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CONTENTS MAY 2022

VOL LIX // NUMBER 9

TYLER FIELDS

64 FEATURES 40

CENTER OF ATTENTION Center console boats in the 30to 40-foot range are some of the most sought-after designs on the water today.

By Gary Caputi

50

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK If you like a quiet cruising destination, it’s worth popping over to Cuttyhunk and its little neighbor, Penikese Island.

By Pim Van Hemmen

10

SOUNDINGS

56

GOING THE DISTANCE How big and fast can new electric motors get, and how far will they be able to go?

By Pim Van Hemmen

64

COLOR & CHARACTER First Light Boatworks on Cape Cod helps keep the tradition of American wooden boatbuilding alive and thriving.

By Carly Sisson

DEPARTMENTS 12 Underway 16 Mailboat 19 Dispatches 26 Seamanship 30 First Person 35 Launched 38 Classics 70 Seascapes 72 Used Boat 96 Just Yesterday

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Life After Work

H

ave you ever wondered what retirement will really look like? It’s hailed as the ultimate achievement after a lifetime of working, but can it live up to your expectations? For Mike Gragtmans, 61, who took the plunge, the answer is yes; in large part because of a boat.

In early 2020, Gragtmans was working for Mitsubishi Chemical, running worldwide operations for one of its divisions.

A true road warrior, he traveled internationally for at least three weeks each month, often stopping in multiple countries within a single week. It was a fun job, he says, but it could be grueling. He was in a Tokyo hotel one night when his brother Jost called. “He said, ‘I think I found our boat,’” Gragtmans says. “A 2015 Jeanneau 37 was up for auction and Jost thought we could get her for a good price. I had sailed on small boats, but I’d always dreamed of owning something like that. Jost suggested we make a low-ball offer and see what happens. I called my wife, Anne, for her approval and then got back to Jost to say ‘let’s do it.’”

They bought the boat in February 2020. Because it had been partially submerged in water, it needed a good deal of work.

“Covid had just hit, so getting the boat operational was a challenge,” says Gragtmans. “We asked the Jeanneau dealership in Newport, Rhode Island, for help and they did a beautiful job.”

The Gragtmans live in Greenville, South Carolina, but had always dreamed of sailing Newport. So, when it was time to find a home for the boat, they decided to keep her at the Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard. Jost had done some cruising in that area and liked the idea too.

Then the brothers’ plans took a tough, terrible turn. As the boat was being repaired, Jost was diagnosed with cancer. His battle began, and while he talked about the possibility of helming the Jeanneau on Narragansett Bay, Jost knew the dream was not guaranteed. He died in March 2021, just one month before the boat was launched. “That was my wake-up call,” says Gragtmans. “Jost reminded me that life can be fickle. You can be doing fine and then chaos descends. You never know when that might happen, so live in the best way you can. He told me to leave the job, take the leap and don’t worry about it.”

Gragtmans took his brother’s advice. He resigned from his full-time position and then packed up his truck with the gear he’d need for a summer of cruising. He drove 12 hours north to Newport, arriving after dark on a spring evening. “I wasn’t even sure how to turn on the boat’s lights,” he says. “Fortunately, one of the guys in the marina came over and offered to show me how to get things fired up. We’ve become friends since. There’s a great sense of community here.”

Last summer, Gragtmans spent about 75 days in Newport living aboard Voor de Wind. That was the name Jost had selected for the boat, a Dutch phrase that translates to “with the wind.”

“It means ‘everything is great,’” says Anne, who joined her husband aboard on summer weekends. “Each time we were on the boat, I felt Jost in the wind, on the sails. He made this happen for Mike, who is happiest on the water.”

JEANNE CRAIG JCraig@aimmedia.com

REAL BOATS, REAL BOATERS

2&= c:41 1.< 34 PRESIDENT GARY DESANCTIS

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JEANNE CRAIG EXECUTIVE EDITOR PIM VAN HEMMEN ART DIRECTOR BRIANA SMITH ASSOCIATE EDITOR CARLY SISSON DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER CHRIS CIRILLI CONTRIBUTING WRITERS GARY CAPUTI, WENDY MITMAN CLARKE, PETER FREDERIKSEN, KIM KAVIN, CHARLIE LEVINE, JOHN WOOLDRIDGE EDITOR-AT-LARGE WILLIAM SISSON

SALES & MARKETING PUBLISHER MICHELE GOLDSMITH 847-373-0385, mgoldsmith@aimmedia.com DIRECTOR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS/SPONSORSHIPS PAUL SMITH 914-467-8729, psmith@aimmedia.com REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER/CLASSIFIEDS ERICA PAGNAM 860-227-6638; epagnam@aimmedia.com Ņų ŸĹÚƣÏĬ±ŸŸĜĀ åڟıĜĵĵåÚĜ±ţÏŅĵ SENIOR SALES COORDINATOR SARA CARPENTER scarpenter@aimmedia.com

VP, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR WILLIAM SISSON VP, MARKETING AND EVENTS JULIE JARVIE VP, MARKETING INNOVATION ERIC DALLIN VP, CUSTOM PUBLISHING JEANNE CRAIG DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT DANIEL HARDING JR. DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CHRISTINE NILSEN DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER MATTHEW BOYLES PRODUCTION MANAGER SUNITA PATEL SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR AMY RALEIGH TRAFFIC COORDINATOR SAMANTHA BRENNAN CIRCULATION, FULFILLMENT MANAGER CERISSE CARPENTER DIRECTOR OF RETAIL SALES SUSAN A. ROSE CIRCULATION DIRECTOR PAIGE NORDMEYER

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FEEDBACK FROM OUR BOATING COMMUNITY

IF YOU’RE WONDERING ABOUT THE WASQUE 32 You might be interested in a more detailed history of the Wasque 32, which was featured in your March issue (Used Boat). I was a participant in her Vineyard career and legacy. The Wasque 32 came to the Vineyard around 1967. The boat’s name was Merlin and she was owned by George Mattasian, who wanted to start an Oyster farm on the Great Pond in Edgartown. His proposal was turned down by the town, so he sold the boat to my father, Tom Hale. We never knew who designed or built it, but we were told it was a Jonesport lobster boat.

Tom Hale, together with Rupert C. Thompson and Robert M. Love Jr., had Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard remove the superstructure, roll the boat over and make a two-piece fiberglass mold. Approximately 15 to 20 boats were made from this mold. The boats were sold as either a bare hull or a finished boat by Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard.

Around 1972 Vineyard Yachts was formed on property adjacent to Martha’s’ Vineyard Shipyard, by Tom Hale, Miles Carpenter and several others. Sometime around 1976 David Thompson joined the company and ran Vineyard Yachts for about 15 years. The second Wasque 32 mold was built in 1978 with a spray rail and a flange to land the rubrail. Vineyard Yachts laminated the Wasque 32. Thompson built a 32 for himself named Cherokee in the early 1980s.

The Wasque 32 molds were sold in the late 1980s and shipped to California, but were destroyed in transit. The original wooden Wasque 32, Merlin, returned to service in 1981 and worked as a lobster boat around the Vineyard until she caught fire at the Menemsha Coast Guard Station in 2010. Chris Hood of Hood Yachts bought the right to the Wasque name from Thompson in the early 2000s.

Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard has been in the Hale family for 61 years. We get calls for the Wasque 32 four or five times a year.

PHIL HALE, PRESIDENT MARTHA’S VINEYARD SHIPYARD

CLASSIC BEAUTY I’ve followed Pat Mundus’ intelligent, sensible stories in Soundings for years. I just read “Living History” (November 2021), which featured her personal boat, the Herreshoff Rozinante ketch Tern. I’ve always loved that beautiful design.

Years ago, my wife Nancy and I were at the Nantucket Boat Basin in our yawl Nimble. After a full day ashore, we were motoring back to our boat when we noticed a lovely Rozinante anchored in the strong wind. After finishing dinner aboard Nimble, I took the dinghy back out to have another look at the Rozinante.

Her main was furled, but the jib was on the foredeck and the hatch was open. The boat was quiet and I suspected her owner was asleep, perhaps catching up on rest after a rough trip. Then I noticed the dinghy was swamped, sitting upside down and trailing astern. I didn’t know how much this design yawed at anchor and, with the dinghy astern as a “drogue” on a short painter, she seemed as steady as a rock. Interesting seamanship, I surmised, and returned to Nimble in the failing light.

At 2 a.m. we were blasted out of bed by searchlights from the deck of a Coast Guard cutter. We rubbed sleep out of our eyes and were on deck in a minute. “Sorry” said the Guardsman, who then asked if there had been another boat anchored nearby that night. “Yes,” I said, pointing toward the Rozinante.

We were told the boat had dragged past us and drifted down into the harbor, where she hit a few boats on moorings. There was no one aboard at the time. We went back to sleep but I later contacted the Coast Guard to flesh out the story.

They provided just a few details: The owner was a 70-year-old man who had most likely drowned, and the boat was named Tern. At the time, I thought a skipper that age was too old for singlehanding. But here I am at 84, still on the water.

Is there any chance that the boat I admired in Nantucket is the same Tern owned by Pat Mundus? Also, I want to thank Ms. Mundus for her work and writing, and for sharing the details of her interesting life in her stories.

KENT MOUNTFORD LUSBY, MARYLAND

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE The March issue of Soundings is one of your best ever. I found a number of terrific articles with practical information and a lot of fascinating stories. I enjoyed Jeanne Craig’s letter “Child’s Play,” which told the story of a man whose love of boating was initiated in childhood and nurtured by his parents. It reminded me of my own upbringing aboard sail and powerboats. I have had a wonderful boating life. Keep up the good work.

JAMES DRAKE WEST BATH, MAINE 16

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The Ice Man’s Find THE ICE PILOT FOR THE ENDURANCE22 EXPEDITION SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE LOCATING ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SHIPWRECKS IN HISTORY

W

hen Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men headed their stout wooden ship Endurance into Antarctica’s Weddell Sea in December 1914, they had high hopes but few illusions about the “evil conditions” they were up against: subzero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, uncharted waters and lands. Above all, they faced “a gigantic and interminable jigsaw puzzle devised by nature”—pack ice.

Today, ships in this region are reinforced steel, satellites provide data to create accurate ice maps, sophisticated programs can pinpoint drift within the pack and communications can even work via smartphone on WhatsApp. But none of this changes what still dominates this world and anyone who ventures into it: ice.

Above: Capt. Freddie Lightelm (at left) was on watch aboard the polar vessel S.A. Agulhas II when the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust expedition located Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance under the Weddell Sea ice pack.

MAY 2022

19

DISPATCHES

NEWS

“The sea ice in itself is amazing to sail into, and normal ocean mariners will be in disbelief the first time they encounter it,” says Capt. Freddie Lightelm, the ice pilot and backup captain aboard the 440-foot South African polar vessel S.A. Agulhas II during the Endurance22 expedition. “Antarctica is a hostile environment, and other than the sea ice, freezing conditions and iceberg hazards, it continuously experiences poor visibility due to snow, fog, Arctic smoke [sea smoke forming over water patches in sea ice], low cloud or whiteout winds blowing up snow, which all makes for ‘interesting’ navigation. The force of moving ice is certainly something one must be very wary about.”

Understanding ice’s makeup, characteristics and behavior, as well as how to safely maneuver in it, are key skills of an ice pilot, which often refers to someone who has experience in sea ice for a particular area, Lightelm says. SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea) regulations require any ship going below 60°S to carry an ice pilot. Typically already master mariners, polar ice pilots complete basic and advanced polar training courses and at least 90 days as a watch keeper in polar areas.

Lightelm—who shared a six-on, six-off watch with S.A. Agulhas II’s master, Capt. Knowledge Bengu—was on watch March 5 when the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust expedition located Shackleton’s ship in 10,000 feet of water under the Weddell Sea ice pack. The wreck lies just 4 miles south of the position recorded by Endurance navigator Frank Worsley, who later would navigate Shackleton and four others in the greatest open-boat voyage ever sailed—800 Southern Ocean miles from

Right: A multimillion-dollar autonomous underwater vehicle was used to locate Endurance (below) in 10,000 feet of water.

20

SOUNDINGS

Elephant Island to South Georgia—to reestablish contact with the world and organize the rescue of the remaining Endurance crew stranded on Elephant Island.

Riveting and ghostly, the ship lies upright on the seafloor, where it has rested in darkness since the ice pack took it down on Nov. 21, 1915. In the cold, black waters, wood-eating marine life is basically nonexistent, and the wreck is perfectly preserved.

“No ship ever built by man could ever live, if taken fairly in the grip of the floes and prevented from rising to the surface of the grinding ice,” Shackleton wrote in South, his narrative of the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917

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that describes Endurance’s harrowing, ruthless imprisonment in the Weddell Sea pack ice. “It was,” he wrote, “a sickening sensation to feel the decks breaking up under one’s feet, the great heavy beams bending and then snapping with a noise like heavy gun-fire.”

Having experienced pack ice since his first voyage to Antarctica in 2002 and sailing there as a ship master and ice pilot on multiple research, logistics and expedition vessels since 2008, it’s not that difficult for the 46-year-old Lightelm to imagine what the Endurance crew went through. During the 2019 Weddell Sea Expedition to find Endurance, he was also the ice pilot and backup captain aboard S.A. Agulhas II. The effort was abandoned after a multimillion-dollar AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) was lost and the weather grew untenable.

“We managed to reach the wreck site, but the ice extent was much more that year and the stage of development of the ice more severe, with more multiyear ice floes of high concentration,” he says. At one point, the ship was “nipped” between two huge ice floes for about 10 hours.

“At the nipping/connecting point, I could feel the vibration of the ship as it squeezed the hull, and I could then imagine how Endurance was crushed. Luckily this ship is heavily strengthened, and we were safe,” says Lightelm. “During ice navigation, we often got large chunks of ice going through the propellers, and my biggest fear would be to suffer mechanical damages whilst in the Weddell Sea, as there are no ships around that would be able to assist us in those conditions.”

22

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This time, the ice had retreated further, concentration was less, and first-year ice—usually about a meter (3.2 feet) thick—dominated the pack. That’s more easily navigated than multiyear ice, which develops layers of fresh water as snow melts, refreezes and forms ridges that can be up to three meters (9.8 feet) thick.

S.A. Agulhas II is a Polar Class 5 vessel, designed and built to make five knots through first-year ice, so unlike 2019, when the ship had to resort to backing and ramming to proceed, the 2022 expedition could maneuver continuously. (Lightelm was part of the team that drew up specifications and built S.A. Agulhas II, launched in 2012. He also was its delivery master from Finland to Cape Town.)

Lightelm is “a huge Shackleton fan” who has visited the explorer’s grave on South Georgia several times. After the Endurance discovery, S.A. Agulhas II steamed to South Georgia to pay tribute to “the boss,” as Shackleton’s crew called him. Finding the wreck “was such a relief after all the efforts put into it,” Lightelm says. “We were all gobsmacked, and it felt great.”

The discovery was especially personally significant, he says, as a South African helping lead an all-South African crew on a South African ship. “That is amazing, and I am very proud about that.” —Wendy Mitman Clarke

Top: The 440-foot S.A. Agulhas II is shown traveling through the hostile environment of Antarctica, with its subzero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, icebergs and poor visibility.

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Click Here for Everything FORTNINE’S ACQUISITION OF DEFENDER COULD CREATE A MASSIVE ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR BOAT OWNERS

By Kim Kavin

I

n February, the Canadian brand FortNine acquired Connecticutbased Defender Industries, which, since 1938, has been a go-to shop for boaters seeking reasonably priced gear, inflatables and outboard motors. The deal may seem odd to boaters at first, given that FortNine is a leading online supplier of gear for motorcycles, dirt bikes and ATVs. But the internet retail prowess that FortNine has established since it was founded in 2009—by a guy who couldn’t find an affordable motorcycle helmet in his local stores—is expected to become like a rocket booster for Defender.

Until now, Defender’s marketing plan has been based around a printed catalog that company founder Sheldon Lance created in 1960. The first catalog was about 35 pages; the last one came out in 2019 with about 60,000 products.

“Up until two years ago, other than that catalog mailing, we really didn’t do

24

SOUNDINGS

any marketing,” says Stephan Lance, the founder’s son and president of Defender.

“Today, we’re at roughly 85,000 active SKUs and over a million special-order SKUs. We’ll order anything from our vendor partners that anybody needs.”

FortNine plans to combine Defender’s position as the largest independent marine-supply firm in the U.S. with its own expertise in providing a smart shopping experience online. Boaters can expect to see an expanded ability to order a significantly increased number of products. The company also intends to reduce Defender’s shipping charges and delivery times for U.S. boaters through some logistics investments, according to Eric Cadorette, FortNine’s chief operating officer.

That kind of online access for boaters is something Sheldon Lance could not have imagined when he founded Defender. He never could afford a boat of his own, but he enjoyed being out on

friends’ boats. In the postwar years of the 1950s, he figured out something that helped his company grow.

“He was a Brooklyn native who came up with the idea of selling Army surplus materials for people to use on boats,” Lance says. “He would take things like old parachute material and buy it in bulk. He had seamstresses. Anything that anybody wanted for a boat, he would make. He later got into vinyl and canvas. That expanded into inflatable boats purchased on surplus.”

The company continued to thrive after Sheldon Lance died in 2011. He was remembered as a pioneer in the mail-order business. Today, Defender’s tens of thousands of products span the spectrum of power and sail, and lean toward economical prices that give boaters affordable solutions to problems.

“We’ve always had a bit of a bend toward sail because my family is all sailors,” Lance says. “I went over to the dark side and bought a Leopard 43 Powercat. I’ll always love hoisting sails, but my family really didn’t have enough time to go sailing.”

Lance will remain president of Defender, which has 120 full-time employees and a 150,000-square-foot headquarters. He’s eager to see how FortNine, which has dabbled in boating, can take the company into its next era.

“They are passionate about being in the industry,” Lance says, adding that this is the first time in nearly a century that someone other than a member of his family will own Defender. “I’m excited—and a little bit nervous.”

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Heading Off, Holding On BEFORE CASTING OFF FOR THE FIRST FISHING TRIP OF THE SEASON, GET THESE THINGS IN ORDER

By Peter Frederiksen

M

ost anglers who look forward to fishing in the early spring waste no time prepping their gear.

They’ll put fresh line on the reels, set drags and sharpen hooks. But whether you are aiming to brawl with bluefish or hunt striped bass with mossbunker, one of the most critical factors for success is a seaworthy boat. It too needs to be prepped to ensure it can get you out there and back safely.

26

SOUNDINGS

Admittedly, when the call comes in that the fish are chomping, an angler’s enthusiasm for a bent rod may take precedence over finishing those remaining maintenance jobs on the boat. Cosmetic chores—like a final coat of wax for the stainless-steel bowrail—can wait, but that’s not true for important safety procedures, like making sure the boat’s navigation electronics are all in good working order.

I learned that lesson the hard way years ago, on a sunny morning in May, when a friend called wanting to troll a few hours for bluefish. He had heard reports that the racer blues were stacked up on Manasquan Ridge just a few easy miles from Manasquan Inlet in New Jersey. We arrived at the fleet, got our lines in the water and enjoyed a steady bite for a good hour. The action slowed as it frequently does when too many boats crisscross over the sandy hill, scattering the sand eels and other baitfish the blues dine on. So, I pointed the bow to the east and trolled toward the Southeast Lump to finish the morning.

A warm, southerly breeze changed everything in a hurry as the steady wind passed over the cool water. Suddenly, a curtain of fog was the next and only thing I saw. The fleet astern on the Ridge evaporated instantly. Worse, my stomach knotted when I realized my radar was inoperable.

I should have checked it out before leaving the dock, but I didn’t think I would need it because the weather looked fine and it was going to be a short trip. That was a great excuse, but truly inexcusable because I should have run the radar as soon as I left the marina to confirm its operation. All I could do at this point was blow the horn for one prolonged five-second blast every couple of minutes as I eased the boat toward the barn, hoping any boats on my course home would hear the signal and respond. None did. Still, I couldn’t be sure the coast was clear, or if other boaters fishing nearby simply did not know or understand sound signals in conditions of restricted visibility. There was one thing I was certain about: It would be a slow, white-knuckle ride back to the inlet.

Fortunately, visibility improved somewhat, and by the time I was 2 miles off the beach the fog was nothing more than a light haze. The rest of the fishing trip was uneventful, but I was frustrated by my experience and found an electronics tech to inspect my radar back at the dock. The old Furuno magnetron

TOM SPENCER

Left: When prepping for the spring fishing season, it’s important to make sure gear gets attention, but don’t forget about maintenance for the boat too.

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was shot and it was time to order a new unit. A week later I was back in business. The new radar’s ability to discriminate what I could not see in the fog reminded me to appreciate how safety is all about having equipment that works properly and knowing how to use it.

The more you use your boat, the more you learn about how fast things can go awry. Years ago, on a trip in the Out Islands of the Bahamas, a friend who served as mate on the 55-foot convertible berthed in the slip next to me called on the radio as he was headed back to port. He reported a super day bottom-fishing, having loaded up on grouper and snapper. This mate could rig a dead balao to swim better than it ever did when it was alive. He always caught fish and handled deck duties like a pro. By the time he was finished filleting a fish, you could read a book through its rack of bones.

I backed into my slip that afternoon, anxious to catch up with my friend, but no one was on the boat.

I learned from the dockmaster that the mate had to be flown off the island because he had practically severed a finger while cleaning fish on the way in. The boat had been steaming home at 35 knots while he was busy filleting the catch when the convertible hit a swell. The mate then lost his balance, skidding on the wet deck.

The fish he was cleaning and the knife he was using went flying.

That was an unusual situation, but it offers a lesson. The operator has to keep track of his passengers, and passengers must pay attention to their surroundings to keep things on an even keel.

Recently I was fishing with a friend in Florida. While unhooking a small bonefish from a rig with a pink jig and a trailer hook, he lost his grip. The hook whipped around and snagged deeply into his thumb. This happened while the bonefish was still flopping about. I got the fish off the jig, relieving the weight and pressure on his finger, and cut the line. But our day was over because my friend

appeared ready to pass out. I brought the boat back and we headed for the local urgent care to have the hook removed. We had to pull in our lines early that day, but no fish is worth an injury.

Recently, I’ve been seeing a number of new high-performance center console boats with triple, quad and even five outboards on the transom. They get me thinking about safety. In this type of boat, the skipper will have no trouble getting to the deep in record time so the crew can get lines in the water quickly. But to run the boat safely, particularly at high speeds, the operator needs to do what he or she can to keep visibility unobstructed. You need a good line of sight to be able to maneuver through big seas and avoid the floating debris that can appear as quickly as lightning. That’s important to remember, as steering this type of boat from sea level is very different from running a flybridge, which affords good visibility. Even in flat seas, the massive forward deck of a big center console boat can challenge the operator’s ability to see over the bow at high speeds or when coming up on plane. And it might be more challenging to judge the size and height of oncoming waves.

Many of these big center console boats feature rows of seating abaft the helm, where passengers can stay comfortable while the boat is underway. Before heading offshore in one of these powerful center console boats, make sure each passenger knows what to hold on to when underway. It can’t hurt to ensure your passengers will be comfortable before you leave the dock. For instance, make sure they feel okay walking around on a wet deck, especially if the sole is designed with molded steps leading to the bow. And don’t hesitate to add a few grabrails if the current setup is lacking in this department.

The first fishing trip of the season is always a milestone. To make it a good memory, watch the weather and be sure you leave the dock, ready for the mission.

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FIRST PERSON

Drawer of Memories THE CONTENTS OF A STEPFATHER’S DESK REVEAL A PASSION FOR BIG FISH

By Charlie Levine

H

e had giant hands, with fingers the circumference of quarters. Scarred, scratched, calloused and rough.

Shaking his hand was like shaking a catcher’s mitt.

But somehow he could tie intricate fishing knots. He could fix damn near anything, and whether it flew, floated or rolled, he could drive it.

He opened an autobody shop at age 16 and stayed in business until he passed away last November at 78. He built tow trucks and dump trucks. He dabbled in real estate and restaurants. He served for decades as a volunteer firefighter. And he fished harder than anyone I knew growing up. For 35 years, he lived with my mom. Though they never officially married, I called him my stepdad.

The stepparent thing can be a roll of the dice. I lucked out.

His name was Oliver Helmrich, but everyone called him Corky, a nickname that stuck to him as a young boy. He was a hardworking, simple guy, but by no means a simpleton. He always wore the same outfit: a blue polo shirt with a chest pocket for his glasses or phone; khaki shorts, and boat shoes that

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stretched out over the sides of the soles. He never wore socks, unless the ground was frozen.

In his prime he was powerful, like the trucks he built. I once saw him throw a car transmission over his shoulder and walk across the yard next to his shop without so much as a grimace.

He had a soft side, too. He was always taking in outcasts and strays. He’d employ them, lend them money and try to lead them down a path toward success. When the world gave up on these souls, Corky gave them shelter. I can’t count how many people I’ve bumped into who have told me a story about a time Corky helped them out, no strings attached. I’m one of them.

When he passed, I drove my truck from my home in Florida to Connecticut to help my mom. It was a dark time, and she needed a sympathetic ear and a strong back. My biggest task was organizing his mountain of tackle, beneath which sat his rolltop desk. Stuck in a corner of the den, next to a wood stove, his desk hardly ever saw the light of day. It was buried under boxes of tackle, giant spools of monofilament, plastic bags with carefully rigged shark hooks on wire, shoeboxes stuffed with bank statements, charts with notations for future trips, a decade’s worth of photos and stacks of fishing magazines

Top: The author found remnants of his deceased stepfather’s fishing life in a desk he organized following the man’s passing.

CHARLIE LEVINE

DISPATCHES

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FIRST PERSON

The desk drawers held a bit of everything that defined him: a knife; a manual from an outboard he sold 15 years ago; loose ammunition; a handwritten note from my sister; an envelope of cash; broken sunglasses; tools and 18/0 circle hooks.

My eyes welled up when I found a bunch of magazines he had saved for nearly 20 years, dogeared to stories I had written. He saved a calendar from 2007 that published a few of my photos.

“He always bragged about you to his fishing buddies,” my mom said. I never really believed her, until I opened that drawer.

Corky fished for all manner of things, but he was most passionate about sharks, tuna and billfish. He’d go on marathon canyon trips, heading out Friday after work and returning Sunday evening. He’d roll in around dinnertime, sunburned and smiling, carrying Ziploc bags full of mako fillets, swordfish steaks or tuna loins. He was never boastful.

“How was the fishing?” I’d ask, and I’d get a simple good or not so good as he fired up a grill or fell into a chair. Later, I’d hear his friends, whom my mother kiddingly (I think) referred to as the village idiots, recount some tale of Corky catching a blue marlin on a skinny-water spinning rod. “The rod broke, and he had to handline it in.” And when there was an engine issue, he was the first guy to climb into the bilge and, often, the last one out.

When I was a teenager, he hooked me up with cars and got me out of a few jams. In high school, a police officer pulled me over for rolling through a stop sign. I had beer on my breath.

The cop knew Corky, so rather than drag me in, he followed me home to make sure I got there. Years later, Corky brought it up. “You knew about that?” I asked. He laughed, and I thanked him for not telling my mother.

When I was an editor at Marlin magazine, I invited Corky on a trip to Ecuador. He didn’t hesitate. He packed a small duffel no larger than a gym bag for a weeklong trip. He always traveled lightly. We flew to Salinas and fished for tuna and marlin out of Manta. He coached me on fighting fish in the chair. He let me wind on all of the big ones. He was happy helping the mate rig baits and set up the spread. I caught a wahoo that was so large it took two of us to hold it up, and my first Pacific blue marlin.

We dined with some of the wealthiest men in the country in a sprawling mansion with glove-clad butlers and a library with quite a collection of fishing books. We were so far out of our element it felt like Mars, but Corky never wavered. He was just Corky, always comfortable in his own skin no matter the set-

32

SOUNDINGS

Left: Corky fished for all types of species, but he was most passionate about sharks.

ting. He charmed the guys in their blue blazers, recanting stories of giant tuna and sharing his uncanny knowledge of marine diesel engines.

Corky never cared much for doctors or medicine. He broke his leg in a motorcycle accident when he was in his 20s and never got a cast. He just went to work with a cane for a while. Decades of that kind of stuff eventually caught up to him. His later years were marked by pain in his knees and shoulders. He spent more time at his desk, twisting wire and making shark rigs for his buddies. He also started rehabbing old spinning reels that he’d give to neighborhood kids. My parents lived on a quaint lake that was loaded with bass and pickerel. That brings up another Corky story: Apparently he would break into a state reservoir down the road that held a good population of fish. He’d catch bass, load them in buckets and bring them back to release in the lake.

When I had boys of my own, we’d visit in the summer and play in the lake all day, just as I did as a kid. Corky would sit and watch us, smiling. He’d tell a few stories and get my kids to dig up worms for bait. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would give you a big hug, but he had a soft side. I spotted him crying at my wedding. He showed his affection in different ways.

When I was home from college, he’d peel off bills from the knot of cash he carried and stick a couple in my pocket.

If he liked you, Corky would cook for you, and that was always a treat. Big rib roasts and baked stuffed shrimp. Whenever I came around, he’d make me a lobster dinner. He knew what I liked to drink and always kept it on hand. That’s how I knew he loved me.

With the rods stowed and the tackle organized into boxes based on targeted species and shoved into a closet, where they’d stay until the weather warmed, this corner of my parents’ house was transformed. I polished the wooden desk and fixed a drawer pull that had fallen off. The contents were different now, but the globs of hardened epoxy and the black ink spots from markers used on hook points remained. The rigs he left behind will go to his fishing buddies to be used, because that’s what Corky would want.

As I looked at the newly cleaned desk, his exit felt real for the first time. The oak rolltop was no longer a workbench. It’s a keeper of memories.

This story first appeared in a 2021 issue of Angler’s Journal.

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LAUNCHED LOA: 27’8” Beam: 8’6” Draft (engine up): 11” Displ.: 5,600 lbs.

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Parker 2400CC PARKER’S LATEST CENTER CONSOLE IS FOR THE FISHERMAN WHO ALSO WANTS TO TAKE THE FAMILY TO THE SANDBAR

W

hen you mention Parker Boats, you might picture a 20-some-footer with an enclosed cabin placed far forward and a cockpit big enough to land loads of fish. But for over 50 years, besides those distinctive-looking Sport Cabin boats that are appreciated by fishermen who like to extend their seasons, Parker’s been making center consoles.

Family-owned until three years ago, the company built its reputation on no-frills, plain-Jane boats for budget-minded fishermen, many of whom prized the models for their stability and toughness. Yet Parkers were not always beloved for their ride, partly because the helm was set far forward on the Sport Cabin models and partly because of the flat running surface that made them so desirable for drift fishing.

But since the company was bought by Correct Craft in 2019, change has been afoot.

At last fall’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Parker introduced the Parker 2200CC, the first in a new line of what the company calls offshore-capable center consoles with deep-V hulls. It was outfitted for fishing, but it was also designed for day trips with families, with features like stern and bow seating, port and starboard swim platforms, space for a head, and an optional bow table that could be converted into a casting platform or a sun pad.

Parker brought the second model in the line, the 2400CC, to the 2022 Miami International Boat Show. There, Parker’s Sales and Marketing Director Jeff Donahue gave me a tour of hull No. 1, which had just arrived from the factory in North Carolina.

Standard features include bow seating with cushions and insulated stowage, a lounge seat over a fishbox located forward of the console, LED lights under the gunwales and a Top: Parker’s 2400CC was designed new from the bottom up. The hull provides a soft, dry ride—even in a good chop.

MAY 2022

35

LAUNCHED

head. A powder-coated aluminum leaning post is also standard, but the boat at the show had the optional fiberglass version, with a built-in livewell and storage for tackle and rods. The two-seat bench at the helm has flip-up bolsters and armrests. At the helm dash, there was a single 12-inch Garmin GPS/sounder, but Donahue said the console is large enough for two 16-inch screens. There’s space for an optional Fusion stereo, too.

At the stern, cockpit jump seats are to port and starboard of the motor well, with cup holders built into the well’s edge. Donahue demonstrated the ease with which the seats could be removed. There is no dedicated place for the seats once removed, but there is enough stowage on the boat to put them away.

At the transom, to either side of the optional 300-hp Yamaha outboard, are swim platforms just large enough to get aboard, whether at the dock or after a swim. The swim ladder is beneath the port platform. Standard power is a 250-hp Yamaha.

When asked about the amenities on the new center consoles, Donahue did not hesitate. “We’re known for not being fancy,” he said, “but we’re getting more fancy.”

36

SOUNDINGS

One significant change in construction on the new center consoles is the lack of wood. Parkers traditionally used 2-inch solid wooden stringers encased in three separate layers of fiberglass, but the new boats have fiberglass stringers. The stringers are hollow, but they’re 4 inches thick and filled with foam for flotation. The same construction method will be used for all upcoming models. Two more center consoles will be introduced this year—one this summer and one this fall.

To experience the new hull, we took the 2400CC for a ride, leaving the Sea Isle Marina and heading for Miami’s Fishermans Channel. Because the wind was blowing hard out of the east, and the inlet to the ocean was roiling, boat show sea trials took place inside the port. There, the waters were plenty rough to give the boat a workout, especially with commercial traffic. With 2- to 3-foot waves and larger wakes mixed in, I was expecting to give my knees a beating. When we encountered a 4-foot wake and Donahue did not let up on the throttle, I told myself it was going to hurt. But the 5,600-pound hull sliced through the top of the wake, the bow did not rise excessively and my knees didn’t have to play shock absorber.

The boat also stayed dry. We only took on some water when another boat passed too close from the opposite direction and sprayed us. After taking the helm from Donahue, I tried to get us wet, but to no avail.

On the run back to downtown Miami I pinned the throttles.

But with an opposing tide, wave action and not enough water in front of us to properly trim the boat, 44 mph was the most I got. In more favorable conditions the boat should be able to hit, or get close to, its advertised 50 mph. But more importantly, despite the chop, the boat was comfortable. On its website, the builder claims the 2400CC delivers a “soft, dry ride.” It’s no lie.

Parker didn’t just bring new amenities to Miami. They brought a new ride. This new center console is not your grandfather’s Parker—or your father’s. —Pim Van Hemmen Top left: The optional fiberglass leaning post is packed with features, including flip-up bolsters and armrests. Top right: The dash is big enough to accommodate twin MFDs, if desired.

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Jupiter 31 Illustration by Jim Ewing

W

hen the Jupiter 31 launched in 1989, the semicustom boat broke new ground as a performance-oriented center console. It was designed and built in Jupiter, Florida, by Nick Scafidi, a member of the Hall of Champions of the American Power Boat Association, and his partner Joe Moran, a master fiberglass craftsman. Combining their racing skills and boatbuilding acumen, the duo first sketched the boat on a napkin at a waterfront bar and carried that design through production.

“Back then, we didn’t have CAD or anything but seat-ofour-pants experience,” says Nick. “We designed and built the boat from scratch, including the plugs and the 64 molds we needed to build it.”

The results speak for the team’s commitment. Void of any wood, the boat’s sophisticated composite construction featured Airex foam and Divinycell coring, hollow fiberglass stringers and bulkheads, isophathlic resins and knitted bi-axial fiberglass cloth, including a solid fiberglass bottom. The 24-degree deep-V hull included a flat section that started at a half-inch wide at midships and expanded to around 11 inches at the stern, giving the hull lift without the wandering typical of some deep-V running surfaces.

The lift enabled quick planing and faster acceleration with minimal bow rise, while the boat’s razor-sharp 60-degree entry and three lifting strakes per side left spray in its wake. Having driven one of the first Jupiter 31s in sloppy ocean conditions off Key West, Florida, for several hours, I can personally attest to its rough-water manners.

A large center console for the 1990s, the 31 had a 9-foot, 6-inch beam with walk-in accessibility at the console, where there was an enclosed head, a shower and over 6 feet of headroom. Fishing features included a bait-prep center, a 30-gallon livewell and raw- and freshwater washdowns. Buyers could customize their boats with a hardtop, outriggers, leaning post, helm enclosure and more. Early models were outfitted with an aluminum bracket for twin 200-hp outboards that delivered top speeds over 40 knots.

Newer boats could accommodate twin 300-hp engines.

The original owners of Jupiter were building about 10 boats a year until they ran into financial issues. In 1997, Carl Herndon, founder of Blackfin Yacht Corporation, took ownership and kept the brand afloat. For the next few years, the Jupiter 31 gained traction, and various refinements were made to the original design in 2002, which rekindled consumer demand. It remained in production until 2008. —Peter Frederiksen

38

SOUNDINGS

CLASSICS

MAY 2022

39

CENTER OF

ATTENTION Center console boats in the 30- to 40-foot range are some of the most sought-after designs on the water today

PHOTO CREDIT

BY GARY CAPUTI

BOSTON WHALER 36 LOA: 36’5” Beam: 11’3” Draft: 32” Weight: 18,281 lbs.

Max HP: 1,350 Price: TBD

C

enter consoles have been growing in popularity and size ever since Boston Whaler launched what is considered to be the first boat of this kind. The 16-foot Nauset—introduced in 1960 and the brainchild of company founder Dick Fisher and chief designer Bob Dougherty—was little more than an oversized dinghy, but with a difference. It sported a hand-built mahogany console and bench seat mounted in the center of the boat, with space to walk around both sides from bow to stern. It was simple, but in some ways it started a revolution in boat design.

Early center console models were basic fish boats with spartan layouts. The features that set them apart were the 360 degrees of walkable deck space and low-cost outboard power. These boats were relatively inexpensive to purchase, run and maintain. They were a blue-collar fisherman’s dream come true, simple boats for simpler times. Today’s center consoles are anything but, with propulsion, technology and amenities that would have been hard to imagine back in the 1960s. One of the first center console boats to push the LOA envelope was the Ocean Master 31, designed in 1974 by Mark Hauptner, an outboard dealer by trade. That boat was an outlier for many years, until the early 1990s when more production center consoles over 30 feet started to appear on the water. The space race was on as a new generation of boaters embraced the design, which was no longer just for fishing.

Today, while there are center console boats well over 50 feet, perhaps the most active LOA segment is the 30-

to 40-foot range. There are a number of new boats from major builders in this size category, and they are making a splash with features that push the design envelope.

BOSTON WHALER 360 OUTRAGE Although Whaler is credited with the creation of the first production center console design, it’s entry into the large center console market began with the 27-foot Outrage in 2001, shortly after Brunswick Corporation acquired the company.

According to Wil Rogers, director of large boat sales and a 20-year veteran with Whaler, the boat featured a 24-degree hull that gave it solid offshore credentials and it was available with more comfort features. “It seemed like a pretty big center console at the time, but customer demand drove the development of even larger Outrage models,” Rogers says. “Today, the line includes boats from 23 to 42 feet with four over the 30-foot mark, so I guess you could say that’s where the market is focused.”

In February, Whaler introduced the 360 Outrage, which showcases the kind of technological innovation that makes the boat stand out in a competitive segment.

“The 360 is new from the hull up,” Rogers says. “It is an integration of cutting-edge technologies in a great running boat. Our goal was to make the complex simple and create a comfortable environment for passengers. We feel it raises the bar for center console boats.”

The 360 has attractive lines, is thoughtfully laid out and can be customized to be as plush as the owner desires. Smart design features include the centerline step and hardtop hatch that make it possible to access the tower if you opt for one. Whaler’s “point of storage” concept assures that there are storage areas close to where they are needed. Creature comforts include seating options and a more organized cabin and sleeping space.

“I’m most proud of our new Fathom Inverter-based

MAY 2022

43

Top: The new Solace 32 CS with twin-step hull can run 60 mph at top end with a pair of 300-hp outboards.

44

SOUNDINGS

electrical system that utilizes lithium-ion batteries capable of operating everything onboard for extended periods without shore power or a generator,” says Rogers. He encourages boat buyers to also look at the 360’s digital switching technology and simplified GUI (graphical user interface) that allows the operator to track and control every electrical component and system on the boat through the Simrad MFDs at the helm.

“This is the future of boating, a totally seamless experience from a package that is intuitive and user-friendly.”

SOLACE 32 CS While the Solace brand might not be familiar to everyone—this builder launched its first boat in 2019—the company’s CEO could be.

Stephen Dougherty is the son of Bob Dougherty, the man who helped design the Boston Whaler Nauset 16. Bob oversaw Whaler’s move from Rockland, Massachusetts, to a new facility in Edgewater, Florida, where Stephen started his career working on the production line. Bob went on to start Edgewater Boats, and later father and son created Everglades Boats.

Todd Albrecht, president of Solace, says the

SOLACE 32 LOA: 32’7” Beam: 10’3” Draft: 24” Weight: 10,500 lbs.

Max HP: 900 Price: $448,778

increased interest in center consoles in the mid-30-foot range is driven by several factors. “Yes, there are boat owners moving up from smaller craft, but our research shows a significant increase in owners moving down in size,” he says. “They have a lot of experience and have come to realize that their family’s needs can be fulfilled with a center console under 40 feet. These boats have the amenities, speed, seaworthiness and range to get

to places like the Bahamas, along with other advantages. They fit easily on backyard boat lifts or in smaller slips, and can be rack-stored at more reasonable prices. These boats require fewer engines, burn less fuel and are easier to maintain than larger boats.”

The newest center console from Solace is the 32 CS, a design that was inspired by the work of outboard manufacturers like Yamaha and Mercury.

Their high-horsepower motors make

it possible for builders to produce boats with strong performance when pushed by just two engines, rather than three or four. “Our 32 can run 60 mph with a pair of 300-hp outboards, the most popular engine size on the market today,” says Albrecht.

The outboards power a twin-step hull with chine rails on the after running surface. The rails, says Albrecht, make the boat track extremely well.

It’s also less prone to slip when put

MAY 2022

45

INVINCIBLE 33 LOA: 33’11” Beam: 10’3” Draft: 19” Weight: 11,000 lbs.

Max HP: 900 Price: $385,500

Top: The Invincible 33 Catamaran is a dedicated offshore fishing boat with a Morrelli & Melvin semiasymmetric hull designed for good handling.

through hard-over turns. Chine rails also push down spray, which comes up from the sides of many step hulls. Passengers won’t get soaked sitting in the transom seats on this 32. The Solace is built with high-tech composites, including Innerga hybrid carbon/glass cloth, which are resin-infused to create a strong structure with less weight. That makes for better performance with fewer ponies.

INVINCIBLE 33 CATAMARAN Bill Cordes is the vice president of sales for Invincible Boats and has been with the company since it launched its first model in 2007, the 36 Open Fisherman. That 36-foot monohull center console was one of the first to incorporate Michael Peters’ Stepped-V Ventilated Tunnel (SVVT) bottom. It was a game-changer for performance and handling. Cordes says boats in the 30- to 40-foot range continue to represent the heart of the center console market. Invincible offers seven models in this size range: three monohulls and four power catamarans.

“What made these large center consoles possible was the introduction of outboards capable of pushing big loads at high speeds.

Today, the Yamaha 425 and Mercury 600 are

locomotives that are paving the way for even longer center consoles that can reach speeds in excess of 60 mph.”

Invincible’s latest introduction is the 33 Catamaran, a dedicated offshore fishing boat.

Cordes says cats represent an exciting segment of the center console market and are attracting boaters who are ready to leave their monohull models. One of the features that makes the Invincible distinctive, he says, is its Morrelli & Melvin-designed semi-asymmetric hull, which conquers the unsettling handling characteristics once associated with some power cats.

“Our cats have incredible handling, even for the novice boater,” he says. “They push the boundaries of offshore performance to a new level. They are fast and eat up rough seas while giving the customer more deck space than a comparably sized mono-hull because they carry the broad beam all the way to the bow.”

Creature comforts include three seats at the helm, a mezzanine-style bench at the console and lounge seating forward. The 33 is a twinengine boat that can handle up to 900 hp.

Says Cordes, “Performance is breathtaking

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REGULATOR 37 LOA: 37’7” Beam: 12’7” Draft: 34” Weight: 19,300 lbs.

Max HP: 1,275 Price: $787,495

Top: Regulator says its new 37 Evolution is the most refined and technologically advanced boat it has built to date. Right: The 32NX is the most customizable boat yet from Fountain Powerboats.

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and when the weather turns sour, this boat will get you there and back safely.”

REGULATOR 37 EVOLUTION Since 1988, the year the first 26-foot Regulator center console was introduced, the company has hung its hat on the design and stuck with it. Marine architect Lou Codega designed a deep-V hull that gave it what became known as the “Regulator ride,” and it has been hailed as one of the finest sea boats, the one by which others are judged. The company eventually sold more than 1,500 units before the 26 was retired in favor of new 25- and 28-foot models.

“We listen closely to what our owners say.

They told us they wanted bigger boats so we responded to their request with new models,” says Regulator President Joan Maxwell.

“All Regulators are built on Lou’s remarkable hulls, but our new boats offer more comfort and family-oriented amenities to go with the fishing features. We remain a customer-driven

company, and our new 37 Evolution is the result of that feedback.”

The 37 is the most refined and technologically advanced boat the builder has offered to date. “We don’t build disposable boats,” says David Chubb, Regulator’s in-house naval architect. “Our boats are heavier and stronger because history has shown they will be on the water for many decades. The 37 has a taller sheer to provide more interior space, more room below for accommodations, and advanced mechanical and electrical systems.”

Interesting features include an aft-facing mezzanine seat that rises on gas rams to reveal a dry locker where breakers, batteries, A/C compressors and a Seakeeper 5 are housed.

The cabin is spacious and has an enclosed head and galley. For anglers there are oversized fishboxes with macerators, a massive transom livewell, a hardtop festooned with rod holders and a hullside door for bringing big fish aboard. Three Yamaha XTO 425-hp out-

FOUNTAIN 32 LOA: 32’0” Beam: 9’11” Draft: 29” Weight: 11,000 lbs.

Max HP: 1,350 Price: $359,300

boards ride on a bracket and link to a digital switching system that allows the operator to control all the systems on the boat from a single screen. With that propulsion, the boat can do 60 mph. Trim is controlled with Zipwake.

“Our proprietary My Helm software provides a graphic interface for all the systems on a single screen,” says Chubb. “During the programming phase we instituted a three-click rule, which means you can access and control any system with no more than three clicks on the touch screen. We devoted a lot of resources to creating this system, which integrates the Yamaha keyless ignition seamlessly. You can hit a button on your key fob when approaching the boat and remotely power up. The goal of all this development work is to make the boat as userfriendly as possible.”

FOUNTAIN 32NX In the high-performance center console segment, one company set the mark for others to follow—Fountain Powerboats. Company founder Reggie Fountain was pulled into the center console segment by king mackerel fishermen who were competing in tournaments in the mid-1980s.

The builder’s first model was a 29-footer, but it was the introduction of the 34- and 38-foot boats that really set the trail on fire. Nothing was faster or better equipped for that type of fishing.

Fountain was early to develop stepped hulls powered by triple and then quad outboards.

Jeff Harris became Fountain’s COO under the ownership of Iconic Marine in 2019, but his roots with the company go back to rolling fiberglass on race boats in 1980. He was involved in the development of the center consoles and all the trial and error that went into getting the hulls just right. Remember, this was before computation fluid dynamics software. Back then, you built it, tried it, tweaked it and tried it again until you got it right.

“I remember running some of the other brands of center consoles on the tournament circuit and they were just horrible,” Harris says. “Small, slow, poorly equipped and short on range. We started with the 29, then added an integrated outboard platform that bumped

it up to 31 feet. With the introduction of the 34 and then 38 in 2002, tournament fishermen got everything they wanted in a wide-beam, high-performance, well-equipped boat. The popularity of those models has never waned. What changed was the demand for more plush center consoles from our nonfishing customers. Today, the trend in customization is stronger than ever, and it’s evident in our new 32NX.” Introduced at the Miami Boat Show, the 32 can be ordered in multiple configurations. “Some customers want an open bow, multiple live wells and the latest electronics for tournament fishing, while others want plush seating, extra storage, an incredible stereo system and a graphics package,” Harris says. “To fill all those needs the 32 is what I call a component boat. We can build it to your specifications from an extensive list of options. It is the most customizable boat we’ve offered.”

The 32 NX is also a screamer, with engine packages that can provide a range of performance, from kind of mild to really wild. The base package is a pair of Mercury 300M outboards that push the twin-step hull to a top speed of 61 mph. Optional propulsion includes triple 450R engines that make for a blistering 89 mph at WOT. If you are running at that pace offshore, the fish may not have a chance.

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If you like a quiet cruising destination with laid-back style, it’s worth popping over to Cuttyhunk and its little neighbor, Penikese Island

PHOTO CREDIT

STORY BY PIM VAN HEMMEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ONNE VAN DER WAL

One of the reasons Onne and Tenley van der Wal replaced their 1972 Pearson 36 sailboat with Snow Goose, a 1986 Grand Banks 32 trawler, is because they got tired of beating their way to and from Cuttyhunk at 4 knots.

The van der Wals like to go to the small outposts in the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. They appreciate the laid-back style. But getting there on the sailboat would sometimes be a slog that consumed much of a day. “It’s 20 miles,” Onne says. “But on the Goose, it only takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes.”

That’s how long it took them to get to

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SOUNDINGS

Cuttyhunk from Jamestown, Rhode Island, last September, when they left on a Friday around 2 p.m. to meet fellow members of the Conanicut Yacht Club for a weekend getaway. It would be their last trip of the season on Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay. “Tenley was all pumped up, and we had a beautiful motor over there,” Onne recalls. “We prefer Cuttyhunk. It’s quieter there than Block Island.”

The ride to Cuttyhunk was relaxing. Tenley put a couple of pillows on the settee in the cabin, where she read a book while Onne went back and forth between the flybridge and the lower helm as the autopilot held the Goose on course. Onne would take photos of birds and clouds from the flybridge or go below to make a cup of tea or a bite to eat while he kept an eye out for traffic from

the lower helm. “It’s so civilized,” Onne says about traveling on the Grand Banks at 8 knots.

They’d arranged to meet one of their friends, Aidan Petrie and his Eastbay 38, at Cuttyhunk.

The van der Wals have cruised all over the world with Aidan and his wife Kate, including bareboat charters in Baja and Thailand. But because the Eastbay is faster, they usually travel separately and connect at the destination. “We’re not glued at the hip,” Onne says.

Approaching from the west, the van der Wals crossed over Cuttyhunk, keeping Penikese Island to the north so they could make a hard right turn into the inlet, to the well-protected Cuttyhunk Pond. The harbor has about 50 transient slips plus mooring balls, but Onne likes to tie onto one of the

20 or so pilings because they’re closer to the dock.

Although in September Onne says he doesn’t have to make a reservation, he’d made one anyway.

By 5 p.m. they were tied off. Because Onne didn’t have his davits yet, he’d towed his dinghy from Jamestown and used Snow Goose’s boom to lower his 9.9-hp Tohatsu onto the dink. Aidan had also tied up to a nearby piling, and because the few sit-down restaurants on Cuttyhunk were closed for the season, Onne picked him up for a dinner aboard the Grand Banks. “We were pretty beat,” Onne says.

On Saturday morning, they took the dinghy to Penikese. With three of them on the dink they couldn’t get it on a plane, so it took about a half hour, but with blue skies, no wind and no

Opening spread: At Cuttyhunk, you can tie up to a piling near the dock.

Above: Penikese has stunning natural beauty and is a great place for a walk.

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54

SOUNDINGS

PHOTO CREDIT

It’s just far enough, and if you pick your day and time, it’s a very peaceful place.

clouds, it was a perfect day to cross over and explore the 75-acre island.

Few people know of Penikese Island and its unique history, and even fewer visit it. In 1602, the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold was the first European to set foot on it. He and his crew scared four Wampanoag Indians and stole their canoe. The Europeans eventually cut down the natural tree cover, and for a time Penikese was used to pasture sheep.

In 1873, the island became home to the Anderson School of Natural History and gave birth to the Nature Study Movement. A building with 58 bedrooms was constructed and a yacht with 80-ton cargo capacity was donated for collecting purposes. The school would only last two summers, but some of its students would go on to found six seaside biology labs, three of which still exist today: The Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole; the Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory, and Stanford University’s Hopkins Seaside Laboratory of Natural History, founded in 1892 by Stanford University President David Starr Jordan, a former Anderson student.

A far more sordid chapter in the island’s history began in 1905, when the state of Massachusetts responded to a public health panic by opening a leprosy colony on barren Penikese. The facility was overseen by a genteel general practitioner and his socially conscious wife; the couple moved there and treated the mostly foreign patients kindly. But in 1912, Harvard University started an ill-conceived research project that instead of protecting the stigmatized leprosy patients, exposed them to questionable experiments. Four years later, when the chief architect of the project departed the island, eight of the 13 patients on the island were dead. By 1921, the state closed the facility and burned and dynamited the leprosy buildings, leaving just the remains of the dead in the burial ground. They are still there today.

For a half century the island remained uninhabited, but from 1973 until 2011 it was home to a school for troubled boys, and for a short period after it served as an opioid-addiction treatment facility. Since 2019, the Penikese Island School has used the remaining buildings for school trips and youth camps to expose kids to nature.

The nature is pristine. The island has some of the healthiest waters in Buzzards Bay, with eelgrass meadows providing an important habitat for fish and shellfish and the grassy hills and rocky beaches serving as a critical nesting colony for seabirds—including the endangered roseate tern.

When Aidan, Tenley and Onne beached the dinghy

Clockwise from top: Aidan and Tenley hit the local market for provisions; a sandpiper on Penikese; when the wind and current conflict, Buzzards Bay can get rolly.

on Penikese there was nobody around. For two hours they walked the entire island. “I’d never been to Penikese before,” Tenley says.

“It has stunning natural beauty. Just a nice morning’s walk.”

They returned to Goose, made some lunch and took a swim. That evening, they joined the Conanicut Yacht Club members on Cuttyhunk, who’d sailed over from Jamestown for a lobster boil, which was put on by Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms. Cauldrons with lobsters, clams and corn were supplemented with beer and cornbread. “It’s basic, but nice,” Onne says. “The weather was cool with jeans and jackets, but you walk from table to table to chat and pig out on lobster. It’s a good time.”

There was an arts festival and they listened to some music at the church, which was just a folk singer with a bass player. “He was great,” Tenley says about the singer. “It’s an artist in residency program. They stay at this amazing old house. A great group of young people run it.”

They had planned to return to Jamestown on Sunday, but a weather front kept them at Cuttyhunk for another day. They went ashore, got coffee and donuts at the Cuttyhunk Café and stopped at the Cuttyhunk Island Market for provisions. The delayed departure gave them more time to explore. “Cuttyhunk has a small-town atmosphere. Everybody knows each other. It’s a very chatty, social place,” Tenley says. “There are no cars. They have golf carts and there is this fun tradition when the last ferry leaves for the day, people take a running leap off the dock.”

On Monday, they wanted to head back to Jamestown right away, but it was blowing about 25 out of the west and Onne knew with the opposing tide on Buzzards Bay it was going to be rough. But Tenley wanted to get back to their gallery in Newport, Rhode Island, to take care of business, so they headed out.

It didn’t take long for her to regret the decision to head for home. “We got outside, and she started making calls on the long-distance telephone,” Onne says, using one of his South African euphemisms for mal de mer.

He offered to turn the boat around, but he also knew it was going to get better as they proceeded, so Tenley told him to press on. By the time they got to Sakonnet Point conditions got better. “Now when I say it’s gonna be bumpy, she knows what it’s gonna be about,” Onne says.

“If you get the waves a bit off the quarter, a boat like ours is going to roll.”

By the time they reached the reef at Brenton, things had calmed down. “The water was as flat as a board.” Onne says. “When we saw Castle Hill, we said, ‘man, we live in a beautiful place.’”

Cuttyhunk will continue to be one of the van der Wal’s favorite spots. “It feels like Maine,” Onne says. “It’s quiet.

It’s just far enough, and if you pick your day and time, it’s a very peaceful place.”

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GOING THE DISTANCE HOW BIG AND FAST CAN ELECTRIC OUTBOARD MOTORS GET, AND HOW FAR WILL THEY BE ABLE TO GO?

BY PIM VAN HEMMEN

Long relegated to trolling duty and dinghy driving, electric outboards are now showing up with more horsepower to deliver greater speed on bigger boats, but how far will they be able to take us?

Electric outboards have many attractive attributes. They are much quieter than their internal combustion cousins, have fewer moving parts, require little or no maintenance, are lighter, have much greater torque and don’t smell.

But they also have their limitations. Speed isn’t so much the issue, but cost is. Range—particularly at higher speeds—is a major challenge.

To find out where electric outboards are headed, seven manufacturers shared what the future of those electric motors may look like.

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SOUNDINGS

TORQEEDO Torqeedo was founded in 2005, and with well over 100,000 electrc inboard and outboard systems sold, the German company is to electric outboards what Vaseline is to petroleum jelly.

Besides Torqeedo’s ubiquitous line of low-horsepower Travel outboards, which are found on dinghies and daysailers around the world, the company makes Ultralight outboard motors for kayaks and canoes, Cruise motors in the 6- to 25-hp range, and 40- and 80-hp outboards for larger boats. Torqeedo knows that the biggest market for outboards is in the highest range, but that’s also where battery limitations are most pronounced.

In 2013, the company brought twin 80-hp (50kW) electric outboards to the Miami International Boat Show. At the time these motors were revolutionary, and they continue to be the company’s most powerful offering. Phillip Goethe, Torqeedo’s director of product management, says the company knew from

the beginning that the big challenge with the 80-hp motor was range. “The hard part was always to get enough capacity and low weight inside a boat to have sufficient range,” he says.

But making larger electric motors isn’t the problem. “We can build you a 200-hp tomorrow,” Tess Smallridge, Torqeedo’s manager for marketing and communications, says. It’s battery cost and weight that keep electric outboards from replacing large gas outboards, especially at higher speeds and over greater distances. Battery technology is improving though. Goethe says when Torqeedo introduced the 80-hp motor it started with a 12-kWh battery, but since then the company has upgraded the battery capacity three times. Torqeedo now has a 40-kWh battery, which has dramatically improved range and allows ever larger boats to convert to electric.

Torqeedo knows it will take time to give the go-fast, go-far boaters the speed and range they want. But in the meantime,

it sees plenty of applications where electric makes more sense than gas, including on waters with stringent environmental regulations; on boats with efficient hulls, like pontoon boats; on high-displacement, low-speed vessels; and in locations where access to gas is disappearing. “Marinas are not offering fuel on some of these smaller waters anymore,” Smallridge says. “If boaters are unable to fuel on their lake, they’re going to have to tow their boat to a gas station or bring fuel to their boats. With electric, they can run an extension cord for shore power or put solar panels on the roof. All you do is go out, and plug in when you come back.”

But some boaters still want to go fast over long distances, and for electric propulsion companies, that remains the Holy Grail. “Technically, in 5 years it should be possible to go fast for an hour at speed,” Goethe says, but because storing enough electricity aboard a boat will be a challenge for the foreseeable

MAY 2022

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SOUNDINGS

PHOTO CREDIT

will move into leisure as the battery costs come down.”

Evo’s 60-knot inboard demo has opened a lot of eyes and interest around the world. “There is a market for the higher power,” he says. “If you connect this with a really efficient hull, you can do 30 nautical miles and we’ve seen over 50 nautical miles. We have 400-hp inboards running that we are already delivering to market. Putting that much power in an outboard is manageable, but it has to be tested. So that’s why we say 2024 is the goal for the commercial release of that.”

EVOY He is bullish on electric boating. “We’ve known for more than Evoy is a relative newcomer in the marine electric propulsion a century that electric motors are superior. We see that with industry, but it got off to a quick start in 2019 when its 28cars now. Now that the batteries are getting better it is foot Evoy1 inboard-powered boat broke the unofficial something that can cover a lot of people’s use.” world speed record for production electric boats with Left: Flux’s 70-hp electric motor runs of over 55 knots.

Evoy was founded in Norway in 2018. CEO Leif Above: The Vision PURE WATERCRAFT Marine TechStavøstrand and his father initially started building Andy Rebele, the founder and CEO of Pure Watercraft, nologies E-Motion boats, but when they realized that the market for elecbelieves the future is electric and he isn’t afraid to geek 180E electric tric inboard and outboard systems was much larger, out on numbers to make his point. His company made outboard they switched to building those instead. Evoy already headlines last year when it got a $125 million cash sells electric inboard systems like the 400-hp one in infusion from General Motors in a deal that also gives the Evoy1, but it’s about to deliver its first electric outboards.

Pure Watercraft access to GM’s EV technology. Within 44 days According to Stavøstrand, the Gale Force 120-hp electric outof the announcement, Pure launched a working prototype of a boards will launch this spring. A 300-hp electric outboard is pontoon boat powered by two of its 50-hp electric outboards. slated to launch in 2023 and a 400-hp electric outboard in 2024.

“Here’s the big picture argument,” Rebele says about electric Stavøstrand acknowledges that range is the big challenge. versus gas. “All major car companies are stopping internal “It is the same issue everyone has,” he says. “It’s storage. Right combustion manufacturing, and 95 percent of boats are fueled now, we are using the same battery as the Tesla model 3. We’re at gas stations. So, when car companies stop selling gas cars, not expecting anything revolutionary coming. The battery inwhat happens to the gas stations and where do all those boats dustry has matured, and we will see incremental changes like go to get gas?” you see in cellphones, computers and cars.”

Rebele is not new to electric propulsion. Ten years ago, he Meanwhile, he sees ample opportunity in the market. “We was involved in putting a 280-hp electric motor on a boat that have to remember that not everybody lives in the Florida Keys went 48 mph and could tow multiple waterskiers. But to him, and has to go for 50 miles at 50 knots,” he says. “There are electric boating is not about horsepower, but about perforlakes, rivers and commercial users.” mance and application. As he puts it, “What do you want the Stavøstrand says the electric market is more than large boat to do?” enough to develop the large engines. “For us, the commercial Like a lot of industry leaders, Rebele believes that lithium-ion market is the largest segment,” he says, “but we believe this cells are on the 7-percent-improvement curve, which means future, Torqeedo is working to develop systems that can use hydrogen or methanol as range extenders.

“We’d like to get our electrons from the sun or the wind, but we’re open to everything,” Smallridge says. “That is how we’re building Deep Blue. It is a system architecture with multiple battery, charging and motor options that make it easier for people to use their boats.”

MAY 2022

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the 650-volt engine would be powered by a 60-kWh lithium that a battery of a certain size and price will gain 7 percent battery that could provide an estimated range of 70 nautical power annually. “That’s the percent that Tesla uses in their miles, or 3.5 hours, at a cruising speed of 17 knots. Since then, calculations,” Rebele says. He also doesn’t think the great Vision Marine has contracted with Octillion Power Systems majority of people want to pay a lot of money to put thousands to develop a marinized, high-voltage 35-kWh high-density of pounds of expensive batteries in their boats. “We’ll do huge powerpack for the 180E. Nurse says that as battery technolhorsepower,” he says, “but the motor is much easier to make ogy improves it will continue to extend the range of the 180E, than a power pack that makes sense.” especially when you install two batteries. He says with current He thinks a battery that can efficiently and economically battery technology, and at 95 percent charge, the boat can go propel boats with high-horsepower electric motors over long 35 to 40 hours at 4.6 knots. distances at full speed is still far off in the future. Even if someVision Marine had one of its motors available for one could create a battery with the necessary power testing at the 2022 Miami International Boat Show on density and calendar life, it would still take years to Top: Pure Watera Starcraft 22 triple-hulled pontoon boat. A sea trial in ship millions of cells. “The error rates on the first ones craft has already Miami’s harbor showed the boat could do at least 30 are going to be high,” he says, and until those error developed a knots in a chop with four passengers aboard. rates go down, he thinks nothing economically viable 50-hp electric At the end of a one-hour ride that included numerwill come to market. outboard. ous high-speed runs, the demo battery went from 96 In the meantime, Pure Watercraft is putting major percent capacity to 69 percent. With Octillion battereffort into the pontoon boat. “Our boat will go 23 mph ies, future battery technology improvements and the cost of kilowith 10 people onboard, using less power than gas,” he says. watts dropping, Nurse and Vision Marine are confident that the “That speed is fine for a pontoon boat. We have an incredibly 180E’s range will continue to grow. efficient motor. We put two of them on a pontoon boat, and a GM battery, and they can go all day.”

VISION MARINE TECHNOLOGIES Vision Marine Technologies started out in 1995 as a manufacturer of low-powered electric launches and runabouts, but since 2014 the company has focused on building a more powerful electric outboard.

The Canadian company is based in Montreal, and according to Bruce Nurse, who handles investor relations, the first batch of its 180-hp electric outboards will soon hit the market. If so, the Vision Marine Technologies E-Motion 180E would become the world’s most powerful electric production outboard.

When it announced the 180E last year, Vision Marine said

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FLUX

Like Evoy, Rhode Island-based Flux Marine is a recent entry in the electric marine outboard industry. CFO and co-founder Daylin Martin says Flux intends to carve out a niche in the 15to 70-hp range. “That’s where we really feel the biggest gap is today,” he says, “and we feel we can put together a solution that’s practical in terms of battery life and performance.”

Flux has already produced a number of 15-, 40- and 70-horsepower demo motors, and at the 2021 Newport International Boat Show the young company took home two new product awards, including best green product.

Flux is building its motors from the ground up, but the batter-

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Top: The 9.9-hp Harmo is Yamaha’s first electric outboard. Bottom: Mercury Marine revealed its Avator Electric Outboard Concept at the 2022 Miami International Boat Show. ies will come from third parties. “We’re experimenting with a few different batteries,” Martin says. “We’re testing a number of them, but we’ll just be integrating them.”

Martin doesn’t think current battery technology is ever going to triple or be five times what it is now. “It can only get so good,” he says. “I think battery technology will make larger systems more practical, but I don’t think anybody knows where that’s going. We do expect it to launch into the hundreds of horsepower in the next decade or so, but I don’t think it’s going to be 600 horsepower. Not when you see how boats with that power operate, and what is demanded of them while going offshore. The trips are longer, the boats are heavy, and they’re moving through water, which is a thousand times denser than air.”

For now, Martin says Flux Marine’s focus is to get the 15-, 40- and 70-hp motors to market, which they plan to do by 2023. But he definitely thinks 150and 200-hp models, or even electric outboards over 200 hp, are possible. “A range between 100 and 300 horsepower will be practical as the battery tech advances,” he says.

“If batteries double in power, that would be impressive, and that is possible, but I don’t think it’s going to get five times better with the chemistries we have available right now.” Martin says. “But that could all change in another decade or so.”

YAMAHA At the 2021 International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) Yamaha Marine entered the U.S. electric propulsion market with its Harmo electric outboard system, which had previously been introduced in Europe.

The Harmo is not your ordinary outboard. It looks more like an inboardoutboard that couples a 48-volt power supply with a high-yield, low-drag 3.7-kWh motor. It features a rim-drive electric motor and specially encased impeller with a thrust that is equivalent to a conventional 9.9-horsepower gas-powered motor.

Yamaha Marine Group President Ben

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SOUNDINGS

Speciale said the Harmo “is the perfect system for horsepower for internalcombustion restricted waterways.” At the time of the IBEX announcement in September 2021, Yamaha said the Harmo would be available in the U.S. markets within 18 months.

When asked at the 2022 Miami International Boat Show whether Yamaha will soon be making large electric outboards, Speciale was frank.

“Making the motor is easy,” he said, as he went on to explain that powering the large electric motors is much more challenging and that the technology to make them practical doesn’t exist yet.

Asked when electric outboards above 150-hp will have the range they need at high speed, he didn’t mince words.

“Not in my lifetime,” the 57-year-old Speciale said.

MERCURY MARINE Mercury currently has no electric propulsion products on the market, but during its 2021 investor day, the company announced that it was “committed to launching five electric propulsion products by the end of 2023 with the first product to be launched before the end of 2022.”

At the 2022 Miami International Boat Show, Mercury showed off the Mercury Avator Electric Outboard Concept.

The reveal was short on details about horsepower, range and speed, but the display model was impressive-looking and had some thoughtful features that included a simple, integrated battery system and a forward-facing color screen designed to prominently display battery levels.

Jim Hergert, Mercury Marine senior category manager for outboards 30-hp and below, says the motors will use “removable, quick-charging lithiumion rechargeable batteries, be easy to use, have minimal maintenance, no exhaust or vibration, reduced noise, and great torque.”

Mercury may be starting at the bottom of the horsepower range, but Hergert says that the company is developing the Avator series “to prove that we’re serious about electric propulsion.”

Time will tell if future electric ponies may include a bunch of Clydesdales, but unless industry experts have it wrong, a 600-hp electric outboard that can go the distance is still relatively far off into the future.

HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR FLARE DATES THIS YEAR?

Are You Coast Guard Compliant?

Are You At Risk For A $1,100 Fine?

Flares Expire Every 42 Months. The Coast Guard Requires that All Boats 16 Feet and Larger* Carry a Minimum of 3 Approved Day & Nighttime Signals.

Don’t Put Your Safety at Risk. Replace Your Expired, or Soon to Expire, Flares Before Your Next Trip.

Different emergency situations require different types of signals. Consider adding Orion Alert Signals (aerial flares) along with an Orion long duration electronic beacon to your assortment.

Refer to Sighting Chart on back.

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U.S.C.G. APPROVED FLARES ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE & RECOGNIZED DISTRESS SIGNALS, DAY OR NIGHT DIFFERENT SITUATIONS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISTRESS SIGNALS 3VUN KPZ[HUJL HLYPHS ÅHYLZ (3,9; :0.5(3: HUK ZOVY[ KPZ[HUJL TPSLZ VY SLZZ OHUKOLSK ÅHYLZ 36*(;, :0.5(3: HYL [OL IYPNO[LZ[ TVZ[ K`UHTPJ ZPNUHSZ ^OLU YLZJ\LYZ OH]L ILLU ZPNO[LK -VY WHZZP]L SVUN K\YH[PVU ZPNUHSPUN ^OLU `V\ HYLU»[ Z\YL ^OV PZ V\[ [OLYL JVUZPKLY [OL 6YPVU ,SLJ[YVUPJ :6: )LHJVU ,_WLYPLUJLK IVH[LYZ JHYY` HU HZZVY[TLU[ HUK 6YPVU OHZ [OLT HSS =PZP[ V\Y ^LIZP[L! ^^^ VYPVUZPNUHSZ JVT MVY HKKP[PVUHS PUMVYTH[PVU

WARNING: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. PRODUCES HOT FLAME.

UNDERSTANDING LOCATE VS ALERT SIGNALS Due to the curvature of the earth and line of sight restrictions, potential rescuers can only see handheld electronic lights and handheld flares (LOCATE SIGNALS) up to 3 miles away.

Anyone beyond 3 miles will not see LOCATE SIGNALS. This is why aerial flares (ALERT SIGNALS) should also be on your boat. ALERT SIGNALS can be seen as far away as 41 miles to alert potential rescuers you require assistance. As rescuers approach, LOCATE SIGNALS help pinpoint your exact location.

LOCATE

Allows close in rescuers to locate your exact position ELECTRONIC BEACON 75 CANDELA

ALERT

Alerts long distance, potential rescuers of emergency situation POCKET ROCKET AERIAL FLARE

25MM AERIAL FLARE

SKYBLAZER II AERIAL FLARE

12-GAUGE HP AERIAL FLARE

SOLAS AERIAL PARACHUTE

HANDHELD FLARES 700 CANDELA

Line of Sight

Line of Sight

Rescue Curvature of the Earth

Curvature

Orion is a registered trademark of Standard Fusee Corporation. ©2022 Orion Safety Products, 3157 N 500 W, Peru, IN 46970. All rights reserved.

of the Ea rth

(=(03()3, (;! >LZ[ 4HYPUL >HSTHY[ )HZZ 7YV (JHKLT` 4HYPUL +LHSLYZ 5H[PVU^PKL

*Includes all boats operating on the high seas, coastal water, and the Great Lakes. For additional information visit our website: www.orionsignals.com

First Light Boatworks keeps the tradition of wooden boatbuilding alive and thriving Story By Carly Sisson Photography By Tyler Fields

Opening spread: The Empress of Blandings, a 34-foot double-ended ketch, was First Light’s first major build project. Left: A craftsman at work in the Chatham yard.

Traditional wooden boatbuilding is an increasingly diminishing art. Fiberglass production boats have taken the water by storm in the past 60 years, with wooden vessels now mostly available on the used boat market or as one-off custom projects.

But there are still a handful of builders that specialize in wooden construction on a semi-production scale. They create unique vessels that are bursting with character. One such builder is First Light Boatworks in Chatham, Massachusetts, where owners Woody Metzger and Jim Donovan build wooden power and sailboats at a yard that also does its fair share of refit and maintenance work.

Metzger has logged countless hours at sea. Raised on Cape Cod by a commercial fisherman, he learned to fix up old boats—“pieces of junk,” as he calls them— from a young age in order to get on the water. He has since owned a succession of vessels, including Novi skiffs, catboats, Lyman lapstrake designs and Blue Jay dinghies.

Boating has also been in Jim Donovan’s blood since childhood, when he started building skiffs with his uncle when he was a school-age boy. The two men first crossed paths at Arey’s Pond Boat Yard on Cape Cod, where Metzger did finishing work and Donovan did construction. “Young age is the best time to learn,” says Metzger of his early years fixing up boats. “Nothing is daunting.”

Though Metzger would eventually leave the industry for a stint to work in residential construction and coastal management, he brought that same curiosity and work ethic with him when he accepted a general manager position at Pease Boat Works in Chatham, a shop that specialized in hand-built wooden boats, from skiffs to 36-foot ketches. His first day on the job, he recognized that owners Mike and Brad Pease seemed ready to step down. So, he called Donovan that same day with a proposition to purchase the business together. Donovan had also stepped away from the industry to build houses, but he agreed to take the plunge. Eleven months later, in January 2017, they officially purchased the business and renamed it First Light Boatworks.

Today, First Light operates with a staff of about 10 people, with Donovan managing the floor and Metzger in charge of marketing, client relations and sales.

Their shop on the waterfront is where they build and refit boats; it also has a marine railway, pier and private mooring field for First Light customers.

“The Pease brothers left a platform for Jim and me to jump off of,” Metzger says. Following in the footsteps of the previous owners, Metzger and Donovan began building their own wooden boats using traditional construction methods, adopting some of the Pease

brothers’ designs and bringing on their own naval architect, Max Tringale, to make improvements and expand their lineup.

Metzger and Donovan’s first major undertaking as new owners was building the Empress of Blandings, a 34-foot doubleended ketch inspired by Danish fishing boats. It launched in the summer of 2018. The custom, in-house design is a carvel build with a full keel that was designed as an ocean-goer and outfitted as a daysailer. “It was a completely traditional build, rather than one made with modern epoxy construction,” says Donovan, who still calls this boat his favorite four years later.

Although Metzger and Donovan are sailors and took on a sailboat as their first major project, First Light is perhaps most known for its lapstrake powerboat semi-production series, which

MAY 2022

67

Top: Woody Metzger stands at the bow of the Empress of Blandings. Right: The first Pocasset 26, Finale, launched in 2019.

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SOUNDINGS

Metzger says accounts for approximately 70 percent of demand.

When the Pease brothers sold the business, they left Metzger and Donovan with the designs for the Monomoy First Light 26. This lapstrake, wood-epoxy open boat featured a self-bailing cockpit and was powered by a 115- or 140-hp Suzuki outboard mounted in a well and concealed by a hinged engine box. With the help of Tringale, Metzger and Donovan improved that original design—they made it completely airtight, for instance—and started offering it to their customers. They also expanded the series to include a runabout called the Tashmoo 26 and a wheelhouse version dubbed the Pocasset 26, both based on the same hull design.

First Light continues to power its 26-footers with a 140-hp Suzuki outboard, which Metzger claims is far superior to inboard propulsion in terms of exhaust and noise mitigation—two major turnoffs for someone who has always been a sailor. The boats are built using a seam-epoxied, monocoque construction method, which means there are no fasteners present when the build is complete. The wood and epoxy composite is extremely lightweight and strong, with the 26 weighing less than 4,000 pounds. “It’s a 26-foot boat that goes 30 knots,” Metzger says. “It can go in the skinniest waters or the Gulf of Mexico.”

Tringale has also designed 18-foot and 22-foot lapstrake boats for First Light. The 22 can be built

as either a runabout or a center console, and it is powered by a 90-hp Suzuki outboard. Additionally, First Light has designs for everything from a 16foot lapstrake to a 30-foot Carolina boat, a 36 sedan cruiser, a 42-footer and even a wooden kayak.

Clients can request one-off custom boats of different sizes as well. “Our favorite thing is to have someone come in and say, ‘This is what I want,’” says Metzger, who invites clients to take part in the build process and offer their input along the way. “Every single boat is different, tweaked to the owner’s preference.” First Light does not keep an inventory of boats, and according to Metzger, the current delivery period is just over a year.

One of the most characteristic features of First Light’s lapstrake series is the array of hull colors offered, from whites to pastel greens to deep turquoises. Most colors are custom-made at the shop, and when paired against the prominent brightwork, they give the boats a striking look that draws the eye, which was always Metzger’s intention. “A

boat can be breathtaking,” he says. “Having been in a billion different boats, I wanted something that was exquisite but still strong and enjoyable to use.”

In addition to building beautiful, seaworthy boats, First Light is committed to sustainability. Not only is the shop 100 percent solar-powered, but the company has also been exploring electric propulsion options for its boats. According to Metzger, a customer can order any boat with an electric Torqeedo outboard and BMW i3 battery instead of a Suzuki, though the 22 is most appropriate for that package. “We’re ready. We’re just waiting for the first client,” he says. “If the boat stays here, it could charge on the pier and probably make it to the islands.”

Currently, Metzger and Donovan are working on repowering their 1972 Bob Baker schooner, which they use for fun and to promote sailing to their customers, with a Torqeedo to further prove electric propulsion’s viability, especially for island hopping around the Cape, where most of their customers reside.

In total, Metzger and Donovan have built between 16 and 18 boats since acquiring the company. Ten of those models were lapstrake powerboats. “Since 2017, we have not been out of production on a new build,” says Metzger. “It’s been five years

of full-tilt, pedal-to-the-metal work.” Now, they are taking a small step back to catch up on refits, rebuilds and maintenance work—they perform annual service on almost all of the boats they have built at their shop—while gearing up for more new builds in the future.

Given Metzger’s background in sailing and his success building powerboats at First Light, you might wonder if he still prefers sailing over powerboating. “I would always have said I prefer sailing, but having logged so many miles in these power boats, I have to admit I enjoy them just as much as sailing,” he says. Metzger recalls the time he launched a Pocasset 26 at First Light and delivered it to a client in the Gulf of Mexico, the ultimate test of the boat’s performance at sea. “Noise and exhaust were not an issue,” he says.

Still, he hopes to build more sailboats at First Light in the future, and maybe someday change the balance of power to sail from 70-30 to 60-40. Above all else, however, First Light’s main motivation is to continue creating unique, traditional, American-built boats with character. “These boats are offshoots of our personalities,” Metzger says. “I’m proud to be manufacturing a product in this country.”

MAY 2022

69

A Ship’s Story

I

t’s a stormy day on the water, and the topgallant sail on the 19th-century clipper ship Cromdale has snapped off. Approximately 20 crewmen rush to their positions, attempting to contain the damage and fighting for their survival in Jim Griffiths’ painting Dangerous Weather.

Cromdale was built in 1891 at the British shipbuilding company Barclay Curle. The last clipper built for the Australian wool trade, she was designed for cargo capacity rather than speed, and featured some interesting hull markings.

“The white hull with the black stripes and the white squares was meant to duplicate a warship and hopefully discourage pirates,” explains Griffiths, whose extensive library on historic sailing ships allows him to paint with great accuracy.

According to Griffiths, Cromdale really did run into inclement weather and was damaged, but there is no account of just how much she actually sustained. So, he made his own decision. “I really like this ship and didn’t want to dismast her too much,” he says. “She has beautiful lines. She’s just a good-looking vessel.”

Griffiths’ interest in ships and the ocean stems from the stories his father told about serving in the Navy during World War II, where he was part of an air squadron that hunted German U-boats in the Atlantic. Yet Griffiths never planned on becoming a maritime artist. Instead, he attended Amherst College with the intention of becoming a magazine illustrator. He then went on to attend the ArtCenter College of Design in California. After graduating in 1973, he spent a year working at an industrial arts studio before transitioning to fine art.

At first, Griffiths painted landscapes in pure watercolor.

Though he loved ships, he was reluctant to do maritime paintings, because he didn’t know how to paint water realistically. Then, he discovered the works of maritime artist Carl Evers, whose portrayals of water inspired him to try his hand at nautical art. He was further propelled into the subject matter when he switched mediums from pure watercolor to gouache, an opaque watercolor.

“I realized the gouache would let me achieve all the techniques I need to do water,” he says. “When I figured that out, I started to concentrate on nautical subjects. Clippers really attracted me, and I’ve been at it ever since.”

Today, Griffiths lives in the Chicago area, and although he hasn’t sailed in several decades, he remains fascinated by the water. “I still love being on the water,” he says.

“There’s nothing like a great sunset over water. It can’t be beat.” —Carly Sisson

70

SOUNDINGS

SEASCAPES

MAY 2022

71

BOAT WORKS USED BOAT

LOA: 43’0” Beam: 14’10” Draft: 5’3” Displ.: 60,000 lbs.

Power: (1) 160-hp diesel Fuel: 1,200 gals.

Water: 300 gals.

Going the Distance A WELL-FOUND NORDHAVN 43 OPENS UP A FEW NEW CRUISING DESTINATIONS FOR THIS COUPLE FROM NEW ENGLAND

By John Wooldridge

I

n the last few decades there’s been a rise in the popularity of trawlers as more boaters commit to a lifestyle of adventure cruising. And many of those trawler owners are former sailors who crossed over to powerboats. “I think it’s fair to say that the majority of people I know who have trawlers were sailboat owners first,” says Marc Mittelman, a former sailor who bought a Nordhavn 43 five years ago. “Some owned cruising sailboats that were faster than many trawlers. I had sailboats for 20-plus years, aboard which I cruised off Southern California and in Lake Ontario when I lived in Canada. But I spent most of my time sailing in New England, where I ran a Sabre 36.”

In February of 2018, Mittelman and his wife, Jayshree, bought their Nordhavn Wanderer because Jayshree was not completely comfortable with the sailboat. “There are days I miss our Sabre, but my wife and I are very fortunate to have Wanderer. For Jayshree, as well as some friends who occasionally join us aboard, the destination is more interesting than the journey.”

72

SOUNDINGS

Their home port is Safe Harbor Sakonnet, on the river by the same name, just south of Mount Hope Bay in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. When the Atlantic Ocean is rough and uncomfortable, Narrangansett Bay is close by, with its island destinations and good anchorages.

The Mittelmans decided on a Nordhavn because everyone they talked with about boats designed for long-distance cruising said they trusted the brand. “We were originally looking at the N40, but my wife reminded me that we needed two heads, one for guests,” he says. “Who was I to argue when she said we needed to get a bigger boat?”

They made some upgrades the first year of ownership, correcting issues that were identified on the survey. “The hydraulic stabilizers required a refit, which was more significant and costly than I imagined,” Mittelman says. The genset was in fine shape, as was the 130-hp John Deere-based Lugger diesel. The couple redid the upholstery and made a sun shade for the boat deck. “And we did a major electronics upgrade, adding redundancy with a second radar and autopilot,” he says.

The boat’s top speed is 8.4 knots, but Mittelman usually runs at 7 knots. “You pay a big fuel penalty when you exceed 7 knots, costing you nearly three times the amount of fuel burned to achieve that extra knot at wide-open throttle,” he says.

Top: The Nordhavn N43 is a raised pilothouse trawler with a displacement hull that is designed for adventure cruising.

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7.6 EGTD Width: 19” Height: 20.50” Length: 28.4” Weight: 395 lbs.

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Seasonal Owners Seminars at Hansen Marine CONNECTICUT Crockers Boatyard 56 Howard St. New London, CT 06320 (860) 443-6304 RHODE ISLAND Hinckley Yacht Services One Little Harbor Landing Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 683-7005 • www.hinckleyyachts.com

MASSACHUSETTS Bayline Inc. Boatyard & Transport 4 Silva Street • New Bedford, MA 02744 (508) 994-2944 • www.baylineboatyard.com Kingman Yacht Center 1 Shipyard Lane • Cataumet, MA 02534 (508) 563-7136 • www.kingmanyachtcenter.com MacDougall’s Cape Cod Marine Service 145 Falmouth Heights Road • Falmouth, MA 02540 (508) 548-3146 • www.macdougalls.com Parker’s Boat Yard 68 Red Brook Harbor Road • Cataumet, MA 02534 (508) 563-9366 • www.parkersboatyard.com

NEW YORK Marine Specialists 2231 5th Ave. #17 Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 (631) 580-0545 Sag Harbor Yacht Yard 53 Bay St. Sag Harbor, NY 11963 (631) 725-3838

BOAT WORKS

USED BOAT

MAINE Come for the cruising. Stay for the service.

Above: Jayshree and Marc Mittelman ran sailboats for more than 20 years before crossing over to powerboats with the N43.

Wanderer also has a 30-hp Yanmar auxiliary engine, which Mittelman routinely exercises each time he takes the boat away from the dock. Wanderer has electric bow and stern thrusters, which he says are perfect for fine-tuning position when docking the 30-ton vessel. When anchoring out, the Mittelmans keep a 350-pound, 10-foot RIB with a 20-hp Yamaha outboard on the boat deck abaft the flybridge.

The first year they owned Wanderer, they cruised locally to destinations like Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. They learned how to handle the boat in close quarters and adapt to a new style of living aboard. The increased comfort they found on the trawler was one of their favorite discoveries. “We’ve made one long cruise up to Nova Scotia, as far as Halifax,” Mittleman says. “We’ve also made trips to Casco Bay and Penobscot Bay in Maine. In the future, I’d really like to explore the southern coast of Newfoundland. I’ve read Farley Mowat’s travelogs on sailing this area, and they’re just inspiring.”

WALKTHROUGH The N43 is a raised pilothouse trawler with a displacement hull, high freeboard forward, Portuguese bridge and an offset cabin structure that creates a safe, walkable sidedeck to starboard. Entrance to the main cabin is through a waterproof door in the aft bulkhead. There are L-shaped lounges flanking the centerline. Paneling is matched teak planking. A large U-shaped galley is to port and positioned to serve diners in the main cabin or the raised pilothouse up a four-step stairway.

In the pilothouse, a bench seat with table is a good place for the off-watch crew to sit. From the helm seat, there is excellent visibility through about 270 degrees. Two Dutch-style waterproof doors make it easy to pop out of the pilothouse on either side.

The accommodations plan includes an amidships owners’ cabin with en suite head. The guest cabin is forward.

If you’re shopping for a pre-owned boat, search Boatquest.com, operated by Active Interest Media, parent company of Soundings.

The NEW ENGLAND REFIT CAPITAL frontstreetshipyard.com • 207-930-3740 74

SOUNDINGS

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR BOAT IN SOUNDINGS? We’re looking for boats and owners to feature in this department. If you want to share your story, contact the editorial team at editorial@soundingspub.com.

Trawlerfest

BOATSHOW • SEMINARS • RENDEZVOUS

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L&L Electronics Branford, CT 203.488.4814 www.LLElectronics.com

MacDougalls’ Cape Cod Marine Service Falmouth, MA 508.548.3146 www.MacDougalls.com

Lyman-Morse Camden, ME Thomaston, ME 207.236.4378 www.LymanMorse.com

T&K Marine Electronics, Inc. New Bedford, MA 508.961.2480 www.TKMarineElectronics.com

New England Marine Electronics 130B Water Street South Norwalk, CT 06854 203-857-0801 New England Marine Electronics (ne-me.com)

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The Beauty and Peace of a Perfect Maine Anchorage.

No Boat Required.

Every boater’s dream includes the perfect anchorage quiet mornings as the fog lifts, evenings streaked with sunset colors, nights with waves gently lapping the hull.

But getting there usually requires all the time, money and effort that goes into owning a boat. Not at Riggs Cove Rentals. Whether you’re a sailor or a confirmed landlubber you can simply step aboard one of our posh houseboats moored in Robinhood Cove, one of Maine’s prized cruising spots, and enjoy. At Riggs Cove you’ll find the comforts of home along with the splendor of the Maine coast.

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Dockage, Ship’s Store, Fuel, Ice, Hauling to 150 tons. Est. 1958

203-838-5899

NorwalkCove.com VHF Ch. 9 & 72 48 Calf Pasture Beach Rd. East Norwalk, CT 06855

h eir l oo m- q u a li t y j ew e l r y

i n sp ir ed by t he se a

Sto n i n g t o n , C T / L a n c a s t e r, PA

Capturing Your

( 7 1 7 ) 569 - 65 0 0 i n f o @ M a g g i e L e e D e s i g n s .co m w w w. M a g g i e L e e D e s i g n s .co m

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@maggieleedesigns

Visit us in beautiful Stonington Borough, CT or online

CANCELLED? NON-RENEWED? SKYROCKETING RATES? WE CAN HELP. CALL TODAY!

For over 54 years Total Dollar has

built a first- rate reputation, providing expertise that’s second to none. You’ll get custom-tailored insurance — agreed value hull, liability and special coverage, plus personalized service and rates that won’t gouge your pocket.

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,OCKWOOD "OAT 7ORKS Family owned & operated since 1946

One Pleasant Avenue Port Washington, NY 11050

Experts In Boat Repairs For Power & Sail

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4GRQYGTU 4GƓVU 4KIIKPI 5GTXKEGU 5GCUQPCN 6TCPUKGPV &QEMCIG Best Ship Store on Raritan Bay “If We Don’t Have It, You Don’t Need It!”

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A full service insurance agency SERVING YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS FOR OVER 54 YEARS Member: Professional Insurance Agents Association, Better Business Bureau.

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Buzz Fyhrie, FL

972-775-3523

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Punta Gorda, FL www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com

boater’s >>

PUNTA GORDA is a friendly waterfront town. Keep your boat just steps from your back door. Golf. Play tennis. Enjoy the small town lifestyle in the midst of sometimes hectic Florida. Charlotte Harbor offers the best boating in Florida. Protected waters for day or weekend boating with access to the Gulf for that trip around the world. This is the third “Listing Lady” and we have traveled the entire coastline of Florida in a “Listing Lady.” There aren’t many questions about Florida boating that we can’t answer.

2458 Pellam Blvd • $129,000

18590 Arapahoe Circle • $965,000

This vacant, waterfront lot in Port Charlotte offers 106ft of water frontage & boating access to Charlotte Harbor. Build your dream home here w/room to build a large home plus pool & oversized garage(s). Enjoy the secluded & serene setting but remain close to shopping, schools & medical centers. Lot dimensions are 80x224x106x182. Take advantage of all the area has to offer starting with boating from your backyard to world-class fishing, golf, beaches, shopping & restaurants. For baseball fans, this property is minutes from the Tampa Bay Ray’s Spring training ball park. Claim your spot in paradise today.

Move in ready waterfront home located in Port Charlotte with 183ft of seawall with an extended concrete dock with 14,000lb canopied boat lift plus an additional concrete kayak launch. The two-story pool cage encloses the lanai & balcony offering a large brick paver deck w/in-ground, heated pool & plenty of room for outdoor entertaining. Paradise found here with this outdoor living space that is continuously bathed in sunlight thanks to the southern rear exposure.

Privacy galore as this property overlooks a wide canal along protected mangroves. Home has 3 beds and 2 baths with spacious floor plan and cathedral ceilings.

View waterfront homes for sale or learn about the area at:

www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com

You have a choice Why not work with the best?

(941) 833 - 4217 1-866-761-8138

For brochures and personalized information, contact

Re/Max Harbor Realty 1133 Bal Harbor Blvd., Punta Gorda, FL 33950

info@andreaegroup.com

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES WATERFRONT

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For Sale

Build your dream home w/80ft of private water frontage. Property is located on quiet street & surrounded by a mix of homes & other vacant home sites. Enjoy the serene setting but remain close to shopping, schools & medical centers. Lot dimensions are 80x125x80x125. Lot offers county water & sewer.

18090 Petoskey Cir $139,000 C7447797 The Andreae Group 866-761-8138 www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com Prime waterfront lot in PGI with very quick, deep water, sailboat access to Charlotte Harbor. Reach open water in mere minutes. Lot is located in heart of original sailboat section of PGI & is surrounded by a mix of older & newer, custom-built homes. Perfect spot for your custom-built home. Lot dimensions are 80x120x80x120. 2210 Bayview Rd $899,900 C7447190 The Andreae Group 866-761-8138 www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com

Waterfront lot in PGI located on a quiet cul-desac & offers 115ft of seawall, a lovely wide canal view & sailboat access. Start enjoying some RI WKH EHVW ERDWLQJ ¿VKLQJ LQ 6: )ORULGD ULJKW from your backyard. Lot dimensions for the lot are 89x100x115x120. City water & sewer are available at the property. Claim your spot in paradise today!

3360 Sandpiper Dr $325,000 C7450431 The Andreae Group 866-761-8138 www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com

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Florida

The lot that has it all - great view of intersecting canals, two concrete docks. Just waiting for your Florida dream house to build. Reach open water in mere minutes from this lot. 100 Bayshore Ct $899,900.

C7440894 The Andreae Group 866-761-8138 www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com

Available waterfront lot in PGI with full 80ft of seawall sailboat access to Charlotte Harbor & a western rear exposure that features fantastic sunsets daily. Perfect spot for your Florida dream home. With the recent opening of Buckley’s Pass in February 2020, you can reach open water in under 15 minutes from this lot.

Lot dimensions are 80x120x80x120. 4711 Almar Dr $279,000 C7446926 The Andreae Group 866-761-8138 www.DiscoverPuntaGorda.com North Carolina Lot For Sale

Oriental, NC – Enjoy the breezes of the Neuse River from this beautiful homesite across the street from the waterfront. Moments from the town beach and Lou Mac Park. Convenient to shopping and restaurants! $135,000 http://1101neusedrive.c21.com/?cpref=100 Contact CENTURY 21 Sail/Loft Realty, Oriental, NC 252-249-1787 www.sailloftrealty.com Oriental, NC – Sail in and out of Whittaker Creek to your new homesite that is 2.12 acres within the city limits of Oriental, the Sailing Capital of North Carolina.

This cul-de-sac homesite has beautiful water views of Whittaker Creek! $218,000 http://398madisonavenue. c21.com/ Call CENTURY 21 Sail/Loft Realty; Oriental, NC 252-249-1787, www.sailloftrealty.com Oriental, NC – 1.94 acres within the city limits of Oriental. This cul-de-sac homesite has beautiful water views of Whittaker Creek. Municipal Sewer and water with taps installed and the sewer impact fees are paid! $199,000 Contact CENTURY 21 Sail/Loft Realty, Oriental, NC 252-249-1787 www.sailloftrealty.com http://396madisonavenue.c21.com/

Life at the Water’s Edge

FLYER 9 SUNDECK - ARRIVING SOON

FLYER 10 - CT SPRING BOAT SHOW

Friday, May 6 & Saturday, May 7 Sunday By Appointment VIP Registration:

Info@PrestigeYachtSales.net OCEANIS 38.1 - CT SPRING BOAT SHOW

OCEANIS 46.1 - SPRING ARRIVAL

SOUTHPORT 33 DC - CT SPRING BOAT SHOW

SOUTHPORT 30 - ON ORDER

OCEANIS 30.1 - CT SPRING BOAT SHOW

ANTARES 8 V2 - ON ORDER

SELECT BROKERAGE LISTINGS

’18 Dufour 56 Exclusive Asks 749K- Call E. Greenwich

’04 Windy 43 Asks 265K- Call Norwalk

’05 Surfhunter 29 Asks 169K – Call Norwalk

’00 PaciÄc Seacraft 40 Asks 279K- Call Norwalk

’13 Hunt Harrier 25 Coming Soon

’21 Beneteau First 24 Call For Price

OFFICE LOCATIONS: NORWALK COVE MARINA

DAUNTLESS SHIPYARD

SEAPORT MARINE

PRIME MARINA

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Tired of endlessly scrolling on hard-to-use websites?

Try our search tool & find the boat of your dreams!

Over 3,000 Listings available now! www.Brewer.Yachts

Scan here to start shopping!

Visit us at the CT Spring Boat Show April 29 - May 1 at Safe Harbor Essex Island Marina

BROKERS Gregg Child Chris Fairfax Bill Haynie Ted Hood Murray Lord Andrew Kaiser Bob Marston

ALDEN/PALMER JOHNSON 78

John Perkins

80’ Alden-designed Palmer Johnson ketch. Complete paint in 2020. Always maintained in immaculate condition. A bargain in a sail-away proper yacht.

Jim Wetherald

LITTLE HARBOR 58 Shoal-draft Ted Hood masterpiece. Top condition: New teak decks, engine, generator and Awlgrip. She’s as good as it gets!

LITTLE HARBOR 54

TAYANA FLYING DUTCHMAN 12, 50’

S&S SAILMASTER 45 YAWL

Shoal-draft passagemaker, in-mast furling + elec. ST winches at helm. 3 staterooms with queen aft. Updated sails, rigging, machinery.

Sought-after classic design: stable, comfortable, beautiful and ergonomic. Desirable 3-cabin layout and a custom ICWcapable mast.

Dutch-built, completely restored and fully upgraded. FRP construction, recent engine, electronics, sails and more!

2008 MORRIS M36

2004 ISLAND PACKET 370 Near-perfect condition, 2-cabin layout, highly optioned with cutter rig, AC, generator, thruster. One owner, stored inside winters.

2012 HUNT 44 Classic innovative design. Modern technology.

Volvo IPS Pods; joystick docking. Single level salon/aft deck. Tender garage. Wow!

Highly-optioned daysailer/overnighter - furling main, beautiful laid teak decks, varnished teak cabin sides.

Light summer use by original owner.

2017 BRUCKMANN ABACO 40 As new. Very low hours, 3 summers only. Spotless engine room/bilges. Upgraded electrical. Impressive electronics package.

WASQUE 26

2016 HUNT YACHTS HARRIER 26 Lift-kept. Garmin electronics. Faux teak transom w/engine painted to match gelcoat. A real stunner!

Stunning lines, teaked-out to the nines! Recent bow thruster and one sweet running pocket yacht!

Rhode Island: 401-683-6070

2017 E YACHTS LYMAN-MORSE 33 A legendary daysailer/racer that has had ‘the treatment’ to convert her to a true push-button deck/rigging plan, a single-hander’s dream!

2000 LITTLE HARBOR WHISPERJET 34 Cummins diesels w/low hrs, Garmin electronics, . Bridge deck with V-berth, galley, enclosed head. great sightlines and large seating area.

2001/2007 CROCKER DUFFY 26 Respected Spencer Lincoln Duffy 26 hull with custom stern seat and well-appointed interior, including private head. Under 475 hours!

WellingtonYachts.com

2015 JEANNEAU NC14, 45’ Modern styling and ergonomics, plus pod drive performance and efficiency make this the perfect family cruiser.

2022 HOLLAND 32 New boat to be built to your specification, many options available, diesel power, finished interior with head and berth.

2019 VANQUISH BRISTOL HARBOR 23CC Classic lines in a modern and capable center console, all the options, low hours, in turnkey shape. Trailer included. Won’t last long!

Florida: 954-527-4230

MAKE MY BOAT A ZODIAC NEW FOR 2021!

Yachtline 490 Length 16’1”, Beam 6’9”, hp 90

Medline 6.8 Length 21’8”, Beam 8’4”, hp 250

Open 5.5 Length 17’9”, Beam 8’4”, hp 150

Bayrunner 420 Length 13’9”, Beam 6’3”, hp 50

Open 6.5 Length 20’2”, Beam 8’4”, hp 175

See our current inventory at www.brownsyy.com

139 Rear East Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 Tel: (978) 281-3200 | Fax: (978) 281-3201

rick@brownsyy.com

www.petzolds.com Serving the Boating Community Since 1945

SABRE 38, 43, 45, & 48 ON ORDER

BACK COVE 34O, 372, 39O & 41 ON ORDER

REGAL - CALL FOR SIZES

2021 Sabre 58 Asking $2,750,000 Norwalk

1991 Grand Banks 42CL Asking $195,000 Rhode Island

2015 Sabre 42 Salon Express Asking $650k Norwalk

New Rhode Island Location!

Safe Harbor Cowesett Marina | 1 Masthead Drive in Warwick 401-846-8484 • joe@petzolds.com

2011 Sabre 40 Sedan Asking $525,000 Portland

EDGEWATER - CALL FOR SIZES

SEA FOX - CALL FOR SIZES

2019 Back Cove 340 Asking $599,000 Rhode Island

2000 Egg Harbor 53 Sport Yacht Asking $275,000 Portland

2004 Regal 3560 Commodore Asking $88,900 Portland

2006 Maxum 3100 Rhode Island Asking $69,000

Petzold’s Marine Center Portland 860-342-1196 ken@petzolds.com / troy@petzolds.com / jordan@petzolds.com

Petzold’s at Norwalk Cove 203-838-4523 diana@petzolds.com / jeff@petzolds.com

www.cooperss.com www.cooperss.com

2018 86’ San Lorenzo w/dinghy Twin Cat C-32’s Smoke /Heat Damage - FL

2016 50’ Azimut Twin Cummins 420hp Salt Water Damage FL

860-395-4745 2021 38’ Boston Whaler Quad Mercury 450hp Salt Water Damage - FL

2014 44’ Riva Twin Man 800hp Salt Water Damage - FL 2003 54’ Grand Banks Twin Cat 3196’s Heat/Smoke MD

2014 57’ Jeanneau VW 75hp Grounding/Salt Water Damage GA

2021 23’ Axopar w/trailer Mercury 200hp Collision/Rollover - WI

2017 37’ Black Cove Cummins 300hp Heat/Smoke Damage - IL

2020 25’ World Cat Twin Yamaha 150hp Salt Water Damage - NY

Licensed, FL Yacht & Ship Sales

2016 43’ Tiara Twin CAT 715hp Grounding/Salt Water Damage - FL

FULL SERVICE BOATYARD CUSTOM BOAT BUILDING YACHT BROKERAGE PRICE REDUCTION

FEATURED LISTING

SAGA | 3DFLƓ F 6HDFUDIW – / à ÃÜiiÌ VÀÕ ÃiÀ >à Lii ÛiÀÞ Üi V>Ài` v À > ` «À viÃà > Þ > Ì> i`° * ÜiÀi` LÞ > £x « 9> >À iÃi i } i° ÕÃÌ Û>À à i` Ìi> V «> Ü>Þ >ÌV > ` V L >À`ð ÕL i LiÀÌ > ` i>`° $14,900

GULL | Rampage Express Cruiser – Õ Ì LÞ ,> «>}i 9>V Ìà £ nn° ,iVi Ì Õ«}À>`ià V Õ`i > Óxä * 9> > > ÕÌL >À` i } i] VÕÃÌ « Ì ÕÃi -Õ LÀi > V> Û>à i V ÃÕÀi] >À V >ÀÌ« ÌÌiÀ > ` >LÃV i>`° $32,000

KATIE GRACE | Marine Management – {n vÌ° 1- ëiVÌi` ÛiÃÃi LÕ ÌÆ ÀiVi Ì Þ ÕÃi` >à > «>ÃÃi }iÀÉÀiÃi>ÀV ÛiÃÃi >À Õ ` Ì i Ü>ÌiÀà v Õ Ì iÃiÀÌ Ã > `] > i° iÀÌ w V>Ìi v ëiVÌ ] 1- ` VÕ i Ìà >Ài >Û> >L i Õ« ÀiµÕiÃÌ. $124,900

MAISIE MCGOO | Stanley 38 – "ÕÀ y >}à « -Ì> iÞ În] LÕ Ì Óää ] à vviÀi` v À Ã> i v À Ì i w ÀÃÌ Ì i° 6>À à i` Ìi> L ÜëÀ Ì] Õ Ìi` > V À] > }] Ü Ã ÕiÌÌi` Û>À à i` Ìi> V>L ÌÀÕ ] > ` ÌÀ>` Ì > Ã Ì > ëÀÕVi >ÃÌ > ` L ° / i VÕÃÌ « Ì ÕÃi >à >À}i Ü ` Üà > ` > V v ÀÌ>L i V V « Ì° /À>` Ì > Þ>V Ì vÕÀ à }à V Õ`i Ì i 7 >Ì i > ` >Û Ãi>Ìà > ` > >À}i ` iÌÌiÉÃiÌÌii Ì >Ì > iÃ Ì > ÛiÀÞ V v ÀÌ>L i ` ÕL i LÕ ° ÀiV>ÃÌ i >à > >À}i Vi ÌiÀ i µÕii LiÀÌ > ` « ÀÌ ÃiÌÌii° >ÃÌà > Þ Ã«iV > > i Ì ià >ÃÌiÀvÕ Þ VÀi>Ìi` LÞ Ì i VÀ>vÌà i v 7 >Ì ° Please inquire.

PO Box 80, Shipwright Lane, Hall Quarry, Mount Desert, ME 04660 207.244.7854 • www.jwboatco.com • info@jwboatco.com

WILLIAMS 29 | A iÝV Ì } V >L À>Ì LiÌÜii 7 >Ì > ` Þ>V Ì `ià } iÀ Õ} <ÕÀ ° /À>` Ì > 7 ÃÌÞ i > ` ÕÝÕÀÞ «> Ài` Ü Ì > `iÀ Õ ] ëiV w V> Þ `ià } i` v À ÕÌL >À` « ÜiÀ° čVVi«Ì } À`iÀà v À ÓäÓΰ

A member of:

Gray & Gray Yachts York, ME; Westport, MA; Stonington, ME Ħ graygray@gwi.net Ħ WWW.grayandgrayyachts.com

36’ NEWMAN/JOEL WHITE FB, JUST LISTED

Antara

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$94,000

42’ DUFFY FB, 1998, $339,000

$40,000

CASCABEL

TIGRESS

42’ ALDEN CARAVELLE YAWL

393 BENETEAU, 2005,

$249,000

$109,500

38’ INGRID KETCH, 1984 $49,500

43’ ROBERT RICH CRUISER, REFIT, $398,000

32’ HOLLAND HT, 1981

40’ INTREPID C/C, 1985

$62,500

$88,000

28’ CAPE DORY FB, 1986 $54,500

42’ GRAND BANKS, 1969 $89,900

32’ GRAND BANKS, 1985 $89,900

$47,950

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ARTESSA

42’ GRAND BANKS, 1974, $115,000

$22,000

1 232 1 4 / " 56 (, ! !

124 Horseshoe Cove Road Harborside, ME 04642 Tel: 207-326-4422 ∙ Fax: 207-326-4411 Email: sealcoveboatyard@gmail.com ∙www.sealcoveboatyard.com

POWER BOATS 42’ GRAND BANKS 1974, (2) FROM $115,000.

32’ HOLLAND, 2020, $259,000.

32’ BEAL JONESPORT, 1960, $58,500.

32’ GRAND BANKS, 1985. $89,900.

32’ BEALS HT CRUISER, 1960, $42,000.

29’ DYER ST, 1986, $115,000.

27’ EASTERN, 2000, $49,500.

27’ TRIPP ANGLER, 1993, $89,900.

24’ LIMESTONE, 1988, $39,000 22’ SISU SOFTTOP, 1992, $26,500.

SAIL BOATS 42’ PEARSON 424 KETCH, 1981, $59,900.

40’ LYMAN MORSE SEGUIN 40, $89,500.

38’ S&S YANKEE, 1974, $41,500.

37’ J SLOOP, 1987, $62,500.

361 BENETEAU, 2002, $81,500.

36’ CAPE DORY, 1983, $54,500.

36’ PEARSON, 1973, $35,900.

33’ HERRESHOFF BUZZARDS BAY, 2001, $100,000.

31’ CAPE DORY, 1985, $32,500.

23’ SAKONNET/EDEY & DUFF, 1999, $29,500.

CALL: 877-239-9212 | 207-363-7997 ANNE H. GRAY • JILLIAN C. HAWES • BARBARA SLOWIK

ONSET BAY YACHT SALES + Refit + Restoration + Systems WITH TWO LOCATIONS SAFE HARBOR ONSET BAY 18 GREEN STREET, BUZZARDS BAY, MA 02532

+ Brokerage + Moorings Yamaha, Volvo, Yanmar & Westerbeke certified

SAFE HARBOR FIDDLERS COVE 42 FIDDLERS COVE ROAD, NORTH FALMOUTH, MA 02556

508-295-2300 www.onsetbayyachtsales.com rcahoon@shmarinas.com 2021 42’ YELLOWFIN WITH QUAD MERCURY 400’S 300 HOURS EXTENDED ENGINE WARRANTIES UNTIL 2025. TWIN 26” GARMIN DISPLAYS FULL ELECTRONICS PACKAGE GENERATOR CABIN AND HELM AIR CONDITIONING EXTENDED HARDTOP WITH SECOND ROW SEATING FORWARD SEATING AND LOUNGE CUSTOM DIAMOND PLEAT TWO TONE UPHOLSTERY LIGHT BLUE HULL WINDLASS UNDERWATER LIGHTS. COMFORTABLE CABIN WITH BUNKS MICROWAVE SINK HEAD AND SHOWER. A BEAUTIFUL BOAT IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION ASKING $879,900 LOCATED AT SAFE HARBOR FIDDLERS COVER

224’ EDGEWATER 240 CC 2004 WITH TWIN 150 YAMAHA’S. 2012 GARMIN 4212 DISPLAY FOR RADAR AND GPS CHARTPLOTTER ICOM VHF RADIO. T TOP TRANSOM DOOR FORWARD SEATING HELM LEANING POST STERN SEAT POTTA POTTIE UNDER CONSOLE. YELLOW HULL COLOR. TANDEM AXEL TRAILER ENGINES MAINTAINED BY CERTIFIED YAMAHA TECH. ASKING $43,500

(508) 999-1381 | conco@concordiaboats.com South Dartmouth, MA | www.concordiaboats.com

LOCATED AT SAFE HARBOR FIDDDLERS COVE

2008 28’ GRADY WHITE 283 CANYON CC TWIN 250 YAMAHA’S NEW CHARTPLOTTER HARDTOP FORWARD SEATING HEAD UNDER CONSOLE STERN SEAT LIVEWELL TRANSOM DOOR RARE CATAUMET BLUE HULL COLOR. ASKING $82,500

LOCATED AT SAFE HARBOR FIDDLERS COVE

2016 28’ NAUTICSTAR 28XS OFFSHORE WITH TWIN 250 YAMAHA’S FULL ELECTRONICS PACKAGE HARDTOP ANCHOR WINDLASS BOW THRUSTER UPGRADED UPHOLSTERY HEAD/ SINK UNDER CONSOLE FORWARD SEATING LIVEWELL TRANSOM DOOR FISHBOXES SEA FOAM GREEN HULL. ONE OWNER ASKING $114,900

They protect us.

Every day. Every night.

And they need your support. + + +

The United States Coast Guard Inspire leadership, learning and a legacy of service by supporting the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard through the Coast Guard Foundation.

LOCATED AT SAFE HARBOR ONSET BAY

2021 was another very successful year and we foresee 2022 to be as strong. We attribute this to Customer Loyalty, being part of Safe Harbor Marinas and 41 years of Yacht Sales.

Safe Harbor Members from all locations can receive special considerations when listing your boat with us.

To learn how you can help, call (860) 535-0786 or visit our website at www.coastguardfoundation.org

Call Ron Cahoon to see how we can make a difference 92

SOUNDINGS

ASK ABOUT OUR BOAT DONATION PROGRAM USCG PHOTO BY PA1 TOM SPERDUTO

MARINE MARKETPLACE

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Safer, Cleaner Refueling for a safer, cleaner environment

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Now available for vertical deck fills!

The innovative splash-free, spill-free Clean WayTM Fuel Fill is utilized by the US Coast Guard and participating marinas including the recent distribution to100 Clean Marinas in Virginia by the VIMS in their pursuit of healthy, pristine watersheds.

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JUST YESTERDAY

A

ccording to the Royal Western Yacht Club of England, it all started in 1956 with a man named Herbert “Blondie” Hasler. Hasler dreamed up the idea of a single-handed transatlantic race that started in southern England and ended in New York. He issued a press release, and 100 yachtsmen expressed interest in participating, but only eight officially entered the race. And when it was time to set sail in 1960, only five cast off their lines—with nothing but handheld sextants and compasses to guide their way.

One of those five was Sir Francis Chichester, who had served as an air-navigation expert during World War II, and who had taken up ocean sailing in 1953. Chichester’s steed was the Gipsy Moth III, by far the longest boat in the race at a length overall of 40 feet. Hasler competed in his 25-foot modified Nordic folkboat Jester. One particularly intrepid soul set course aboard a 21-footer.

There were no satellite phones at the time, so nobody

really knew how things were going out on the Atlantic. As the days ticked on past one month, concerns grew on both continents about the competitors’ well-being. And then— after 40 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes—Chichester sailed Gipsy Moth III into view, winning the race.

According to the yacht club, Chichester remarked, “Every time I tried to point Gipsy Moth at New York, the wind blew dead on the nose. It was like trying to reach a doorway with a man in it, aiming a hose at you. It was much tougher than I thought.”

Hasler arrived eight days later, and all the rest of the boats followed, with the 21-footer arriving last, after 74 long days. The race became known as the OSTAR, which stands for Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race, thanks to sponsorship by The Observer newspaper. The race continues to be held today, with the Royal Western Yacht Club of England still organizing it. This year’s start date is May 15. —Kim Kavin

ALAMY

An Ocean in His Wake

Soundings (ISSN 1526-8268, U.S.P.S. 527-030) Vol. LIX, No. 9, is published monthly for $24.97 for 12 months by Cruz Bay Publishing Inc., an Active Interest Media company. The known office of publication is 5710 Flatiron Pkwy, Suite C, Boulder, CO 80301. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO 80301, and other mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Soundings, P.O. Box 37274, Boone IA 50037-0274. Please allow six to eight weeks for change. Printed in the U.S.A.

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