. Instead, they stamp a separate tourist card with two copies; one you retain in your passport until departure, and the other remains with the Immigration staff. We registered with Rafael, an elderly official, who stepped aboard and shook our hands firmly. He smiled and said, “Welcome to Cuba. If you’re going to tip me, it would be best to do it now.” Now, money talks but don’t overdo it. Speaking of money, there are two currencies in Cuba, the CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) and the CUP (Cuban Peso). Most foreigners will only use CUCs – when you exchange your dollars that is what you will be given. Staying under the radar and complying with port authorities will reward you with a more flexible attitude from the officials.

Marina Hemingway was efficiently run, and the staff was gracious. To enter the marina, vessels must navigate a very narrow channel with shallow coral on either side. Boaters need to manage their expectations and come prepared with their own supplies. If your boat breaks down, you can find mechanics, but you’ll have to track down the parts.

Now, it was time to taste the sugar cane. The book signing went off without a hitch. It was intimate and full of WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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spontaneous laughter, warmth, and many grinning faces.

I never expected such a welcoming. But we went with the flow, as well as the Cohibas and rum. You know, you can still get a pretty good cigar down there.

We were finally walking the streets of Havana, Cuba, the last forbidden zone. A tropical paradise located just ninety miles from America, Havana is a city of colonial framework painted in blue and green and red. She’s a place frozen in time, a land locked permanently into 1959, that has been banned to most Americans for over half a century, yet she continues to have an undeniable allure. Her vibrant culture, her warm-hearted and welcoming people living in her beautiful, decaying buildings are very hard to forget.

Narrow cobblestone streets full of color, with a touch of danger lurking in the shifting tropical shadows, teem with vivacious life and profound laughter. The Cuban people truly treated both of us great. I was surprised by the open friendliness, especially from the rural people. I don’t know what shined brighter, the warm tropical sun or our blissful smiles.

Did I tell you there were old cars down there? Cadillac Coupe De Villes, Chevy Blairs, Lincoln Premiums. Those sweet automobiles were peacocks of pristine muscle rippling in sparkling color. The streets were full of mint green, orange, yellow, white, and blue mismatched panelsectioned 1955 Buick Special Convertibles. Cloth tops and boots adorned these classics which were all trimmed with lots of chrome. We hired a driver named Alberto and toured the town in style: riding in a cherry red Buick Electra convertible with tail fins and all. This was the fifties at its best. Brightly colored Detroit chrome and steel cruised old-world streets filled with music and laughter, while trade winds were blowing in our hair as we journeyed along in carefree delight.

Brian and I had a great time exploring Havana.

Interacting with the villagers was a blast. We toured an old cigar factory and several very interesting cantinas. To enter the cigar factory we went through a wide doorway, walking

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on a cracked marble floor. I keep wondering just how many shoes walked along this weathered path. Then it hit us: the smell of unlit cigar tobacco, earthy and remarkably intoxicating. It pulls you closer to the factory’s heart, a siren song that can’t be ignored.

There before you are scores of workers, each making cigars entirely by hand. Unrushed, antique, and personal hand-rolling of those Cuban cigars hasn’t changed for hundreds of years. There’s nothing like the taste of fine tobacco hand-rolled by beautiful Latin senoritas. Yeah, we lit up a few. Who wouldn’t?

Americans who go to Cuba with a license from the U.S. government have the added pleasure of being allowed to buy Cuban cigars and bring them back to the United States, just not very many.

The Treasury Department allows licensed U.S. travelers to bring back up to $100 worth of Cuban goods.

We didn’t drink the water when we were down there because other beverages were available.

El Floridita, Cuba’s most renowned bar, was one of Hemingway’s favorite places to drink. Photos of him with Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, and Ava Gardner cover the walls. We sat next to his statue and toasted Papa. Then we toasted ourselves. El Floridita is said to be the birthplace of the daiquiri and they sure did make some good ones. We also hit Sloppy Joe’s, Havana’s pre-revolutionary bar. There are two Sloppy Joe’s. One of them is in Key West and the other Hemingway hangout is in Cuba. We hit them both on the trip.

After the bars it was time for a drive. Alberto was behind the wheel and Leandro was guiding us on our epic journey. We cruised in our rented classic Detroit muscle

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from the 1950s, the cherry red Buick Electra convertible.

Warm tropical breezes ruffled our hair as we passed the Baroque-style Cathedral de San Cristobal and the bold Castillo de la Real Fuerza, an impressive military fortress.

Alberto was persuaded to let us spend some time behind the wheel. It was just a slight taste, but we savored the nectar. Oh yeah, we drove those classic cars and it felt good. We had no disappointments, amigo.

The evening belonged to El Malecon, Havana’s famous seafront boulevard. At sunset, the falling sun rivaled Key West for the beauty of its tropical twilight colors. Our tour guide had become a true friend to us, and together we entered the evening and all her glory. Congo drums beat to the heartbeat of another Cuban night.

Where there are old cars, old buildings of fine architecture, old men, and fresh cigars, life is good.

But only if you live it. This town has its own special beat. Not everyone feels it in their soul. But those who do have found paradise. Breezy palms danced merrily as blue cigar smoke lazily swirled in the air all around us. My favorite thing about visiting Cuba wasn’t her white sandy beaches, or drinking freshly made mojitos, or even dancing to the lively music – although I did indeed love all those things. No, it was all those amazing people we met down there.

Despite very difficult times, Cubans continue to be extremely warm and welcoming. They are lively and exceedingly expressive people who see the glass as half full. Leandro, our guide showed up again the next evening, and we toured world famous cantinas on foot through the back streets and alleyways of Old Havana. Remember, WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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don’t drink and drive. My favorite cantina of the evening was El Dandy. Whispering wind and Spanish guitars played softly as the sun neared the trees. Darkness was falling.

Soon the fun stuff would start happening.

At the entrance of Havana stands the lighthouse and surrounding fort of Castillo del Morro. The bright beacon of the lighthouse flashes white twice every fifteen seconds and can be seen from fifteen to twenty miles out to sea, given decent visibility. It was here we met two Barcelonan girls and Brian hitched a ride with them. Green parrots called to us while giant, orange, old-timer iguanas watched as we danced the mambo and the rumba – but not salsa; definitely not salsa.

Multicolor houses and brick alleyways full of lush rainbow flowers lined the night. Vibrant murals lay painted on weathered walls. Resting, parked trucks turned gray in the shadows of the night. The trip was a triumph of adventure and action, full of smiling faces and hot tropical nights, endless laughter and vibrant excitement.

Too soon it was time to leave Havana and all her splendor. Going home, as we cruised into international waters, a full moon was rising over Havana. The glow displayed all that proud city’s glory. With each nautical mile, Cuba kept slipping away, turning hazy but unforgotten. After a blissfully calm night we spotted the first U.S. buoy. We were almost home. The trip nearly went off without a hitch. We only had one fatality on the trip: we lost Bob-O’s cooler when it fell overboard unseen.

There’s a lot to never forget about Cuba, and now is the time to see it before it changes forever. But nothing lasts forever. Especially four days. The real key to life is, “Remember to laugh all you can. Even if it’s at yourself.

Because if you can’t laugh at yourself, somebody else will.”

And one more thing, life is full of wise decisions. Wise is overrated; go make some mistakes. Live a little. Stop thinking about all the stuff you’re supposed to do and start doing the stuff you want to do. Life’s journey is over too fast. Don’t miss the adventure. Now, get to hell down here to Key West and maybe we’ll all sneak back into Cuba one more time.

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Is Staffing at NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) and Their Imposed Changes to Its Products Impacting Safety for Mariners?

and forecasts to the public at large, with critical updates Can staffing at NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center which can happen anytime between the scheduled six(OPC) and the imposed changes to its products constitute hourly updates (four times daily). The NWS also provides a safety risk for mariners? As part of the El Faro online graphic products as well. Today’s NWS is event final findings and report recommendations from the driven, mainly for shorter term severe weather episodes UCCG, Safety Recommendation #14 - The National such as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash flooding, Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and winter weather watches, advisories, and warnings (NOAA) Evaluation of Forecast Staffing and Products for (snow and freezing rain). These are issued at the local Maritime Interests - “NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center level from offices known as National Weather Service (OPC) is understaffed to properly perform its function Forecast Offices (NWSFOs). to be in compliance with not Each office is built around just SOLAS (minimal), but its The fact is, NOAA’s OPC aviation, public, hydrology, core function to support the is short of the number of fire weather, and marine desks maritime community, not to mariners engaged in 90 percent (the latter, only where marine operational forecasters required weather concerns are applicable. of the nation’s commerce, but to to perform normal operational 24 The normal staffing recreational cruisers as well.”

X 7 work-shifts per work station. arrangement to support round the The fact is, NOAA’s OPC clock 24 X 7 watches, advisories, is short of the number of warnings, and forecast coverage operational forecasters required for NOAA’s NWS is five forecasters working eight-hour to perform normal operational 24 X 7 work-shifts per shifts for each operational forecast desk. The hours work station. OPC is a major line office of the National assigned to each desk may vary, sometimes depending on Weather Service (NWS). This major line office agency under NOAA, has a policy to ensure round the clock the weather situation for each. There is allowance for time routine formatted alpha-numeric text and NOAA Weather off for vacation, leave of absence, and unscheduled sick leave in the work place. This staffing arrangement also Radio voice broadcasts of watches, advisories, warnings,

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allows a few days to do research and outreach projects.

Scheduling of each forecaster needs to add up to 80 hours in a two-week pay cycle.

The NWS also has major “National Centers” that provide guidance to the local forecast offices to issue such events. The OPC is an example of a major “National Center” that provides guidance to local NWSFOs in the form of a text message available online called the Marine Weather Discussion. This product is produced to cover both the North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean’s offshore forecast zones that also cover the overlapping coastal zones. For example, the North Atlantic Marine Weather Discussion: (https://ocean.weather.gov/shtml/NFDMIMATN.shtml).

OPC has five work stations that provide warning and forecast services to its obligations for both the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The operational forecast shifts are variable, from 8, 10, and 12 hours.

On the opposite page (left) is a snapshot of the OPC work station environment display of multiple high-speed computers utilized by OPC forecasters to produce and transmit its graphic and alpha-numeric warnings and forecasts to mariners.

There are the typical time delays in filling vacant forecast positions due to forecaster transfers and retirements. This all adds up to deficiencies of forecasters at OPC which minimizes the amount of days for research projects (assigned to individual forecasters as focal points) and for outreach. The latter means for forecasters to attend recreational boat shows, sometimes as invited speakers. It is important for Cruising Outpost readers to understand that what happens at the high-end professional maritime industry level also overlaps the larger and dominant coastal and offshore recreational cruising community, who directly benefit from them. Thus, it is up to OPC management to keep current on stakeholders (taxpayers) needs and communication capabilities to receive NWS products and services.

Today’s staffing at OPC is less than 20 forecasters.

The nominal number should be 25 (again, five forecasters for each work station). The OPC workflow is mostly built around the High Frequency-Single Side Band (HF-SSB) schedule. This mode of low band width communications transmits graphical synoptic scale upper 500 mb, surface pressure, and wind and wave analyses and forecast charts (often referred to as “Fax Charts”) for both the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These graphical products are all based on two major forecast cycles daily: 00Z and 12Z. Because of staffing deficiencies, OPC is NOT producing

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L e e C h e s n e a u ’s M a r i n e We a t h e r graphic synoptic forecast charts beyond 48-hours, twice a day as it should, to support the maritime industry expanding over significant oceanic time zone differences (for example, between the waypoints from Bishop Rock, west entrance to English Channel, to Nojima Saki, the waypoint in and out of Tokyo Bay). It is the graphical synoptic charts suite as generated by the OPC that best serves mariners, and up until 13 Nov. 2017, was widely considered to be the “Standard of Excellence.”

OPC initiated its changes to its safety decision making graphical synoptic weather and oceanographic products (charts) even before the most serious ones of 13 Nov. 2017, and more recently, on 07 March 2018. These changes have resulted in an unprecedented degradation in service, Now, compare the same chart, eliminating the the exact opposite of NOAA’s NWS policy of equaling tracking of the same “L” & “H” before and extended or exceeding previous products when changes are made. forward in time (-24/+24 hours), as noted below.

Furthermore, there was NOT a legitimate process of a stakeholder vetting and consensus agreement to these changes. Based on a trickle of unshared responses by OPC (before and after the changes), the responses received from stakeholders were either ignored, discounted, or given weak and mostly superfluous answers. There were no concrete reasons from OPC as to why the changes were made.

What’s especially paramount with this debacle is OPC’s apparent lack of understanding or interest in its negative impacts upon mariners, and those responsible for training and teaching an appropriate level of understanding these long-standing, unique, publicly held products. The standards required of commercial mariners are based on these products, to be in compliance as set forth in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that determines what these I will let the reader be the judge whether the changes standards are, and by the USCG that regulates merchant are “MINOR” as OPC asserts when forced to respond to mariner mandated training requirements (a separate but the changes in another online editorial periodical. linked discussion)! NOAA’s OPC publicly held products Finally, in view of the recommendations from the are also often utilized by private meteorological consultants USCG (NOAA staffing levels), the NTSB (tracking of as a basis for their own forecast weather systems), and the most ...it is time for mariners to and vessel routing services. recent HR 6175 (section 16, as The example of OPC’s it pertains to timely synoptic voice their concerns to those in surface pressure forecast chart weather forecasts - today’s Congress so they are aware of above is prior to March 7th.

96-hour forecast products now Note the tracking system was originate from older forecast NOAA’s unvetted actions that based on the same -24/+24 hours negatively impact the maritime model guidance), it is time before and extended from each for mariners to voice their community’s safety.

“L” and “H” depicted, based on concerns to those in Congress the “Valid Date/Time.” It was so they are aware of NOAA’s the same for all the surface pressure forecast charts (24, unvetted actions that negatively impact the maritime 48 and 96 hours). community’s safety.

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Changes at NOAA Readers (all mariners from commercial to recreational) can either comment directly to NOAA’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere for the Department of Commerce in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - (timothy. gallaudet@noaa.gov) 202- 482-3436, and/or to their elected Congressional or Senatorial Representatives on Capitol Hill. I would strongly advise to include Reed Linsk, contact person for Rep. Duncan Hunter, R, California, co-sponsor of H.R.6175 - Maritime Safety Act of 2018. (He can be reached at Reed.

Linsk@mail.house.gov). I can be reached for further comment (lee@ weatherbylee.com).

Lee Chesneau is a professional meteorologist with more than 45 years of experience including forecaster assignments NOAA’s Satellite Service (NESDIS),

communications • navigation • weather

National Weather Service (NWS) local forecast office in Seattle, WA and over eighteen years with the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC).

Prior to, he also served in the U.S. Navy and later was employed by a private marine routing service Oceanroutes, Inc (now Weathernews, Inc). He now is a private weather consultant and teaches USCG approved course in meteorology to professional mariners at several continuing education and training institution, MITAGS/å and STAR Center. He is a regular contributor to Cruising Outpost.

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Talk of the Dock Newsie Bits

Some Good News for a Change With all the muck in the news these days, wouldn’t it be nice to read something good for a change? Here are three little bits that impact our unique boating world that may make your day.

Beneteau Figaro 3 Foiling Monohull is Now a Reality It’s like the night before Christmas for sailors looking for groundbreaking technology in one-design monohull racing. Although it’s been much anticipated and discussed over the past two years, Beneteau’s new 33-foot Figaro 3 foiling mono is now a reality and I’m already drooling at the thought of testing one.

The boat looks funky with foils that protrude out from the hull on either side of the mast. These curved foils have an inward-facing profile. They create drift reduction and improve the boat’s righting moment without the heavy ballast tanks on Beneteau’s past Figaro models. The asymmetric tip foils create side force and supplement the skinny keel so there’s less overall drag. They retract to the

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boat’s maximum beam, which is 11 feet. Their attachment point is above the waterline so if they’re sheared off in a collision, there will be no water ingress and the boat will stay structurally intact. The new boat is 200 pounds lighter and is expected to be 15% faster than its predecessor.

Of course the faster you go, the more us≠≠≠e you’ll have for these foils. How will the boat do in light airs? We’ll see. Designers from VPLP have high expectations but do concede that this type of racing isn’t for Beer Can sailors. It’ll be fairly demanding keeping this boat sailing at optimum levels, which means the more experienced will get the best results. Look for the Figaro 3 to be zooming by starting Fall of 2018.

25 Million for the ICW All those living near or boating on the ICW rejoice. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been allotted an additional $25 million this year to dredge portions of the Intracoastal Waterway. The funds have been earmarked for restorations of sections of the ICW that have suffered storm damage in various forms including shoaling.

Shallow-draft inlet crossings in southern North Carolina and the Charleston district in South Carolina should be primary beneficiaries. Georgia won’t be left out either as dredging will center on the Jekyll Creek area.

Florida shoals will also be targeted.

Not to say “it’s about time” but it’s about time. The East Coast “ditch” has been becoming just that lately.

Bringing boating traffic to the ICW again should also stimulate businesses in these four states. No date has been set for completion.

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What’s New & What’s Goin’ On? 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.

Get Your Kid a Job Ok, this one’s a little hard to position as good news, but it’s all about perspective, right?

A workforce shortage is wreaking havoc with the marine industry, forcing boat and accessory manufacturers to get creative in order to meet demand. Quality issues abound and that’s putting pressure on downstream dealers and their service departments and technicians. Service backlogs are growing as quality control and customer satisfaction are taking a back seat. Factory errors are creating weeks if not months of backed up service at the dealer level

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and between a high demand for boats and a skimpy talent pool, there’s no end in sight for this problem that’s being called “the worst in 40 years”.

Ok, so how’s this good news?

Well, if you currently own a boat that’s a few years old, chances are it’s holding its value better than in recent history due to its perceived higher quality build. The other good point is that if you have a Millennial sitting at home looking for a job, they may be able to find a career in the marine industry if they develop some skills. They may never get rich in this industry but they might just have the time of their lives.

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Coming Home...

Not Always An Easy Thing To Do!

Some of you may remember parts of our journey from the two front cover articles we shared in Cruising Outpost.

As a family we sailed from Los Angeles down through Central America, to South America, and then across the South Pacific all the way to Australia. Our amazing one-way journey took us to 15 countries, across 15,000 miles, over 20 amazing months.

We had planned and prepared for this adventure for years, and there is a reason this magazine is so popular with a running theme of “Get out there!” Because seeing the world while being so closely a part of nature is not some great “online” experience, it is life changing, spirit lifting, and humanity endearing magic. And those powerful moments make coming back something we found, and many we enjoyed sailing with have found, an unexpected challenge.

There is so much wonderful information on preparing to go, but so little on preparing to return. Now, in true cruiser fashion, we wish to share some of the stories and lessons learned from coming back that we wish others had told us about:

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By Paul KortenKamp

THE PRACTICAL FIRST WEEK Here is just a feel of the things that we suddenly had to do coming home after our flight from Australia. We got picked up by family and driven to our home that we had rented out, only to find that we forgot we tossed our beds rather than store them. Off to store for air mattresses. Our AU phones did not work here in USA, so off to get phones so we can get internet to the house. We needed to buy a car. So rent a car, get internet hooked up, buy beds on-line to be delivered, get car, get car insurance, .…

Two years without work shoes now meant feet do not fit. So new shoes. Then two years without socks… you guessed it, off to get socks… Just embrace the chaos and the need for old basics.

ANNOUNCE YOUR RETURN Folks have not seen you in years, and many will not have your phone number or even know how to contact you. Have a big event. Show pictures. Tell stories. And get your phone number and email out to allow people to www.cruisingoutpost.com

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bring you back home. We hosted a big gathering to share our adventure with everyone and let everyone know we were back, with almost 200 people coming to enjoy the fun. We also got the girls back the last week of their old school so they could watch their friends graduate and connect with them before they all scattered for the summer. This really helped make gatherings and friend visits simpler.

WORK If you have to go back to work, as we planned on having to do, try and get the job before your return.

This makes many things simpler, from health care to credit, to even pushing a schedule into what used to be, at most, a weather-based schedule. Looking for work after coming back adds stress, and can make reconnecting that much harder.

FOOD It is funny to write, but when cruising food is a constant dialog, from what did you catch, to where is a market, to what should we make. We talk about food throughout the day right into what to drink for sundowners. When we returned we got so busy we talked about what we could grab or fit in between tasks. And here is the really funny part, talking about food all day, living a slower life, got us back down to near our college weights, but eating quickly in a faster-paced life puts on the pounds!

SOCIAL Cruising creates many lasting and wonderful friendships, often through short meetings. Coming back and seeing great friends and family that were a regular part of your life has a strangeness to it, where before it was simply comfortable. It takes time to even get used to being around each other again, and re-entering routines is not like jumping back on a bike. In our case we were gone for two years, and that is a lot of holidays, birthdays, and barbecues without each other around to share those stories.

You all like each other and are friends for years who www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Coming Home...

suddenly lack two years of common experiences. It can be disjointed, and you need to work on getting new experiences together. Taking a moment to realize this discomfort is just a lack of these recent common experiences really helps to connect with the great people you missed while you were away.

THE STORIES You are going to get two questions by everyone that wants to talk to you about your trip: Pirates/ Scariest Thing, and Favorite Part. It may be the 1000th time you get asked, but remember they are asking because they want to know and you were there. Enjoy the conversation, and here is a tip that really helps: have one quick answer for when there isn’t time to answer, and when there is, use a different story each time. You will have hundreds of favorites they don’t know, so just pick a new one each time. That way you get to share and relive different moments instead of rinse and repeating the same stories. This simple tip avoids the repetitive questions feeling like a pebble in your shoe.

DEPRESSION It is real, and something we found many cruisers did not expect or talk about. Just knowing this should be expected helps manage the emotions of

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Not Always An Easy Thing To Do!

returning. More than one wonderful boat of people we met came back from their adventure only to find their relationship so changed it ended in divorce.

Coming back is a shock to the system. It is harder because returning should feel like coming home, but now everything doesn’t quite feel the same as when you left. You changed. Your life was surrounded by maintenance projects and what new adventure you were going to see next, not schedules, work, and calendared events. Barbecues and sundowners happened without planning with new people you just met. Not so when you come back.

Knowing this adjustment is just that, an adjustment, makes recognizing frustrations easier. Friends have missed you; go see them when you miss your adventure so you can see what you missed while you were gone. Your spirit and smiles are what connected you before you left and during the trip, and now they will when you’re back.

Reconnect with those positive people, and try viewing coming back as a new adventure by experiencing all you left behind with your new eyes.

BE GRATEFUL We are grateful we went, and are glad we are back helping our girls through high school and all the adventures that brings. Yes, we want to go cruise again, but we can only live one adventure at a time.

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The attitude of gratitude picked up by meeting so many warm souls across the oceans is a treasure. As soon as you feel crowded, depressed, disconnected, or crushed, remember some food you love but could not find, and some friend you missed. Go make that for dinner, inviting that friend that day, because you can now that you are back in the land of plenty, with a cell phone and a car…

It’s a text message in a bottle!

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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.

Building a Panelized Overhead Much of the cabin top hardware is through-bolted, with the fasteners only accessible from the inside of the boat. Adding a panelized overhead allows access to those fasteners and provides a clean, modern look to the inside of the cabin top.

The overhead is divided up into a series of panels. Artists foam board is excellent as it is stiff and doesn’t flop around.

The patterns are transferred to MDO plywood and cut out.

The interior of the panel is cut out, leaving a ring.

The panels are then screwed and epoxied to the overhead.

Teak strips are used to separate the panels. Thin plywood is then cut to fit inside the teak strips.

The panels are covered with marine vinyl material.

Industrial strength Velcro is then stapled to the back side of the covered panels and the edges of the overhead panel.

The Velcro is more than strong enough to hold the covered panels in place.

Figure 1: Cross Section of Panelized Overhead

Figure 2: Section through Cabin Side & Top

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Tech Tips from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop

Figure 3: Making Foam Board Patterns for MOD Plywood Panels

Figure 5: Aligning Panels with Self-Tapping Screws

Figure 4: MDO Panels cut out, painted and ready to install

Figure 6: MDO Panels Epoxied and Screwed in Place

Figure 7: Installing Teak Trim Strips

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Zihuatanejo Sailfest The Most Rewarding Thing I Have Done As A Cruiser

By Terri Potts-Chattaway

Each fall, the migration begins and seasonal cruisers come back to Mexico, preparing to sail south. Some head to the Sea of Cortez, and others explore the west coast of Mexico, usually traveling between San Carlos and Zihuatanejo. Everyone looks forward to catching up with old friends and the excitement builds as we discuss our plans for the adventures that lie ahead.

Recently, there has been a considerable amount of buzz around Zihuatanejo. We had heard a lot about the International Guitar Festival held each year in March, but not so much about Sailfest. Until this past year, that is. “Are you going to Zihua?” Our friends

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asked us. “Zihuatanejo is so cool! You will love it.” Others chimed in with, “You have to go to Sailfest! It is the most rewarding thing I have done as a cruiser.”

Sailfest is advertised as a week-long festival, held every February, raising funds for Por Los Niños, a non-profit organization that has supported the education of the leastadvantaged children of Zihuatanejo for over 17 years. Por Los Niños, along with the help of local and international communities, has a history of success in that they have not only built classrooms, they have built entire schools. Two years ago they built the first new high school, Colegio de Bachilleres, in

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Zihuatanejo Sailfest

20 years with the intent to bring back children who had dropped out for one reason or another. The dropout rate in Mexico is high. Only 27% graduate from high school and out of that, only 11% go on to university. This year, 21 out of 34 students graduating from Colegio de Bachilleres are going on to university. That is six times higher than the national average.

Sailfest offers a myriad of events, mostly surrounding the cruisers taking out guests on their boats for a few hours of sailing. The schedule also includes a chili cook-off, silent and live auctions, a benefit concert, and gala dinner. Two special sailing events are the Sail around the Rock, which is a cruisers’ race/rally, and the finale, The Sail Parade, starting in the bay of Zihuatanejo and ending at Ixtapa where we salute the Port Captain. The committees that work for Sailfest are a well-oiled machine and very professional. So much so, at the end of the event, the volunteers are provided with a complete accounting of all monies raised and spent.

With all the hype around Zihuatanejo and Sailfest, my husband, Jay, and I decided to see for ourselves. We left Nuevo Vallarta and sailed the 363 nm south.

Zihuatanejo Bay is quite large and in the shape of a horseshoe.

The town of Zihuatanejo lies in the center. To the right of

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the horseshoe are two popular beaches, Playa La Ropa and Playa Los Gatos. To the left are private homes and a few restaurants.

Hills rise up behind the coastline surrounding the cove.

We arrived in the bay on January 31st, just before sunset. It was a sultry evening and we were tired. We dropped anchor, had a glass of wine, and watched the sun go down. The hills began to glisten as the white lights twinkled from the houses perched on the cliffs. It was a beautiful sight.

We found the merchants to be warm and welcoming, and they cater to the cruisers. Maybe this is because we boost their economy.

Maybe it’s because they appreciate our efforts to help raise money for the education of their children. Maybe it’s both.

Whatever the reason, they provide a much-needed service to those anchored in the bay.

Ishmael – stationed just off the pier - can help with almost anything. He will deliver fuel, water, beer, even laundry to your boat. On shore, there are “dinghy valets,” four men who have made their living by working on the beach. For a minimum of ten pesos (each way), they will help pull your dinghy in and out of the water. They are there 24-7 and watch over the boats while we are in town.

They are a fun bunch and we enjoyed getting to know them.

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Zihuatanejo turned out to be more of a big city and less of a sleepy village than we expected.

Yet, town Centro still retains the charm of a small fishing community, witnessed by the fishing co-op we passed daily when walking the Malecon. As is common in every Mexican town, the Malecon runs along the shore.

What is different are the palm trees lining either side, creating a canopy of shade and an intimacy that adds to its allure. There is no town square either, with the requisite park in the center, and a church and civic buildings on either side. Instead, there are several diagonal streets designated only for pedestrians. The streets are narrow and the restaurateurs set up their tables outside where customers can enjoy dinner under the stars. This also adds to the intimacy and charm of the village.

Zihuatanejo seems to draw great musicians too.

Whether it is a salsa band playing on the beach, a guitar duo at dinner, or a jazz band at a night club, we found the music scene to be top notch. They are also civic-minded and welcomed the opportunity to volunteer for Sailfest.

The morning after we arrived, we wandered over to the sales desk camped out on the Malecon (open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and manned by volunteers).

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Since Sailfest wouldn’t officially start until February 5th and this was February 1st, we were surprised to find out that they had been selling sunset sails for two weeks prior to Sailfest, as well as the week of Sailfest, and would continue into the week after Sailfest. And not only sunset sails. You could offer your boat for any kind of sail you wanted to share, such as a wine and cheese cruise, or a day sail, or the ever-popular music cruises. This is where local musicians offered their talent. Tim and Donna Melville, the chairs of the cruising committee, organized three boats who were willing to raft up together. The middle boat would host the band. Tim and Donna had their hands full keeping up with the demand, but because of the generosity of the cruisers, the sailing contingent alone raised over $500,000 pesos.

Jay and I volunteered our boat for several of the sunset cruises, the rally, and the parade. Tim explained that we could take as many people as we felt comfortable with or as few. Some people took six. Others took ten. The music cruise boats usually had at least twenty on board. We decided eight guests was a good number for us.

We were a little nervous about taking strangers out on our boat.

Would they get seasick? (No one on our boat did.) Would they have a difficult time boarding our boat out at anchor? (Yes, many did.) Had

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Zihuatanejo Sailfest

they ever sailed before? (Some, yes. Some, no.) We wanted our guests to have a good time and, at the same time, we wanted to keep them safe. As it turned out, all our guests were a whole lot of fun and had a delightful time. Every single group sang for us. One gentleman even brought an Irish drum and led us in sea chanties.

The official week of Sailfest opened with a welcome beach party and ended with a parade. That was one of the

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highlights for me, seeing 31 boats “dressed up” and all in a line. The other highlight was visiting the high school. One of the board members of Por Los Ninos, Lorenzo, took us on a private tour of the school. We jumped into three vans and drove through city streets until we came to a hill. From there, the vans climbed the hill on rocky, dirt roads that weaved around and around. When we arrived, the principal spoke, and the children performed a cultural dance. Meanwhile, two students served the volunteers a shot of mescal. It is the only high school I know of that lets the children serve alcohol and dance with machetes.

In all seriousness, the school is impressive and just this last year added a computer room with ten computers and air conditioning.

We spent three weeks in Zihuatanejo. During our visit there were so many activities for the cruisers, I can’t possibly list them all. A couple to note were the Shot and Shave day for the men and the Sip and Swim day for the women. The grand finale was a special gift

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from the President of Por Los Ninos, Gloria Bellack and her husband, Richard. To show their appreciation for the volunteers, they hosted a thank-you party at their home on Playa Blanca. We were served delicious food with an open bar and live music, complete with an inďŹ nity pool set against the PaciďŹ c Ocean and a sparkling, white sandy beach. We were stunned by their generosity.

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When all was said and done, we were exhausted but elated at our accomplishment. The entire month-long event raised over two million pesos. It took a lot of work and not just by cruisers. There are many local residents who donate their time and resources to the people of Zihuatanejo throughout the year. It is quite a community and we were proud to be a small part of their philanthropy.

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s u o i r lo

G , d o Fo The marketplace in Gaudeloupe

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s

I

t was once a central theme of life on the sea that the food consumed was dull and miserable.

Stories of ship’s biscuits, salted meat and grog floated down through the ages, transforming into their modern-day counterparts of cans of sardines, one-pot meals, and convenience foods.

Since moving on board, choosing to live and sail full time, we both agree that we have never eaten better in our lives, despite being two foodies from London. This surprises most people who assume that without regular access to standard weekly supermarket runs your eating would get more difficult. However, food onboard has never been a chore for us to create and enjoy, and we’ve learned a number of tricks to keep what we eat varied, interesting, sustainable, cheap, and tasty.

Our first real test was provisioning for crossing the Atlantic, which was to be our longest non-stop passage to date – and there were four of us on board. Sitting down and planning how we wanted to stock up for the trip involved calculating things like how many pieces of fruit each person was likely to want to eat during the day, or snack on during night watch, and multiplying this by four and then by the maximum number of days that we might be on passage.

The local markets were rather astounded when we arrived with our streamers of shopping lists and started buying up apples and The Art of Provisioning oranges by the crateful. Yet, that first “Out There” ocean crossing taught us so much about healthy eating. Over the three-week

By Jessica Lloyd-Mosten passage, none of us consumed anything highly processed; we still had fresh fruit and vegetables upon arrival in the Caribbean, and we learned how to make fresh bread. By the

! d o o F

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Food, Glorious Food!

A hammock is the best way to keep fresh fruit and breads on a boat Preparing ingredients for a gourmet meal on board

A little imagination goes a long way to creating great meals

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Berries & bananas are usually available, and cereal lasts a long time time we arrived we all looked well and were grateful for having made such good nutritious choices.

One of the first great techniques to acquire for organizing fresh food onboard is how best to store it.

We’ve found that string hammocks and other ways of hanging certain items really helps keep them aired, plus it’s easy to visually check at a glance to see which ones are ripening fast and need eating first. Apples and oranges will last a lot longer than anything soft, so eat the papayas, nectarines, and kiwis first. Some fruits and vegetables do well stacked in trays, crates, or boxes, maybe separated with newspaper or other things to cushion the soft flesh, and stored in the coolest part of the boat that can house them. Again, it’s checking it all regularly that keeps these things long-lasting, making sure that one orange skin going mouldy doesn’t affect the whole lot. Bunches of bananas hang quite naturally and beautifully from grabrails, but we always try to separate them out somewhat to stop them from all ripening at once.

There are particularly savvy choices that you can make with vegetables that will last longer than others. Cabbages do particularly well, as do leeks, onions, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, garlic, and beetroot. Plus, these have the added bonus that they are happy to be stored in darker places, so our saloon seating was stuffed with them, although we still checked them with an almost religious fanaticism. Then there are the most robust and hardy ones of them all: the pumpkins, squashes, and gourds; the coconuts and the limes which will see you through to the end of almost any voyage. Even carrots can last amazingly well if moved into a refrigerator to prolong their life.

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Guatemalan women

time to vacuum pack any meat in our fridge before Another great trick is to carry a lot of dried fruit. leaving, which helped to prolong its life.

It’s great for snacking on and works really well as part Tinned or canned fruits and vegetables have been of making a muesli or porridge breakfast tastier, for something we were always cautioned by other sailors as baking breads or biscuits, or in cooking any kind of imperative to have in stock for long meat. A hearty stew or casserole is particularly gorgeous when you We’d been warned about offshore passages. But, in truth, we’ve used them very little and throw in some prunes, raisins, the high prices and low often given away any that have sat or apricots. Before our Pacific crossing, which was 26 days in availability of certain foods at the back of a cupboard for ages. few exceptions to this have total, we borrowed a vacuum in the South Pacific islands. The been occasionally throwing some sealer from a friend on the dock canned peaches into our 12-volt and made packs of a whole host blender to add to a smoothie, and of dried mango, papaya, and figs, among other things, the convenience of good-quality tinned mushrooms. to help liven up our food choices on board. We’d been Mushrooms are soft, fragile, and don’t last at all well warned about the high prices and low availability of certain foods in the South Pacific islands, so we were keen to stock up as much as possible whilst in the far more inexpensive Mexico.

When combined with all the raw nuts and oats that we provisioned with as well, it meant that we could throw together a huge variety of different dishes. Vacuum sealing also worked well for Loading up with supplies things like cereal and at the dock in St. Maarten coffee, and we even had

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Food, Glorious Food!

Mangoes can be found at most tropical marketplaces

even dockside when you’re in the tropics. So, a few cans of these can be great to use in pastas or risottos, if they take your fancy. Canned green vegetables however, even for our longest stretches at sea, have never proved their valuableness to us. Even in the hottest climates you can still get away with eating the fresh stuff, which is far better for you and has a much nicer flavour. Or, those with freezers on their boats can carry frozen peas, carrots, spinach, etc with ease. Beans, pulses, lentils, and chickpeas, however, are great in tins; providing a brilliant source of protein while en route and hugely reducing the cooking time and gas needed to cook up the dried ones.

We eat a lot of eggs on board, and also use them a lot for making pancakes and in other baking. So far, our adventures in keeping them fine for long voyages have been very straightforward. We try to buy them unrefrigerated and as fresh as possible. Once on the boat, they are kept in just their normal cardboard containers or in a plastic one and kept somewhere cool, where they will feel minimal movement in even big seas. No smearing with Vaseline or other special treatment needed. Plastic containers do

Provisioning in the British Virgin Islands...

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have their place if the location where you’re doing your provisioning is likely to have slightly dodgy cardboard ones, which could easily be housing cockroach eggs.

Making your own bread at sea sounds like something undertaken only by the coolest, most accomplished, and expert mariners. However, I can assure you that it’s much easier than you might guess and is something that you don’t have to be any kind of domestic goddess to do well – as even I can do it. It’s only flour, water, salt and yeast. Also, we tend to use the simplest bread recipe that we know and stick to it. However, there will always be instances when the dough doesn’t rise, or the timing doesn’t quite work to see the whole thing through, but don’t despair. Half-made kneaded bread dough can be rolled out, turned into pizza bases, or portions of it cooked in a hot frying pan without oil to become a delicious pan bread, rising to about an inch thick in minutes. If you can’t be bothered to do any kneading or if the sea state changes on you and stops you from kneading, the same dough ingredients, but minus the yeast and adding a bit of oil instead, can be simply rolled into balls, flattened, and

... differs from provisioning in Cuba

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cooked quickly on a hot pan to make really lovely and versatile flatbreads or tortillas. These methods are quick and fail-safe, and we’ve found them invaluable for putting food on the table both mid-ocean and in any anchorage.

We really enjoy discovering what fills the shelves in the supermarkets in every new country we visit, as it’s a great way to get an angle on how people live. In some places there is often a clear connection with an umbrella of foreign power, and the goods are largely exported from there, even if the distance may be thousands of miles. It can seem a rather jarring relationship, especially on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. American luxuries dominate the stores of Cancun, Mexico and Panama City; products from New Zealand and Australia are the staples in the Cook Islands and Tonga; French cheeses and pâtes are widespread across the East Caribbean and French Polynesia. But, these familiar brand names and labels come with a high price tag when they’re made available so far from home. Truly local supermarkets and grocery stores are a more low-key affair, without the high-rise shelves and towering boxes of the larger international conglomerates. Our shopping and provisioning experiences in countries like Cuba, Fiji, Guatemala, and Dominica were poles apart from those models. Locals would swim out to our boat at anchor or motion to us from the bushes offering bags of lobster, limes, and onions to trade, or we’d have a strange encounter simply negotiating to buy some eggs at a market, which would feel like a clandestine underground deal.

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The story of a world voyage that ended with the creation of Latitudes & Attitudes & Cruising Outpost Magazines.

This is the real story behind where it started.

King Harbor

14.

95

$

An action-adventure novel. Follow delivery skipper Treb Lincoln as he finds out why a research vessel in the central Pacific is planning to destroy paradise, and how he stops them.

$

14.

95

Emerald Bay

Newlyweds Treb Lincoln and his bride visit Catalina Island, and in a matter of seconds a drug deal gone bad changes his life. Action packed and never dull.

A Brotherhood of Outlaws

14.

$

95

The first book by Bob Bitchin, long before he started sailing. A look into what the real world of the outlaw biker was like in the ‘70s & ‘80s. The first Treb Lincoln novel.

FTW Publishing Box 100 Berry Creek, CA 95916

www.BobBitchin . c om

Add $4 Postage for First Book - Additional books free postage WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

pg 152-158 Food, Glorious FoodEditedBySueR2.indd 7

Cruising Outpost 157

7/26/18 11:31 AM

No, it’s not a space creature, it’s Canned beef is great for Ceviche is usually an easy dish, a French Polynesian fruit! all kinds of recipies and a great plan for your catch!

One of the greatest joys of sailing and exploring so many different countries is the opportunity to eat both locally and seasonally. Plus, if you throw in the fact that you’re likely to keep moving somewhat, you have the chance to experience an endless variety of different produce. After we had sailed for nine months in the South Pacific, we were thrilled to find items like broccoli and apples were cheap and readily available in New Zealand, as both were hugely overpriced and imported in all the island groups that we’d been visiting en route. We also arrived there at the start of strawberry season and witnessed the transition of the year at the farmers’ markets through the cycle of blueberries, sweet corn, and passion fruit that accompanied the changes in climate.

Like anyone else, the average cruiser will undoubtedly have times where they simply cannot be bothered to cook – and it’s here that the economy of local food really comes into its own. We always gravitate towards street food, eating out in the same establishments as the folks who live there yearround, rather than ones aimed specifically at tourists.

Some of our most memorable and enjoyable meals were had this way: fried fish and barbecued corn in Morocco,

158 Cruising Outpost

pg 152-158 Food, Glorious FoodEditedBySueR2.indd 8

freshly cooked blue-corn tortillas and ceviche in El Salvador; spicy rotis in Fiji, cheap and delicious taco stands all across Mexico, pistachio, aniseed, and cream cakes in Portugal, crispy fried chicken in the East Caribbean, and steak frites in French Polynesia.

But, we do tend to default to making our own meals from scratch, using local and seasonal ingredients, and exploring the world one new cuisine at a time. Making something fresher than your land-based friends and family have ever tasted is the climax to the cocktails-ondeck-at-sunset, picture-perfect, cruising holiday experience that we all relish giving to our guests. We like to ignite their imaginations by throwing in some unusual local produce that they have never seen or tasted before, like plantain, yucca, jicama, mangosteen, rambutan, feijoa, or soursop.

We are, after all, the lucky ones who can take our homes with us, even to the furthest reaches of the globe. So why shouldn’t the food that we eat on board be just as much of an adventure too? In fact, our exploits and adventures on the water have encouraged both of us to be much better cooks as a result. And, what’s more, we’re still eating better than we ever have in our lives.

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

7/26/18 11:31 AM

www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 159 Trawlerfest.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 159

7/29/18 12:01 PM

Your Ticket to Freedom Come for the show, leave with a lifestyle.

United StateS Sailboat Show

October 4-8, 2018 City Dock - Annapolis, MD

Plan yOur triP tOday!

annapolisboatShows.com 160 Cruising Outpost

pg 160 Annapolis Int. Boat Show.indd 1

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

7/29/18 10:25 AM

20th Annual Pacific Sail and Powerboat Show & Cruisers’ Party

T

e The Eric Ston y ar G Band with s! um dr e th Haas on

his year was one of the best years ever for weather at the Pacific Power and Sail Show. Over the past 20 years there have been some pretty cold events, at times below 40, and with rain and wind. But this year, probably because we helped rent and pay for a tent just in case, the show was 80° every day and the evenings were usually in the 70s. On the night of the party, it did get down to maybe the upper 50s, but at least it didn’t rain!

About 600 people kicked off the party, with a mixture of attendees and exhibitors. After the free pizza ran out it, it got down to a controllable 250-300 party-goers.

The party raffle included a batch of really good prizes, rounded out with a KKMI hual-out, Forespar Pure Water+ Filtration System, art from Jim Dewitt, and an ICOM radio from the good folks at Sea-Tech Systems. The raffle went well, with the Educational Tall Ship Foundation receiving the proceeds. Captain Alan Olsen, the CEO, was on hand to explain their program to those assembled.

For the past 10 years we have been working with Alan, as he is the one who taught Bob Bitchin how to sail and in doing so, “ruined his life.” He has, in turn, ruined many more!

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

pg 161-163 Richmondi Cruisers' Party EditedBySueR.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 161

7/27/18 11:45 AM

20th Annual Pacific Sail and Powerboat Show & Cruisers’ Party

The volunteer pizza crew rocked it!

Captain Alan Olsen, CEO of the Call of the Sea and the Educational TallShip Foundation.

Ad Director Lisa O’Brien proves she can sell more than ads, as the raffleticket lady!

Good food, great music and friends.

The perfect party!

It’s dance time. Did someone say “Sou thern Cross?”

Aarron & Heidi helped organize this event. Thanks guys!

Celebrate 50 years of the world’s largest boat show.

January 19-27, 2019 Düsseldorf, Germany boot.de 162 Cruising Outpost boo1902_50Jahre_SE_187x122_US.indd 1 pg 161-163 Richmondi Cruisers' Party EditedBySueR.indd 2

For show information: Messe Düsseldorf North America Tel. (312) 781-5180 _ info@mdna.com www.mdna.com For hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc. Tel. (866) 674-3476 _ info@ttitravel.net

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM 09.07.18 11:06

7/27/18 11:45 AM

Rene “came out of her shell” and help ed with the ticket drawing! Come on Rene, try to cheer up! lol.

t, we arranged Just in case the weather got inclemen Guess what! It never rained!

for this great tent.

The evening before the party, Eric & Kim Stone threw a tailgate party at their motorhome with folks from the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club. It was Creole food at its best, and the music wasn’t bad either! lol

48th Annual

SEPTEMBER 13-16, 2018

N E W P O R T, R H O D E I S L A N D

POWER & SAIL TOGETHER | KAYAKS TO CRUISERS | MARINE EQUIPMENT | SERVICES | ACCESSORIES

800.582.7846 | ADVANCE DISCOUNT TICKETS ONLINE | NEWPORTBOATSHOW.COM P H O T O B Y O N N E VA N D E R WA L

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

pg 161-163 Richmondi Cruisers' Party EditedBySueR.indd 3

Cruising Outpost 163

7/27/18 11:45 AM

Your Ticket to Fun

Come for the show, leave with a lifestyle.

United StateS powerboat Show

October 11-14, 2018 City Dock - Annapolis, MD

Plan yOur triP tOday!

annapolisboatShows.com 164 Cruising Outpost

pg 164 Annapolis Power Boat Show.indd 1

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

8/1/18 10:58 AM

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 show-dogs doesn’t measure to what IRS think is work.

So,actual in order be able enough, to write drinking off all the boat Sinceand we eating get to (have to??) spend a lotquite of time at boatup shows, we fithe gured we people probably should do some work.toStrangely show expenses, weand actually have to walk around findup new stuffthe to feature in think the magazine. job, gotta do it!

Painkillers eating show-dogs doesn’t quite and measure to what IRS people is work. So,It’s in not orderanto easy be able to but writesomeone’s 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!

Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red

TheDrive-Sleek Boye Knives

Crafted for thedesigned Marinefor Environment in Dendritic Cobalt!!

Originally a car, but works best on a boat!

Boye Cobalt Sailing Knife pointed & rounded David Boye has been creating handcrafted knives in the USA since 1971. His breakthrough discovery of cast dendritic metallurgy in the early ‘80s revolutionized traditional blademaking and set new cutting records.

The cutting edge of each Boye knife has micro-serrations that are produced by the alternation of the hard carbide crystals and the softer surrounding cobalt matrix. The carbide crystals function like rebar, helping the blade maintain its shape and edge integrity over time, and are extremely wear resistant.

Denser and stronger than any steel, they cut phenomenallyYeah, better rustbut in it thisand waslonger, designednever, for useever in a car, It boosts signal for all U.S. cell carriers and seawater, and are what non-magnetic, so theyonwon’t a friendly, U.S.-based customer support. All the is really we’ve been needing a boat!influence What has it does is strengthen your cell phone’s data and components needed for installation come in one compass. For more info go to www.boyeknives.com.

Boye Folding Knives in pointed & sheeps foot

voice connection with the latest cradle booster - the Drive Sleek. It’s their most powerful and versatile 4G cradle cellular signal booster for vehicles.

Use the Drive Sleek in your boat to keep you connected. Place your phone in the cradle and get up to 32 times better cell coverage! Stronger signal means faster data speeds.

package and it is FCC Certified.

Some of the benefits you’ll find are that it extends cellular signal range and gives reliable cell signal and more consistent data speeds It also gives you faster data downloads.

Want more info? You can go to their website and see their line-up at www.weboost.com.

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

Cruising Outpost 161

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

pg 165-170 ATBS EditedBySue .indd 1

Cruising Outpost 165

7/26/18 1:31 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

Furuno GP-1871F The Latest from the Industry Leader

Bracket Mount

Powerful and compact, Furuno’s GP1871F combines a 7” touchscreen with features normally found in more expensive units.

The large, sunlight-viewable WVGA display has an easy-to-use interface with slide-out menus giving access to all features. The built-in GPS antenna shows your boat on screen. You can choose from an extensive C-MAP 4D chart library for detailed data including relief vectors, tidal streams, marine plans and much more.

A TruEcho CHIRP Sonar along with ACCU-Fish and Bottom Discrimination come

Flush Mount

standard and provide sonar capability when paired with the proper transducer. It helps in distinguishing and identifying individual game fish and bait fish, even when close together, and can determine fish size from 4” - 6’. It can also distinguish and provide a graphical display of the seafloor whether it be mud, sand, gravel or rock!

If you are ready to move up to the latest and greatest, this is it, from the good folks at Furuno.

If you’d like to know more, you can get all the latest on their website at: www.furunousa.com.

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section 166 Cruising Outpost pg 165-170 ATBS EditedBySue .indd 2

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/26/18 1:31 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

Navatics Mito An Underwater Drone at Last!

The folks at Navatics have come up with a great underwater drone called Mito. It’s a recreational underwater vehicle that can be used to explore the depths.

Weighing in at just 6.6 lbs., it’s designed to fit airline specifications for carry-on luggage. It can record underwater video at a 4K resolution at up to 30 fps and shoot 8 MP still images.

It is equipped with two 1000 lumen LED lights to bring back colorful images, diving at up to 130 ft. deep.

Mito can hover, even in a strong current, and keep its orientation and focus regardless of the complex environment underwater. This allows it to manage new levels of underwater video shooting steadiness previously thought impossible in such a small underwater drone.

Mito is powered by a wireless communication solution. All video can be live-streamed at 1080p resolution up to 500m directly to the Navatics’ smartphone app.

The easy-to-use wireless controller and smartphone app makes this unit perfect for diving, fishing, underwater photography and even checking your hull without getting wet! You can even use the smartphone app for color correction and to share images and videos directly to social media.

Want more info on this unit? Here’s where to find it! www.navatics.com. Tell ‘em Bob sent ya.

Navatics new Mito underwater drone

This is what you see on your computer or iPhone

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

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Cruising Outpost 167

7/26/18 1:32 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

Edson ComfortGrips

™

Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?

These Tactile Grips Will Ergonomically Cushion Fingers While Providing a Secure Hold

New from the folks at Edson, their iconic ComfortGrip™ now comes in 8-inch and 12-inch adhesive strips! Designed to fit on 1-inch to 1.25inch diameter railings, these tactile grips will ergonomically cushion fingers while providing a secure hold.

High-performance Santoprene construction and a 3M adhesive ensures these grips can withstand the harshest conditions!”Both the 8-inch and 12-inch packages include

three ComfortGrip™ strips to fit just about any application, adding a secure grip with comfortable finger grooves.

These grips are great to attach to: boarding handles, hand rails, grab rails, swim ladders, bow rails, tiller steering, T-tops, tools, and much more!

This is an easy and inexpensive way to add a little more comfort and security to your boat. If you’d like more info just go to edsonmairne.com.

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section 168 Cruising Outpost

pg 165-170 ATBS EditedBySue .indd 4

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/26/18 1:32 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

iNavX Navigation in the Palm of Your Hand!

This navigation application is one of the easiest to use that we have found. Also, iNavX is the #1 handheld chartplotter and the only one that delivers thousands of charts from your favorite chart providers. It has hundreds of features you would never expect in a hand-held unit.

This app is used by professional sailors, fisherman, and cruisers. You can download iNavX today and you get complementary high resolution United States marine charts of the West Coast, Gulf Coast, East Coast, Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii, and US Virgin Islands.

Also, iNavX is the only app to give you access to your charts directly through the app.

From Navionics, CHS, NV Charts, Soltenick, to a host of other chart providers, as well as

overlays from their Weather and GRIB file weather data - it’s all right in your hand.

When we had to deliver a boat from San Diego to San Francisco, we used this app for the whole trip, and it was every bit as reliable as the installed larger units. But, it was a lot easier to use.

It is easy to plot your course, and to visualize it right on your device. The app displays current position with built-in GPS and lets the skipper plot course, bearing and waypoints.

The best part? iNavx is a fraction of the cost of an onboard chartplotter, making it a great alternative or an affordable backup, and keep in mind, the US charts are pre-installed.

If you’d like to see more about the iNavX system, just go to: http://inavx.com.

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

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Cruising Outpost 169

7/26/18 1:32 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

CruiseRO Watermakers Of the Cruiser, By the Cruiser, For the Cruiser!

Rich Boren came up with the idea for the CruiseRO Watermaker while he was cruising with his family in 2007. Being in the water business working with RO systems, the cost and complexity of the commercially available watermakers spurred Rich to build his own 50-gallon-per-hour watermaker.

Throughout his family’s cruise, his highoutput system was one of the largest in the cruising sailboat fleet. It was also one of the most trouble-free systems due to its simple, efficient design and use of high-quality components.

Rich understood the challenges of powering a large-capacity watermaker aboard a cruising vessel. This is why he came up with the revolutionary idea to design the SeaMaker

20- and 30-gallon-per-hour watermakers to operate on the power produced by a cruising staple, the Honda EU2000i generator or small diesel genset.

His design and company philosophy is simple: build a watermaker that is easy to install, operate, service, and repair, but most importantly, do it without a “Marine” or “Cruising Gear” price premium. Designing a low-cost watermaker with no proprietary parts not only resulted in a more affordable watermaker, but in a better watermaker as well.

If you’d like to see more on this very kewl unit you can find it at www.cruiserowaterandpower. com. He is still cruising, saying it’s to “test the unit.” Tough job, right?

Here you see the CruiseRO Watermaker with the Honda Genset (not included)

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section 170 Cruising Outpost

pg 165-170 ATBS EditedBySue .indd 6

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7/26/18 1:33 PM

www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 171 ComPac Yahcts.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 171

7/28/18 12:51 PM

1979 56’ Nautical Developments Corp - $159,500 Clark and SaraNell Jelley - 561.676.8445

2008 49’ Hunter - $250,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

2000 47’ Bavaria - $159,900 Mark Welsh - 410.645.0007

1980 44’ Cherubini - $159,500 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

1979 44’ Cheoy Lee - $56,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1977 43’ Gulfstar - $67,900 David Raftery - 802.349.7200

1978 43’ Gulfstar - $48,000 Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218

1971 43’ Morgan - $35,000 Brad Peterson - 305.481.1512

1979 42’ Pearson - $69,000 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559

1977 42’ Ta Chiao - $65,000 Clark and SaraNell Jelley - 561.676.8445

2001 42’ Catalina - $125,900 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

1978 41’ Morgan - $64,500 Clark and SaraNell Jelley - 561.676.8445

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

www.curtisstokes.net 172 Cruising Outpost

pg 172-173 Curtis Stokes.indd 2

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/28/18 12:55 PM

Worldwide Yacht Sales Yacht Charters New Yacht Construction

1985 41’ C&C - $49,900 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

1999 40’ Beneteau - $92,900 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1980 39’ CAL - $71,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295

1971 39’ Pearson - $19,500 Stewart Reeser - 410.924.8295

1983 39’ Corbin - $48,000 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

1989 38’ Sabre - $97,500 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559

2010 38’ Seawind - $384,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1981 36’ Pearson - $24,900 Wayne Smith - 516.445.1932

2005 36’ Beneteau - $115,000 Brad Peterson - 305.481.1512

2003 35’ Catalina - $112,000 Tom Russell - 904.382.9610

2001 34’ Bavaria - $59,900 Mark Welsh - 410.645.0007

1997 32’ Beneteau - $54,999 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288

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

pg 172-173 Curtis Stokes.indd 3

Cruising Outpost 173

7/28/18 12:55 PM

New England

Let EYS Find Your Next Boat Catalina 355 In Stock

Com-Pac Yachts Easy to Trailer, Fun To Sail

Elling E3, E4, E6, Highline 45’-65’ Cruisers for Sailors

‘06 –Bob Perry Custom 59 $873,500

‘95 Sabre 38 mkII $99,700

Eastern Boats 31 & 35 Proven Downeast Performers

SISTERSHIP

‘04 Catalina 400 $175,000

Specializing in Catalina, Jeanneau, Island Packet, and Down East Power. Quality Brokerage Listings .

Featured Listings 14’ Picnic Cat 2019 17’ Sun Cat 2009 17’ Sun Cat w/tlr 2019 19’ Cornish Shrimper 1986 24’ Quickstep 1989 26 Ericson 26-2 1989 26’ Alerion 26 1996 27’ Island Packet 1986 28’ Cal 28 1987 29 Bristol 29.9 1983 30’ Catalina 30 1980 30’ Catalina 30 1986 31’ Catalina 315 2016 31’ O’Day 31 1985 31’ O’Day 31 1985 31’ Pearson 31 1979 32’ Nauticat 32 1991 32’ Catalina 320 1998

We Need Your Boat!

We have clients looking to purchase clean, well maintained boats.

If you want to get your boat SOLD, put the Yacht Sales Professionals at Eastern Yacht Sales to work for you.

Hingham, MA

Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Portsmouth, RI

781-749-8600

508-693-8900

401-683-2200

174 Cruising Outpost

Pg 174 175 Eastern yacht Sales.indd 2

16,674 15,500 23,395 19,500 Sold 17,800 60,000 34,900 19,000 15,000 9,500 16,000 130,000 17,900 19,500 19,900 89,900 Sold

33’ E33 L Morse 2010 139,900 34’ Sabre 34 Targa 1989 Sold 34’ Catalina 34 1987 29,700 35’ Catalina 350 2007 118,000 35’ Catalina 350 2006 Sold 35’ C&C 35 mkII , 1975 20,975 36’ Cheoy Lee Pedrck 1985 21,500 36’ de Dood Int. 1961 99,900 36’ Catalina MKII 2005 89,700 36’ Catalina MKII 2000 79,000 39’ Jeanneau 39 DS P 2010 149,900 38’ Sabre 38mkII 1995 99,700 40’ Catalina 400 2001 Sold 40’ Catalina 400 2004 175,000 47’ Lindgren Ketch 1936 10,700 50’ Herreshoff Sch. 1985 Sold 54’ Jeanneau 54ds 2009 Sold 59’ Perry Custom 2006 873,500

Naples, FL 207-332-2239 WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

7/28/18 1:03 PM

www.cruisingoutpost.com

Pg 174 175 Eastern yacht Sales.indd 3

Cruising Outpost 175

7/28/18 1:03 PM

Your Cruising Yacht Specialist

See us at the

Annapolis Boat Show Docks C & D

REPRESENTING

DISCOVERY 48’ - 68’ Luxurious World Cruiser

BLUEWATER CAT 50’ - 60’

SOUTHERLY 33’ - 68’

Best Shoal Draft Bluewater Yacht

Sleek Responsive Fast Ocean Cruiser

FEATURED BROKERAGE BOATS

SOUTHERLY 57 2010

TA CHIAO CT56 1989

SOUTHERLY 535 2014

DISCOVERY 50 2010

CATALINA 470 2001

BENETEAU 473 2006

DELPHIA 47 2017

ISLAND PACKET 460 2009

LAGOON 420 2007

SABRE 425 1994

TARTAN 372 1992

IP ESTERO (36’) 2010

Enquire

$125,000

$243,900

2 from $210,000

CATALINA MORGAN 440DS 2005 $219,500

CATALINA 400 MKII 2004 $170,000

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

SYMBOL 42 SUNDECK 2000 $239,000

ISLAND PACKET 370 ‘04, ’08 3 from $237,500

$1,295,000

$495,000

$890,000

$499,000

$339,000

$109,500

www.SJYACHTS.com

$114,900

$199,000

FOR MANY MORE LISTINGS

410-639-2777 info@sjyachts.com ANNAPOLIS, MD

pg 176-177 S&J Yachts.indd 2



ROCK HALL, MD



DELTAVILLE, VA



CHARLESTON, SC



PALMETTO, FL

8/3/18 4:05 PM

Your Cruising Yacht Specialist

See us at the

St. Pete Boat Show REPRESENTING

ISLAND PACKET 34’ - 52’ BLUE JACKET 40’

DELPHIA BluEscape 1200 (40’)

SEAWARD 26’ - 32’

Extreme Shoal Draft & Trailerable

Modern Trawlers 24’ - 44’

FEATURED BROKERAGE BOATS

CHERUBINI INDEP. 50 2003

TTRINTELLA 50 2005

ISLAND PACKET 485 2009

SOUTHERLY 47 2013

OUTBOUND 46 2012

IRWIN KETCH 46 1980

HUNTER 45 CC 2007

ISLAND PACKET 45 ‘97, ’99

CALIBER 40 LRC-SE 2003

DELPHIA 40.3 2013

ISLAND PACKET 35 ‘89, ’93

SEAWARD 32RK 2005

Enquire

$525,000

$395,000

$133,900

BENETEAU OCEANUS 411 1998 $129,000

MAINSHIP PILOT 34 2005 $129,000

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

IP SP CRUISER (41’) 2010 $309,000

SOUTHERLY 110 (36’) 2005 $170,000

$619,000

$195,000

$199,900

5 from $93,500

www.SJYACHTS.com

$817,000

2 from $199,000

$249,000

$109,000

FOR MANY MORE LISTINGS

410-639-2777 info@sjyachts.com ANNAPOLIS, MD

pg 176-177 S&J Yachts.indd 3



ROCK HALL, MD



DELTAVILLE, VA



CHARLESTON, SC



PALMETTO, FL

8/3/18 4:11 PM

pg 178-179 Moorings Broker.indd 2

7/28/18 11:38 AM

pg 178-179 Moorings Broker.indd 3

7/28/18 11:38 AM

180 Cruising Outpost

pg 180 South Coast Yachts.indd 1

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/29/18 10:17 AM

YACHT SALES BELLHAVEN BROKERS ARE ALWAYS IN SEARCH OF QUALITY LISTINGS! 1983 Unison 45, heavy duty cruiser, cutter rigged, bow thruster. $99,000

1978 Sather Brothers Trawler, completely renovated in 1999, and repowered in 2005. $99,000

2002 Bayliner 5788, boathouse kept and professionally maintained. $510,000

Check our website for more sail & power listings.

If we don’t have your perfect Pacific NW boat, we’ll help you find it!

1991 Bristol Nor'sea 27 w/trailer, fully equipped for going offshore or doing the Loop! $89,900

1982 Jespersen Davidson 51, beautiful, fully equipped and ready for her next adventure. $160,000

2001 Hunter 460, popular tri-cabin layout and full cockpit enclosure. $119,900

YACHT CHARTERS

Cruise the incomparable San Juan Islands and beyond in one of our immaculate bareboat yachts: 25’ Grady-White  44’ Ocean Alexander  34’ Meridian 37’ Silverton  37’ Hunter  47’ Caliber LRC

360.733.6636 www.bellhaven.net

www.cruisingoutpost.com

Bellhaven Yacht Sales.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 181

8/1/18 9:23 AM

Thinking about your next sailing course?

Think SailTime

Take your next ASA course with SailTime and put your skills to use all season long with a SailTime membership.

For more information visit sailtime.com/think or call 877-SAILTIME California • Florida • Illinois • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • New Jersey • New York • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • Virginia • Washington DC • Wisconsin • Canada • Caribbean • France • Australia • UK

182 Cruising Outpost Sailtime_Cruising_Outpost_Ad_8.375x10.875.indd 1 pg 182 Sailtime.indd 1

WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COMA

19/01/2014 19:28 7/29/18 10:11 AM

HUNTER 39 I

:,

T he Massey Yacht Sales Team - Professional • Dedicated • Tenacious BillWiard

Clearwater

727-492-7044 Doug Scott

St Petersburg 727-642-9022

Kelly Bickford St Petersburg 727-599-1718

Susan Opland Bradenton 941-524-9658

John Barbaro Sarasota 443-370-9962

Ed Massey Sarasota 941-725-2350

Julie Annette Palmetto 941-725-5999

John Barr Stuart 772-678-0760

814-470-3443

Miami

917-579.,0282

Jean Levine Punta Gorda 727-644-7496

Joaquin Diaz

Jeff Grossman Punta Gorda 727-278-2602

ValerieWeingrad Ft Lauderdale 678-361-5253

Doug Schultz Ft Pierce

Miami

305-389-4873

Alex Fox

Mike Embry Tampa

813-508-2133

Scott Pursell Southern California 941-720-4503

Barry Pokorney Pensacola

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Cruising Outpost 187

8/3/18 3:36 PM

Bubba Whartz

Bubba Has Legal Problems

When one thinks about it, the green flash—that magical half second when the setting sun dips below the horizon and rewards watchers with a neon-like green wink—is more talked about than observed. Talking about it without ever having seen the flash is similar to opting for Cheez Whiz and Ritz Crackers at neighborhood cocktail parties. Classless.

Explaining what causes the green flash is complicated.

Such an explanation entails refracted light, high pressure weather systems, the color spectrum and a snarl of other intellectual matters dealing with physics that most folks are glad to leave to others.

Bubba Whartz, live-aboard and live-alone sailor and skipper of the ferro-cement sloop Right Guard knows nothing about refracted light. While|Capt. Whartz is aware that the green flash is not visible from the eastern side of Wyoming’s Wind River mountain range, Whartz and many others are well aware the flash is, however, visible now and then—if atmospheric conditions are perfect—from Anna Maria Island, a barrier strip of land that lines the Gulf of Mexico’s eastern side, north of Sarasota, Florida.

The Pirates’ Lair, a waterfront, seafood restaurant on Anna Maria Island, has for a number of years used the green flash as a marketing device. If the flash appears— really appears—any registered customer in the bar or out on the open drinking deck receives free, for the next 30 minutes, whatever they were imbibing when the flash occurred. Make that a certified flash. Someone in the Pirates’ Lair management hierarchy must also see the flash for the freebies to flow.

This writer has seen the green flash three times. The first time was in the company of two other sailors when we stopped at Sanibel Island while coming home from a trip to the Dry Tortugas. We’d just left a Gulf-front restaurant after dinner when we saw it. The latter two times occurred on my own sailboat. What seems, even now, unusual is that both of those times I said to my crew of one that it seemed like a good evening to see the green flash. Within a few seconds, the flash materialized. The evenings were but a week apart. I told Capt. Whartz about the incident while we were having a beer at The Blue Moon Bar, further

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By Morgan Stinemetz explaining to him that the meteorological conditions were what made me think a green flash appeared to be possible.

“And they were?” Bubba inquired.

“As I remember it, the air was dry, little to no cloud cover and a moderate amount of wind, most likely less than 10 knots. It was summer,” I replied. “We were sailing in lower Tampa Bay west of the Skyway. Egmont Key was to the north of our line of sight.”

“Same conditions both times?”

“Identical.”

“You may be the only person on the planet who has accurately predicted the arrival of the green flash two times in a row,” Whartz announced. “There are mariners who been at sea most of their working lives and have never seen the green flash. That’s fact.”

I’d heard of those mariners, also, and I don’t dispute it. I only knew what my crew and I had experienced on Lower Tampa Bay on successive Thursday evenings. That was fact as well.

It came as a complete surprise to me, however, that when I opened an Internet file that featured nutty stories about Florida and Floridians I discovered a cryptic story about a live-aboard sailor whose physical description and attire resembled Bubba Whartz’s. The sunshine state has pretty much captured the market on weirdness. For example, a lady in Lake County called 911 screaming for help for her teenage daughter who had been, she declared, treed by alligators, some as large as 11 feet. Alligators acting in concert? A definite first. A Lake County deputy was dispatched to the scene. There really was a gator close by. One gator. It had shrunk to 8.5 feet from 11 feet. The deputy shot the gator with an Armalite Bushmaster rifle.

The teenage girl came down from the tree. Subsequent to the gator being killed, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ordered an autopsy of the gator to determine what killed it. Maybe the FWC could start with gunfire from a law enforcement officer.

As to Captain Whartz, the story in the Internet file said that a man weighing about 200 pounds and wearing overalls, a red baseball cap, chewing tobacco, speaking with a distinct southern accent and displaying a hint of

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/29/18 10:07 AM

incipient lawlessness had, for a number of months, been preying on a waterfront restaurant located on Anna Maria Island by artificially replicating a naturally-occurring physical phenomenon that the restaurant, identified as Pirates’ Lair, used in promoting its bar business.

The phenomenon, said the story, was the green flash, though the story itself didn’t explain what the flash actually was or how it came about. However, it said that suspect had been selling “placements” in the Pirates’ Lair for $10 cash on nights he intended to create a fake flash.

The restaurant’s owner, Ed Bryles, told the press that if the green flash occurred and was certified as genuine by restaurant management then eligible customers could continue drinking, for free, what they had been drinking prior to the green flash appearing. They could do so until the 30-minute time limit expired. “It had been a successful promotion for years,” Bryles verified, “because the appearance of the flash was very much a sometimes thing.

We charged everyone who wanted to be in the Green Flash Contest a buck to be eligible. Rainy nights we didn’t bother with it. Same with sea fog and also in the winter when it was cold along the water. In the spring, summer and fall— mostly during Daylight Savings Time—it worked in our favor. Until a few months back.”

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Bryles explained that on certain evenings—once as many as three times in one week—the Pirates’ Lair bar and drinking deck filled up with customers who had never envisioned what the inside of a Yale University classroom looked like. One of the customers, Bryles said, was a woman who eschewed alcoholic beverages and asked for Pellegringo. All the non-regular customers signed up to be eligible for the half-hour of complimentary drinking, should the green flash appear, Bryles verified. “What was scary was they all knew about the green flash promotion beforehand. Our waitresses never needed to explain anything about it,” he continued. “Even scarier, during that one week the green flash appeared all three times they were present. Every.

Single. Time. And that’s not counting the other times we think they came in.” Could Capt. Whartz have been involved in what everyone knows is a natural occurrence?

Had Whartz rigged the green flash? And if he had, how could he have possibly done so?

It may be a while before I can come up with an answer.

The message on Bubba’s answering machine said that he would be involved in government-sponsored research work on Tristan da Cuna “for a bit.”

What is Tristan da Cuna anyway?

Cruising Outpost 189

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Get the Outpost at these Local Direct Dealers

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pg 190-195 Bosun's Bag.indd 7

Across

1 4 8 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 22 24 25 26 28 30 33 35 36 37

Coral island Kind of diver Old salts Tuck away This location San Juan Islands state The moon affects them Radio and telegraphy pioneer In the past Alternative to Captain Morgan Planet circlers Get seasick, e.g.

Debris at sea Masted vessel Elongated areas of low pressure, abbr.

Splashed water Small songbird A ___ mode Spreads out, as a flag Cook on the BBQ

1 Estuary, e.g.

2 Rowed 3 Another word for ropes 4 A long way 5 Ouch!

6 Weather study 7 Rookie sailors, e.g.

9 Tuna type 10 Belligerence 11 Party giveaways, in slang 15 Cinnamon, woodchips provide them 16 Place for a soak 17 Principal sail supports 20 Chill out, 2 words 21 Nurses, abbr.

23 It can form a slick 25 Able-bodied 27 Bicycle feature 29 Bering, e.g., abbr.

31 Prepare for sailing 32 Dogleg shape 34 Chicago’s state

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Cruising Outpost 195

8/3/18 9:32 AM

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Cruising Outpost 197

7/24/18 3:45 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.

Paul Shard, along with his wife Sheryl, have been living the dream, or so he would have us believe!

You see, he does a TV series called “Distant Shores,” which started in Canada, and is now seen all over the world thanks to the internet.

It is the best show about cruising we’ve seen. In fact, it is so good that when we were producing Latitudes & Attitudes TV, we used to buy segments from his show to put on ours. Pretty sneaky, huh? LOL

I have absolutely no desire to fit in.

This is Kim Paternoster. She is very active in the San Francisco sailing scene. She lives in Point Richmond, California. Kim is with the Pacific Cup Yacht Club which was formed to run the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco Bay to Hawaii.

She runs a website development company in her “spare time.” She also helped The Outpost get started in the early days!

Kim Hess-Stone, a.k.a “Yoga Kim,” has been teaching yoga to cruisers for a lot of years. This pic was taken at the Pacific Boat Show in Richmond, where her husband Eric (Stone) was providing the entertainment at our Cruisers Party!

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Charlie Parks is seen here sailing his boat, Cerulean, near his home port of Stuart, Florida.

He is a long-time reader of Cruising Outpost, and tries to get the most out of his boat!

Capt. Jeff Wahl is an old friend who finally made it happen.

As I write this, he is sitting on his boat in Papeete, Tahiti after sailing across the Pacific. Jeff sails out of Yankton, South Dakota (yeah, really!) where he sails and runs the Lewis & Clark Resort on the Missouri River.

Meet Capt. Jim Cash, the man who writes our Book Reviews.

And, as it turns out, he also writes books! His book First Time Across (available on Amazon) is the tale of him sailing a 35-foot catamaran 11,000 miles, to nine countries. He sure does know how to have fun!

Ed and Michelle Gribben helped The Outpost get started.

When we announced our first Cruising Outpost Party, in Long Beach, California back in 2012, he stepped up as a sponsor, and he’s not even in the marine business! Thanks Ed, we will not forget your support! www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/24/18 3:46 PM

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