FITTING OUT FOR CRUISING
BLUE WATER
SAILING
FITTING OUT
15 ANNUAL UPGRADES SAILCLOTH FOR CRUISERS
SEA STORIES
EARLY HAITI CRUISING BEQUIA THEFT REPORT OFFSHORE PASSAGE BWS BOAT REVIEW
JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 490 GRAND SOLEIL 46LC
APRIL 2018
NEW
389
419
440
NEW
479
490
ive at ov Inn st Mo
Je an ne au Su nO dy ss ey 44 0
349
2018
Family Cruiser
Life at sea reinvented For the past 60 years, Jeanneau has led the way in modern yacht design by embracing innovative thinking and modern technology. Today, fresh from the drawing boards of Philippe Briand and Jean-Marc Piaton comes the Sun Odyssey 440, an entirely new generation of Jeanneau completely reimagined to meet the needs of today’s cruising sailor. From the inclined side decks to the split rigging and gentle companionway, life aboard has never been so comfortable.
jeanneau.com
519
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. THOSE WHO SHY AWAY FROM NEW CHALLENGES, AND THOSE WHO LIVE FOR THEM. WHICH TYPE ARE YOU? QUANTUMSAILS.COM
APRIL 2018
{ CONTENTS }
22 Bluewater Adventure
22
Having made the passage from Newport to the Caribbean dozens of times, the author skippers a big Swan in the NARC one last time and reflecdts on the challenges and pleasures of the offshore passage
Part 2: The Florman sails from Cuba to Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Mark Florman
by Patrick Childress
Earning a prestigious RYA Yachtmaster certificate can take a sailor many years of courses and training. The author earned hers the Fast-Track way in 10 demanding weeks by Valentine Vila
40 Practical Passage
Becoming a Yachtmaster
46 Fitting Out
We Love Morocco
From Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands, to Morocco and then the Canary Islands by John Neal and Amanda Swan Neal
30
52 Sail Tips
The Case for Laminated Cruising Sails
30 Living Aboard Another perfect day in paradise? Well, maybe not when an iPad goes missing and the police and lawyers get involved
56 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 by George Day
DEPARTMENTS Captain’s Log Blue Water Dispatches Biewenga Offshore Heather Francis-Onboard
No longer sails only for racers, modern membrane, laminated sails will make your crusing boat sail a lot better and will hold their shape longer than conventional sails by Brian Hancock
56 Blue Water Boats
by George Todd
4
34 Cruising Life
Sailing to the Revolution
One More Last Time
Theft in Bequia
6 8 14 18
34
60 Grand Soleil 46LC 62 65 70 72 74
by George Day
Chandlery Charter Companies Brokerage Classifieds Broad Reaching-Andy Cross
Cover photo: An idyllic anchorage Photo: iStockphoto
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
THE BLUE JACKET 40 BLUEJACKETYACHTS.COM _________________ The Blue Jacket 40 offers an enviable pedigree of two of the most prolific North American designers along with the industry-leading building prowess of Island Packet Yachts. Delivering a unique combination of exhilarating performance, exceptional quality and luxurious accommodations, the Blue Jacket gives you race-winning capabilites as well as a perfect environment for family vacations and overnight getaways. “The Blue Jacket 40 is the boat I have long dreamed of owning. I wanted a boat that is fast, responsive and fun to sail. I wanted a boat capable of long passages, has comfortable accommodations and is, above all, beautiful. My Blue Jacket 40 is that boat. My homeport is Alameda, CA, so to reach San Francisco Bay, I have to transit the Oakland-Almeda Estuary, 3 miles, typically upwind. In most 40-footers, short tacking the Estuary is exhausting so motoring is the preferred option. On my Blue Jacket 40 with its Hoyt jib boom, tacking is as simple as turning the wheel...SO I SAIL. I find I can carry full sail when most boats are reefed. When the wind is light, the powerful sail plan means I can sail when most are motoring. The boat is dry, even in 25-knot winds blowing against an ebbing tide and the balanced rudder provides precise and effortless control...SO I SAIL. The boat is quick to set up and quick to put away. In fact, my Blue Jacket 40 is so much fun that little maintenance chores go begging: the sun is bright, the wind is light, the water is flat...I can polish stainless some other day... SO I SAIL!� John Tuma Owner Blue Jacket 40 Hull #11
AMERICAN OWNED, DESIGNED AND BUILT LARGO, FL 33771 | (727)535-6431 | SALES@BLUEJACKETYACHTS.COM
{ CAPTAIN’SLOG }
New Media for Cruising Stories EVERY Thursday we publish our weekly e-newsletter Cruising Compass. If you haven’t see it, you can view the website and sign up for free at www. cruisingcompass.com. Cruising Compass is a combination of original material and aggregated stories and videos from across the spectrum of media that covers sailing and the cruising life. With more than 28,000 subscribers (and growing) it offers a way for readers to get a quick update on cruising, boats, gear and who’s out there living their dreams. One of the most popular things we include in every issue of CC is the Video of the Week and often a video of a Coast Guard rescue at sea or a yacht running a dangerous river bar will be the week’s most popular post. As any old newspaper professional will tell you, if it bleeds it leads. People just like that stuff. But they also really like the cruising narrative video, what are called v-logs (as opposed to blogs) that are now so popular on YouTube. We link to these from time to time and always get a good response from readers. But having watched a lot of cruising v-logs, there is a very wide range in the quality of the videos and in the experience or lack thereof of the folks producing the v-logs. It seems the common denominator of the most popular cruising v-logs is at least one young woman who looks great in a skimpy bikini while snorkeling or beachcombing. Elena on La Vagabond is the star of bikini cruisers and she and her partner Riley have built a viewing audience of over 350,000 subscribers. Of the really quality v-logs out there the gang cruising s/v Delos are some of the most experienced and adventurous sailors and the best videographers. They were among the first to really create interesting and well produce v-logs and they have sailed to and cruised in some really interesting, off-the-beaten track places. But for every quality v-log like those from La Vagabond and s/v Delos, there are dozens that are more cringeworthy and amateurish. There are v-logs by couples who know almost nothing of boats and sailing but are setting off on cruises that promise to have bad endings. These are not good role models. There are folks making instructional videos for cruisers who themselves only learned to sail last week and barely know the bow from the stern. You’re not going to learn much from them, except how not to do it. The reason for all of this video activity on YouTube by cruisers is that some of them are making money at it. Some of that income flows from an ad revenue sharing deal with YouTube; the more subscribers you have, the more ad revenue you will earn. But the other source of income comes from the Patreon website where v-logers can set up accounts for their viewers to make donations. That’s right, they go cruising, make home-made videos of their lives on board, include that essential bikini girl and you are invited to pay for it. Sounds like good gig, doesn’t it? For us there are two take-aways from the surge in cruisers v-logging. First, if they are inspiring young YouTube watchers to buy a boat and go cruising, that’s great, and I am sure they are. Second, though, is that you have to sort through a lot of junk to find the v-logs that are really worth watching…kind of like cable TV. 6
photo by Bill Kund
BLUE WATER
SAILING Volume 23, Number 3 Blue Water Sailing, LLC 747 Aquidneck Avenue, Suite 201 Middletown, Rhode Island 02842 - USA phone: 401.847.7612 • fax: 401.845.8580 web: www.bwsailing.com SUBSCRIBER HOTLINE 866-529-2921
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Rates for one year): $29.95 in the United States; $44.95 for Canadian subscriptions; $64.95 (air) for all other foreign. No foreign currency checks accepted. US$ only. Blue Water Sailing is copyrighted 2018. All rights reserved. Reprinting, photocopying or excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of the publisher. Postmaster: Send changes of address to: Blue Water Sailing, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-3000; Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 41760516. Return Undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S8. Email Address custsvc_bluew@fulcoinc.com Ph: 866-529-2921 Blue Water Sailing USPS No. 014597 ISSN No. 1091-1979 is published monthly except in December, February and July by Day Communications, Inc. 747 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown, RI. Periodicals Postage Paid at Newport RI 02840 and additional mailing offices.
BLUE WATER SAILING • April
2018
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{ CRUISINGDISPATCHES }
The Rebirth of ISLAND PACKET by George Day
O
ver the weekend of March 16 and 17, something happened that many sailing industry veterans had hoped for but never quite believed would occur: Island Packet Yachts had a large, friendly IPY Owners’ Rendezvous at the factory in Largo, Florida. More than 60 owners representing 33 boats traveled to Florida for the occasion and one couple, who had sailed their IPY from California to Australia, flew in from San Diego just for the occasion. What was all the excitement about? After a year under the guidance of the new owners, Darrell and Leslie Allen, IPY could confidently announce that the company was reborn and in good health. The 8
order book for IPYs, Blue Jackets and Seaward yachts are all looking healthy, boats are being built and dealers are making one sale after another. Just two years ago, many believed IPY was on the rocks and sinking. But where many saw trouble, long time IPY dealers, Darrell and Leslie Allen, saw an opportunity. With the help of a savvy investor, they were able to buy the company lock, stock and barrel and to begin again. That was just over a year ago. “We had been dealers, not boat builders,” Darrell said when I sat down with him at the rendezvous. “But we jumped in and started building boats because we had a few orders. We had 13 employees and all of them had long experience at IPY and knew how to build
the boats. Now we are up to 33 and looking for more skilled craftsmen. It’s amazing. The news right now is that we are able to build the boats and deliver them on time.” As long time dealers who have sold dozens of IPYs, Darrell and Leslie knew the boats very well and had been involved in many dealers meetings and discussions about how to make the boats better. Bob Johnson had had great success during the good decades prior to the Great Recession and was cautious about making too many changes. Bob is still the IPY designer and still consults. But, now, the Allens are free to make some of the improvements to modernize the boats. “We think it is important for us to take a different approach so buyers know that the IPYs of 2018 BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
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{ CRUISINGDISPATCHES }
have been thoroughly updated and that the quality and integrity of the boats is better than ever,” Darrell said. They are using more high tech
10
composites and modern fixtures and gear. The drawers are all now built with dovetailed joints instead of being glued and screwed. They are using less teak to reduce
maintenance but sticking with signature details like the cedar linings of closets. “We believe in working collaboratively with the building staff and ask them to come to us with ideas of ways we can make the build process and the final products better. We didn’t come in with a lot of preconceived ideas of how to do things so we need to work with the team and encourage their innovation,” Darrell said. One of the changes they are making to the customer experience is to invite new owners to customize their boats while it is being built. They can specify their own lighting fixtures, mirrors, fabrics and Corian colors. And, for a price, IPY will customize the interior spaces within reason. The big project that IPY under-
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
took in the first year was to design and build a new 35 foot couple’s cruising boat that they are calling the 349. Using the Estero hull as the base platform, they created an all new deck, cockpit, transom and interior plan. The new boat is certainly an Island Packet of old but with a lot of new touches and upgrades. They decided to go with a Solent style rig instead of a cutter rig that would be more familiar to IPY owners. The Solent rig has the 90-percent jib tacked just aft of the bow and fixed to a carbon fiber Hoyt Jib Boom that makes it self-tacking and completely controllable from the cockpit. Forward on the bowsprit, there will be a masthead stay from which you can fly a roller furling reacher or Code 0 when you are sailing
downwind. These sails can be used to within about 60 degrees of the apparent wind, so you will be using it a lot and will benefit from its power and ease of handling. Like the jib, the big sail can be managed from the cockpit without having to go forward. Down below, the 349 will have two double cabins and one large head with a shower stall. The galley is aft and to starboard of the Darrell and Leslie Allen companionway. It sinks that are near the centerline is compact but has plenty of counter space, double and a large pull-out fridge drawer
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{ CRUISINGDISPATCHES }
under the counter. The dinette table has folding leaves so you can sit up to six for a meal. Along the starboard side of the saloon, there is a bench that can convert into two chairs with a table between. The idea behind the 349 is to deliver a complete boat that is ready to cruise with items like an inverter and battery charger included in the package. As Darrell noted, the boat can be customized to a certain extent so the owner will know that his or her’s new 349 is unique. Plus, the new boat will be offered at a price that is well below that of any IPY yacht built in the last 15 years. Given the integrity of the design, the innovations in the rig and interior and the price, it is no wonder that IPY has sold five 349s before the first boat was finished. After a year of learning the business and shepherding the rebirth of the brand, the Allens brought in a highly respected production consultant, who has run boat building plants for Bertram, Chris Craft, Chaparell and worked for 10 years with Bob Johnson at IPY. What the Allens and their team learned was 12
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
The new Island Packet 349
that they were doing it right and building in the efficiency and the quality that a boat building company needs. “We are sometimes amazed at how this has all come together,” Darrell said. “We have had so much help from great people, we’ve been blessed with great support from our owners, suppliers and dealers and our team has really bent over backwards to make this work. We are people of faith and there are times when we know that what’s happening has to be all part of God’s plan.” To learn more about the rebirth of Island Packet Yachts, log on to www.ipy.com. BWS
An Island Packet 465 under sail
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{ BILLBIEWENGA }
@Laurie Warner
LISTS & MORE LISTS Worklist: Tools & Accessories For Predeparture
Recognizing my own shortcomings, I know that when it comes to tasks, if it’s not written down, it’s not getting done. Something similar may be said for those things that I really want to have onboard for longer passages
Toolboxes made of rigid but not brittle plastic, carpet or closed cell foam on bottom Vice grips at least two sets, various sizes, some with slip-jointed jaws Hammer Mallet Channel locks (large and medium) Pliers, side cutters, needle-nose pliers Wrenches (Open / box end set and adjustable crescent wrenches) Filter wrench Metric wrench set Hot knife (listed elsewhere under sail repair kit or rigging) Socket set (1/4” and 1/2” drive sets with rachet, U-joint & extension) Metric Socket set
W
inter may be getting ready to fade into memory for this year, but that may also mean that it’s time to relaunch your boat or begin to prepare for a serious passage. Preparation for those efforts can be a daunting task whether or not you’re not familiar with the process. Long ago I heard it said that The Sea will find any weaknesses. I’ve also heard it said that if I stay in sailing long enough and cover enough miles, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Good preparation is an effort to disprove that last statement. Deciding on what you want to have onboard and what needs to be accomplished in order to get underway may truly be the beginning of your adventure. It’s time to think about preparing to make your boat ready for sea, and if your preparation or recommissioning is well thought out ahead of time, it need not be approached with apprehension. Well-orchestrated prepara14
“Magic Fingers” long grasping tool or similar (long tweezers, etc.) Small mirror to see things on far side of engine or other remote places
tion is no less a Hex keys (large and small sets) thing of beauty Metric hex keys than a properly Screw Driver set (large square shank) 3 Philips heads and at least 3 slotted 2 “ “ “ “ “ 2 “ equipped and Screw Driver set (small) set with multiple Philips’ head, star, hex and other tips (see Wichard managed ves- Driver padeyes) sel at sea. The Impact driver (for older vessels or corrosion problems) preparation is, Fastener selection of screws, nuts & bolts, self-tappers, etc of various sizes in fact, the re- 2-4’ lengths of 1/2” threaded rod with 16 nuts and washers for misc. repairs birth of that po- Selection of various hoses (with inside equal to outside diameters) tential. Hose clamp selection T h e c o n - Spare PVC plumbing fittings for specific hoses or pipes ception of that Glue for PVC plumbing rebirth begins with the creation of the equipment and jobs be saved for future reference. The lists. The more complete and well lists should not only be a listing organized those lists, the more of tasks or tools, but it should also complete, well-organized and ef- have space reserved for noting who ficient the preparation can be. As is responsible for the completion of one prepares a boat, the first task the task and a space for noting the is to formulate the “ideal” and date on which that task has been most complete list of equipment completed. To make it easier to formulate and tasks that one would like to have onboard and accomplish on the list as well as delegate various the vessel prior to her first use. areas of responsibility, the general Later, additional gear or tasks may master work list can be broken occur to someone, but if the lists down into specific areas. These are kept on file in a computer, areas should include: Navigation, they can be easily modified, and Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, the most complete versions can Rigging, Sails, Winches/Deck BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
{ OFFSHORE }
through the list with the crew and get their aid in creating the original list. Determine who is responsible for the completion of a particular task or area of tasks and get their estimate of a completion date. Usually, I prefer to have separate lists for jobs and equipment. If those lists are created on Excel spreadsheets, you will be able to sort the needed equipment by store, or person doing the purchasing. Similarly, tasks can be sorted by department, priority, or person who is responsible for the completion of the task. Once the equipment list is thoroughly created and distributed, one trip to a particular shop can get most if not all of the necessary gear from that shop, eliminating repeated stops back to the same place. When the jobs list has been created and sorted by individual, they can more efficiently manage their time to get everything done. As an example, if one crewmember is assigned a task to change the engine oil and do a minor fiberglass repair, while another crewmember is picking up the necessary oil and filters, the first crewmember can Teflon Tape be initiating the first Reversible 12V pump with hoses to reach from spare fuel to tanks stage of the fiberglass Fuel jugs and/or fuel bladder for spare fuel repair. When the oil Funnel for fuel is on hand and the Oil absorbant towels first layup of resin is Rags hardening, the person Winch grease doing the tasks can get Spare winch handles on with the oil change. Paintbrush for winch grease Everyone is busy, strivTooth brush for cleaning winches ing for the same goal Wash tubs for winch cleaning or other tasks and expediting each Hacksaw and 6 new blades other’s efforts. Files (large & small) While having a Grease gun very complete list of Silicon large tubes tasks, tools and repair 5200, Sikaflex and butyl rubber in tubes kits is a good start, you WD-40 will need to prioritize Machine oil which items fit into D-9 Boeshield spray to prevent rust on tools one of several catego
Hardware, Safety, Provisions, Miscellaneous and Tool and Spares Inventory. Naturally, different vessels will have different requirements. Powerboat owners wouldn’t have much use for a job list that included sail repairs, but they might feel the need to break down the Mechanical list into smaller categories that included Refrigeration, Main Engine, Generator, stabilizer, etc. Similarly, some racing boat owners might want to break down the Tool Inventory list into: “Tools Onboard During Races”, “Tools Onboard For Casual Cruising and General Maintenance”, and “Tools In the Container/Van”. The initial list should be as detailed as possible. By making detailed lists, it will be easier to determine whether something has been accomplished, and fewer tasks will be over-looked. By creating and keeping a “master work list” that includes most of the jobs you would ever want to do, next year’s tasks of decommissioning and recommissioning will be greatly simplified. As new jobs occur to you, add them to the master list. A great help might be to go
www.bwsailing.com
15
Worklist: Tools & Accessories For Predeparture
Toolboxes made of rigid but not brittle plastic, carpet or closed cell foam on bottom Vice grips at least two sets, various sizes, some with slip-jointed jaws
ries. Which Hammer t h i n g s d o y o u Mallet “ N e e d To D o / Channel locks (large and medium) H a v e ” , “ Wo u l d Pliers, side cutters, needle-nose pliers Like to Do/Have”, Wrenches (Open / box end set and adjustable crescent wrenches) “Can Easily be De- Filter wrench ferred”. You may Metric wrench set want to add an Hot knife (listed elsewhere under sail repair kit or rigging) extra 50' of chain Socket set (1/4” and 1/2” drive sets with rachet, U-joint & extension) to the 200' you al- Metric Socket set ready have, but if “Magic Fingers” long grasping tool or similar (long tweezers, etc.) you’re cruising in Small mirror to see things on far side of engine or other remote places shallow water this Hex keys (large and small sets) year, you may be Metric hex keys able to defer that Screw Driver set (large square shank) 3 Philips heads and at least 3 slotted 2 “ “ “ “ “ 2 “ to a later date. Screw Driver set (small) Driver set with multiple Philips’ head, star, hex and other tips (see Wichard padeyes) Similarly, having Impact driver (for older vessels or corrosion problems) all of the tools to complete all of the Fastener selection of screws, nuts & bolts, self-tappers, etc of various sizes tasks that you’re 2-4’ lengths of 1/2” threaded rod with 16 nuts and washers for misc. repairs likely to encounter Selection of various hoses (with inside equal to outside diameters) can be convenient, Hose clamp selection but if you’re sail- Spare PVC plumbing fittings for specific hoses or pipes ing short distances Glue for PVC plumbing between well-ser- Teflon Tape viced ports, you may be able to reduce your tool clear on the billing procedures of inventory and use your resources the yard or contractors prior to commencing the work. What is the elsewhere. Some jobs may be best left to hourly rate they charge? Is state tax the yard to perform. Someone on applied to the labor bill as well as the crew may not be qualified to to the material bill? How does that perform a major engine overhaul compare with other yards in other or replacement, as an example. states? Would a different yard be The owner or skipper should go more suitable? Is the labor rate through the worklist, determine the same for all of the workers? Are which jobs are to be done “in- the costs equal for the mechanic as house” by the crew, which are to well as the rigger or the head of the be done by the yard, and which department as well as the apprenare to be performed by outside tice? Are you going to be charged contractors. The cost for each to discuss the work as well as to job is estimated, and, following have it performed? Is there a yard consideration by the owner, priori- surcharge added to bills presented ties are established and the list is by outside contractors? Does the confirmed. After deciding on the yard get paid a fee by outside confinal worklist, the work can be ap- tractors for recommendations they propriately delegated and begun in make? The consumer ultimately pays that fee! Is the yard willing a suitable schedule. If you’re having the yard do to negotiate a lower hourly rate some of the work, it’s best to be during their slow periods such 16
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
Reversible 12V pump with hoses to reach from spare fuel to tanks Fuel jugs and/or fuel bladder for spare fuel Funnel for fuel Oil absorbant towels Rags Winch grease
as winter or late Spare winch handles summer? Getting Paintbrush for winch grease started early may Tooth brush for cleaning winches save you both mon- Wash tubs for winch cleaning or other tasks ey and time rather Hacksaw and 6 new blades than waiting for Files (large & small) peak seasons when Grease gun many people will Silicon large tubes be rushing to get 5200, Sikaflex and butyl rubber in tubes work done. Getting WD-40 started with lists is Machine oil the beginning of the D-9 Boeshield spray to prevent rust on tools process, and now is Lock-tite (red and blue strengths) the time. Never-sieze Any owner will Liquid Wrench only want to deal Cordless drill (Preferably impact drill such as Panasonic or other) with a reputable Drill Battery charger with spare batteries yard, performing Drill bits (large and small sets) their tasks in a busi- Tap & Die set nesslike manner. Canvas bucket tool bag for “grab & run” situations And, as such, the Spare zincs for engine and prop shafts yard is expected to make a reasonable profit on the work they undertake. lead time needs to be allocated But it’s up to the owner or his rep- for ordering parts and completing resentative to make informed com- pivotal jobs. If it’s desired to have parisons prior to making a com- your boat ready by mid-May and mitment to commence the work, someone begins to check out the and the information should be put prop after the first week in May in writing by the yard prior to com- to see if it needs to be replaced mitment as well. The relationship or reconditioned, discovering a between the vessel’s owner and problem could easily throw the the yard need not and should not schedule back several weeks. be confrontational; both have the Well-organized and executed same goal of improving the vessel preparation is a “thing” of beauty: a throughout its preparation. But a choreography of people and tasks. clear understanding of duties and At the end of it the boat is the obligations put in writing by both winner, and the people involved sides will go a long way in avoiding can be justly proud. They’re now misunderstandings that are in no ready to enjoy this year’s sunsets. one’s best interests. It should also They’re safely prepared for this be understood that changes in the year’s inevitable storms on the boat list of jobs to be performed by the they recently purchased. And it all yard will most probably also imply starts with good lists. BWS a change to the charges. Be clear on both. Bill Biewenga is a navigator, delivWhether the jobs are to be per- ery skipper and weather router. His formed by members of the crew, websites is www.weather4sailors. the yard or outside contractors, com. He can be contacted at billproper scheduling and adequate biewenga@cox.net. www.bwsailing.com
17
{ HEATHERFRANCIS }
KEEPING THE CREW CLEAN
W
hen we reached Palau in early 2017 I was giddy with the prospect of dropping off our oversized bag of dirty clothes at a laundromat. It wasn’t because we had just finished a rough 3-week passage and the hamper was overflowing, or that our laundry was a little more malodorous than usual. It wasn’t even because I couldn’t be bothered doing the washing myself, I didn’t have that option at the Fluff and Fold. It was simply because it was the first time in over two years that our clothes would be washed in a proper washing machine, with hot water. Our recent sailing route had taken us through the outer islands of Vanuatu, the Solomons and Papua New Guinea, where most people did not have power and rain catchment was the main source of water. There was little opportunity to take our laundry ashore, and no 18
The dirt on doing laundry need to tax local resources when there was. Honestly, I don’t mind doing the laundry. We have a watermaker on board that can easily keep up with our weekly cockpit laundry parties, and the methodical rhythmic hand washing can be quite calming. I have always found the sight of clothes hanging on the lines, flapping in a gentle breeze rather romantic, and there is a certain satisfaction of slipping on a clean shirt after a refreshing shower or climbing into crisp, sea-breezefresh sheets at the end of the day. But after two years of imposed scrubbing, I was starting to feel like I had been put through the wringer.
LAUNDRY TODAY or NAKED TOMORROW
Keeping the crew clean has been a concern for as long as human kind has been navigating. From Captain Cook, who was famous for his strict hygiene standards and made his crew wash their clothes and air their bodies on a regular basis to NASA, where the first astronauts were not only required to stay in their flight suits most of the mission but weren’t even issued a second pair of undies. We have understood that keeping clean is not only good for your body it is important for crew morale. Our clothing absorbs up to 80 percent of the oil, sweat and other fluids that our bodies secretes BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
{ ONBOARD }
everyday. Add to that the constant shedding of skin and hair and by the end of the day you are wearing a delightful cocktail of dirt, whether you can smell it or not. Wear an article of clothing for several days without washing it and the fabric will reach a saturation point, no longer able to absorb anything that is rubbed on it. With nowhere to go, all the sweat and oils produced by your body will simply stay on your skin. Not only will you be the “stinky sailor” you will probably find you experience skin irritation, rashes or even boils. If this isn’t reason to break out the elbow grease and do a bit of laundry I don’t know what is. OUT, OUT DAMN SPOT
cycle but there is also no need to rinse your clothes; the ammonia will simply evaporate, apparently leaving you with clean, scent-free laundry. Although ammonia is used in several household products it is classified as a caustic and hazardous chemical. It is highly irritating to your skin, eyes and respiratory tract and when mixed with bleach, a common additive to the white load, it will produce a poisonous gas. Ammonia is also toxic to fish; it is believed to be responsible for occasional large die offs in the aquaculture industry. Using ammonia on board to wash your clothes is potentially harmful to both you and the environment,
not even worth consideration in my view. If you can’t schlep it ashore to a community water source or drop it off at the laundromat there are no two ways about it; doing laundry on board is a laborious task that demands a large quantity of fresh water. IT’LL ALL COME OUT IN THE WASH
For years I had a popular compact, hand-crank washing machine on board and although I found it handy I always felt the design was problematic. Its plastic stand was a little too delicate to withstand the weight of a full load of wet clothes and rigors of the tumble action.
The best, and most efficient, way to do laundry on board has been debated and discussed for decades. Many sailors subscribe to the wash-in-salt-water, rinsein-fresh-water method, after all it works in the galley. On the surface it sounds like you will be saving on water by using sea water to do the bulk of the work during the wash cycle. However, it takes twice as much fresh water to rinse the salt free of your clothes than it would if you just use fresh water judiciously to wash in the first place. Failing to rinse all the salt out of your laundry will leave you feeling damp and clammy and promote mold growing on items that are left in storage. Some sailors wait for a downpour to fill the dinghy to the gunnels and then use it as a giant wash basin. This is a great idea, but you must make sure your dinghy is free of salt or else doing a rain dance will be in vain. Then there is the old trick of washing your clothes in ammonia. The reasoning here is you’ll not only save water during the wash www.bwsailing.com
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manual washers that looked like they might just make laundry day a little easier. The Laundry POD is a manual spintype design, Laundry POD www.storebound.com/laundrypod/ but instead of a tumble moIt did a fine job cleaning clothes, and it was fairly water efficient, but tion it uses a perforated basket after several jury rigs the frame that spins inside a drum, much like a salad spinner. Like my old eventually broke beyond repair. It was back to the trusty, old five- hand-cranked machine the Laungallon bucket. Many people use a dry POD is a bit bulky, measuring toilet plunger or even buy a special about 15" square, which meant made plunger-like wand, but I pre- finding a place to store it onboard fer to get my feet wet and agitate was a bit difficult. However, the the laundry like I am making wine. overall design is streamline; the Not only does stomping save my drain hose and handle fold away back, it gives me a bit of a cardio so that there is nothing to get workout too. Using a bucket, it is caught while squeezing it into the easy to measure and monitor how cupboard. Performance-wise it did the much water is used, however it is still a lot of work to get the clothes job, but not without a few hicmachine-like clean. Recently I cups. The salad spinner design came across a couple of small, is easy to use and efficient, but it produced lots of suds, especially when using a liquid detergent. This meant an extra rinse cycle and using more water. Although the unit agitated the basket well I found the clothes didn’t shift around very much, so it is still necessary to spot scrub by hand if items are heavily soiled. Where the Laundry POD really works is during the spin cycle. Taking advantage of centrifugal forces and a welldesigned drainage system clothes spun in the Laundry POD are line ready and dry quickly, Laundry, bucket method and making water and less time hanging 20
on the lines the better. At the same time, I tested the Scrubba; a small but innovative washing bag. Essentially a 10 litre roll-top waterproof bag the designers of the Scrubba have added a window, a burp valve and a textured washboard surface inside. What it lacks in volume it certainly makes up for when it comes time to put it away. Folding down to a tidy package not much bigger than the average smartphone means you can afford to carry a few on board. Designed with travellers in mind the Scrubba can only wash an item or two at a time, obviously too small to handle a week worth of boat laundry. However, it won me over the first time I tried it and I have been using it regularly since. Simple to use and water efficient this wash bag has become my go-to method for laundering delicates. With no moving parts and nowhere to get strings or straps caught the Scrubba cleans up when it comes to board shorts, bras and bikinis. It is also perfect for knits and fabrics like silk that can’t be handled roughly. I think this would come in very handy for sailing families; children are an endless source of laundry and their pint-sized wardrobe would be a perfect fit in the Scrubba. SO FRESH & SO CLEAN
Doing laundry isn’t all about clean clothes, it should also be about clean living. Knowing that our waste water goes directly overboard, I feel obligated to think of the environmental impact of the detergents I choose to use. As a habit I have always avoided using fabric softeners. I find the residue that they leave on the fabric and their heavy scents leave me feeling itchy. Adding vinegar or baking soda to your rinse water will give you that fabric-soften feel BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
without all the chemicals. Remember clothes don’t have to smell Spring Fresh to be clean. Harsh chemicals, fragrances and additives like optical brighteners are not only highly irritating to the skin they are toxic to the environment. It is not always possible but when it is available I stock up on laundry soap that is made of plant-based ingredients and free of dyes, parabens, phosphates and sulphates. These detergents might cost a few extra pennies a load, but keeping the planet keep clean is worth the investment. They say that the most memorable days end with the dirtiest clothes. So, next time you are standing over a pile of smelly laundry don’t forget all the fun times you had making the mess. BWS
* Items were sent to Blue Water Sailing for testing, however all opinions are those of the author. Heather Francis is from Nova Scotia, Canada and has worked on boats throughout the world. For the last decade she has doing laundry on board Kate, a Newport 41’, she and her Aussie partner, Steve, bought in California. They are currently in the Philippines looking for wind and are planning to do a lap around the planet, albeit slowly. You can follow their adventures at www.yachtkate.com.
The Scrubba https://thescrubba.com/
LAUNDRY TIPS Adding too much soap to your wash load can be just as bad as adding too little, resulting in clothes that are less than clean. Be sure to read the directions. Choosing modern, quick dry fabrics can cut down on your water consumption and wash time. I love the new microfibre towels, keeps us dry and never smells like a wet dog! Drying laundry inside out will prevent fading and will make sure things like pockets dry thoroughly. Keep in mind that liquid soaps dissolve better than powders in cold water, except those designed for cold water washing.
SEA FROST ® Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center Available via almost any communications method onboard... SSB radio voice...email... voice telephone...interactive Internet webcast...fax • Weather Forecasts & Routing Advice: geared specifically for small sail & power vessels, with the information you need to support good tactical decision-making. • Value-added: forecasts focus on the “worst-plausible” forecast for your interests, then suggest routing or tactical decisions. The result is faster, safer, and more pleasant trips—day trips, overnights, or offshore passages. • Economical plans: by the day, month, or year. • Geography: Atlantic N of the Equator, including Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and entire US E. Coast, Canadian Maritimes, and both E-bound and W-bound Atlantic Crossings. For more information, visit: www.mwxc.com or email info@mwxc.com Chris Parker, Marine Weather Center 5130 Medulla Rd, Lakeland FL 33811 ph 863-248-2702, fax 863-248-4666
www.bwsailing.com
Living the Dream Months of preparation, full days of sailing, star-filled nights. Does it get any better than this? Whether it’s racing or cruising, family boat or mega-yacht, sailors the world over trust Sea Frost to keep the ice cream solid and the cold drinks coming all along the way.
Sea Frost — Chill Out with a Winner. Sea Frost, 148 Old Concord Tpke. Barrington, NH 03825 603-868-5720; www.seafrost.com
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Having made the passage from Newport to the Caribbean dozens of times, the author skippers a big Swan in the NARC one last time and reflects on the challenges and pleasures of the offshore passage by Patrick Childress
S
trong gusts threw short rollers into the marina pinning our Nautor Swan 53 to the dock and drenching everything with spraying blasts of cold, October, Narragansett Bay water. The floating docks of the Yachting Center, in Newport, Rhode Island, morphed into a galloping coordination test to dance across. That weekend marked the fiveyear anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, which ground to pieces the coasts of New Jersey and New York. Fortunately, this weather was no Sandy even though my charter guests came for a strong, open ocean adventure. If we had already been at sea, the 35 knots of wind would have been manageable 22
but now, we were trapped in the marina until the spiraling storm system could spin away. For many years, each fall, I had captained a large Swan sailboat for Offshore Passage Opportunities between Rhode Island and St.Maarten, with a stop in my favorite harbor in the world, St. George’s, Bermuda. For the past 10 years, my wife and I had sailed off to cruise the world on our Valiant 40, Brick House. With a decade of passagemaking behind us, we left our floating home in Malaysia for a brief return to New England. I could not pass up the invitation to skipper, one more last time, the most challenging, variable, fun passage in the world. Aurora, my new home for the next two weeks, was full of diesel, fresh water, and
Photo courtesy Chris Kenney
ON
ME
L A E ST T R O M I E
food for a crew of six. We were ready to cross an ocean except for the weather delay and one vital piece of equipment, a large sponge. The charter crews on these trips have always proved to be a successful, intelligent and motivated group who know how to get along with others. We are one of three Swan charter boats, with paying charter guests, captained by professionals who long ago stopped counting their number of sea miles. There were also several privately owned, owner-operated boats that completed the group in which we would all sail together as the North Atlantic Rally to the Caribbean (the NARC). The extra days in port gave the crew time to explore not only historic Newport but the recesses and intricacies of a boat full of systems and electronics plus the opportunity to size up their crewmates. In anticipation of worst weather ahead, we took off the owner’s 130-percent racing sail and bent on a more durable and properly sized 90-percent jib. Also on deck, the Dorade vents needed attention. BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
When waves roll over a boat, simply turning a Dorade to face away from the wind and waves is not enough to keep water from washing below. Besides, the crisp chill of fall made it uncomfortably cold inside Aurora. To keep wind, cold, and water out, all the Dorades were covered with plastic bags and secured in place with light line. Crew member Dave, stowed his gear in the aft cabin opposite my bunk. His short body builder frame complimented his energy and competence. If a conversation amongst the crew ever lagged, Dave always inserted an interesting spark. As a long-time commercial airline pilot, Dave slipped easily into the functions of a yacht far larger than his Catalina 27. Dave brought his plastic sextant and sight reduction tables to practice with. Maybe together we could learn what I had long ago forgotten. The other four crew had their choice of the two stacked bunks forward on the port or the two bunks on the starboard bow. At this point in the trip, it is difficult to determine which would be the most leeward side, thus the most comfortable, for the majority of the passage. We finally found the big cellulose sponge we needed at a hardware store. By Tuesday morning, 6 November, the wind settled to 15 knots so we backed Aurora out of the marina. We were on our way. Layers of shirts and gloves broke the chill blowing across Narragansett Bay. I loved my new Henri Lloyd foul weather gear. The jacket stopped the wind and the unique Optivision hi-vis hood system allowed full peripheral vision. John ground fast and hard on the jib sheet winch working up a sweat as we practiced tacking. Materials transport is how the crew labeled www.bwsailing.com
The crew alongside Aurora. John, Patrick, Keith, Chris, Dave and Marko
John's occupation, but with a chuckle, he more squarely says, “No, I am a truck driver”. He has read the classics like Slocum, which stoked the desire for a sea adventure his 26-foot sailboat won’t allow. He thought maybe in the mornings, he could stroll the decks and pick up flying fish to fry for breakfast. Marko steered seaward as the rest of us worked the deck. His experience sailing his own 37-foot Island Packet made him quickly capable of maneuvering a highly responsive performance cruiser.
At 30 years old, he is the youngest crew yet the most adventurous. Marko made a big news splash when he and two pals did a base jump off the top of the new World Trade Center, which left the police, FBI, and Homeland Security, unamused. He is working as a movie set carpenter to pay off lingering lawyer bills. Marko is gaining ocean experience before sailing his own boat to the Caribbean. I am impressed with Keith. When I grab hold of the main halyard and hang with my full weight to hoist the large mainsail,
During a brief calm spell, we removed the 130 and bent on the 90 percent jib
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it still won’t reach its final height. Keith can stand there and send the main up as though he is pulling on a string. Keith is the Hollywood image of the square bodied, bear strong, gravel voiced, Marine sergeant, which he was before he retired. He now specializes in telecommunications. Keith is trying ocean sailing to determine if he should become a fulltime sea gypsy. The man I would eventually defer to for sail trim advice is Chris. Since childhood, he has been racing sailboats along the coast and on the Great Lakes. Chris analyzes billion-dollar companies to determine if they are worthy acquisitions for far larger companies. Chris is looking for an ocean crossing adventure. On all my NARC trips, everyone has come from vastly different neighborhoods across America, yet by journey’s end they become a cohesive group of friends. This is one of the amazing things about sailing across an ocean. The 200-foot-deep waters of Rhode Island Sound extend over
Rebecca giving her PredictWind weather briefing 24
100 miles offshore before the ocean bottom drops away to depths of miles. It is a boisterous business crossing the shelf in 20 knots of wind after a strong spiraling storm sets up wave trains colliding from all directions. But the very bumpy ride was a nauseous experience for two of the crew who were soon spewing over the side. They did not follow good advise. It is always strongly advised to take seasick medicine at least six hours before leaving port. Those who followed the advice and wore a scopolamine patch, swallowed Bonine, or Dramamine-non drowsy, fared well. In Bermuda, the very effective product called Stugeron can be bought over the counter, but it is not sold in the U.S.. Crossing an ocean for the first time is not the place to be experimenting with ginger root or wrist bands when your shipmates are relying on you. We did not talk, we yelled to each other over the ocean and wind noise as the breeze increased to 25 knots. Maximum sail was set, on a beam reach, which kept us moving at 10 knots over the
ground and at times peaking at 12. The windward running back stay was set. The Swan loved this weather. Everyone had their turn on the large steering wheel in daylight before a watch schedule was set. Holding a compass course in bouncy weather is a learned skill everyone would become fully adept at on this trip. Steering with the wind on the beam meant the sails had to be trimmed properly so the boat would be balanced and not round up into the wind uncontrollably. The weather router who gave the fleet briefing before departure predicted calms ahead. My wife Rebecca gave our crew similar weather information using her PredictWind program, a new weather prediction application. I had also loaded PredictWind onto my tablet specifically to test on this passage. But with PredictWind, as we headed into the north Atlantic, I could watch the daily wind arrows display for a far better interpretation than a one sheet handout. The PredictWind projection went out nine days. If we had on board Iridium Go! a satellite link, we could get daily weather updates. The same can be downloaded over the single sideband radio with a Pactor 3 modem. Natuor Swans are incredibly strong and seaworthy boats. I have all the confidence in the world in Swans, of any length. But John’s romance with the sea was being tested. In the famous sea stories he read from his easy chair he says “Those guys don’t tell how violently you get knocked around a cabin and how you have to crawl around the deck on all fours.” John was already hinting at jumping ship and flying away in Bermuda. Rough weather is a perception based on one’s experience. Chris and Dave were looking for far BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
higher wind speeds and waves to have an ocean experience that would increase their offshore skills. According to Dave, “Anyone can sail to Bermuda in this.” As darkness approached, the watch rotation was set. Watch “A” was comprised of the three most adept crew. The watch consisted of three-hour shifts beginning on a whole hour. One and a half hours later, that is halfway through a shift, a crew from the “B” watch would come on deck on a half hour clock reading. So, halfway through a crew’s three hour watch, a new, fresh face would show up. With this system each man has three hours on and six off. Additionally, the system has a natural rotation so no one is stuck on the grave yard shift and everyone gets to see a sunrise and sunset. South of Bermuda, where life at sea is easier in the more settled weather and the crew has gained experience; a different watch system would be used. As predicted by the weather router and PredictWind, only 24 hours out of Newport, our wild ride over short waves and favorable beam wind ran out of steam. The wind died yet the residual waves roguishly combined into a sloppy froth of colliding waves. To keep the main sailfrom continuously slating at the end of its sheet, which can be terribly destructive to the sails, slides, gooseneck, and rigging, we set up a large rubber shock absorber. It started with a bowline to a bail on the boom near the mainsheet. The bitter end was then secured to a winch on the windward side of the boat. A preventer on the leeward rail completed the triangulation necessary to restrict the main. The main sheet was slackened so the initial shock was eased by the rubber absorber. If needed, a shock absorber www.bwsailing.com
Henri Lloyd: the best, driest, foul weather gear I have owned
can also be rigged to the jib sheet. how terribly fouled the propeller This 635 nautical mile passage, and prop shaft were. This fouling from Newport to Bermuda, was would at least double our fuel conproving to be one of the most sumption and leave us dangerouschallenging ever. Never before has ly low on fuel for our approach to the wind died to leave a flat sea the reef strewn coast of Bermuda, north of the Gulf Stream or been in very uncertain winds. As we motorsailed south, it so consistently light and contrary, was a most unusual day as we apblowing right up our nose. In Newport, the water tempera- proached the Stream. There was not the normal long bank of puffy ture was 70 degrees. We watched the ocean temperature rise as we neared the Gulf Stream. With the warming water, the air too meant t h e c re w w o u l d strip away layers of clothes to become more comfortable. On the first calm, after the waves died away, we dropped the sails, and turned off the engine so we could take advantage of the flat, warmer water for the crew to plunge into an ocean where the bottom is over three miles deep. In that refreshing clear water we discovered Mainsheet shock absorber 25
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cumulous clouds floating in a perfect line to mark the presence of the Stream. We knew we were in the Stream as the water temperature rose to 81 degrees. The wind had picked up to 15 knots yet came blowing out of the southeast, directly where we wanted to go. Blowing somewhat against the east flowing current, there was not the
and cockpit soon mirrored a bad Hollywood horror film. Thick red blood flew everywhere including the murderer’s face and foul weather jacket, until someone brought up the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Doused down its gills, the fish stopped thrashing, immediately. We don’t want to catch fish bigger than that tuna. The small ones
Keith caught the first fish
terrible standing waves one often hears about. In fact, for us, the wind against current helped us maintain the best course we could steer to Bermuda. Near the northern edge of the Stream is where the yell of “fish on!” was heard. Keith and John fished with a “Cuban Yo-Yo” hand line with 100 yards of 300-pound test line. Keith let out only 50 feet of line to troll a colorful plastic Hoola Skirt lure with a single hook. Keith had a wild, strong, fish to work inch by inch, closer to a sailboat moving south as the fish struggled north. The hook was well set when the fat 10-pound tuna was lifted aboard. Flopping and vibrating wildly, the side deck 26
are difficult enough to deal with. That most valuable tool, the yellow cellulose sponge, began scrubbing its first chore working buckets of seawater into the grain of the teak deck to displace the slippery red mess and to change Keith’s foul weather gear from red back to yellow. More situations would put that sponge to great use. Sailing into the axis of the Stream, the water temperature climbed to 81 then dropped to 78 as we exited the southern edge, and with that, the ocean became even more tranquil and the air more tropical. The crew peeled down to shorts and shirts which is rare north of Bermuda in the fall. The plastic bags came off the
Dorades and the vents were turned to face into the wind; hatches and portlights were opened. Even John was feeling better about life at sea. There was a large clockwise rotating eddy along our rhumbline, which would help to propel us to Bermuda, or if approached on the wrong side, would slow us down. The weather router used a model, which placed the eddy to the east while PredictWind showed it to be to the west of the direct line to Bermuda. We would see whose Gulf Stream predictions were to prove most accurate. Gulf Stream information is initially gathered by satellites. Various organizations collect the raw data and put it through programs like Global Real Time Ocean Forecast System (RTOFS) and HYCOM that analyze and work the information into a viewable and predictive format, which weather routers and PredictWind use. PredictWind will soon be using the Global RTOFS program. For real time satellite imagery of the Gulf Stream, Rutgers University Sea Surface Temperature, Daily Composite of East Coast and Northeast, analyzes satellite information and at times creates a three-day color composite that a navigator can print out and compare to other Gulf Stream sources. Possibly because of cloud cover, Rutgers did not have the composite I needed for this passage. And that is part of the fun and planning for this passage, trying to outsmart the Gulf Stream and all its intricacies with whatever information that can be gathered and sifted. As it turned out, sailing the rhumbline took us into a one to two knot contrary current indicating the Global RTOFS, used by the weather router, was more accurate. With each passing day, the lack of wind became more of an issue BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
than a potential storm. The throttle to the Volvo Penta engine was set at the most economical 1,800 RPMs. On the third day out of Newport, suddenly, the engine RPMs oscillated and then the engine fell silent. The engine had run for far too few hours on the starboard tank to empty it. The fuel gauge sat on half full, not much different than when the tank was filled with fuel in Newport. Dave and I agreed we should dip the fuel tank to see the reality of the fuel level in that tank. Swans have a specific plug on top of the tanks and an aluminum dipstick for this purpose. There was plenty of fuel in the tank. The remotely mounted Racor filter was only slightly discolored. We disassembled the fuel line connections and found no restrictions from the tank pickup to the Racor entry point. We had on our hands a mid-ocean mystery. Since the engine had run earlier in the day, without problems from the port tank, as an experiment, we swapped the equally new looking port Racor filter element with the starboard element. That got the engine running again. But as the engine RPMs were increased to 2,500 RPMs, the engine would again begin to cough. There were no new Racor filters to be found on the boat. What we eventually realized is that the filters were only two micron. For this 100-horse power Volvo Penta engine, such a fine mesh with a moderate amount of contaminants was too restrictive for the fuel flow. However, by lowering the engine to 1,800 RPMs, we were getting by. Aurora was an untested boat, new to the charter fleet, with a growing “to do” list for the owner. When the engine first died, we were in a real jam as we had already emptied the two jerry jugs of spare fuel into the tanks. We then needed www.bwsailing.com
a small reserve of fuel to top off the filter and bleed air from the fuel lines. “How will we get the fuel back out of the tank?” Dave asked. “People break out of prisons. We will have to think on it.” The owner of Aurora had put on board a cheesy looking, flashlightbattery operated, “Liquids Transfer Pump”. On the box it even said “As
zephyrs and sail the distance even if it were no faster than one to three knots over the ground. But, like a good end to a thriller story, the wind did pick up from the east so we could sail at five knots. With Marko, Chris, Keith, John and me on deck, visually picking our way through the white dots and blinking lights, set against a
Getting fuel back out of the tank using "As Seen on TV"
seen on TV”. The toy turned out to be a valuable tool. Removing five screws from a disk on the tank top gave us the clearance we needed for “As seen on TV” to do its job. From then on, we would always keep plenty of fuel in reserve for priming the engine. We still had just over 100 miles to reach Bermuda and we were concerned that the quickly diminishing fuel supply would not last.The badly fouled prop was doubling fuel consumption. At all costs, we had to keep a reserve amount of fuel to motor around the extensive reefs surrounding the north and northeast approach into St. George’s. With no other option, we would squeeze the
black background, Dave sat at the chartplotter below, making sure we were on a safe course. At 2100 Saturday night, on the fifth day after leaving Newport, we tied to the customs dock, in St. George’s, to find that all the officials had stayed late for us to clear in. They knew we were coming. What other country in the world could be as welcoming as Bermuda? Just around the corner, we tilted libations at the White Horse Tavern to celebrate our safe arrival and then slept soundly in a boat that did not budge, tied securely to the quay. In the morning, the crew had their first good view of the hill sides of St. George’s Harbor, full of colorful concrete buildings all with 27
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Mid ocean swim
white tile roofs, as we motored the short distance to berth at the St. George’s Dinghy and Sports Club, where the rally festivities would take place that evening. Bermuda has the most northerly reefs in the world and it seems more old forts per acre than anywhere else. One full day in Bermuda is not enough to be a respectable tourist, but the four-day delay in Newport left us little time to play. We wanted to stay on a schedule to meet our departing airplanes in St. Maarten. On Monday morning, we topped off the fuel and water at the Shell station and once again headed seaward through the narrow cut of St. George’s channel. We motored right into a flat calm ocean. This certainly made John happy for he had decided to stick with us and complete the voyage. We were a diverse group like gears made from completely different metals, but all of us meshed and worked together and the absence of any one would have been sorely missed. This was the time for the hand fishing lines to trail again off the stern. It did not take long to catch 28
six dorado. They are far less bloody to deal with than tuna. We had no need to arrive in St.Maarten with more food than we departed Newport with so the hand lines were retired. For a full day a 10-knot breeze shifted from the bow to a port beam reach. That was the chance everyone was hoping for. We struggled and fed the giant sausage containing the huge spinnaker out of the sail locker onto the foredeck. The sausage was hoisted to the top of the mast on the spinnaker halyard. Then the fiberglass collar was hoisted allowing the sock to free the spinnaker to balloon to a monster of a sail pulling us along at five knots. All day it kept us moving. In late afternoon, the wind shifted again onto a beat so the spinnaker came down. All the crew were now competent with the workings and handling of Aurora. Even John had gained his footing and was moving easily with the rhythms of the boat, on deck and below. Each was fully competent to stand a lone watch. If needed, the captain is on
call 24 hours a day for the slightest question. My bunk was in the aft cabin so it was always easy to call me by lifting a hatch in the cockpit. The new watch system became far more conducive to crew rest. Each c r e w, i n c l u d ing the captain, would stand a 1.5 hour watch with 7.5 hours off. The night watch south of Bermuda was quite different from the first leg. The moon had waned and the night, all night, was black. Even when there is a brilliant Milky Way of stars above, it does nothing to define a horizon or illuminate the deck. Barreling across an ocean, through the dark, one relies on Karma and odds, as visibility on the ocean past the bow, is simply a black void. There would be no way to see a floating container, a whale or anything else directly in our path, other than a lighted ship. But a watchstander soon gets used to the idea of spooks in the dark and there is no option but to continue on our way. To make the watch even easier, the autopilot now did the manual work so the lone crew only has to stay awake and watch for the lights of distant ships, monitor the radar and engine instruments. Between motoring and slow sailing, we were chasing a seemingly unreachable horizon. As Chris said, “After the first half of this trip, my greatest emotion is boredom.” The tranquility gave Dave a perfect opportunity to refine his BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
celestial navigation using “line of us straight for it on a final apposition” of the sun. He worked proach. hard at teaching himself the proWith that maneuver, the cockpit cess and finally found our position radar, which had been showing a within a three mile accuracy plus solid wall of land features, then a very accurate longitude from the spit a dark crack which spread to noon sight. That is exemplary ac- a black space amongst the yellows curacy considering all the inherent and green returns of solid shore deficiencies of a plastic sextant. lines. Sailing under only a jib at In the afternoon of our sixth five knots, we headed into the day since leaving Bermuda Marko void. To everyone’s relief, espeyelled “Land Ho!” We would not cially Dave’s, nothing went bump reach land in daylight instead we against the keel. Out of the blackwould be skirting a shore in the ness, the twinkle of lights on St. dark. Rather than going a circu- Maarten, miles to our southwest, itous route, we would shoot the began to build and define not just narrow gap between Anguilla and shoreline but altitudes of a mounScrub Island, off the northeast tainous island. coast of St. Maarten in the black of The small southeast breeze night. I have sailed the route many helped blow us around to the times but the crew had not. Airline west then the southern shore and pilot Dave was at the chart table into Simpson Bay just outside below guiding us through, IFR, the bridge to the Lagoon. We an“instrument flight regulations”. chored at 3:30 in the morning and “Dave, don’t let us hit anything.” I switched on not only the anchor love adding a little pressure. I was light, but deck lights to well illumion the helm watching the radar nate our anchored ship against the screen mounted over the binnacle. backdrop of city lights. Then we “Trust your instruments not your fell to our bunks, exhausted from a instincts” is the old aviator’s adage. Dave fixing our position But the rest of while Marko takes a break t h e c re w w e re incredulous and tense. They could see what was on the navigational screens but saw nothing but blackness where they knew land should be less than a mile away. Dave called up a course to jog us over, what amounts to a “base” course and line us up with the pass to be on our port beam before making a sharp turn to port to aim www.bwsailing.com
long day and adrenalin crash after the heightened alertness required for coastal sailing at night. But we were all happy to have crossed an ocean, from north to south. Dave, Chris and Keith are all determined to return next November to sail again in the Offshore Swan Program. They want to shoot for a more serious high wind sailing experience. As Dave says, “I want to learn things I don’t know and can’t learn sailing in pleasant weather along the coast.” And Chris adds “I want to sail with different professional captains to see how they handle the same situations.” It won’t be long before Marco sails south on his own boat…..and John, he is staying put in his arm chair. I will be winging back to Malaysia to prepare my own boat for the crossing of the Indian Ocean, so this really just might be, my final last time, in the NARC rally. BWS
For difficult to find “how to” boat maintenance videos, check out “Patrick Childress” on YouTube.
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Theft in Bequia
Another perfect day in paradise? Well, maybe not when an iPad goes missing and the police and lawyers get involved by George Todd
I
was enjoying a peaceful breakfast at Wildcat’s cockpit table Wednesday morning, watching the sailboats tied up to mooring balls behind us in Bequia’s Admiral Bay harbor swing back and forth in unison in the morning breeze. Jan and I were recovering from the weekend Bequia Music Festival, and had no plans for the day. I needed to sweat out some rum. A navy blue SVG Coast Guard launch motored by heading for the city dock. Onboard were five CG officers/policemen and one woman with short white hair who looked a lot like a cruiser named Cori who had been onboard our boat for a 14 person happy hour a few nights ago. That was a very unusual sight. Obviously, something was wrong. I picked up the mic and called Tom and Sabrina on Honey Ryder, and told them what I had seen. Sabrina said that she would send me an email, which I opened 30
a few minutes later. It seems that the owner of Maria’s Internet Café had been out in the harbor going boat to boat looking for a woman pictured in security camera footage, stealing his iPad from the Café. Thirty minutes later, the SVG Coast Guard boat came alongside Hi Flite and took Cori off the boat. All of the hatches were still open onboard Hi Flite and the dinghy was still in the water. There was no sign of her husband Dale on deck. Like Jan and me, Tom and Sabrina are cruisers willing to help other cruisers in a pinch. Wildcat and Honey Ryder teamed up last year to tow a 45-foot sailboat with engine trouble into the dock in Martinique. I picked up Tom in my dinghy and we went over to Hi Flite to see if Dale needed help.It was 9:30 am, and Dale was passed out in la la land. It took a while to wake him up and get him up on deck. Dale has back pain and
the Bequia doctor had been most generous with his script book, selling Dale three different types of pain pills, telling Dale to try each one and see which one worked the best. Dale decided to short cut the scientific decision process and took all three pills at once.The pain was gone, and so was Dale. Once Dale was up, and half dressed in the cockpit, it was clear that he did not know what was going on. He thought that Cori was at yoga. When Tom explained that the police had taken her to the police station for stealing a iPad, Dale’s response was: “Is this some kind of bad joke?” Tom convinced Dale to get dressed, get some cash, and close up the boat so we could take him into the police station to find out what was going on. Tom and I returned to Honey Ryder to brief Sabrina on the situation. While we were there, the SVG Coast Guard launch with only one officer onBLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
board, came along side Hi Flite to pick up Dale. The officer told Dale to bring Cori some shoes, a change of clothes and some toiletries. She was under arrest for theft and would be going to jail. Tom and I dinghied over to the CG launch and explained to the officer that Dale was on medication and we were willing to assist him to the police station. The officer agreed with the plan and stood off while we helped get Dale organized and into our dinghy. After 15 minutes, Tom and I loaded Dale in my dinghy and were escorted to the town dinghy dock by the CG launch. A policeman and dock security man met us at the dinghy dock and escorted us through the main town street, to the police station. I think that the entire town came out to watch the parade as if it was a walk of shame. I was beginning to have second thoughts about being involved in this ordeal. But I had a hard time believing that Cori was a crook. She and Dale fit the profile of most other cruising couples who we have met, and none of them were crooks. So, I was giving her the benefit of the doubt and going with the innocent until proven guilty theory. Once our parade reached the Bequia police station, Tom and I stood with Dale in front of the desk police officer and spoke on Dale’s behalf. We learned that Cori had been arrested, charged with the theft and put on the 10:30 water ferry to Kingstown, St Vincent. We looked out the window and could see the ferry steaming out of the harbor. Justice moved swiftly in Bequia. Cori was headed to jail in the third world country of St. Vincent and had no idea if Dale even knew where she was. We learned that she would be arraigned in court that day or www.bwsailing.com
placed in a holding cell if the court was not in session. If she pleaded guilty, she would be sentenced and probably deported. If she pleaded not guilty, she would be held in jail without bond until the trial. The officer said that the next ferry left Bequia at 1:00 pm and arrived in Kingstown at 2:00. However, we might want to find a speedboat to take us there sooner. If the court was in session, Cori might be deported by the time we arrived in St Vincent. We were also warned to be careful in Kingstown, carry all money in pockets and no valuables in backpacks. As Tom and I escorted Dale back to the dinghy dock, I tried to think of a way to get Dale on a boat to Kingstown by himself and end our involvement in what was quickly escalating into a serious and potentially dangerous situation. We have avoided going to St. Vincent for the past five years because cruisers have been robbed and killed there. I certainly had no desire to go to the main port city of Kingstown and walk around as a mugging target. Jan and I had seen this legal drama before in the Bahamas, when a woman we were friends with got crossways with a local Bahamian, who called the police and told them that our friend had firearms onboard her vessel. The police searched her vessel and found three firearms and 45 rounds of ammo, the possession of which are legal in the Bahamas only if you list them on your cruising permit. She had “forgotten” to do so. In a scene reminiscent of this morning’s arrest of Cori, Jan and I watched six large police officers escort our petite blonde friend off to jail in a navy blue police boat. She was facing a number of years in Nassau jail, confiscation
of her sailboat, and deportation afterwards. Jan and I were able to help her find an attorney, and get the sentence reduced to a fine and loss of weapons. We learned three things from that ordeal: Do not do anything illegal anywhere, especially in a third world county. They can lock you up in some hell hole jail and throw away the key. If your friend gets arrested, hire the best criminal attorney in town. And, bring a big wad of cash to pay the attorney, fines and court costs. Tom and I explained to Dale that we should hire a go-fast boat, take Cori’s change of clothes, shoes and a big wad of cash over to Kingstown to see if we could find an attorney to represent her. We could come back on the 6:00 PM ferry, assuming that we did not get mugged in Kingstown. Dale was still zoned out but shook his head yes. We found two water taxi drivers eager to take us to St. Vincent. We chose Shawn on the taxi named Rumors. We took my dinghy to all three sailboats to collect money and four rain jackets for the rough ride offshore. While I was putting the dinghy away on Wildcat, out of the blue, a local named Mr. Kydd approached us in a grey RIB dinghy. He asked if we would like the name of an attorney in Kingstown. I thought to myself that this must be divine intervention and everyone in Bequia must know what is going on. Mr. Kydd came onboard, called Richard William’s Law Office on his cell phone and handed me the phone. I gave the office manager Cori’s name and told her we would be there in an hour. Mr. Kydd wrote down the phone number for me along with the name and phone number of his friend who is a cab driver in St Vincent. 31
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Before he left, Mr. Kydd looked at me and said, “When you get to Kingstown, keep your money on you, not in your backpack. Take a cab straight to William’s law office. Do not go to the police station. Do not walk through town. Be careful. If you have any trouble, call my taxi driver friend.” Sabrina and Jan set up a text and email communication center onboard Wildcat, but I opted to leave my VHF onboard Wildcat so it wouldn’t be stolen in Kingstown. I would be out of Wildcat's VHF range as soon as we left Bequia. The water between the islands of Bequia and St Vincent is open ocean with a strong current setting to the west. The winds that day were a normal 14 knots from the east. The current combined with the ocean swell created a nasty chop that sent the 22-foot plywood speedboat Rumors crashing through waves. We were soaked. Fifteen minutes into this ocean joyride I was wishing that I brought my VHF radio. I was watching the bottom of the plywood floor flex as we pounded into the swells, and wondering how we were going to call for help if the boat split opened and sank. I saw one fiberglass covered wooden stringer that had cracked long before this trip. It was flexing at the 32
crack. I decided to adopt the “No Problem Mon” mantra, watching the oncoming waves instead. The driver, Shawn, yelled at me: “Where do you want to go? The customs dock?” I replied, “No! The police station!” Sean’s eyes widened with disbelief: “The police station? Really?” “Yes, Dale’s wife has been arrested. Actually we need to go to Richard Williams’ office first.” “Oh, Richard Williams is my lawyer. He is the best. I will take you to him.” We pulled up to the concrete fishing wharf after 30 minutes of pounding and tied up along side a fishing boat. Once on the dock, I reminded everyone to keep their money in their pockets and try not to stand out in the crowd, which was laughable for two reasons. One, we were the only three white guys in a sea of black and brown locals. And, two, Dale had packed Cori’s shoes and things in a very bright yellow waterproof pouch that screamed “steal me!” Blending into the crowd was not an option. We ran into trouble with the security guard at the gate while trying to leave the wharf security area. We obviously were not fishermen, but 20 EC took care of that
problem. Shawn looked at us and said, “Stay close to me and you will be OK” as we snaked through the sea of people in the bustling fish market, dodging people, honking vans, busses and fish carts. Dale was falling behind. He had both arms wrapped around the bright yellow pouch like a linebacker carrying a football as he stumbled forward. I took the yellow bag from him so he could walk faster. My real plan was to fling the bag into the crowd if someone attacked us and run like hell. I kept that plan to myself. Shawn lead us down a quieter back street searching for the right building. About the time that I was beginning to suspect that Shawn was lost, he pointed to an open doorway. At the top of the stairs, we found Mr. Williams’ office. After a five minute wait, Mr. Williams met with us in his conference room. He was an intimidatingly tall, broad shouldered black man, impeccably dressed in a dark blue suit with a white shirt, obviously ready for a courtroom appearance. After a 30 second summary of today’s events, Mr. Williams interrupted us to ask, “Where is the girl now?” “We do not know if she is in holding or in court.” Mr. Williams picked up his cellphone and pressed a speed dial number for holding. “This is Richard Williams, are you holding a woman named Cori there? Caucasian. Thanks.” He hung up and pressed the courthouse phone number. “This is Richard Williams, do you have a Caucasian woman named Cori there?Thanks.” He stood up and announced, “She’s in court, let’s go see what is going on.” It was raining when we exited BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
the building. Mr. Williams led our parade through four blocks of cars and people. I felt safer this time because people in the street were waving to him and a few even said “Good morning Mr. Williams”. We had found the rock star of criminal attorneys in St. Vincent. The front door of the courthouse was locked because court was in session. We snaked around to the back entrance of the building to a door marked “Serious Offences Court Entrance.” The closed door to the courtroom was guarded by two guards dressed in traditional all white formal uniforms. They let Mr. Williams right in while the rest of us sat outside in chairs along the wall of the hallway. A few minutes later, Mr. Williams came out and motioned for Dale to come inside. The guards patted him down before letting him through the door. Shawn, Tom and I entertained ourselves with tales of testifying in U.S. courthouses and wondering if we could leave and go to lunch. Tom texted a report to Sabrina and she replied that they had found the nearest U.S. Embassy, but it was on the island of Barbados. After an hour of watching various men in handcuffs being escorted in and out of the courtroom, it was over. Court was adjourned. Mr. Williams lead Dale and Cori out of the room. They were free to go. Mr. Williams had negotiated a plea bargain to a lesser crime of petty theft. Cori admitted stealing the iPad, paid a $400 EC fine, agreed to return the iPad to its owner and, in return, was not deported. Lawyer fees were $600 US, and transportation expenses with tips to the gate keepers totaled 750 EC. We had found the right attorney. www.bwsailing.com
Cori cried most of the way back to the speedboat, claiming that she was going to stop drinking because “I think I am a lot smarter than I really am when I am drinking.” The trip back in the speedboat was slightly less wet, at least until it rained. To top it off, the motor started cutting out as we neared Bequia. There were long periods of time when the motor would only fast idle, then burst to life as if the fuel blockage had suddenly been solved, only to bog down again to a wallowing idle speed. I kicked myself for not bringing the VHF radio. I had no way to call for a tow if the motor quit completely. Fortunately, we finally made it back to our respective boats, soaking wet, but otherwise okay. Later on, over sundowners, Jan and I met with Tom and Sabrina to analyze the incident in great detail. Our discussion centered around two issues: Trust: We cruisers are generally open and trusting people. This theft was an important reminder that not all thieves live onshore. Some of them are part of the cruising community. We go to great lengths to protect ourselves
from the island based thieves. We need to do a better job of identifying and protecting ourselves from crooks within our own cruising community. Did we do the right thing in helping a thief? We think so. We were helping two cruisers who were in real trouble. A St. Vincent jail is no place for anyone to get locked up in other than hardened criminals, murders and drug dealers. Justice was served. The iPad was returned to its rightful owner, Cori paid the fine, and Hi Flite has been “outed” within the cruising community. Tom summed it up when he said: “If I had it to do over again, I would still help them.” That is why we like cruising with Tom and Sabrina. BWS George and Jan Todd are testing their marriage for the sixth season sailing in the Eastern Caribbean onboard Wildcat. George Todd has published two ebooks: Island Sailing is NOT all Rum and Bananas Vol 1: and Vol 2: containing humorous stories from sailing in The Bahamas and Caribbean which can be downloaded from iBooks, Smashwords, Kindle and most ebook sites.
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With few roads or railroads, most of Haiti's cargo was moved by sloops
Sailing to the
REVOLUTION
O
ur crossing of the 50-milewide Windward Passage between Cuba and Hispaniola provided us with our next overnight sail. The passage proved uneventful as we put into a place in northern Haiti called Môle SaintNicolas, a well sheltered harbor inside of a cape on the northeast end of the island. It was there that we met a French Missionary priest, Father Paul Cadoux, who was delighted to meet and host us. Mom and Dad both spoke French, Dad having been partially raised in Paris as a boy, so we were able to communicate easily. Father Paul 34
by Mark Florman
shared with us that he felt he had the “Most unusual parish in the world”, because his parishioners would come to Catholic mass on Sunday morning and then in the evening would steal across the bay and practice voodoo by the light of fires up in the hills! This impressive man of the cloth had been a missionary in Haiti for 25 years and was the only white man around for 150 miles. He was also quite resourceful as he actually helped us resolve a continuation of our electrical problems we had first worked on in Cuba. Sailing from Môle Saint-Nicolas down the Gulf of Gonâve also proved uneventful, but little did we know of the unpleasant surprises and challenging experiences that
Part Two: It was 1958 when the Florman family sailed from Florida to Cuba and then Haiti and the Domincan Republic. In Part One, in March BWS, they visited Cuba just as the revolution was starting awaited us before we reached the capital of Port-au-Prince! Something we did not know before sailing to Haiti, was that a few months before our arrival, three Haitian men and five mercenaries from Miami had sailed there in a white two-masted sailboat of a size similar to ours, and had come very close to deposing the regime of the brutal dictator Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier. So, even though we were an innocent family of five sailing the Caribbean, the Haitian authorities were very leery of the crew of another white, two-masted sailboat that was also home ported in Miami! What happened next, was our first indication of this problem. We were putting into a bay called Montrouis, which is about half way between Môle Saint-Nicolas and Port-au-Prince. This turned out to be the same place where the eight men of the would-be revolutionary force had abandoned their vessel and commandeered a Haitian army jeep killing a number of BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
Haitian army soldiers as they went; they made their way to the main garrison of Dessalines in Port-AuPrince where they hoped to mount their coup d’etat. These desperate would-be revolutionaries holed up in the garrison while plotting their next move. No one, including Duvalier, who was getting ready to flee the country knew how many rebels were in the invading force. But then the rebels sent out a young Haitian soldier to buy cigarettes. The soldier let his superiors know how few of the invaders there were and that proved to be their downfall. They were captured, tortured and sumarilly executed. “Dad, that man on the shore has a gun!” shouted my older brother Nils. We realized on our approach to anchor in Montrouis Bay that a man was shooting over our heads and shouting in Creole, all the while crouching fearfully behind a bush that did little to conceal him. He and other military men there saw us as a second potential invading force and they were taking no chances. The gunman dressed all in white was a member of the “TonTon-Maccoute” or “Bogey Men”, a para-military gang of thugs that was Duvalier’s private army. Dad obviously needed to go to shore to speak to this man, and while he rowed the dinghy with his back to the gunman, Mom forcefully called on a higher power with her rosary beads in hand. This man held us at gun point until later that evening when a 50-foot military vessel came down from Port-Au-Prince loaded with soldiers; they searched our boat from stem to stern, ripping open packages of soup and jello because “there might be bullets in there.” After they were finished searching us they began towing us under www.bwsailing.com
orders from Duvalier to Port-au-Prince some 45 miles away. We had no choice in the matter of course, and we were all quite frightened. When we arrived in Port-auPrince, they then forced us at gunpoint to tie up at the main commercial shipping pier rather than the casino yacht club where a yacht would normally tie up. Not far from us was an open sewer outfall Father Paul Cadoux; below, our family's boat spewing raw sewage festooned with flags into the harbor. Dad immediately could move our vessel as this was went to the American embassy in the dock where the aircraft carPort-au-Prince to ask for help but rier’s tenders would be off loading was turned down because in the the sailors for their planned shore words of the Ambassador, “He did leave in Port-au-Prince. not want to cause any diplomatic My father responded to the reincidents.” quest to move by asking the LieuAfter a couple of days, an tenant if he saw the man with the American aircraft carrier, the flag- gun standing guard over our boat ship of the then U.S. Navy’s Ca- and that he was the reason why we ribbean fleet, arrived in port. We could not move. This flagship was received a visit from a Lieutenant host to an Admiral who went to the J.G.off the ship who asked us if we government and compelled them
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Fishermen of Port-au-Prince
to allow us to move our little sailboat to the casino marina docks. In the meantime, my baby sister Cynthia had became ill with dysentery from the filthy conditions at the harbor. We decided to go up into the mountains to the pleasant resort town of Pétion-Ville where we stayed at a hotel owned by Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt’s rebellious daughter, while Cynthia recuperated. Enjoyably, we had lunch with Alice Roosevelt
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almost everyday while we were there and it was a beautiful, cool respite from Port-au-Prince. Shortly after our stay in PétionVille, we wound up back in Portau-Prince, but now that we were being allowed to moor at the yacht club and Cynthia was better, we were more able to enjoy the tourist distractions that Port-au-Prince had to offer. Haiti in those days, while still one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and in the grip of a brutal greedy
dictator, was vastly different from the impoverished, completely benighted place we now know. Port-au-Prince was a bustling city with an active tourist trade featuring luxury hotels with casinos and restaurants that offered gourmet French cuisine. With a prosperous but small middle and upper class, Haiti was in much better condition then, than she is now. After a little while, we decided it would be a good time to leave Haiti, so we set sail northward across the Gulf of Gonâve towards Môle Saint-Nicholas once again. We stopped there only to find out that Father Paul, our genial missionary host, had been put in jail. We were not told what the official reason was. We have often wondered what became of him? Setting off from Môle SaintNicolas, we wondered if our problems in Haiti were over and we soon had an answer as we encountered one last difficulty on an overnight passage heading east along the north coast of Hispaniola. We were confronted by what appeared to be two lighthouses with the same light characteristic, which was very confusing. Not wanting to take any chances, we anchored offshore for the night to await daylight. Dad assigned anchor watch to Nils in the cockpit, but he fell asleep only to be awakened by the powerful search light of, what seemed to him, a huge vessel looming over us. It was almost alongside of us and had stopped to render aid if it was needed. The north coast of Hispaniola is quite forbidding with tall mountains seemingly coming right down to the sea. The deep rocky coastal waters offer little shelter. We had been told that there was an American owned sugar plantaBLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
tion at Cap-Haïtien, and when we arrived there we were once again welcomed with open arms by the generous American people who owned the plantation. The family had come down to greet us at the dock and, when they spotted Cynthia and me aboard our boat, they said, “We are having a Halloween party for the kids Please join us.” The party was complete with American-style trick or treating and very enjoyable. We stayed in Cap-Haïtien for a week or so, while Mom and Dad tried to take care of some family business. Cap-Haïtien was also a tourist destination in Haiti with beautiful colonial architecture and interesting history dating back to before the American revolution. Heading east, once again, along the coast of the Dominican Republic, we found ourselves in a delightful place called Sosúa, not far from Puerto Plata. While anchored off the beach in this peaceful bay, a chance encounter between myself and a group of boys playing on the beach led to my family’s introduction to Walter Biller, a leader of the colony of Jewish refugees from World War II, who had settled there and started a very prosperous diary and farming collective. Once again, another group of warm friendly people opened their hearts and homes to us with incomparable hospitality. The teens even tried to show Nils how to do a folk dance to Hava Nagila. Our original goal had been to head as far south into the Caribbean as time and funds would allow but now both of these commodities were in short supply, as well as Mom’s tolerance for the rigors of the cruise and her concern for the proper raising of her family. This cruise had been far more educational in many more areas www.bwsailing.com
of what children need to learn to become adults, as cruising sailors around the world know and understand. But Mom worried that we needed the basics that a formal education would give. Mom and Dad had not ignored our education. They had obtained on my behalf, teaching materials for the third grade from the wellknown Calvert School. But with the cruising life, being the busy experience that it is, we probably got only three lessons done. People who have never cruised always ask us “So what do you do all day? You must get bored stiff?” And we cruising sailors laugh knowing how richly busy the cruising life can be. Dad was so busy that he got very little writing done and was not able to sell any stories. But evidently our education did not suffer because I wound up skipping the third grade and Nils who had left Tabor Academy in midterm skipped a grade of high school as well. We spent quite a lot of time
with the warm friendly people of the Sosúa Colony, invited to dinner at a different house every night. Cruising people seem to bring to life the “wonder-lust dreams” of shore bound people who like to live vicariously through cruisers experience. Sosúa was to have been our jumping off point for sailing deeper into the Caribbean. But when crossing the Mona passage between Hispaniola and the island of Puerto Rico proved to be as much of a challenge as it usually is, an important decision was made and we turned north toward Great Inagua Island and the southeastern Bahamas, and then planned to head back to Florida. Lord knows, we had been through quite a lot in four and half months and even a fantastic good sport like my mother had reached her limit. Great Inagua is owned by the Morton Salt Company where they produce salt in a solar evaporation process of sea water. The Morton Company on 300,000 acres produces a million pounds of salt a
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The idyllic life, from rowing, to casting off to sea, to Christmas onboard, our parents gave us a magical opportunity
year; it was the second largest salt operation in North America. Huge evaporation pans or flats cover the island and the salt making process includes flamingos and brine shrimp in an interesting cycle of man and nature working together. The place was managed by an English couple named Forrestal who showed us more hospitality, and they fed us countless bran muffins (back then people like that where known as “Health Nuts”); they even threw a party for my ninth birthday. Years later when I was a delivery captain taking a sailboat to Saint Thomas, I was having electrical problems. I put into Great Inagua knowing that the salt company had a machine shop. I was helped by the manager who had worked for the Forrestal’s, our hosts from before. When I called him on the phone as I was leaving to thank him for the assistance and expressing that I didn’t know if I would ever be back again, his reply was, “Oh, I don’t know, you have been coming through here since you were nine years old, you’ll probably be back” Continuing northwest from Great Inagua we had some long deep bluewater stretches as we make our 38
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
way through Mira Por Vos and Crooked Island Passages. It was along this part of the cruise that we experienced some of our most successful fishing under sail. At one point, we caught a beautiful dolphin (mahi mahi), which led to Cynthia uttering a phrase which she still has yet to live down. As Dad was cutting up and filleting the fish, cute little Cynthia, prone to being Miss Malaprop, said “ Oh, oh Daddy, fish bwoke�. We then sailed along the west coast of Long Island creating great memories of peaceful deserted anchorages and wonderful beach picnics and Nils and I sleeping ashore on the beach. Sailing up Exuma Sound provided some of the most pleasant and relaxing sailing of the cruise. It should be mentioned that in the Bahamas as everywhere else we cruised, we saw very few other yachts and until we reached Nassau we had seen no other American yachts on the entire cruise. Our cruising family was a rare thing in 1958. The Exumas, where delightful www.bwsailing.com
Staniel Cay stands out particularly as one of the best stops on our way to Nassau, even then the fishing and diving were excellent. Nassau Yacht Haven was our next big stop and we were starting to get excited about the fact that we were going to live in Florida. When we originally came to Florida to buy Winds Way from yacht broker Richard Bertram, who was selling it for the University of Miami and begin the voyage, my family had spent the previous 10 years living in Mexico, where Cynthia and I were born. It was very exciting to contemplate living in the U.S. and we were looking forward to it. We sailed into Bahia Mar in Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 23, 1958 and as we prepared for Christmas, we told Cynthia that Santa was going to land his sleigh on deck and come down through the skylight to deliver the presents. We even had a little top of a real Christmas tree which we decorated on Christmas Eve. We spent several months living aboard at Bahia Mar, where I had
my first sales job making money selling nickel newspapers to the sightseeing boats and yachts at Bahia Mar until we moved into the house we purchased in Ft. Lauderdale. Spending large amounts of time cruising on a boat is, I think, one of the greatest and most rewarding things parents can do for their children and our parents did it in style! My siblings and I are forever grateful to them for all of the amazing experiences as we sailed to the revolutions. BWS
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Becoming a Yachtmaster
Earning a prestigious RYA Yachtmaster certificate can take a sailor many years of courses and training. The author earned hers the Fast-Track way in 10 demanding weeks
I
didn’t know, but the five guys reviewing the basics of VHF communication in the cockpit of the yacht close-by were going to change my life by inspiring my biggest dream. I was there to complete my Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Day Skipper course and, by asking them what they were studying, 40
by Valentina Vila
I discovered they were “Zeros to Heroes”, RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Fast-Trackers aiming to get in 16-weeks all the experience and knowledge they needed to pass their final exam and get their Certificate of Competence. Since then, becoming a Yachtmaster was my dream. But what is the RYA and what
is a Yachtmaster? The RYA is the British national governing body for all forms of boating. Its training platform is recognized throughout the world (2,400 training centers, 600 of these outside the UK across 58 different countries) and every year over 165,000 recreational and professional sailors take RYA courses and exams. BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
For sailing, the RYA training programs cover windsurfing, dinghy and yacht cruising. And for cruising, the RYA interchanges theoretical and practical modules covering the entire spectrum of proficiency: Introduction to Yachting, Competent Crew, Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper. Moreover, the RYA releases three Certificates of Competence for the candidates who successfully pass the related exam: Yachtmaster Coastal, Yachtmaster Offshore and Yachtmaster Ocean. For each course and certificate, the RYA has a detailed syllabus, an educational program summarising all the theoretical and practical knowledge required to obtain each license. This guarantees the high-quality standard of all its training centers around the world, promotes the diffusion of standard procedures and builds up a shared culture among its students. Between 2006 and 2014, I spent more than 70 days at sea sailing 2,200 offshore miles. But I felt the need to structure my practical knowledge, to get a framework to developing my sailing skills. Moreover, having moved from Italy to Ireland, I had two additional necessities: learn how to sail in tidal waters and get familiar with the sailing vocabulary in English. For these reasons, in summer 2015 I decided to attend a nine-day RYA Day Skipper course in Gibraltar covering both the theoretical (four days in class) and practical aspects (five days onboard) of the related syllabus. Once at home, I also got from the RYA my ICC (International Certificate of Competence for Operators of Pleasure Craft ) to provide evidence of competence even in foreign countries. During winter 2016, thanks to the knowledge previously acquired in class, I felt ready to take www.bwsailing.com
an online course to get my Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore theory certificate. And the following summer I was able to attend the Coastal Skipper practical course in Lagos, Portugal. Enthusiastic about the experience and the results achieved, deeply in love with Portugal and literally crazy for sailing, in 2017 I got a six months of leave of absence from Firefly, one of the boats from RUsailing.com the author my job in Dublin practised on for her Yachtmaster license as manager of a Telesales Team to focus on my to 150 miles from a safe haven. My plan: live onboard for the dream: become a Yachtmaster. I got in touch with RUsailing, the following 10 weeks, joining evRYA training center, where I’d al- ery week a different crew while ready attended my Coastal Skipper working on my own long-term course in 2016, and asked them to goal. Every day, five days a week, design for me a tailored 10-week, I committed to at least eight hours of sailing practice and two hours Fast-Track program. So, on a rainy Saturday at the beginning of June, I took a low-cost flight to Faro, a dusty train for Lagos and, finally, I started m y a d v e n t u re . My goal: get in 10 weeks the Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence, a certificate that would enable me to skipper vessels less than 200 gross tonnages up 41
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Not all classwork, there was time for dolphin watching and cruising the coast of Portugal
of study in the evening. On the weekend I focused on my studies (meteorology, signals, International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, etc.) and in gaining extra experience by shadowing my instructor while completing required fixes or maintenance activities on the yachts. A full-time and full-immersion Fast-Track, indeed. Nobody else was sharing such a long stay. I’ve met more than 40 sailors attending Competent Crew, Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper courses during my 10 weeks in
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Portugal and this gave me an opportunity to learn how to sail with people with different personalities and various level of experience. But both my instructor and I had to put a considerable effort in place to guarantee, week after week, the seamless progress of my training. I also had a chance to practice on two completely different types of yachts: Firefly, an electrifying racing X-35, and Annecy, an elegant and comfortable Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 37. So, I experienced a diversity in people and boats
while enjoying the always perfect sailing conditions provided by the Algarve. This area, in fact, is a real paradise for sailors (every day 20 knots of wind, flat sea and fresh and warm sun). Also, for all sealovers, there are dolphins playing at the bow, tunas jumping out of the water, flying fish appearing from nowhere. And, what can I say about the luminescent blue of the water, the bright orange of the perpendicular cliffs and the green hills filling the background of this beautiful landscape? In this magnificent scenario, I started my training. My first week was a review week. I spent it with two students doing their Competent Crew course so I could cover every day most of the skipper’s tasks by myself. The second week was similar in structure but, being more confident after my warm-up week, I was able to direct the crew much more and take charge of the yacht in most situations (berthing, anchoring, sailing in a confined space, etc.). The third week I got some shorebased courses: Marine Radio Short Range, First Aid, Diesel Engine, Sail Maintenance and also a one-day review of my Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory in class. The following week, the fourth, was essential. I crewed for two other students doing their RYA Yachtmaster Exam Preparation Course being able not only to observe their preparation but also to shadow their final assessment. It was an awareness week. For five days I saw them struggling with the multiple drills and exercises and, one day before the evaluation, I saw one of them withdraw from the exam because he was not feeling 100 percent ready. BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
I ended up being worried about my training and concerned about any gaps in my knowledge. Utterly absent-minded, I also had my first small injury: a broken middle finger on my left hand. But a tough week was the best thing that could happen to me at that stage; it re-boosted my focus, made me fully aware of how serious was the exam and gave me a chance to identify all the gaps I needed to fill in the following six weeks. But my internal batteries were completely drained by the intense week, and I was so glad that the following week I had a break from my official preparation to do something different: race Firefly in the Regata dos Portos dos Descobrimentos, from Palos de la Frontera to Lagos. The race, commemorating the great explorers, was also the opportunity for me to get my first over 60-mile passage acting as a skipper on the delivery from Lagos to Palos de la Frontera. Clearly, I had my problems. I underestimated a tidal flow so I had to extend my voyage almost 10 miles to bring the boat to a safe haven for the night. I also experienced my first broach while at the helm during a spinnaker drop. But, despite the challenges, it was a thrilling and refreshing week, and I really enjoyed our 24 hours upwind sailing, the constant attention to all the details, the continuous sail trimming, and even the long hours spent on the rail. I felt such a deep connection between us and the boat; we completely relied on each other to be able to fly on the waves. In my sixth week, I achieved my second over 60-mile passage acting as a skipper while experiencing a bit of ocean. We went up from Lagos to Sines, a beautiful small town mid-way between the www.bwsailing.com
Algarve and Lisbon. I was glad to have another chance to plan a long passage and happy that this time I did much better taking into account all the harsh lessons learned in the previous week. Moreover, being my first oceanic sailing experience, I experienced for the first time the long oceanic waves and the use of a watch system. Week seven was much more about maneuvers such as man overboard, anchoring and mooring under motor and sail, berthing and unberthing in any situation. It was time for me to nail all my knowledge in these areas before moving on to the next stage Engine repair and navigation were of my preparation. To get a all part of the learning experience functional diversity in my practice, we sailed to all the marinas in Algarve (Portimao, Al- rier-islands and two peninsulas bufeira, Vilamoura) to practice in and which is continually changing different conditions and situations. due to the continuous movement During week eight, my training of winds, currents and tides. We spent almost two full days was focused on safety. I learned how to deliver not only the initial sailing in this lagoon, handling the safety briefing but also how to brief boat under sail in such a confined the crew on advanced safety topics area. We practiced all the piloting like flares and other distress signal- techniques (soundings, transits, ing, fire prevention and fighting, clearing bearings, etc.) at day and life rafts and rescue procedures night using all the buoys and visual aids, and calculating tidal heights (including helicopter rescues). Week nine was all about piloting. We went close to Faro, in the Ria Formosa Natural Park. This protected area is one of the most amazing places of the Algarve, a unique coastal lagoon that is protected from the sea by five bar-
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Learing to prepare food onboard, race and berth a yacht; its all part of the learning experience
and tidal streams for every single hour of our practice. At the end of the ninth week, I was ready: all the Yachtmaster Offshore exam pre-requisites, in fact, were met: Radio Operator Qualification (min GMDSS Short Range Certificate); First Aid Certificate; 50 days / 2,500 miles (50-percnt conducted in tidal waters) of sea time, including at least five passages over 60 miles, acting as skipper for at least two of them and including two which have involved some overnight hours; Five days experience as skipper. Finally, during the tenth week, I had my official RYA Yachtmas-
44
ter Exam Preparation Course. The week was intended to review the entire Yachtmaster Offshore Exam Syllabus: • International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea • Safety • Boat Handling • General seamanship, including maintenance • Responsibilities of the Skipper • Navigation
• Meteorology • Signals Clearly, with such a vast syllabus
to cover, the week was dedicated only to briefly review all the topics and techniques included in the syllabus and the candidates have to be already proficient in all of them when they start their Exam Preparation Course. Although it was just a review, and because of the tension and the stress generated by the continuous drills, for me it was the worst week of my entire Fast-Track. I was so tense that I failed in exercises I had not failed, not even once, in the previous five weeks.
It was a vicious circle. Every error made me lose a bit of confidence, and with less confidence, I made more and more mistakes. It was an awful week. I was emotional, I was worried and for the first time in my life, I was not enjoying sailing. I didn’t feel any joy while at the helm and I didn’t feel any connection with the boat. So, in this unreal atmosphere, I got to my exam day. And the unexpected happened. On the exam day, in fact, everything was different. I was in control, I was confident, and I was enjoying every single moment. I was one of two candidates, so we were expecting the exam to last up to 18 hours. We started at 10 in the morning preparing the boat to go to sea, delivering our safety briefing to the crew and completBLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
ing our daily diesel engine routine checks (with few questions on engine maintenance and troubleshooting). Then we were asked to complete some practical exercises in the marina: berth and unberth alongside, spring off, prop kick usage, yacht full-turn using ropes. After we had our first oral test covering IRPCS, general rules, steering and sailing rules, lights and shapes, sound and light signals and distress signals. After a quick lunch that demonstrated our victualling abilities, we left Lagos to go to Portimao. During the following eight hours, we were asked to: • Complete a man overboard recovery and, as a sailing exercise, a piece of equipment recovery going through two jibes and one tack
www.bwsailing.com
before picking up • Sail the boat to a given point (lat and long) and anchor there under sail • Fix our position • Complete blind navigation exercises both under power and under sail calculating our course to steer, giving sailing instructions to the crew while down below at the chart table and receiving from them speed, bearing and depth to re-estimate our position. After three months of dreaming about the perfect MOB manoeuvre during the exam, I completed a perfect one. For my blind navigation, the examiner asked me to sail all the way to Lagos (six miles upwind) and stop the yacht in front of the marina entrance. My strategy was to follow the coast
outline by changing tack every time we got to a depth contour on my chart. And, when the examiner invited me in the cockpit to have a look around, we were just in front of the marina entrance! At 20.00, back into our berth in the marina, the examiner asked us some questions about meteorology and assigned to us a navigation theory question to work out. It was almost 22.00 when I finished. On the pontoon, waiting for me, were my instructor Rob, his wife Jules and the rest of the crew. It took them less than two seconds to understand, by the bright light in my eyes, that I made it. I had just become a Yachtmaster! BWS Valentina Vela (@becomingyachtmaster)
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{ FITTINGOUT }
FITTING OUT
M
ost cruisers are fairly hands on and will undertake many if not most of the chores in an annual prelaunch refit when getting our boats ready for ocean sailing and another summer or year of cruising. Here’s a look at the basics. ANTIFOULING
Racers want a hard, slippery, fast underwater surface and don’t mind diving under the boat to clean the bottom regularly. But cruisers really need antifouling that will last a long time and will not require a lot of between-haul out maintenance. That means we’re looking to apply a coating that has a lot of punch and includes both a lot of biocide and a slime fighter. Tin based antifouling paints are 46
Images courtesy Mahina Expeditions
Whether you are getting ready for a spring launch or going through your annual haul out, here’s a guide to the essential tasks
by George Day
the most effective but they have long been banned in the U.S. and most of the modern world where environmental policies are stricter than in the Third World. The next best thing in bottom paint is copper or cuprous oxide and this, too, is in the cross hairs of states and the EPA since it is poisonous. But, for most of us copper-based antifouling paints are the best bet. Look for paints with a high percentage of copper like Micron 66 or Pettit’s Trinidad and make sure the paint has an anti-slime additive such as Irgarol. The copper will ward off barnacles and organic growth while the anti-slime additive will prevent slime from building up along the waterline. In states or countries where cop-
per-based paints are regulated, you have to go with different formulations and the best seem to be based on ECONEA or zinc biocides. These are more eco-friendly and that’s a good thing. The downside is that they do not work as well as copper-based paints so you have to add more coats at a higher cost. Most cruisers opt for co-polymer formulated ablative paints, straight ablatives or modified epoxy paints. Ablatives slough off molecules as the boat passes through the water steadily exposing new layers of the biocide. This also means that if you are moored for a long time in a high growth body of water, you can quite easily scrub the bottom clean. And, ablatives don’t build up layer upon layer with repeated BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
paintings. Modified epoxies are hard paints that can be sanded very smooth and can last and be effective for a long time. These paints do build up layer upon layer so you have to sand very thoroughly between seasonal repainting. For long haul sailors who will be 12 to 24 months between haul outs, you have to apply at least three layers of ablative paint and two good coats of modified epoxy paints to ensure that the effectiveness of the biocides will go the distance for you. If you know you are going to own your boat for many years and plan to sail in areas where hauling out is ether not possible or inconvenient, then you may want to consider applying Coppercoat to your boat’s bottom. It is more expensive and takes a lot more prep work than regular paint but it will be effective for five years or more. WAX THE TOPSIDES
Gelcoat, even white gelcoat, and modern marine paints will tend to fade slowly in sunlight. To preserve the boat’s hull as much as possible, it is wise to give the hull a good polishing or waxing once a year. So, give it a good cleaning with a soft brush and non-scratching pad where necessary and rinse it very thoroughly. Then, with one of the usual polishing products from StarBrite or another brand, apply a nice thick coat of polish and then steadily wipe it off with a soft cloth. This is a boring job that’s hard on the shoulders but we always find ourselves quoting Mister Miyagi: “Wax on, Wax off, Danielsan.” That’s small consolation but it’s better than nothing. And the boat will look great afterwards, too. www.bwsailing.com
INSPECT THE RIG
We always go up the mast and give the whole rig a thorough inspection before heading off on a long passage and if we are not heading offshore we reduce the process to one good annual inspection. The whole point of the inspection is to catch any potential failures before they happen and to make sure everything aloft is working properly. When you go up in the bosun’s chair, there are a few items you should take with you so you can make repairs if necessary: white rigging tape, black electrical tape, screwdrivers, seizing wire, wire cutter, tube of silicone, WD-40 with a nozzle, spare cotter pins or
ring pins and a magnifying glass. Before you go aloft, turn on the masthead and steaming lights and if they are not working, take replacement bulbs with you. Start at the masthead and check all mounting points for your instruments, tricolor and antennas. Make sure that bases are secured and that there is no chafe on the wiring. Make sure the hole in the mast where the wiring passes is well filled with silicone so the wires don’t chafe on the aluminum. Check the shackle on the roller furling gear and re-seize the pin if need be. Check the tangs and end fitting on the stays and look for rusted stands near the swage or
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mechanical end fittings. Use the magnifying glass to get a close look at any discolored strands. If the ends look okay and are dry, smear some silicone around the joints to prevent water ingress that can cause corrosion. Check the shackles and blocks on spinnaker halyards and seize the shackles if necessary. Check the halyard sheaves carefully and make sure they are turning easily. Squirt a good dollop of WD-40 onto the sheave’s sides to lubricate and protect the pins. As you come down the mast, check all tangs and end fittings and make sure the spreaders are well attached to the fittings on the mast. Remove the white rigging tape and spreader boots and check all attachments and fittings. Then, replace the boots and tape up the joints to avoid sail damage. Check the sheave or shackle on the topping lift and lubricate it with WD-40. Check the mast step for corrosion and make sure the fittings where the mast wiring goes through the deck are all water tight. Smear silicone on any joints that look suspect. Check the gooseneck for wear and tear and corrosion around stainless steel pins and apply WD-40 liberally. Once you have checked the whole rig, you want to make sure 48
the mast is straight, the stays are tight and the mast is set up with the amount of prebend you and your sailmaker decided on. ROLLER FURLING
If the boat has been stored with the mast up, you would have removed the sails to store them in a safe place below decks. Before you put the sail back on the furler prior to launching, it is wise to give the whole roller furling system a good inspection. The device is made up of the drum and bail at the bottom, the turnbuckle and lower clevis pin, the individual foil sections which
are usually eight feet long, the fasteners that attach the sections together and the top swivel. At the bottom of the lower turnbuckle, check the chainplate for discoloration or cracks and make sure the clevis pin is well secured with a split pin and then taped with rigging tape. Check the furling line for UV damage or wear and replace if necessary. On systems with open bearings, flush the bearings with hot water to remove dust and dirt. On drums with sealed bearings, you don’t have to worry. Using the bosun’s chair, have yourself hoisted up the stay to inspect the joints, fasteners and top swivel. Just tie the chair to the foil sections with a small loop of line so you don’t swing backwards. You may need tools such as Allen wrenches, LocTite, spare fasteners and WD-40. Look for set screws that are loose, for fasteners that are not in place and for joints between sections that are not tight and stable. Any loose set screws should be removed, cleaned, coated with LocTite and reinstalled. At the top, check the swivel and give it a good shot of WD-40.
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
WINCHES
A simple but messy task during a refit is to clean and regrease your winches. When a winch sits for a long time, the grease inside tends to coagulate and become thick and less viscous. This will cause the bearings to bind up and will make trimming sails or raising halyards more difficult. Also, it is not good for the bearings, pawls and springs to get gunked up. All you have to do is take the winches apart and clean the parts with a solvent that will dissolve the old grease. Once clean, you have to judiciously regrease the bearings, drums, pawls and put it all back together again. If you know what you are doing and have the required tools, it takes about 15 minutes to clean and grease a winch.
tubes do not stretch. To start the inspection, turn the wheel or wheels hard in both directions and look for any play in the system. If there is no play, you are in luck. If there is, you will need to tighten the wires at the quadrant or look for weak fasteners in the installation of the torque
lem, the autopilot can still steer the boat. Also, quadrants are not designed to withstand the sudden jarring motion of a big wave twisting the rudder and extending the arm violently. If the boat is out of the water, grab the bottom of the rudder and
STEERING SYSTEMS
Steering systems are the most exposed to hardship of any system on a cruising sailboat. That’s because the forces of moving water and waves on a rudder can be immense, particularly in large waves when the boat is falling off waves or being overtaken by large rollers. The steering system is always in motion and always dynamic, so it is important when fitting out to check it from top to bottom. Most modern cruising boats have either a chain, wire to quadrant design or a bevel head, torque tube to quadrant system. A wire system will have more play in it since the wire will stretch over time and under load while torque www.bwsailing.com
tubes, most likely where the tubes change direction. On both types of systems, check points where the tubes or the wire goes through a fixed point, either sheaves for wire or mounting brackets for tubes. This is where failures often occur. At the quadrant, inspect the cast quardrant for cracks and the key in the rudder that keeps the quardrant aligned. Check the autopilot attachment to the rudder post and the key for that. The autopilot arm should not be attached to the quadrant but to it’s own small tiller; that way, if you have a steering system prob-
try to manipulate it sideways. If there is any play, you may have bearing issues or cracks in the rudder mounting installation and you should have a boat yard specialist look at it. In the water, inspect the thru-hull for leaks or cracks. THRU-HULL FITTINGS
Modern cruising boats have many holes in them below the water and each one is a potentially serious problem. The seacocks are all that stand between you and a huge leak, so you need to make sure you check each one carefully. Make sure the valve turns easily and that there are no signs 49
{ FITTINGOUT }
of corrosion or electrolysis. If the seacock has a grease nipple, pump a little grease into it and then open and close it repeatedly. The seacocks are all attached to internal plumbing hoses and made fast with hose clamps. Each hose needs to have at least two high quality stainless steel clamps that are in perfect condition and screwed down very tightly. Check for signs of rust, cracks in the clamps or weakness in the hoses
from the oil in the engine and will reduce internal corrosion. Then, when you are back in the water, run the engine for 10 hours or so and change the oil again to remove any impurities that appeared inside the engine while it was sitting. It is also normal to top up the fuel tanks when the boat is being laid up to reduce condensation in the tanks. You should also add a fuel additive with a biocide that will emulsify water in the tank and
and replace any that are suspect. Also, make sure you have the appropriately sized wooden or rubber plugs always handy on the boat so you can block a failed seacock quickly.
kill any bugs that try to grow in the water droplets. The fuel should be fine when you go to relaunch but monitor the fuel filters carefully for the first 10 hours to make sure nothing is growing in the tanks. The general checkup of the engine during the fitting out should include changing the fuel filters and draining off any water that is in the filter housing, changing the raw water impeller that may have grown brittle from disuse, tightening or replacing the belts, which also might have become brittle or
ENIGINE AND GENERATOR
It is customary on marine diesels to change the oil and filter on the engine and genset when a boat is hauled out for the winter or for an extended stay on the hard, say, during hurricane season in the tropics. This removes impurities 50
developed hard spots where they turn around the small pullies, and checking the anti-syphon loop in the raw water plumbing. The transmission fluid should also be changed with the appropriate fluid. The heat exchanger on the engines are liable to develop scale that can block the passages, reduce water flow and cause the engine to run too hot. There are several ways to check this but the best is to take the ends off the exchanger and have a good look. On some engines, the passages can be cleaned manually. On others, with delicate fins, you have to flush the passages with a moderately weak solution of muriatic acid that will melt the scale but not the metal. The engine will have several zincs that will need to be checked and replaced. These are usually in the heat exchanger and in the back of the exhaust manifold but there may be others. We had an old Volvo MD model that had four zincs that needed to be replaced annually and one on the prop shaft. If you have a standard shaft, check the flange that attaches it to the transmission; if you see that is it fitting poorly, you may have to align the engine and for that you may want to call in a seasoned mechanic. Where the shafts exits the boat, inspect the stern gland and make sure it is functioning BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
properly. An old packing gland should leak a little while running the engine but not when the shaft is not turning. The modern Lasdrop shaft seals shouldn’t leak; if it does, you may need to tighten it slightly. If you have a P-strut for the shaft, inspect the fasteners inside the boat for any corrosion or cracks in the fiberglass. Outside the boat, grab the shaft and try to move the P-strut side to side. If there is any motion, you need to address how the strut is attached to the boat and correct any problems. Don’t forget to change the zincs on the shaft and propeller. On saildrives, check the rubber gasket under the engine for leaks or any discoloration from spilled oil or fuel. Out of the water you can check the saildrive and change the oil easily. You should also change the zincs. The saildrive is aluminum so don’t paint it with copper paint. You should coat it with a zinc-based antifouling paint. BATTERIES
Your batteries do not like being left unused. They die a slow death when they are left to slowly discharge. Hooking the boat up to shore power through your battery charger, will maintain the batteries for a while but there is always risk of fire so you need to have the boat checked regularly. If you have solar panels, you can leave the batteries hooked up in the boat and let them self-maintain while you are away and that’s one very good reason to add at least one panel. But if you don’t have a solar panel or shore power, then you need to find a way to keep the batteries charged. That will usually mean finding a warm place for them where they can be hooked up to a maintenance charger. www.bwsailing.com
When you are ready to head back into the water, you should try to keep the batteries in the top third of the amp-hour cycle for a week so the batteries get used to the discharge recharge activity. This is less important with gel cell and AGM batteries but still a good practice. Wet cell batteries need to be reconditioned after a long lay over so you will need to give them a high voltage charge for a few hours to burn the scale off the batteries’ plates; for this, you will need an adjustable smart charging device, which should really be a basic element of your energy system onboard. WATER TANKS
Chances are you left the water tanks empty and flushed some sort of either non-toxic antifreeze or a solution of bleach to keep them healthy while the boat was not being used. When you are ready to start fresh with the next launch, it is good to start with tanks that are as clean and fresh as possible. A simple solution is to mix up a couple of five gallon pails with a mild bleach solution, pour it into the tanks and pump that through all of the boat’s fresh water plumbing one faucet at a time. When done, flush the whole system with fresh water and you are done. This will help to contain any growth in the plumbing system and cut down on any odor. BWS
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The Case for
LAMINATED CRUISING SAILS
H
No longer sails only for racers, modern membrane, laminated sails will make your cruising boat sail a lot better and will hold their shape longer than conventional sails by Brian Hancock
ave you ever sailed alongside an old classic and been amazed by how fast the boat was going? The yacht has teak decks, a graceful bow and a pleasing, gently sloping transom, clearly a classic but sailing much faster than one might expect from an old yacht. Well it just may be that you are not seeing the entire picture. Many modern classics are designed to look traditional but some of them have carbon hulls and below the waterline there is a fin keel and spade rudder, not a full-length keel from decades ago. You look at the teak mast and what you can’t see is that it’s in fact a carbon mast with a teak veneer. And what of the sails? They look like classic sails but sandwiched between taffetas are highly engineered membrane sails built from an exotic low-stretch, highmodulus fiber. It’s no wonder the boat is moving along at a good clip. This begs the question; are membrane sails good for cruisers and what other options are there? 52
Let’s start by looking at the reason someone might want a membrane sail. It’s certainly true that Dacron sails have been around for decades and have served the cruising community well, but Dacron sails are heavy and heavy sails are more difficult to manage and trim. Light sails are much easier to handle and definitely easier to set and trim. There is another reason for wanting to save weight in your sails. Weight, especially weight aloft, adds to the heeling and pitching moment of the boat. Excessive pitching is fatiguing on the crew, especially on a long passage. Imagine going offshore with a few sacks of sand strapped to the top of your mast. I like to say that you should measure the life of a sail by how long it holds its shape and not by how long it holds together. With that in mind, an investment in fabric and engineering goes a long way toward ending up with sails that still have a beautiful shape 10 years down the road. The old adage, “you get what you pay for”
really does apply to sails and that’s the reason many sailors, not only those whose bent is racing, but cruisers as well, are turning to sails that are better engineered. Let’s look at cross-cut Dacron sails. All sails are engineered to handle the highest load that the sail might encounter and that’s the load up the leech and along the foot. With Dacron sails, the sail designer specs fabric strong enough to handle the leech load, but with a cross-cut sail that same weight fabric is in the body of the sail and along the luff where there is considerably less load. In other words, it’s pretty inefficiently engineered. Radial sails are much better. You can use a heavier fabric in the high load area and a lighter fabric in the areas of the sail where there is less load. Most Dacron fabrics are woven with the strength in the fill direction, in other words across the fabric. That way when the sail is built the loads are taken by the stronger fill fibers. There are some Dacrons that can be used to build radial sails but a laminate may be a BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
better choice for radial sails. Most laminated fabrics have Mylar as the base layer and Mylar, being extruded rather than woven, is there to support any off-threadline (bias) stretch. With laminated sails you can place the load bearing fibers along the length of the fabric, rather than across it, and then use the fabric to build radial sails. Membrane sails are the most precisely engineered of all sails. Each individual yarn is laid directly along the anticipated load paths which is a very efficient way of building a sail. Because of the precision with which the yarns are incorporated into the sail, you end up with each individual yarn being used to its full potential, which means that you can use fewer yarns to build the sail, and fewer yarns means a lighter sail. You can also have a number of different types of yarns in each sail. For example, you might use carbon fibers, which in terms of strength and stretch resistance is one of the best but also one of the most expensive, to handle the highest loads up the leech and along the foot of the sail, and use Twaron, which is cheaper but not as efficient, in the body of the sail. In case you are not familiar with Twaron, it’s an excellent fiber that has replaced Kevlar in sails. It is very similar to Kevlar in terms of strength and stretch resistance but without the UV and flex issues that plagued Kevlar sails in the past. It’s a much more suitable fiber for performance sails. Other exotic fibers that are used in sailmaking are Vectran, Spectra or by its other name Dyneema, Tetraneema and Technora. Indeed, for smaller boats up to around 35feet, Polyester can be used to build membrane sails. Each of these fibers have their own strengths and www.bwsailing.com
Membrane mainsail
weaknesses, but the key attributes that fabric makers, and by extension sailmakers are looking for in a fiber are all the same. Low stretch is very important, good flex, meaning that the sail can be folded and flogged a lot without the fibers breaking is also important. The last attribute is its resistance to UV degradation. A fiber like Vectran is extremely low stretch and can be flexed a lot without degradation, but show it some sunshine and it immediately starts to break down. When a sailmaker uses Vectran in a sail, the UV sensitive yarns are encapsulated between UV treated taffetas. This way the full benefit of Vectran’s properties as a fiber for sailmaking can be exploited, and it’s one weakness – UV degradation – is mitigated by the taffetas. Membrane sails, or the idea of
an “air frame” to form the basic structure of a sail was first patented by sailmaker Peter Conrad and after much court wrangling North Sails started to manufacture a similar product on a mold. They were very expensive to build and for many years were mostly used for racing sails. But many sailmakers now either own a stringing machine that is used to lay the fibers onto a Mylar substrate, or they have access to one and as a result the cost has come down quite considerably. In fact, in many cases they are cheaper than paneled sails. The process of manufacturing a membrane sail involves making the fabric and the sail at the same time. For paneled sails, the fabric is made by a fabric maker, shipped to the sailmaker, and then the sailmaker uses that fabric to make the sails. That’s a 53
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Membrane furling genoa
lot of steps and each one pushes the cost of the sail higher. Some cruisers simply don’t want membrane sails and that’s understandable. There is always the underlying fear of a sail delaminating, or over time having mildew build up between the layers. Both of these are reasonable fears but in recent years they have 54
been pretty well unsubstantiated. When membrane sails are made, they are vacuum bagged under very high pressure and this pressure, combined with advances in adhesive technology, have resulted in little or no delamination. Most membrane sails and laminates, especially those for cruisers, have light taffetas that have been
treated with anti-mildew and antiUV additives. The taffetas protect the load bearing yarns and provide a little grunt as well as chafe protection. It’s not only cruisers who want to have nothing to do with laminates. In 2006, the British sailor Sir Robin Knox Johnston wanted to enter his own race, the Velux Five Oceans BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
Race, a single-handed around-theworld race. Robin, being a tad old school, saw the benefits of radial sails but was not interested in anything other than a woven fabric. Working in conjunction with Challenge Sailcloth, they developed a woven fabric that had the strength and stretch resistance running the length of the sailcloth, rather than across it. The crimp that occurs when any fabric is woven is taken by the fill fibers which run across the fabric, rather than the warp fibers and therefore the warp fibers do not elongate when they come under load. With the warp drive fabric they were able to make radial sails and by all accounts the sails performed flawlessly for the entire race. Another noticeable advantage to high tech sails is the ability to
hold their shape through a much broader wind range, meaning that you will end up reefing less often and can carry a headsail through a wider range of wind conditions. In addition, there will be a noticeable increase in boat speed, which in turn reduces the amount of time spent at sea. The sails will also be easier to handle than conventional Dacron sails. It will be easier to furl and unfurl a headsail as well as to take in and shake out a reef. The sails are easy to manage when hoisting them for the first time and they take up less room when stowed below. High tech sails may not be for everyone but if your boat is approaching 45-feet or above it’s definitely worth considering them. The bigger the boat, the bigger the
loads and choosing sails that are better engineered quickly starts to make sense. Many cruisers have shied away from high tech sails because they either thought that only racers want that kind of product, or that they were concerned that the price might be too high. Neither is true anymore and therefore high-tech sails are definitely worth considering. Don’t forget that it’s how long the sail has a decent shape that counts, not just how long it holds together. BWS Sailmaker, author and raconteur, Brian Hancock has raced around the world and sailed just about everywhere. He owns Great Circle Sails, which caters to sailors of all kinds who want to sail higher, faster and longer. He is based in Marblehead, MA.
@Rick Tomlinson
In a freshening breeze a Hallberg-Rassy underway with laminated sails
www.bwsailing.com
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{ BLUEWATERBOATS }
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490
The latest generation of Sun Odyssey combines innovative design details with a true performance cruising hull and rig and a bright, comfortable interior
T
he brand new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 was introduced at the Miami International Boat show in February to rave reviews. The 490 is the big sister to the 440 that was launched at the Annapolis show last October and carries a close family resemblance. As Jeanneau America’s president Nick Harvey noted at the Annapolis launch, these two designs mark the beginning of the next generation of Sun Odysseys and both incorporate innovations that make sailing, cruising and 56
by George Day
living aboard easier and more comfortable. We joined the new 490 at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club and headed straight out on to Biscayne Bay with the easterly trade wind blowing at 10 knots or so. It was a perfect Miami day for sailing on the bay. Once we got the mainsail rolled out and the 125-percent genoa set for a broad reach, the 490 accelerated and soon we were sailing at over seven knots. I had sailed the new 440 in Annapolis after the boat show so I knew that these new Philippe
Briand designs were really solid performers under sail. The 490 didn’t disappoint us. In the good breeze and flat water of the bay, we tacked easily through 85 degrees and were able to maintain seven plus knots hard on the wind. As we eased sheets and powered up, the GPS showed speeds of over eight knots several times. The 490 has twin wheels and twin rudders so the steering is light and positive; it’s like driving a sports car. The hull has full-length chines that kick in when the boat heels to about 15 degrees. This is not a BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
cosmetic chine but a real design feature that improves performance while also adding to interior volume for the living space. As we put the 490 through its paces, we were confident that this is one of the better performing Sun Odysseys we’ve ever sailed, and we’ve sailed a lot of them. The ergonomics of the cockpit work very well with the halyards and control lines for the roller furling sails and the vang leading through line stoppers to winches on the coach roof next to the companionway. All sheets lead aft along the side deck and through conduits to line stoppers and selftailing electric winches (optional) at both helms. The main sheet is doubled-ended so you can trim the sail from both sides of the boat. The sheet winches are mounted on pods that allow you to crank a winch handle while standing comfortably over the winch…that is, if you don’t have electric winches. In my book, in a boat of this size and www.bwsailing.com
if you are much past 50 years old, electric winches make a lot of sense. The electronics—MFD and sailing instruments—on the boat we sailed were mounted on flat surfaces on both pods so they were easy to read and adjust from the helms. The autopilot control head was mounted at the aft end of the cockpit table module with the light switch control panel. The engine instrument panel was mounted in a recessed area in the side of the cockpit module where it was easy to see from the starboard helm. The throttle gearshift was handy to the starboard helm. The 490's cockpit has the unique “walk around” design first
introduced in the 440 last fall. Instead of climbing over the cockpit coaming to get to the side decks and go forward, you simply walk around behind the helms where the side decks have been sloped aft to meet the cockpit floor. As we have said before, when you first see and experience the walk around design you wonder out loud why no one thought of this before? It’s perfect. The aft end of the cockpit has a folding transom that lowers mechanically to be a wide and useful swim and boarding platform. The turnbuckles for the split backstay attach to chainplates that are mounted on heavily reinforced corners of the aft cockpit seats. This is a very strong system and
57
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better than mounting chainplates on the flat sections of the stern. Going forward from the cockpit, you’ll notice that the lower sidestay chainplates are mounted inboard on the cabin side while the cap shrouds attach to chainplates outboard on the gunnel. This allows a person to walk forward without ducking under the lower stay and opens up a clear sheeting path for the standard 125-percent roller furling genoa. A self-tacking headsail with its own track and a roller furling reacher or Code 0, which tack down to the bowsprit,
are options. The foredeck is huge and has plenty of room for handling a spinnaker or stowing a dinghy while sailing on an offshore passage. The forward locker is large enough for spare sails, fenders, docking lines and other inflatable water toys like a kayak or SUP. The anchoring system is set up for a single hooking type anchor on a roller under the bowsprit, an all-chain rode and a large electric windlass. A windlass control head can be mounted back at the helm as an option. The optional bow thruster is of the lowering type and will be
mounted inside the forward gear locker, thereby reducing the storage space. But, on a boat of this size, a bow thruster is a real boon for a cruising couple. And, you can add a stern thruster as well, if you have a very tight berth to get in and out of. We sailed the boat hard for a couple of hours and came away impressed with the performance built into the hull design and rig, the sure feeling of the twin rudders and helm and the excellent ergonomics in the cockpit for those sailing the boat and those reclining in the sun. LIVING ABOARD
Down below the 490’s cabins are all filled with natural light from the side windows in the hull and the large overhead windows and deck hatches. The use of light veneers and white overheads adds to the sense of brightness, which in turn seems to make the already large interior even more spacious. The boat has four interior layout plans to choose from. For a couple cruising on their own, there is a two-cabin version with the 58
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
master suite forward and a generous after quarter cabin and head. This version leaves the port quarter space open for storage, sails, a workbench and extra equipment. For a family, the three-cabin, twohead version probably is the best choice so that kids or guests will have nice private cabins aft. If you have a large family or plan to use the boat in charter, you can swap out the master cabin forward for two smaller cabins and you can add two heads so you end up with a four-cabin, four-head layout. And if you are planning expeditions with lots of crew, you can take the four-cabin layout and add a fifth cabin where the after port head was. This leaves you with a five-cabin, three head configuration. The saloon has the dinette to starboard amidships with the Ushaped galley right across from it to port. The dinette will seat six comfortably and probably eight in a pinch. The galley has loads of storage and plenty of counter space for preparing and serving meals. A two-burner stove and oven come standard but it makes sense to upgrade to the t h r e e - b u r n e r, oven option. The microwave option fits neatly under the galley counter and rises on a mechanical lift to counter level when you want to use it; otherwise it is out of sight. When you are sitting at the dinette table, you can look directly through the side www.bwsailing.com
windows at the world around you. This indoor-outdoor feel really adds to the ambience of the interior. The boat we sailed had the chart table option, which we like since we need a place aboard that can double as a navigation and communications center and a home office. The table was big enough for a folded paper chart or ChartKit. There are good locker spaces for mounting a sat phone, HF radio and a modem but not really a good flat surface for mounting a belowdecks MFD or chartplotter; but, with the chartplotter already in the cockpit, fewer owners are opting to have a below decks repeater. Jeanneau has gone to solid panel floors instead of teak and holly or parquet. This looks clean and neat and allows you to access the large sub-floor storage areas and systems. The engine is right behind the companionway steps and has great access from the front and both sides so you can undertake routine maintenance quite easily. The engine compartment is well
insulated and we noted how quiet it was when we were motoring in and out of the yacht club. The Sun Odyssey 490 is a big 49-footer with lots of innovations on deck and down below. It sails well, is well thought out, has a great cockpit and very comfortable accommodations below. A couple, a family or larger groups will have a great time cruising aboard and have the capability of sailing anywhere their heart’s desire. BWS
JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 490 LOA LOD LWL Beam Draft Draft (shoal) Displ. Ballast Sail area Water Fuel Waste
48’9” 47’3” 43’5” 14’8” 7’4” 5’4” 24,890 6,327 1,186 sq. ft. 169 gals. 63 gals. 34 gals
www.jeanneau.com
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{ FIRSTLOOKBOATPREVIEW }
Grand Soleil 46LC
The new Grand Soleil 46LC is a very interesting, high quality cruiser that will take her owners anywhere in style, comfort and speed
G
rand Soleil is an Italian builder of fine cruising and racing boats that has been a European leader for more than four decades and winner of many prestigious awards in both the marine business and in the general Italian business world. GS has built over 3,900 boats since they launched their first design in 1973 and today the factory turns out eight different models, two in the Long Cruise line (46 and 52) and six in the Performance line from 34 to 58 feet. They also build custom one-off yachts. The new GS 46LC is a perfect boat for the U.S. market. It is a beautiful design with a decidedly European flair that will appeal to couples and families who are looking for a high quality, finely finished yacht that also sails better than most. When you think of Grand Soleil, think of the brand as in the same category as Swan but 60
with an Italian accent. The 46 has a huge comfortable cockpit that is not overrun with sheets, lines and halyards so you can sail in complete comfort. All sheets, control lines and halyards run aft from the mast to the twin helms through under-deck conduits so the decks are very clean and uncluttered. There are two electric winches at each helm so the main and jib can each be trimmed without having to swap out the winches. The main sheet traveler is on a cockpit arch, so it is out of the way and there is no danger of someone being struck by the
sheet in a sudden accidental jibe. The transom folds down to make a wide swim and boarding platform and there is a shower aft so you can rinse off after a swim. The 46’s sail plan is thoroughly modern with a 90-percent selftacking Solent jib and a reaching sail on a roller furling unit on the bowsprit ahead of the jib. These can both be controlled from the cockpit. So, when sailing upwind, you roll away the reaching sail and roll out the jib and then tack the boat by simply turning a wheel. When you fall off the wind, you roll up the jib, roll out the reaching
BLUE WATER SAILING • April 2018
sail and away you go. The forepeak has a single hatch but is divided between a storage locker aft and a large chain locker and below-decks windlass forward. This is a great arrangement and a good use of space. LIVING ABOARD
The basic layout for the 46 LC shows a large master cabin forward with a centerline double and a good-size head with a shower enclosure. Aft there are two quarter cabins and a second head that will double as a good wet locker when underway in wet weather. The L-shaped galley is a large useful space and the double sinks have been placed on the boat’s centerline so they will drain on www.bwsailing.com
both tacks. The dinette will seat six and across from it are two bench seats that have a rising and lowering table between them that has a filler cushion. The TV lives in a compartment just aft and across from the dinette and appears or disappears mechanically. The new Grand Soleil 46LC is
a very interesting, high quality cruiser that will take her owners anywhere in style, comfort and speed. BWS For more information contact
Mareblu Nautical Imports, LLC 3001 W State Rd 84, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33312 Email: info@mareblu.net
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Offshore Sail-Training Aboard Mahina Tiare III, a Hallberg-Rassy 46
With a combined experience of 665,000 miles and 81 years, John and Amanda Neal’s unique curriculum offers you a dynamic hands-on learning experience including seamanship, navigation, storm avoidance and heavy weather tactics.
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2018 Mahina Offshore
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Lagoon 42 - February 2016 - Photo Credit: Nicolas Claris
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{ BROADREACHING }
by ANDYCROSS
Island Spirit
The British Virgin Islands are ready for a comeback
W
ith the sails trimmed for a beam reach, we blasted down Sir Francis Drake Channel towards The Moorings base in Road Harbor at about 9 knots—a perfect way to end another amazing charter. By all accounts, it had been an awesome week of cruising in the British Virgin Islands. Sunny skies, warm breezes topping off in the low 20s, and lots of friends both new and old made it one for the books. But this March’s adventure to the BVI wasn’t all fun and games. On the ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola, the signs of damage from Hurricane Irma were readily apparent. Boats were strewn on beaches, tarps acted as makeshift roofs on houses and windows were blown in, yet to be replaced. None of that was comparable to what Road Town, Tortola looks like—literally, like bombs went off, 74
as one local so aptly said. After my sailing time was over, my friend Kevin and I found our old friend Boots, who is a cab driver and owns an apartment I used to stay in while working as a captain and instructor in the islands. He took us on a tour of town to show us his house and the apartment, the downtown area, high school and some of the waterfront. When we pulled up to the apartment, my old abode was almost unrecognizable. The roof was gone and the inside was mostly empty. Apparently, when the roof was blown off by the over 200-mile per hour winds, everything inside was literally sucked out. Gone. As we then made our way down towards the heart of town, we witnessed more of the carnage and, though he said it was the most traumatic thing he’d ever experienced, Boots remained his upbeat self. It was great to see him again. Winding our way through Road Town, nearly every way we looked
buildings were in some state of destruction and disarray. The high school was mostly demolished and rows of desks sat neatly arranged on a slab of concrete with no walls around them or a roof overhead. The students go to classes half time now, as they don’t have a space big enough for all of them to learn. In the moment I thought about how boats and sailing don’t really matter, it’s the people and their lives that matter most. But in reality, boats and sailing actually play a big role in this community. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Caribbean and it’s the dollars spent by visitors that will help. I recalled a conversation I had with Jeanneau America’s Paul Fenn at the bar at Leverick Bay earlier in the week, which seemed to sum it all up perfectly. In essence, what we both agreed upon was that the best that everyone can do is to simply come back. Sailors that have frequented the BVI in years past need to return and those who have always wanted to visit still should. We all need to support a place and people that we’ve enjoyed and loved as one of the best sailing destinations in the world. Because it still is. Yes, the road ahead for the BVI—and many other Caribbean islands—is going to be a long one. But people are working hard and I’m confident their island spirit will carry them through. I’ll be back. And I hope you will, too. BWS Andrew, along with wife Jill and sons Porter and Magnus, are currently in Alaska working on their Grand Soleil 39 Yahtzee. Follow their adventures at threesheetsnw.com/yahtzee. BLUE WATER SAILING • March 2018
Join the Salty Dawg Rally and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow blue water
sailors. Sail to and from the Caribbean, attend free safety and seamanship seminars and demonstrations provided by veteran passagemakers and the U.S. Coast Guard. And, benefit from the many valuable discounts that are available only to Salty Dawg Rally members.
Events in 2018
(Check the website for the exact dates: www.saltydawgsailing.org.)
May: Spring Salty Dawg Rally from the B.V.I to Hampton, Va. July: Salty Dawg Rally to Maine October: Salty Dawg Great Lakes Rally to Hampton October: Safety and Seamanship Seminar in Annapolis, Md.
October: Visit the Salty Dawg booth at the Annapolis Sailboat Show October: Safety and Seamanship Seminars in Hampton, Va. October: Annual Family Halloween Party and Raffle in Hampton, Va. November: Fall Salty Dawg Rally from Hampton, Va. to the B.V.I.
Go to saltydawgsailing.org for more information.
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