Cruising outpost #12 fall 2015

Set sail with 208 pages of seafaring adventure!

CruisingOutpost.com

Sailing in

CUBA Fighting for Position:

The History of Navigation at Sea

SIX Things To Look For in a

Cruising Cat

Women WHO SAIL

First Rendezvous

BOAT

SPOTLIGHT Fall 2015 - Issue #11

Catalina 275 Jeanneau 50DS Seawind 1250 Swift Trawler 44

U.S. $7.99 / Canada $8.99

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Since 1859

Wherev

Steering Equipment

E

Your steering system keeps your boat and your adventure heading in the right

Se

direction. Replacing key components and exercising proper maintenance will help you and your crew enjoy your boat to the fullest. From chain & wire systems to worm gears, Edson is the leading expert in steering systems, with a first rate customer service department.

line in

PEDESTALS

Adding a new electronics package? Now is the time to switch to a pedestal designed for these new instruments and all the wiring that comes with them. Get your radar or chartplotter out of your line of vision and into a space where they belong. You will upgrade the look of your boat and get a new thru-shaft wheel brake, single-lever engine control, and pedestal guard for free.

W a NE o t ade edestal Upgr II P n o i Vi s

INS

WHEELS

The wheel is the most touched piece of equipment on board.

Edson manufactures a variety of top quality wheels, from stainless steel to Carbon Fiber. Just need a new leather kit for your wheel rim? We’ve got you covered there too. Want a custom wheel? We can build that.

Pro pro Ho pro

CHAIN & WIRE KITS

Chain and wire is the workhorse of most steering systems. It transfers the load from your rudder carving through the water to your steerer.

Lubrication is a must and replacement should occur at least every 7-10 years for this critical component. Edson’s new special steering wire is used in these kits and is the only wire for steering sailboats.

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MAINTENANCE KITS

Keep your existing system running smoothly and in top shape.

From brake legs to snap rings to bearings, Edson has you covered!

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Ed an fou ne mo

herever your next adventure takes you, count on Edson to get you there.

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Electronics Mounts

Manual Pumps

Secure your electronics to your boat with style and rugged marine construction. Edson’s

Edson manual bilge pumps have the highest capacity per stroke on the

line will help you protect your investment and keep you moving ahead with confidence in the worst of conditions.

AUTOPILOT TILLER ARMS

Edson’s robust autopilot tiller arms are specifically designed to accept linear drive systems. This independent mounting system provides your boat with an “Electronic Emergency Tiller” and is the most appropriate way to install an auto-pilot.

INSTRUMENT HOUSINGS

Protect your electronics from the elements and provide a clean installation with Edson’s Instrument Housings. A wide range of sizes and mounts provides the perfect solution for your boat.

PORTABLE PUMP KITS

FLUSH MOUNT

PUMPS

See Edson Pumps in action at www.youtube.com/edsonmarine

Marine-Grade Accessories The Edson brand has been equated with the quality standard for over

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pe.

market, with the standard pump ejecting one gallon with every stroke! Bronze or marine-grade anodized aluminum, and a diaphragm that is rated to handle over 3,000,000 cycles, provides construction that is without rival. In the words of Don Street: “The Edson pump is first, there is no second.“

155 years! Introduce Edson accessories onto your boat for enjoyment, comfort, and style that lasts. Designed by sailors for sailors - we share your passion.

POLE AND MAST MOUNT SYSTEMS

Solid mounting systems will keep your equipment safe and operating when you need it most.

Edson craftsmanship means style and lasting performance.

DINGHY HANDLING EQUIPMENT

COCKPIT TABLES AND DRINK HOLDERS

STAINLESS CLAMPS AND ARMS

Edson’s investment-cast 316 stainless clamps and mounting arms create solid and stylish foundations for all your accessory mounting needs. Bushings are included to allow these to mount to 1”, 1-1/8”. and 1-1/4” tube.

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www.edsonmarine.com

New Bedford, MA (508) 995-9711 info@edsonintl.com 7/27/15 12:04 PM

In th

there isis issue less th an

39.4%

Advert

is

ing!

And w e did it ON PURPO SE! Most

othe magaz r boating ine over 6 s have 5% ad s.

Person Responsible for This Bob Bitchin bob@cruisingoutpost.com

Editor at Large Sue Morgan sue@cruisingoutpost.com

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

If people from Poland are called ”Poles” are people from Holland called ”Holes?”

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

Life Aboard Queen Mother Robin Stout robin@cruisingoutpost.com

Web & Art Guru Richard Marker rich@cruisingoutpost.com

Media Princess Tabitha “Bitchin” Lipkin tabitha@cruisingoutpost.com Software King Steve “Sailing Guitarist” Hall steve@cruisingoutpost.com

Marketing & Video Darren O’Brien darren@cruisingoutpost.com

BS Party Manager Dave Dudgeon dave@cruisingoutpost.com

Boat Show Slaves Jeff & Marie “Ken & Barbie” Inshaw jeff@cruisingoutpost.com marie@cruisingoutpost.com

People Who Helped Us Create This Issue Pierre Allemand Daria & Alex Blackwell Capt. James Cash Paula Christie Estelle Cockroft William J. Cook Pam Hudston Roger Hughes Dan Kunz Diane Lemieux Capt. Bill Malone Shane McClellan Captain Mike Mills Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn Capt Pauley Mark Roozendaal Morgan Stinemetz Drew Whitler Theodore Wilson Jessica Zevalkink

This Issue’s Cover: Captain Chris Martin on Jolly II Rover shot this on his way to Cuba!

It’s part of our cover story on page 26.

Cuba is opening up, and you get the whole story here!

Next issue goes on sale December 1, 2015 Printed in the USA

People Who Didn’t Help Us At All

Barbie Benton Marlene Dietrich Jane Russell Bo Derek Betty Grable

We Support The Boating Industry

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Advertising Goddess Lisa O’Brien lisa@cruisingoutpost.com 510-900-3616 Ext #105

Cruising Outpost Box100 Berry Creek, CA 95916 Phone 510 900-3616

National Marine Manufacturers Association

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© 2015 The Bitchin Group, Inc.

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6 Cruising Outpost

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Many people disagree with our punctuation usage. For those people, we offer these punctuation marks to be used wherever they like!

‘.?;: !-” “ ‘ ;: ,.,*@! www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Issue #12 Fall 2015

Contents

Special Stuff in this Issue The Whole Nine Yards Jolly Rover Sails to Cuba Fighting for Position Featured Cruiser: Britannia Six Things You Need to Know About Catamarans Cruising The Bahamas Women Who Sail Rendezvous To Motor or Not to Motor Thru-Hull Replacement

14 26 71 88 96 104 112 164 170

26 71

Regular Stuff in this Issue Attitudes Bob Bitchin Cruising Outpost News Another Way Tania Aebi Weather by Lee Lee Chesneau What’s Out There: New Boat Designs Lifestyle Flotsam & Jetsom CO Events & News I Found it at the Boat Show Talk of the Dock Zuzana Prochazka Trouble With Treb Rich Marker Life Aboard Robin Stout Book Review Capt. Jim Cash Bubba Whartz Morgan Stinemetz Tech Tips Captain Pauly First Look Mackie White Cruisians

10 36 56 58 63 76 118 152 157 172 173 174 176 178 181 196 203 204

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

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

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

™ SM

© 2015 The Bitchin Group, Inc.

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ENGINEERED FOR LIFE There are various key design features that set Profurl apart from the competition. Profurl’s trademark has become the green surface finish that is recognized world over. This surface finishing process is the toughest and most durable finish that can be applied to aluminum. It is commonly used in the aeronautical industry and is a standard used on all exposed aluminum components used by the military. Profurl has chosen this surface finish in order to offer you a lifetime of high corrosion resistance, in one of the most demanding environments on Earth.

Sealed or not sealed?

Profurl utilizes the technology of a high carbon steel bearing, which is permanently hydraulically sealed in a grease capsule. This technology benefits the user by providing peace of mind with respect to maintenance of the bearing system. Open bearing systems require regular cleaning and lubrication, which if left unchecked, can cause permanent damage to the bearing race. Due to the nature of the marine environment, open bearing systems have to be manufactured from either plastic or stainless steel, both of which have very poor high load bearing properties. Profurl systems provide consistent high load, maintenance free operation for many years.

Professional riggers know that Wichard stay adjusters are the best and strongest of their kind on the market. The extensive range gives one a vast choice of type, size and accessory. You will easily find 0theCruising Outpost right choice for every application.

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Simplicity is best.

Profurl’s open drum design is one its most practical features. Being able see to how the furling line wraps around the drum, and being able to easily access this line, is a feature. Profurl’s robust, indestructible furling drum offers both visual and access capabilities. This feature alone has made Profurl a favorite for offshore sailors.

All Profurl reefing systems allow the end user to decide upon the desired height of the furling drum above the deck.

Cruising sailors like to install the furler in a position which is raised above the deck in order to clear anchor chain or mooring lines. It also allows for better visibility under the foot of the sail, which is an important detail when cruising offshore or in busy waterways. Performance oriented sailors like to install the furler as low as possible to the deck in order to take advantage of increased sail area. Profurl’s unique link plate system accommodates both of these options.

The choice of drum height is facilitated by a design whereby the structural components of the existing stay pass though the furling unit. This means that no part of the Profurl unit is relied upon to hold up your mast. All structural loads are directly applied to where they should be, your stay. This key design feature allows the furler to be installed or removed without affecting the stay, by means of cutting or re-termination. It also allows for considerable weight optimization of the unit.

Profurl is the only furler manufacturer that has successfully combated this potential issue. The Profurl engineers developed a system called the “Wrap Stop System” which locks the halyard in a position to prevent it from wrapping around the stay. This locked position facilitates halyard tension adjustment, while maintaining the locked position. The Wrap Stop System also deflects non-working halyards away from the rotating mechanisms to prevent accidental snags.

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The baby stay or inner forestay can be set or removed with ease due to the large, oversized pelican hooks which improve leverage. The top of the range adjuster models are equipped with ratchet tensioning systems which make adjusting your stay child’s play.

Our motto, “Safety begins with a W,” not only refers to the strength and quality of our products, but also to our products which contribute directly to your safety on board.

An example of this standard is shown in our safety lines and tethers, where a unique overload indicator shows if a product has been over-stressed and needs replacement.

As an alternative to our standard carbine hook on the end of our tethers, you may want to choose our unique double-action safety hook, which only opens when you want it to.

Next to the safety tethers, a knife has become a standard piece of safety equipment. Wichard knives have been designed to cut through rope with ease. Furthermore, they have been developed to be comfortable in the hand and easy to carry. Due to various knife applications, Wichard has developed a series of models and colors to suit every need. Examples of these are knives with fluorescent handles, knives manufactured completely out of stainless steel or out of titanium, floating knives and even knives with a one-hand opening mechanism.

The same standard of quality and strength you find in our forged products is instilled in our block range.

The extensive assortment of Wichard blocks provides a suitable product for almost any application. The current Wichard range has blocks to handle loads from 300kg (660lb) to over 32000kg (70500lb).

The Wichard block range consists of options of plain bearing, delron ball bearing, or torlon bearing blocks, and are available in plastic, stainless steel or aluminum. Every Wichard block is equipped with a forged Wichard shackle. Wichard products are all supplied with a 5 year limited warranty. Product application and safe working load data can be found on the label and in our product catalog.

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Cast metal products of the same design are not as strong as forged products, because the structure in the metal has not been formed in an organized manner, but instead it has random structure which is not very stable. Casting steel allows the chance for small air bubbles to become entrapped inside the finished product. These trapped air bubbles or voids in the casting will cause a weakness in the material. Machined steel products, manufactured from a solid block of material, can also have weaknesses. When the metal is machined into a curve the structure in the original raw metal is broken and this becomes a potential weak point. When the object is overloaded it will break at this point.

The forging technique ensures that every product of the same design and shape has the same properties with a very high tolerance of deviation. By controlling the forging process, Wichard can guarantee an accurate breaking load and safe working load for each individual product.

The snap shackle evolved from the shackle to facilitate a non-permanent structural attachment. All Wichard snap shackles, except for article #2470, are manufactured in the HR steel (AISI 630 or 17-4ph), which gives them very high safe working load.

The HR snap shackle range is very well suited in combination with high-end cordage from dyneema or vectran. The recreational sailor will also appreciate this product range due to its highly polished finish and smooth operation.

The forging process organizes the structure of the metal to form the shape of the end product.

This structure or metal fibers, once aligned, creates a metal product which is not only very strong but also has an “elastic” property. The process of forging steel creates a finished product that is far superior in strength and quality, compared to a cast steel product.

A Wichard shackle is manufactured using the ageold principal of forging steel. Wichard has perfected and refined this forging process to create extremely high quality and high precision products. All the raw material used by Wichard is first checked for the correct chemical makeup of the alloy and quality. Once the raw material has passed this inspection, the metal is heated to a precise temperature to be forged. Forging steel requires heating of the metal to a precise temperature, at which point the semi-ductile metal is forced into a die created to form the shape of the finished product.

Stainless Steel products forged by Wichard are manufactured using SS AISI 316L or AISI 630 (17-4 ph) with exception of the knives.

Products made from SS AISI 316L have a high tolerance to corrosion while products made from SS AISI 630 (17- 4 ph) have a higher breaking load and safe working load. Wichard products made from AISI 630 (17-4 ph) can be recognized by the stamped letters HR (High Resistance).

Nautical forged products by Wichard are finished in a high-luster polish. This is not only for looks, but provides a far better tolerance to corrosion. In some cases corrosion can appear on the surface of the product, but can be easily removed by our Wichinox paste. Wichinox is a passivating paste which cleans the metal surface and prevents the return of surface corrosion.

Wichard advises that the optimum working load of its products does not exceed 80% of the indicated safe working load (function load). If a Wichard product is overloaded or the safe working load is exceeded, the product will deform due to its “elastic” property, but not break.

This gives the user an extra safety margin and shows when the product is overloaded. Deformed products should be replaced immediately, preferably by a product of greater safe working load.

The basis of our forged product line is the shackle.

Our standard shackles are equipped with patented locking systems and are available in various forms and sizes. Large assortments of these shackles are also available with a patented captive pin, which can not be separated from the shackle, and therefore can not be lost. The captive pin feature is also found in our key pin shackle range.

Key pin shackles can be opened and locked quickly and effortlessly, without the need of a tool. HR shackles are also available though our entire range, for the sailor who pushes his equipment to the edge.

Along with our stainless steel forged shackles, our catalog displays a large assortment of snap hooks, carbine hooks, sail snaps, eye bolts, u bolts, pad eyes, life line hooks, swivels and rings. Many of these products have unique applications, and set the standard for competitors to follow.

Wichard-Profurl 148a Bryce Blvd Fairfax, VT 05454 Tel: (401) 683-5055 Tel: (866) 621-1062 (Toll Free) Fax: (888) 984-9466 Email: info@wichard-usa.com

Safety begins with a W

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Attitudes

We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.

By Bob Bitchin

Okay, it’s time for a quick quiz. How many of you own a boat?

All right, now look around the class and look at the people who are holding their hands up. They are all wrong.

Were you one of them? I’ll bet you were.

But here’s the deal. None of us own boats. Boats (usually!!) outlast people. Heck, you might even be the guy who built the boat, but that just means you got it first.

I didn’t realize this until one day when I was looking thru a magazine (okay, it was Cruising Outpost!!) and saw a very kewl schooner for sale. She was a square-rigged topsail schooner, which is what I learned to sail on, and she was beautiful. Everything about her looked like it was the way I would want to keep a boat, if I could only afford such things. And then I realized that it was a classic, built in the early twenties.

Slowly it dawned on me. I never really “owned” a boat.

Oh, I did get to take care of a lot of them. In fact, I think I am on six right now. And to my knowledge, every boat I ever “owned” is still out there sailing.

So when I was polishing the hull on my first boat, a Cal 28 named Rogue, I was just taking care of it for the next person in line, who would then take care of it too. And so on and so on and so on.

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I am not sure if that is depressing or a good thing.

When I look at some of the really great boats, Like Ticonderoga or even the U.S.S. Constitution, whoever was slapping on the varnish in the ‘30s, I can pretty much be certain they are no longer hanging out or sailing on them.

Thinking back on my boats, I known I loved keeping them “ship shape” as they say. I enjoyed looking at a freshly varnished rail after I worked on it for a few hours. It was a point of pride. And I can just hope whoever is sailing them now takes the same pride in them.

At one time all of them, Rogue, Outlaw, Lost Soul I, Assailant, Predator, Lost Soul II, and even Attitude, which is still under construction, were my pride and joy. I guess the way I look at it is as a privilege.

These boats, be they pretty or plain, fast or slow, inexpensive or costly, all had one thing in common.

For a period in their existence I had the honor and privilege to sail them, fix them, and make them what they were created for: a vessel that takes ordinary people like me to adventures that will never be forgotten.

No, we may never be the one and only owner of a boat. But there is one thing I am sure of. The period of time they were in my control, they added to my life. And I just hope they are doing the same for someone else today!

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The Whole Nine Yards Two Girls + One Dog + One 27-Foot Boat Part V Key West to New York

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By Jessica Zevalkink

Just when I was ready to get the hell out of Florida my trip advisor, Katie, crunched numbers only to inform me that it would be more than two more weeks before we close in on the Georgia boarder. I forced myself to relax and enjoy the remainder of my Floridian life… where we had spent a significant chunk of life aboard. Secretly it was Georgia who was on my mind. I felt like I was juggling two men - one whom I was stuck with and one I was secretly longing for. I bit my tongue and pulled out my patience card.

Louise drove herself for days as we snaked along the Atlantic Intracoastal. Neither Katie’s hands, nor my own, touched the tiller for hours. Only the press of a button every so often was required to keep us on course.

Patrick had become the captain. I may have introduced you all to Patrick a while back; he was our Simrad auto-tiller. In decent weather conditions we plugged him in and pressed a few buttons. Our house moved effortlessly in the direction we wanted to go. I could often do nothing but read, write, and sing to Broadway sound tracks all day. Patrick changed things.

He was who we referred to when all of those people asked which one of us was the captain.

What could be accomplished in a single day of travel, with him at the helm, multiplied. This was great. How did we ever get by without him? I loved Patrick. He distracted me from my relationships with Florida and Georgia. He was exactly what I had been searching for someone to keep me on track.

Time disappeared into an unknown place and the miles slipped away. I wrote all day.

She read all day. Patrick handled most of the driving. Reggie hunted flies.

Louise took the brunt of our salty, confined lives. Katie found our solar fan fallen to pieces in the V-berth. I opened the bathroom cupboard and it fell off. The starboard side rub rail hung in the water. Darbie’s (kayak) one handle ripped off. Our headsail was de-threading. The oncereplaced stanchion was about to fall off again.

The lifelines were flaccid. The stays kept getting looser, convincing us that the mast was sinking into our deck. We could see it rotting from

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S/V Louise settled for the evening at Cumberland Island, Georgia

Mission complete. We made it to New York City for the 4th of July

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The Whole Nine Yards Hiding from the sun in the cockpit

inside. The pool in our bathroom reappeared every time it rained. The toilet started gurgling in the middle of the night. The engine quit on a typical morning, requiring us to bleed the fuel lines before we hoisted trow (anchor).

We had a severe case of shredding alternator belts. Katie found squirmy, black, centimeter-long worms living under the sink. I ate several handfuls of cereal before I realized I was eating ants and not cereal. BUT, our Uncle Tari handcrafted us a new tiller to replace the one that had been rotting all year. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Its lines, its shape, its smooth varnish finish… I couldn’t wait to hold it all day.

In case you were unaware, it was pretty rare that we got the chance to sail our sailboat. If you have traveled

the Great Loop in a sailboat, you may understand this.

Every once in a while the conditions were perfect - like the day we sailed offshore from Fort Lauderdale to Cocoa Beach. We saw 8.4 knots and surfed for hours. Something important we had learned by that point was to respect, understand, and forecast the delicate scale of mother nature’s good and evil. The day we surfed the Florida coast was an exceptionally good day, meaning the following would most likely be evil. Plus, Katie always told me she was psychic and I finally started to believe her.

The next day did, indeed, prove this theory to be correct. A massive, angry, red, orange and green blob took over the radar. We saw it coming. We felt it coming.

Casually we kept tugging along the ICW towards Sebastian, our day’s final destination. The radar looked like Satan himself. For some odd reason, instead of stopping we put on our rain gear like robots just before it began raining sideways - like a stampede of Maine coons and Irish wolfhounds. The wind fiercely pushed us backwards, stopping our little engine that could in her tracks. Visibility became non-existent. Our “rain” gear demonstrated complete failure. Wet rubber stuck to goosebumped skin, we may as well have been naked.

We dropped trow (anchor) right in the center of the channel. I couldn’t hold my face forward to seek a safer spot. I needed a helmet with a windshield - a key item I must have left at home. The anchor line came flying out of its locker; there was no need to measure scope. Let her rip.

Katie almost lost her fingers.

Happy hour on the shores of Cumberland Island, in search of the wild horses

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Part V - Key West to New York Early mornings in South Carolina

We kept the engine running because earlier in the day we found our alternator belt shredded to pieces. The engine ran just fine without the belt, but we did have to be conservative with our batteries that were no longer charging because of this. We turned off unnecessary electronics. Soaking wet and patiently waiting for the beast to pass, neither of us cared to go inside for protection. We didn’t feel like getting the house wet so we sat, turned the music up louder and enjoyed the microburst’s roller coaster.

Days washed away in Sebastian as we tackled some engine problems, most importantly the air that stealthily corrupted our fuel lines causing the engine to unpredictably quit, and also a peculiar case of shredding alternator belts. I couldn’t count how many hours we sat in front of the engine doing absolutely nothing, accomplishing nothing. We didn’t come to our senses until Katie created alien caps out of aluminum foil and answers began to fall from the sky. I will proudly mention that were decent at pinpointing most of our engine issues: what was wrong, why it was happening, where its coming from etc… but there was a distinct difference between figuring out a problem and solving the problem. It was rewarding to combine our womanly brain power and all, but it wasn’t so fabulous when our crap selection of tools and spare parts were not at all what we needed - ever. I began to understand why my father owned - so - many - freaking - tools - and I was slightly envious. We were better at bleeding fuel and replacing alternator belts than we were reefing sails and heaving two.

My hands were greasy and oily more often than they were clean. Scum somehow found a way to live underneath my non-existent fingernails. Most of my conversations with strangers lasted longer when referring to engines. I

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Louise is all fueled up on the docks in Savannah, GA

had a new perfume; it was the flavor of diesel. My most common battle was with an oil filter. I considered picking up an application at the nearest Jiffy Lube.

The full moon brought 10-foot tides, making it a challenge to progress as we passed into Georgia. Georgia was sucking us in and spitting us out with its roaring currents that were averaging 3.5 knots. I was convinced that surpassing this state was an possible task. Katie, on the other hand, studied the tides and did everything she could to figure out how to use them to our benefit. Not that it ever worked, but her efforts were greatly appreciated.

Thank god she did, because I gave up on that possibility before I even tried. I took on the responsibility as the questionable mechanic while Katie did… pretty much everything else from fixing leaks, taking care of Reggie, to siphoning diesel and handling daily logistics. Even though we spent time studying separate subjects, we both accepted that no matter what, half the day we moved like molasses with the manatees, and the other half we could keep up with the dolphins. What we had a more difficult time accepting was that Louise was falling apart, and we still had a few thousand miles to go.

Fighting the Georgia tides with an 11hp engine took time and forced yet a new kind of patience. We used the king sheet (headsail) to our advantage at every possible moment. I would stand over the tiller and switch the sail port to starboard with every bend of the waterway. Neither of us cared to travel offshore. We both felt strongly about the wildlife, the towns, the people, the lives of those the Intracoastal provided. We didn’t want to miss any of it and itched to see, smell, taste, and touch the entire East Coast.

Offshore meant we would be missing everything we had fallen in love with so far. Did we take the wrong boat for the trip? Maybe. But I wouldn’t have traded her for a thing.

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The Whole Nine Yards

Opening the bridges on the glassy Intracoastal

Feeling patriotic - Cape Lookout, NC

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The only thing that really started to make me sad was always saying goodbye, a trend I couldn’t seem to shake.

Would I always be saying goodbye?

The Carolinas stole our hearts without question.

Florida and Georgia were in the past and what I missed about each one of them had been replaced with unexpected southern charm. It just kept getting better. My love for the East Coast grew to that of the West, even after finding out we had to haul out Louise to replace a worn out cutlass bearing and deteriorating propeller.

While waiting for replacement parts on the hard in Oriental, NC, we spent days scraping barnacles in preparation to repaint Louise’s undercarriage - a project we had been putting off for months. It took a lot to break me, but I finally figured out exactly what would. Heat.

By day three in the boat yard the heat was so disgusting I actually wanted to throw up most of the day. At 8:00 a.m., I was sweating and hadn’t even moved yet. The house was a microwave. It was rare that I became that irritable and short. You could have broken my heart, talked behind my back, betrayed my trust, I could handle it. But don’t dare put me in unbearable heat with nowhere to run. I couldn’t handle it.

At first impression the Dismal Swamp was precisely as it sounded - dismal. A very narrow, 22-mile, man-made canal connecting North Carolina and Virginia, the water was blacker than my french press. I am known to concoct a

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Part V - Key West to New York

The not so “dismal” Dismal Swamp

strong brew, but the Dismal brewed a comparatively thick swamp. Outlaw country provided the day’s sound track.

The leaves, flowers, branches, twigs, stumps, and low flying birds were perfectly mirrored in the stagnant coffee water.

I surprised myself in thinking that we should have slowed down. It felt rude to be plowing through even at 5mph. I didn’t want to miss anything. There was so much to look at… an abundance of living things. The swamp amazed me.

It wasn’t dismal at all. I saw more life in those 22 miles than I had in a while: dragon flies the size of small helicopters, black flies the size of hummingbirds. I was more fascinated by a swamp than by the tropics, and started to feel slightly redneck. We did do one thing right that day by purchasing six bags of ice. We hugged the bags one at time and let the cold water drip to our feet. It was 101 degrees that day.

The Chesapeake Bay marked our northerly progress.

Distance between us and home felt closer than the distance between us and the Bahamas. Every day was a discussion, whether or not we should turn around. We kept moving north and kept wondering if it was the right direction. Some days I felt like a princess. Louise was my palace and we explored America in royalty. Some days I felt like a homeless person whose sole purpose was to seek food and shelter.

The weather in the Chesapeake Bay was equally as confused as us gals. Like our moods, constantly changing and unpredictable, it evolved every half hour. It must have been the Chesapeake Bay’s “Time of month.”

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Repainting the bottom. Boat yard life in Oriental, NC Out with the old, in with the new

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The Whole Nine Yards Dilly-dallying in the Chesapeake put us behind our goal of reaching the Statue of Liberty by the 4th of July, leaving us with only one option… to skip the entire state of New Jersey all together. Now I apologize to my New Jersey people for carelessly passing by after giving so much time to the other coastal states.

But we really… really wanted to be viewing the New York City skyline on Independence day. With that being said, The C & D canal, Delaware Bay, and the entire state of New Jersey Entering the New passed by the horizon without me York Sound after stepping foot on land.

Five miles off the coast of Jersey overnighting past New Jersey in 50 feet of water, the wind blew us northbound towards the “Big Apple” with waves shoving us westwards towards Jersey. In 22 hours we sailed 120-ish miles from Cape May, NJ, to Staten Island, NY. Patrick drove us through the entire night.

My love for Patrick strengthened to that of a human.

Patrick – you were something else. I forever thank you for your assistance.

Katie and I dreamt about the day we would see the glow of NYC from the cockpit of Louise for over two years. I am not going to bother explaining how remarkable that was, because I don’t know how. I was never certain we would make it that far and was so proud of us for doing so.

Sometimes the thing that scared me the most was not being two somewhat inexperienced sailors on the open ocean through the night, but it was what Katie and I were capable of when we put our minds together. Learning this about ourselves opened our minds to seemingly endless possibilities.

We were already discussing riding donkeys across America once we got home. New York City was a true milestone marking our progress.

The thought of waving goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean to head up the Hudson River was very, very, VERY bittersweet.

Neither of us were in a rush to leave the concrete jungle even though I was a little nervous to enter it in the first place. I was already feeling like a foreigner in my own country up until

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7/29/15 2:45 PM

Part V - Key West to New York Statue of Liberty milestone

I felt right at home when we got to help captain the Staten Island Fairy across the New York Sound.

We traveled the East Coast primarily alone. Alone we got away with finding random docks to tie up to at night along the ICW and dock poaching became our greatest source of entertainment. At the same time, traveling alone was lonely. We missed the camaraderie of other “loopers.� It became less and less easy to communicate with non-boaters, and equally as challenging for strangers (even family) to understand the language Katie and I spoke. I wondered, religiously most days, if we would make it to the next place. For three months we had exhausted ourselves on little sleep, poor diets, and moving all day exposed to the elements. Somehow, someway, we always made it. Somehow we kept finding things to laugh about and every once in a while something to cry about. We had found a balance between frustration and relaxation, boredom and entertainment, discipline and reward, captivity and freedom. I could taste the completion of the circle at the tip of my tongue, but was reluctant to swallow. This circle was teaching me everything I ever wanted to know.

Captaining the Staten Island Ferry.

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7/26/15 1:53 PM

Jolly II Rover

Cruising Outpost’s Only Official Sailing Outpost

First U.S. Sailing Vessel to Sail into Havana Harbor in 50 Years

By Captain Bill Malone Additional photos by John Pickens, Chris Green, Margot Koch, Rio O’Bryan, Renee Reddy I have always wanted to go to the mysterious island of Cuba! When I first arrived in the Keys I lived in a treehouse on Plantation Key near what was reported to be an ex government building that was used during the Bay of Pigs invasion. And now, working and sailing out of Key West, it is a constant topic of conversation.

Last summer I heard there was a guy (George Bellenger) trying to organize a Hobie Cat race from Key West to Cuba! If this was legitimate, maybe I could offer my schooner as a support vessel for this race and get me and my boat over there! Several of my crew members also worked for George part time. I called him. He confirmed the rumor was true.

We met in his mosquito-infested backyard in Key West. For the next several months I attended Havana Challenge meetings. The number of people at the meetings seemed to increase with each one. We moved from the backyard to a local Irish Pub; then to several

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local watering holes in downtown Key West. A portion of each meeting was devoted to making sure that everyone understood this was a work in progress. A date for the race had been set for mid April.

The Jolly Rover’s participation was still unclear and not at all definite. After all, this was a Hobie Cat race! What was my schooner doing involved at all?!

In early February I heard through the Coconut Telegraph that Commodore Escrich of Marina Hemingway was attending the Miami Boat Show that month. What a great opportunity to meet him! If I could meet him face to face maybe I could have a discussion about the Rover going to Cuba outside of the Havana Challenge. I checked with the Havana Challenge race organizers to see if they would mind my contacting the Commodore directly. They were fine with it and told me how to contact him. I sent him an email introducing myself and the Rover, asking if I could meet with him while he was in Miami. I never heard back from him.

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Jolly II Rover

A happy Chris Green at the wheel

One of the capsized Hobies during the race

Jolly II Rover entering Marina Hemingway

Sailing in Mavana Harbor

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Several weeks later I got a late afternoon call from George Bellenger asking if I had room for eight more people on my sunset sail. Turned out that he, Joe Weatherby, the Commodore in Key West, and Commodore Escrich were having dinner around the corner from the Rover and wanted to go for a sunset sail!

Fortunately, we had room!

Hopefully I would get an opportunity to speak with Commodore Escrich about the Rover going to Cuba! We set sail into the sunset with the Commodore and his group on the aft deck and the rest of our passengers midship and on the foredeck. I made several attempts to speak with the Commodore. He does not speak English. The Commissioner from Key West spoke Spanish and had him engaged in conversation most of the sail.

The focus changed when an enemy vessel came bearing down on us and we fired one of our black powder cannons! Amidst the smoke, the hooting and hollering, I could see the Commodore standing up with a huge grin on his face applauding and hollering!

I took advantage of the moment, stepped up on the aft deck and introduced myself. Fortunately, his brotherin-law stepped in as my interpreter! I explained to him, that after the Havana Challenge race was over, I would very much like to continue this type of travel to Cuba on the Rover. I told him we could provide the education and adventure of sailing a traditional sailing vessel to the youth of Cuba and expose them to this vibrant way of life. To my surprise, the Commodore shared my vision!

He was very open to have the Rover come to Cuba on a regular basis!

I was so excited I wanted to scream! I could hardly believe what I heard! I was grinning from ear to ear! Joe Weatherby was part of the conversation. He just looked at me with a huge grin of approval on his face!

As the days and weeks rolled on, I, and several of my crew, continued to attend the Havana Challenge meetings.

More people were getting involved. Another schooner, Dream Catcher, joined the group of support vessels as well as a 100-foot crane boat and several tow boats.

The race organizers pulled off a last minute approval from our government! Captain Rio and I attended the last meeting. The Rover and the Dream Catcher were scheduled to leave May 15th, the day before the race.

Excitement and anticipation were high!

As I was leaving the meeting, George Bellenger pulled me aside to tell me that he had received all the required paperwork for the Rover except the Coast Guard piece! I asked him to please not tell anyone and that we were going anyway!

We left our dock in the Historic Seaport at 4:30 p.m. the afternoon of Friday, May 15, 2015 with 13 souls on board www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/26/15 1:55 PM

First Vessel to Sail into Havana Harbor in 50 Years

One of the winners entering Havana

Dream Catcher sailing past Morro Castle

headed to Havana! Wind was 15 knots facing the gunwale. out of the east with predicted 15 to 20 Moments later he became with higher gusts during the night. our first crew to get sick.

Captain Chris had set a deep reef in Several crew asked if he the main. He had the crew set six sails, wanted to stay on deck four lowers (main, fore, staysail and jib) and they would go below and two uppers (flying jib and topmast to finish the food prep. He staysail). Wind would be against the turned and said, “No, I’ve Gulf Stream so we were expecting got this. I just need a few rough seas once we entered the Stream. moments.” And that he Captain Chris, myself, and Captain did. We had a great first Rio had sailed the Rover in overnight meal on deck watching the conditions like this before. sun set as we entered the The sailing was wonderful just Gulf Stream. outside of Key West. We were cruising After sunset we struck the at 6.5 knots and loving every moment! topmast staysail. We were still doing Two of the crew had volunteered around six knots and the seas were to be in charge of food and increasing. We had been in contact preparation. Not wanting to be out of with the schooner Dream Catcher for food in Cuba, I had them purchase most of the evening. By dark we had enough food to feed all of us for seven lost contact with them and we knew days onboard the Rover. A few hours we were in for a rough ride. Seas were out, the seas were building and Shaun about six to eight feet and we were went below to prepare an evening getting tossed around like being in meal. I could hear him complaining a washing machine. Two other crew that the Rover did not members had already have a proper galley had their moments at and that the food prep the rail. Like Shaun, all area should be midship veterans, they were back and not forward as it at their posts standing was. Given that, he was watch like nothing had doing a great job and happened. Captain Chris we were all very glad had divided the crew he was there. Suddenly, into four watch groups. I he came up on deck and had a late night watch. immediately went to At daybreak Captain the downwind side and Chris ordered the sat on the deck midship topmast staysail raised.

Welcome to Cuba www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Captain Bill Malone (L) with Commador Escrich (R)

The Cuban team sailing aboard Rover

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Jolly II Rover

Atop Morro Castle

The seas were getting calm as we neared Cuba and we were only doing about 3.5 knots. He had made contact with the Dream Catcher several hours earlier. They were a few miles ahead of us sailing along the coast just outside of Havana Harbor. We fired up the diesel and motor-sailed toward the sea buoy outside of Marina Hemingway. The skyline of Havana made it look like we were coming into Miami!

We could see the masts of the Dream Catcher already entering Marina Hemingway as we approached the sea buoy. Captain Chris made contact with the marina and we arrived at the sea buoy at 12:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the 16th. Twenty minutes later we were tied up at the Customs dock. A beat up and tired looking bunch we were! The Rover had arrived in Cuba!!

Customs went pretty smooth. The agents took our lines as we approached the dock. Some spoke some English. Everyone was friendly. We had our crew member Elio on board to assist us with translation. One agent came onboard with a dog. A few others came on board with paperwork for us to complete and sign. Another wore a white lab coat and told us he was there to inspect the food we had onboard. The last two agents were there as agriculture inspectors. We all had our passports stamped and were given Visas for our time in Cuba. The agents lined up on the dock as we prepared to pull away. They were all smiling as they handed us our lines.

The Dream Catcher was already tied up. We passed them and moved on to our designated space along a sea wall in a canal that was facing the ocean. At 1:30 we were tied up and were met by the dock master and several other marina hands.

Once we got situated we were shown a little café/bar right on the dock where both the heads and the showers were located. There were brand new electric boxes and water connections on the dock. The dock masters office and ship’s store were nearby as well. We could see some of Cuba’s famous old cars coming in and out of the marina!

The marina offered 24-hour security. We had security

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The ultimate cab

guards stationed in what was the size of an old telephone booth about 50 feet away from the Rover.

Later that day we could see one of the Hobie Cats that left from Key West that morning coming into view.

It turned out to be George Bellenger, the race organizer, who came in first! The second place Hobie Cat was not far behind. We learned later that their Hobie had been capsized by a whale just off the coast of Cuba! Fortunately, no one was injured. The third place Hobie was not far behind, but ultimately was towed in after sunset.

The fourth and fifth Hobies from Key West had broken apart in the rough waters about 40 miles outside of Key West. The Rover team of Captains Rio O’Bryan and Andrew O’Conner, had the distinction of being the first Hobie Cat to come apart! Both Hobies were picked up by the crane boat and brought to Marina Hemingway. The safety plans laid out by the race organizers worked very well. Each Hobie Cat had a chase boat for assistance. All boats were followed by the crane boat from TowboatUS in case of an emergency.

Chase boats and others from Key West continued to arrive till sometime after dark. The Commodore had arranged a group of rooms in the hotel at the marina for anyone who wanted to stay there. Lots of the approximately 80 people who came from Key West did just that. I had rented a room there to support the Commodore and to have a place where the Rover crew could shower and rest. I planned on staying onboard, but Captain Chris convinced me to take advantage of the A/C and rest up that first night.

That evening most crew headed into downtown Havana either Dressed for by cab or with one of success several personal tour guides. Captain Chris, www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/26/15 1:56 PM

First Vessel to Sail into Havana Harbor in 50 Years

Cuba is a car collector’s dream

Captain Mac and Renee, Chris Greene and Elio spent the night on board. Captains Rio and Andrew took off with Rio’s dad for a hotel he had arranged for them in downtown Havana.

The marina hotel was a short bicycle ride away. It was pretty nice, but the room left a lot to be desired. A/C was just about working and smelled of mold. Sliding glass doors to the balcony were locked. Bed’s linens and cover had a strange aroma. I slept in my sleeping bag. There was a shower, toilet, sink, well-worn but clean towels and running water. A few pesky mosquitoes attacked during the night! The room came with three free meals and free drinks each day for $65 American dollars/day!

The next morning I returned to the Rover where Renee and Mac had cooked up a wonderful breakfast!!

Unfortunately, they told me they had been attacked by mosquitoes all night! No one had slept. Chris Greene was covered in bites and welts. They loved her the most. She was not happy! Several other crew members returned telling of their stories and escapades in downtown Havana the night before.

Later that night the Commodore had a welcoming party for us all at the Club Nautico Yacht Club located in Marina Hemingway. The place was full of sailors, photographers and reporters. I had the good fortune of presenting a commemorative plaque and an engraved belaying pin to the Commodore, as well as a Rover T-shirt and hat. I also met several newspaper and magazine reporters from Spain, Japan, Germany, Belgium, South America, the U.S. and Cuba. Most of the Rover crew left early for another night in downtown Havana.

The next day I attended a captains’ meeting. The Commodore laid out the course for a Hobie Cat race between the Americans and the Cuban Olympic sailing team. The race would take place along the famous Malecon Boulevard in front of the renowned Hotel Internacionale. The schooners Rover and Dream Catcher, as well as the motorboats from Key West, were to join in as spectator boats. Later that www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 26-33 Sailing to Cuba.indd 7

Along the Malacon

day I met with the Commodore and purchased a lifetime membership at the Club Nautico Yacht Club!

Earlier in the afternoon I hired one of the locals at the marina to wash down the Rover and get her looking good for the upcoming events. I paid him $40 U.S. dollars. He did a great job. I found out later that the average monthly wage is somewhere around $30! We also unloaded some supplies that we had brought from the US for school children.

That evening we attended a BBQ in honor of the Havana Challenge that was hosted again by the Commodore at the Yacht Club. A pig was roasted over an open fire pit on the yacht club dock. There was a tremendous amount of great food, lots of laughter and conversation. Everyone had a fun time. The Commodore presented us with our membership cards and had a special presentation for the race organizers, George, Carla and Joe. The morning of the race, off we went. The Commodore had us all back at the yacht club that night for an Awards Ceremony. This time he added music and dancing. Lots of celebrating, congratulating and story telling filled the air. The first, second and third place teams were the Cuban teams!

Plans were also being discussed for the boat parade the next day that would mark the end of the Havana Challenge 2015 event. This was a historic, major event for the Commodore and for Cuba: the first time American vessels were to be allowed into Havana Harbor in what we were told was 50 years! In addition, the schooners would have the Cuban Olympic teams and their trainers on board. This was quite an emotional happening for the Cubans!

The parade was a tremendous success! The Commodore’s boat was first, followed by the boat carrying the Mayor of Key West. The Rover was next (making her THE first American sailing vessel to enter Havana Harbor in 50 years!) followed by the Dream Catcher and the other motorboats from Key West.

The Rover and the Dream Catcher were to fly both the Cuban and American flags on separate masts. The

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Jolly II Rover

Commodore wanted to make a statement CBS and ABC news, newspapers in about the U.S. and Cuba working together the US and Latin America as well a to support maritime tradition. When video on the Cuban evening news! The Cuba was the visiting another country, that country’s Key West Citizen ran daily articles winning team flag is set above the American flag. on the events as they occurred. It was For the Rover, that was easy and made very exciting and a fitting end to a both flags very prominent, with the historic event! We regrouped behind Cuban flag on the taller main topmast the Commodore’s boat and single-filed and the American flag on the shorter back to the Marina Hemingway. fore topmast. The Commodore wanted At the marina I spent the rest press photos of both schooners in front of that day relaxing in the little of the famous Morro Castle that marks café with crew members of both the entrance to Havana Harbor. He was schooners. Most of the Rover crew looking for these photos to symbolize were already back in town or touring the event as a statement that our two the countryside. We were joined countries were working together.

by John and Betty Duke of the As we began to tighten up our schooner Dream Catcher as well as positions for entrance into the harbor, an Australian couple who had just a motorized kite using the Cuban flag as its kite began to arrived in Havana on their beautiful schooner earlier that circle the boats! As it came in closer we could see cameras afternoon. I learned that Betty Duke was born in Cuba, mounted on the frame. The pilot had a huge grin on his face and how emotional this trip was for her and her family. and was waving madly. Turned out he was a friend of the We were met at the Customs dock the next morning Commodore’s. He was a reporter from a Cuban news agency by Commodore Escrich and his translator, Lilly. We who was filming the event from the air! When we began our said our good-byes and the Rover departed Marina entrance into the harbor the pilot lowered an American flag Hemingway Customs dock with 13 souls on board. The that flew beneath his motorized kite. What a sight!! weather was beautiful: light winds directly on our nose.

We entered Havana Harbor to throngs of people We motored through calm seas with the Dream Catcher lining the Malecon Boulevard. I felt like I was on a float in view until sunset. in a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans! People were Halfway across, at sunset in the middle of the Gulf hanging out of windows in apartment buildings waving Stream, we all signed a message explaining who we were and hollering! Beautiful old automobiles stopped as and what we had just been involved in. We asked that the their passengers got out to watch the parade. We were finder please get back with us so we would know how far all blowing horns, hollering and waving as we passed. it traveled. The message was sealed in a bottle and tossed The colors, character, conditions and architecture of the overboard by Captain Rio. Lots of high fives, smiles and hugs buildings was amazing! Horns were as we settled in for the night’s crossing. blasting, cameras were flashing, people Now it was my turn on watch. I took were yelling and waving and the weather the wheel, had a cup of my New Orleans was perfect. As the parade began the coffee, a shot of tequila and got in the turn to leave the harbor we could see groove. I heard Captain Chris tell our a Cuban Navy vessel, the oil refinery resident poet, Tortuga Jack, that he was spewing smoke and flame, and several going to take a nap. He said, “Relax freighters tied to the working wharfs.

Jack, I’ve seen this before. Bill will be at The communication boat was the wheel for hours!” radioing us to get in position by the During the night some fish were castle for the media photo shoot. The caught. Our temporary crew member photographers were in place on several who we affectionately called “Captain boats and on the Hotel Internacional.

Basher” put them to rest with a belaying We pulled away from the parade, pin, and then she whipped up some looking great as we positioned and seriously good sushi! We arrived Rural transportation posed for our photo shoot! Those unceremoniously at our slip in the photos made the Associated Press, Historic Seaport of Key West at 3:10 a.m.

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7/27/15 4:40 PM

First Vessel to Sail into Havana Harbor in 50 Years Sailing back home afer a great voyage

Friday morning. The next day we all checked in at U.S. Customs with no problems.

It was a wonderful adventure!! We returned with lots of stories, cigars, rum, handmade jewelry, and a painting. Rio has a great new tattoo to commemorate the Havana Challenge and Chris Green is sporting a beautiful image of the island of Cuba on her foot! The Hobie Cat crews became instant rock stars in Key West.

Rio and Andrew are now infamous for being the first to have their Hobie Cat come apart in the Gulf Stream.

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On the trip back - anyone ready for some sushi?

Message in a bottle

The Rover has the distinction of being the first U.S. sailing vessel to enter Havana harbor in over 50 years! We all have the honor of being part of this historic event! The crew visited museums, forts, tobacco plantations, restaurants, night clubs, slept and ate in the homes of locals, swam in streams under waterfalls, toured in classic old automobiles, slept under trees, bicycled for miles, got bit by a local dog, sampled some Cuban weed, were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes, had eyes burned from the fumes of the oil refinery, met wonderful people and made lots of new friends. We are looking forward to doing it again!

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11/1/14 11:13 AM

Teachers open the door; but you must enter the room by yourself.

Cruising Outpost News

All the news that fits

News of Olympic Proportions The sailing competition for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro may prove to be the most hazardous ever. Not because of weather or sea conditions, however. Tests of the local waters over a five-month period have revealed dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from sewage, and sailors practicing there have become ill. So far, nothing is being done to remedy the situation.

Greece to Tax Cruisers Cruising sailors in Greece now face increased costs as the government imposes a new tax on all leisure and commercial tourist craft. It will affect leisure boats over 21’ LOA afloat in Greek waters. Boats stored ashore are treated as if they were not in Greek waters. The tax applies to all boats including non-EU boats and will not be collected until a new on-line tax collection system, “TAXIS,” is in operation. No cruisers have reported any mention of this tax yet. It is said that no penalties will arise before the collection process is enacted.

Nautical Trivia

This is when you realize that sailing and not climbing or flying is your element!

36 Cruising Outpost pg 36-55 Outpost News.indd 2

As we all know, coastal sailing can be great. So the next time you want to do some coastal cruising, where do you think you should be heading, and how long is the longest coastline in the world?

(Wanna cheat? The answer is on page 54) www.cruisingoutpost.com

8/4/15 11:22 AM

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7/29/15 3:55 PM

Accidental Findings While searching for a mooring they had left behind on a 2012 research trip, Scientists discovered the remains of a centuries-old shipwreck more than a mile below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. The previously unknown wreck appears to be from the late 18th or early 19th century based on the artifacts spotted on the ocean floor. The scientists still have not found the mooring, however.

Almost Time to Gam

The 29th Annual SSCA Annapolis Gam is taking place Oct. 2-4. The gam will be held at Camp Letts on the Rhode River in Edgewater, Maryland, just south of Annapolis. This year’s special guest speaker is none other than Lin Pardey. Other speakers include Chris Parker, Lee Chesneau, Mark Doyle and many more. The event will include potlucks, cocktail parties, dinners, raffles, seminars, and even a flea market. For complete program information and online registration go to www.ssca.org.

Interesting Facts from the Sea! In 1861 Robert Smalls, a slave, took over a Confederate ship and delivered it to the Union.

He later was given the ship to command during the Civil War. After the war, he bought the house he was a slave in and became a U.S. Congressman.

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Ultimate Cruising Symposium

The Date? October 11th & 12th. The place? MITAGS (Maritime Institute) in Linthicum Heights, MD. Learn seamanship, oceanography, weather and boat outfitting which will all be covered by some of the most well known experts in these fields. This is just a few miles from the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland.

Join Lee Chesneau, John Rousmaniere, Pam Wall and Frank Bohlen for a two-day symposium.

The Englitch Language

Why is it that when you transport something by car it is called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it is called cargo?

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Cruising Outpost News A bad day only lasts 24 hours.

Tiny Sailors Dying Sailors along the West Coast from Oregon to California are witnessing an invasion on the beaches.

Millions of glassy purple jellyfish-like sea creatures that look like sailboats have been washing ashore.

They are known as “by-the-wind sailors,� and live in the open ocean. When warm water or storms draw them near shore, the wind blows them onto beaches where they die in the tens of thousands.

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Cruising Outpost News Best Votes Money Can Buy

I think Congressmen should wear uniforms, you know, like NASCAR drivers, so we could identify their corporate sponsors.

Boaterz n Bikerz Hull of a Tour

The Freedom Ride was a nine-day adventure from Sarasota, FL to Washington, DC. Some 30 members of the boating industry and friends participated, which included boating events at five Freedom Boat Club locations, as well as at multiple historic sites. Some of the highlights included watching the Blue Angels from boats while in Annapolis, visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield and Monticello, touring the USS Yorktown and riding in the Rolling Thunder motorcycle demonstration with more than 900,000 bikers and spectators on Memorial Day Weekend. Like they say, it was a Hull of a Tour!

Owners of all these boats have chosen New Found Metals ports!

Alberg Albin Allied Aloha Banner Bayfield Beneteau Bombay Clipper Bristol Brewer Cabo Rico C&C Cal Caliber Camper Nicholson

Cape Dory Cape George Cartwright Cascade Catalina C-Dory Celestial Challenger Cheoy Lee Chris-Craft Coaster Columbia Com-Pac Contessa Corbin

CS DeFever Dickinson Dolphin Downeaster Duffy Easterly Egg Harbor Endeavor Ericson Excaliber Fantasia Freedom Flicka Formosa

Freeport Freya Fuji Galaxy Grampian Gulfstar Hans Christian Heritage Hinckley Hood Hunter Irwin Islander Island Packet Island Trader

Jeanneau Kittiwake Lancer Lazy Jack Little Harbor MacGregor Mariner Mason Mayflower Morgan Monterry Clipper Nelson Newport Niagra Nova

O’Day Owen Pacific Seacraft Pan Oceanic Passport Pearson Rawson Rhodes Roberts S2 Sabre Skookum Spray Southern Cross And Many More!

888-437-5512

nfm@newfoundmetals.com

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PERFORMANCE BREATHABLE BOOT

Grab handles for easy use

Fully taped waterproof and highly breathable membrane technology

Ankle impact protection Unique lightweight TPU molded base for complete waterproofing

Non-marking and non-slip outsole with unique repeat design surrounded by deep multi-directional water dispersal channels to prevent aquaplaning

WE HAVE SPENT TWO YEARS OF RESEARCH AND TESTING TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE BREATHABLE BOOT. USING OUR UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A TPU LIGHTWEIGHT MOLDING, IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR BREATHABLE LAMINATE MEMBRANE, WE CREATED A COMPLETELY WATERPROOF AND DURABLE BOOT. THE EXCLUSIVE GILL SOLE, WITH ITS UNIQUE REPEAT DESIGN, PROVIDES UNPARALLELED GRIP AND FLEXIBILITY ON DECK. WE HAVE EVEN ADDED GRAB-HANDLES TO MAKE THEM QUICK AND EASY TO PULL ON.

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Bocas Abuzz with Buffett Sightings

We got a bunch of emails from folks who were sitting out hurricane season in Bocas del Torro, Panama. This pic was sent in by the folks aboard Ultra who have been writing for us awhile. Our Life Aboard Editor, Robin Stout, also sent us word, as did Harbor Master Chuck Silvers. Seems this is one of Jimmy’s favorite places to hang out!

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Get Ready for the Cruisers’ Parties So the show season is starting up, and that means our Cruisers’ Parties are about to start once again.

It all kicks off at the Newport (RI) Boat Show on Saturday evening, Sept. 19th. Then we move down to the St. Pete Show, where it all began, for our Dec. 5th event. On Feb. 13th, at the Bayside Marina in Miami, we will host our Cruisers’ Party once again. The rules? None. It’s always no charge and no registering. Just be inside the shows before they close and that’s it. Free pizza, beer, and great music to dance to. See ya there!

..And Don’t Forget the Caribbean The ad’s right here! Two great Cruisers’ Parties, one in the BVIs and one in St. Maarten just a week later with the Eric Stone Band live on the beach.

Both parties were great last year and should be even better this year. Join Bob and Jody and the staff from Tradewinds Radio and Island Television for a gathering of cruisers.

More info here!

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Cruising Outpost News I never finish anythi

Bill Mosher Passes On Bill Mosher (on the left) was one of the greats in sailing. Aside from being a good friend he has been a driving force at the Milwaukee Sailing Center. When we first met he was the Sales Manager at Harken, and took an order from us as we crossed the Atlantic on Lost Soul and had it waiting when we arrived in Gibraltar. He moved on to become the Sales Manager for Forespar for many years. He passed away in his sleep July 3rd.

The above photo was taken at the Sail America Regatta, where he was trying to teach Bob and Jody how to race.

It was a great day, and we and the industry will miss him.

Herb Payson Herb Payson was a successful jazz pianist back in 1973 when he started writing for Sail Magazine about the sailing lifestyle. His books, Blown Away, Advice to the Sealorn and You Can’t Blow Home Again, are sailing classics. Herb was known for his humility and his genuine friendliness. He was well respected in the sailing industry and on the docks all over the world.

His stories in Sail Magazine gave new sailors an insight into why people set sail for far-off shores, and his sailing wisdom will be passed along in his books for many years and many generations to come.

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Cruising News Party?

Nooooo!!!

NotOutpost Another Yep, seems we’re throwing too many parties to fit them all into one space. The Southwest International Boat Show in Texas will take place March 17 thru 20, 2016. We will be throwing a Cruisers’ Party at that show on Saturday night!! The same non-rules for all our parties will apply. Oh yeah, and then we’ll throw another party at the Strictly Sail Show at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, in April. We’ll save the particulars on those for next issue. Gives ya something to look forward to!

Scientific Humor Scientists have spliced the DNA of a human with a sea cow. Oh, the humanatee.

- stolen from Dave the Music Man

Nautical Trivia

(Answer to question on page 36) This wasn’t too crazy. Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world. Just how long is it? 56,453 miles long.

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ANATI-PIRACY OPERATION ATALANTA EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia - Operation Atalanta is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to tackle symptoms and root causes of piracy off the coast of Somalia and the EU Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa adopted in November 2011.

EU NAVFOR conducts anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and the Indian Ocean and is responsible for the protection of World Food Programme (WFP) shipping carrying humanitarian aid to the people of Somalia and Horn of Africa as well as the logistic shippings supporting the African Union troops conducting Peace Support Operations in Somalia (AMISOM). Additionally, Operation Atalanta contributes to the monitoring of fishing activity off the coast of Somalia. Some of their most recent activities include the following: Operation Atalanta warship, ITS Libeccio, carried out counter-piracy training with the Royal Omani Navy during a port visit to Salalah. As part of the training, the Italian marines gave a demonstration on how to search a suspect vessel, including the bridge and cargo areas.

During a recent counter-piracy patrol off the coast of Somalia, Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Galicia, conducted a Replenishment At Sea (RAS) with French Navy ship, FS Var. A RAS is a highly-specialized manoeuvre that is carried out by highlyskilled teams on board both ships. During the RAS, the ships sail very close to each other to enable fuel to be passed via hoses.

During her 4 month deployment with Operation Atalanta, Spanish warship, ESPS Infanta Cristina, performed more than 70 friendly approaches along the coast of Somalia and the Indian Ocean.

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Another Way As these words are being typed, I’m out cruising.

Literally. For the first time in my life, I am out on my own boat, cruising with a friend, with no agenda, no schedule other than to pay attention to the weather reports, keep an eye on the tide tables, and get home next week. The summer has been structured between having time to explore the fabled islands off the coast of Maine and returning home to weed the gardens, water plants, and make sure the cat and chickens are still alive. Can’t completely prevail on neighbors to hold down the fort and the current geographical location of the boat makes it possible to commute between the two. Another first. There are more things I haven’t had much experience with, if at all. Here are a few.

Sailing in cold water. And, I mean cold, really cold, so cold your feet get cold if they’re resting on the dinghy floor without shoes. As almost all my prior sailing has taken place in warmer climates, I can’t recollect ever getting into a dinghy with shoes on, and can’t bring myself to change that habit, so my feet are often freezing.

But, that seems easier to deal with than waiting for wet, cold shoes to dry. And, you can totally forget about swimming. I will happily go for a week without bathing before jumping into this water.

The first eye opener happened on the journey north to here from the Caribbean, leaving behind one degree of latitude after another as the waters got progressively colder and more opaque. I’ll never forget crossing out of the Gulf Stream’s cerulean blue into the grayish green and being welcomed by what I thought was a pod of cavorting dolphins that on closer inspection turned out to be so many tuna leaping out of the water. I’d never seen that down south. Since then, I’ve also seen small dolphins, whales, a sea otter and plenty of cute little seals breaking through the surface.

Stunning, until you add to that the novelty of cold spray, which doesn’t just mean cold water leaving behind salt droplets on the deck and in your hair, but also the

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fact that you need a ton more protective clothing. Never before had I worn long johns, a wool sweater, a ski cap, and heavy-duty foul weather gear to get through a lateJuly night. But, doing so in the interest of being open to new experiences and fulfilling a long-time dream of sailing the coast of Maine, I focused on remembering how adaptable humans can be. I’d learn the tricks of sailing in these latitudes, proper attire and fewer showers being the first adaptation.

On top of the frigidity—yesterday, some guys on a ferry were saying it barely gets above 59°—at the best of times, like in a flat calm under a bright sun, you can’t see more than several feet below the surface. More often, you can’t even see several inches, which makes it tricky to spot the rocks lurking everywhere that have a way of alarmingly revealing themselves at low tide. The vertical movement of water around here is substantial, the difference between tying the dinghy to a tree before going for a walk and returning to haul it across fifty feet of stony beach—without shoes, so as to not get them wet. We’ve removed the outboard and resorted to rowing everywhere—better exercise and a much lighter carrying load. Fortunately, it has an aluminum bottom and I don’t have to cringe and fret as much about it scraping along as I would with fiberglass or rubber.

Apparently, visibility is so poor because the water is nutrient rich from all the Maine rivers emptying into the tidal waters, the food that nourished a century of unbelievable cod, herring and mackerel yields—which have now been overfished, leaving behind nothing but lobsters. And lobster traps. They are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. We have sailed through clustered buoy thickets even when there was hardly any wind to fill the sails, for fear of turning on the engine and fouling the prop. Once, a line nabbed and held onto the keel while we looked down into the water at it, bobbed and waited for it to let go. Nobody was going to jump in to cut it away, and mercifully, it eventually tired of us.

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The water’s lack of clarity often competes with the air that gets so saturated with moisture, otherwise known as fog, that you can’t even see the lobster pots in front of you, much less islands, rocks and other boats. Fog is scary, thank God for chart plotters. One can only imagine the stress level of sailors and fishermen navigating themselves around the area back in the days before GPS. Even with it, and on days of good visibility, I obsessively cross-reference between paper and screen to make sure we’re where we’re supposed to be and not about to be stopped by a ledge.

Many of us know what being inadvertently stopped feels like and given the choice, would prefer to be gently reminded to believe the depth sounder by mud rather than a ledge. We were. A friend with a house up a deep bay sent an email with instructions leading to their mooring ball.

We rounded a corner, pointed to it, and slid to a halt that couldn’t be turned into progress no matter how hard the engine was reversed, how robustly the dinghy pushed and pulled. But, it was low tide, and the rising waters quickly took care of the problem.

There is a strong connection to water-borne history here. Work mingling with pleasure, fishing and sailing have coexisted for over two hundred years, which is a long time for this country, and there is a certain devotion to this legacy everywhere. Never before have I seen so many lovingly restored and maintained classic wooden yachts and schooners sharing waters with little work boats. Many books have been written about the area, it was wellexplored, well-documented, and even more well-loved during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Plenty of old money turned many of the mostly evergreencovered granite islands over to conservation groups, trusts and parks for us today.

Half of Isle au Haut is the lesserknown relation to Acadia National Park, and we are moored here now, off the island’s village and the town dock where the small ferries

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pull in, the center of all activity in this sleepy place. Our mooring ball has a soft drink bottle attached, into which a note asks us to put the fee I am happy to pay. The tidal depth differences make anchoring a challenge, especially since the boat doesn’t have a windlass. Yesterday, we took a small ferry/mail boat to Duck Harbor that is home to the ranger station and a bunch of trailheads, and we spent the day hiking back through the bogs and boreal forests. Here is the best thing of all: the end of July is blueberry season, and virtually every step of anywhere you go is lined by the blue polka dots of sweet and wild little treats. We must have eaten several pints each.

Just ashore from the mooring is a tiny building with the island’s notary public, justice of the peace, souvenirs, and a strong and free wifi signal that will make it possible for me to send out this piece. It is early and at low tide, the sun is rising over the steeple of a church we visited, surrounded by ripe blueberries and raspberries. A stunning and immaculate small yawl next door is reflected in every minute detail in the perfect stillness, the lobster boats are headed out for another day of harvesting. Warm water, swimming and bathing, no fog and tides, those are all somewhere else, not here, but the adaptation process is well underway.

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By Lee Chesneau

Convergence & Divergence Make the Weather World Go Round In our continued sequence of Cruising Outpost Articles on 500 mb concepts & charts, we are at a point where there is a need for discussion of the importance of dynamic motions that routinely take place in the atmosphere between the surface (at sea level) and aloft.

We need to talk about “convergence” and “divergence,” essential factors in the formation of surface low and high pressure systems (a three-dimensional process between the air motion at the surface, aloft, and in between).

First, the concept of directional “convergence and divergence.” Absolute convergence is air motion that is coming together. In theoretical absolute convergence, the air would be coming together 180°. In the case of absolute divergence, air is moving 180° apart; completely opposite directions.

In reality, this is not physically possible at the surface, because of the other factors involved with horizontal motion of air (e.g., pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, friction and centripetal force, topics for detailed discussion in a classroom or webinar environment). So, the horizontal airflow is going to actually converge at some angle (at least 30° but a lot less than 180°). The air will also diverge at some angle (at least 30° and a lot less than 180°). Again, this reality is because of the different physical forces that drive horizontal air flow. Thus, in figure two (2), the graphic illustrates the angular direction of the arrows of at least 30° and a lot less than 180° for both upper-level convergence and divergence.

Figure 1

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Second, the concept of horizontal or speed “divergence” and “convergence.” This occurs when air is moving horizontally from a constant direction, which either speeds up or slows down along a given axis. In the graphical figure three (3), the far left illustration depicts a slower wind barb (35 knots), which then accelerates up to higher wind speeds (65 knots), as indicated by the wind barb to the immediate right (speed divergence). This results in vertical upward motion of air and surface low pressure development.

The right figure four (4) illustrates faster wind speeds (65 knots) as depicted by the wind barb to the left, catching up to the slower wind speed barb to the right (35 knots), resulting in downward motion of air and surface high pressure. Note in both cases the winds are from the same direction!

Third, the formation of surface low pressure systems (regarded correctly as the major producers for significant weather) and surface high pressure systems (regarded as fair weather producers). When we look at the formation of low pressure systems, we can consider an idealized system. You must have upperlevel divergence to form a surface low pressure system.

The dynamics of upper- level divergence removes air from a column between sea level and aloft. Upper-level divergence thus acts as a syphon and sucks the air from below, resulting in the lowering of surface pressure.

This is the basic concept of fluid dynamics which

Figure 2

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Figure 3

Figure 4

satisfies concepts of conservation of mass and conservation of momentum. If you take away from one area, you have to have something added in another area. If you have higher wind speeds up stream you must have lower wind speeds somewhere downstream (and vice versa). If you have air coming together at one location, you must have air coming apart in another nearby location. In this case of surface low pressure, we have air coming apart aloft (diverging), and at the same time, air is coming together (converging) at the surface. There needs to be a vertical exchange of air motion between the two different levels to satisfy the concepts of conservation of mass and momentum in a fluid atmosphere.

Thus, the air that is being removed aloft through upper-level divergence is taking place at a faster rate than the air replacing at the surface (friction does not significantly exist aloft). Because there is more air being removed from the column than can be replaced, the surface pressure drops, resulting in the development of low pressure. The rate of fall however, is relatively small over time, signifying the upward motion of air is considerably less than the horizontal movement of air: centimeters over hours in the vertical (as measured with a barometer) versus meters per second in the horizontal (as measured with an anemometer).

In the case of surface high pressure and the dynamics of upper-level air motions, convergence) promotes the downward

motion of air and at the same time, horizontal surface air motions result as well (divergence). This is the direct opposite of surface low pressure development.

Thus, figure five (5) once again illustrates the surface low pressure system and high pressure system acting in concert with one another!

In summary, upper-level divergence can be angular or horizontal (speed). Either will promote vertical upward movement of air from below. As the air is siphoned from below it must be replaced at the surface near sea level from the sides (convergence). Because there is no friction aloft, air is removed from the column faster than it can be replaced at the surface and thus, a surface low pressure system develops. Upper-level convergence can also be angular or horizontal. Either will promote vertical downward movement of air towards the surface with the aid of gravity. When the air gets to the surface it results in higher pressure at the point of impact, and thus it must move outwards (or diverges). Again, there is little or no friction aloft. Thus, air is forced down faster than it can move away at the surface (due to surface friction) resulting in high pressure.

We will continue this discussion and apply it to 500 mb charts in future Cruising Outpost articles. For much more in depth information and discussion, especially for applications in weather forecasting and vessel routing, readers are encouraged to have alongside Bowditch “Heavy Weather Avoidance, Concepts & Applications of 500 Mb Charts�

by Chen & Chesneau.

Figure 5

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What’s Out There? Small Mono

The Catalina 275 Sport is the 5 Series’ newest design from Catalina. It was developed for those who no longer need a larger boat, but don’t want to give up racing or day sailing. This is the perfect boat for those who will be spending fewer nights aboard, but still want the ability to overnight, even if it’s an occasional trip with kids or grand kids.

Catalina Yachts has been responsible for introducing more people to sailing than any other manufacturer, and this design is a perfect “starter” boat for new sailors as well. The hull is coupled with a powerful rig that has a large mainsail and self-tacking jib. This makes the 275 not only fast, but also super easy to sail.

Thanks to an excellent base price, this boat is affordable along with being well built and easy to sail. What more could any sailor want?

Catalina 275

Get all the facts: www.catalinayachts.com

Catalina 275 Sport

LOA 27’ 6” Hull Length 27’ 6” Beam 8’ 5” Draft (Fin Keel) 5’ 0” Propulsion 14.6 HP Diesel Sail Drive Sail Area 387 sq. ft.

40.2” Mast Height Above Water Displacement 5,000 lbs.

Ballast 1,870 lbs List Price $79,559.00 www.cruisingoutpost.com

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What’s Out There?

The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 50 DS was created by a joint effort of two of the most respected names in naval architecture. Philippe Briand designed her high performance hull, while the Garroni Designers gave her style with a modern flow. The 50 DS is a well built and comfortable boat for cruising or living aboard.

For a larger vessel she handles with ease. The three-part cockpit features twin steering wheels at the helm, an open-air saloon with comfortable bench seating for entertaining around a good-sized cockpit

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table, and an additional lounge area for relaxing while underway. Large winches and a powerful electric windlass facilitate handling. This boat’s layout has been well thought out and is setup for easy handling by a crew of two.

If you are looking for a comfortable boat in the 50’ size range the Jeanneau 50 DS is a good boat to consider. She has style, sails well and is very comfortable. And, when ordering a new vessel you have numerous layout options!

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Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 50 DS

Get all the facts: www.jeanneau.com JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 50DS LOA 49’ 5” Hull Length 48’ 4” Beam 14’ 8” Draft (Standard) 7 ’0” Power - Yanmar Diesel 75 hp Fuel 63 USG Fresh Water 163 USG Holding Tank 22.7 USG Displacement 29,541 lb WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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What’s Out There?

Here is a cruising catamaran specifically designed for serious bluewater cruising. The Seawind 1250 is 41 feet of great ideas, engineering and craftsmanship. Designed by Richard Ward, he put the boat through its paces personally by sailing the first Seawind 1250 across the notorious Bass Strait to test her seaworthiness. After successfully completing a 6,000 nm ocean sea trial, Richard was finally satisfied.

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The Seawind 1250 has twin helm positions which offer great balance between 360-degree visibility and total protection from the weather in any conditions.

The skylights above give direct mainsail visibility. The controls are at the skipper’s fingertips and are set up for short-handed sailing to provide full control from the helm, avoiding the need to go forward.

This cat is a comfortable and well-built option for the serious cruiser who wants the space only found on a cat!

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7/25/15 2:21 PM

Seawind 1250

Get all the facts: www.Seawindcats.com Seawind 1250 LOA 41’ Beam 22’ 4” Underwing Clearance 2’ 6” Draft 3’ 8” Power - 2 Yanmar Diesels 29 hp each Fuel 126 USG Fresh Water 185 USG Displacement 18,165 lb www.cruisingoutpost.com

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What’s Out There?

The new Swift Trawler 44 from Beneteau is at home wherever she goes. Combining performance and fuel economy with loads of storage, this trawler is a cruising vessel with great livability and comfort.

The Swift Trawler 44 provides the joy of cruising with the comfort and performance of much larger yachts. She is powered with twin 300hp diesels as well as bow and stern thrusters to make handling a breeze in just about any situation.

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She will cruise all day at 18 knots (burning just under 1 gallon per nautical mile) with a top speed of 25 knots. Even at wide-open throttle, the ST44 still only burns around 1 gallon per nautical mile which is amazing fuel efficiency. Add stability and an impressively comfortable ride and you have a cruising trawler with style.

The Swift Trawler line includes a 50’ for those who are looking for a little more space, and a 34’ for those who want to tuck into those small anchorages.

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Swift Trawler 44

Flybridge

Deck

Get all the facts: www.beneteau.com Swift Trawler 44

Hull

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LOA Hull Length Beam Cruise Speed Power Fuel Fresh Water Thrusters Displacement

45’ 6” 39’ 11” 13’ 11” 18 kt two 300 hp 370 USG 169 USG Bow & Stern 23,957 lb

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7/25/15 2:24 PM

Cruising? Heading Offshore? Passagemaking?

Learn from Top Industry Experts!

ULTIMATE CRUISING SYMPOSIUM

October 11-12, 2015

Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) ď Ź Linthicum Heights, MD

Shuttles available from BWI and Annapolis Seamanship, Oceanography, Weather & Boat Outfitting. Two-day program combines group lecture and small group discussions with each subject expert.

Bacon Sails and Marine Supplies

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Fighting For Position The Ascendency of Navigational Technology

By William J. Cook

A Complete Astrolabe (Oxford Museum of the History of Science)

From the time man first started going down to the sea in ships, there was a need for ever more reliable techniques of fixing one’s position on the great blue waters, where each mile looks the same as the last and

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which can turn from beautiful to belligerent in a very few minutes. And, few things are scarier than being surrounded by water and not knowing if the nearest land was just over the horizon or 2,000 miles away.

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Fighting For Position Instruments developed to mitigate this problem included the Iceland Spar, Back Staff, Cross Staff, Kamal, Astrolabe, Quadrant, Octant, Sextant, Pelorus, Magnetic Compass, Ring Dial (an early bearing circle), Nocturnal, and Chronometer.

Today, a handheld GPS can define the global position of a boater walking from one side of his vessel to the other and most of the names cited above may mean very little, except to historians.

Three, however, deserve our attention and respect.

These are the compass, sextant, and chronometer.

And, although not an “instrument,” the development of ever-better global charts should be added to the history of the others.

Knowing one’s latitude and longitude is of lesser value if the position of the nearest landfall—and the time it takes to get there—is unknown.

The Nautical Chart Those new to navigation may incite a curious glance when approaching a salesperson in a nautical supply house and asking to be directed to the “maps.”

This is because there is a great difference between maps and navigational charts. Charts do offer a graphic representation of how to get from point “A” to point “B” on a body of water, but the difference does not stop there.

In fact, if maps were drawn to

portray the level of information found on a nautical chart, they would be so detailed as to show: stop lights, yield signs, potholes, grades, deer crossings, detours, and much more.

Charting in the United States The first charting system for U.S. waters was commissioned as the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson. Today, it is known as NOS or National Ocean Service.

Until the middle of the 19th century, most charts were incredibly crude by today’s standards. However, things began to change rapidly in the mid-1840s, when Matthew Maury became the first superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory and Hydrographic Office. Maury saw the need for a better system of charting and an understanding of the sea. In 1847, after pouring over the data in countless ship’s logs dating back to the founding of the Navy, Maury published two pamphlets that revolutionized sailing—“Winds and Currents” and “Sailing Directions.”

Early US chart of the Virginia area

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The Ascendency of Navigational Technology

For the first time, these pamphlets put information in the hands of captains concerning currents and wind speed. And with the aid of that information, mariners found themselves breaking speed records while finding it easier to stay out of harm’s way.

The Magnetic Compass The compass was devised around 200 BC, during China’s Han Dynasty, but it took more than a 1,000 years for the “dry compass” to An early “Spoon” Compass catch on and be utilized by the mariners of Western Europe. Trans-ocean voyages were unheard of in the early years of western navigation and most voyages relied on sighting landmarks and studying celestial bodies.

The Vikings began to use the Iceland Spar (a piece of cordierite crystal) to locate the position of the sun on overcast days, but their cousins to the south relied on the compass when the sky was too foggy or overcast. Thus, the compass was an important tool for those who wanted to navigate far from land, and its arrival allowed for an increase in waterborne commerce and helped usher in the Age of Discovery.

The Road to Sextants Another invaluable concept to the early mariner involved the need to know the position of certain celestial objects. At any time of the year, those positions were known to be in a precise location and the knowledge of how high they were from the horizon could give an air of confidence to the weary mariner.

One of the first such instruments was the cross staff, which was being used as early

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as the middle of the 15th century. Unwieldy and hard to use in a stiff breeze, the main drawback to this instrument was that it was a direct-observation tool. Thus, when the elevation of the sun was to be

known, the mariner had to look directly at it to get his data! As time went on, the cross staff was replaced by the back staff, a similar instrument that allowed the navigator to take sun sights without looking directly into it.

As we closed in on the technology that became the sextant, the mariner’s quadrant found its way on deck. This instrument, used for navigation from the middle of the 15th century, had been used by astronomers, astrologers, and surveyors much earlier. It had a plumb line affixed to the apex of a plate— representing ¼ of a circle—that hung across the face of the instrument where, when a reading was needed, it could be held in place and flipped over An early brass Quadrant for convenient reading. Sightings were taken along the edge of the instrument and gravity, pulling on the plumb bob, did the rest. Although some quadrants were wooden, the better The Cross Staff

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Fighting For Position instruments were made of brass and were graduated for minutes as well as degrees.

Another instrument of some importance was the mariner’s astrolabe. As with the quadrant, the astrolabe—an instrument that had been around since before the birth of Christ—was just one more tool of the conscientious mariner. Used for The Mariner’s determining the Astrolabe position of the sun at midday or other celestial objects of known positions at the meridian, the many astrolabes had celestial objects or symbols engraved on their surface so as to give the navigator a graphic representation of what his sky should look like at a given time.

“Modern” navigation can arguably be traced to Newton’s development of the octant or reflecting quadrant in 1699. Newton revealed the design of this instrument to Edmond Halley upon its invention, yet, for whatever reason, Halley concealed its discovery until letters and drawings were

The Back Staff

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found after his death in 1742. By that time, however, the invention was generally credited to John Hadley and Thomas Godfrey. The octant takes its name from the fact that its shape is 1/8th of Newton’s a circle, Octant or Reflecting as the Quadrant sextant’s shape represents 1/6th of a circle.

About 1767 the sextant supplanted the octant as the primary instrument for acquiring celestial positions, and additional improvements were given almost exclusively to it—up to the digital age. Although the sextant has fallen to the power of the GPS, and courses on Celestial Navigation, using sextants, have been dropped by the US Naval Academy, they are still sold by most wheelhouse stores as well as many chandleries, and most conscientious sailors want to develop the skills to use one. And, if you’re 1,200 miles off the west coast when the GPS goes out, those just might be valuable skills to have.

[See Robert Redford’s All is Lost for many good The modern examples Sextant. An of poor AstrA IIIb seamanship!]

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The Ascendency of Navigational Technology

Do You Have the Time?

The last leg of this all-important race rested on time keeping. Determining latitude is relatively easy. One has only to establish the altitude of the sun at midday and check that finding against the sun’s predicted declination.

As late as the 18th century, however, John Harrison’s H1.

The first maritime mariners on long timepiece voyages relied heavily on dead reckoning or “running down a westing” (or “easting”).

In this method, the mariner would sail to the known latitude of his destination and use one of the many instruments described above to maintain that latitude throughout the voyage. As one might imagine, this was somewhat less than precise and nautical disasters were frequent occurrences.

Motivated by these—most particularly the naval disaster of 1707 in which Admiral Cloudesley Shovell and 1,400 to 2,000 sailors drowned—the British Government, in 1714, established the “Board of Longitude,” to seek better ways to synchronize time keeping at sea, saying, in part: “The discovery of the Longitude is of such consequence to Great Britain for the safety of the Navy and Merchant Ships as well as for the improvement of

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trade that for want thereof many ships have been retarded in their voyages, and many lost . . .” and announced the Longitude Prize, “for such person or persons as shall discover the Longitude.” The board’s “prize” was an astounding sum of money for its day, and any number of scientists, mathematicians, and mariners set about to win it.

The famed Isaac Newton—arguably the greatest scientific mind of his day—said the task of making such an accurate timepiece was impossible.

We have all heard how “the Ark was built by amateurs and RMS Titanic was built by “professionals.” The same could be said of John Harrison, inventor of the chronometer, winner of the prize, and subject of Dava Sobel’s excellent book, “Longitude.” For while the best mind of the best minds could not perform the task, Harrison—a self-educated carpenter and clockmaker— produced such an exquisitely accurate timepiece that testing its precision in our day has shown it to be accurate to ¼ second per . . . YEAR!

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Lif es ty l e A Look at Why We Do What we Do

Ever wondered why people love the boating lifestyle? Well, here in the Lifestyle section folks from all over the world give an insight into what it’s really like out there.

If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? We prefer you send a digital pic, in as high resolution as you can. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken.

We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide! Email to: Lifestyle@ Cruisingoutpost.com.

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Photo by Larry Dunmire on approach to Fakarava lagoon

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By Ian Davies, getting feet cleaned by fish, near Phuket, Thailand

Team Phaedo, Les Volies, St. Barts, 2015 From Dave Calhoun of Tropzone

By Mark Oliver of Matthew and Meghan (crew aboard Amelie IV, an Amel Super Maramu) in the San Blas Islands

By Captain Jeff Inshaw in the Caribbean

Animal sailing his custom-built shower curtain/ movie screen-powered vessel in Inverness, FL

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By Jaime of Rio on Biscayne Bay

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By Garry of S/V Sobraon at Koh Lanta, Thailand

By David Birken of Virgin Gorda

By Rob Ferguson, spinnaker run over to Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada

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By Olivia Frank, sailing smooth through Bahamian waters. A perfect sailing day. The colors are so amazing, the sailing so surreal, such a beautiful moment.

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Capt James Tanner, selfie, BVIs

By Yvonne of Joe getting ready to set sail

By Dawn Hilliard, aboard Destiny in Mexico

By Don Hodder, Conception Bay, Newfoundland

By Penny Potter, St. Thomas, USVI

By Paul Berger, Moorea, French Polynesia

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By John Keown of crew, Norman Island, BVIs

By David Miller, off the coast of Belize

By Doug Shipley, of Tabitha walking the beach, Tobago Cays, West Indies

By Ralph Holman of his daughter Mary en-route to the Bahamas

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Jeanneau Fleet at Peter Island

By Cindy Fletcher Holden, underway

Andres Vela on Gitana, a Hans Christian 33 in Icacos Island, Puerto Rico

By Chris - sleeps 5, parties 13, Victoria to Maple Bay, BC, Canada

By Scott Abbas, taken from our sailboat on Lake Francis Case on the Missouri River in South Dakota. One of our rare windless days with a fantastic mix of sun and clouds.

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By Dedicated Marine on the Lagoon 440 Catatonic with Shelby

By Danny Webb

By Dennis Mullen, Meka II

By Dave, Anagada

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By Eric, Martha’s Vinyard and Nantuckett

By Armando Gutierrez, El Cid Marina, Puerto Morales

You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.

By Gary Peterson, Mexico

Bob Lichner at the helm on S/V Scarlett in the ICW south of Cape Canaveral, FL, taken by Val Lichner

By Bill Gregan, Abacos

by Richard, out for a sail on Lake Travis

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By Terry Hogan of Common Sense asleep in the reed canals of Awendaw Creek on the ICW. Photo taken by our Canadian friends who rose earlier than us and were passing our anchorage.

By William Adams of Christine Adams and daughter Susan underway upon S/V Night Moves, Duck Key, Florida.

by Wendy Morison of swimming horses in Barbados (they swam all the way around our boat and back to shore!)

By Winston Mitchell, S/V Kai Malie, Honolulu, HI

By Alison Gieschen, pirate murder mystery dinner with the Gieschen family and friends, Swedesboro, NJ

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By Curtis Romjue, taken off Clark Island, Rosario Strait in the San Juan Islands with Mt. Baker in the background

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By Susan Dibbley

By Tom Renmer aboard Lion Heart westbound on Long Island Sound

By Nate Kraft, Pacific Coast of Mexico

Selfie of Henry, Sean & John in Man O’ War, Bahamas

Captain Bill of the Daddy-O, picking up a load of rum for the boat crew in the Cayman Islands

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By Michael A. Williams, Wawa, Luzon, Phillippines

By Fred Shearer of USCG Barque Eagle sailing down the Drake Channel in the BVI. The Norman Island “Indians” are in the background.

Keep the dream alive. Hit the snooze button.

Drug boat used in Europe. Motors cost? $183,000. Thanx to BC.

By eremy Whitaker, sunrise over Channel Islands Harbor, CA

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Cruising Outpost’s Featured Veteran Cruising Vessel for Fall

The Down East Staysail Schooner

Britannia

By Roger Hughes

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There is something romantic about the word ‘Brigantine’ although its origin is anything but romantic. It derives from the Brigands who pillaged the Barbary Coast in the 13th century. They used two-masted galleys with lateen sails, but it has now evolved to mean a two-masted

sailboat, principally a schooner, with at least one square sail on the fore mast; this is called the Fore Course.

I have such a rig on my 45-foot (13.7m) 1977 Down East staysail schooner Britannia. She has a rakish clipper bow and roomy 14-foot beam. For me it is the ideal cruising rig, capable of hauling acceptably close to the wind with four fore-and-aft sails—although not as close as with an 85hp engine. She is fast on a reach and has unbelievable downwind stability using the square sail, with none of the rolling, sail collapsing, or worry about gybing associated with triangular sails.

There is, however, a significant problem swinging a square sail on a yard high up a mast: that is, furling and unfurling the sail. The age-old technique, which is still employed on sail-training ships today, is to order hands aloft up the ratlines and out on the swaying yard to stow the sail. Men frequently fell to their deaths in this operation.

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I don’t have a crew of 30— just the wife—but I still wanted a square-rigger. I therefore designed and built a system where the sail rolls up inside the yard, like in-mast furling, except horizontal. It works beautifully and when the wind is from anywhere astern, or even 40 degrees either side, we unfurl the sail and away we go! There is hardly any roll because the boat is being pushed along evenly, unlike with a triangular sail. My square sail can also be easily reefed by simply winding up as much as required back inside the yard. When all the sail is furled it is completely protected from the elements.

When I needed a tween’mast staysail I had the foot made eight feet longer than its boom. When the wind is right the clew can be disconnected from the end of the boom and led aft

The rope decks are either side of the companionway and easy to get to and handle. The Winchrite is an invaluable tool when it comes to winding the square sail up, which takes 19 turns of the winch.

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The remodeled galley has a double stainless sink, a threecubic-foot freezer, a three-burner gas stove, microwave, refrigerator and washer/drier. There is also a pantry built into the engine room door.

to form a beautiful reaching sail, much like a mizzen staysail on a ketch. When on the wind the sail is reattached to the boom and becomes a self tacking staysail.

All our sails are roller furled with all lines coming back to the center cockpit, so sail handling can be done in comparative safety. There are a total of 12 lines passing through running blocks and special ‘over the top blocks,’ allowing them to go over the top of the coach roofs. The I made these to lead all my furling lines up and over the two coachroofs on the boat. They keep the lines low along the deck so there is less chance of tripping over them.

lines then lead through two banks of rope clutches on either side of the companionway, to a couple of self-tailing winches and then are kept tidy on belaying pins. We operate all our self-tailing winches with a “Winchrite,” a specially designed electric winch winding handle which fits in the top of any winch and turns it much faster than by hand—in either direction.

Four pin rails are attached to the shrouds, carrying 20 belaying pins used to keep lines tidy and lay off the ropes from the mast to prevent mast clatter at night.

It is eight feet from the water to our davits, and the boat had tackles which were very slow and hurt our hands pulling the dinghy up. I built an electric hoist and now one person can effortlessly raise the dinghy—even with the outboard attached— in 30 seconds. We do this every night at anchor, mainly to prevent easy theft.

The boat’s 14-foot beam allows for plenty of room below, with three double cabins, all with individual access to the bathroom and saloon. The forward bathroom

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This a spacious for the size of boat. There are three full size hanging lockers and five large drawers along with two seats.

has a raised glass vanity bowl and gold faucets on a raised marble counter. There is a full-size electric toilet and shower space with a seat.

Both electric toilets have separate Coast Guard approved waste processing systems, eliminating the need for a holding tank, which also eliminates the nasty job of having to empty one.

On such a yacht you would expect air conditioning and there are two 16,000 BTU reverse cycle units keeping the inside at 75 Fahrenheit, (24C), even when 95 degrees outside.

Cool or warm air is evenly distributed throughout the boat. In a marina we run these off the shore power hook-up, but they can also be enjoyed while at anchor using the 6.5Kw diesel generator. The floors

Pin rails and belaying pins always add character to any yacht, but they also have a very useful purpose in carrying extra lines and laying halyards off the mast to prevent clanking on windy nights.

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The glass vanity and gold plated faucets sit on splitlevel marble counters. The head is a full-size seat and electric operated with built-in macerator. The hot tub has 10 jets and a heater, which warms the water in about an hour. There is also a shower.

are insulated, so very little noise is heard from the generator or the main engine.

The aft cabin is spacious and has a queen-size bed with individual commercial air mattresses—the type used in hospitals with a button to control individual pressure. These are much more comfortable than foam and do not suffer from absorption.

My pièce de résistance is in the aft bathroom, adjoining the cabin. It is not the beautiful tempered glass vanity bowl, or its gold plated faucets on the marble countertop. It is the full-size bath with 10 adjustable pressure jets and a heater.

Yes! A hot tub in a small sailboat, and it’s just fabulous after a good day’s sail or a hard day of boat work.

This is a trailer winch modified to carry lines which go through blocks to the davits.

It effortlessly hoists the 100-lb. dinghy, plus the 60-lb. outboard, in 30 seconds.

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The sail is 360 square feet of 8.5 oz Dacron.

The red cross is the English flag which forms part of the Union Jack of the United Kingdom. It is also the flag of the Red Cross and the Templers - all part of the excitement as we appear over the horizon.

The other two double cabins are down a corridor forward of the saloon, one on the port side and one in the forepeak. Both are air conditioned and have hanging lockers.

The galley has a stainless double sink, a threeburner stove, a microwave, a three-cubic-foot freezer and separate refrigerator. The “genny” also runs the washer/dryer in the galley.

With all this electric demand it is imperative to maintain sound batteries. The boat has a bank of eight six-volt batteries supplying the house side. A 12-volt battery is dedicated to engine start and another to the windlass and generator. All can be interconnected and charged from the main engine, the generator, and a wind generator.

Britannia is, indeed, a proper yacht.

(Editors note: In 1977 Roger set off from England on his first boat, with one week’s sailing experience and two small daughters aged five and six. They lived aboard in the Med for seven years.)

The 6.5Kw diesel generator is more than enough to power both air conditioners when at anchor. It charges the batteries through the battery charger and also directly through the alternator.

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Six Things To Look For

I

Like all marine vessels, certain characteristics make some catamarans better than others. You will not find a perfect catamaran because no boat is perfect. Compromise is always required. But with forethought about how you will utilize your multihull, and matching your requirements to high quality design, you can get pretty close to your “dream” catamaran.

Crucial attributes to consider for a cruising catamaran are: • Weight-carrying ability • Bridge deck clearance • Structural integrity and seaworthiness • Windward ability • Deck surface design • Ease of handling We will explore each of these catamaran characteristics, and how they affect performance, comfort, and, ultimately, safety.

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In A Cruising Catamaran

By Estelle Cockroft estelle@catamaranguru.com

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Six Things To Look For Early catamaran designs were heavy by today’s standards. The multihulls were designed with a narrow beam, high freeboard, and inefficient underwater design.

They were prone to hobby-horsing and pitching. Today, with the technological advancements of lighter, stronger composite materials, catamarans’ performance have greatly improved.

Above: The 2005 38-ft. Lagoon is much bigger in volume and has a much higher bridge deck clearance than the 1992 Prout 39.

In the last 20 years or so, boat builders have painstakingly studied and resolved the issues affecting catamarans, effectively increasing their seaworthiness by leaps and bounds. Constant reform and transformation of even the basic tenets of catamaran design continue today as is evident in the radical catamaran designs in the 2013 America’s Cup Challenge. Multihulls like foiling Gunboat G4 and Neel Trimaran designs spring to mind. In fact, many of the problems of the older multihull designs have been eliminated altogether.

The new generation of cruising catamarans offer exciting sailing vessels with great livability, space, comfort, and safety.

This was made possible, in no small part, by the

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early multihull pioneers like Woody Brown and James Wharram. Thanks to these trailblazing pioneers and advances in modern technology, catamarans and yes, even trimarans, are available to the cruising sailor at a reasonable cost today.

Catamaran Weight & Carrying Ability Unlike the monohull design that can carry weight without much loss of performance, an overloaded catamaran rapidly loses performance and, eventually, safety. In order to counter this, multihull manufacturers are continually looking for ways to reduce construction weight to increase the potential payload capacity while retaining optimal performance.

Below: Constructing a resin infusion catamaran makes it about 20% lighter and stronger.

To select a light catamaran, look for hulls with cored construction and interiors built with lightweight materials.

Unlike monohulls that rely on a heavy lead keel to keep them upright, a catamaran relies on the beam of the boat and the buoyancy of the hulls. Lighter construction makes catamarans able to carry more weight and perform faster, so this characteristic is very important when selecting a cruiser.

Structural Integrity and Seaworthiness Monohulls can heel and spill wind when the sails are overpowered. But a catamaran’s only available response to pressure of a wind gust is to accelerate. So the boat has to be very strong to hold together. Cored construction makes the catamaran strong and very stiff. Stiffness gives a catamaran good performance.

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In A Cruising Catamaran

Courtesy Neel Trimarans

Consider that the catamaran’s hulls are actually two boats joined together by a bridge deck. These “boats” are constantly fighting each other and trying to go in their own direction. The boat structure must be strong enough to counter this and, at the same time, deal with the down force of the mast in the center of the bridge deck. The catamaran performs an amazing feat contending with all the opposing forces inherent in the multihull design. For that reason, it is critical to ensure the design and manufacturer are reputable with a track record to demonstrate structural integrity.

Image on right: For a catamaran to be stable, the righting moment has to be bigger than the capsizing moment (Diagram A). If the capsizing moment becomes bigger (increase in wind) than the righting moment, the vessel will capsize (Diagram B).

So, to balance the catamaran, the weight x righting arm has to be equal to wind pressure x capsizing arm. Inspiration: James Wharram, king of “self-build” catamarans.

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Six Things To Look For

Catamaran Bridge Deck Clearance

Above: A higher clearance produces less slamming. My rule of thumb is: 4% of the overall length is low, 5% is acceptable, and 6% is good.

ALL catamarans slam (waves hitting under the bridge deck). The noisy and sometimes disconcerting slamming takes getting used to. The first catamaran I ever sailed an ocean passage on was a Shuttleworth 44. In the early ‘90s and even today, it is considered to be a good design.

However, after a few hours of sailing in some sloppy seas off the eastern coast of Africa, the slamming noise had me convinced that the boat was going to break up and sink. Now that I have a full understanding of the nature of a catamaran, it turns out that there was no need to worry. I have come to accept that slamming is just part of sailing a catamaran. It is the degree of slamming that makes the difference between a comfortable ride and a terrifying experience.

Bridge deck clearance is a key factor in predicting the slamming level of a catamaran design. A higher clearance produces less slamming. My rule of thumb is: 4% of the

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overall length is low, 5% is acceptable, and 6% is good.

When it comes to slamming, another important factor is weight. If the boat is heavy due to construction or payload, it will tend to go into a wave. This slams the chest of the boat into the wave. A lighter boat with more buoyancy will rise on the wave reducing slamming substantially.

As you can see in the photo to the upper left, catamarans with dagger boards are able to point much better to the wind than catamarans with keels.

Windward Ability: Catamaran Keel vs. Daggerboard The average cruising catamaran has keels while high performance cruising catamarans have dagger boards.

Let’s look at the two schools of thought on this subject.

The general perception that catamarans cannot point as high into the wind as monohulls is not entirely true. I have seen modern catamarans pointing as high as most cruising monohulls, especially in stronger winds. The issue is not how high the boat points, but rather how much leeway it makes. A monohull with a large keel (lateral resistance) makes less leeway than a catamaran with shallow keels. So, even if both vessels are pointing at 45 degrees to the wind, the monohull will be making a better track to windward.

Catamarans with dagger boards are able to point much better than catamarans with keels. The claim is that a catamaran with dagger boards is safer because if the boards are up and the boat gets sideways on a wave, it will skid down the wave sideways. Dagger board proponents believe a keel trips the boat as it tries to navigate down the side of a wave causing capsize. I can only speak from personal experience. I was caught sideways on a 20-foot wave a few days out of Cape Town on a 40-foot catamaran with keels. The boat was hit successively by three waves before we could get it back on track. The boat skidded

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In A Cruising Catamaran

down the waves and there was no capsize, but it took some nifty maneuvering at the helm. My personal belief is that both types are safe and acceptable provided they are operated correctly.

Catamaran Deck Surfaces From a safety perspective, decks should be as wide and as flat as possible.

Cockpit to Mast Older designs often have decks with two levels from the coach roof windows to the gunnels, which form a side deck with a trip hazard. Most modern catamaran deck designs are now one flat surface being wide enough to walk unhindered from the cockpit to the mast.

Saloon The cockpit and the saloon should be on one level with no step down into the saloon, if possible. Modern designs have achieved this and it really makes a big difference for ease of movement and safety while at sea.

Stern The steps on the stern should be wide and easy to climb with a reasonable angle. If the steps are too steep or narrow, they become a hazard and lose space for recreation. The stern should be easily accessible from the dinghy.

Ease of Handling: Catamaran Deck Layout Deck layout is an important factor because most cruising catamarans are sailed short-handed. On catamarans with one helm, all lines should run back to the helm so there is a static position from where the entire

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boat can be controlled. I recommend electric winches and single line reefing for at least the first reef, but also the second reef, if possible. All of these lines should come back to the static control station at the helm:

• Both jib sheets • The sheet from the opposite side of the boat should be run through a turn block and across the coach roof through a clutch to the helm • Main sheet • Jib furling line • Single line reefing lines • Main halyard • Outhaul • Traveler control lines

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Six Things To Look For

Visibility from the helm is also very important. All around visibility while underway, maneuvering, and docking is key to safety of your boat and others’ property and life. When standing at the helm, you should be able to see both bows or, at the very least, the pulpits. The

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center of the crossbeam from where the anchor is handled should be visible as well as both sterns for the times when you dock “stern to.” If all these stations are not visible while standing at the helm where the engine controls are, you may encounter problems because of blind spots.

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In A Cruising Catamaran

Catamaran Characteristics Conclusion Modern catamaran designs are much more advanced than the early models that were slower, heavier, and underpowered. Problems like hobby-horsing, burying the bows, and underpowered rigs have been largely eliminated. Even though composite construction technology gives a huge advantage in lighter materials and sleeker designs, no one design element or piece of high tech gear should dominate the vessel to the detriment of others.

With some compromise, a good naval architect can design a vessel pleasing to most people and the result can be very exciting, safe, and seaworthy. Which compromises should you make when selecting your catamaran? It all depends on how you will use her. Catamaran Guru helps new and veteran multihull owners select the right boat for their dreams.

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Cruising The Aabcos

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Island Group - The Bahamas

By Shane McClellan

I spent seven months on Guiding Light, a Lagoon 410, exploring the Bahamas. Here are some of the highlights of the Abacos, Bahamas, island group.

On Grand Bahama Island, West End is one of the two best locations to make landfall. Here, there is an anchorage with protection from every direction except west, and then you can go into the marina. There is an immigration office to check into the country and the marina doesn’t mind if you use the pool and bar afterwards.

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We have enough “youth.” How about a fountain of “smart?”

Cruising The Aabco’s Island Group Of The Bahamas

Freeport is the second largest city in the Bahamas Abacos Island and is very industrial. It was established in 1955 by When you cruise the Sea of Abacos you are mostly Wallace Groves as a government land grant with the visiting the chain of barrier islands to the east of Great expectation it would Abacos Island and we are going to start at the be economically northern end with some of my favorites. developed and Grand Cay is a group of islands forming a fantastic become a free little harbor and is the first settlement you can explore.

U.S. trade zone.

Stop at Rose’s Place for dinner or a drink.

The Lucaya Double Breasted Cays are unique because waterway was built you can anchor around a small sand flat and still as a large ex-pat be protected. A walk along the Bahama’s community, but many flats is rewarding and it is a great Abaco’s lots have not been place to just relax with a beach developed, meaning chair and a book. you can tie your Allen-Pensacola Nassau boat up in the canal.

Cay was two different Nearby, the Garden islands until the ‘60s Treasure Cay Andros of the Groves is a when a hurricane Grand Great Abaco botanical garden Bahama filled in the land with an aviary, café, between them. From waterfalls, chapel, sculptures, and a couple of the anchorage take Little Harbor miles of trails through gullies and around a the short hike to the pond. Also nearby is Port Lucaya Marketplace where “Signing Tree” where you can walk among shops, eat at restaurants, and enjoy people have left stuff decorated with their boat name. the entertainment.

Powell Cay is deserted and has a nice beach plus there The east end of the island is a national park with is a small bluff to climb for a great view. five different ecologies and an extensive underwater New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay is a charming cave system. town of 450 and offers much to do, such as the Albert Lowe

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Museum (a period house of a local sea captain), the Captain Roberts Center (combination of a small museum and nature center), the Sculpture Garden, and the old jail with stairs leading to the old gallows. When hungry, check out the Wrecking Tree (for a grouper sandwich), Sunsets (the place to be at night), and Emily’s Blue Bee Bar (home of the famous Goombay Smash).

The Hub of Abacos is a 10-milelong area where the majority of boats stay. Marsh Harbor, a town of 5000, is at the center and the place to provision and change crew. In order to get there you have to go through the Whale Cay Cut and should have local advice.

Guana Cay is the first stop and if it is Sunday the place you want to be is Nipper’s for the weekly pig roast.

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On Great Abaco Island you will find the resort of Treasure Cay. This three-mile-long crescent shaped sandy beach is perfect. If you walk to the north end you can hunt for the plaque commemorating the first settlers at Carlton Point. The anchorage outside the marina is perfectly protected.

Man-O-War Cay is a community that has always revolved around boat building and repairs. You can

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Cruising The Aabco’s Island Group Of The Bahamas

watch craftsmen build the very popular Albury 24 or see the railway used to haul boats out of the water. Albury Sail Shop was the community sail maker, but for the last 60 years and three generations they have been known for making canvas bags. Another shop to visit is Joe’s Studio where you will see his half boat models and the locally made ceramics. Make sure you buy some sticky

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buns from Lola and then walk up to the museum in the over 100-year-old house of a local boat builder. There is a cannon displayed which was recovered from the 1862 wreckage of the USS Adirondack on the windward side of the island, where you can snorkel.

The south end of the Hub is the perfect little settlement of Hope Town on Elbow Cay. Most people enjoy walking

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around town gazing at the amazingly cute houses and poking into the shops. I recommend visiting the local museum and the iconic lighthouse built in 1864 (one of the last manually operated kerosene lighthouses). At night stop by Captain Jack’s for a drink, dinner, and entertainment.

Even though the southern point in the Sea of Abacos is only 10-15 miles away, relatively few boats journey this way so you will get the feeling of getting away from it all with only an hour or two of travel. First we have to sail by Lubber’s Quarter with the south end of Elbow Cay on the port side. This entire area is only about

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6-7 feet deep and when the tide is out, Tahiti Beach is a favorite.

Over on the mainland are the ruins of a commercial dock used to load lumber and other resources, called Snake Cay. You can poke around ruins and snorkel shipwrecks or take a dinghy tour around the small island in a maze of mangroves, rocks, and islets.

Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park is a wonderful place to spend a day on the beach or under the water snorkeling.

The south end of the Sea of Abacos is capped by Little Harbor where you will find Pete’s Pub & Gallery. Pete has built a foundry and gallery displaying sculptures by his dad, him, and his son.

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Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.

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A lunch stop at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke

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Women Who Sail

Dead Chest from Deadman’s Bay, Peter Island

First Annual Rendezvous BVI 2015

By Diane Lemieux -S/V Simple Pleasures

“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, 15 men on a dead man’s chest.” Robert Lewis Stevenson could have been describing our recent sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands (BVI)! Just switch the 15 men with six female boat captains and 45 women sailors, and switch Blackbeard’s ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, with three charter sailboats and 11 Bring Your Own Boats (BYOB). Add a few assorted husbands and significant others and generously douse with Painkillers and sailing stories. What do you get? The First Annual Women Who Sail Rendezvous!

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It all began as a bright spark in the minds of Captain Holly Scott and Captain Kathleen (‘KC’) Matlock one sunny winter California day. “Where can we go on our next adventure?” they asked each other. Holly and KC are professional charter skippers and owners of Mahalo Sailing Adventures in Seal Beach, CA. Captain Holly is also the owner and writer of the iconic Charlie’s Charts Cruising Guides. As stated on their website, they will “show you how to sail and live a self-sufficient lifestyle on a comfortably-equipped vessel, while sightseeing and

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Women Who Sail The crew of Azzura

experiencing the local beauty and customs of places such as the Sea of Cortez, Fiji, Tahiti, Thailand, San Juan Islands, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Mediterranean Coast, the canals of Europe and more.”

Since KC and Holly are members of the world wide Facebook group Women Who Sail (WWS), the next step was only a small leap away.

WWS has over 5,600 members.

Women who have joined this group have a wide range of boating experiences, ranging from planning their sailing escapes to ocean voyagers. They share their knowledge on subjects from generators and watermakers to rigging and anchors.

They are 20 to 75 years old, single and partnered, and there’s nowhere else they’d rather be besides on the water.

WWS coming into port or needing any kind of information are warmly welcomed with good info, rides or assistance wherever they meet, whether it’s through Facebook or their WWS burgees. WWS members were invited via Facebook and within two weeks the event took off running the First Annual Women Who Sail Rendezvous. It was really happening, on May 16-23, 2015!

This was just too good of deal to pass up! It was the opportunity of

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a lifetime to meet so many WWS in person, in sailing paradise, the British Virgin Islands! I should mention here that since I live in St. Croix with DH (Dear Husband) on our Hunter 36, Simple Pleasures, it was just a hop, skip and jump for me to join them.

And of course, we brought more Women Who Sail with us!

Who are these women gathered in paradise, you ask? They live in the US, from West Coast to East Coast, Canada, and the Spanish, British and U.S. Virgin Islands. Many have given up the “house” and are living on their boats. Liveaboards enjoy life much as turtles do, bringing their houses with them wherever they go! These fascinating folks are sailors, boat builders and mechanics, nurses, teachers, writers and business women. Their sailing backgrounds vary from instructors and captains to weekend sailors and cruisers.

Some sail every day, some sail in the summers. Some sail Hobie Cats and some sail 50-foot catamarans. We all love to sail!

As the trip began, the charter captains began by securing and provisioning the boats. This is always an adventure in the BVI! And, just a side note, if you are planning on chartering a boat here, bring plenty of

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First Annual Rendezvous Mary Godspeed crew

face to face. It didn’t take long for this group to warm up, and after dinner the prizes began to flow.

Donations from Foxy’s Tamarind Bar in Jost Van Dyke, Charlie’s Charts, BVI Tourism Department, CYOA Charters and the Salty Dog Rally got the crowd excited. Then the music began to play! We let our hair down and danced ourselves silly!

Organizing charter boats is fairly easy, as the guests always go with the captains. Organizing cruisers (BYOB folks) is like herding cats, as these folks live in their boats and have other plans that they want or need to accomplish while still meeting up with the rendezvous. “I need to get my winch fixed,” “I need this part at Nanny Cay,” “I have to drop someone off at Soper’s Hole...”

The crowd descended on Foxy’s Bar the following day for a delicious lunch and “shopportunities” in Great Harbor. Foxy’s wife, Tessa Callwood, came out to greet the group and we gathered for our first group picture. Women from Conga line at Sydney’s the different boats were Peace & Love beginning to become

cash with you. Not only are groceries expensive, ATMs are scarce and not always working.

Charter guests began coming down from the hills where they stayed the night before and had their first meet up after arriving. Bring Your Own Boat (BYOB) folks began heading toward the first rendezvous spot in Jost Van Dyke. Some stayed in Great Harbor and some stayed in Little Harbor and we all converged at Sydney’s Peace & Love Bar and Restaurant for dinner.

Fifty-two women and the occasional DH and SO (Significant Other) gathered to share stories and get to know each other.

Facebook conversations became real conversations, picking up from threads begun on line and continued

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Women Who Sail familiar with each other. “I remember you from last night, dancing!”

Our next rendezvous spot was the Bight on Norman Island, home of the famous Willy T, a schooner bar and restaurant featuring a second story deck where all sorts of folks have been known to jump off! We visited the new Pirate’s Bight for a lovely happy hour and sunset. Then the dinghy raft-up evolved into a dance party aboard the mother ship, Azzura. Metallic tattoos created more bonds among the captains, crew and BYOBers.

The cruisers were beginning to get their sea legs and chipping in with chores. They were also beginning to get an understanding of what living on a boat really means. “How many devices can we plug in at once? What do you mean, international outlets? Hang my clothes where? Only one shower a day?”

The next day was made for snorkeling. We swam with the fish (really!) at the Bight, the Caves, the Indians, and in Great Harbor on Peter Island where we stayed for the night.

Snorkeling down here in the best spots is akin to swimming in an aquarium. This must be heaven for mermaids!

We moved on over to Deadman’s Bay and had a fabulous lunch at Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill at Peter Island Resort, where we were greeted

by Hostess Jean Kelly, who thanked us for coming and offered us her hospitality and her famous cookies for dessert. Just in case you’re wondering how such a perfect beach got such a terrible name, you can thank the pirate Blackbeard, who marooned some of his crew as punishment on Dead Chest, which is a casket shaped rock directly across from the bay.

Folklore has it that since most pirates couldn’t swim, they died trying and began washing up on shore.

Mid week, the fleet ventured up to Gorda Sound (North Sound) in Virgin

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Gorda to stop at Leverick Bay and the Bitter End. Nick Willis, the marina manager, welcomed the group to Leverick Bay, where boats got free water at the dock. Of course, you know the sailors tried to see how many women could fit into the phone booth on the dock!

Thanks to Lisa Guthrie and Matthew Siegel from Bitter End Yacht Club for hosting Happy Hour at The Crawl Pub at Bitter End. WWS equally devoured the WiFi and the delicious pizza and then returned to the mother ship where strains of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” carried on into the night. The boats left the Bitter End the next day and headed down to the Baths, where the WWS played among the giant boulders.

The BYOB fleet continued to hook up with the fleet in different anchorages as some left and new ones came! The BYOBers began to prepare for their own next plans, ranging from heading down island for hurricane season to returning to their home ports in USVI, Vieques and BVI. We left on Simple Pleasures to prepare for our next trip to the States.

Special mention goes to Pat Davenport, a WWS from St. Croix who joined the rendezvous, making her first crossing as captain on her own boat. Pat is a single, liveaboard sailor who has conquered challenge after challenge refitting her 42-foot Beneteau, Samantha.

The fleet left Virgin Gorda to spend their last night together on Marina Cay before returning to the charter base.

Pusser’s put out a delectable feast on the beach for the group, including key lime pie, a round of Painkillers to welcome everyone, live music and dancing and a bottle of the BVI’s famous Pusser’s Rum for every boat. Prizes continued flowing to the sailors, donated from the BVI Spring Regatta, Green Cay Marina in St. Croix, Schooner Chandlery and Arawak Gifts.

We loved every spot we visited in paradise, and marveled at the

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First Annual Rendezvous The crew aboard Fleming

Aboard Simple Pleasures

turquoise water and sea life. It was like living in a post card and made us wonder how we could ever go back to life as it was before. But really, it never will be. We’ll never be quite the same.

No matter what skills women arrived with, they learned something new during this trip. Whether it was tying lines, steering, picking up moorings or successfully mastering the dinghy, confidence grew among the group. The women on each boat supported each other and helped out with food, fuel, moorings, snorkeling, tying knots and more.

Former strangers were suggesting meet-ups of their own! Although the idea of over 50 women, who were mostly strangers, spending seven days and sharing tight quarters together may seem like a recipe

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Snorkeling at the Indians

for conflict, their love of sailing and respect for each other made this a trip to remember.

Women bring special talents wherever they go, and especially to an organization and event such as this. Collaboration, eagerness to share and learn from each other, willingness to work for the greater good, and an adventurous spirit all came together in the BVI for a very special rendezvous; the first of many! The question on everybody’s lips is, “Where will the Second Annual Women Who Sail Rendezvous be?

We are keeping this quote in mind and encouraging all sailors to get out there and keep learning! “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Discover.” - Mark Twain

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,,

Of The Cruiser

By The Cruiser For The Cruiser

Buy - Sell - Go

I felt terrible. An article I had written about the benefits of choosing a small cruising boat had just been published in a major magazine. As I read all the glowing things I had written about our Pacific Seacraft 31, I felt like a mother who had abandoned her baby in a dumpster.

Why? Because we had recently sold the Pacific Seacraft and purchased an older, larger boat.

We purchased the Pacific Seacraft 31 new in 2004 and fitted her out exactly as we wanted. We had cruised the Pacific Northwest and Mexico in addition to local waters.

I loved her and thought she would be our final sailboat.

Sometimes things don’t work out as expected.

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By Paula Christie

It all started when we returned to California from Mexico. My husband, Brian, started saying things like, “We need larger tanks,” and “I want a bigger berth.” Since small tanks are only a problem when cruising long distance, we needed to decide whether and how far we wanted to go in the future. Likewise, the berth wasn’t an issue if we were only going out for a week or two. We began to ask ourselves: Do we need a different boat? Do we want to take on the demands of a larger boat? Also, if we were going to sell our sailboat, maybe it was time to go for greater ease and comfort and buy a power boat. After all, we’re 62 and days away from having a third surgery in as many years. Maybe now was the time to

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make the switch to power. We looked at each other, sighed, and decided it was time to start looking at a power boats. So we put the boat on the market.

Our beloved First Light sold in three months which was more quickly than we expected and more quickly than I was mentally prepared for. We had heard high-end boats were not selling well. I’d hoped to have more time to get used to the idea of letting First Light go.

The desire to sell was more Brian’s than mine. But now the boat was gone and it was time to begin the search for a power boat we could love.

We began by looking at Nordic Tugs.

In 2006 we had shipped First Light to Anacortes, Washington and spent a season in the San Juan and Gulf islands. While there we developed an appreciation of the Nordic Tug. We had told ourselves if we ever made the switch to power the Nordic Tug would be a good place to start.

We also looked at American Tugs and even a Beneteau power boat. They were all comfortable and well cared for boats.

But the idea of one more cruise nagged at both of us.

We would look at boats for sale online with every intention of limiting our search to power boats, but one or the other of us would drift off and begin looking on the sailboat page. We just couldn’t seem to limit our boat explorations to power boats. We ended up looking at more sailboats than power boats. We started looking at tank size and berths where my husband’s 6’2” frame would be comfortable.

The lure of long-term cruising would not go away. We’d tell ourselves why local boating was the logical choice for us and a power boat made the most sense. Then, the very next night, sometimes even the same night, we would find ourselves discussing going back to Mexico, or sailboats that would meet our needs and were affordable.

In the article I explained why we had chosen to buy a small cruising boat and one of the principal reasons was to have a new or near new boat. We’d had older boats in the past and they all were project boats. We didn’t want all the work and expense again. We were done with thinking the boat was in good condition only to have equipment fail every time we went Catalina. Yup, we were DONE with that. But financially, we now had to look at boats older than the one we’d just sold.

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It had been awhile since we’d been looking at used boats and we had forgotten the siren song of brokers – “clean,” “like new,” “lightly used.” We took several long trips to look at these wonderful, clean boats and were deeply disappointed every time. A boat we’d been told was “showroom new” had at least five inches of water under the settee. The broker provided us with a recent survey stating the boat had a fiberglass holding tank. In less than five minutes we found the tank was actually aluminum and showed signs of leaking. We quickly discovered, in most cases clean interiors meant little use which equated to neglect – all systems had been allowed to atrophy, corrode, and deteriorate. Brokers seemed surprised and nervous when we showed up with a mirror and a flashlight and started lifting floor boards.

Every sailboat we looked at needed work; a lot more work than we wanted or had bargained for. So the next decision was whether to pay more for a boat with more equipment needing somewhat less work, or pay less, get a project boat and have everything new when we were done fixing it up. More than once during this process we shook our heads, looked at each other and said, “What have we done?” or, “We’ve made a big mistake.”

In the end we purchased a 1999 Island Packet 380.

She has good bones, but needs a great deal of work. So as I read my own words recommending a smaller, newer boat that one could ship to other areas if desired, a boat to enjoy rather than be a slave to, I had to shake my head. We had just made all the choices I had recommended against.

What’s that cliché about being your own worst enemy?

One of the first things we did was change the name on the Island Packet to First Light, in the fervent hope we’d come to love this First Light as much as her predecessor.

Whether purchasing this boat is a good decision only time will tell, we haven’t even left the slip for more than a few hours. At the moment the engine is in progress and the propeller is off. We won’t be going back to Mexico this year; we’ll be fitting out the boat for months to come. But while we’re sweating, swearing, and breaking out another boat buck, we’ve been enjoying her dock side and hoping to get out on the water soon. I can safely say we’re not bored and we’re keeping the dream alive.

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Flotsam & Jetsam

The trip that never was!

It was to be a last hurrah for me and my crew. We were going down to the boat before I put her up for sale. That’s a heartbreak story you don’t want to hear!

I only had two of my regular crew with me, Hod and Dan. Bill was going to come, but his eye doc told him he should have a couple of cataracts removed when we had planned the trip. As it turns out, he may be glad he missed the trip.

Hod, who lives in Peoria, drove to Omaha to meet up with Dan and me. We were going to drive down to Clear Lake, Texas, where Impulsive is moored and prep her for a trip to Port Aransas. I kept hearing great things about our intended destination… things like, “the water looks like the Caribbean,” or, “the town is a great place to relax for a few days.” All that seemed like a good enough reason to make it a destination. That was the plan anyway, as we left my Omaha driveway. Funny how the best laid plans have a way of working out.

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By Drew Whitler

The drive from southwest Omaha to Clear Lake, Texas, is around 950 miles, and we left at around 8:30 a.m.

We had three drivers, so we thought we could just drive straight through. Then I remembered Hod likes to follow the letter of the law exactly (an outstanding citizen if ever there was one). That really left us with two drivers, but still it seemed doable in one driving stint.

Heading out on Interstate 80 to York, Nebraska, was going to be the most exciting part of the trip. That should give you cross country drivers some indication of what the rest of the trip was going to be like… for hours and hours.

The other thing we discovered on the sojourn was that you can only eat so many Braum hamburgers on a trip.

Texas and Gulf Coast seafood was beginning to sound real good, and we hadn’t even got to sundown yet!

I have to say, the most depressing part of the journey was when we drove on I35 through Monroe, Oklahoma.

On the west side of the highway was the remains of a

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building we all saw on TV after the tornado struck. It was just destroyed. Then it appeared that the tornado jumped over the highway on its eastbound trek into a neighborhood it completely flattened. It was truly a heart-sickening visage, knowing that the devastation we witnessed was nothing compared to what those folks must have gone through and are still experiencing.

Dallas, which we arrived at several hours after rush hour should have been over, still appeared to be in the throes of it. I confess, never have I driven through Dallas on the I35 intro or the 635 beltway when traffic was smooth.

My hat’s off to the commuters of Dallas.

It is always a little emotional driving past Reunion Tower, realizing that at the base of it is the Schoolbook Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald is reported to have taken the shots that struck down JFK back in November of 1963. I, like most who lived through those dark days, remember it like it was yesterday. I was a senior in high school and sitting in trig class pondering the potential utility of some formula when the announcement came over the school’s intercom. Shock was everyone’s response and it seemed to last for days... just like our drive through Dallas.

It is a long, dark drive from Dallas into the Houston area. After the first rush of gas stations and restaurants on the first part of I45, it turns into an empty pit of darkness for about four hours. Even after you finally see the well-lit statue of Sam Houston on the east side of the road, it still seems to take forever to get into the north Houston suburbs.

When we finally pulled into Clear Lake Shores and the Watergate Marina, where Impulsive was docked, it was well after midnight. We three tired sailors from the plains stumbled onto the dock, found our slip, and struggled into our berths for the night. The really good news was that the AC was working great and the boat was dry and cool. Little

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Flotsam & Jetsam did we suspect that Poseidon was just toying with us and things were about to change.

Having driven over 950 miles the previous day, we took our time getting up and fixing coffee. I am a bit of a late sleeper compared to my crew mates, who had the coffee ready for me when I finally got the sleep out of my eyes! First order of the day, after a stop at Skipper Joe’s for breakfast, was to get the Isinglass enclosure fixed (it needed to be re-stitched before another attempt at Mother, Mother Ocean) and attached to the bimini. I’d had some work done on it by a very good local upholstery guy who still had a bit of finishing work to do before it was complete.

He agreed to come to the dock and finish up that morning.

While we were waiting for him to arrive we noticed that several things began happening at once. First, the

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air conditioning in the main salon had an HPF (high pressure failure) error on the control panel, and it was starting to get warm in the cabin. Along with that, the AC power system didn’t appear to be charging the house batteries. This seemed most problematic, mostly because I had most of the AC power system changed out and upgraded after my last sail, which had been about 10 months earlier. Sadly, it bears repeating that boats do not like being left alone or unattended; a lesson I have been learning, long distance, at some cost.

I called the electrician who had installed the new AC power system the previous autumn and (with great surprise given other experiences I have had with marine electricians – they are a notoriously busy group of craftsmen), he came right over. Now, the boat is in Texas

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and, as I was about to discover, this state has been invaded by small, almost invisible actually, creatures called fire ants. One wonders how something so infinitesimally small could prove to be such a painful little creature or why the creator of the universe even decided that they actually added value enough to the planet to create them. Anyway, while waiting in the parking lot of the marina for the marine electrician to arrive, I started talking with another resident of the marina. As engrossing conversations with other sailors often become, I was distracted and carelessly stepped, without looking or taking extra care to see exactly where my foot was going to land, off the curb and onto the grass. I managed to incite a riot in the fire ant community living there as I stepped directly on top of their nest. It took only a couple of seconds for me to figure out I had made a grave error, as they covered both my feet in less than a New York minute and communicated to me their abject displeasure in my choice of balance points.

I started hopping around trying to get the little buggers off my feet and out from under the sandals I had on, and off my legs where they were advancing in some sort of lock step march, all the while armed and in full attack mode. My dance was no doubt entertaining and the fella I had been talking with smiled and said… better watch where you stand! I’m thinking… now he tells me this. What great help that was! I was left with about 60 or so bites that took the better part of the week to fully fester up. My feet did not begin to swell or even itch just then, and I thought these little ants had more reputation than they deserved. My doc in Omaha, after my return, brought the entire medical staff into the examining room to check out the mess these little guys made of my feet and legs!

When the electrician arrived, Dan (whose better title is “Ship’s Engineer)” had already figured out the air conditioner problem. Seems the dehumidifier setting had been on and kept pumping water through the AC system which provided a perfect breeding ground for algae and barnacles which, to no surprise, had pretty much clogged up the system. The long and smelly cleaning job had already begun when we arrived back at the boat. Cleaning out the air conditioning filter, after it has been running and left unattended, is a task…. new strainer and all. Nevertheless, we finally got it up and running and then discovered our next challenge. Poseidon had apparently made friends with Murphy.

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7/30/15 12:23 PM

Flotsam & Jetsam When we switched on the in-house water pressure, water lines all over the boat started popping off, even with the clamps firmly tightened. I had never seen that happen before. Dan, Ship’s Engineer, diagnosed the pressure switch on the fresh water pump as faulty. That set us on the task of removing the water pump. On the Morgan 41 Classic, the water pump is under the galley sink. On this boat, it was behind the water heater and generally unreachable without removing several components. Among them was the heater as well as the ice maker. My size is not compatible with entry into the space under the sink. The contortions required to get to the water pump were only possible for me if cartoon physics could be duplicated in the real world. Alas, that was not to be. Fortunately, Dan, who is much leaner and endowed with considerably more

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flexibility that either Hod or me, was marginally able to get his head and one arm into the hole under the sink. What he saw, as we began the journey into the water pump issue, set us on a journey that took the next several days. The bottom of the water heater had rusted through and left exposed heat exchanger parts hanging in the ether. Ahhh!!! Port Aransas was getting farther in the distance with each passing moment.

Changing out the water heater was obviously a necessary inconvenience, and I knew that sometime in the future it would, no doubt, be necessary. This discovery just moved up the timetable. Since we had to remove the ice maker to start any of this, there was at least one more repair that seemed as appropriate now as any time. I had bent the starboard rub rail on a piling a couple of years ago, and getting it replaced now made sense.

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The time it was taking to get all of this done was more than any of us had imagined as we set foot on Impulsive. After a chat with Jeremy Hood, the head broker at HSH Yachts who would be handling Impulsive’s sale, it became apparent we simply did not have the time to get to Port Aransas. In fact, by the time we replaced the water pump and pressure switch, the water heater, reinstalled the ice maker and waited for the guys to bring the rub rail and install it, we were running out of time, period!

Now, part of the magic of sailing around the coast for all of us has been the proximity to good seafood.

Even though we seemed dock bound during the day, we managed to find some very good food close to the marina. Notable is a place called Gilhooley’s, a little south of Kemah, TX, that has a sign calling itself the “Best Damned Seafood Dive in Texas!” I confess to not having eaten in all the seafood dives in the state, but even so, this place has our votes. They serve grilled oysters on the half shell with a Parmesan garlic shrimp on the oyster appetizer that we simply called a meal… several times over the course of our stay. We just ordered four or five dozen and went to town. Needless to say, our wives were a little nervous about three big guys eating so many oysters and then sleeping in the same boat.

Having made the decision we had no time to go anywhere, we decided to clean up Impulsive, oiling cabin teak, sanding and varnishing all exposed exterior teak, as well as washing and waxing the entire hull.

Before we packed her up and left, she was as shiny and clean as she had been since, well… before I bought her. I was in tears! While staring at her, realizing that she simply needed more attention than I could give her and that selling her was what I needed to do… I had an epiphany… While I might be done with “bigger boats,” for now at least, that did not mean that I had to be done with boats.

Contrary to rumor and opinions of the completely uninformed, the day one decides to sell the boat is not the second happiest day in a sailor’s life! So, as we packed up and headed back north, we all, with some pride at the amount of sheer sweat and energy we put into our trip, each viewed this last sojourn as, “the trip that never was!”

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Cruising Outpost 125

7/30/15 12:24 PM

Flotsam & Jetsam

The Wharram Rendezvous

This year, as in most past years, the weather gods cooperated. Winds were perfect, sun shone and temperatures were ideal. You expect something else in the fabulous Florida Keys????

Nearly 70 Wharramites and Wharramite wannabees attended over the weekend and more than 40 were at our Dutch-treat dinner on Saturday night. The Lorelei Cabana Bar in Islamorada (Florida Keys) again provided the perfect venue and great service to all who attended.

Five Wharrams were on the Lorelei beach for everyone to inspect. In attendance was a Hitia 17, Wayfarer 21, Tiki 21, Pahi 31, Tangaroa 36… and a nearby Narai 42. All the boats on the beach went out sailing with guests during the weekend… and, of course, a little friendly competition developed. The smaller Wharrams skimmed across the flats with abandon and the larger boats ripped across Florida Bay to the astonishment of monohull sailors and even power boaters. The larger

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By Dan Kunz

boats had as many as 12 people on board at any one time and they still reached double digit speeds. Many of the attendees who were thinking about a Wharram, but had never been on one or in some cases had never seen one, were convinced that there will be one in their future.

This year people came from as far away as Australia and Hawaii to join in the festivities and solidify their Wharram desires. Many stories were told of adventures around the globe and we also paid special tribute to the life of Gene Perry who was the reason these events occurred for the past decade or so. Gene kept us on our course and focused on our cause. In addition, some preparation was done for the Wharram flotilla that will head for the Bahamas sometime early in 2016… some people will return to the USA and some will then head to parts unknown. Fair winds to all!

The Islamorada Chamber of Commerce provided welcome packages to all and the Free Press provided

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dna

their paper. Included in the welcome package was a copy of both Southwinds and Cruising Outpost Magazines. Signed copies of the books of Chuck and Corinne Kanter, Frank Papy, and Scott B. Williams were provided as door prizes. In addition, the Lorelei Cabana Bar, BoatSmith Florida and Cruising Outpost also provided door prize items.

Our very special and most coveted awards (the deteriorating laminated signs for the event that were lashed to Lorelei’s trees for months before the event – suitable for place mats, decoration or use as pooper scoopers) went to the following people (first names only to prevent embarrassment for some awards):

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Flotsam & Jetsam 1. Furthest distance from home without a boat – Steve and Madeline (Hawaii) 2. Longest distance sailed in – Greg and Barbara (Pahi 31, Panama City, FL – about 450+ miles) 3. Longest distance traveled overall to get a boat to the Hui – Shaun and Casey – (from Australia and Mexico and then built and towed a 21’ Wayfarer in from New Mexico). They also got a secondary award for the best “Saws All” beachside modification of a Wharram at the event – a beam “adjustment!”

4. Best upgrading work being done – Brandon and Danielle (Tangaroa 36) 5. And then... the “Shame” awards given to people who say, “Don’t worry, next year my boat will be done and it WILL be here.” – Thom, Ivan and Cindy, KC and Troy, Casey and Angie… with subtle acknowledgement also to David and Roger and Dixie.

6. And we also retired the last laminated Hui sign in honor of Gene Perry, our inspiration.

Overall a fun and enjoyable event.

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Admit it. During most of the time spent on the boat, especially when it is moving, the lovely ladies are absent.

Your wife or girlfriend probably prefers watching football to boarding your hole in the water. Most of your buddies are probably too busy to spend time with Captain Ahab.

Yet, your four-legged buddy just can’t say, “No.” I first thought of having the dog on the boat during the sea trial for my first sailboat. The owner, trying to seal the deal, raved about how his golden retriever absolutely loved sailing. It was my dog’s fate that was sealed that day.

Second to me, no mammal has spent more time on our succession of boats than our dog.

If you are lucky, you have a tiny dog. My dog, Daly, weighs in at four pounds after a big meal. When he was young, my wife and I lived in the city in apartments on upper floors. That meant 20-inch square pee pads and liver treat rewards were much preferred to taking him for a walk every time he got the urge. That made for a perfect transition to the boat after my wife and I got the sailing bug.

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Flotsam & Jetsam

A small, sedentary dog such as ours, gets plenty of exercise between his 19 hours a day of naps on our floating paradise.

He is too small to climb into the berths, but he is getting better at jumping to any part of the deck he pleases. A walk in the morning and a few hours patrolling the deck and barking at any interesting people or birds is more exercise than he gets

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at home. One such patrol, he was the first to spot the duck eggs that were laid in our cockpit!

Every day sail, every extended cruise, and—more frequently—most boat repair jobs, Daly has been aboard.

He doesn’t get seasick, but he is much more clingy when the boat leaves the slip. He is usually pasted to my lap or leg on crossings of the big Lake Pontchartrain or cruises into the Gulf of Mexico. He knows from experience that the cabin is not a safe place on cruises since heavy

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objects often fall from the shelves and berths as the boat slams through the chop. He rides in the dinghy with some trepidation, but settles down if you put him in his soft-sided pet carrier which is like a third home for him, after the house and the boat. Plus, in his pet bag, he can be smuggled into all kinds of places where normally dogs don’t go, or carried when he is too hot or tired to walk home.

On one cruise, a brown pelican circled the boat with an eye to the furry black first mate in the cockpit. The pelican landed on our boat and I believe only my presence kept the canine from becoming bird food.

He was also close to the afterlife when he fell overboard at the dock. His instinctive dog paddle and my dive into the brown muck saved his fur that day.

If it is not too hot, I like to have him in a life jacket under way. It’s a great pelican repellent. Plus, those jackets also come with a handle, which is frequently used. Safety of the crew comes first on my boat.

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Cruising Outpost 131 7/30/15 12:27 PM

Flotsam & Jetsam

Cruising The Alps

Except for a few weeks in Summer, I would qualify the weather in Switzerland as very moderately tropical.

Worded differently, when you speak of your chances to have sunburns, you really mean “chance.”

So what the hell would make you go on a boat when the weather is rainy, the air is cold and the water is… well, at least it is water and not ice?

Actually, plenty! As we start our season fairly early and end it up as late as we can, we have a lot of that bad weather. We still love to go. I have to say we have heating; without heating the fun would be “different.”

But assuming you can keep the boat temperature above the one of your freezer, there is a lot to being in a small, well designed, cozy place when the weather is bad outside.

If you decide to navigate you will probably have the body of water for yourself. What a fantastic sensation to be miles away from anyone else, just your wake, nothing to disturb your thoughts. If the weather is not too bad, add a timid ray of sun at the detour of a cloud, a dash of hot coffee, this is heaven! I absolutely cherish those moments where I am on the deck (we have sides we can close to protect from the weather) and can let

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By Pierre Allemand

my mind wander while the boat goes silently through the water. (That is one advantage of being on a lake; when the weather is bad it doesn’t automatically mean the wind tries to rip your mast off. It can be miserable but calm.)

But lets assume the weather is really miserable. No fun going outside. Just tuck yourself a bit more in that blanket, take that book, turn on that little light or put a candle (or do both). Do you feel comfortable? The world outside is retreating, you are in a cocoon, nobody to be noisy around, just you and your loved one, nobody to phone you. They are all stuck at home in front of their TV. The time stops. You are in that warm and beautiful bubble. Add a little gentle wave to rock the boat and you could fall asleep right there.

There are different ways to enjoy bad weather, primarily linked to the time of the day. Morning bad weather is a fantastic way to enjoy bed a little longer. That little cabin looks really cozy (as long as you don’t touch those freezing walls). I will skip on the alternatives to the good book mentioned earlier, this is not a French magazine.

Come closer to noon and a little brunch is nice. Our boat is large enough that we can cook on it so a little omelet is not unheard of, but most of the time it is yogurt,

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bread, some honey, a good coffee. A little cleanup, a little internet searching if you have a connection and there you have it; it is well past noon.

Unless the pontoon is frozen and dangerous (and even then), getting out of the boat for a walk is not a bad idea.

I get cabin fever if I stay a whole day inside. So go ahead, take a stroll knowing you have that warm, cozy cocoon waiting for you when you come back (frozen and wet).

Oh look, it is 5 o’clock! T’Punch time. There is a time for T’Punch, but there is no limit to where to have it.

This is a drink that goes perfectly with any longitude, latitude or weather. Add a little something to munch on and it is dinner time. I won’t recommend specific food (never get me started on food, I could fill the magazine entirely just about that), we all have different tastes, but pick something you like. Make a soup if you’re cold.

Cooking is a nice thing, especially if the weather is bad. It is also fun to do together. If you don’t want to or can’t cook, you can still prepare a nice plate. Don’t just pile stuff on, arrange the food so it looks nice. It is amazing how the most normal piece of whatever looks like it’s coming out of a 5 star cuisine when you arrange it a little, plus you have nothing else to do, so enjoy doing it. Open some red wine (beer, white and rosé are served cold and maybe we don’t need it that cold right now), and enjoy.

A little bit of clean up, and then back to that blanket and book, or the alternative from the French magazine for a nice evening.

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Flotsam & Jetsam

The Curse of the Wayward Dinghy

A few weeks ago we found ourselves anchored off the small fishing village of San Evaristo in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. One afternoon, while we were kicking back and enjoying a very cold beer at a small palapa restaurant on the beach, another cruising couple arrived. It wasn’t long before we had all introduced ourselves and were learning about each other’s travels. Our new friends had lots of funny stories to share and we were all having a good laugh at the adventures, and misadventures, that we each had experienced.

By Mark Roozendaal

One story they told us, that turned out to be especially memorable, was about how they almost lost their dinghy.

Of course, down here losing your dinghy is a huge deal as there are no marine stores to replace it! It would be the same as totalling your car with no way to buy a new car.

Our new friends described how, just a couple of days prior, they had dinghied up to their boat, boarded it, and headed below. Eventually, the husband popped his head up and noticed a dinghy drifting across the bay. He described how, at first he smiled and looked around chuckling, but then he noticed that it

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was his own dinghy that was missing! After a quick downwind swim he rescued his dinghy, but not his dignity.

We had a good chuckle with them, but wondered how anyone could actually forget to tie their incredibly important dinghy to their boat. Well, we were soon to receive an answer to our question.

It was just a short two days later that my wife, Dee (who was the cover girl for issue #2 of Cruising Outpost!), and I returned from a beach excursion and headed below for a cold beer. I popped my head out and was shocked to notice our very own dinghy heading downwind on a voyage of its own!

After a mad dash on the paddle board I caught up with our runaway. In all my years of boating this has never happened!

I’ve never forgotten to tie off the dinghy, but here it happened just a short 48 hours after hearing our friends’ story. We were pretty sure that this wasn’t a coincidence and that a curse had been passed on to us.

Two days later, on Isla Coronado, just north of the town of Loreto, we met up with our good friends Ted, Sue, and their son Josh on their Passport 47, Adesso. During happy hour we recounted the story of our lost dinghy and our theory of the curse of the wayward dinghy. Of course, they had a good laugh and told us of their superior boat handling skills and attention to detail. They, of all people, would not lose their dinghy in such a way. Keep in mind that this conversation happened the magical two days after we lost our dinghy.

Right on schedule, first thing the next morning, I looked out and saw a dinghy traversing the waters of the anchorage with nobody on board. It looked suspiciously like Adesso’s dinghy. I called out to them and they were quickly in the water on their surfboard to retrieve their escapee.

There is good news and bad news here. The good news is that the curse is now off of our back and transferred quite handily to Adesso. We figure that they need to recount the entire story to another boat of cruisers so that they can free themselves of the curse.

For our friends reading this, beware, but you are probably safe. However, I do suggest that you double-check the parking brake on your car for the next couple of days.

For our cruising friends down here in the Sea of Cortez, you may want to avoid Adesso for a while and keep an eye open for wayward dinghies. So far, Adesso has not been able to pass the curse on. Their dinghy is double tied now, but they have lost their surfboard three times!

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Cruising Outpost 135 7/30/15 12:29 PM

Flotsam & Jetsam

Dauphin Island Regatta Tragedy

The spring of 2015 had seen exciting weather on the Gulf Coast with one line of storms following the other for pretty much the whole of April. As the date of the 57th annual Dauphin Island Regatta approached, the race committee anxiously poured over the weather predictions.

There was a line of thunderstorms predicted to pass through in the morning of the race but promised to be north and east of Mobile Bay by 10:00 a.m.

Our crew rendezvoused at the boat early Saturday morning, and though the skies were gray there was no rain in the air and the breeze was moderate and warm.

We motored our 1981 30’ Pearson Flyer out to the starting area, east of the shipping channel in the northern part of the bay west of Fairhope, Alabama, and waited for the warning gun from the race committee. Soon we learned there was a delay of the start by an hour, to 10:30 a.m.

We assumed it was to be sure that, as predicted, the nasty weather would be well away from the bay. So, we had the opportunity for a traditional sailor’s “breakfast beer” while we waited. The minutes seemed to drag, but soon the radio came alive and the announcement that the start of one of the oldest, and largest point to point sailboat races in the country, was about to start again for the 57th year in a row.

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By James Cash

This regatta was the brainchild of the Dauphin Island, Alabama, Businessmen’s Association in the late 1950s as a way to promote the island to area sailors and residents.

They approached the local yacht clubs and a grand sailboat racing tradition was born. At one time the race attracted over 300 sailboats, but as a result of the back to back devastating hurricanes of 2004/2005, and the recession, the fleet of racers in the area is now down to less than 200 boats registering for the event.

We were in the PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Federation) fleet, the first of the three starts in which the racers were divided. When the horn sounded we cranked in the sails and the boat heeled to 20 degrees. The crew climbed to the “weather rail” swinging our legs overboard and balancing our behinds on the edge of the boat. And so we sat for the next several hours.

The wind had driven the waves to the height of three and four feet with an occasional show stopper that shuttered the boat to almost full stop when we hit. We watched several competitors tack away, but knowing that the more tacks you take in a sailboat the slower one’s overall lapse time, we persisted down the bay with our starts and stops. We finally tacked over and then realized

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that we should have made that decision earlier. Our competition passed ahead of us in the quieter waters on the west side of the ship’s channel.

We passed the committee boat at the finish line just east of the Dauphin Island Bridge in a respectable four hours, averaging about five knots, but behind our class competition. However, it’s not all about the competition, is it? It is also about the camaraderie on the water, about “man vs. nature,” about the fresh air and sunshine, and even though it was an overcast day, this writer had sunburned knees at day’s end.

Due to our draft (depth of the boat), we opted to head back to our marina rather than risk running aground in the narrow channel that leads to the anchorage where the “after party” and trophy presentation would take place later in the evening. We planned to drive down to the island and still be there in plenty of time to party and watch our friends collect their trophies.

We were about a quarter of the way back up the bay when the rather ominous dark clouds appeared on the horizon behind us. We were motor-sailing with full genoa and main, enjoying an easy eight knots with the wind behind us on a broad reach.

We decided that it would be prudent to take in the headsail and stash it below decks. Then one of our crew pulled up the weather radar on his smart phone and the “oh s--t” expletive followed as he held up the screen filled with yellow, red, and purple colors bearing down on our position.

We dove for the main halyard and had just got the mainsail on deck when it hit, a wind gust of an estimated 60 miles per hour and rain so thick one could not see the foredeck from the cockpit. Two crew, who were perched on the cabin top near the mast, hung onto the shrouds as waves, the tops being blown horizontal, swept the decks

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Flotsam & Jetsam like a high pressure fire hose. Then hail hit us like pellets from a shotgun as I tried desperately to tie the gaskets around the mainsail that wanted to take flight. The boat was listing hard to starboard under bare poles and shuttered as the waves and wind pounded relentlessly. Our 30 foot, 10,000 pound boat was being tossed around like a bathtub toy. My foot, planted firmly on the gunnel rail, was submerged up to my ankle. I naturally wondered if we were going to be rolled over. Our helmsman was struggling with the tiller that appeared useless and no one could tell which direction we were being pushed.

This went on for what seemed like an eternity. I kept saying to myself, “this can’t last much longer,” yet it did, wind gusts making the rigging sing like a screeching violin in the hands of an infant. I saw one of the crew crawl under the mainsail to protect himself from the hail.

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I heard the skipper yell that we may get pushed aground, but I glanced at the bulkhead compass and saw we were going 90º and assured him we were heading to open water. Then the sky started to lighten in the south. Soon we could make out the waves and then the horizon, and finally we could see the shore. The wind had abated to a paltry 40 knots or so and we saw our main halyard, with its stainless steel shackle open, making a deadly swing out and back like Poe’s pendulum looking for a victim.

As the air cleared we looked around and saw several boats with their sails in tatters. We were still on an easterly course, our little Yanmar not able to overpower the wind and waves.

Gradually, as the wind laid down, we were able to bring our bow back northerly. Then we saw them, their arms rising out of the water like roots of an old submerged tree stump, and heard their cries for help.

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“Look, over there!” one crew shouted and pointed as the skipper maneuvered our bow in their direction. When we got close enough we threw lines over their shoulders and were able to drag the soaking sailors around to our swim ladder and help them climb aboard.

First thing one said was, “My dad, my dad, he’s still out there.” Their boat, a 20’ sloop, had been blown over and took on too much water, sinking under them. The waves blew them quickly away, but their dad had tried to stay with the boat.

Turning our boat to search the waters we soon discovered the eight feet of their mast, with sails still attached, sticking out of the water, but dad was nowhere to be seen. The look of despair on faces was heartbreaking. We continued to crisscross the area in vain, though we saw three others in the water being recovered by another boat.

I retrieved my phone from the bag below so our survivors could make contact with family. Soon we got a call back and learned the news that their dad had been picked up and all were safe. Everyone celebrated with hugs all around and we continued up the bay toward home base.

Later, when I drove our survivors back to the island to rendezvous with their family, we learned that others were not so fortunate. It was reported that 10 boats sank this day and six recreational sailors lost their lives. The media coverage was relentless, each insinuating there should be someone or something to blame. I was interviewed as were several other race survivors, but I tried to emphasize that all of us who sail know that we take risks every time we untie the lines from the dock, and this day, Mother Nature was letting us know who is really the boss. If there are any lessons learned, one is that those personal flotation devices we so often have hidden in a seat locker are there for a purpose, and there is no such thing as being over prepared for the worse nature can throw at you when you are on the water.

Our prayers and sympathy go out to the families of those who perished this day. If there is any consolation, they were all doing something they loved, that made them feel alive, and made their lives more fulfilled.

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Flotsam & Jetsam

Sailing The Land of Islands,

We had always wanted to visit Scotland, home to Sean Connery and The Highlander. We had a month for the journey. It took a week to get there from our home in Ireland, which left about three weeks to explore the Hebrides in Scotland.

The Hebrides, especially the Inner Hebrides, are ideal for coastal cruising and chartering. The islands and lochs (bays or sea lakes) are spaced close together so short jaunts between harbors are easily made. There is shelter in marinas and snug harbors, and the navigation is fairly straightforward.

The major challenges in sailing these waters are the currents, the weather, and the midges. Fortunately for us, we picked a year when the weather for the entire month of July was warm, dry and settled, and there were no midges! All we had to figure out were the tidal currents. We were on neap tides so the currents were running less strong than they might during spring tides. In places they still topped 10 knots!

With Reed’s Almanac in hand, we were soon arguing about which route to take and what time to leave to catch

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Scotland Lochs & Whiskies

By Daria and Alex Blackwell

the favorable current. In fact, just about every pub we visited had groups of sailors “discussing” the next day’s tides and currents. Get it wrong and you might face a hellish current, whirlpools, or standing waves. Get it right and you’ll have a nice sleigh ride to your next destination.

What I didn’t expect was the diversity of topography and wildlife. Some of the islands are flat and sandy, others are mountainous and volcanic. It’s all very interesting geologically. Add to that wild deer, cattle and goats, along with seals, otters, whales, dolphins, basking sharks, and huge bird populations, and you’ve got a natural environment that never fails to entertain.

The waters are pristine, the beaches have no footprints, and the forests offer trails for hiking into the wild. All this interspersed with charming villages, castles and archaeological remains of ancient civilizations.

Natural Splendor and Plenty of Whisky (not whiskey) We started our trip in Islay (pronounced Iy-la), the home of nine whisky distilleries. There is a small

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Flotsam & Jetsam

community run marina at Port Ellen and a huge ferry pier where grain is brought in and whisky taken out.

The anchorage just outside Port Ellen is vast with good holding in hard sand. It is easy to get in under just about any conditions.

We anchored Aleria and took our folding bicycles ashore. We walked the village and found a Scottish courtesy flag at the general store (not the Union Jack), reprovisioned at the co-op supermarket and Spar, and checked out the restaurant and the charming pub where

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the beer is still pulled, not forced. We asked if one beer was local and were told, “No, it’s from Scotland.” So we sampled the local Islay brew instead.

We wanted to get to Laphroaig and learned it was the closest distillery to town. Years ago we had signed up for a special promotion that awarded Friends of Laphroaig a square foot of Islay, enough to stand on in your wellies. When you came to visit in person, you could collect a dram of whisky as rent. As this was more than 15 years ago on another continent; our certificate was long lost. Not to worry, the young lady tapped our details into her trusty computer and there we were, still friends. LIKE. She handed us our GPS coordinates and a dram each. We found our plot with our handheld GPS, planted our American and Irish flags on our square foot, and drank a toast to our sister.

She had introduced us to Laphroaig, but left this world 10 years ago. Later, during the tour, we learned about “the angels’ share” which is the amount of whisky that “evaporates” during the ageing. Yep, perpetual whisky sampling would be heaven for sis.

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Several more tastings later, we were off to the next distillery. Many of the brands are now Diageo owned.

Nothing compared to the Laphraoig experience.

From Islay we sailed to the mainland and up Loch Sween past the castle ruins to the charming village of Tayvallich (pronounced Tay-vee-al-ich). We anchored in soft mud just outside the harbor in a deep inlet. The high banks were densely wooded and scented the air with pine.

The sheltered inner harbour was full of small boats, and holiday homes lined the shore, but we had the remarkable anchorage to ourselves. There were a few guest moorings and a marina, but everything was full at the height of the season. We shared refreshing pints of local ale at the Tayvallich Inn and had a nice dinner outdoors overlooking Loch a’ Bhealaich. It doesn’t get dark until about 11:00 p.m. this time of year so we enjoyed the soft evening light that painted the waters in delicate hues. In the morning we pulled up scores of brittle stars on our anchor chain and made our way back down the loch on the receding tide to the Sound of Jura.

The thing to do in Scotland is to stop en route for a visit or lunch while awaiting the change of tide. We anchored in the little harbour of Kiells and walked up to the preserved Medieval church that now houses an amazing collection of early Christian carved grave slabs and high crosses. We had the place to ourselves and felt the intense aura of history in that room.

When the currents changed we flew up the Sound of Jura. Loch Craignish lies between Oban (great for crew changes) and the Crinan Canal and has a thriving yachting center in Ardfern. The harbor is chock full of boats and much of the anchorage is occupied by moorings, but we managed to tuck ourselves into a

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sheltered spot. The dinghy dock was not easy to find inside a convoluted arrangement of floating docks. The marina is first class, the chandlery is perhaps the best in the isles, the pub is the center of village life, and the shop has gourmet and basic provisions. Once again we found ourselves doing laundry and fixing things in an exotic place. At least we finally had wifi at both the marina and the pub. It was our first since leaving Ireland.

In Croabh (pronounced Croove), we met up with an Ocean Cruising Club rally. We took on fuel and water and tucked ourselves into a slip in the marina. The marina has a tiny chandlery, a restaurant, and a pantry-sized food store attached to the restaurant which opens on demand. It is a good location for meeting up with friends, but there’s not much else. It’s a great place from which to plan a passage through the Gulf of Corryvreckan, a narrow channel between the islands Jura and Scarba. In this channel, the current rushes from a depth of 219 meters to 30 meters creating one of the world’s largest whirlpools. It is

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a tidal race with enormous standing waves that continue outwards for several miles. Even at ‘slack water’, our boat speed through the Corryvreckan was more than 10 knots. George Orwell, who wrote 1984 while living on Jura, almost drowned there when his boat was wrecked on Eilean Mor, the island at the entrance to Pig Bay on Jura.

It was in Pig Bay that we learned that the tidal range can be quite small despite the ferocious currents nearby.

This is a beautiful crescent shaped anchorage with crystal clear waters and sand beaches, surrounded by high hills from which you can safely watch the Race as it builds and spills out beyond the Gulf. The downside are the ticks. We returned from a hike covered in ticks from head to toe. The ticks are spread by the island’s deer population and are said to carry Lyme Disease.

Our next stop was the magnificent Loch Tarbert on wild Jura. The loch has three sections. The first section is wide open with an anchorage behind a rocky outcropping by a fishing lodge. It has a spectacular view of the two dramatic peaks called the Paps of Jura. The inner

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anchorage, which is very protected, involves tricky navigation. GPS/ chartplotter cannot be relied upon.

Navigation aligning range markers has to be followed precisely or you’ll end up on the rocks.

From Loch Tarbert we headed north to Iona, with a stop at Tinker’s Hole on the Isle of Mull, where we spent two beautiful days at anchor.

It’s a remarkable chasm between a small island called Erraid and Mull, with red cliffs, aqua crystal waters, and breathtaking 360 degree views from the tops of the rocks.

Iona proved to be the most memorable stop of the trip. The anchorage is untenable in all but settled weather. There was no wind so we felt quite comfortable leaving Aleria on her trusty Ultra anchor despite the strong, reversing current.

We thought we’d be there an hour, see some crosses and move on. Six hours later we were still there.

Iona is considered the “cradle of Christianity” in Europe. It’s where St. Columba (Colm Cille in Gaelic), the Irish monk, established his monastery. It’s where the Celtic cross was invented and where the monks preserved ancient books,

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including the Book of Kells. It’s where kings and rulers of foreign lands retired and came to be buried.

It’s the most powerful spiritual place we’ve ever been. Its sectarian cathedral encourages services by all religions. There is a ruined nunnery with a courtyard where people come to pray in their native tongues. It is fascinating. We were fortunate to arrive between ferry loads and cruise ships; we had the place just about to ourselves.

We left at high tide and rather cautiously picked our way through the rocks and reefs northward, which saved us from sailing all the way around the island. We sailed past Staffa, one of the more famous islands, having been the inspiration for Mendelsohn’s overture, The Hebrides. Its hexagonal basalt columns form the faces of the island and walls of its caves. It is possible to anchor off in settled weather for a quick trip into Fingal’s Cave, but there is no overnight anchorage. We chose, instead, the secluded anchorage between the islands of Ulva and Gometra. There was one well-hidden homestead and otherwise, we were alone on this beautiful night.

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Flotsam & Jetsam Next we decided to head for Tobermory, but first we would stop in the unique Treshnish Isles where delightful little puffins congregate. If you stay still, they’ll walk right up to you. They cavorted all around Aleria in the harbor by the scores. The seals on the rocks spent the day in deep, wailing conversations like old women at a funeral. It was magnificent. The anchorage was too exposed to stay overnight so we moved on.

Tobermory is a lively and colourful fishing village on Mull. The anchorage there is in 90 feet of water almost to the shore so it is advisable to pick up a mooring (£15 per night) or take a slip at the marina. They have good facilities with a laundry, showers and toilets, and wifi. The village has many restaurants, several pubs, a distillery right in town, a well-stocked supermarket, lots of shops, a bank, and a really cool hardware/chandlery/

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musical instruments/telescope/book/liquor store. There is also a lovely walk high along a cliff face around the harbor to a waterfall.

After that we continued on to the Small Isles: Muck, Eigg, Rum and Canna. We chose Rum, the largest, with ragged peaks formed by an extinct volcano covered in forest that was stocked with deer as a hunting estate.

There is an Edwardian castle abandoned intact. It wasn’t open when we were there, but the true joy of Rum is nature.

Wild deer, cattle, ponies, and goats roam the island. Birds of all varieties, including eagles reintroduced here, soar high above. Dragonflies flutter closer to earth. In this anchorage we had plenty of company, including a boatload of Norwegians who all stripped down to bare bottoms and dove off their boat to the horror of neighboring Brits who kept their eyes peeled.

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The next day we sailed to Skye, our northernmost destination. Skye is most dramatic with jagged highland peaks reaching towards the heavens and catching clouds as they pass by. The anchorage in Loch Harport is vast and there are several guest moorings at the Talisker Distillery.

The village is small with a shop, a petrol station, and the Old Inn. We made for Talisker first.

The best thing about visiting the distilleries is the chance to taste all the whiskies on offer, many of which are not available elsewhere. Here we tasted Talisker 10-year-old as well as Talisker 57° North, a cask strength bottling with no age specification, and Talisker Storm, a new offering for 2013 which we loved. It was fitting to have Storm aboard. We’d sailed in on a thunderstorm and sailed out on a katabatic wind storm.

We were now heading back south. Loch Tuath, which separates Mull from Ulva and Gometra, was another beautiful anchorage which we shared with two other boats and many seals.

After that was one of the most spectacular stops, but too exposed for an overnight stay. Colonsay and Oronsay across from Jura are flat and sandy without much elevation – more like the Outer Hebrides. But the anchorage is spectacular, with views to the Paps of Jura. White sand beaches fringe machair landscape – a Gaelic term for low-lying, fertile grassy plains teeming with life. Rare flowers and a diversity of endangered bird species make their homes there.

We awaited a suitable time for the current to take us through the Sound of Islay between Islay and Jura. Though not as daunting as the Corryvreckan, timing can still make a big difference. We passed through as the sun set, past distilleries and villages, and made our way to Port Ellen on Islay, completing our journey in a memorable loop.

We’d stopped in many places and missed more, leaving much to be explored another time.

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Flotsam & Jetsam

Juniata goes to Cuba

By Captain Mike Mills and Pam Hudston

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Cuba is going to become an increasingly popular destination for cruisers based in Florida. Here’s the latest on how it worked following our trip there this year on sailboat Juniata. Juniata is a Hallberg-Rassy Rasmus 35 of 1972 vintage. Captain Mike Mills and First Mate Pam Hudston are both British passport holders who winter in Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

Knowing we were going to cruise beyond U.S. waters, we were careful to follow the regulations for exit and entry of the U.S. as far as we could understand them. We had originally tried to join the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS), only to be rejected – this scheme is only open to U.S. and Canadian citizens. To cut a long story short, in early February we cleared out at Fort Myers Airport, obtaining a ‘Permit to Proceed’ to Cuba ($37 cost) via Key West – within the next 48 hours.

The trip south from Fort Myers Beach in light and variable winds was uneventful - a combination of sailing and motor-sailing did the job – making the 115 miles to Key West anchorage in 28 hours. Here we waited out a front followed by a period of brisk northeast winds. Three days later we struck out for Cuba on a decreasing northeast to east forecast, our destination the new Marina Gaviota behind Cuba’s Hicacos Peninsula (Varadero). The wind faded too fast and we again found ourselves motor-sailing to get a reasonable motion over the three- to four-foot Gulf Stream waves. Overnight we saw a few fishing vessels and several ships. We passed only half a mile ahead of one cruise ship – she didn’t respond to our radio calls so I don’t know if we were even seen!

Approaching the north coast of Cuba in the dark hours of the following morning we saw no recognizable shore lights. Most significant was a powerful orange light visible over 15 miles off – this we think was the oil plant and flare stack near Darsena. About this time we picked up a firm south wind; a land breeze we guess.

Just before first light we identified the Piedras del Norte lighthouse which gave us the lead into the Canal de Buba channel which reaches behind the Hicacos Peninsula – now in daylight, this proved easy to negotiate.

On the final approach to Gaviota Marina we were ‘buzzed’ by about 10 or so 50-foot catamarans as they raced out of the marina loaded with beach-party revelers. Marina Gaviota is a new and

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extensive construction, not yet complete, making use of off-lying islands now consolidated into a high seawall.

We notified the marina of our approach and all was ready for what was a very straightforward entry clearance.

Harbor master, dock master, doctor and Customs all visited briefly, with the whole process taking little over an hour. We were given loose visa slips (Cuc 15 each, allowing an initial 30 days stay), a cruising permit (Cuc 55); a contract for our marina stay (Cuc 0.60 per foot per day including water and electric) and copies of various other signed papers. We were also allocated our own trash bin for ‘international garbage’ - meat, eggs and unprocessed produce which cannot be imported, as well as trash items on the boat.

All payments are due in Cuban convertible currency (Cuc) at month’s end or on leaving the marina. Cuc, which are based at 1:1 with the US dollar, are readily available for purchase.

The U.S. dollar carries a 12% government levy making it a poor value, and by the way, U.S. credit cards are not accepted.

It appears that Marina Gaviota has been constructed to be a major resort and entry port for the emerging Cuba.

It is set up for Mediterranean-style mooring with ‘slime lines’ attached to buoys off each quay. There appears room for thousands of boats, although there were only seven of us in! However, it’s not finished yet – there were no working showers or toilet facilities for us.

The marina is the ‘pretty’ part of the five-star Hotel Melia, an ‘all-inclusive’ resort mainly occupied by Canadian holiday-makers enjoying the beautiful Hicacos beaches. With a selection of shops, bars and restaurants accepting payment in Cuc and access to the hotel lobby for internet, this was a pleasant, if expensive venue, with security guards present at all transit points and buses and taxis available for ‘off-campus’ exploration. In fact, we did make some bus and taxi trips to sample local life and, in general, found everybody to be outgoing and helpful. We found the local market, cafés buzzing with action and every imaginable form of vehicular transport!

Before leaving the Hicacos for Marina Hemingway we enjoyed an overnight anchorage between Cayo Blanco and Surgidero Islands. Once the beach-party boats had left and the disco music shut down for the night, this proved to be a peaceful anchorage rich in wildlife – just as you’d expect of the natural cays.

Probably as a result of poor extrapolation of the WX forecast for the Florida Straights, our trip to Havana and

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Flotsam & Jetsam Marina Hemingway was an upwind motor-sailing event, fortunately in light airs. Travelling the bulk of the 80 miles overnight, we saw plenty of industrial lighting on shore, but nothing of navigational significance. However, we did encounter five or six ‘strings’ of illuminated floats extending offshore across our path (in over 1000 feet of water). After the initial panic we drove on through them without problem, presumably passing over a submerged net to be taken up in the morning.

In the morning light the large square buildings of Havana dominated the skyline and soon the Havana Harbor inlet opened up with the forbidding Castle Morro guarding its eastern flank. Havana harbor is off limits to cruising boats, although you may be directed there in heavy northerly weather when the through-reef entrance to Marina Hemingway becomes dangerous. Marina Hemingway, some eight miles west of Havana, was busy that morning and several boats had entered before us. Over the radio all had received detailed entrance instructions, however the deep, straight channel was an easy pass between red and green marks – just ignore the submerged broken green mark adjacent to red 4!

Since we had a Cuba cruising permit and our itinerary had been declared, clearing in only took about 30 minutes, after which we were directed to a berth alongside the crumbling concrete quay of Canal 2 (Cuc 0.5 per foot per day plus a small charge for water and electricity). Our quay lane was an international line-up, instantly creating a friendly community of “yatistas,” all with a story or two to tell! Marina Hemingway itself has a run-down shower block, a few basic shops and an adjacent hotel offering internet (Cuc 6 per hour) along with a nearby bakery. The marina and the hotel areas are covered by security guards and this is typical of all resorts and tourist areas. This included the legendary Old Man of the Sea Hotel – now a run-down wreck closed for renovation.

From Marina Hemingway we walked a half mile east to Jaimonitas Town, a small fishing center with a Saturday market, a few basic stores and nearby supermarkets with a larger range of goods, but don’t expect to get fresh milk; we didn’t find it anywhere in Cuba. In town you could get a

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square meal and a beer for Cuc 3. In the cool of the evening the whole town picked up an energetic buzz with people fixing cars, renovating houses or just ‘hanging out. Typically, you’d see a donkey cart with dry-mix concrete going down the street and see it again carrying a load of reinforcing bars, drawing with it a barrage of jibes and banter.

On several days we took the bus from the hotel into Havana to ‘do the sights.’ This was straightforward, except on the day when the buses didn’t run - never did find out why - the stock answer seems to be “this is Cuba!”

The hustle starts as you step off the bus in Havana; don’t pause to look at a map, otherwise you will relentlessly be offered a taxi (which could be a three-wheeled cycle, pony and trap, or vintage car), cigars, or to see Hemingway’s house – but how many houses with ana original typewriter can there be? That said, there are many sights to see on the streets of Havana once the Museum of the Revolution has been viewed. There are bustling tourist squares, quiet, leafy parks, lush patio courtyards interspersed with buildings of crumbling decay, others in rebuild and those fully restored – take your pick. Wandering further back into the ‘people streets’ you’ll see tenement life with sparsely stocked shops, street vendors, dingy bars and cafes, maybe a beggar or two, but in general a populace who are happy and thriving.

Out of money (we had no credit card - but that’s another story), it was time to leave Cuba. We spent the last of our Cuc on a few gifts and said goodbye to our new friends of the canal-side. We had paid our bill and scheduled our exiting paperwork the day before – we were asked directly for a tip for the marina staff and our modest offering went straight into the harbor master’s desk drawer! On the morning of departure we had three port officials on board, each admiring minor on-board items with ‘a desire to own’ – so probably best to have a few things ready to give away. The exit experience was the downside of an otherwise pleasant and interesting visit.

We departed Marina Hemingway on a forecast of east to southeast wind 10-15 knots, however as the wind set up during the late morning we got a brisk north to northeast breeze all afternoon through that night, only easing east in the early

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hours of next morning. In consequence, we had a fast and bouncy sail across the Gulf Stream with five- to six-foot waves.

We approached the Key West Mainship Channel just before daybreak, easily picking out the buoy lights and in nice time to use a favorable tidal flow into the Key West anchorage.

Once anchored up we called Customs and Border Protection to advise our arrival (as a British vessel) and were directed to find an alongside berth as we had goods to declare and had to be boarded. This was not so easy during a Spring Break week, but in the end we were accommodated by the Key West Bight Marina. Two Customs and Border Protection officers arrived later that afternoon and we found out that international travelers are not allowed to bring any Cuban products whatsoever into the U.S. As a result all our gifts (rum and a few cigars) were confiscated. We were surprised, but that’s the law – international travelers have no allowances.

However, it must be said that the officers were pleasant, helpful, and indeed, sympathetic.

After a day of rest we were ready to continue our journey north to Charlotte Harbor. The forecast for the next few days was

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east 10-15 knots, but as we left that morning there were squalls about, so some sail reduction was called for. Leaving Key West in the late morning the last of the flood tide took us quickly up the Northwest Channel, but on the final leg the wind was north-northwest 15-20 knots and, as you’d expect, it was choppy!

Once out of the channel we had to tack, however we timed our tacks to avoid the rain squalls which we knew would soon clear.

Finally, we had a good ‘making leg,’ but still couldn’t make our northerly course. But as the wind settled we had a great sail with the course becoming more favorable overnight.

We had expected to stop-over at Fort Myers Beach, but now, in the morning sun with a brisk beam wind, we continued north past Sanibel Island, making the Boca Grande Channel in the late afternoon with just enough flood tide to take us in. An hour later we dropped anchor in Pelican Bay (Cayo Costa) desperate for some sleep, but feeling good about making five knots average speed over the 28 hours since leaving Key West. Our home run up Charlotte Harbor next day was a perfect shot for the memory – close on the wind at the start and finishing with a spinnaker run. A trip never to be forgotten!

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Cruising Outpost Event News If It’s Gonna Happen It’s Gonna Happen Out There Issue #12

Evening Edition

Chicago & Miami Shows

They Say All Things Gotta Change So We Should Have Expected This!

C

hicago Strictly Sail changed last year to be a part of the Chicago Boat, RV, Spa and Strictly Sail Boat Show at McCormick Place.

Then Miami moved the tent out of Bayside and onto the street!

Okay, so we all know change has gotta come. Sam Cook told us that decades ago.

The boat shows from the NMMA have started to change as well. Last year’s Chicago Strictly Sail became the Boat, RV and Strictly Sail Show (and Spas too!).

The Miami Strictly Sail lost its place out on the island at Bayside to a multi-story building that is going up. The boats remained in the marina, but the tent with all of the

exhibitors moved out onto the lawn next to the street. Our party was held there as well, and I have to say it went much better than expected.

So what are we looking at for the coming year? Well, in Chicago it looks like the change is going to remain.

Some of the Strictly Sail exhibitors at Chicago were happy with the change, some were not. It will take some time to see what the sailors who attend that show have to say.

In Miami, the main part of the show, which used to be held at the Convention Center, will be moving to Miami Marine Stadium where all of the exhibitors will now be in one place, except the Strictly Sail Show. Most of the Strictly Sail exhibitors prefer that to being jammed in with the mega-yachts and fishing boats.

How’s it all gonna turn out?

We’ll let you know as soon as we know. But one thing for sure, boat shows are fun and we are looking forward to show time so we can meet our readers!

Fall 2015

Cruisers’ Party News As the boat show season progresses so do the plans for the Cruisers’ Parties.

Our next event will be held at the St. Petersburg Boat Show on December 5th.

Then it’s on to the Miami Boat Show where we will have our party Feb. 13th at the Strictly Sail tent.

The Southwest Int. Boat Show Party will be held in March in Texas, and then we will have our Strictly Sail Pacific event in Oakland in April.

Of course, the Pacific NW Party will be in mid August and you won’t want to miss it!

US International Boat Show It’s Almost Time for CruisAnnapolis - Oct. 8-12, 2015 ers To Party in the Caribbean Meet Jessie & Katie from “The Whole Nine Yards”

Join Cruising Outpost, Tradewinds Radio & Islands TV

The Cruising Once again the United States Outpost Booth International Boat Show in Annapolis is planned to be the biggest all-sail boat show in the US. Sailors from all over the world gather for this show every issue for the past year, will year. It is the show that has the be helping out at the booth. most boats and exhibitors of Stop by and say hello! marine equipment for sailors.

We don’t throw a Once again the Cruising Cruisers’ Party at this event Outpost booth will be in the as the last time we did we YB area (or as we call it, the had over 1,500 people show “Why Be There area!) which up. That would have been is located to the south of the okay, but the place we held Marriott (where the red arrow it had a maximum occupancy is pointing!). of 600. Oops!

This year Jessie and But, we are located just Katie from the series “The around the corner from Whole Nine Yards,” which Pusser’s. So painkillers has been running in every are nearby!

Last year we had two of the best Cruisers’ Parties we can recall. The first was in the BVIs, and the second a week later in St. Maarten.

As we can’t think of a good reason not to do it again, I guess we will see if we can top last year’s events! To do this we are once again joining together with Tradewinds Radio and Islands Television.

Sail in, fly in, hell, we don’t care if you just swim in! Just be there to help us celebrate this lifestyle we all love so much.

When and where?

In the BVIs it’s Jan. 30th, and in St. Maarten Jan. 7th. Watch www. tradewindsradio.com and www.cruisingoutpost.com for the full itinerary!

152 Cruising Outpost

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7/15/15 12:55 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show Since we get to (have to??) spend a lot of time at boat shows, we figured we probably should do some actual work. Strangely enough, drinking Painkillers and eating show-dogs doesn’t quite measure up to what the IRS people think is work. So, in order to be able to write off all the boat show expenses, we actually have to walk around and find new stuff to feature in the magazine. It’s not an easy job, but someone’s gotta do it!

NV Free Download Charts The folks at NV Charts have teamed up with the Atlantic Cruising Club to embed a subset of the club’s extensive, carefully-researched Cruising Guides into every US East Coast digital chart, and it’s all free for download. Cruising Outpost cruisers who download the free NV App to their tablets and mobile devices will also be able to download NV Charts’ entire U.S. East Coast digital charts absolutely free, from Maine and the Canadian border to the southernmost tip of Florida at Key West.

“Up to 40 items of information about area marinas will be available to check out a harbor or anchorage on their mobile device using our NV Charts and App,” announced NV Charts’ President and CEO, Hasko Scheidt. “No internet connection is required; information from ACC’s Guides is embedded in the digital chart and will always be available at the navigator’s fingertips. And if a boater is in a harbor with an internet connection, he or she can directly access even more information. NV Charts in all available formats for other areas, such as the Caribbean, can be easily purchased online: visit www.nvcharts.com.

NV Charts’ President and CEO, Hasko Scheidt.

Lord, give me coffee to change the things that I can change and wine to accept the things that I can’t.

NV Charts Joins with Atlantic Cruising Guides to Help Cruisers

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

pg 155-160 Found it at the Boat Show.indd 1

Cruising Outpost 155 8/3/15 3:09 PM

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I Found It At The Boat Show

Primus Wind Power The AIR X Silent Wind Turbine

While at the Annapolis Boat Show our neighbor, eMarine, had a factory rep for this Primus Wind Power System at their booth.

They set it up right across the aisle from us, and as we are in outdoor booths (someday we shall make it inside a tent!!,) we got to see the unit work in all kinds of conditions (as anyone who has ever been to the Annapolis Boat Show knows, the weather changes on an hourly basis). So we had strong winds, light winds, rain, etc. I was pretty impressed by just how silent this unit is.

Sailboats have harnessed the power of the wind for thousands of years to propel their vessels on the high seas. Today, with the assistance of small wind turbines, wind power is being used not only for propulsion, but also to charge the battery banks on all types of vessels without the use of an alternator or generator. This is more important than ever as onboard gadgets and appliances multiply.

To supply renewable energy to these onboard devices, this unit utilizes the AIR X Turbine and the quiet, carbon fiber “blue blade” set. Primus has designed a turbine that is quiet and lightweight, yet provides an impressive energy output from a 1.2 meter rotor diameter turbine. Controls inside the turbine allow for ease of installation with no additional space needed for a controller.

This unit combines very quiet operation with reliability, affordability and great energy output.

With the importance of renewable energy as a main focus on boats today, the Primus Wind Power Turbine stands out as a great way to make power while sailing or at anchor.

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

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Cruising Outpost 157

7/25/15 2:50 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

Iridium GO! System ®

A Connection for Voice and Data Messaging Anywhere on the Planet

We first saw this used when Paul and Sheryl Shard from the TV show Distant Shores sent us a story from the mid Atlantic. We had to see what technology they were using. This is it.

Whether anchored at port or in out-of-range waters, Iridium GO! ®creates the world’s only reliable connection for voice and data messaging anywhere on the planet. The device extends the coverage area for mobile devices with satellite-based voice and SMS service, acting as a hub for up to five smartphones or tablets.

With this on board users have global access to the latest information through optimized apps for weather tracking, sailing GRIB files, navigation and departure planning, as well as email capabilities, available through the Iridium Apps page.

To get access the unique application must be downloaded to your smartphone. Used in conjunction with the device, the application enables you to: make voice calls, send quick GPS or check-in messages, configure your settings, send Twitter posts and even activate Emergency SOS. When paired with Iridium enabled applications such as Iridium Mail & Web, it can deliver even more, like compressed and optimized email and data access, photo transfer capabilities via email, Facebook and Twitter, as well as other social media support.

Oh yeah, it also gives you access to the latest weather forecasts. Once you try this, they say you won’t sail offshore again without it. For more info you can go to their website at www.iridium.com.

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7/25/15 2:51 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

The WaterCounter Stop Guessing How Much Water is in Your Tank

One of the big problems a lot of cruisers have is water management. If you are crossing an ocean, knowing your water inventory is worth its weight in gold. WaterCounter gives you a remote digital display, (located in your cabin) that tells you to the nearest gallon exactly how much water is remaining in your tank.

The easily installed sender goes on the “pressure” side of the water pump (not in the tank) and the digital display automatically deducts the gallons used from your tank’s capacity.

For more info on this water management system go to www. watercounter.com.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

pg 155-160 Found it at the Boat Show.indd 5

The economy priced WC2 has its own power supply (10 year lithium battery) and comes with the same extremely accurate “Sender” that makes installation even easier, with no outside source of power required!

This unit counts up from zero so when you top off your tank, just press the reset button.

The display goes to zero and you’re ready to go!

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section Cruising Outpost 159

8/3/15 3:12 PM

I Found It At The Boat Show

Eisen Shine Makes Old Eisenglass Shine Like New!

Eisen Shine is an easy to use product that can save that old Eisenglass on your boat, and save you hundreds of replacement dollars at the same time. In test after test it restores Eisenglass for a fraction of the replacement cost.

It can remove years of oxidation and minor scratches from any application of clear vinyl, acrylic or polycarbonate. Not only that, it restores to like-new and will last for years!

Here you can see the results on an old cockpit enclosure and a flybridge enclosure. Results like this are not uncommon. So before you spend a few hundred (thousand?) dollars on new Eisenglass, Eisen Shine is what you should try.

For more info, check it out at www.eisenshine.com.

Cruising Outpost Event & Boat Show Section 160 Cruising Outpost

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www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/25/15 2:51 PM

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Cruising Outpost 161

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162 Cruising Outpost

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Cruising Outpost 163

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7/26/15 3:21 PM

To Motor or Not to Motor...

That is the Question

By Jessica Lloyd-Mostyn

You are off the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. The moon is setting. It’s five in the morning, the wind is nine knots from the northwest and you have plotted your latest position on the paper chart on the nav table. You have travelled only seven miles closer to your destination in the last 12 hours. You know there is a little current against you and the small lighthouse to starboard hardly seems to have moved for a day. The forecast is for light winds for the foreseeable future. You left knowing the wind would die and took this in preference to the 50-knot gap winds that kick up in this area between lulls. You are lucky though that the sea is flat.

You have a choice: continue tacking up into this mild headwind for the foreseeable future – at this rate you work out that the 120 miles you have left will take you nearly nine days, or you crank up the engine and you will be at your destination in a day.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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I am sure you would like to think that we sail everywhere and we would like to believe this ourselves. But it simply isn’t true. The motor is a godsend. However, my main problem with the motor is that it costs money to run and that every hour it runs it is getting closer to that inevitable moment when it breaks down beyond my knowledge of fixing it. And then, at that point, we will find out if we can really sail. We are not daysailing, just deciding to go out when the wind is

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good. We are passage-making; covering hundreds of miles and sometimes we have to take a mixed bag of a forecast.

Turning to the dark side and motoring is not a simple choice. It’s a definite help, but it isn’t a trump card that always pays off. Our motor is only 42 horsepower and our boat is a 42-foot cruiser that requires a lot of momentum to keep her going.

We’ve had occasions where we decide to put the engine on to help with the motion of a sloppy sea state. Other times we use it to motor sail (sails up but engine on) closer to the wind than we would be able to stay if just under sail alone.

Or, it can be our only line of defense against an adverse running current.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

8/3/15 3:19 PM

But engines, like all things on a boat, can fail you just when you need them most. Here are a couple of cases in point. Friends on one boat were 15 miles south of Acapulco, Mexico, their destination after three days at sea. Having been fighting current and a headwind for most of that time, they ran out of fuel. They persisted on sailing into wind, current and choppy swell, but after two days and hardly a mile’s progress they swung the tiller around and they returned to their last port, which they eventually reached seven days after having left it. Pretty soul-destroying stuff.

Around the same time as this, other friends of ours were passage-making along the coast of El Salvador and had engine failure. They made every effort to fix it, but to no avail. They needed to get to Chiapas in southern Mexico www.cruisingoutpost.com

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where their boat could be safely and cheaply left over the hurricane season while they flew home.

What should have been a two-day passage took them 16 days as they had both wind and current pushing them back. On one particular day they went backwards for 20 miles.

They were quite nonchalant when we caught up with them a couple of days later. Having not provisioned for so long a passage, but managing to make it work, they now feel quite ready for an ocean crossing which, to be honest, is a lot more straightforward than coastal sailing.

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In the end there is no question, one just has to motor in this neck of the woods. Do the math, work out your fuel budget and if you really do need to head north up the coast of Pacific Central America at this time of year, accept that this is the only way – under engine.

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost 169

7/26/15 3:32 PM

Changes in Thru-Hulls...

The line-up of our old thru-hull valves...

... and the new, labeled and ready to to go

and Maybe, Philosophies “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s my philosophy and I love that saying. We’re old, dear friends. As one of the world’s best procrastinators (much to my husband Mike’s dismay), I have relied on it many times. It’s long given me a great excuse to put things off and not feel guilty.

Recently, however, even I had to admit it was time to put our friendship on hold.

We were in the process of “remodeling” (an understatement if there ever was one) the galley in our 35foot Cheoy Lee yawl to make room for an oven. The only place it would fit with room to gimbal properly was in front of the thru-hull for the galley sink, rendering that thru-hull inaccessible. Okay, not a good idea, so we needed to move the thru-hull which would require a haul-out.

Other than its location, the thru-hull was fine. They all were - all 10 of them (plus two above the waterline which we’ll deal with another time). They were all original and had never given us a problem. Every haul-out we would inspect them and find them in perfect working order. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There was one nagging concern, however. The boat was built in 1965. The thru-hulls were now 50 years old. Even I had to admit that, although they weren’t broke, they were pretty darn old and it was really only a matter of time until one of them did. Rather than just move the galley sink thru-hull, we’d replace it, along with its nine siblings.

The original thru-hulls were bronze, and since they had more than stood the test of time it would have been easy to defend the decision to stick with bronze for replacements.

However, besides being susceptible to corrosion and electrolysis, we were concerned about lightning. Among the many unsavory effects of lightning striking a boat is that the electrical current can blow out a bronze thru-hull and sink the boat. And while lightning is almost a non-

170 Cruising Outpost

pg 170-171 Thru-hull replacement page.indd 2

by Sue Morgan

issue on the coast of SoCal, we have our sights set on the much more lightning-friendly cruising grounds of Mexico and the tropics.

Plastic thru-hulls are oblivious to corrosion, electrolysis and lightning, so that seemed to be the better answer for us. However, “plastic” just doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence strength-wise. When it comes to thru-hulls, you really want something better than bullet-proof.

I was aware that Forespar made an entire line of valve systems using something called Marelon, which was supposed to be better than bullet-proof. Mike and I had also dealt with Forespar in the past - they built our new masts - so we knew they were great to work with. I went to their website for a little research and found this description: “Marelon® is a proprietary formulation of polymer composite compounds that produces a superior marine-grade product. For use above and below the waterline; precision molded plumbing systems offer complete freedom from corrosion and the ravages of electrolysis. Forespar’s “93” series of valve systems are U. L. approved and A.B.Y.C. accepted. They also meet and exceed all mechanical property requirements specified by the International Standards Organization and are ISO Certified. Marelon plumbing components are also at least half the weight of their bronze counterparts.” Also, over 300 builders install Marelon plumbing systems on their boats. Sold!

In preparation we made a diagram of our boat showing where all the thru-hulls were located and their size. We numbered each one and took pictures of the existing thruhulls. Then we tried to figure out which of the Forespar Marelon valves would be the best replacements. They have a choice of many different configurations. We wanted to increase the size of a few thru-hulls and re-route the WWW.CRUISINGOUTPOST.COM

8/2/15 3:50 PM

plumbing in places, so even though Mike was a plumbing engineer in his previous life, we had lots of questions.

Our confusion avoidance system I emailed Forespar to find out who might be able to help us and quickly received a reply from Art Bandy. The Marelon plumbing systems are his baby, inspired by a thru-hull failure mid ocean while sailing to Hawaii. Art welcomed us to come to his office and he’d help us figure out our best options. After about an hour we left with a list of model numbers and the catalog so we could double-check that everything we’d decided on was going to do what we wanted before he placed the order. We made a few changes and a couple of mistakes, and I started to feel like the email pest from hell, but Art helped us get it all sorted out. No one reach areas and required some major contortions. Then could have been more helpful. it was just a matter of brute force pounding them out.

When the new valves arrived we numbered each one to Fortunately, 50-year-old fiberglass hulls are really thick, so the corresponding thru-hull, which really helped to reduce they can take a lot of pounding. any last-minute confusion once we reached the installation Once we had all the old ones out we weighed them just stage. Then we scheduled our haul-out with King Harbor for the heck of it - 33 lbs. And of course, we had weighed Marine Center, the local yard which we’ve used since we the new Forespar valves - 15 lbs. Truth in advertising - they first bought the boat. They do great work and are also very were at least half the weight of their bronze counterparts.

DIY friendly. Once the bottom was pressure-washed and Once the new valves were installed we gooped them sanded, we also numbered the thru-hulls on the outside of up with Forespar’s Marelube valve lubricant, which keeps the hull using white chalk. Experience has taught us that if the seals and balls working smoothly, and then (most anybody can confuse things, it would be us! importantly) made sure they were all in the shut-off position While the boat was on the hard we took care of the usual since we wouldn’t be hooking up the rest of the plumbing items, such as popping and filling blisters, new bottom paint until we got back to our slip. We actually double-checked and boot stripe, buffing the hull, etc. We also found quite a that a couple of times before launch. As I said, if anybody bit of electrolysis damage to our Max Prop which is about 21 can confuse things... years old. So we shipped it back to PYI for refurbishing. They All in all, replacing the thru-hulls was one of the easiest did a beautiful job and modified the tip to accommodate a upgrades we’ve made to our boat yet. So much so that I zinc which should prevent this problem in the future. might not be renewing my friendship with my favorite Installing our new valves was straightforward and saying for a while yet. simple - they didn’t require anything special. Although The cause of all this - the old thru-hull valve The old location fiberlassed in and the (right) and its new location to be (left) new location drilled out Forespar recommended using 3M 5200 for bedding the thru-hulls, we used 4200 instead. Mike has a deathly fear of 5200 (aka the Devil’s glue). With the help of Pancho and Jose from the yard, the obsolete thru-hull was fiberglassed in, a new hole drilled, a few others Mike doing the inside job sized bigger and the new valves were installed in no time. The hardest and the most time-consuming part of the job was getting the old thru-hulls out. After 50 years they weren’t going to give up easily. On top of that, The new thru-hull valve bedded in place a couple were in difficult to www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost 171

8/2/15 3:51 PM

Talk of the Dock -

By Zuzana Prochazka

SoCal 300

Let’s face it, we’re kind of skinny on racing events on the West Coast, but now there’s a new event called the SoCal 300 that just had its inaugural run off the coast of Southern California.

Touted as a “serious race for serious ocean racers” the event is hosted in partnership with the Santa Barbara and San Diego yacht clubs and was run in May of this year for the very first time. The race scoring is in five legs: Santa Barbara to Santa Rosa Island, Santa Rosa Island to San Nicholas Island, San Nicholas Island to Tanner Bank Weather Buoy, and Tanner Bank Weather Buoy to San Diego. The fifth leg is weighed 1.5 times heavier than any of the other individual legs. The 300-mile race is now a qualifier for the Transpac Ocean Yacht Race that occurs every odd year and runs from Long Beach in Southern California to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Even if you don’t have a cutting-edge racer, this is an event that may draw some flashy sailboats to a marina near you and its Transpac tie-in means some of them could be on the same course with you to Hawaii.

172 Cruising Outpost pg 172 Talk of the Dock.indd 1

The race is the brainchild of Manouch Moshayedi who made his fortune in tech. Moshayedi revamped the 2003 Bakewell-White 98’ Lahana into the 100’ Rio that came out of the New Zealand yard straight to the Sydney-Hobart race almost as a shakedown cruise. Rio is a completely “manual” boat meaning no canting keel, no water ballast and no electric winches because Moshayedi’s goal is the Transpac Barn Door trophy which has restrictions on how much technology can be aboard.

It takes a crew of 19 to race Rio. Moshayedi is the skipper with an interesting story. He didn’t start sailing until his 30s when his father-in-law introduced him to the sport. To honor that, Moshayedi revamped one of his father-in-law’s old racing cups into the Jost Von Kursell perpetual trophy that is now the grand prize for the winner of the SoCal 300.

Oh yeah, and when Moshayedi isn’t on the deck of his 100-footer, he zooms around Newport on a Harbor 20. Different horses for different courses. www.cruisingoutpost.com

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Cruising Outpost 173

7/29/15 11:38 AM

Life Aboard Living Through In this issue we are getting to meet a very interesting liveaboard, Marcus Paparozzi.

Marcus is currently living aboard his boat in Bocas del Toro, Panama, with his dog, Snack.

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Interview With Marcus Marcus: I am a very big dog lover and have always had one or two. I have a Boston terrier named Snack. Snack and I have been living and sailing for six years aboard our Gypsy 41 Out Island. He is the best friend and crew I have ever had! Not so much on driving, but a great companion. We are always together and have not, to this day, had an argument.

Cruising Outpost: We understand that you survived Hurricane Gonzolo. Tell us what that was like.

Marcus: We were in St Maartin living on the hook in Simson Bay. We heard that there was a tropical storm heading our way from the southeast. The marina manager said, “Please come into the marina and stay for the night while this passes.” Being the salty want to be tough guy, I wasn’t even going to go into the lagoon, let alone the marina. There was one other “tough guy,” a 74-year-old man named Chris, and we decided (while laughing about the 40 knot winds predicted) to stay aboard our boats at anchor.

The wind built and grew stronger and stronger and stronger. I was lying on my bunk holding Snack when we saw our 10-foot dingy with a 15hp outboard fly by, spinning like an airplane propeller. As the wind built even more we began heeling way over. I noticed some lights getting closer to me and I thought, “Wow! Someone is coming to save us,” then realized they were the lights on the top of the pilings in the marina. Just then we hit the first one on the bow and water began coming down the hall – very fast. As I went forward, the stern hit and the entire back of the boat was gone.

Water filled the boat as I climbed the ladder. It was

www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/25/15 1:38 PM

Editor Robin Stout Aboard Mermaid

a Hurricane very dark and I couldn’t see a thing. “Where is Snack?” is all I thought about or cared about, not that I was going down in what was named Hurricane Gonzolo, or the 115 mph winds that I was climbing out into.

As I got to the top step, wearing only shorts, no shoes, no shirt, no wallet, no passport, Snack came floating down the hall. I grabbed him by the head, put him under my arm and jumped. I was more than lucky; the wind threw us all the way to the pier where a captain from a mega yacht caught us. As we fought to get down the pier it felt like we were being shot with a fully automatic BB gun. We looked back to see the mast of my boat sticking out of the water.

I lost everything – the boat and everything on it, even my mother’s ashes… gone. It could have been worse; Chris was found the next morning still in his boat in the bottom of the bay.

Thirty-eight boats sank in the storm and the area suffered much damage. The only thing that was important to me was Snack and he and I are fine.

Cruising Outpost: If you ever found yourself facing another hurricane would you do anything different?

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Marcus: Oh yes, we will go into the marina if possible and if that is not possible, we will get off the boat! I learned my lesson… we are in Bocas del Toro out of the hurricane belt.

Cruising Outpost: You are here in Bocas living aboard another boat, how did that come about?

Marcus: Fortunately, I was insured and quickly found another boat, Bayou Lady. I sailed her to Turks and Caicos where I dozed off and woke up to find myself on the beach… boat and all. I managed to get her hauled, fixed and back out there, but that is another story.

Cruising Outpost 175

7/25/15 1:39 PM

Cruising Outpost’s

Book Review

By Capt. Jim Cash

Salt of a Sailor

By Annie Dike

Bob likes for me to review current books written by sailors, preferably our readers, who are out there doing what most only read … and dream about doing. I am not sure Annie’s saga qualifies as being “out there” since she finds a way to fill over 300 pages with a story about a short sailing jaunt up the west coast of Florida, but she does share, in a humorous way, all the angst, surprises, and breakdowns of a new boat owner on their maiden voyage.

If this was the ‘70s I would classify this as a “chick book.” But since that would be politically incorrect in our current 21st century society, let me rephrase and say Ms. Dike has written a refreshing tale of her first offshore experience as told from a woman’s perspective.

The story starts autobiographically with the foundations for becoming a sailor, earning her “salt,” as she says, on a farm in northern Alabama. We then proceed to girl meets boy, falling in love with sailing, finding and buying a boat together, and eventually the great voyage. The details are vague, but whether this was by design and execution of extensive homework or by accident, they eventually buy a Niagara 35, a very good boat to get started.

The boat was purchased in Punta Gorda, Florida, and needed to be sailed to its new home base in Pensacola, which our author refers to as “Crossing the Gulf,” even though, in reality, their course pretty much parallels the shore. In all fairness however, I have crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans without any real incidences, but both times that I have had to venture into the Gulf of Mexico I have had my butt kicked. There is just something about the weather

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patterns that want to stir up the seas and one must plan to get wet. I got a kick out of their sharing and swapping of the one set of Gorton foulies found on board.

Their first stop was Clearwater and for those who know the Gulf Coast marina facilities, most have these short “pretend” little docks jutting out from the pier about a quarter of the length of your boat and several pilings further out intended to tie lines.

Securing the docking lines to these pilings is an art, and best learned as a calf wrangler on horseback. In the case of our “newbies,” added to this procedure was the fun of a 20knot crosswind, but they finally got secured.

After a few days of rest, fixing, and gaining courage, they venture back out. On this leg their amateur mistake of leaving a dinghy with outboard attached hanging from davits, caught up with them. Needless to say, it all started to come apart in the middle of the night. With the dinghy still attached to the collapsing davits and smashing into the stern of their boat, a decision was made to cut it all away. So with flashlight firmly grasped in teeth and hacksaw in hand, they did, they cut it all away, the davits, the dinghy, the outboard motor… off into the night. “Why didn’t they at least tie a line to the dinghy so they could tow it behind?” I asked myself as I read. There seemed to be no answer to this question.

Add seasickness of their pickup crew, failure of their VHF, and a transmission issue to the mix, and this 30 hours in the Gulf was a stress-filled experience. Hey, what about the joys of sailing, you may ask?

They limp into Apalachicola for more repairs including a new transmission that was brought in from Jacksonville.

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After a short reprieve and new fixes, they were off again sans extra crew, so it was just the two of them.

On this leg, only as far as Panama City, the new transmission decided to leak. After discovering they had no extra fluid on board they called the mechanic who, and I have to give him credit here, said “catch it.” Great idea, catch the leaking fluid and pour it back into the transmission. After all, it has not been used much! Our ingenious author, the farm girl, did just that. She improvised a catchment system with a Dasani bottle and saved the day.

Just so as not to discourage all you women who will read this book for the joys of sailing, the last leg from Panama City to Pensacola was, as Annie says, “Best sail of our lives.”

I guess that’s what keeps bringing us back; we cannot forget

those great sailing days with the wind just right, the sails pulling strong, the sound of the waves kissing the hull, the tingling in the scalp, and the sun on your smiling face—an “It can’t get any better than this” kind of day.

Would you believe... a few months later, their Niagra 35 securely tied to its home dock, they received a call from the police. Their lost dinghy had washed ashore on Ft. Walton Beach … what a story.

You can also read Annie Dike’s article, Hal Unleashed, in the CO summer 2015 issue.

Capt. Jim Cash, a sixty-year sailing veteran, has written countless articles about his sailing adventures, and is the author of First Time Across, about his first ocean crossing in a sailboat. Available at book stores everywhere…just ask.

Biker to Sailor

By Bob Bitchin

Okay, this is gonna be fun. How often does a guy get to write a review of his own book? Not very often, right?

So let me start out by saying that this is one of my eight favorite books ever written!

What this book does is follow some dumb biker who was happily living the outlaw biker lifestyle, and shows how he stumbles into his first sail when in his ‘30s.

It then follows an unbelievable path that takes him from sailing to Guatemala on the flag ship for Green Peace thru multiple adventures all over.

Reading Biker to Sailor will show you no matter how dumb you might be, you can sail anywhere in the world and come out unscathed. In this book you will experience a hurricane in Cabo San Lucas where 27 boats went on the beach. You will see what it’s like crossing the Pacific using nothing but a sextant, and see how dumb someone has to be to get himself 800 miles off his plotted course.

But there is even more fun to be had. Read how the original Lost Soul is seized by a combined task force of CIA, ATF, FBI, police and Customs agents in a full-on raid. Oh yeah, by the way, this happens in paradise: Hawaii!

This book covers about 30 years of sailing, voyaging and cruising all over the Pacific. It shows how I went from a Cal

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28 to a 68’ ketch. It shows that truly, anyone can do it. Not only that, I spell out my own personal 10 Rules For Happy Cruising. No, they are not just listed. Each one has a story that caused it to join the top ten.

Want to know what it feels like to roll under an 80’ wave? How about sailing within two miles of one of the tallest mountains in the world, on a clear day, and not being able to see it?

Here’s some more fun to ponder. This book was written by me at the ripe old age of 71. So what, you ask? Well, most of this crap happened when I was in my 30s and 40s.

How am I supposed to remember things like names, places or other important stuff?

The answer is, I cheated. As all sailors know, this is a very small world. I am still in touch with many of the people who participated in this story. Well, those of them that are still alive anyway.

So what is this book really about? It looks at a life spent searching for adventure, and it shows how little difference there is between an American outlaw biker from the ‘70s and an American sailor who is in his 70s.

Oh, yeah, it is available at bobbitchin.com, cruisingoutpost.com, Amazon and wherever else I could con them into carrying it.

Cruising Outpost 177 7/25/15 1:43 PM

Bubba Whartz

By Morgan Stinemetz

Bubba Clears Up Youth Sailing Conundrum

It appears, at least from the news stories that have as we both sipped beers at The Blue Moon Bar one been circulating in the sailing media for some time, afternoon recently, when the weather was cooler than that younger sailors are not gravitating to the sport—a we wanted and the funky darkness of The Blue Moon sport for life—in the quantity of years gone by, when seemed warmer by its simple familiarity. youngsters once approached sailing like it was the “The sort of universal buzz, Bubba,” I said to the Holy Grail. live-aboard, live-alone sailor and skipper of the ferroBack in those sepia-toned golden days, junior cement sloop Right Guard, “is that young people sailing was the door that led to tony social contacts, are turning away from youth sailing these days like a coterie of friends who made you part of their Muslims at a pig roast.” august group because you sailed, gorgeous girls from “Yeah, I’ve heard that, too.” Bubba replied. “Some moneyed families, yacht club memberships in places say there are too many choices in other areas. Some like Greenwich and Larchmont, possible Ivy League guys are into computers. They never get sunburned. college opportunities and, if you were really good, The wind doesn’t die on them and leave them sitting your name eventually got placed on the letterhead of a still on the water whose surface looks as glassy as a New York law firm or the door to a corner office in a mirror. Older guys lust for cars. They have dreamed building on Wall Street. of them since age 14. They have If you made the right contacts a need for speed. Sailing isn’t “Fifty years ago we didn’t and sailed well enough, you their avenue, their venue. Fifty have skate boards, go-carts, got to know people like Olin years ago we didn’t have skate snowboards, text messaging, cell Stephens, Briggs Cunningham, boards, go-carts, snowboards, text phones, parents who picked you up Bob Mosbacher, Sam Merrick, messaging, cell phones, parents at the school bus stop so you didn’t Joe Jessup, Bill Ficker and who picked you up at the school other men whose yachting bus stop so you didn’t have to walk have to walk three blocks to your and social credentials were as three blocks to your home, movies home, movies aimed at teenagers, unimpeachable as gold bullion aimed at teenagers, MP3 players MP3 players and ear buds. from Fort Knox. and ear buds. There were far fewer These days, apparently, the distractions back then. Nowadays, growth of sailing as a sport is there‘s a great deal of serious suffering from a case of the slows. Certainly, today’s competition for the attention of American youth, a youth has far more distractions to deal with than their collective group not known for having the longest grandfathers did. Some of them are electronic. Kids attention span in the world.” today are as hooked on text messaging as low-life “Then you are saying that youth sailing is in a world junkies who used to test the limits of morality with of hurt?” awful stuff like heroin. Text messaging is legal. Crystal “I never said that,” Bubba grumped. meth, on the other hand, is not, but it’s out there and “You intimated it,” I replied. as available as an iPhone. All you need is money and a “If I get intimate with someone, they’ll know it,” need. Someone will help you along the road to perdition Bubba crowed. Our discussion had veered off the tracks for a small profit. like a long train of coal cars with a broken braking The subject of sailors who are young enough to take system on a downhill grade. Conversationally, this was up the sport and eventually become good at it, if they “The Wreck of the Old 97.” have the skills, smarts, coaching and the will, was on “Look, Bubba,” I protested, “I’m not going to debate the mind of live-alone, live-aboard sailor Bubba Whartz semantics with you. It seems sailing is not attracting

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minor league players who go on, with time and training, to be the rock stars of the new age. Do you agree, or do you disagree?”

“I agree,” Bubba said while looking Doobie’s way and ordering a couple of fresh beers by making the “V” sign like Winston Churchill used to make to promote Victory over the Huns. There the similarity stopped.

Bubba had no idea who Churchill was.

“But it is fixable,” Bubba added.

I’d never heard that before. I’d often read about the diminishing youth participation in sailing as the beginning of the end. No one, save Bubba, had ever said it was fixable.

“Fixable?” I gurgled.

“Sure,” said Bubba brightly. “It’s a cinch. It’s just that no one has come up with the right answer.”

“And you have?”

“Of course I have,” Bubba replied. “It’s elementary. What is the most basic issue in every teenager guy’s life? ” “God? Country? A good education? Family? A nice car? Friends?” I postulated.

“You are such a dim bulb,” Bubba said to me. “The most basic issue is girls. Femmes. Broads. Teenage guys spend more than half their waking hours thinking about girls, and if they feel their energy lagging they grab some energy drink like Monster or Red Bull or Mountain Dew so they can dream on.”

“How does that translate to an increase in youth sailing?”

“US SAILING needs to start training shapely, attractive 15- 16-year-old girls to teach 12-year-old guys how to sail. Think of the motivation the guys would have just to come to training. They’d be counting the minutes all day long. Training would become Nirvana. They’d get to be around older women with ripening bodies and more sophistication than they would normally see in a lifetime of Middle Schools.

In the summer these instructors would have tan bodies and wear swimming suits, making them tremendously interesting to guys. Youth sailing would enjoy a huge spike in participation. Guys wouldn’t be thinking of how cool life will be when they are old enough to get a

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drivers license. They’d start thinking of how cool life would be when they could start learning how to sail well. If US SAILING issued its own brand of sun screen with a musky, unique odor to it, every time a junior sailor got a whiff of it he’d think of sailing.”

Bubba didn’t quit there.

“It would work just as well for junior girl sailors. The chemistry is as old as history itself. Get handsome, hard-bodied young guys with perfect manners and a smile that would light up the Hollywood Bowl to teach the girls. Having the instructors come equipped with six-pack abs wouldn’t be mandatory, but it would help.

A few of those guys in a sailing program would make junior girl sailors act like a passel of hungry cats when the first can of cat food was opened.

“Neither side, the junior guys or the junior gals, would have any trouble getting the kids to listen or pay attention to the instructors. The kids would be sopping up every word like Bounty paper towels on spilled champagne. They’d all want to be the one who stood out best in the instructor’s estimation.

And the instructors would be coached from the start to be lavish with praise, were the praise justified,” Bubba pronounced.

“What you’re talking about is getting kids into sailing by luring them in like hooked fish by using sex as the undertow,” I said to Bubba.

“Well, of course, you dolt,” sparked Bubba. “The attraction has been around forever. It’s part of our genetic code. Young guys have a tendency to want to be around attractive girls, to get their attention. Same thing with young girls with guys who are hunks. If the earned recognition the young people want from people whose opinions they value comes with sailing attached to it, so much the better for youth sailing.”

And then, to Doobie, “Doobie, we’ll have a couple of more beers down here. They’ll be on his tab,” he said, nodding his head my way.

I was still scribbling down notes for this story, so I forgot to object. Sometimes, dedicated journalists miss a few things because they usually think of the story first. It comes with the territory.

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7/29/15 3:23 PM

Tech Tips

from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop There are a lot of little things that can make your boat easier to use and more enjoyable. Here are some tips from Paul Esterle, the author of Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop. More can be found at www.captnpauley.com.

A teak cover plate provides a finished look that matches the rest of the cabin teak

Chart Tubes

Many cruisers prefer their charts rolled, not folded. That presents a storage problem aboard a crowded boat.

You can usually find some unused space above the headliner in the quarterberth. On this boat there was room enough to install three chart storage tubes. The tubes were cut lengths of rectangular vinyl fence posts that Below is a diagram showing the cross section of the quarterberth where the tubes were installed.

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were glued together with 3M5200. Wooden support blocks that fit inside the tubes were epoxied to the rear bulkhead of the quarterberth.

A teak cover plate was cut to hold the tubes in place and provide a finished look to the installation, allowing plenty of space to keep paper charts rolled.

The tubes installed in the space above the quarterberth headliner before the cover plate is added.

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Tech Tips from Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop

Adding Secure Handholds Handholds below deck are an important safety feature allowing secure movement in the cabin in rough weather. Most production boats can benefit from additional below deck handholds.

They need to be securely mounted and capable of supporting a person’s weight falling against them or grabbing on them.

Stock handholds are available in most marine stores in teak, StarBoard or stainless steel.

Handholds should always be thru-bolted for safety.

Use large washers to assure strength.

A closer view of the teak handhold.

This teak handhold is mounted next to a stanchion. The stanchion is the next handhold when moving through the cabin.

A single loop handhold made from StarBoard An example of a stainless steel handhold with mounting studs

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Most handholds are available with multiple loops.

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Worldwide Yacht Sales | Yacht Charters | New Yacht Construction

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䈀攀氀氀栀愀瘀攀渀 漀昀昀攀爀猀 挀爀攀眀攀搀 愀渀搀 戀愀爀攀戀漀愀琀 挀栀愀爀琀攀爀猀Ⰰ 匀愀椀氀 愀渀搀 倀漀眀攀爀戀漀愀琀 氀攀猀猀漀渀猀 戀礀 挀攀爀琀椀昀椀攀搀 椀渀猀琀爀甀挀琀漀爀猀

ᤠ㜀㤀 䤀猀氀愀渀搀 䜀礀瀀猀礀 ㌀㘀ᤠ ␀㔀㜀⸀㔀䬀

ᤠ㜀㜀 䠀愀琀琀攀爀愀猀 䄀昀琀 䌀愀戀椀渀 㐀㌀ᤠ ␀㄀㤀㤀䬀

䌀愀氀氀 甀猀 愀琀 㠀㜀㜀⸀㌀㄀ ⸀㤀㐀㜀㄀ ᤠ 㘀 䠀甀渀琀攀爀 㐀㄀ 䐀匀 ⴀ ␀㄀㜀㤀䬀

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Wonder what’s new out there for the boater? Well, don’t worry. We keep an “Eye out for you.”

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Whale Point Marine 205 Cutting Blvd.

Richmond, CA

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In th

there isis issue less tha n

39.4%

Cruising Outpost

Advertis

ing!

And we did it O N PURPO SE! Mos

L i s t o f A d ve r t i s e r s Here is where you will find some of the smartest companies in the marine industry.

There are others, but they just haven’t found us yet. Give ‘em time!

Marine Advertisers

AB Inflatables 39 Ahoy Captain 117 Aqua Marine 138 ATN 40 Aurinco 147 Bainbridge International 42 Balmar - CDI Electronics 55 Barnacle Zapper 134 Bavaria Yachts 2-3 Bavaria Catamaran 53 Bellhaven Yacht Sales 194 Beta Marine 141 Beta Marine J-Prop 121 Blue Sky Energy Inc. 206 Blue Water Sailing School 60-61 Bob Bitchn Books 169 CatamaranGuru.com 140 Celestaire 114 Chafe-Pro 122 Chicago & Miami Shows 161 Clean eMarine Americas 138 CO Caribbean Parties 50 CO Products 162-163 Complete Yacht Service 149 Conch Charters 183 Coppercoat 133 Core Medical Systems 128 CruiseRO Watermakers 135 Cruising Solutions 146 CS Johnson 131 Curtis Stokes & Assoc.

186-187 Dave Powers Denison Yacht Sales 193 Dedicated Marine 139 Dream Yacht Chater 43 Eastern Yacht Sales 184-185 Edson 3-6 Eisen Shine 123 El Cid Marinas 48 eMarine Systems 115 eMarine Systems 139 Emerald Bay Audio 142 Engel 47 Fatty Knees 127 Fortress Anchors 54 Froli Sleep Systems 129 Garhauer 24-25 Gill North America 45

Good Old Boat 130 Great Lakes scuttlebutt 144 Hamilton Ferris 109 Harken 21 HMC - Handcraft Mattress 33 Horizon Yacht Charters 51 HSH Yachts 190 Hydrovane Int. Marine Inc. 147 Hylas 34-35 IMIS 124 Indiantown Marina 134 Jeanneau 22-23 Jeanneau 49 197 Jolly Rover Kadey-Krogen 143 Kadey-Krogen 147 Kadey-Krogen 191 Kanberra Gel 125 Kelly Bickford 195 Key Lime Sailing Club 103 KTI FilterBoss 41 L&A TV 195 Lee Chesneau Weather 70 Lee Sails 37 Life Aboard Books 168 Little Yacht Sales 194 Mack Sails 46 Mainsheet Partners 142 Mantus Anchors 133 Marine Insurance Consultants 120 Marmara Imports 135 Martek Davits 146 Moorings Yachts 192 Mystic Knot Works 146 New England Rope 130 Newfound Metals NFM 44 Newport Boat Show 154 Next Gen 151 NV Charts 116 Ocean Sailing Enterprises / Bamar 52 OCENS 131 Outbound Yachts 11 Pacific NW Boater 137 Polyplanar 141 Port Ludlow Marina 123 PYI 137 Quickline 20 Rocna Anchors/CMP 122 Sage Marine 128

Sail Care 129 Sailboat Owners 125 Sailology 127 Sailors Exchange 144 Sailrite 12-13 Sailtime 180 Scanmar 151 Sea Bags 143 SeaTech Systems 62 Shade Tree Fabric Shelters 124 Skyway Yacht Works 149 Slipknot 145 Solar Stik 149 South Coast Yachts 189 Spectra Watermakers 38 Speedy Fill 147 St. Petersburg Boat Show 156 Stafford Manufacturing 145 Subscription Ad 110-111 Swi-Tec America 149 The Airline 207 The Sailing Channel 140 Tidepieces 146 Tides End Ltd. 151 Tradewinds Nautical 142 Tradewinds Radio 143 Two Can Sail 121 US International Boat Show 153 Weems & Plath 107 West Marine 208 Whiteaker Yacht Sales 188 Wichard 8-9 Yacht Attitude 195 Zarcor 103

Boats Brokers

Bellhaven Yacht Sales 194 Curtis Stokes & Assoc.

186-187 Dave Powers Denison Yacht Sales 193 Eastern Yacht Sales 184-185 HSH Yachts 190 Kady-Krogen 191 Little Yacht Sales 194 Moorings Yachts 192 Sailtime 180 South Coast Yachts 189 Whiteaker Yacht Sales 188

t oth magazin er boating es have over 65% ad s.

St. Petersburg Boat Show 156 US International Boat Show 153

Bosun’s Bag Format

Aged in Salt Water Bamar Biker Pirate Bircher Inc. Cork Mortor Boaters Resale Shop of Texas Chafe-Pro Cruising Concepts.com Cruz Pro David Virtue Dr. LED Educational Tall Ship Foundation Eisen Shine Fatty Knees Fine Edge Publishing Gig Harbor Boat Works Hamilton Ferris Island Girl Products Key Lime Sailing Club Kiss-Radio Tek Marti Brown Masthead Enterprises No Wear Guard Ocean Medix Offshore Passage Opp PYI Sailmakers Supply Sonset Marine Tradewinds Radio Tropical Boutique Tufted Topper Weems & Plath

Non-Marine Advertisers

None! Why would we want that? This is a boating magazine. Ya wanna see fancy watches, pick-up trucks and high-priced cars, read the other mags!

Boat Shows

Chicago & Miami Shows 161 Newport Boat Show 154

Advertisers: You can reach the most active segment of the boating community - In Print or On-Line.

Cruising Outpost - Winter - Spring - Summer & Fall Issues Next Issue: Winter 2015 - Ad Insertions by 10/16/15 - Art Due 10/23/15 - On Sale 12/8/15 www.cruisingoutpost.com Ads@cruisingoutpost.com 510-900-3616 #105

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7/31/15 12:51 PM

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* Cruisians

I’m cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.

*A small, exclusive group of people who are mentally ill and feel, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone, that by getting on a small boat about the size of a jail cell and heading out into the most inhospitable place on Earth (the ocean), they will somehow enjoy themselves.

Annie Dike is a bit of a country girl, raised between the dust and tumbleweeds of New Mexico and the thickets and kudzu of Alabama. In a former life she was an attorney. She sort of took a “left turn” one day and retired from the practice at the ripe age of 30. Now she writes, drinks and sails! She and her lucky boyfriend, Captain Phillip, like to sail their 1985 Niagara 35 all over the west coast of Florida. Oh yeah, and she is the author of the story in this issue titled Crossing Cultures!

This is one of the people who helped us get started. He joined the Founders Circle as one of our first subscribers.

Norm likes sailing a Big Boat on a small lake. He sails with the Sailing Academy on Lake Lanier, Georgia.

Tom Curran sails his Watkins 25, S/V Comfortably Numb, on the east coast of Florida. He sails around Patrick Air Force Base where he takes out “sunset cruises” from the Manatee River Marina. He says it has a great tiki bar and suggests we come visit.

Sounds like a good idea.

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Meet Jane Vanse. Here she is sitting in Cornwall, U.K. getting ready for a race. For 11 years she headed up the cushion department at JSI, but she is now enjoying life a little. She is waiting to get a “bionic hip” so she can get on with enjoying the boating lifestyle. Good luck Jane!!

This is Captain Jeff. Here, he shows off his catch. Wife Marie was trying to figure out whether she should clean it and cook it, or let him eat it like a sardine!

Bill & JoAnne Harris have had a number of their articles published here in Cruising Outpost. They have been sailing all over the world and are still out there doing it. We, of course, are jealous!

Mike & Kay Heath of S/V Finisterre began cruising in 2004. After reaching south to Ecuador, they transited the Panama Canal and have cruised the Caribbean, U.S. southeast coast, and the Bahamas. www.cruisingoutpost.com

7/24/15 2:17 PM

Parting Shot

By Jeff Thornton on the way to Marathon Key

www.cruisingoutpost.com

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7/27/15 2:18 PM

Photo courtesy of Mahina Expeditions

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