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Issue #28
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Special Stuff
In This Issue... Page 19
Issue #28 Fall 2019
Page 49
Jessie & Luke Tenerife to Antigua
Cruising British Columbia
Page 60
Page 76
The Society Islands
The Great Shark Encounter
Page 96
Page 102
De-Salting
SoulMates In Egypt
Page 118
Page 130
It Comes in
Beware of
The Sailor
Threes
Nay-Sayers
Page 136
Page 142
Pacific
Angles of
Delivery
Perplexity Subscription Info on Page 82-83
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Latitudes & Attitudes 7 8/2/19 4:20 PM
Regular Stuff
In This Issue...
Issue #28 Fall 2019
Page 28
Page 44
Lats & Atts
Scuttlebutt
Another Way Tania Aebi
Page 68
Page 70
Boat Spotlight Elan 46.1
Boat Spotlight Sunreef 50 Catamaran
Page 72
Page 84
Boat Spotlight Beneteau Swift Trawler 41
Underway
Photos from Cruisers
Page 106
Page 124
Lats & Atts
Life Aboard
Lifestyle
Page 180
Boat People!
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Page 14 Page 144 Page 146 Page 170 Page 177 Page 179
Also This Issue Bob Bitchin’s Attitudes Tech Tips Boat Show Section Cap’n Cap’n Mackie White Advertisrs Spotlite W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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™
Quiet-Smooth operation Low wind energy production Marine grade - 5 yr warranty 12-24-48V / 13 lbs 165,000 installed since 1995 Made in the USA
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This Issue’s Cover:
Susea McGearhart sent this pic a long time ago, and we set it aside, and then lost it! The girl in the photo is Sophia, and her mom, Deborah, graced our cover back in 2010! People Who Helped Us Create This Issue Aaron Crowley Capt. James Cash Chuck Ridgeway Chuck Ritenour Dave Carey Dave Selby Doug Shipley Jeff Wahl Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn Jessie Zevalkink-Yeats John Arrufat John Simpson Michael Harlow Paul Esterle Rene Yapp Rick Taylor Susea McGearhart Suzy Carmody Tommy Brownell
People Who Didn’t Help Us with This Issue Vladamire Putin Kim Jong Un Bashar Al-Assad
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By Bob Bitchin The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. —Isaac Asimov
Did’ya ever notice how all old sailors seem to be wise, but they tell stories about all the stupid things that they did when they were young? Well I have, and I came to an astonishing conclusion. Ya gotta be young and dumb, and do all kinds of crazy things in order to become wise as you get older! I mean, face it, if you don’t get into a jam every once in a awhile, how are you ever going to learn how to get out of a jam? Yes, you can learn from reading a book. But always keep in mind, what you are reading had to be experienced by someone for them to learn the lesson that you are being taught. A lot of book learning can be a good thing, but I’ve always found the lessons learned by experience get ingrained a lot deeper than those read in books. So, ya gotta head out and let the things happen that are going to happen. It’s called a learning curve, and if you survive it, all the better! As Confucius once said, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” And I might add to that, the things you learn from experience stay with you the longest! So you have to go out there and experience life in order to enjoy it to its fullest. Anyone can read a book about crossing an ocean. Actually, I think everyone who ever did cross an ocean either wrote a book about it or tried to. There are thousands of books about every aspect of life. But you can’t gain the feeling of accomplishment you feel after sailing out from under the black clouds of a squall by reading The Perfect Storm. No, you have to experience the thrill of seeing the clouds lighten, of feeling the wind start to slacken, of the seas subsiding. That’s when your chest puffs out with pride. And it is a pride you can only feel by accomplishing the things that others may consider stupid. If you are reading this, chances are you are into the boating lifestyle. Either that or you’re sitting in a dentist
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office awaiting a root canal, in which case that is an experience you can keep to yourself! But, I digress. The only way you get to feel the sense of accomplishment you feel when you arrive at your destination after a harrowing passage is to actually arrive. You can’t get it sitting in front of a theater or TV screen, or reading a book about it. You have to be dumb enough to go out there and do it. Ya gotta slay the dragon before you get to kiss the maiden. And I can tell you this: the bigger the dragon, the better the kiss! I remember the first time I sailed my boat out of the harbor to sail “all the way” to Catalina Island. A whole 26 miles! I had thought about and prepared myself for this epic crossing for a month. As I pulled out of the harbor, the knot in my stomach was larger than any I experienced later sailing around the world. When I pulled that 28-footer into Two Harbors, I felt I had accomplished the impossible. After that I kept setting bigger and harder goals because it took more and more to get my juices flowing. A year later it was Mexico. Then Hawaii and back. With each voyage the goal had to be more difficult, just to see what I could do. What my boat could do. To get the sense of accomplishment and to feel the pride of doing something that makes you feel alive. Okay, this all started out about wisdom, and there is some wisdom here to be learned. There is an old adage, “With age comes wisdom.” I agree with that, but there’s also a saying of Oscar Wilde’s that is as equally profound, “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” So what did we learn from all this verbiage? Absolutely nothing, except possibly how you can add to your life by doing things that some may consider foolhardy. Nothing is foolproof, because fools are too ingenious. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Latitudes & Attitudes 15 7/29/19 12:27 PM
Evolving the
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Latitudes & Attitudes 17 7/31/19 11:13 AM
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Jessie & Luke Cross the Atlantic DAY 1 Nerves and anxiety are present when entering a time frame and space in which self-reliance is your greatest power. Self-reliance could potentially be the only thing to save your life on the ocean. You must trust yourself and your partner; have faith in your boat and the work you did to prepare it. It’s not wrong to question these things, and these questions will creep up on you. It’s what keeps sailors from leaving. It’s what accentuates our fears. But at some point you must decide—and no one ever said decisions were easy. Today we decided to leave. Today we decided to trust. Trans-Atlantic round two. Tenerife, Canary Islands, westbound to Antigua. Just Luke, myself, Tato the Portuguese cat, and 3,000 nautical miles of open ocean.
By
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ie Jess
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Zev
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Jessie & Luke
DAY 3 This passage is seemingly opposite of our last, from Newfoundland to England. It’s 10 a.m. and I’m on watch in my underwear. I’m warm and dry, energized and sharp. My only complaints are a runny nose and soft white belly that I’ve ignored since October. Our four-hour shifts have turned to six, sometimes eight hours. Not a thing going on out here... “Penny” the Hydrovane steers us through a vast water world. A sympathetic breeze gives us a slow start. The puffy cumulus on the horizon matches the predicted forecast and should bring us a 25-knot tailwind and well-fed seas. We have a really long way to go. Bring. It. On. DAY 5 Each day I think to myself how weird this is. Sailing across oceans. It sure seems outdated. But this historic means of transportation remains romantic, and for many the ultimate dream. Here we are, all alone, in the middle of the sea. Where is everybody? We spend the afternoon rigging up two genoas on the fuller. Wing on wing. Dead downwind. A mighty sail
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area collecting the trade winds producing eight knots of speed, with 14-knot tailwind. It’s magic for this old girl whose favorite position is a beam reach. Tato came alive on day four. After being wrapped in a ball for the first three days, she began following me everywhere. Potato the Adventure Cat is in full effect. Vocal, affectionate, and protective. She now predicts the waves and moves accordingly. While I go potty off the stern she follows me and meows until I am back in the cockpit. She knows it is an unsafe place for me. I continue to discover wear and tear and chafing all too soon in our journey. The forestay pin is working its way out, the screws on the spinnaker pole that hold the ends on are falling out. The reef line cleats are loose. The mizzen boom is putting pressure on the back stay. The main halyard winch is wonky. A kind reminder that this smooth trade-wind sailing is no excuse to be lazy. There are plenty of things to pay attention to, things to fix everyday, weather to expect. I remain on high alert, even though I am incredibly relaxed. This experience is worlds apart from our first transatlantic. I appreciate
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Cross the Atlantic
that the first one toughened me up. These low latitude tradewinds feel like a carousel ride in comparison. DAY 6 There’s sand fog. I don’t know what else to call it. It’s a low-visibility day, and the earthy air carries sand from the Sahara. It’s so fine I suppose it would qualify as dust. It catches on the fibers along the windward side of all our lines, sheets, halyards, and canvas, leaving everything in its way with an orange tint. DAY 7 Tato finds a bait fish on deck. She collects it delicately and brings her prize down below to sink her teeth into. With a few strategic bites she procures fresh fish head for breakfast. She leaves the remaining half next to Luke’s head while he sleeps. We are somewhere between a quarter and a third of the way across the deep blue sea. The butter and the cheese have begun to melt at 20 degrees latitude, therefore we have adjusted to a westerly course of 265. Dead ahead, just over 2,000 nautical miles away, is Antigua. The right hand turn has brought with it the notion of progress—that we are in fact, getting closer to our destination. DAY 8 We are just passengers on this ship. Another seemingly beautiful day in which I lacked motivation and exceeded in the ability to do nothing. We bickered about dishes just for something to do. Luke is getting bored also. His restlessness stirs mine. I have a thorough understanding this time around about how big the ocean is. It messes with your perception w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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of space and time. Time melts. Space becomes outer. Where is everybody? DAY 9 Maybe I have been creating drama because there hasn’t been any. I pick a fight with Luke for raising the spinnaker single-handed in the middle of the night. I think we are going through a “we are almost half way but not quite half way and we are still counting up not down” phase. We are also out of beer and all fresh food. DAY 10 I keep waking in the same place. The repetitiveness feels like a trap. I slept through most of my sunrise watch, waking at the slap of a wave or billow of the spinnaker. Florence and the Machine sings in my ears and it reminds me to listen to music more often. Its therapeutic in a way that silence is not. I sink in and out of consciousness all morning. My armpits are a bit hairy for my liking and I smell a shower in my near future. We are incredibly conservative with our water usage, using salt water for everything. Our boat has 70 gallons of tank water that we use only for cooking and washing. Based off of our first crossing we provisioned 25 gallons of drinking water. This doesn’t sound like a lot—because it’s not. DAY 12 A minke whale surfaced, just a few boat lengths away. He or she matched our speed and surfaced three times. Graceful. Quiet. Curious. It was a fantasia-like encounter. In recognition of sailing through this mighty creature’s space, there is divine admiration for their power.
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Jessie & Luke While we were fixated on the whale, the shackle at the head of the spinnaker broke and came flying down. Our hot air balloon was blown into the sea. I scrambled to pull it back on deck and we were able to salvage it before it sank or dragged underneath us. Due to higher winds forecasted, we took the “opportunity” to retrieve the spinnaker halyard at the top of the mast in this light air. I rigged up the bosun’s chair and we hove to. With the spin halyard at the top, there is no option as a backup for my hoisting. I’m shaking. Luke is winching. Half holding on for dear life, half attempting to climb, my dialogue down is short and direct. The mast sways in the swells, appearing gently so from the deck, whilst at the top I’m riding a mechanical bull. I retrieve the halyard and come down like Tarzan, chafing my thighs on the mast and straining my muscles to hold on tight. It was more than enough adrenaline to last the rest of the year. I need no more. DAY 13 Luke and I have been letting each other sleep for long hours. Seven, eight, sometimes nine hours. One of us sleeps until the other one feels ready. Because of it, keeping watch is not difficult. For the first time in my life, I find myself enjoying the night shift over the day. I am feeling balanced. Patient. Cozy. Calm. But not sharp. While doing the dishes in the bucket, I empty the bucket into the sea and the remaining silverware I missed at the bottom goes with it. I’ve done this twice now. I have halved our silverware supply. The precious ones remaining, are licked clean and put straight back in the drawer. Cutlery—not an item I expected to lose at sea. A northerly swell elevates and descends us at a nearly unnoticeable rate. The smaller waves run from the east, then sew themselves into the northerly swell. The lower quadrant of my whole world is sapphire. Sapphire melts into teal at the tippy-top of each wave and rolls over into a frothy cappuccino. The sun reflects so brightly my pupils shrink to the size of a single quinoa. DAY 14 Vacation’s ended. Both arms are in rigor mortis, stretched out and stiffened, to hold my torso steady. My body has fully acclimated to the motion of the ship, predicting instead of responding. Swaying without thought in the way your feet step on the rocks your eyes instruct them to. I stare with purpose at the waves in genuine belief that if I stare hard enough they will not break. Eight-toten-foot rollers appear like pit bulls. Fierce exterior and intimidating approach. Come to find a gentle interior, just a friendly lick. The waves roll. I brace for the sets that appear particularly fierce, but they roll under the keel, frothing over on the leeward side doing no harm. I stare for hours. DAY 16 Where is everybody? I don’t like sailing today. Not even a little bit. Luke saw my tears of frustration and made me feel better. Assured me I am not mental.
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DAY 17 The sky brews a squall. Squall after squall after squall. The wind is 15 knots. 35 knots. 10 knots. 30 knots. No more books. No more sound sleep. I submerged my shoe against the bulwark to take photos. There’s a small rainbow to port with quilts of rain to follow. The whole landscape is drama in search of harmony. Mixed skies. Mixed feelings. Tempestuous. The change. I love it. Only 630 miles until landfall. Our hopes are rising like the barometer only to drop again. The under-forecasted weather keeps me modest. DAY 18 I’ve been trying to work out why I’ve been acting so sensitive. Hypersensitive. It is displeasing. I’m frustrated and at times ungrateful. It’s gross. I’ve been gross. I’ve been needing Luke to be my best friend, my husband, my father, my mother, my caretaker, my cheerleader, and, oh, also my super-sailor. All the things I have on land that create happiness I’m expecting to
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receive from another tired sailor. This is impossible. I know this. Impossible. It’s funny, actually. The only conclusion I can reach for this behavior is— it’s like pissing your pants and having to sit in it for three weeks while you wait for it to dry. Problem is as soon as it’s dry you have to piss again and the process starts all over. Sometimes it’s my own piss, sometimes it’s Luke’s piss. Sometimes it’s the oceans piss. Point is, there’s no where to go and no one else to rely on. Can’t take a walk. Can’t call a girlfriend. Can’t consume myself with work. Can’t watch a movie. Can’t aimlessly scroll the internet. Can’t have a beer. Can’t sleep well. Can’t bathe well. Can’t eat well. Can’t distract myself with anything aside from literature or music. I clean to keep myself busy. Write to organize my insanity. Which I admit to being a great deal of help. All this being said, sitting alone with yourself day after day, in your own piss, hyper-sensitizes every emotion one could possibly experience. It’s incredible how modern day distractions hand us fly swatters and
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Jessie & Luke
we can simply squash away our feelings with the click of a power button, play button, space bar, or some sort of other button that starts and stops anything to take our minds to a different place. Not out here. No damn buttons. Where is everybody?! DAY 19 Eating has become more of a task than a pleasure. I skipped dinner and ate spaghetti and meatballs at 4:00 a.m. It was a can of meat. Can of tomato sauce. Can of mushrooms. Dried Oregano. Hot sauce. Parmesan. I didn’t hate it. My bare legs are glued to polyester in the damp cockpit. I’m grateful for the clouds, the rain. I’m feeling conservative these days. Not long to go now, no time to be cocky. I’ve become Captain America wearing a safety suit with a whistle. You can expect to hear the blow anytime you do something against the rules. Luke held the whole night watch AND cooked breakfast. When I woke up I immediately reefed the mainsail and blew my whistle as a black cloud approached. He did not like this. He wants to go faster. DAY 20 We’re closing in on society—170 miles to go. I’m at the transom, my feet dangling off the starboard quarter and aimed dead down. We’re rolling. My feet slam through the surface of the water with each starboard dip. The power of the water tries to pull me in,
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the curves of my calf, ankle, heel, are not hydrodynamic. It’s like that feeling when you have your palm out the window on the highway, perpendicular to the wind. Flaps up during final approach. Entertained by my own drag like kid playing video game. I’m wide-eyed, anxious, just like the day we left. Less than 24 hours until the ocean floor rises, breaking the surface in a 10x10 shape of a splat called Antigua. DAY 21 Landfall. LANDFALL. L A N D F A L L. Jiggling my legs in some sort of dance, I shake or shiver. Can’t stop moving. My smile is grand. I am happy. I am so so happy. I’m yelling noises. I look like an animal. Now only 12 miles to go. The contour of the land takes shape and colors other than blue are explosive. I want to eat it. We are arriving four days sooner than expected. And only two-and-a-half days shy of my 30th birthday. There everybody is! Sailing around headlands. Appearing in and out of the sea. The stiff breeze blows the tree branches to the west. The air thickens. The smell changes. There’s chatter on the VHF. I’m sailing now, actually at the helm and Luke working the lines. We’re sailing together. Not alone. Motivation returns. Energy makes an epic comeback. Anchored afloat the turquoise shores, hundreds of boats from all over the world come together. We pull up w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Cross the Atlantic alongside a dock in English Harbor. I want to hug everyone. Every stranger. I don’t need any recognition. Just a hug and a cold beer. More time must pass until I can put into words what it means to me to have crossed an ocean. Twice now. It’s an intoxicating feeling, to have made the decision to leave. To have made the decision to trust. To continue building self-reliance. To be walking on a rock on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Calm. Pleased. Proud.
Voyage Statistics
Distance Time Avg. speed Avg. current Avg. wind speed Highest gust Starboard tack Port tack Sail configurations Hydrovane Hand steer Tank water used Potable water used
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3010 nm 21 days 15 hours 5.89 0.38 15.28 kts 34 kts. 19 days 2 days 8 20 days, 12 hours 12 hours 40 of 70 available gals (1.84 gallons per day) 19 of 25 available gals (0.9 gallons per day)
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Lats&Atts Scuttlebutt If It’s Gonna Happen, It’s Gonna Happen Out There
Issue #28
All The News That Fits Between The Sheets
The Pacific Beats the Moon!
At its widest point, from Indonesia all the way to Colombia, the Pacific Ocean is wider than the moon by quite a lot. This expanse of ocean is 12,300 miles across, which is more than five times the diameter of the moon!
Fall 2019
Share The Sail Croatia
We just added one more boat for the Croatia Share The Sail event May 26-23, 2020. The first five boats sold out pretty fast. If sailing Croatia is on your bucket list, why not join us? You’ll find all the info you need on our website: latsatts.com/events/share-the-sail-croatia-2020. Rates include the boats, an experienced staff member on each vessel, partial provisioning (you will be eating out occasionally), fuel, insurance, and damage waivers. We will start our adventure in Dubrovnik, where you will find “Kings Landing” from the TV series “Game of Thrones.”
Join Us in Düsseldorf
The World’s Largest Boat Show will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, January 18-26, 2020. We’ve made arrangements to hold rooms for Lats&atts readers who want to see the show, and we have free admission tickets for those who join us! It’s simple, just contact the travel agent for the show and then email bob@LatsAtts.com to let us know that you will be joining us. We’ll get you the info you need for the free passes, as well as arranging kewl nametags that identify you as part of the L&A Group. Contact Carol Brodsky, TTI Travel Inc. : cbrodsky@ttitravel.net or call (866) 674-3476.
Nautical Trivia
“Watch Your Ps & Qs.” Ever wonder where that came from? Well, it’s nautically based. Who knows why?... Aw, come on, always the same hands held up. Who else knows the answer?
Wanna Cheat? Answer is on page 36
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Aaaghh! It’s Dead!
30 Latitudes & Attitudes
Easyriders Magazine started in 1970 and has become the #1-selling motorcycle title, but even #1 needs a re-model to stay relevant. Taking a page out of the Latitudes & Attitudes playbook, they are going quarterly, and plan to create each issue as a bookazine. I know, Lats&Atts is about boats, not bikes, but Easyriders has been a very big part of our fearless leader’s life for so long that he said he wanted to put something about it into this issue. Ok, we did! You’ll find more at www.easyriders.com
Ever Wonder Why? Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
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I’m so old that an “all nighter” means I didn’t wake up to pee!!!
MAD, the magazine that helped mis-shape millions of young minds from the 50s through today, is about to die! The magazine that featured the gap-toothed, smiling face of mascot Alfred E. Neuman will still be available in comic shops and through mail to subscribers. But after its Fall issue, it will just reprint previously published material. The only new material will come in special editions at the end of the year. Latitudes & Attitudes itself contains much of what we learned while (supposedly) growing up and reading MAD. We shall continue to rip-off stuff we learned from MAD magazine as long as we can!
Hooray! It’s Alive!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 31
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32 Latitudes & Attitudes
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4/23/19 11:07 AM
Photo Credit: S/V Zingaro
FREEDOM To EXPLORE Efficiency, Reliability and Control
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Latitudes & Attitudes 33
The Age of Seafaring
The oldest sea-faring hulled boat that has been discovered is the Egyptian Uluburun. It was shipwrecked off the coast of Turkey in 1300 BC.
Willy T Moves to Norman
The Willy T will be heading back to its original location off the Bight on Norman Island. The iconic floating bar must “meet various environmental, health and safety criteria” before it can return to the location. “After studying the matter very carefully, it was agreed that this is the best location for the Willy T,” Minister for Natural Resources Vincent Wheatley said. In the meantime, various government agencies responsible for health, trade, and the environment will work with the owners of the Willy T regarding its transition back to its original location. For over 35 years, the Willy T has been operating in the Virgin Islands, providing a unique experience to visitors and locals alike, and has become a very important component of their tourism offerings.
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A Woman’s Work is Never Done
A Frenchwoman, Jeanne de Clisson, became a pirate in the 1300s to avenge the death of her husband, who was beheaded. She sold her lands to buy three ships. They were painted black with red sails. She hunted French ships and caught nobles, whom she personally beheaded with an axe. A man may work from sun to sun ... but a woman’s work is never done!
Finest, Fastest, w/ Furuno!
It’s starting to rain... how could this day get any worse?
36 Latitudes & Attitudes
The United States Coast Guard has taken delivery of their newest Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Joseph Doyle. Built by Bollinger Shipyards in South Louisiana, the 154-foot Sentinel-class FRC was delivered on March 21st in Key West, Florida. USCGC Joseph Doyle is the 33rd such vessel in service, and the latest of 58 planned FRCs to be delivered. She can attain speeds of 28 knots, and carries a complement of 20 crewmen and four officers. At the heart of her state-of-the-art command, control, and communications equipment lies a full suite of Furuno marine electronics.
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One in 73,000,000
A whopping 73 million, or about 1/3 of Americans, participated in recreational boating, a slight increase from the 71.3 million in 2005.
The Tall Ships Return To The Great Lakes!
As part of the 2019 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series, the tall ships will spend the summer visiting ports and racing in the United States and Canada. Join us as we celebrate the rich maritime history of this extraordinary region and help to bring awareness to the largest body of fresh water in the world. To check the list on their website and see if the tall ships are coming to a port near you, go to www.tallshipchallenge.com!
52 feet of endless freedom. FOLLOW THE CALL. January 18‐26, 2020 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Latitudes & Attitudes 37 04.07.19 11:48
When the Honeymoon is Over
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the “honey month,” which we know today as the honeymoon. And I guess that means, when the mead stops, the honeymoon is over!
Point Nemo is Remote!
Want to get away from it all? You can’t do better than a point in the Pacific Ocean popularly known as “Point Nemo,” named after the famous submarine sailor from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This remote oceanic location is 2,688 kilometers from the nearest land—Ducie Island, part of the Pitcairn Islands, to the north; Motu Nui, one of the Easter Islands, to the northeast; and Maher Island, part of Antarctica, to the south
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Viking Grave Discovery
Bigger is Better?
The biggest and most expensive sailboat ever is the Eos. Launched in Bremen, Germany in 2006, the threemasted, Bermuda-rigged sailboat cost about $150 million dollars and took three years to complete. It used to be owned by entertainment tycoon Barry Diller.
After more than 50 years, archaeologists in Gamla Uppsala, north of Stockholm, were shocked when they dug up a Viking boat grave that included human remains. There are only a handful of burial sites of this kind in the Sweden. The discovery of another ship was made on the shores of the Oslofjord at the Midgard Viking Center in Horten.
Sorry Tara! My Bad!
So here’s the deal. Tara Kelly started wrting for us a couple issues back. She did a great article on Panama that was featured in the last issue (#27) but dunderhead (that’d be Bob Bitchin) messed things up by crediting the wrong author for the article. She was very graceful in handling it, and it looks like she won’t make Bob polish her boat for her to make up for it!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 39
Garmin’s Founder Gary Burrell Passes at 81
Garmin International announced that Gary Burrell, aviation pioneer and cofounder of Garmin, passed away. He was 81. Burrell retired in 2002 and continued to serve as G a r m i n ’s co-chairman until 2004 when he was named chairman emeritus. Burrell cofounded Garmin with Dr. Min Kao in 1989 with the vision of creating products powered by an emerging technology known as the global positioning system, or GPS. Thirty years later, Garmin has grown from a handful of engineers into a global company with more than 13,000 associates in 60 offices around the world. Of his many accomplishments, Burrell was most proud of the jobs he helped create.
Farewell to a Friend Chris DelDonna 1968—2019
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of our good friend “Chris” Christopher Deldonna. Chris, just 51, died while fighting a fire on a sailboat in West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 21, 2019. He was born in Passaic, New Jersey and graduated from Egg Harbor Township High School. He worked for Napleton Automotive Group Charter Yachts for the last year, and many other yacht companies before that. He also worked for Vista Convention Services for 16 years and United Expo for 6 years, which is where we worked with him and became freinds. In 1990, he served in Operation Desert Shield for the U.S. Marine Corp. Chris enjoyed boating, fishing, camping, and skiing. He was a loving and caring person who made many friends wherever he went. He is survived by his brothers Richard and Carlo Deldonna, sister Toni Deldonna, and step-sister Betty Nicolicchia-Allen. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him!
The Pope of North Sails
Lowell North, founder of North Sails, has passed away. Nicknamed “The Pope” by his peers, Lowell began his sailmaking career at the age of 14 when his father purchased a Star with cotton sails. The fatherand-son team came in last in every race, motivating the young Lowell to recut the mainsail. The rest, as they say, is history. As an aeronautic/aerospace engineer, Lowell knew he could build a better sail through rigorous testing and incremental improvement. His methodical and scientific approach to sailmaking changed the industry forever, and it also helped him win five Star World Championship titles and a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics. The foundation laid by Lowell in 1957 has permanently shaped the North Sails culture.
Nautical Trivia
Sailors used credit at the taverns and the barman would keep a record of their drinks. A mark was made under “P” for pint or “Q” for quart. On payday, the sailors had to “mind his Ps and Qs.”
(Answer from page 24)
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Latitudes & Attitudes 41
Self-Sufficient Sailor Re-Boot!
Kanberra – Remove odors naturally & keep them from coming back! ®
Lin and Larry Pardey’s hugely popular and encouraging book, The Self Sufficient Sailor, has been revitalized and expanded by more than 40%. “This has been an exciting project for me,” said Lin, “especially as I have spent much of the past two years voyaging through the western Pacific on a boat that has not only an engine, but much of the electronic gear Larry and I chose to sail without. This let me evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of what many folks call ‘modern equipment.’ Better yet, it put me in touch with the people who are out cruising right now. And it is exciting to see that there are young and young-at-heart folks setting off voyaging on limited budgets and finding fine adventures.” Signed early copies are available by post if ordered before September 15th from their website, www.pardeytime.blogspot.com.
Marine Max & Fraser Yachts
MarineMax has announced an agreement with Italianbased yacht builder Azimut/Benetti Group to acquire yacht brokerage house Fraser, according to statements from the companies. The deal includes a multiyear agreement that gives MarineMax exclusive dealership rights to sell Benetti yachts in North America.
St. Pete Party Dec. 7th
The cruiser’s party that started it all for us over 20 years ago was the St. Petersburg, Florida event. Last year we were not allowed to do the party, so we didn’t go. BUT NOW! We are back! This years party should be bigger and better than ever! Be there or be square! The party with be Saturday night, December 7th! A day of infamy (well, it was in 1941!).
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42 Latitudes & Attitudes
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ACTIVE PIRACY REPORT from the International Commercial Crime Services: A Narrative of the Most Recent Attacks Seas off West Africa world’s worst for pirate attacks: The seas around West Africa remain the world’s most dangerous for piracy, the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest report reveals. Of the 75 seafarers taken hostage onboard or kidnapped for ransom worldwide so far this year, 62 were captured in the Gulf of Guinea—off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin, and Cameroon. High-level piracy meeting calls for urgent action to ensure seafarers’ safety A high-level meeting on piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea has shone the spotlight on the need for urgent action to ensure the safety and security of seafarers transiting the region. CCS Economic Crime Lecture: Sanctions compliance – changes and challenges. Last month the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it had reached a US$639 million agreement with a financial institution to settle alleged breaches of US economic sanctions. Maritime piracy incidents down in Q1 2019, but kidnapping risk in Gulf of Guinea persists. The International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) report for the first quarter of 2019 reveals fewer incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships than the first three months of 2018.
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Latitudes & Attitudes 43
ANOTHER WAY O C S de to
alm eas By Tania Aebi
Recently, I did something for the first time in recent memory—played on a twenty-foot-long Key West center console fishing boat with a huge 300cc engine. No fishing, no destination, purely to go out and motor around. This craft belonged to the people we were visiting in Maine with a cottage and a dock at the head of an inlet. I understand this isn’t unusual, that coastlines and lake shores everywhere have homes with docks out front, but this hasn’t been my life experience. I’ve almost exclusively used marinas, boat yards and dinghy landings to access boats. So, it felt pretty cool and privileged to stroll across a lawn, step aboard a boat, and move immediately to the cushioned seats in the bow. Again, I understand this wasn’t a super yacht. It was more of a respectably-sized dinghy for a super yacht, or even a mediocre yacht, but all things being relative, instead of dinghying out in an inflatable to clamber onto an average-sized sailboat, this was the lap of lazy luxury. The skipper and his teenaged son— who mostly use this boat for a twelve-minute commute to sailing school in another harbor that would take 83 minutes to reach by car—cast off the lines and we slowly motored out of the no-wake inlet. As soon as he could, up went the throttle, and we were aimlessly zooming across the water until the son said, “Let’s go look at that lighthouse,” pointing to an island structure a couple of miles away. The bow turned in that direction, the water rushed past. On a coastal chart, this particular section looks like a giant came with a rake and combed peninsular shreds of the continent into the Gulf of Maine. It’s a mass of rivers, islands, coves and channels. And, it’s all beautiful. The lighthouse we were headed for promised to be another postcard picture. “I don’t know why the speedometer reads to 80 when our maximum speed is 40,” said the skipper as he revved up and the water whooshed louder. My sons, who work on the big boys—car carriers and container ships—think they go fast at 20 knots. So do the quants measuring fuel consumption. Again, all things being relative, when you’re in the middle of the ocean on a vessel with a hull speed of 8 knots and you see it only takes half an hour for a ship to appear on one horizon then disappear on another, it sure is fast.
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As expected, the lighthouse on its rocky perch was quaint enough in its isolation that it had been turned into a B&B accessed by launch from Booth Bay. We idly circled halfway around, checking it out. Several years ago, when I was sailing my own boat along the coast, Booth Bay Harbor had been a destination, the islets and shoals to avoid marked by lights, cans and nuns were navigational aids leading purposefully to a mooring. We didn’t casually “go look at islands” unless they were right on our course. The cruising guide and tide tables had been deeply consulted about whether or not we could head into the next stretch of water via a cut. In the end, we did the longer roundabout way because of a swing bridge schedule and contrary current. The Key West didn’t care about any of that, and in minutes, we covered area that would have taken full days, lots of chart and tidal research, and a couple of anchorages on a sailboat. Especially if we had to rely on sail alone. There was some wind, but it clocked the islands, got blocked by headlands, requiring oodles of sail handling and patience, all while also accounting for shifting currents. We rocketed across, around and between coniferous tree and second-home lined granite coastlines. The weather and swells were mild, our boat was the center of all action, the surroundings there to admire as we roared by. The monster engine was way too loud for conversation, so my thoughts got carried away by comparisons with the sailing life, and I pulled the hoodie on my jacket over my head. The breeze generated by going over 20 knots can be chilly. We were creating a stiff wind rather than using it. What a difference. Several weeks earlier, I’d been fighting flat calms and the Gulf Stream, the mother of all currents, doing something I’d done many times already. There was a moment on one sleepless night where I worked out the numbers. If I wasn’t misremembering, this was my eighteenth crossing of the waters between the Northeast Coast and Bermuda. The owner of the boat had sailed her down to Bermuda in three days and sixteen hours. Our reciprocal sail back took five days and sixteen hours. We were completely at the mercy of feeble wind, and
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In May of 1985, an 18-year-old Tania set sail from Manhattan, New York and became the first American woman and youngest sailor at the time to circumnavigate the globe. Upon her return to Manhattan in November 1987, Tania had visited 23 countries and sailed 27,000 miles. Nowadays, Tania runs charters and delivers boats all over the world when she’s not at home, raising her sons, working on her next book, or battling snow in the winter and weeds in the summer.
though our motor rumbled rather loudly, a problematic prop could only push us at just under six knots. I had plenty of time to keep doing math. The crew and I also had plenty of time huddled in the shade of the bimini to marvel at the absolute stillness of the ocean and do a lot of talking. They suggested ideas for this column: six strangers and one toilet. For almost six days. Yes, we were all sharing one toilet. And, an invisible underwater force was also taking away one and two knots for every five or six we made forward. Compared to twenty knots, we were standing still. There were moments when it felt as if we’d be out there forever, and for many of those moments, this would have been okay. With water and food and excellent company, slowing life down for a couple extra days— as long as nobody missed a flight—was just fine. Once again, relativity: if we had been slamming into huge waves and headwinds at seven knots through the water and only five over the ground, it would have been an entirely different story that I also knew. I’d been out there alone, with family, with my son, with friends, with strangers. I’d sweltered, frozen, gotten soaked, been pummeled by waves and storms, and drifted across flat calms. Thirtysix years ago, back when I first started, it was with just a sextant on a passage that went from howling winds and mountainous waves to the biggest lake on the planet. This time, the lake was back, and I had a chart plotter on an iPad and my phone, a GPS at the nav station constantly feeding us current position, distance and course to waypoint, and a Delorme
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InReach hanging under the sprayhood to send and receive 160-character-long texts of weather updates, announced by chirps and the familiar incoming mail dopamine release in an otherwise device-free world. Any wind? Chirp. No. Chirp. Any favorable currents? Chirp. No. Chirp. Any good world news? Chirp. No. Chirp. “It’s okay, we have a sailboat,” we said, over and over again, while monitoring the fuel gauge needle accelerating like a 300cc engine as it headed toward “E.” When there’s no sign of wind and plenty of adverse current, a sailboat is as much use as dwindling fuel reserves. However, you can’t replace fuel out there, but the wind will always come back— as it did. And now, wrapping this up with the memory of a slow passage and the sounds of wind driving a bow splashing through waves leaves me feeling so much more peaceful and privileged than describing a couple of hours on the Key West. Interesting difference. Ahh.
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Latitudes & Attitudes 47
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7/25/19 2:23 PM
CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA By Suzy Carmody
By Suzy Carmody
Parliament House in Victoria lit up at night, viewed from the Causeway Marina
T
he coastline of southeastern Alaska and northern British Columbia is a fractured network of islands, like a broken pane of glass, and the Inside Passage threads in between them. My husband and I arrived in Alaska in June, nineteen days after leaving Hawaii in Distant Drummer, our Liberty 458 cutter-rigged sloop. We had started our voyage a year ago in New Zealand and, having completed our crossing of the Pacific, were feeling delighted and proud of ourselves. Our plan was to spend the summer cruising the inshore waterways of the Pacific Northwest before holing up at the south end of Vancouver Island for the winter. After a great trip down through southeastern Alaska, we entered British Columbia at Prince Rupert. Our route south wound through the Canadian Inside Passage to Queen Charlotte Sound and then split around Vancouver Island. We could choose the east w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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side and take on the challenge of the currents and rapids of the Johnstone Strait, or sail down the west side of the island exposed to the winds and swells of the northeast Pacific. Either route would lead us to Canoe Cove Marina where we planned to haul out. We had almost 600 nautical miles to cover; it was the end of August and the days were getting noticeably shorter. Devising routes which integrated comfortable anchorages with favourable currents to maximize our mileage during daylight hours was becoming more challenging as we slipped into September. We were loath to travel at night as logs and deadheads, semisubmerged logs floating vertically, were a constant presence in the water and we dreaded hitting one. Approaching Prince Rupert from Ketchikan, Alaska, required us to come out from amongst the islands and cross the Dixon Entrance. While cruising the waterways in Alaska we had become accustomed
Latitudes & Attitudes 49 7/31/19 2:15 PM
CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA Distant Drummer at the dock at Butedale
Neil fishing for cutthroat trout at the log jam at Butedale Lake
The cookhouse at the old cannery at Butedale
The lake behind the Hakai Beach Research Institute at Pruthe Bay
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to generally calm seas and light winds. What winds there were tended to funnel along the channels and hence were either on the nose when we motorsailed, or from behind when we were able to get the sails up. This gap between Prince of Wales Island and Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) is one of the few places where the Inside Passage is exposed to the strong winds and large swells of the northeast Pacific. After waiting up in Foggy Bay for a couple of days of strong southerlies to pass by, we had a beautiful sail across the entrance on a very pleasant starboard tack in a light westerly wind. We took a shortcut through Venn Passage, which had to be planned for slack water as the tides rip through the narrow strait. The channel is not very well-buoyed, but the charts were good, so all went well and we arrived safely in “Rupert” as the locals call it. We completed our Customs and Immigration formalities and tied up at the dock at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club in time for sundowners. Rupert is a very friendly town with all the facilities we needed—supermarket, laundry, fuel dock, and a good selection of pubs and restaurants—all within cycling distance of PRRYC. The museum is interesting with great displays of implements and carvings used by the first nation people who have lived in the area for thousands of years. I loved the clothing and headdresses decorated with puffin beaks, bear claws, and seal whiskers! Since Rupert is the railhead for the “Rupert Rocket,” we decided to take the train into the mountains to the pretty village of Smithers, to see some of the interior of the country. The railway follows the Skeena River Valley deep into the Coast Mountains and stops a number of times to wait for enormous freight trains to pass while carrying wheat and coal to the docks at Rupert and on to Asia. The journey was great fun, the scenery was superb, and we were lucky to have been able to sit in the panorama car so we could really enjoy the views. On leaving Prince Rupert, our first destination was the hot springs at Bishop Bay. It was a three-day trip via the Grenville Channel, a narrow slit 50 nautical miles long that separates Pitt Island from the Canadian mainland. The channel runs north-to-south and the tides flood in from both ends, meeting in the middle at Klewnuggit Inlet. Passage south needs to be planned to arrive at the mid-point at highwater slack at around midday, giving a favourable southerly flood in the morning and a southerly ebb in the afternoon. We were lucky with the tides and traversed the Grenville Channel in one day, but there are a few inlets to spend the night at along the way if you want to stop. One of the beauties of the Inside Passage is the wealth of good anchorages available—tranquil bays lined with fir trees and golden evening sunshine are the norm in this area. The inlets are steep-sided like fjords, but commonly have a stretch of sand or a delta at the head with water depths of 10-to-20 meters to drop the pick. Sometimes rocks or sandbars are partially obstructed at the entrance, giving a tight path in, but we found the electronic charts (on OpenCPN) w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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to be mostly reliable. However we always checked them against the original charts, as occasionally they were mispositioned by up to 150 meters. Bishop Bay lies 40 nautical miles due inland from the Pacific Ocean and was as far inland as we had yet been. The anchorage was amazingly quiet and the water was so calm it felt almost stagnant. A wooden bathhouse constructed over the hot springs was decorated with memorabilia from various boats that had passed through. As we soaked in the warm water, we looked for souvenirs from people we knew. When we left, we hung up a coconut from Hawaii to record Distant Drummer’s passing. Our next stop was the old cannery at Butedale, which was an easy day’s passage from Bishop Bay. It was one of the fifty or so canneries dotted along the coast of Britsh Columbia, built at the turn of the 20th century to provide fish-processing facilities to the fishing fleet in the area. The cannery operated from 1911-1967, but now the buildings are gradually falling down and slipping into the sea. The only person living there was Corey, the caretaker, who showed us around the dilapidated buildings and explained the uses of the industrial machinery which is now overgrown with weeds. The roof of the one remaining bunk house had fallen in, but it was possible to enter the old cook house and see the range and the long wooden tables where hundreds of workers were fed; it had such a poignant atmosphere. In the power house, which straddles the creek, two water-powered generators have been preserved. Whilst at Butedale, we walked up to the lake in the valley above the settlement to a fishing hole where Corey had told us we could catch cutthroat trout. The end of the lake is jammed with huge logs 1-to-2 meters in diameter and often more than 30 meters long; these had to be scrambled over to get to the fishing
The bath house at Bishop Bay is decorated with memorabilia from passing boats
The marina at Shearwater
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CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA
Distant Drummer tied up at the Causeway Marina, Victoria
A statue showing the Alpine roots of the town of Smithers
Fishing vessel in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a remarkably still day
Swarms of jelly fish invaded Pruthe Bay
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spot at the centre of the log jam. We were a bit tentative at first, but we quickly got the hang of balancing on the logs and soon were leaping about like lumberjacks. We didn’t catch any fish, but we had a great time trying! Our voyage south to Shearwater followed the Princess Royal Channel and again needed to be timed for favourable tides—so, out it was with the tide and current tables again. Ports and Passes (published annually by the Canadian Hydrographic Centre) is an essential book to have at hand, but we also found the data on our electronic charts to be very useful. We chose a few days when high-water slack occurred in the morning giving us 6-to-8 hours of southerly ebb to hop down the coast. It started raining as we left Butedale and did not stop for the four days it took us to thread our way through the slender channels and turbulent narrows to reach Shearwater. The islands and passageways in British Columbia are even more of a jigsaw than those of Alaska. Despite the weather, we were enchanted by Bottleneck Inlet, a tiny slot on the eastern side of the northern end of Findlayson Channel. The crevice is less than 100 meters wide and the tight, sinuous channel in it is breathtaking, literally! We dropped anchor, squeezed in between cliffs and rockfalls—it felt primeval. Shearwater was established as a seaplane base during World War II and is now a privately-owned settlement. We spent a couple of days tied up at the dock while we topped up our provisions and enjoyed a meal and a couple of glasses of wine at the local pub. The First Nations settlement of Bella Bella is a short sail or boat-taxi ride away. There’s not much to see there except the Band shop where the groceries are cheaper than in Shearwater, and the little shop by the dock which sells coffee and gifts. As we left Shearwater, we had to decide which route to take around Vancouver Island. After the sheltered waters of the Inside Passage, we decided to get the wind in our sails and cruise down the wild west coast of Vancouver Island to Victoria. We waited six days at Pruthe Bay on Calvert Island for a good weather window to cross Queen Charlotte Sound. We enjoyed walks on the spectacular beaches behind the Hakai Beach Research Institute; the broad sweeps of white sand, with the swell crashing against rocky offshore islets and foaming up on to the beach at our feet, were remote and desolate in the fog. Finally, a big, fat high settled in to the northeast Pacific and brought us a favourable northwester for a fantastic starboard reach across the Sound. We passed Triangle Island at sundown, giving Cape Scott (at the northwest end of Vancouver Island) a wide berth as it is known for its treacherous currents and rough seas. Throughout the overnight sail south to Cape Cook we were in heavy fog. With a 2-to-3 meter swell it was pretty uncomfortable, so at dawn we decided to cut in to the coast and anchor in Esperanza Inlet. The route into Nuchatlitz Bay was another tortuous, narrow conduit between islands, rocks, and shoals, but it was w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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worth it: the anchorage was beautifully peaceful and after a spectacular sunset we had a long, sound sleep. Although we were bound for Victoria, there were a couple of “must-do” places we wanted to visit on the way. The first was Hot Springs Cove on the west side of Sidney Inlet where we were looking forward to a long, hot soak. It is about a two-kilometer walk to the hot springs through magnificent forest, and we checked out the planks of the boardwalk which are carved with the names of yachts that had passed by. The springs were the most pleasant that we had visited so far as they were in the natural rock with no pipes or concrete. We arrived early to enjoy a solitary dip before the first boatload of tourists from Tofino arrived at around nine o’clock. Despite the early hour, it was glorious to bask in the warm sunshine and soak in the steaming hot water. With very little wind present, we motored at a leisurely pace through the islands and shallow channels at the mouth of the Clayoquot Sound to Tofino, our second “must-do” spot. One thing we found surprizing about the west coast of Vancouver Island was the shallow depth of the water. Unlike the steep cliffs and deep waters of the inland passages, the coastal shelf here is less than 100 meters deep and extends 15-to-20 nautical miles offshore. Parts of the route into Tofino were barely underwater and we found ourselves reaching for the tide tables again. In the marina we were touching bottom at low tide! Tofino attracts tourists from all over Canada and consequently has several good restaurants, the kinds that serve meals without french fries, as our cruising guide said! We had a superb meal at The Wolf in the Fog and by chance found ourselves sitting next to the people we had shared the hot springs with earlier that day. The town hosts some interesting shops and cafes, and it was an easy cycle the next day to
Author and sand flies at West Beach, Pruthe Bay
A myriad of islands off the West Beach at Pruthe Bay
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CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA Passing the time while Neil fishes at the log jam at Butedale Lake
Water from the stream is sluiced in to the pump house at Butedale to drive the generators
The anchorage at Nuchatlitz Bay, Esperanza Inlet
Author watching for bears on the Canoona River
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Chesterman Beach, known for its spectacular atmosphere in stormy weather. We had a walk on the beach and watched the surfers grapple with the heaving waves. We would have liked to stay longer, but time was pressing on; we wanted to spend a few days in Victoria before reaching Canoe Cove at the beginning of October. We checked the tides and planned to cover the 150 nautical miles through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and around the southern tip of Vancouver Island with four daysails. The Strait has a bad reputation for short, rough seas due to an evil combination of a narrow entrance, large ebb tidal flows, and strong summer onshore winds—just add fog and it’s party time! After Ucluelet, a pretty fishing port where we spent the first night, there were few inlets to break the 90-nautical-mile stretch to the southern point of Vancouver Island. The only anchorage, San Juan Bay, was open to the southwest and a bit rolly, but was a very convenient place to overnight and pick up favourable tides to enter the Strait. We anchored for the third night at Becher Bay, just west of Race Rocks at Vancouver Island’s southern tip, and managed to find a space between the crab pots to drop the pick. It was an early morning start the next day for the last 15-nautical-mile hop up to Victoria. We had thick, thick fog to navigate between Race Rocks and the busy shipping channel which serves Seattle, Vancouver, and other West Coast ports. We tracked our course very carefully on the electronic charts and followed it diligently while keeping a close eye on the radar. We posted a look-out (me) clutching a pair of aerosol fog horns which was blown vigorously every two minutes. It was a hairraising few miles, but we managed to avoid the rocks, fishing boats, and container ships, and arrived safely in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The Causeway Marina is right in the centre of Victoria, directly in front of the magnificent Empress Hotel where we joined crowds of other tourists enjoying sundowners and a wonderful view of Distant Drummer in the harbour. Brightly coloured water taxis buzzed around the bay like psychedelic pond beetles following some sort of pheremonal trails. After several days soaking up the sights and sounds of Victoria, we made the final leg of our journey through the scenic Gulf Islands to Canoe Cove. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA Fishing in the golden evening sunlight at Kumealon Bay, Grenville Channel
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Latitudes & Attitudes 59 7/26/19 9:42 AM 7/31/19 2:51 PM
Cruising the
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Society Islands
By Jeff Wahl
All plans are written in the sand at low tide!
Well, that didn’t go as planned!
You know how when you have the perfect trip planned that not much goes as planned? The saying, “All plans are written in the sand at low tide,” comes to mind. So does, “Make lemonade out of lemons.” Well, the delivery of Just Passing Wind from Tahiti to Puerto Vallarta didn’t even come close to what I had planned. First the plan: I would leave Pape’ete on October 1 for a fun, relaxing trip through the Tuamotus, hopping from one atoll to another, snorkeling, visiting pearl farms, etc. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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I would arrive in Nuku Hiva around October 25 to provision and prepare for a November 1 jump to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. After studying the pilot charts, I saw that the prevailing winds south of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) would come either out of the east or southeast. Great! We could do a to-wind sail, off the wind at 45 degrees to match our rhumb line directly to Puerto Vallarta. Then I could motor through the ITCZ— give or take 300 miles to reach the northerly prevailing winds north of the ITCZ, again doing an off-the-wind sail at 45 degrees—flop the main across, and keep going. When I started looking for crew I found there were plenty of people who wanted to make the leg from Pape’ete to Nuku Hiva, and a few who even wanted to discuss the leg from Nuku Hiva to Puerto Vallarta. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty who said, “That sounds like a fun trip,” or who wanted “a new adventure” while building their sailing resume. Most of these potential crewmembers had little or no offshore experience. So, with that in mind, I knew I needed to secure a solid crew for the offshore leg. That was not as easy as I thought. Those with experience were 85%-ers or wanted delivery crew wages. I understood, but I just could not afford to pay some of the requested wages. So, I was left with lots of takers for the island-hopping leg and few interested in the offshore leg. I learned early on from a circumnavigator who relied on a volunteer-only crew that you don’t want to make landfall where the crew would have easy access to an airport. With that in mind, I figured out that most or all of my crew would jump ship in Nuku Hiva and I would be alone on a 60-foot sailboat staring at a 3,000-mile passage, or I’d have to turn around and make the 1,000- mile trek back to Pape’ete, alone, with my tail between my legs. The one main, solid crewmember from the start was Thane Paulsen, but he was only available until October 27; no matter where we were at that date, he had to leave for prior commitments. These decisions weigh heavily on you when you are faced with being stuck alone on an island or a solo passage. Oh sure, some would say I should stop whining about being stuck on an
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island in paradise. I do recognize there are plenty of sailors who love the challenge, but I was and am not up for this challenge at this point of my life. With these thoughts in mind, I flew to Tahiti to get the boat ready for when Thane joined me and to keep working on the 85%-ers. Hopefully, more crewmembers would decide to join for the offshore leg. Sometimes, you just need to keep stirring the pot to see what comes to boil. I arrived three weeks early to ready the Just Passing Wind. After she has been asleep for five months, it usually takes me a week to wake her up. Thane arrived the following week to help ready the vessel. Now, whenever you have a volunteer who knows boats and boat systems, you need to take advantage of it. We spent the next couple of weeks fixing, repairing, and upgrading the boat. We also made sure we found pearls for Brenda, Thane’s wife, who was back in South Dakota earning a living as a professor at the University of Sioux Falls, my alma mater. The days went by so quickly between working on boat projects and pondering what to do for crew that I soon had to start facing reality and looking at possible alternatives. I needed to keep my objective in mind: to get the boat back to Mexico. Soon it was time to cast off the lines. Thane and I were on our way to Mo’orea for an authentic Tahitian wedding, that of our agent, Tehani from Tahiti Crew. We were not disappointed. The wedding was perfect: It was a gorgeous day with enchanting music, delicious food, and, of course, a beautiful, blushing bride. It was a wedding any bride would dream of. In fact, the wedding was the highlight of our entire time in Tahiti. Wow! It had some of the most incredible music and, of course, the most beautiful women. At this point, the time to “fish or cut bait” was at hand. Thane and I set sail for the Tuamotus after leaving Pape’ete. The winds, currently coming out of the east, were forecast to lay down over night. We faced the decision of rounding Tahiti to the north and get pounded in the morning as we rounded the island, or having a nice daysail by heading south to round the island at sundown while planning to reach the tip of the island when the forecasted winds died down. Well, that didn’t quite w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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go as planned either. By the time we hit the southern tip of Tahiti the winds had really strengthened. Getting slammed, we discussed our options to face the reality of beating to-wind for much of the next 300 miles or doing an about face and running to Raiatea, 70 miles downwind. Not often does a captain get to make this dramatic of a choice, beat to-wind or run from the wind. After a brief discussion with Thane, we made the discovery that neither of us had been to the Tuamotus and that neither of us had been to Raiatea or Bora Bora. Hmmm. After a short discussion, we decided that either location would be an adventure. And, with no confirmed crew for the offshore crossing from Nuku Hiva to Puerto Vallarta, we had no pressing plans. Like I said, “All plans are written in the sand at low tide.� We did an about-face for the downwind run to Raiatea.
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We arrived at sunrise to a beautiful, lush green landscape. Thane picked out the perfect place to make landfall, the Taputapuatea marae archeological site. We spent an enjoyable afternoon walking around in the footsteps of royalty and on religious ancestral grounds. While the sites we visited were not as massive as the Incan and Mayan ruins in Central America, they were still impressive, especially when one realized that the only building items and knowledge their builders had used had been brought with them in the first canoe-load of Polynesians who settled the island; or when one realized that the only resources used were what had been found on the island, which were nothing compared to the mineral mines of the Americas. This was truly a feat to be admired. We bounced down the coast from mooring ball to mooring ball for a few days until we arrived at the main
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settlement of Uturoa. After finding a mooring ball at the Dream Yachts anchorage, we explored the island by car. You gotta love the French: Almost every island had a ring road around the entire island. I still say this is the fastest way to see these islands. While you do, you have to remember that on islands, the supply of places to stop for refreshments are limited, so get some local knowledge before you head off, as it may be a long way to the next rest stop. But, once you start driving, there’s nothing like following these roads, dropping in at places off the beaten path, and swinging in for a burger and a beer. Gotta love it. After Raiatea, we headed to the world-famous island of Bora Bora. Of course, we headed directly for Bloody Mary’s—after all it was Friday evening and we had earned it with an exciting downwind run—I think Thane really enjoyed the reefed downwind run at ten knots. A couple of beers and burgers got us refreshed for sightseeing the next morning. Again, we got a rental car and a guide map to hit the road. Along the way, I enjoyed an educational experience, learning that the U.S. army had troops and gun placements around the island. On the north side of the island is a nice ship museum, personally owned and extremely hard to find. Signage is not the strong suit in French Polynesia. I cannot even recall the name of the museum, but it is on the car rental maps. Just a head’s up, though, the map is about a mile off. So, happy hunting! On Saturday evening, we had the tastiest, most enjoyable meal I have ever had in my life. Thane confirms it must have been, as he commented I never said a word during the whole meal as I devoured my steak. Luckily, we had arrived at Bloody Mary’s early and were able to get a reservation. I love the Bloody Mary’s experience. First, the chef shows you what is available that night for dinner, then
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you point out your entrée, and then, and only then, will you be seated. That was the best rib eye I had ever eaten in my life; I could cut it with a butter knife. I would never go to French Polynesia without heading to Blood Mary’s, the experience is worth it. Bloody Mary’s is probably tied for my favorite date night place with the Bitter End Yacht Club. We could not let grass grow on our bottom as we took off for Huahine. Now, of all the Society Islands, Huahine is the one I could live one. I loved it. We found out that anchoring is a little tougher than the other islands. I would recommend that the local chamber put out about 20 mooring balls to help save the reef and keep boaters from getting tied around the coral heads. But, the island is worth the headache. As we rested at the yacht club, we visited with some local island transplants who share my love of the island. A local artist, Melanie, gave us a lot of tips on what
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to see and, of course, we had to visit her out-of-the-way art studio, Galerie ‘Umatatea on the motu of Maeva. It was there we met a friend of the artist, Goldie, who has been coming to the island for over 20 years. What a find! Goldie, a true free spirit, knew the island and had a car. We spent a couple of days seeing beaches and back roads with her, which were well worth our time. We found another archeological site out in the middle of nowhere, and also learned that the Huahine airport was also built by the U.S. army. Thinking about all the development across the Pacific during WWII, I realized the U.S. war effort and subsequent infrastructure development played a large part in the future development of tourism across the Pacific. While doing some provisioning at the only grocery store on the island, SuperU, we started to notice the prices were sometimes half that of the prices in Pape’ete. Asking around, it turns out that the cruisers “in the know” do a lot of their provisioning in Huahine. I must agree with their logic: the prices are right, especially for French Polynesia, where everything is expensive. I have come to the conclusion that I will never again complain about the prices of anything in the U.S. after being in French Polynesia and on Easter Island. October rolled around and the time came to head back to Tahiti to make a final decision about how to get Just Passing Wind back to Mexico. After a busy traffic night from Huahine to Pape’ete, we arrived back to Marina Pape’ete. I spent the next day contemplating my situation, ultimately deciding to ship our Sundeer from Tahiti to Ensenada, Mexico on DYT Yacht Transport. The boat was scheduled to ship at the end of the year. There were pros and cons to shipping the boat. The con: I would miss the adventure of sailing to-wind for 4,000 miles. But, the pro: I would save the wear and tear on the boat and me. Thane convinced me to ship when he mentioned that when he shipped his Bavaria
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from Annapolis to Spain, he had left a pill bottle standing on the nav station with a pen in it, and when the boat arrived in Spain, the pen and pill bottle were still standing. I was sold, shipping it would be. I never thought I would be spending Christmas season in Tahiti. I arrived back in Tahiti on December 27 to wait for the ship. This was an experience I did not want to miss. As excited as I was to ship the boat, to be honest, I was a bit blue. Christmas just is not the same without family around, and Tahiti, for all its beauty, doesn’t compare to South Dakota in the winter with the snow and the Christmas trees. At home, we have five Christmas trees in our house alone. Christmas in the South Pacific is a little different. Any anxiety of loading the boat was completely unfounded. Henry was there directing traffic and the local agent was completely on top of all the details. I really don’t think the loading could have gone any more smoothly. Interestingly enough, the jack stands were welded to the deck, thus making the vessel immobile. In midFebruary, the ship arrived in Ensenada, Mexico. Offloading went much slower as there were 13 vessels being delivered. Of course, Just Passing Wind had to be the last one off. The only hiccup was that the Mexican workers were not allowed to walk on the security dock (thus, not allowed on to the DYT Yacht Transport), but they were allowed to come out on a panga to board my boat once it left the ship. Interesting. But, all was well. I had left two standing ice cube trays standing on end on the top of the counter, so the first thing I did when the boat arrived was check to see if the trays were still standing; they were, I’m sold. In case you were wondering, after shipping his boat to Spain, Thane Paulsen with his wife Brenda, both licensed captains, sailed their Bavaria 39 around the Mediterranean, then crossed the Atlantic and are presently sailing the Caribbean. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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What’s Out There?
Cruising Monohull
Elan yachts are well-known by cruising enthusiasts for their sailing endurance and comfort. For over 70 years Elans craftsmanship has been respected in the boating world. The Elan Impression 45.1 has a longer and wider cockpit, featuring twin wheels, and a split cockpit table with a foldable sunbed. The modern vertical transom with two large cockpit storage boxes can also can be adapted to include a grill, sink, or fridge. Want to opt for a sportier look with an open transom? No problem. Or, choose the safety and comfort of a closed transom option with a large swim platform. One of the things that become immediately apparent is the addition of a new window,
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Elan 45.1
illuminating the back cabins and giving the yacht its great lines. The iroko wood veneer interior is framed with solid iroko wood. It gives a beautiful classic look, and an affordable price point. If you’ve been looking for a perfect sized boat for you and your family to cruise just about anywhere in the world, this could be it. If you want more info check out their website at: www.Elan-Yachts.com, and tell ‘em Bob sent you!
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Ge t all the facts:
www.Elan-Yachts.com
Elan 45.1 LOA 45’7” LWL 37’6” Draft Deep/ Shallow 6’3” / 5’3” Beam 13’9” Light Displacement 23.0 lbs Power 50-75 HP Fuel 56 USG Fresh Water 136.3/208.2 USG Balast 7.3/7.6 lbs Latitudes & Attitudes 69
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What’s Out There?
Cruising Catamaran
Sunreef is known for building large beautiful catamarans. Now they have introduced one just right for the cruiising couple or small family. With a modern design, a comfortable bridge deck, and high bulwarks, the Sunreef 50 was designed for adventures. The saloon opens up to a comfortable bow terrace and cockpit which is extended with a hydraulic aft platform. The hulls provide plenty of space to set up a custom layout including luxurious guest cabins and a beautiful master suite with a walk-in dressing area, desk, sofa, retractable TV, and a large bathroom. If you’d like to see more of this new custom design, you can find it on their website. Just go to www.Sunreef-Yachts.com.
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Sunreef 50
Ge t all the facts:
www.Sunreef-Yachts.com
Sunreef 50
LOA 50’ LWL 49.34’ Draft 5.94’ Beam 30’ Living Area 645.8’ Power Two @ 80 hp each Fuel 264 USG Fresh Water 211 USG Mast Height 77.43’ w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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What’s Out There?
Power Cruiser
The new Swift Trawler 41 from Beneteau is the final addition to the five long-distance cruisers by the Beneteau boatyard. Designed to replace the previous Swift Trawler 44, the new Swift Trawler 41 has been given a whole new look. The 41 has created an open layout by placing the galley aft of the wheelhouse. This connects it with the cockpit and the swim platform, creating more space for entertaining. A curtain runs around the convertible saloon, which can be configured as a double berth, offering privacy for this sleeping space. The driver’s seat rotates, providing seating for up to eight people in the lounge space. The vessel also comes in a flybridge version, so that you can enjoy the open air.
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Bene te au Swif t Trawler 41
Ge t all the facts:
www.Beneteau.com
Swift Trawler 41
LOA 44’1” LWL 41’1” Draft 3’9” Beam 13’9” Power Two 270- or 300-hp diesel Fuel 309 USG Fresh Water 106 USG Displacement (loaded) 33,529 lbs. Berths 7 w w w . L at s A t t s . c o m
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The Great White Shark Encounter! Story & Photos by Doug Shipley, with a some help from Tommy Brownell
Five-hundred miles from home, ghosting north at three knots in blue water, it’s warm, not hot, and quiet, no one is talking. It’s sunset and the closest land is three miles straight down. God made this place. Distant Star brought us here.
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From Bob Bitchin, Publisher The video that was shot during this shark encounter has been viewed over 12,000,000 times as of the publishing of this story. All of the people on this “adventure” are in the Latitudes & Attitudes Founder’s circle. You can see the video by going to http://bit.ly/DistantStarShark
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The G r e a t W h i t e S h a r k E nc o u nt e r! Never have I found a more enjoyable way to really get to know someone than sharing an ocean passage with them. And this one surely lived up to that fact. In short, we had a really great time, one that we will never forget! The boat performed flawlessly, the weather cooperated most of the time, and Sharon had filled the freezer with ribs, lobster dip, chicken stew, shrimp scampi, and steaks. She made sure we will well fed so I wouldn’t open a can of sardines down below. Sharon had to jump ship in Bermuda for a sister’s weekend in Nantucket. She is one of six sisters who were born and raised in Nantucket and still call it home. So, sailing along far enough offshore that our land-based responsibilities couldn’t swim out and get us, we all just let the fun out. As the conversations got deeper and deeper it was like we had climbed out of the dented, rusty, ill-fitting armor that we had accumulated over years of building successful businesses. We sort of helped each other lift that heavy suit and throw it over the rail, so to speak. It felt great as we became closer friends and fun-loving kids again. Ocean passages can take you there and sometimes they can keep you there. A Big Shark’s Tail After topping off two straight weekends of this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest by celebrating Tom Brownell’s birthday at Commander’s Palace, Tom proudly downed the last of his bananas foster while
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sporting the iconic chef’s birthday hat and said, “This is really awesome. What are we doing tomorrow?” Having just attended the last band set of the eight-day event, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, less than two hours earlier, I promptly responded, “At this point, Tom, Laura and I are ready for our boat and St. Somewhere.” Knowing our boat was on the hard in Annapolis, Tom and his wife, Sharon, said, “Great! Our boat is in Bermuda. Let’s go!” So we went. And so began the adventure that I will never forget. A bit of a back story: I’m an avid sailor, having learned as a kid growing up on the back bay of Brigantine, New Jersey with a Sunfish. And yes, damn Bitchin is partly to blame for taking my passion to several levels beyond. I’ve been in the casino business for over 30 years, and year after year I get a deeper appreciation every time I step on the deck of our 46-foot sloop Dream Catcher. I take every opportunity to hop a ride on Bob and Jody’s Share The Sail, crew on the Baha Haha in California, and help friends make a passage. Did I say every opportunity? Let me put it in perspective; when in the gaming business, one is rarely, truly disconnected from work. It’s the nature of 24/7 hospitality business, so it’s not that frequent and I was ready for the opportunity to truly be unplugged for four days at sea. Having been involved in a casino in the Bahamas and having sailed most of the islands in w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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The G r e a t W h i t e S h a r k E nc o u nt e r!
the Caribbean, from BVI to Union Island, Laura and I really enjoy Bermuda in comparison. There is a deep sense of regional pride and tradition within the various communities. That, coupled with great food, cleanliness, safety, and sincerely warm people, makes it our fave. The must sees on our list are Horseshoe Bay Beach, the Bermuda National Museum, and The Dining Room at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, as well as shopping and strolling St. George’s. Like any remote island location however, it’s not cheap. So, after paying a $300+ grocery bill for just four bags of chocolate bars, pastries, coffee, water, and a few essentials, we put away the stores and readied the boat for departure. While at anchor Sunday morning, enjoying a fresh dark roast from Tom’s 1970s percolator (he’s particular about his coffee brewing technique, well beyond a millennial barista operating expensive equipment), and taking in the cool summer breeze on the deck of Tom and Sharon’s Hylas 54 Distant Star, a 46-foot sport fisherman pulled alongside of us and the Bishop of Bermuda, yeah Bishop, yelled over, “Would you like your vessel blessed this morning?” Tom turned and looked at me and I looked at him and said, “Heck yeah,” while my all-time favorite Jimmy Buffet line danced in
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the back of my head, “There’s a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning.” The blessing turned out to truly be a real blessing. It was then off in the dinghy to St. George’s for breakfast. We entered into a quaint breakfast nook and ran into Tania Aebi and crew. Together we shared weather notes and debated the best course to New England as we both planned leaving that afternoon. After breakfast, with the help of Tom’s local friends, we picked up the other half of our fourperson crew, JB Currell and his daughter Amanda. Yep, the MAS Epoxy dudes. Having done a few bluewater passages, I can honestly say Tom Brownell is one of the best captains in the business. So, when Captain Tom said, “We have the weather window now,” moments after JB and Amanda got off the plane, it was a quick stop at Johnny’s Chinese restaurant to load up, then we threw JB and his daughter’s duffel bags on the boat and weighed anchor. So much for their visit of the beautiful island. At 5:40 p.m. we motored out of St. George’s and by 6 p.m. we were setting sail for 30 degrees north with 670 miles to our landfall at Martha’s Vineyard. Winds were blowing northwest at a steady 20 knots. Under main and jib we moved along into the blue at a steady eight knots. Having hosted many crews, Sharon has rules of etiquette while on board, some being no talk of politics, religion, ex-spouses, or money. Well, I’m proud to say with all of us being raised in the North East, we managed to make it at least out of sight of land before we broke most of the rules. I found the conversations and impassioned debates inspiring, but they were quickly minimized as we all shared in the silence of the amazing sunsets that put our lives, for a moment, in perspective of what was important: sharing memorable moments with close friends and family. For the first two days at sea the winds were light and the days calm, easy, and uneventful. We each took a three-hour watch and, as hoped, the sunsets, sunrises, and stars were simply epic—like the vessel had been blessed? Mid-morning on day three brought us winds shifting to the north at 35 to 40 knots, so we adjusted course, reefed the main, and set the staysail for a nice comfortable ride. The fourth day was met with flat, calm seas. We enjoyed the occasional greetings from dolphins on the bow and my first view of a mola mola, a peculiar fish that from the surface resembles only the front half of a tuna. Shortly after that Tom yelled, “SHARK!” About 100 yards off our starboard bow appeared a fin two to three times the size of what we typically see. Tom throttled back to neutral as we slid by the enormous creature and I ran below to get my camera. As it slowly came close and into full view we all gasped at the immense size of it. Tom’s boat is 54 feet, and after the shark made three passes and dove under our bow it appeared to be half the
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length of the boat. I’ve done a lot of sport fishing on both the East and West Coasts of the US, and currently fish off the oil rigs 100+ miles out in the Gulf of Mexico where we encounter record-sized fish over 1,000 pounds. Nothing could have prepared me for what we were seeing. I had brought along a GoPro with underwater housing to film the dolphins, but as I was leaning over the rail with one hand firmly on a stay, the shark turned towards us and rolled to one side, providing a glimpse of one eye, pointed nose, open mouth, and then looked up at me, as if to say, “Go ahead, make my day ... put the camera in the water.” Great white or basking shark? The fin was somewhat rounded, indicating a basking, but the back was blue and the belly as it rolled under me, was clearly white. After the experience it really didn’t matter; great white or anything else. It was simply huge and humbling. Something that truly takes one’s breath away.
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By Eva Rabadan, Hillsboro Inlet Sailing Club circle raft up on Lake Boca in Florida.
Underway! Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Underway 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: Underway@LatsAtts.com. W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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By Jessie Zevalkink-Yeats, enjoying life precariously!
By Bryan Martinez, Lora off the coast of Majorca, Spain
By Heather Shine, s/v Cerridwen crew
By Ian Davies, standing watch somewhere between Fiji and Vanuatu
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By Dr. A. H. “Bitchin” Lipkin
Marla aboard s/v Long Windid, anchored in a lagoon in front of the Kia Ora Resort on Rangiroa
By Jessie MackelprangCarter, Neil halfway between Gambier Island and Raivavae in the Austral Islands, French Polynesia
By Jeff, Marie, and Abby, aboard Ppalu in the Caribbean
By Capt. Joe, Nick and Theresa Sojourner in Charlotte Harbor, Florida
Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth!
By Steve deForest, Robyn and her friends on her family’s boat Denali on the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada
By Ray Johnson, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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By Moez, Mary in the BVI
By Raffaella Saggin, pink fog viewed aboard Numada in Halifax (Nova Scotia) at sunset
By Sam Steele, in Thumb Cove of Resurrection Bay waiting for s/v Radiance and s/v Creola
By Peter Isern, Crandon Marina on a Saturday morning
By David Shuttleworth, Allison contemplating journeys ahead while aboard s/v Pelican, a ‘69 Coronado 25 By Mark, his favorite anchorage, off the island of Petit St. Vincent
By Alexandra, Alex at Coco Bay on Green Turtle Cay. She says, “It’s like looking down on Heaven.”
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By Allen Duran, him and a friend!
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By Ric Bischoff, underway from Highborne to Wardrick Wells in Exumas, Bahamas
By Chis Stokes, family photo on the stern of the cat, FlipFlop
By Nate Kraft, Pacific Coast of Mexico W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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By Ann Baker, Taylor Knight on a 2004 Caliber 40 in Tampa Bay
A goal without a plan is just a wish. - Larry Elder
By Don Boger
By Joyce Bente, sailing out of Marina del Rey, California
By Terry, Catamaran Concerts at sunset
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A goal without a plan is just a wish. - Larry Elder
By Bob and Laura, Drew and Sharon on s/v Z-Raye in the Bahamas, picture taken from s/v Orion
By Debbie Kolod, the coast of Sicily
By Brian Davidson, Kim, Taylor, and Jackson in Panama City, Florida By Charles Bukowski, Jost Van Dyke
By Greg Sage, Toba Inlet of Desolation Sound, British Columbia
By Joe Miner, a lazy afternoon for Jon, Maureen, Domingo, Maitri, and Killer off Peter Island aboard s/v Siren Song with Captain Ryan at the helm W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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By Ben Mun, taken at JB’s Fish Camp on Bethune Beach of New Smyrna Beach, Florida Debi, chilling with a chardonnay, aboard EmmieLou in Long Island Sound
By Doris Neubauer, Tuhua, New Zealand
By George, Susan driving the dinghy in Vero Beach
By Captain Joe, a rainbow
By Gary Green, the Netherlands
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By John Butler, reading world-sailing routes while planning Sine Metu’s two year cruise
By Brian Bills, leaving Hansel’s Marina in Deale, Maryland on the way to Solomans Island Fun boating on the Chesapeake near Thomas Point Park
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By Frank Petty, Meg sailing off the south side of the island on Simpson Bay and setting the anchor in Great Bay By Richard, in the Bahamas
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By Tim Begstresser, on a Danger Charter trip
Life is better in sandals—and that is one opinion I will never flip-flop on!
Cindy Holden in Nevis
By Pierre Allemand, Emmanuelle sailing in Switzerland
By Captain Ron Gerhan, out of Lorain Harbor on Lake Erie
By Bill Rogner, Carmen Rogner, and Jeff Miller take a break from s/v Moana Iti in Bora Bora, French Polynesia
By Terry Hogan, Daytona Beach
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By Lisa Goldman, s/v Firefly off San Fransisquito in the Sea of Cortez
By Kelly Witchell, The Crooked Anchor in Sarasota, Florida
By Mark and Penn Kramer, Larry and Joe’s sailboat on the 4th of July in Wisconsin
By Matt King of s/v Orion, at the Mt. Everest base camp, 17,500 feet above sea level By Carol and Terry Hogan, Gibraltar, taken aboard s/v Common Sense
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By Chrstina Harrelson, s/v SE of Disorder
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De-salting By Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn
Living aboard full-time even the simplest of tasks Like having
Unlike many other boats, we don’t have a watermaker on board, so the fresh water that we do carry is a precious, finite amount stored in tanks. We have two separate heads, each with an extendable hose-type tap at the sink, but they’re not wet rooms, so you can’t actually shower off inside. Friends in the fleet have much better bathroom setups on board, but our only decent dedicated shower is at the sugar-scoop stern, which allows you to wave to your audience of neighbors at anchor while going about your ablutions. It sounds bizarre when mentioned to
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folks on land, but you get used to these idiosyncrasies when cruising. Our sailing route has been mostly in the tropics, but even some of the fanciest marinas we’ve tied up in only offer cold water in their washrooms. In the blistering heat of the Mexican midday sun, that coolness is a welcome w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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the sailors means that sometimes isn’t straightforward. a shower.
respite before you are forced to leave the air-conditioned sanctum of the amenities and return to the boat. However, during our time in New Zealand, you wouldn’t shower in cold water even in the height of summer, so we saved our two-dollar coins for the few meager minutes of hot water the marina provided in the slot-machine showers. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Our preference to live at anchor means being a bit more creative with opportunities for good showers. Some dinghy docks include the use of washing cubicles, others have an arrangement with a nearby hotel. There are countless stories of grubby looking sailors sneaking into resorts to use their facilities on the sly, emerging all gleaming and fresh twenty minutes later, but walking briskly with a security guard on their tail. We’ve dabbled in that, but I would rather a tad more relaxation and a little less high-octane drama to my bathing. And, of course, you can always jump into the sea
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to use once you’ve dropped the hook and are settled, a real luxury. We’ve even had people hand over the keys to a house while members of their extended family were out of town in order for us to have a good scrub. Are we projecting an image of filthy sea dogs, I wonder? An even more opportunistic way of grabbing a good wash is when it rains, which it does in the tropics—a lot. A torrential downpour is like pennies from heaven for us. We collect the rain in buckets, using tarpaulins to direct it, and the children can play happily with a water container for hours at a time. We dance about on deck with
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shampoo suds frothing in our hair. A really heavy shower even turns our dinghy into a bathtub. How extravagant our yacht is in Fiji with it’s own external bath! And there are times when the context of the water that’s available makes it a treat. When we arrived in French Polynesia, after 26 days at sea, I rowed ashore and walked to a small building where there was a fruit stand. Just in front of this was a kind of open compartment of three walls made of concrete block, with a metal pipe sticking out at head height. The water was cold, the day was hot, and the novelty of feeling fresh and clean and sparkling again after becoming increasingly grimy during our passage transformed that humble setup into the most fabulous shower I could
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have wished for. Who cared if the whole mooring field could see me in my bikini—I was clean at last! Sometimes the appreciation of the little things makes you realize how unusual boat life is. Hot running water probably doesn’t seem that special to you, unless you have a chance to stop taking it for granted. Once you’ve collected it, heated it, or put aside your coins for a scarce four minutes of it, grabbing a quick shower becomes much more magical than turning on a tap.
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SoulMates’ Egyptian Hiccup! By Chuck Ritenour
God promises a safe anchorage, not necessarily a smooth passage;
so rig heavy, reef early, and pray often. For its over 12 years of full-time cruising, the crew of SoulMates has done its own thing. For example, when we were told not to go to Albania, for reasons ranging from sea mines to mafia to lack of food, SoulMates visited Albania, was one of the first small boats to do so, and wrote extensively on what a great country it is. The same goes for the Black Sea and sailing to Russia—going when even the writer of the cruising guide had not been to Russia. In addition, SoulMates has cleared in and out of 49 different countries, sometimes with an agent and sometimes not. Only one time did we contact an agent beforehand and that was as a courtesy to the man in Russia who got SoulMates her invitation to visit and asked that a young friend of his be used as an agent. Otherwise, we arrive in a port and follow the guidance of the local officials be it coast guard, police, or port authorities. It has not always been smooth, but it has been painless and generally efficient. And one other thing, in the 49 countries visited, they each had a very high regard for safety of the boat and crew, not one time was SoulMates put in a position that endangered either—in fact just the opposite occurred many times when safety concerns were the first priority, as they should be. Given the above, it was not out of the ordinary that, while sitting in Israel, we were looking at a map, deciding where to go next, and set our sights on Egypt. After all, it
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was close if a bit of a sail to get from there to someplace else, but all the Israelis we had met and knew had all said the same thing: Do not go to Egypt with your boat. As normal, eschewing advice, we made plans to visit first Port Said and then Alexandria. Using the Red Sea Guide and internet research, agents in Port Said were contacted and, while friendly, gave the following costs just to enter the port. 1 Pilot in US$70 2 Pilot out US$70 3 Agent US$100 4 Port charges US$350 5 Customs and Immigration US$85 OK, the total cost would be US$675, not including one night of dockage (US$21 per night) or transiting the canal. These charges are brand new. And, when talking with a sailor who had transited the canal south to north, we learned that gratuities, aka bribes, needed to be factored in on top of any and all costs. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that Port Said was way beyond our budget, so we decided to do a two-day sail to Alexandria. According to the cruising guide and internet, there was a yacht club there that could handle Customs and Immigration, but just to be safe we contacted an agent who set about contacting the commercial port. He got back to us and said SoulMates would not be allowed to dock there. That was no surprise as SoulMates did not belong in a large commercial port. We thanked the agent for his efforts and told him that the services of the yacht club would be used. The 250-nautical-mile sail to Alexandria was nice, with some really good sailing at times and motorsailing in light winds at other times. Arriving in Alexandria, we entered the area where the yacht club was and were approached by a harbor boat. They asked if we wanted to anchor, to which we said yes. Once SoulMates was on anchor, the harbor boat disappeared only to be followed by another harbor boat with an army person who boarded SoulMates, wanting the boat’s papers and our passports. OK, that was a start. An hour later another harbor boat arrived with a man who w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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identified himself as a doctor with the coast guard (CG) and informed us that we could not anchor there but must go to the commercial port to clear Customs. When we told him that the boat papers and passports had been taken to the army post, he simply replied, “Take your boat up there and get them.” Looking a bit perplexed, Chuck informed him that according to the charts it was much too shallow for SoulMates to get close to the army post. The CG doctor again told us to just go up there and get them, to which Chuck again replied, further clarifying, “We cannot, we draft too much.” The CG doctor left and soon returned with the documents, saying, “Now, go to the port.” As we motored down and around to the port, all we could see on the horizon were huge freighters waiting to enter the port. We called Port Control (PC) on the VHF radio and the port captain asked us a lot of questions, including if we had an agent, to which we replied we did not. Unfortunately, we had not written down the name of the agent. The captain advised us to go to an anchorage that was marked off on the charts. The only problem was that w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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the depth was 100 to 150 feet, way too deep for SoulMates to anchor with only 300 feet of rode, and open to the sea. We told the captain that the suggested area was too deep and that we would find a more suitable anchorage and report our location. Dropping anchor in 50 feet of water, the deepest water SoulMates had ever anchored in, we called PC and asked to come in to clear Customs and Immigration. We were told to wait. Another problem was soon apparent: our anchorage was totally unprotected. When the afternoon winds began to pick up, combined with the wind-driven seas coming from one direction and the current from another, SoulMates began to roll side to side. It may have been possible to mitigate the roll by ignoring the wind and using a bridle to move the bow of the boat into the current. We had tried that tactic on SoulMates once before with great success, but it required a lot of anchor rode and we didn’t have much left, so that option was unavailable. The winds and seas picked up and SoulMates began to roll 10 to 20 degrees. Chuck started calling PC, telling them the building seas were becoming a safety issue for a small boat. As the seas and winds continued to build, SoulMates began to roll 20 to 30 degrees. Chuck was calling PC every 15 minutes, continuing to tell them that the situation was getting very unsafe, but PC did not respond. When SoulMates started rolling 20 to
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40 degrees, we told PC that the safety of the boat and crew were in jeopardy. We still got no response. At that point, Chuck decided to pull the anchor and head back to safety. With the anchor pulled and already underway, he contacted PC and informed them that the captain of the boat had determined that the safety of both boat and crew were in peril and that we were headed to safe harbor. PC finally responded and said, “No, no you will not. You will anchor.” Chuck told them, “I will not anchor as it is not safe.” PC insisted we go out to and anchor in the big boat area to get protection from the big boats. We informed PC that there was not enough anchor rode to do that and we were heading to safe harbor. Chuck was then told he must anchor to which he finally said, “No, I will not. And you can arrest me if you want, but the safety of the boat and crew come first!” In our 12 years of sailing to however many ports of call, this was the first time we really felt the boat and our lives were in immediate danger. With the seas in a crosscurrent mode and the winds picking up, it was a bit of struggle to return to the yacht club and get back on anchor. Immediately after we anchored, the CG doctor arrived and asked why we were back. We explained to him how dangerous it had been to anchor in the other area. The doctor informed Chuck that he must go back to that anchorage, which Chuck refused, saying the safety of the crew and boat come first. The doctor then called someone and handed the phone to Chuck. Whoever was on the other end asked why we had returned and got the same answer. After a bit of discussion, Chuck was told we could stay on anchor for 48 hours, but we could not leave the boat, and then we must go to the anchorage. Chuck said he would not go to the anchorage as it was too open and unsafe for a small boat. We didn’t have any means of communications and we needed to call the agent to make arrangements to clear Customs and Immigration. We went through old emails and were able to find the name and phone number of the agent.
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To get someone to call, we had to flag down a harbor boat and get them to go to the army base and bring somebody over to SoulMates, which they did. We showed the person the phone number and they called it. Chuck spoke to a woman, barely able to understand her, and was told someone would come out in the afternoon. Later that day, a man came by in a kayak and told us we did not belong on anchorage but at the yacht club. Chuck told him about our problems and he, since he was a Laser sailor, recognized that small boats like SoulMates did not belong in the big anchorage. He pointed out a doctor associated with the yacht club, a man in a red dinghy teaching young people to sail, and told us he would talk to him and get the yacht club manager involved. Good, now we had two people working on the problem. But no one arrived from the agent and no one from the yacht club was ever seen again. It was getting frustrating. We had no communication and no way to work the issue out. We also needed fuel and had very little money on board (we do not carry cash and use ATMs for when needed). But, we finally found enough and were able to get one of the harbor boats to get us 15 gallons of diesel. The decision was made to leave Egypt. It was due, simply, the total lack of concern for the crew and boat’s safety and well-being. It also appeared that the coast guard had no concept or idea what a small sailboat was or how to handle it. To the Egyptian coast guard, or at least the crew we dealt with, there was not a bit of difference between a 40-foot sailboat and 300-foot freighter; each is treated the same. It took some time to hail a harbor boat and speak with an army member. When he arrived, we told him we wanted our documents. He called someone, had a lengthy conversation, went to get our documents, and brought them back to us. We left. But you thought this was over didn’t you? It was not. Leaving the harbor, our sails were set and SoulMates was very smoothly sailing along at over six knots when a Egyptian navy gunboat appeared on our stern and simply followed us. A small squall appeared on the radar. The seas were building and winds began to pick up, soon blowing 17 knots. We threw in a reef and began to take the squall in earnest when suddenly the gun boat began blowing a horn and a man on the bow indicated he wanted us to stop. Oh, and there was another guy pointing a gun at us. Ignoring the horn, Chuck picked up the radio to ask the navy what they wanted and was told to stop. He told them that the winds and seas were building and we need to put in another reef and would not stop w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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since it was unsafe in these conditions. The navy man repeated the command to stop. Chuck finally said, “No, we will not stop. It is not safe. Just have the man with the gun shoot me if you want, but it is not safe to stop this boat in building seas and with the wind and squall coming.” The man with the gun disappeared. Next came the typical Twenty Questions. Then came the demand for Chuck’s Egyptian captain’s license. Chuck told them, “I do not have an Egyptian captain’s license, I have one from the United States of America.” The questions continued and eventually one of the men on the gun boat asked our nationality. Chuck replied, “We are both Americans and Donald J. Trump is our President.” It got quiet. Something was said that we did not understand. When we asked them to repeat it, we were told to stand by. The gun boat slowed and followed SoulMates. With the winds picking up more and the squall less than a mile away, the engine had been turned on and the sails pulled to motor into the squall. Chuck alerted the gun boat that a squall was approaching and told them to be careful. Eventually the gun boat turned around and headed back, but not before its crew told us to have a safe trip, to which Chuck replied, “Be safe out here.” We generally do not give a lot of opinions or go on diatribes, but this is an exception. It appeared to us the Egyptian Coast Guard had no idea what a small sailboat was or how to handle it. Nor did the Port Control in Alexandria, who repeatedly told us to go anchor among the big ships in very deep water without any protection. The doctor from the Coast Guard, who did nothing but smile and tell us we had to go to the commercial area, lacked knowledge of the sea and boats, and, worse, had an apparent disregard for the safety and security of the boat and life of the crew. But he did keep telling us to let him if there was anything we needed. Our question was “how”? Is it possible was he looking for a bribe or gratuity to make things go smoothly? But then, let’s talk about the gun boat captain who should know about boats but asked why we slowed down when he should have some understanding of sailing and that it was the only prudent thing to do with the winds and seas picking up. It also appears that Egypt did not want small boats to sail there—they made it clear to the extent that they put our lives in jeopardy. Like we said, in our 12 years of cruising, this was the first time we thought we might lose SoulMates and our lives. To have told Port Control that and have them totally ignore that is beyond our comprehension. But, we did have a great laugh in the end when we told the gun boat that Donald J. Trump was our president. Boy, did it get quiet. RESPECT! w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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It was surprising that the gun boat did not use his radio to contact us, like coast guards, navies, and commercial vessels have done for 12 years. But, maybe it’s not. Of all the boats there, we could count on one hand the number that had a radio antenna, so we had assumed that they were using 5w handhelds, but maybe that’s not the case; maybe they had no radios. The other thing that surprised us was the lack of flags. A few of the harbor boats had Egyptian flags, but no one else did. Nor for that matter did the army post or the army barracks nearby. Not a single Egyptian flag anywhere. We fly the American flag to show the world how patriotic we are, even though some have suggested we take it down for safety reasons. We are Americans and will proudly fly our flag, but the Egyptians must feel differently. In our opinion, it’s best to stay as far away from Egypt as possible. Beyond the obvious terror issues with the bad guys blowing up (or trying to blow up) tourists, the Coast Guard and Alexandria Port Control have a total disregard for your life. We don’t mind the bad guys, we have been many places that the U.S. State Department says we should not travel to. But to have a coast guard that disregards human life is beyond anything we have seen. Avoid Egypt. The few pictures we have are attached. Videos of rolling at the anchorage, leaving the port, and conversation with the gun boat can be found on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/boat.svsoulmates).
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Entertaining Guests While Cruising By Rene Yapp
For many cruisers, the arrival of family members and visitors from afar is a joyous time. But for those of us with smaller boats, it can also be a time of considerable stress as the tight quarters become claustrophobic in a few short hours. One way to relieve the tension is to provide accommodation for your visitors off the boat. But how do you assure significant interaction time with your guests? We believe we have found a very viable solution. Cruising in Belize My husband, Michael, and I have ties to Belize and are often found in the surrounding waters during the winter and spring. One of our favorite places to sail from and hang around is Placencia. The town attracts many tourists since it has a variety of places to stay, restaurants every few footsteps, tourist-type shops, a beautiful beach, and delightful weather. Each month, there are different attractions from a Lobster Festival in June to an Art Weekend in February. For boaters, the best attraction is its very safe anchorage. Belize is along the coast that is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic, and there are not many safe places along the coastline to hide from storms, but Placencia is blessed with a comfortable,
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wind-protected anchorage. The town has welcomed the boating community by providing a town dock for dinghies for a very modest fee. These new docks are close to the heart of town and under the supervision of a dock master. Another feature that appeals to the boaters is the availability of checking into the country. The appropriate offices are merely a boat ride away on the famous Hokey Pokey water taxi. Expecting Guests This winter, my brother Richard, his wife, Karen, and my mom, Aline, made plans to visit us in Placencia during February of 2019. Our boat is too small and inconvenient to host three senior adults aboard. All of us are considered mature senior citizens, with my mother approaching 90 years old. The challenge was how to manage the logistics of comfortable accommodations while maintaining access to our guests. The Solution Fortunately, we found a perfect solution for our two-week visit and their down-south holiday. They checked in at Sail Fish Resort in Placencia, Belize. Sail Fish is located on a small island across a narrow channel w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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from the town of Placencia. The channel boasted a depth of nine feet according to the local residents. As cruisers, we had visited this resort to make use of their showers, freshwater pool, swim-up bar, and the gathering of locals who frequent the location. Patrons of the resort ring a bell from one side of the channel and staff from the resort bring a stable boat to ferry you back and forth, to and from the resort. Stephan (above) always has a smile on his face and a cheery greeting as he takes you to and from the resort. After a quick view of their spotless cabins that included two queen-size beds, a fridge, and a microwave for a modest fee, we were convinced that this would be a perfect spot for a family gathering. Richard, Karen, and Aline set the date in February, reserved the room, bought plane tickets to Belize City, and started packing for their adventure. On Our Way Our task was to leave our hurricane hole in Fronteras, Guatemala on time to meet them. Belize does not have a suitable place to put the boat during hurricane season, and we were not prepared to chance the likelihood that hurricanes seldom hit the coast of Belize. Our departure date was complicated by the fact that we had suffered a failure with our chart plotter and were waiting for it to be returned to us from the United States. I believe this is Murphy’s Law for cruisers. Whenever you have a firm date, complications raise their ugly head. Luckily for us, the chart plotter did arrive on time for us to make a comfortable passage down the exquisite Rio Dulce River and sail along the coast in time for the family affair. A Trip to Belize City If you have visited Belize, you know that international flights end in Belize City and from there you need to make arrangements to get to your location. The local buses are not that pleasant for weary travelers with w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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suitcases. Most are not even be air-conditioned. You are able to take a commuter plane from Belize City to Placencia, but the trip is quite expensive. We were able to solve this issue by renting an SUV in Placencia to pick up our guests at the international airport and drive them through half of the country to Placencia. The trip was only about three and a half hours, but we enjoyed seeing the countryside. We traveled through three distinct areas: the mountains, the plains near Belmopan, the capital city, and the sandy beaches near the coast. It was a whirlwind view of life in Belize. Along the route, we had lunch at a quaint restaurant that featured a beautiful location on a local farm. Finally, we crossed the small channel and arrived at Sail Fish Resort. While our family settled into their room, we made plans to move our boat to the Sail Fish dock. Positioning Our Sailboat A short distance of the passageway was somewhat troublesome. The charts did not mark a clear way in, but we could see boats anchored off the channel that we wanted to enter. We talked to several local boaters, and their advice was to stay away from the shores. But for us, that was not very precise when we knew that we could possibly run aground. So, we took out our portable depth sounder and took to the dinghy. At first, we seemed to have some success, but in one spot about halfway through the difficult passage, we couldn’t seem to find our way. The soundings we kept finding were three feet, and we needed four and a half feet to make the trip successfully. At last, out of desperation, we approached one of the anchored boats that had apparently made the required journey through the skinny waters. It was a boat that we were familiar with as the owners had been in Fronteras, Guatemala during the hurricane season too. The captain from Blue Compass cheerfully wrote down four waypoints that we could follow through the difficult part of the passage. These waypoints were
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marked with red Xs on the chart plotter screen. It was only a short distance from the anchorage. Their power boat drew four feet, nine inches, and they had made the journey without touching at all several times over the years. How very fortunate for us that we were able to obtain this local information. We navigated the unmarked channel by following the waypoints carefully and brought our sailboat to the dock just outside of my family’s cabin. The Holiday We were able to enjoy the pool at Sail Fish, go into town on a golf cart every day for lunch at different restaurants in the village, and gather in the evenings for supper as the sunset on our spot in paradise. One afternoon, we went to the beach where the fishermen were cleaning fish. That evening we enjoyed hogfish for the first time. Everyone agreed that this local fish was delicious. Since Sail Fish did not have cooking facilities, we prepared dinner on the boat and served it in the cockpit. Our visitors waited patiently in the cockpit while the captain and crew prepared dinners and breakfasts. Although we had a few spurts of rain throughout the two-week holiday, in general, the weather was warm and sunny for the majority of the time. The Art Festival in Placencia took place during the last weekend of my family’s visit, giving them a close-up view of the vibrant community culture with the opportunity to purchase some cherished souvenirs. In Reflection Finding a reasonably-priced resort in a location where we could dock our boat was the perfect solution for our visit. While it took some effort on our part to navigate the uncharted waters and solve the local transportation issue, the time spent with family was well worth the effort. They too learned a little more about why a retired couple would want to spend time on a sailboat in paradise.
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Sheety Sheets By Susea McGearhart
“Please,” I begged Gene. “Can’t we wait for the morning glass off?” “C’mon, Susea,” he said exasperatedly. “it’s not that windy.” “It is too! Look at that boat’s wind generator,” I said pointing to the southeast. “Let’s just wait until the morning when it’s calmer.” Gene knew he had to give up. I just wasn’t ready to do it. We had only launched—splashed—the day before. He always wants Moody Blues back in shipshape ASAP. I like her to look ship-shape too, but really wanted to take some time to acclimate. So the next morning I suddenly woke up and listened intently. Did I hear wind? No. Was our American flag frantically snapping in the wind? No. Were swells slapping the hull? No. I looked over at Gene, who was still sleeping, and whispered, “Honey?” His denim eyes popped opened. “Hmm?” “We should do it.” “Do it?” he smiled and scooted closer to me. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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“No silly,” I said pushing him away. “Get the sail up!” Not waiting for him to change my mind, I got out of bed and quickly dressed. With a big sigh he got up too. “Let’s forget breakfast. This shouldn’t take too long, right?” “Right,” he said as he moved the tied-up staysail from a main saloon settee to the middle of the floor before heading topside. Up on deck, he tied the main hatch open and dropped the halyard down to me in the main saloon. I attached it to the sail and he winched it up, laying it down close toward the starboard side, and started to unroll it after securing the halyard again. I slipped my full-fingered gloves on and joined Gene topside. We got the sheets tied onto their clews and threw a couple of wraps around the appropriate winches in the cockpit. He assumed I would use the WinchRite and he would hank the sail on, but I said “No.” “Why?”
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“Don’t you remember last season how the WinchRite got stuck in the winch and I couldn’t stop it...” “All you had to do is let go of the trigger!” he interrupted. “I couldn’t let go—it was twisting my arm making me almost do a flip.” “It wasn’t the tools fault, it was the winch. And remember, I took it apart, cleaned it, sprayed Tri-Flow in it, and it worked fine.” “You know how to use tools. I don’t. I’m going to hank the sail on!” “Fine, let’s just do it!” So I’m hanking and he’s winching, and the sail is just getting to the top when a humongous gust of wind propelled the sail violently and the sheets started slapping. The starboard sheet went particularly nuts, whipping out of control and smacking Gene in the face. “Go to the cockpit, secure the sheet!” he yelled. I dashed down the portside, into the cockpit, and pulled the sheet in as tight as I could, glad I had my full-fingered gloves on. Gene came back along the starboard side and got into the cockpit holding his left hand, which was dripping blood. “I think this is bad,” he said. He grabbed a rag out of the table’s storage box and wrapped his hand up. “Let’s get the sail in,” he directed. We do, and then I rushed below to get out the medical kit. Gene went into the head and started washing his hand off. “I think it’s going to need stitches,” he admitted, shaking his head, mad at himself. “I’m going to call Hope (s/v Starshine),” I told Gene. She answered and recommended we go to St. George’s University Medical Center. We hopped in the dinghy and luckily Gene, who is left handed, was still able to get his wounded left hand to start the 15-horsepower, 4-stroke outboard going. (I can’t, but that’s another story). We tied her up at the dinghy dock and walked the mile or
so to SGU. Gene got signed in and almost immediately was in an exam room meeting Dr. Liddell. “Do you think it tore a tendon?” the doctor asked. “No,” Gene said. “Good. Lucky then.” “How’d it happen?” Gene explained, and the doctor said these were rips not cuts. Dr. Liddell cleaned the wounds, inspected the two rips, numbed Gene’s hand and proceeded to put in eleven itty-bitty, evenly-spaced stitches. “Come back in two days to have it looked at and redressed. Keep your hand dry,” The doctor was adamant about that. It could easily get a staph infection. He prescribed five days of antibiotics and pain pills, reiterating: “Keep it dry!” It was a wonderful walk to and from SGU for the redressing and then to have the stitches taken out. (They don’t use dissolving stitches). We ate lunch at this delicious Greek place right outside the university. Aside from Gene being hurt, it was like a real vacation: no getting underway pressure. So, the point is to be sure to secure your sheets tighter than we did. Oh, and, here’s a good one: have all crew wear gloves!
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New Sailor By Aaron Crowley
Slowly but inevitably, we drifted towards the lee shore. I had accepted the fact that I would be wading out of the water a sailor-failure in full view of the two mansions that looked directly down onto the beach where it seemed certain we would run aground. Embarrassment and fear vied for first place in my mind as I racked my brain for any idea that would explain why I could not turn the gentle but obvious breeze into momentum away from shore. How could this be happening when the day before had gone so perfectly? My first day out in my brand-new-to-me sailboat could not have gone better. It was an uneventful launch with a wonderful afternoon of light breezes and tacking back and forth across the lake, topped off by a return to the dock that was so smooth I received a compliment from another sailor. The answer to that pressing question was hiding in plain sight, I just didn’t have the experience to see it. You see, that first day in my new boat also happened to be my first day ever in any sailboat with a main sheet w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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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 Latitudes & Attitudes 111 7/31/19 11:47 AM
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in my hand! Until that day I had never pulled on a halyard, unfurled a jib, or even grasped the laminated wood handle of a tiller. Before I tell you if I found the answer to that pressing question in time, let me first tell you how I found myself on the Devil’s Lake in Oregon, frantically sculling, adjusting sails, and praying in the first place! It all started 20 years prior when my wife, Heather, and I spent a night overlooking a marina on the Columbia River. The many white masts set against the blue water captivated me. Watching them, I was suddenly aware of a strong urge to walk the docks between all those gently bobbing hulls. But, like the lock on the gate at the top of the gangway denying my desire, the business I had just started and our growing little family would delay the realization of that impulse for two full decades. Then, last winter while reading a book about the sailing and navigational exploits of Nathaniel Bowditch to my six kids on the couch in our living room, that dormant desire began to well up. I immediately devoured a second sailing book, Six Frigates, and was soon searching Amazon for more current sailing fare. The title Voyage for Madmen immediately caught my attention and I can honestly say that it was all downhill from there. After finishing that epic tale of the first Golden Globe Race and the icons of single-handed sailing, my desire to set sail was becoming a genuine distraction at work and at home. And scouring Craigslist for sailboats did nothing but fuel my appetite for wind driven adventure. So back to Amazon, and John Kretschmer’s Flirting with Mermaids was soon on its way. His incredible storytelling gripped me, as did the idea of crossing oceans in a small sailboat. This book could be found laying next to virtually every chair I had sat in that week as I could not put it down! My kids dubbed it “Dad’s bikini book” (if look up the cover and you will see why). Then it was Chichester, Moitessier, and Robert Knox-Johnston’s biographies, Storm Tactics, and a few more Kretschmer books thrown in for good measure. My appetite for sailing tales and how-to books knew no bounds as winter became spring. It was now the running joke in our home every time FedEx pulled up, “What?! You ordered another sailing book?!” When they had all been tallied, I had bought and read almost 25 sailing books by the time summer arrived. Personal Sailing Library By then, the desire to actually “do” what I had been reading about could no longer be suppressed and I told Heather that I had to sail something…anything, or I was going to go crazy. She didn’t disagree.
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I was too impatient to take group lessons and the private instructors I had contacted were already booked out—and no one would rent a sailboat to an uncertified novice, no matter how many books he had read. So, that left me with only one option. “Hon, if I’m going to sail something this summer, its going to have to be my own sailboat…” I stuttered. “And, miraculously, there’s a little 14-footer for sale right now in Salem for only $1,000. And it comes with a trailer!” So, that is how I came into possession of a new-tome Hobie Holder mono-hull, complete with rainbow sails, mini roller furler, and delaminating wooden daggerboard. And that’s how I came to find myself drifting towards a beach, racking my brain to recall anything in one of those 25 books that would get me out of my utterly confounding situation. Then I saw it. Right there under my feet. I was practically sitting on it! The five-foot daggerboard with flaking lacquer was laying in the cockpit under a tangle of fraying sheets instead of in the water! Could that possibly explain my lack of traction? I slammed the wooden blade down through the well and immediately, even instantaneously, we surged into the slight breeze and away from the approaching shore with a degree of control that was as much a lesson in sailboat physics as it was a relief. But that wasn’t the only lesson I learned that day… Reading is no substitute for doing, and experience is the best teacher. Whether it is sailing, romance, career, or life in general…until we’ve tested what we’ve read and, more importantly, been tested ourselves, we’re merely gazing at white masts or walking along the dock. It is only after we untie the dock lines and shove off that we really live and experience all that life (and books) has to offer!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 113 7/31/19 11:47 AM
Unexpected Company By Rick Taylor
Thrillseekers 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 sandwiches 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 that slid into the water not 20 feet from the starboard. I felt very much like the paleontologist in Jurassic Park when he first saw the living dinosaurs: startled, amazed, delighted, and awed with just a hint of awareness of the 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.
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Quickly we put the engine in neutral and brought the cameras out and binoculars up. We held our breath and 20 yards away he surfaced again. He was about 20 feet long with a 3-to-4 foot dorsal fin, the traditional white spot, and a curious light patch, almost a saddle (which we later learned was called a saddle patch), 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 first 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 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
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Latitudes & Attitudes 115 7/31/19 11:47 AM
Big Sea, No Wind By John Arrufat
When I plan my cruises I use everything: books, cruising guides, charts. I prep my boat prep and have sailing trials in my home waters around Astoria, Oregon. But I also use videos as additional study material. You see, videos give you a geography lesson and provide fresh details that you couldn’t get any other way—somebody got it with a GoPro, replete with gorgeous panoramas via drone! Such is the nature of today’s electronics. This is not Kansas. Uploading video content to social media, Facebook, etc., is as old as the internet. Through the years I have curated a collection of sailors’ websites. I have tons of choices strictly on my Patreon list, and still more through my AOL account. For those that don’t know, Patreon is a hosting organization that channels subscriber money to cruisers for support. The cruisers in turn are tasked with uploading to Patreon regularly. One way to build up your collection of sailor blogs is to follow the people who are cruising in your geographic area of interest. See what they’re doing for boats (more cats are showing up out there), navigation equipment (Perrins, we’ll find out, had no power auto helm, only a Hydrovane), solar panels, wind turbines, outboards, dinghies, provisioning, Customs and Immigration, or engines.
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Check out Nike (pronounced “nee-kay”) Steiger on s/v Karl at whitespotpirates.com. In “Farewell Old Engine,” episode III-23, you see her pull her old Ford diesel out by herself in an anchorage in Las Brisas, Panama. She damn near break down in tears in episode IV #01 when she finds 50 gallons of diesel in the bilge at the very moment her parents are on their way to visit. You can find Aubrey and her boyfriend Stephan of Sailing Miss Lone Star on Vimeo (vimeo.com/sailingmisslonestar) and Patreon (patreon.com/misslonestar). In season 5, episodes 1 and 10, you learn that they have blue water experience, but lately they seem to be having fun buying boats for a buck and giving them new life. Commiserate with Matt and Jessica of MJ Sailing (mjsailing.com) when, in episode #89, they discover that they love the Azores so much that they want to stay. Barry Perrins is one of my favorites of the no-nonsense blue water heavy hitters. He regularly videos his trips and posts them to his own media platforms, but also uploads them to Patreon. I’ve been following him from his earliest videos, when he drove down from his home in England and bought a boat named Shadow in Alvor, Portugal, then sailed to Spain, the Canaries, Cape Verde, through the Caribbean to Curacao. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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It was there that he met up with fellow blue water warriors Malin and Johann on Ran (who can also be found on Patreon at patreon.com/ransailing), made the Canal, and then, while the Ran crew set off to Hawaii, headed to the Perlas Islands as a jump off to the Marquesas. In a video about a recent trip, Perrins said the trip was frustrating from day one. He and his boat, White Shadow, were reported as overdue by 20 days and had a fly-over by a French Polynesia Coast Guard rescue plane. As for his disgustingly slow progress, he jested, “I could have swum there faster.” Don’t let Perrins’ famous dry English wit and celebrated love for beer disguise his steel-hard qualifications as a blue water cruiser. See his story on adventuresofanoldseadog.com. There’s something to learn from every video, and I observe everything. In observing the crew, I realized I couldn’t sail with half of them; too much distraction. For an idea why, watch Bobby and Laura of Sailing Doodles (sailingdoodles.com) in season 3, episode 19; or Aubrey and Stephan of Sailing Miss Lone Star in season 8, episode 15. But Perrins’ videos are less distracting, they’re just about the sailing, and there was nothing so unusual in his Pacific crossing that it couldn’t happen to anyone else. The lesson I took from his video is not that he was overdue in his journey from Perlas Islands, Panama, to Hiva Oa, Marquesas, at 71 days, and sailed alone, but that he and White Shadow were prepared for the trip that happened. So bust out those books, lay out those charts, but don’t forget to go online and check out some sailing blogs and videos. You never know what you will see, or learn!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 117 7/31/19 11:47 AM
It Comes In Threes By Dave Carey
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not all-encompassing, life-changing dreams; they were the reason you got up and went to work kind of dreams. Hell, you have to spend your money somehow. It wasn’t until my wife and I decided to buy an old yacht on the other side of the world and take our three young boys on the trip of a lifetime that I realized what dreaming big really meant. The craziest part about this idea is that we had never owned a boat, let alone a fullsize liveaboard yacht. The reason I knew we were dreaming big was that it completely took over our lives for two years in the lead up to our departure. We completely reshuffled our routine, our kid’s schooling, and our possessions. Everything had to change and it did. We needed a radical savings plan, we needed to learn about boats, and we needed personal coaching to ensure this dream became a reality! As I sit in the aft cabin of our Moody 47, a solid blue-water yacht that we now call home, I have the time to think back to some of the obstacles we had to overcome to make this dream a reality. The first was obvious: We didn’t own a boat or know how to sail. We set out to buy a trailer sailor that we could take out on the weekends to practice on. This was a fantastic experience, and we often talk about those memories fondly. We learned to sail in the gulf where we lived and where I had grown up. Instinctively, I knew that although this little boat suited our budget and we could learn a lot about sailing on it, we needed to get aboard a proper yacht. The local sailing club hosted twilight sailing on Wednesday nights, so we contacted the club, and they were happy to have us crew during the races so that we could learn how the big boys did it. The captain and crew welcomed us aboard their Beneteau First 47 and, perhaps because we were eager to learn and happy to do any job that was asked of us, we were asked to crew for the entire season. The summer twilight races were terrific. We got a real sense for what we were getting ourselves in for and we could tell that boating agreed with us. The first part of our plan, to gain sailing experience, was working out. On one particular Wednesday night, the forecast was for 30 knots. Some “heavy weather” sailing was just what I wanted. I needed to know that I wouldn’t fall apart in some decent wind, so even though the race was almost canceled due to the conditions, we set off into the gulf, the mood a little tense. The race was going well, the captain
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was very experienced in handling his boat, and I felt confident in his abilities. I became a little unsettled when I noticed someone from a neighboring yacht had fallen overboard—the conditions were obviously keeping everyone honest. As we sailed around the course, it was soon time to gybe and I was asked to grind the winch controlling the mainsail during the gybe. I had not been asked to do this before and was excited to be given more responsibility. I took up my position at the rear of the boat. As the mainsail went through the wind and the boom swung from one side of the boat to the other, I had no idea that this boat had a traveller at floor level and the mainsheet would also come across the boat right where I was sitting. I don’t remember feeling any pain when my head was caught by the mainsheet and slammed into the winch. I rolled over to one side and had no idea what had just happened, I just knew I was bleeding profusely due to the pools of blood I could see in front of me. To add to the drama, at that exact moment the bowman had been washed through the lifelines by a rogue wave and the headsail had wrapped around the forestay. Needless to say, the captain had his hands full sorting out this mess. The sails were wrangled back onto the deck, the man overboard rescued, by me funnily enough, and I was patched up as best we could. I had actually cut my head open just above my nose at the start of my eyebrow, and when I looked in the mirror in the toilet below deck, I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, that doesn’t look good.” I could almost make out the word “Lewmar” on my forehead. We retired from the race and I drove home to tell my wife what had happened and that we needed to go to the hospital to get my head checked out. Five stitches later and my face was looking pretty average with butterfly clips and a massive bruised egg. Returning to work the next day was fun. I worked as a safety inspector, and my colleagues thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story. I am a pretty confident guy, but I felt a little embarrassed and sorry for myself considering I had not long before announced to the world that my wife and I were buying a yacht to go cruising. People must have thought that was the end of that, but not me. My face healed up quickly enough and our big dream, although challenging, had not beaten us. We just needed w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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more experience. Racing around the buoys on a Wednesday night was great, but we wanted blue-water experience, and an offshore yacht delivery was just the ticket. My wife had organized, through a yacht delivery company, a position to crew on a yacht from Tasmania to Brisbane. A two-week trip of about 2,000 miles that would see us crossing Bass Strait and up the eastern side of Australia. My naivety would be my undoing on this one. I had no idea of the questions I should have asked the skipper of this yacht before I agreed to crew on the delivery; I had only a small amount of information on the vessel and its crew. This was not a paid position, and I was required to take two-weeks leave from my full-time job and to pay for my flight to Tasmania and any personal gear I wanted to take, which included a new offshore Musto jacket and a personal Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeachon (EPIRB). I packed my bag, said goodbye to my family, and set off for Tasmania. I remember sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight and trying to eat a kebab, but I could hardly get it down I was so nervous—maybe it was my intuition telling me that I was out of my league. I was picked up by the skipper and his friend at the airport and whisked away to the awaiting yacht, a Formosa 42. As I met the other crewmember and climbed down the companionway, I couldn’t help but notice
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Latitudes & Attitudes 121 7/31/19 3:18 PM
the open circuit breaker panel with a pile of spaghetti-looking wires hanging out of it. Again I thought to myself, “That doesn’t look good.” Without warning, the captain announced we were off! No safety brief? No introduction to the boat, I wondered? Unfortunately, when you are an inexperienced crew member along for the ride, you don’t always feel you can speak up. We motored away from the slip and into a stiff breeze on the nose. The plan was to use the engine when we couldn’t get the angle to sail. About four hours into the trip we had motored approximately 20 miles offshore when we noticed a funny smell and a strange squeaking noise coming from down below. The other crewmember went below to investigate and it only took him seconds to report that there was water up to the floorboards! I had no idea what to think. I looked to the captain who took one look down below, leaned over the rail, and threw up, apparently becoming seasick from the fumes that were coming off the batteries that the oversized alternators fitted to the engine were frying. The bilge pumps were, of course, the first idea. The switch for the pumps was activated, but nothing happened. They didn’t work. The captain managed to inform us, between throwing up and breathing, that there was a spare bilge pump, but it wasn’t hooked up. I will never forget seeing the first mate stripping wires from the pump with his teeth and wrapping it around the posts of a spare battery to activate the pump. This cant be how it’s done, I thought to myself. We radioed the Coast Guard, turned the boat around, and made for the port. The “captain” shut his eyes and laid down in the cockpit, while the first mate and I were left to bring the strange boat into a foreign port on a moonless night. The yacht was tied up to the dock, and I promptly went to bed—I’d had enough for one day. The next morning revealed that the engine’s cooling system cap and heat exchanger had malfunctioned and the raw water pump had filled the boat with water. My crewmate and I began to discuss if the condition of this vessel was sound and after probing the captain, we uncovered that he had never actually had the sails up on this boat and that we were the second crew that had attempted this delivery with him after other problems were discovered. It didn’t take much to decide that this delivery wasn’t a good idea. We grabbed our bags, wished the captain all the best, and
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promptly left for the airport. Arriving home and heading back to work two weeks early with my tail between my legs provided endless entertainment for my workmates, and having to tell my boss another embarrassing sailing story was becoming an unwanted habit. A few months had passed. We were still saving for our yacht, selling all of our possessions, canceling insurances and subscriptions, hosting international exchange students to make money, and feeling a little more confident that we were back on track with achieving our dream. While our little red trailer sailor was great, it was only a temporary boat to practice on and the plan was to sell it closer to our departure date. We needed every dollar we could get our hands on. I was not very happy with the way the boat sat on the trailer: It didn’t seem to be supported by the rollers and appeared to have belonged to another boat at some stage. To increase its resale value, I set about rejigging the geometry of the supporting rods that held the rollers that the boat sat on. This involved cutting the tie rods, shortening them, and rewelding the eye ends back on. Due to my background as an Aircraft Technician in the Air Force, I was experienced with the use of tools and this job should have been an easy one. Complacency would be my undoing. I was lying on my stomach under the boat, with an angle grinder in one hand cutting the tie rod, which I thought had no weight on it, it did. As the very thin cutting disc made it all the way through the tie rod, the weight of the boat pushing down pinched the rotating disc and the grinder jumped out of my right hand and onto my left, it was over in the blink of an eye. The grinder fell to the concrete still running, I managed to turn it off with my right hand, but I knew something terrible had happened to my left. Like a child, I grabbed my left hand and held it to my body, wrapping it in my jumper. I finally summoned the courage to take a look and, for the third time, I thought to myself, “That doesn’t look good.” A gaping wound from my thumb to my wrist exposed some serious meat, and the fact that I couldn’t move my thumb really worried me. As I walked inside to tell my wife that we needed to go to the hospital, yet again, I was almost in tears. I knew this one would take some serious healing. It turned w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Life Aboard
Living Aboard and Cruising with a Family
We came across a family in the Caribbean who live aboard a beautiful, traditional-looking sailboat. We noticed they always seemed happy and the kids got along like friends. We wanted to know more about their boat and their experience living aboard and cruising. We asked Steve (dad) to tell us their story and here is what he shared with us: I am a life long sailor, having grown up in Barrington, Rhode Island, learning to sail at the Barrington Yacht Club, and always having a love of the water. I’ve also always had a love of classic boats, and recall driving by what is now the Herreshoff Marine Museum as a child, mesmerized by the long, narrow wooden boats lined up along the waterfront. My career took us out to Omaha, Nebraska, where our children were born. When they were toddlers, we had an opportunity to move back East. We moved to Jamestown, Rhode Island, so we could raise them near the water and near family. We went through several smaller Herreshoff boats but as the kids were getting older, we thought more about a larger boat that would allow us to live aboard and do more extensive cruising around New England. I had always had the dream of cruising in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, or even the South Pacific, but had very little experience with ocean sailing. We came across Arrluuk, a faithful replica of the L. Francis Herreshoff Bounty ketch designed and built in 1934. I had dreamed about a Bounty ketch for more than a decade and when Arrluuk came along she was irresistible. The layout was tight, but we decided to buy her. She was a wooden boat built to a traditional design but built with modern methods and materials, so she was very strong and needed less maintenance (to a degree!). The ketch rig divided the sail plan into smaller loads that would be manageable by the family—we wanted everyone in the family to be involved in sailing the boat. And it’s a great sail training platform for the kids compared to a push-button modern boat. My wife, Tricia, and I had talked about an extended cruise in the Caribbean, but we had not made a serious commitment to that idea. Living in Jamestown and spending time in Newport, we came across many people
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who had either had the experience of extended cruising themselves or who knew someone who did. So we started asking around about how the experience would be for our kids, at the time nine and ten. The response was universally positive. We did not hear anyone say anything negative and everyone was completely encouraging. At the time, our kids were having a great experience in school in Newport, so it was not an easy choice. But we realized that time was running out, so we made the decision to go for it in September of 2017, which meant we had to have the boat in the Caribbean by January 2018. We were on a very short timeline. The first step was to talk to the kids. Their reaction was mixed. Both kids were sad about missing school and leaving their friends. Our son, Nathaniel, was sad about missing his ski racing at Loon Mountain where he was thriving. And our daughter, Elizabeth, had very mixed emotions because it was such an unknown. So we all agreed we would go for five or six months and be back the following summer. Of course, I was hoping everyone would have such a great time that we would extend it into a longer trip, but that was too much of a commitment to ask from everyone up front. My biggest concern was getting the boat ready, and making sure we had all the right equipment and knowledge to have a good experience. Up until this point the longest cruise we had done as a family was 10 days in Southern New England. My wife’s biggest concern was homeschooling to be sure we were providing them with the education they needed and not falling behind. The reactions we got from friends was universally positive, as if we were doing something many of them had dreamed of doing themselves in one form or another. We felt like we were escaping the bounds of civilization and taking control of and responsibility for our lives in a way we had never done before. A few friends had experience enough to know what we were getting into. Most did not, and thought it sounded exciting but at the same time a little crazy. One set of grandparents simply couldn’t understand why we would do this. It was outside their realm of their experience, w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Life Aboard if nearly every system we had needed troubleshooting. The lesson is that we should have done more extensive shakedown cruising in New England before embarking on the trip. Speaking with many other cruising families, our experience was not unique. It is common that the first year of cruising is burdened by getting all the systems working. And there is something about living on a boat that will find every weak link at the worst possible time. We have been cruising now for nearly 18 months. It has been an amazing experience in many ways, but there have also been many surprises. It is a LOT more work than either Tricia or I expected, especially getting all the boat systems working and keeping them working, maintenance, and the challenges of getting parts or help in remote locations. We have had incredible experiences swimming, snorkeling, exploring, hiking, etc. We have met people from all walks of life with life stories very different from our own. We have found people everywhere, with very few exceptions, to be friendly and welcoming. It took a while for us to hit our stride in terms of meeting other cruising families, but once we did, our social life has been great. Many families with kids are having the same adventure, from many different parts of the world. Canadians, English, Australian, Spanish, Swiss, German, Norwegian, etc. These are all families with a sense of adventure, with very involved parents who share many values and experiences that make it extremely easy to make new friends almost instantly. The kids have a lot more independence than they have at home, and can take the dinghy across the harbor for a play date, have a sleepover, explore an island with a group of friends, etc. Kids of all ages are used to playing together. All the families that we have met are very committed to homeschooling, which usually takes place in the mornings through lunch. Then the kids have the afternoons off to play and explore. We were surprised to find ourselves staying in one place longer than we expected. I thought we would sail two-to-three days a weak, but it’s more like four or five days a month. It’s not uncommon to stay in one place for a week or more, whether it’s by choice, due to boat repairs, for social reasons, or weather. One principal we were committed to was to not be in a rush, and not to be too ambitious. So much of the life we left behind has those dynamics, we believed that shifting gears to a slower pace was fundamentally important to this experience. The hardest part of the trip has been the lack of space. Because we chose a traditional boat, we have a much lower volume than more modern boats. The kids sleep in the main salon where there is not a lot of privacy, and with all the gear we have including the homeschooling we struggle to keep things organized. Communication by phone, email, and text has been a challenge at times. We rarely have easy access to the internet. All the phone companies are expensive, so we have struggled to understand that best approach. Currently, we buy local SIM cards where ever possible and use them in a spare phone. This seems to work best. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
7/30/19 5:18 PM
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The best part of the trip has been the closeness of the family. On land, we all had our own individual missions. On the boat, we are all on one team with a shared mission. We live in a very small space and spend most of our time together. The kids are aware of or involved in solving all the challenges that we face. As a father, I think it is very unusual and a gift for me to have this much time with my kids at ages of 11 and 13. Tricia and I realize that it won’t be long before they have their own lives, very independent from ours, so we will always cherish this time together. We think the kids have learned many things already from the experience. There are many different ways to live your life. The world is a warm and friendly place. It’s easy to make new friends, and saying goodbye as often as we do to cruising families moving on with their itineraries helps us all value those friendships a little more. Big dreams take hard work. The Earth is a pretty fantastic and wonderful place, and we should care about taking care of it, and not just taking advantage of it. Animals, birds, and fish are everywhere and deserve our respect. We all would like to continue the trip. I think we all prefer many aspects of living aboard, including being so close as a family, setting our own schedules, the variety of places and people that we see and get to know, the social connections with other cruising families, and the sense of adventure. But it seems that transitioning to a more modern boat with more space and creature comforts could make sense for the next phase of the trip. Especially if we decide to do more extensive passage-making. Arrluuk is very seaworthy, but the lack of space, small cockpit, and low freeboard would be a challenge for ocean passages, and in general for living aboard for another year. The kids do miss family and friends, school, and their teachers. So we know this won’t be forever, but we hope to keep going for another year. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
pg 124-127 Life Aboard - editedbyKatie.indd 5
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Latitudes & Attitudes 127 7/30/19 5:18 PM
Talk of the Dock It’s All About Power New Stuff You Need To Know About
There’s never any shortage of new stuff coming at us from a variety of sources and most of it, in my humble opinion, could be tossed on the trash heap without further notice. However, periodically there’s news you can actually use and whether it’s good or bad, it’s better to know than not know.
Integrel Let’s start with some good stuff. Nigel Calder, a god to many DIYers, has been up to his innovative tricks again, this time developing what could be an electrical miracle for cruisers. Calder has described his new nine-kilowatt machine as an “alternator on steroids,” but the true name is Integrel (Intelligent Generation of Electricity). This award-winning “advanced generator replacement technology” combines components including a 5-inch touchscreen and a sophisticated black box control unit that optimizes diesel engine loads to basically eliminate the need for a standalone genset. It uses less space and fuel, and reduces purchase, operating, and maintenance costs. It’s a game changer that took years to develop and will be a boon to distance and weekend cruisers alike. Calder estimates that you can achieve a fuel savings of up to 25% with this system-optimizing gadget. It has won four industry awards already and it’s just beginning to come to market. BoatUS Issues Warnings on Year-Round Use of E15 This news is a bit of a bummer. The EPA recently waived Clean Air Act provisions and eliminated the threeand-a-half-month blackout period on the sale of E15 (15% ethanol) fuel during the summer months, permitting the fuel to be sold year-round. The fuel had been banned at the pumps from June 1 to September 15 over concerns that it contributed to smog on hot days. E15 is often one of the lower-priced fuel options and that may be appealing even with its lower energy content. The challenge is that the only mis-fueling warning is a small orange label among the clutter of signage at the pump. The real headaches is that E15 may void marine engine warranties. The push to sell E15 year-round is a result of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) mandate to blend biofuels such as corn-ethanol into the nation’s gasoline supply. Smart biofuels such as isobutanol and ethanol-free (EO) fuels are increasingly more difficult to find and are being pushed out of the market. BoatUS is asking recreational boaters for help on the issue, asking them to contact their member of Congress to urge them to fix RFS. If you help act now, you may be able to avoid E15 at the pump next summer.
128 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 128-129 TODR - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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THE LATEST NEWS & GOSSIP FROM THE INDUSTRY BY ZUZANA PROCHAZKA As an insider, Zuzana has the privilege of seeing a lot of what goes on 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 information she has found while working the boat shows and industry functions.
Electric Propulsion is Closer than Ever On a positive note, a boater’s carbon footprint may be erased (or at least made much smaller) soon. Torqeedo, maker of electric outboards of all sizes, has been focused on the electric inboard market. Use of brushless permanent magnet electric motors and advances in lithium ion battery technology have allowed for leaps to be made in the rush to marine electric. Torqeedo teamed with BMW and marinized their i3 and i8 Series automotive batteries for use in a variety of boats. Torqeedo’s high-RPM 100-kilowatt Deep Blue inboard motors can be adapted for use in sailboats, such as the Gunboat Moonwave that is currently cruising with this setup and enjoys not only electric propulsion but also complete house battery charging as well. The serial hybrid system integrates a rangeextending generator. The engine drives the generator, which powers an electric motor connected to the driveshaft—there is no mechanical connection between the engine and the driveshaft. Regeneration is accomplished by a free-spinning propeller, which is easy on a moving sailboat and can be accomplished by using only one engine at a time on a powerboat. Think of it—no more smell, noise and expense of a separate generator—now that’s worth knowing about. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
pg 128-129 TODR - editedbyKatie.indd 3
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10/29/12 4:47 PM
7/31/19 3:14 PM
Beware of Any Longshoreman’s Gribble; It Can Well Be Drivel!
130 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 130-135 Be Aware Of Longshoreman - editedbyKatie.indd 2
By John Simpson
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Whether you’re an experienced or beginning sailor, it pays to not take any notice of the naysayers. Some of them may have never even left the protection of their own harbour; we’ve all met them, they’re everywhere. It’s much better to use common sense and just do your own thing… When I was kid, maybe 13 or 14 years old, at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, which is on the north shore of Thames Estuary about 40 miles from London, there was a lovely, grizzled bloke sitting on his bench in my village. He seemed to me like he was a retired old fisherman—and he certainly looked like it. He was complete with a red smock, crusty hat, and a short, little pipe. I stopped my bike to ask him, with a strong breeze blowing, whether he thought it was safe for me to take my racing dinghy out sailing, especially if on my own. At that time, I’d grown up, but not out! I probably weighed less than 140 pounds, which wasn’t enough when the wind blowing over 20 knots. It would be a big struggle for me to keep upright. Bob looked me in the eye every time after puffing away on his pipe. Then he said, “Don’t go boy, it’s far too strong for you”.
Wells-next-the-Sea on a summer day
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Latitudes & Attitudes 131 7/29/19 2:56 PM
The author on his dad’s boat Running downwind on Weymouth
Start of West Country trip leaving
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I’d started working on the local fishing boats, which helped to pay for racing. One day I asked my skipper, Bill, about this old man. His reply rather shocked me and he put me in the picture quickly with his broad Essex accent. He warned me, “That old git, Bob! John, he was never no fisherman. He isn’t worth a bloody damn; now, listen son, and do remember this: Don’t you ever ask any longshore’s blokes about nothing, okay? I don’t know why he sits there, these idiot Cockneys, etc. (frequent visitors) just love him. He looks the part, don’t he? Well, he’s a stupid old git!” Though, to be honest, his warning was worded much more strongly than that! Knowing my boss didn’t swear that often, unless either the cockling or prawning weren’t jumping aboard his boat, or we’d broke some expensive gear, I listened. It was rare and quite strong from him. I’ve managed to forget most of the advice from others, but Bill’s advice stuck. Maybe because it came from a man who went fishing very successfully, starting at 12 years old, up until he retired 45 years later. Bill came to mind after starting a tenday cruise. My wife, Janet, and I had come into Weymouth using all the fair tide from our mooring in the river at Lymington. It was a late, lumpy entry with a moderate southeast force 4-to-5 wind on our boat during our first day away. We both knew that we needed to get away from the Solent during the summer. It can be overcrowded, so we just headed west without too much time. We moored in Weymouth to quite a crowded public pontoon, fitting in very close to a single-handed, 60-footer Route du Rhum racing boat. This was run by a guy I knew quite well and much admired; though he didn’t have much real budget. (Not really enough sponsorship to race her as he’d like). That night the wind blew much stronger from the southeast and the Weymouth lifeboat had to go out twice. The second time they shouted out it woke Janet; we had both tried to doze. Then I saw a dismasted 40-foot French catamaran towed in and immediately went up to help moor her up. There were no casualties, but plenty of English and French noise. We’d set our alarm early, needing to catch the ebb. We had breakfast, but I knew Janet was worried after the two lifeboat incidents. And, it was still blowing quite hard from the southeast.
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Hopefully I’d done enough to persuade Janet not to listen to the naysayers around us. I mentioned to her that the weather gods had said it would moderate quickly. This pontoon next to us was full of the usual mixture of older couples, and families cruising in small yachts. Janet chatted with them whilst I was stowing away, then we freed off our lines and departed without hitting anything. Many of them, I felt, probably spend time on the south coast enjoying a social craic, doing nothing but socializing and filling these harbours during the summer rather than going offshore with any wind. Nothing wrong with that long as you’ve plenty of time. Janet and I both loved offshore cruising, but never had enough holidays to sit around. We had managed to edge the old girl out without damaging any of the modern boats, but I felt these people might have gotten to Janet. When we left it was noticeable that no other yachts were leaving. The narrow harbour entrance was bumpy, but we’d already gotten the mainsail up with a single slab tucked in. We had a new tanned working jib just made that we wanted to try. Our Dutch 50-year-old lady dug in her toes, then started to beat well. Janet stopped the engine. We knew she was slightly overpressed, but our old lady started to enjoy herself. She began sailing rapidly upwind, even with these steep waves. Janet helmed beautifully up and down them and had even begun to smile. We knew Portland Harbour was just a few miles away to the south. It was possible to duck in there quickly. After less than half an hour we went through in the northern entrance, tucked in another reef (second slab) in flat water, and then came out of the eastern exit. One bonus was managing a wee bacon butty each (that’s a bacon sandwich, for those of that don’t know) as well as our reef. We were still early enough to catch the tide round Portland Bill. After we’d cleared the Bill the sea immediately smoothed out. We just flew along with the southeasterly wind which had already began to moderate. Halfway across Lyme Bay, we had lost the two reefs. We dug out the spinnaker to keep up boat speed, just hoping to use all the ebb. We even managed to catch a couple of quite small mackerel after putting our two spinners out. Ten miles before Dartmouth the wind had gone, but the sun was out, so we had to motor the last few miles.
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Early morning leaving Lymington before setting the spinnaker
Leigh-on-Sea at low tide
The start of trip to Wells
Latitudes & Attitudes 133 7/29/19 2:56 PM
Lotte and Sim at bar before entering Wells-next-the-Sea
At dock in Wells-next-the-Sea
134 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 130-135 Be Aware Of Longshoreman - editedbyKatie.indd 6
As we sat having a wee glass of white wine, I said to Janet, “I wonder what the naysayers are up to now.” She replied, “I’m glad we did it; thanks to you ignoring everyone! Do you think that they’re all probably still alongside in Weymouth fiddling around? They’re very good people and probably still helping other yachts come alongside.” I thought it best not to reply and just enjoy our snack of fresh fish. Then I pondered again. Maybe this is what some folks really enjoy anyway, sculling around in crowded harbours, being social. To each his own, and why not! Recently, I was delivering a family houseboat from Norfolk to London. This 14-ton Inchcape Border Minstrel Class boat was built in Eyemouth, Scotland, in 1968. She was a craft based on traditional motor fishing vessel lines, used for seine-netting and trawling off northeast England and Scotland. With high bows, wheelhouse, and masts down, and a four-foot draft, Jo and Sim’s own 35-mile inland passage from the River Cam to Ely took them down the Great Ouse River to the Denver Sluice. Their journey involved checking out the locks, bridge air heights, and river depth. Tide heights had to be considered. They needed a spring tide after Denver, where the river becomes tidal and thus affected by the North Sea. I joined them at Kings Lynn once they’d got their masts up. We spent an afternoon rigging the mainsail and jib before running out of time to quite finish the mizzen. We had to plan our tides for our passage to Wells. We’d have to leave early to catch all the ebb tide after high water just to stay afloat. Our departure went well, apart from one red pile which was totally out of position giving us a slight alarm. Thank goodness, the King’s Lynn harbour haster had downloaded us the latest changes of buoyage. The Wash is an extremely shallow expanse of mud and tidal water with shifting channels. We had a quick 32-nautical-mile passage down to Wells-next-the-sea trying out both main and jib. Then we had to wait at anchor for four hours to have enough tide to get over the bar. The passage was uncomfortable, making Jo seasick with lack of a sea stow. Unfortunately, their home was slightly chaotic. We’d started our trip with strong winds offshore. I was sure they should be moderating soon, even if they’d both been slightly skeptical.
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Whilst feeling our way through the long, well-buoyed creek with just enough tide depth, it felt a bit like being back where I started sailing at Leigh-on-Sea! One short burst of VHF with the Wells harbour master continued as we closed towards our berth. The harbor master was trying to persuade me to turn up tide into our berth to port opposite to Halcyon Oak’s large prop walk. Ignoring his advice by turning to starboard allowed us to turn in; we berthed quite easily. At 14 tons with three knots of following tide, it was the only way. A day of rest enabled us to finalize rigging the boat. We then realized that Jo and Sim were both extremely overtired from planning and working very long days before this trip! Lotte, their ten-year-old daughter, enjoyed crab fishing and chilling out onshore whilst we studied the tide for the next leg. A pal, Sam, who I talked to about this whole idea of naysayers mentioned, “One of the many problems with marinas is that it seems to me that the natterers sit there and wag their heads at each other and say it is horrid out there and end up going no further than the pub up the road. Which is, as you say, a point of view, but not mine.” Maybe there are still some longshoremen about. It pays to be aware of them, particularly if you just want to go cruising and don’t have much time to waste…
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Latitudes & Attitudes 135 7/29/19 2:56 PM
Pacific Coast Delivery
By Michael Harlow
136 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 136-141 Pacific Delivery - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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as I walked down the dark Inky blackness enveloped me neck as ls of frigid air grasped at my dri Ten . cks do the to y wa ng ga ts of in the night. The nighttime ligh a gust swept by like a wraith in the background. Seattle blinked inconspicuously t yacht delivery as a first mate. I was about to embark on my firs known delivery captain, a man well Only hours ago had I met the miles s to take us over 1,100 nautical wa e ag voy r Ou . rts pa se the in during e shores in the United States along some of the most hostil year. the winter of a stormy El NiĂąo d ner of the vessel, who seeme We were also joined by the ow ly and purchased the yacht just recent upbeat about the journey. He had w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m
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Latitudes & Attitudes 137 7/25/19 2:09 PM
Pacific Coast Delivery The owner dives on the prop to clear a crab pot
Dolphins guiding us along our route
More dolphins help us along the way
138 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 136-141 Pacific Delivery - editedbyKatie.indd 4
had been outfitting it for the last several days. Was it an omen that our in-car GPS system misrouted us several times from the airport to the marina? I hoped not. We quickly loaded our bags. The captain and I assigned ourselves the port and starboard aft berths, while the owner took the master stateroom in the bow. I secretly smiled to myself; both the captain and I had made the right choice. Once again we piled into the rental car and once again the GPS directed us to the wrong location as we ventured off to provision for our passage. Minor details. I actually appreciated the misdirection since I felt it showed how well we would handle minor stresses on the boat. We all passed with flying colors. We loaded four shopping carts full of fresh food into the rental car and transferred it quickly onto the waiting yacht. As the owner returned the rental car, the captain and I stowed our food stores. Only a couple hours after arriving in northern Washington, at approximately 2200, we un-cleated the lines and I began my first paid yacht delivery. If you have never really looked at Seattle, Washington, on a map, you wouldn’t know that it lies almost a full day’s sail from the Pacific Ocean. Transiting from Puget Sound through the Strait of Juan de Fuca keeps watchstanders on their toes. Currents flow around islands and isthmuses with warbling eddies and non-standing water. Like pages out of The Lord of the Rings, once you pass these challenges, new ones await. Luckily for us, we passed the hardest part, dodging dozens of enormous, partially-submerged trees, before finally making our way out to sea just before sunset on the second day. Our weather window was looking great. We had planned on mostly smooth motorsailing for the majority of the journey south, and it looked like we might get it! As we ventured slowly out into the Pacific Ocean, things took a slight twist. The owner wanted to venture out to sea to escape the crab pot buoys and their tendrilladen lines that sunk down to the abyss like a kraken’s appendage. The delivery captain wanted to shoot the rhumb line and go directly south, as it’s in his nature to make the best time possible and get “his” yacht to its
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destination as quickly and safely as possible. I, of course, was caught in the middle. My shift was the 0200-to-0600 shift. I relieved the delivery captain and he directed me to stay on his rhumb-lined course. At about 0230, the owner came up and directed me to steer out to sea to avoid the crab pot buoys and lines. I was beside myself. I didn’t know what to do. The delivery captain was the one that hired me, but the owner hired him. What would you have done? Being new to the yacht delivery business, I didn’t realize all the intense logistics that the delivery captain calculated on an hourly basis. He factored in how much fuel the boat consumed at a given RPM while taking into consideration the current, wind angle, and so much more. The most important thing he knew was where the best ports of entry were to refuel based on how large the waves were and what the weather conditions were going to play if we had to cross a bar, perhaps in the middle of the
Leaving Seattle
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Latitudes & Attitudes 139 7/25/19 2:09 PM
Pacific Coast Delivery night. Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There were numerous other things the captain was thinking about that the owner didn’t consider. Needless to say, since I was caught in the middle and didn’t know what to do, I steered wherever either one of them told me to. I know, that’s chicken shit, but you weren’t there. I knew the owner and the delivery captain had to hash it out; it was a waiting game. Passing a cargo ship On the third night, the friction came to a head. I heard a heated discussion when I was down in my bunk, cowering away, not wanting to be a part of their conversation. When I came up on watch, the decision had been made for me. We would follow the delivery captain’s orders and head due south along his rhumb line. Not 20 seconds after this decision was unanimous, Murphy’s Law, of course, reared its ugly head and we ran over a crab pot line. Oh, the odds. We shifted the gears into neutral as quickly as we could, knowing the polypropylene line was ensnared around our feathering prop. We had no choice but to put Fun things that go bump the engine in reverse to untangle the mess. The line didn’t in the night! come free. The captain engaged the engine back and forth We missed this one! until we saw pieces of the line shred and slowly becoming untangled. We retrieved the buoy with the permit sticker still affixed and pulled it on board the yacht. It laid in the rear of the cockpit, mocking us. Once it seemed as if we had gotten the majority of the line off of the propeller, we resumed our passage south. The engine felt sluggish and we were not making the speed we were making before, so we deduced that there was still line wrapped around the prop. The owner wanted to dive on the propeller while out at sea. However, he did not realize all the dangers that were promised by such a hazardous plan. The captain would have no part of it, saying that even in the best conditions it was too dangerous. I agreed with the captain and told the owner all the ill-fated things that could happen. All responsibility lies on the captain’s shoulders while underway, so he decided to head in to refuel at the nearest port, Newport, Oregon, where the owner could dive on and untangle the propeller. When we pulled into the fuel dock, nobody was there. For some odd reason they were closed on Mondays and it ended up costing an extra $75 to get the fuel dock guy down there. While we waited, the owner suited up, jumped into the frigid waters, dove down below, and, in one breath, cut away the tangled mess and pulled up a jumble of line. The owner of the fuel dock arrived and we were able to refuel. We gave him the buoy with the permit number on it and, since he seemed like a hustler, we are pretty sure he re-sold it back to the rightful owner. The rest of the voyage went pretty smoothly, but we were in a rush to beat a storm that The boat at rest! was closing in on us.
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While transiting south, we motorsailed over the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon, which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. To say life was abundant there would be too cliché. It was a surreal time with humpback and gray whales breaching on one side of the boat, dolphins swimming in our bow wave, and other pelagic life all around. It was one of those blissful times being out at sea. However, chaos was nearby once again. The storm we were trying to beat loomed ever closer. Proper planning almost always pays off—and this time it worked for us. Having a topped-off fuel bladder on board and 16 jerry jugs full of diesel, we kept the RPMs steady at 1,800 and used the wind to help us along some. We made great time. With the storm bearing down on us, we did hit some cruddy conditions while rounding Point Conception. As we bashed through the waves, there was absolutely no way the owner could sleep in his cabin when he wasn’t on watch. He tried, but eventually came out and stated he was flying all over the place. We were almost at our destination, so it really didn’t matter that much. We all laughed. Pulling in to Santa Barbara Harbor was exciting (a new harbor for me) and yet left me feeling melancholy. The
storm brought dark and foreboding skies that matched my mood, brought on by the knowledge that the delivery had come to an end. It was another safe and successful delivery for the captain; the owner was happy with the time we had made and the results we’d delivered. As we packed up and left the boat, the captain stopped everyone and said there was one last thing he had to do. He leaned over and kissed the salty stern rail of the yacht, then softly said, “Thanks for bringing us home safely.” The owner and I did the same. To make a separate long story short, prior to becoming first mate on this delivery, I had studied and become a 100-Ton U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain and was just waiting for my license, which came in the mail shortly after I returned home. The money I made on my first delivery reimbursed me for all I had invested to further my time at sea. My next delivery took me south through Mexico, where I took in more amazing sunsets, witnessed megapods of dolphins, and so much more. A life at sea is one only a few of the blessed will know. For videos of this voyage and other adventures, check out www.YouTube.com/theadventuretravelers.
Watch out for those crab pots! Oops...too late!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 141 7/25/19 2:09 PM
y t i x e l p r e P f o s e l Ang You cannot be cirrus! Clouded in mystery, shrouded in fog, thatʻs Dave on clear day! by Dave Selby Art by Claudia Myatt
The weather does my head in. I’ve been to the night classes and bought the books. I’ve even opened them, but that just causes the build up of a nasty high-pressure system at the front of my skull, followed by a deep low. Still, I try my best to be prepared, so on the Monday before the weekend I’m going sailing I start gathering input to fill my deep well of murky incomprehension: radio and VHF shipping forecasts augmented by premium-rate text messages and phone forecasts. By Friday, with the aid of synoptic charts printed off the internet, I’ve got enough paisley swirls to wallpaper a double bedroom. And still, I’ve got no idea whether to go sailing or buy wallpaper paste. If this carries on, the most likely long-term outlook is that I’ll have to sell my boat to pay for the weather forecasts.
Still, I’m learning, and the one big thing I’ve learned is what I don’t know, if that makes sense. I’ve also come to the conclusion that you can know too much. I know a sailor who knows so much about the weather that he talks mostly in Latin. He’ll cast an eye at the sky, nod with the wisdom of the ages, and quietly and confidently intone something like: “Habeas corpus cumulonimbus spirito sancti.” There’s no doubt he’s an expert, because on the odd occasions he resorts to English, it makes even less sense: “If clouds look as if scratched by a hen, get ready to reef your topsails then.” I look up and I see one cloud that looks a bit like a kangaroo, but most of the clouds I’ve come across look like sheep. This gentleman sailor is so in tune with the elements that the whiskers of his luxuriant, gaff-rigged moustache can detect the slightest changes in barometric pressure.
“It‛s the shipping forecast. Have you got your Latin-English dictionary?” 142 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 142-143 Angles of perplexity - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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All of which gets me to wondering why I’m standing on the toe-rail, heaving my whole body weight against the wheel of his long-keeled blue-water beauty, as we career close-hauled with all sails up in an almighty blow. It was last November as the two of us attempted to bring his 36-foot cruiser down from Lowestoft in Suffolk on the east coast of England. The day dawned bright and clear. As we sailed down the coast, I was treated to so much softly-intoned Latin I could almost smell the incense; later, we could have done with a priest to go with it. Throughout the day the tale of the skies unfolded exactly as he foretold. His powers of prophesy were so awesome I began to wonder if he was not actually commanding the skies to do his bidding. I could feel the wind rising—just as he said it would— and the helm hardening, yet I never presumed to suggest putting a reef in. I didn’t think it was my place. I assumed with all that insight he would make the call at the right moment. It never happened. We needed to be close-hauled to clear shallows, yet we were having
to ease the main in big dollops to prevent the boat from rounding up into the wind; the result was we were further off the wind than we could be if we had reefed down. Eventually, we just about managed to claw our way into Felixstowe, and in the dark in the entrance to the harbour we wrestled the sails down and motored in towards the River Orwell. With the wind on the nose, the bow kept blowing off the wind, even on full power. I don’t know what strength the wind was, but I call that a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, after a half-dozen attempts were foiled by the wind, we picked up a buoy further up the Orwell. It was a restless night and I suspect I talked in my troubled sleep, babbling—or maybe even praying— in half-remembered snatches of Latin: “Oh toyotalexus, nimbostratus, blinkinridiculus, Amen!” In the morning, the skipper looked skyward and resumed his high-mass weather prediction service. I decided to give him a bit of my own weather lore and, squinting at the heavens, intoned: “It’s an ill dog that blows no wind.” I still don’t think he’s figured that one out.
Lessons Not Learned: Stay indoors. Weather happens outdoors.
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Dave Selby is a cruising sailor and budget boating campaigner whose long-term mission has been to demonstrate how cost is no barrier to getting afloat and to share the wonder, grief, joy, and laughter of sailing. Since buying his first boat he’s been floundering around the east coast of England without ever dying once, chronicling his meteoric rise from total novice to complete incompetent. Learn more about him at www.ImpracticalBoatOwner.com. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Latitudes & Attitudes 143 7/30/19 5:23 PM
Tech Tips
from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop There are a lot of little things that can make your boat easier to use and more enjoyable. Here are some tips from Paul Esterle, the author of Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop. More can be found at www.captnpauley.com.
Cockpit and Deck Drain Holes
One of the jobs we try to put off the longest is replacing old, corroded deck and cockpit drains. But try though we may, the job never seems to do itself, so Captain Pauly has come up with a fairly easy way to make it happen.
If you are going to do this job, the idea is to make the new drains larger for better drainage. This can be more easily accomplished using a router with tapered sides. We found that we could not get a router with tapered bit in to route the hole. So we sanded them roughly to shape with a small disc until it was just the right size for a larger drain.
144 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 144-145 Tech Tips - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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Must Read Books From The Sick Mind of Bob Bitchin Once that was done, we screwed the drain fitting to a piece of scrap StarBoard and thoroughly taped the two together.
Biker to Sailor n
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After that, we puttied up the edges of the hole with thickened epoxy filler. Then it was fairly easy to press the drain plug down into the opening. We weighted it in place until epoxy cured.
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After that, the drain plug fit perfectly and required a minimum of sealant. And once again we had good drainage in our cockpit, so it should be good for the next few years!
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Latitudes & Attitudes 145 7/25/19 11:19 AM
I Found It At
The Boat Show Battle Born Batteries
A lithium-ion battery for the marine environment from Dragonfly Energy Battle Born Batteries from Dragonfly Energy are what we’ve been looking for in sailboats. As all cruisers know, marine auxiliary and house battery banks have traditionally been dominated by heavy and toxic lead acid batteries. The benefits of the lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries include reduced weight and up to triple the amount of power on board. Upgrading your marine batteries to lithium deep cycle batteries has never been easier or more affordable. Worried about running out of power in the middle of a great day? Sailors no longer need worry about their battery bank. These deep cycle lithium batteries are designed and assemble in Reno, Nevada, right here in USA. Battle Born Batteries are there to help boating enthusiaist find the right battery system for their needs. Want more info? Check out their website at www.battlebornbatteries.com and they can answer all of your questions.
• • • • • • • • • • •
The Battle Born 12-Volt 100-amp hour with LiFePO4 Chemistry 3000-5000 cycles* 100-amp continuous current 200 Amp Surge Current (30 seconds) 1/2 second surge for higher loads Drop-in Replacement for lead acid batteries Acceptable voltages 14.4–14.6 10-year warranty 12.75” x 6.875” x 9” (L x W xH) 31 lbs 5/16″ x 3/4″ bolt set included
100Ah 12V GC2 LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery The first lithium-ion drop-in replacement for a 6-volt GC2 battery • 100-amp hour, 12-volt Battery • LiFePO4 Chemistry • 3000-5000 cycles* • Compatible with your current charger, smart charger, or inverter charger • drop-in replacement for 6-volt GC2 lead acid batteries • 10-year warranty • 10.32” x 6.86” x 11” (L x W xH) • 31 lbs
*Approximately 75-80% of the battery capacity will remain after 3000 cycles in applications recharging at 0.5C or lower. They have seen life spans well over 5000 cycles in lab testing.
Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section 146 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 146-150 ATBS - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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INSPIRING EPIC VOYAGES OVER 40 YEARS
December 5 - 8, 2019 StPeteBoatShow.com w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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The Nantucket Bagg
Designed for the movie industry, but works even better on boats!
Tools can be stored inside or outside the bag!
The original Nantucket Diddy Bagg design offers 32 rugged pockets created from bold natural canvas, brass hardware, and canvas straps. Nantucket Bagg continues to improve the design of this bag, which now includes an outside pocket, turned-out pocket hems, and a snapping zipper stop. They are created from 18- and 20-ounce natural canvas with a #10 self-healing nylon coil zipper with the option to unzip to reverse. The dimensions of the large pocket are 15.5” high, 12″ wide, and 6″ deep . All pocket edges are turned and stitched for highest quality. There’s even an extra snap tab to maintain zipper closure. A few of the highlights of these bags are the high-quality brass grommets, the secret pocket
in the bag bottom, and the way it stands upright when filled. The Nantucket Bagg converts to a tote, tool roll, or backpack, and can be washed—just lay it flat to dry. There are a number of color choices available, so check their website for their latest color selection. We’ve used these bags for many years on our boats, and they are the best tool totes we have ever used. They were initially developed for the grips in the movie industry, but it turns out they really work best on boats! If you’d like to see more go to their site and tell ‘em where you saw it! They are at www.nantucketbagg.com.
Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section 148 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 146-150 ATBS - editedbyKatie.indd 4
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Mantus Bow Roller This could be the ultimate solution for anchor storage
The Mantus bow roller is an anchor bow roller system designed to fit an anchor of any design and, when combined with the anchor-mate, provides the ultimate solution for anchor storage. It’s formed from 316 stainless steel, then polished to a mirror finish. The slotted delrin rollers are designed to align the chain before it enters the windlass to avoid chain skipping. The roller housing allows for endless custom configuration to guarantee a perfect anchor fit. The top brake assembly serves two functions. When pushed down, it stabilizes the stored anchor. Simply spread the two spring-loaded rollers and slide them over the anchor shank, then lock the brake in place with the knobs on the side. In the upright position, the top brake assembly controls the angle at which the anchor is deployed, making sure it travels away from the boat and does not hit structures on deck on its way. BR1 For Boats 18’-35’ (Anchor-mate optional) BR2 For Boats 36’-46’ (Anchor-mate included) BR3 For Boats 47’-70’ (Anchor-mate included) Want more info? Go to: www.mantusmarine.com.
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Latitudes & Attitudes 149 7/25/19 11:15 AM
The PYI Hose Clamp
The 316L stainless marine-grade hose clamp (it even has jackets!)
Available from 1/3” to 15”
The folks at PYI have long been known for their high-quality marine, boat, yacht, and ship gear. They just announced a new line of 316L stainless steel, non-perforated worm gear hose clamps. The PYI Hose Clamps are manufactured from 316L stainless steel with a smooth inside surface, raised edge on the embossed heavy-duty band, and a durable one-piece double-locked screw cage. These hose clamps are designed to be gentle to most hose types and provide a long-lasting and stable clamping force for
moderate pressure applications in marine environments. PYI offers a full range of sizes, from 1/3” – 15” (9.5 – 380 mm). 316L stainless steel is ideal for demanding applications due to its superior resistance to the corrosive action of saltwater and de-icing salts. PYI has long been known for their high-quality marine gear, and these new clamps are a perfect addition to their line. PYI also offers hose clamp accessories, like the “jackets” shown below. For more info visit www.pyiinc.com.
...And don’t forget your jacket!
Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section 150 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 146-150 ATBS - editedbyKatie.indd 6
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Latitudes & Attitudes 151 7/31/19 3:11 PM
Book Review by Capt. Jim Cash
200,000 MILES
A LIFE OF ADVENTURE By Jimmy Cornell The author of classic cruising books, several of commenced. The sevenwhich are on my own bookshelves (I have used his year cruise, starting in World Cruising Routes for both my Atlantic and Pacific 1975, took him first to crossings), Mr. Jimmy Cornell has now published a the Mediterranean; then book distinct from his previous: This is a memoir of across the Atlantic, to his wonderful sailing life with his circumnavigations the Caribbean and the and significant voyages on his beloved fleet of South Pacific; to New Adventura(s) I –IV. Zealand, Australia, and This comprehensive book is laid out much like a the Indian Ocean; glossy-paged magazine (absent the ads) with beautiful then back through the color photographs adorning every page. It opens in Mediterranean and home reverse order, with the building of the last Adventura (IV), to England in 1982. and his attempt at a “high-latitude” voyage to conquer Separating the memoir chapters of his sailing the famed Northwest Passage. Sailing from London, adventures, his book sprinkles in the practical aspects first trying from east to west, of proper boat design, voyage he is stymied; but, he later planning, safety at sea, weather Sailing from London, trying east accomplishes his goal sailing and routing, sails, engine from west to east. Jimmy is maintenance, and how to pick to west he is stymied, but later convinced that the saying a crew. There is an enjoyable accomplishes his goal sailing from chapter about the evolution of fortis fortuna adiuvat (Latin for “fortune favors the bold”) west to east. Jimmy is convinced all the Adventuras from layout, sums up his life. hull material, and rig design, that the saying fortis fortuna While reviewing this and how Jimmy chose to adiuvat (Latin for “fortune favors book I was also reading one evolve from a fiberglass hull in of Captain Cook’s biographies Adventura I to steel in A-II, then the bold”) sums up his life. and, except for being three to aluminum in A-III and A-IV, centuries apart, found the which became his favorite hull similarities of adventure remarkable. We learn that material. Rig design on the Adventuras also evolved. Jimmy was born in 1940 as Dragos Corneliu Cismasiu He started with a ketch for all the same reasons that in Romania and grew up under the Russian-dominated many of the old books state: the sails were smaller communist rule. His father became a political prisoner, and easier to handle when the crew was constantly on later dying in captivity, and Dragos (Jimmy) made deck changing sails to suit weather conditions. With several attempts at escaping, finally succeeding and the advent of furling sails, the ketch has faded from ending up in London, where he Anglicized his name and popularity and the taller-masted cutter or sloop rig has his love of the oceans began. become a dominant rig in ocean-cruising boats, which Jimmy was working for the BBC in the mid-1970s increased performance, especially when sailing to and built the first Adventura, launched in July 1974, in windward becomes necessary. Both his A-III and A-IV London, after which his first circumnavigation of the globe were rigged as cutters.
152 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 152-153 Book Review - editedbyKatie.indd 2
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As noted, the book opens with the conquest of the it has changed from the 1970s to today. We learn that Northwest Passage above the Canadian mainland and Melville’s Typee was based on his experiences on Nuku touching on the Arctic Circle on A-IV. However, this is Hiva in the Marquesas Islands; and Raroia in French almost 20 years after he ventured to Antarctica on A-III in Polynesia was the landfall for Thor Heyerdahl’s KonTiki. The stories include the “land the late 1990s. Again, loaded with divers” of Pentecost in Vanuatu, spectacular photos, the reader is The reader gets a dose of where natives build huge towering treated to a little history, including Shackleton’s adventure and rescue opinions on autopilots versus platforms 20-to-30 meters high in a ritual with vines tied of his crew, as well as a geography windvanes, wind and water and, around their ankles, dive off headlesson including Deception Island, generators, fuel cells and first toward the ground with only Danco Island, Cuverville Island, and the vines as a safety support—the Point Circumcision at 65 degrees watermakers, anchors and precursor to bungee jumping. south and 64 degrees west! anchoring techniques (even The book concludes with In the chapter about sails factors affecting the success of and sailing routines, we learn favorite anchorages) a voyage, including the selection about the virtues of the “parasailor” of equipment, as well as sailors’ style spinnaker, and how that big “window” tames the sail, giving it a practical usability opinions, including those of Bill Butler, Eric Bouteleux, in a broader range of wind conditions, and cuts down Skip Novak, and Javier Visiers, to name a few of those the need for constant adjustment—far more practical for other world sailors with whom Jimmy shares the seas. Jimmy Cornell is the author of World Cruising the cruising sailor. We also learn the practicality of the fixed-position whisker/spinnaker pole always ready to Routes and World Voyage Planner, which are just a unfurl the genoa, code zero, or launching the parasailor. couple of his books you will find on the shelf of every The reader gets a dose of opinions on autopilots serious world cruiser. For those of us choosing adventure over regret, versus windvanes, wind and water generators, fuel cells and watermakers, anchors and anchoring Jimmy Cornell has provided us with yet another classic, techniques (even favorite anchorages). We are treated along with his other contributions, to help us keep to several voyages through the South Pacific and how voyaging alive and well.
49th Annual
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Latitudes & Attitudes 153 7/25/19 11:46 AM
1987 50’ Gulfstar - $84,500 Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218
1985 48’ Mayflower - $89,900 Brent Anderson - 651.528.4198
1985 47’ Norseman Yachts - $225,500 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559
1993 44’ Beneteau - $89,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295
1984 43’ Wauquiez - $130,000 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238
1981 42’ Passport - $77,000 Brad Peterson - 305.481.1512
2003 42’ Hunter - $117,000 Lars Bergstrom - 910.899.7941
1974 41’ Gulfstar - $64,500 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238
2001 40’ Sabre - $139,900 Clark and SaraNell Jelley - 561.676.8445
1971 40’ Hinckley - $74,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295
1980 39’ CAL - $62,500 Mark Welsh - 410.645.0007
1989 38’ Sabre - $80,000 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559
To see more details about these and all other yachts around the globe, please visit our website at
www.curtisstokes.net 154 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 154-155 Curtis Stokes.indd 2
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Worldwide Yacht Sales Yacht Charters New Yacht Construction
2000 38’ Lagoon - $195,000 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898
2001 37’ Bavaria - $59,900 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898
1998 37’ Hunter - $59,900 Jim Davis - 386.871.4959
1981 36’ Pearson - $24,900 Wayne Smith - 516.445.1932
1983 36’ Canadian Sailcraft - $32,000 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238
1970 35’ Morgan - $16,900 Mark Welsh - 410.645.0007
1972 35’ Hallberg-Rassy - $38,500 Jason Hinsch - 410.507.1259
2008 34’ Gemini - $120,000 Wayne Smith - 516.445.1932
1988 33’ Watkins - $17,900 Greg Merritt - 813.294.9288
1980 33’ Tartan Yachts - $24,900 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898
1994 32’ Catalina - $39,500 Larry Hammett - 251.550.9632
1982 28’ Herreshoff - $39,500 David Robinson - 410.310.8855
1.855.266.5676 | 954.684.0218 | info@curtisstokes.net W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
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Latitudes & Attitudes 155 7/30/19 3:48 PM
2015 Passport 545 Aft Cockpit “Pathfinder” CRUISING WORLD’S 2016 Boat of the Year and Best Full Size Cruiser over 50 feet, this 2015 Passport Vista 545 Aft Cockpit features a reverse walk up transom and a raised deck house. A thoroughly modern and stylish yacht offers an abundance of room and comfort yet keeps a sleek, low profile. Pathfinder has two large staterooms each with their own head and separate shower. There is also a large walk-in utility room with a 7 foot long work bench, numerous lockers and a washer/dryer. A breath taking, better than new turnkey yacht, Just step on board and sail away! Asking $985,000
For more information on these and other previously owned yachts, please contact us: ANNAPOLIS: Yacht Haven, 326 First Street, Ste. 404, Annapolis, MD 21403
410-263-0008 www.passportyachts.com 156 Latitudes & Attitudes PassportYts_spread_070367_CRW0419P.indd 1 pg 156-157 Passport Broker.indd 2
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Pass
9 2:43 PM
2012 PASSPORT VISTA 545 CC
Blue Sky is possibly the best equipped and maintained example of the highly successful Passport Vista 545 center cockpit available on the brokerage market today. In 2012 the Passport Vista 545 center cockpit was named “Boat of the Year” by the Cruising World judges, and Blue Sky was the Passport used by those judges for their review. She is now available. Call for details and price.
2015 PASSPORT 545 AC 2016 Boat of the Year, this skillfully constructed custom yacht is ready to step on board and sail away in comfort and style. Asking $985,000
2008 PASSPORT 470 CC Fully equipped for cruising. Excellent condition with unique double walk thru, 3 stateroom layout and shoal draft. Asking $524,500
2009 PASSPORT 470 CC Fully equipped with double walk-thru, two stateroom, two head layout. Ready for your offshore adventure. Asking $515,000
2008 PASSPORT 470 CC The perfect balance between performance and comfort and an impressive list of equipment and gear. Asking $539,900
1989 PASSPORT 41 AC Dark blue hull with unique two stateroom two enclosed head arrangement. Well equipped. Asking $139,000
CLASSIC PASSPORT 40 AC Beautiful example of the legendary Robert Perry cruising yacht. Several to choose from.
2006 PASSPORT 470 CC Gorgeous yacht, fully equipped and easily handled by two. Asking $515,000
1995 BABA 40 AC Iconic cruising boat sleeps 6 with a comfortable interior, versatile sail plan and sea kindly hull shape. A great live aboard or globetrotter. Owners spent generously updating her. Asking $95,000.
1989 GOZZARD 36 AC Well cared for and well equipped these classic yachts are perfect for the cruising couple. Asking $129,000.
1996 Gozzard 44 AC Built and equipped for safe and comfortable blue water sailing for a cruising couple. Asking $259,000
2000 TARTAN 4600 Very well maintained aft cockpit Tartan 4600 with shoal draft. Has been maintained and upgraded from the time she was new. Asking $280,000
1986 PASSPORT 37 AC Before going cruising the current owners did some extensive work in 2016 and 2017. Asking $89,000
For more information on these and other previously owned yachts, please contact us: ANNAPOLIS: Yacht Haven, 326 First Street, Ste. 404, Annapolis, MD 21403
410-263-0008 www.passportyachts.com w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
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Latitudes & Attitudes 157 6/13/193:55 6:08 7/30/19 PMPM
MasseyYacht-Ad Full.pdf
1
7/23/19
158 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 158-159 Massey yachts.indd 2
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Latitudes & Attitudes 159 7/30/19 3:59 PM
pg 160-161 S&J Yachts.indd 2
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7/30/19 4:25 PM
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508-693-8900
pg 162-163 Eastern Yachts.indd 2
14’ Picnic Cat 2019 17’ Sun Cat w/tlr 2019 19’ Cornish Shrimper 1986 24’ PS Dana 24 1988 25’ Harbor 25 2007 26 Ericson 26-2 1989 26 Nonsuch 1984 26’ Alerion 26 1996 27’ Pearson 27 1991 28’ O’Day 28 1983 30’ Bavaria 2007 30’ Sabre 1981 30’ Catalina 30 1989 30’ Catalina 30 1983 30’ Catalina 30 1986 30’ Catalina 30 1985 30’ O’Day 1984 30’ S2 30A 1987 30’ Tartan 30 1978 31’ Island Packet 1986 31’ Pearson 31 1979 32’ Nauticat 32 1991 33’ Tartan 1983 33’ Mason 33 1985 33’ Mason 33 1986 34’ Moody 346 1988
Scituate, MA 339.236.2950
16,674 23,395 19,500 59,500 49,995 16,000 23,500 60,000 13,900 9,900 59,500 10,500 15,000 9,995 10,000 16,900 12,900 19,500 11,900 34,900 17,500 89,900 19,900 84,900 59,000 59,900
T
34’ Pearson 1984 34’ Pearson 1985 34’ Catalina 34 mkII 2005 34’ Catalina 34 1987 34’ Catalina 34 1986 35’ Catalina 350 2007 35’ Catalina 350 2004 35’ C&C 35 mkII , 1975 35’ C&C 35 mkIII 1985 35’ J Boats 35 1986 36’ Catalina 36 1996 36’ Catalina 1984 36’ Jeanneau 36i 2007 36’ C&C 36 1979 36’ Cheoy Lee Pedrck 1985 36’ de Dood Int. 1961 37’ Island Packet 370 2005 38’ Catalina 380 2000 38’ Hunter 38 2008 38’ Catalina 38 1983 39’ Cal 39 1981 40’ Catalina 400 2004 40’ C&C 121 2001 41’ Island Trader 1979 41’ Morgan Out Isl 1976 43’ Shannon 1986
17,000 23,500 77,000 22,700 29,900 108,000 99,500 18,475 37,999 25,000 49,900 34,900 119,900 15,900 21,500 74,900 197,000 129,900 105,900 44,900 29,900 163,500 139,900 39,000 44,900 159,900
Portsmouth, RI
New London, CT
401-683-2200
860.772.0800
7/30/19 4:07 PM
Elling E6 Highline Elling E4 Ultimate
L.O.A: 64’ 11.5”
Beam: 17’ 7”
Draft: 4’ 11”
Fuel: 1,320 gal.
Water: 310 gal.
Cruise: 10 to 17 knt
Max: 21 knt
Trans Atlantic Range * Kevlar Reinforced * Lifeboat Specifications * Semi– Displacement * Seakeeper Stabilizer
L.O.A: 49’
Beam: 14’
Draft: 4’ Clearance: 12’ 8”
Water: 230 gal.
Fuel Cap: 400 gal.
Engine: Up to 540 H.P.
Massachusetts: Hingham, Vineyard Haven, Scituate * Rhode Island: Portsmouth * Connecticut: New London W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
pg 162-163 Eastern Yachts.indd 3
781.749.8600
eys@easternyacht.com
Latitudes & Attitudes 163 7/30/19 4:07 PM
The Leader in Sales for Pre-Owned Island Packet Yachts - Visit Us at UsedIslandPackets.com What Our Customers Are Saying ...
2001 Island Packet 420 Annapolis, MD $259,000
2011 J Boats 108 35’
2008 Island Packet 370
2012 Hunter 45’
Palmetto, FL $224,900
Aventura, FL $199,000
“Ed Whiteaker was our broker in 2005. We were new to boating and he was an awesome resource. In our opinions, the folks at Whiteaker Yacht Sales are the people to trust as your brokers to buy an Island Packet (or any other boat). First, Island Packets are possibly the best sailing vessels out there and second, these guys are thorough, truthful, hardworking, and fair. We have purchased from Ed and Debbie twice and are likely to do so again. They are great to William and Trisha Hayes work with. ” Owners of an Island Packet 440
Marco Island, FL $199,999
Palmetto, FL $179,000
1987 Tayana 52’
2002 Island Packet 380
2005 Heritage Trawler 36’
1992 Island Packet 44
1996 Island Packet 40
1999 Island Packet 380
1994 Island Packet 40
1983 Vagabond Ketch 42’
1999 Island Packet 380 Cape Coral, FL $159,000
Longboat Key, FL $145,000
1996 Island Packet 37
1988 Island Packet 38
1989 Pacific Seacraft 37’
Cape Coral, FL $179,900
1996 Hallberg-Rassy MKII 36’ Palmetto, FL $168,500
2004 Catalina 38’
Melbourne, FL $179,000
Punta Gorda, FL $159,900
1982 Island Trader 46’
Naples, FL $198,000
Palmetto, FL $179,000
Ft. Pierce, FL $159,000
Palmetto, FL $178,900
1994 Island Packet 40 Palmetto, FL $178,000
1995 Island Packet 40
Indiantown, FL $119,000
Orange Beach, AL $139,900
Punta Gorda, FL $139,750
Punta Gorda, FL $129,900
1998 Island Packet 350
1991 Catalina Morgan 44'
2005 Pacific Seacraft 31’ Stuart, FL $109,000
Jacksonville Beach, FL $99,900
1988 Island Packet 38
1991 Island Packet 35
1986 Kha Shing Spindrift 40’
2004 Catalina MkII 34’
1982 Pacific Seacraft 37’
1994 Island Packet 29
1999 Catalina MKII 36’
Palmetto, FL $114,500
St. Petersburg, FL $79,500
Southern Tampa Bay, FL
pg 164 Whieaker Yachts.indd 1
Palmetto, FL $109,900
Palmetto, FL $72,500
Stuart, FL $63,900
Palmetto, FL $129,900
Englewood, FL $62,900
See All Our Many Fine Listings At www.WhiteakerYachtSales.com Local: 941.776.0616
Anna Maria, FL $84,900
Punta Gorda, FL $59,900
Toll Free: 888.717.SEAS
7/31/19 3:04 PM
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Latitudes & Attitudes 165
pg 166 Dream Yacht Broker.indd 1
7/30/19 4:46 PM
CELEBRATING OUR 40TH YEAR ON THE ANNAPOLIS HARBOR! 326 First St #405, Annapolis, MD 21403 Phone 410-268-4100, Fax 410-630-7621 cary@sailyard.com www.sailyard.com
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Nordic Tugs 42 is the natural choice for experienced cruisers. After nearly 100 hulls of refinement, this recent example of the popular model offers desired features like teak and holly sole, a most efficient and reliable Cummins QS8.3-540HO common rail diesel, beautiful interior, clean and shiny white hull and awlgripped stripe, full electronics, generator, heat and air, dinghy, outboard, she been perfectly kept for you. crane, and more. Best of all, she’s Offered at $499,900 - In Annapolis!
ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW LISTINGS! CPYB endorsed Annapolis Sailyard is celebrating 40 years in Annapolis as brokers of fine sail and cruising power yachts. Contact us today!
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Select Brokerage Sail Listings
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56’ Lagoon 560…2011…$759,000 arne@sailyard.com 54’ Hylas 54….2005… $749,000 arne@sailyard.com 53’ Trumpy (sail)…1959…$149,000 arne@sailyard.com 51’ Morgan 51…1976…$100,000 arne@sailyard.com 50’ Lagoon 500…2012…$528,000 arne@sailyard.com 49’ Taswell 49….1992…$325,000 rich@sailyard.com 49 46’ Amel…1986…$99,900 arne@sailyard.com 46’ Hunter 46…$179,900 arne@sailyard.com 44’ Alden 44…1990…$195,000 rich@sailyard.com 44’ Beneteau 44.7…2005…$135,000 arne@sailyard.com 43’ Taswell 43…1988… $199,500 rich@sailyard.com 43’Taswell 43 All season…$245,000 rich@sailyard.com 42’ Cabo Rico 42…2005…$350,000 arne@sailyard.com 42 40’ Tashiba 40 shoal draft…1987…$149,000 rich@sailyard.com 40’ Admiral 40 Catamaran…2014…..$349,900 arne@sailyard.com 40’ CS 40…1988…$72,500… rich@sailyard.com 38’ Moody 38…2002…$98,500 arne@sailyard.com
pg 167 Annapolis Sail Yard.indd 1
Rich Kahn, CPYB 410-980-5096 rich@sailyard.com
W Cary Lukens, CPYB 443-995-5553 cary@sailyard.com
37’ Tartan 37…1979…$40,000 arne@sailyard.com 36’ Tashiba 36…1986…$89,900…rich@sailyard.com 36’ Hunter 36…2005…$86,500 arn@sailyard.com 35’ Lord Nelson 35…1986…$99,900 arne@sailyard.com 34’ Fisher 34 Pilothouse…1984…$99,900 arne@sailyard.com 34’ Gemini 34…2007…$119,000 arne@sailyard.com 33 33’ Philip Rhodes Swiftsure 33…1961…$19,900 cary@sailyard.com 30’ Alberg 30…1971…$9,500 cary@sailyard.com
Select Brokerage Power Listings
55’ Bluewater Coastal Cruiser…1987…$79,900 arn@sailyard.com 46’ Bertram 46…1974…$79,900 arn@sailyard.com 42’ Nordic Tugs 42…2008…$499,900 cary@sailyard.com 35’ Mariner Seville 35…2009…$249,000 rich@sailyard.com 32’ Mast & Mallet Horn Point 32…2002…$159,900 rich@sailyard.com 32 32’ Nordic Tugs 32…2006…$199,000 cary@sailyard.com 28’ Bertram 28…1977…$17,500 cary@sailyard.com 26’ Nordic Tugs 26…1984…$49,900… cary@sailyard.com
7/31/19 4:14 PM
168 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 168 Little Yacht Sales.indd 1
W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M
7/30/19 4:53 PM
NEW Lats & Atts Items!
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pg 169 Ads.indd 1
Latitudes & Attitudes 169 7/31/19 12:31 PM
170 Latitudes & Attitudes
pg 171 Cap'n Cap'n.indd 1
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7/31/19 1:14 PM
Sailing is like sex, When it’s good, it’s really, really good. And when it’s bad.....it’s still pretty good.
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Latitudes & Attitudes 171 7/30/19 5:42 PM
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172 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 171-176 Bosun's Bag.indd 2
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STEERING THE DREAM
Latitudes & Attitudes 173 7/30/19 5:42 PM
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174 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 171-176 Bosun's Bag.indd 4
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7/30/19 5:42 PM
The Video Story Behind Captain Bob:
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pg 171-176 Bosun's Bag.indd 5
Latitudes & Attitudes 175 7/30/19 5:42 PM
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Ads run for 3 full months for one low price!
510-900-3616 ext. 104 Fax: 510-900-3617 176 Latitudes & Attitudes
pg 171-176 Bosun's Bag.indd 6
1 7 9 10 11 13 15 17 18 20 22 25 26 29 31 33 34 35 36
Across Geographic coordinate in navigation “Shop ___ you drop” Pecan or cashew Put out the fishing line again Islands incl. St Croix and St Thomas French for gold Mexican resort Magellan first navigated around it Tower over Marine formation Florida coastal city, abbr.- 2 words Strings at a luau, for short Electrical power provider Shell shape Far-reaching views “I do,” for one The A in IPA Flag or flare, perhaps Sun related
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 14 16 19 20 21 23 24 26 27 28 30 32
Down Florida Key South of France resort Connect for service Egyptian King, for short Salt Lake city’s state Sizing up Harbor craft Came to the shore Slackens Brazilian hot spot __ Bice, Idol runner-up McKinley, for example Sails for fun Taking in one or more sails Enjoys a celebration ___ tourism (conserving the environment) Tropical fruit Sum’s bottom line Early ___ , one who’s up at the crack of dawn Internet laughter symbol Part of some recipe titles, 2 words
Wanna Cheat? The answer to this are on page 175
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.
FTW Publishing -Box 100 - Berry Creek, CA 95916
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Latitudes & Attitudes 177
FFE EATU R E D ATU R E D LATITUDES & ATTITUDES - Advertiser Spotlight
Com-Pac Yachts
YEARS IN LATS & ATTS: Over 20 BUSINESS: Semi-Custom Yachts LOCATION: Clearwater, Florida “Com-Pac has been advertising with Bob & the gang at Latitudes & Attitudes for over 20 years, in most cases exclusively, for one reason. We like the results, we like the crew, and it feels like family. In these trying times for the marine industry, reaching the right audience is a must, and Lats & Atts has brought us customers we may have never heard from, had we not advertised with a magazine that has the most loyal readership we have ever worked with!�
www.com-pacyachts.com
ADVERTISER INDEX These are the smartest advertisers in the marine industry! Be sure to tell ‘em where you saw ‘em.
Marine Advertisers
AB Inflatables 181 Aero Yacht 39 Annapolis Boat Show 151 Annapolis Hybrid Marine 34 Annapolis Sail Yard 167 Artisan Mattress 105 ATN 129 Bacon Sails 135 B&G Yacht Management 11 BB Books 145 Beta Marine East-West 38 Beta Marine J-Prop 125 Blue Water Sailing School 74-75 111 Bocas Marina boot Düsseldorf Show 37 Catalina Yachts 6 Celestaire 30 ClampTite 57 CO Back Issues 48 CO Winch Wench 112 Com-Pac Yachts 55 Conch Charters 41 Coppercoat 127 CS Johnson 127 Curtis Stoke & Assoc. 154-155 Dream Yacht Brokerage 166 Dream Yacht Charters 8 Eastern Yacht Sales 162-163 Edson 3-4-5 El Cid Marinas 36 Elan Yachts 16-17 eMarine Systems 10 Forespar 115 Forespar - Leisure Furl 126 Froli Sleep System 125 Great Lakes Scuttlebutt 143 Hamilton Ferris CO-Power Prods 99 HMC Handcraft Mattress 43 Hylas Yachts 2-3 IMIS Gowrie Insurance 100 Indiantown Marina 121 Jackette Ad 135 Jalapeño Charters 56 Kanberra Gel 42 Keenan Filters by KTI Systems 15
KIWI Grip - PYI 123 L&A Product Ad 169 L&A Subscription 82-83 L&A TV DVDs 37 Lighthouse Windlass 109 Little Yacht Sales 168-169 M&B Shipcanvas 107 Mack Sails 29 Mack Yacht Services 31 MarTek Davits 135 Massey Yacht Sales 158-159 39 McConaghy Multihulls Mystic Knotworks 121 New England Ropes 113 New Found Metals 126 Newport Int’l Boat show 153 Next Gen 135 103 NV Charts OCENS 117 Offshore Sailing School 46-47 Pacific NW Boater 112 Passport Yachts 12-13 156-157 Passport Brokerage Polypanar 119 Port Ludlow Marina 113 Pure Water by Forespar 119 Pusser’s 26-27 117 PYI Rainman 18 Royal Cape Catamarans 101 S&J Yacht Sales 160-161 SailCare 115 Sailrite 182 SailTime 35 Sea Frost 98 Sea Bags 111 Shade Tree 109 South Coast Yacht Sales 165 Spectra Watermakers 33 St. Petersburg Boat Show 147 Sunsail 58-59 Tea Tree Power by Forspar 123 Training Resources Maritime Institute 129 Two Can Sail 107 143 Viadana USA Whiteaker Yacht Sales 164
ADVERTISERS
You can reach the most active segment of the boating market - in print and online! w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m
Boat Brokers & Charters
Aero Yacht 39 Annapolis Sail Yard 167 Catalina Yachts 6 Com-Pac Yachts 55 Conch Charters 41 Curtis Stoke & Assoc. 154-155 Dream Yacht Brokerage 166 Dream Yacht Charters 8 Eastern Yacht Sales 162-163 Elan Yachts 16-17 Hylas Yachts 2-3 Jalapeño Charters 56 Little Yacht Sales 168-169 Massey Yacht Sales 158-159 McConaghy Multihulls 39 Passport Brokerage 156-157 Passport Yachts 12-13 Royal Cape Catamarans 101 S&J Yacht Sales 160-161 SailTime 35 South Coast Yacht Sales 165 Sunsail 58-59 Whiteaker Yacht Sales 164
Bosun’s Bag
Boye Knives Cruise RO Watermakers Cruising Concepts.com Davis Instruments Multi Tool Davis Instruments Scrubbie Fatty Knees Forget About It Foss Foam & Rudders
Gig Harbor Boat Works Hart Sytems Tank Tender Hydrovane International Marine Keylime Sailing Club Kiss-Radio Tek M&B ShipCanvas Magica Rust Remover Maine Cat Catamarans Masthead Enterprises Matthew Turner Tallship Murder & Mayham Wayne Stinnett No Wear Guard OceanMedix Offshore Passage Opp Sailmakers Supply Sailtimer Inc SeaWater Pro.com Seaworthy Goods Snappi Technautics Thomason Jones Company, LLC Wakespeed Tufted Topper Zarcor
Non-Marine Advertisers None! Why would we want that? This is a boating magazine. Ya wanna see fancy watches, pick-up trucks, and high-priced cars, read the other mags!
Don’t Wait! Contact Ad Director Lisa O’Brien aboard Traveler in the San Juan Islands. 510-900-3616 Ext 105 Lisa@LatsAtts.com
Latitudes & Attitudes : Winter - Spring - Summer & Fall Issues Next Issue: Winter 2019-20 Ad Insertions by 10/21/19 - Art Due 10/25/19 - On Sale 12/3/19 Contact Us Today: Ads@LatsAtts.com 510-900-3616 ext.105
Latitudes & Attitudes 179
Boat People
Meet some folks who have managed to make a lifestyle out of most people’s dreams. Boat people can be found on oceans and seas, scattered around the globe. They can be spotted easily. They are the ones who have a glazed look in their eyes as they scan the horizons. Here are a few we’ve seen. Have you seen any lately? If so, email a photo and information to: Submissions@LatsAtts.com
This is Jim Edwards from Coppercoat USA. He’s responsible for the bottom paint on most of our staff’s boats! Seems the system works pretty well, so he’s his own worst enemy! Once it’s on the boat you don’t have to buy it again!
This is Eugene Damiani. Those of you who used to visit us at the Chicago Boat Show will recognize him. For many years he used to “volunteer” to help us at that show. Hey, Eugene, we miss you! I will try to stop by so we can “walk the show” again!
The adventure begins! Brian Duckett is seen here relocating his boat, Las Lunas, from Berkeley, CA to her new home at Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael, CA. It may not be a long voyage, but it looks like he has the right attitude!
Steve Hall has been a part of the Latitudes & Attitudes family almost since it started. He used to handle the guitar work with The Eric Stone Band, as well as being the lead guitarist for Enndless Summer. Here he is back with the band in Richmond!
This is a picture of Anne and Tony Baker, big L&A fans. She even modeled one of our shirts when Cruising Outpost first started. This picture was taken with their friend the shark in Compass Cay, Exumas. So, who’s eating who for dinner??
This is Keith Holloman. We met on our BVI Share The Sail where he was skippering boat that joined us. Now he’s getting ready for an Atlantic Crossing! We’ve got him on our “potential skippers list” for upcoming Share The Sails!
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