Summer 2023 Issue #43

Adventure Awaits...

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Best of the

OF THE

PHOTO YEAR! LAUREN LANDERS

Summer 2023

#43

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#43 • Summer 2023 3 8 T H E B E A U T I F U L B L U E W A T E R - By Lauren Landers

61 EXPLORING BRITISH COLUMBIA

By Steve Jackman

FEATURES

24 Another Way: The Non-Conformist in All of U.S.

By Tania Aebi

30 Whine of the Ancient Mariner

By Bob Bitchin

46 There’s This Place (Snorkeling Edition)

By Lisa Kerr & Dave Gagnon

57 Safety Tips for a Transatlantic Crossing

By Capt. Jeff Werner

68 Cassandraville Sails to Kenya 96 WELCOME TO TEAM S A I L L A V I E

By Steph Schuldt and Cole Harrison

By William Kosar

74 Cruising Maine

By Bob Arrington

86 Teens Aboard

By Erin Carey/Sara and Lee Rice (Sailing Catalpa)

114 Trip to Paraty

By Capt. Jean De Keyser

136 Big Adventures in “Little” Rhode Island

By Mark Reid

144 Reflections at Sea

By Pam Neff 6

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108, 130

UNDERWAY

50 LIFESTYLES

50 Life Aboard: Mermaid Monster

1 2 4 YOUNG CRUISERS ASSOCIATION

DEPARTMENTS 12 Eddie-Body Up For Rum? 17 Scuttlebutt News

1 5 2 I F OUN D IT AT TH E BOAT SH OW

102 Talk of the Dock 142 Book Review 168 Share the Sail 171 Bosun’s Bag 175 Giant Crossword Puzzle 178 Advertiser Spotlight 180 Boat People www.LatsAtts.com

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ON THE COVER EL JEFE Erik Kyle erik@kylemediainc.com

EDDIETOR-IN-CHEEF David Levesque david@latsatts.com

Mindy Leppala mindy@kylemediainc.com

OFFICE WINCH

VP BUCK STOPS HERE DEPT. Joy McPeters joy@kylemediainc.com

SUBSCRIPTION “QUARTERS” MASTER Cheri Chalfin cheri@kylemediainc.com

COLLECTOR OF CONTENT Keith Randolph editorial@kylemediainc.com

DEEP SEA DESIGNER Sonia De Leon design@kylemediainc.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Bob Bitchin bob@latsatts.com

PEOPLE WHO HELPED US CREATE THIS ISSUE

PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T HELP US WITH THIS ISSUE

Tania Aebi Zuzana Prochazka Robin Stout Mark Reid Lauren Lander Steph Schultd Erin Carey/

Sara & Lee Rice Pam Neff Bob Arrington Steve Jackman Bill Kosar Lisa Kerr & Dave Gagnon Jeff Werner

Johnny Lawrence Mr. Myagi Daniel LaRusso John Kreese Tattoo James Bond Motley Crue

Magnum P.I. Alf Potzie Mork and Mindy Ralph Malf The Professor & Mary Ann

Latitudes & Attitudes Division of Kyle Media, Inc. (ISSN 2767-8954-PRINT / ISSN: 2767-8962 On-Line) (USPS 011-950) is published quarterly by Latitudes & Attitudes 7862 W. Central Ave., Suite F, Toledo, OH 43617. Periodical Postage paid at Toledo Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2022 Postmaster: Send address changes to Latitudes & Attitudes, 7862 W. Central Ave., Suite F, Toledo, OH 43617

Already a seasoned captain and adventurer, Lauren Landers won the Photo of the Year at the 2022 International Cruisers Awards in Annapolis. Check out her article and find her socials for more incredible photos!

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Latitudes & Attitudes 7862 W. Central Ave., Suite F, Toledo, OH 43617 877-775-2538 ext. 500 latsatts.com/magazine

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EDDIE-BODY UP FOR RUM? A LETTER FROM THE “EDDIETOR” IN CHIEF

But maybe somewhere in there lies the answer to “Where does the time go”? Without the availability of instant media and the capability to record every moment of life we had to safeguard our memories that much more. There was a value on the “moment” I don’t feel is the same as it once was. Time was protected differently, and appreciated more. Of course we didn’t know any different. We had to actually talk to each other!

Sit there and have a conversation without the temptation to look at phones, check messages or read an email. The passing of time was the same as it is now, but little did we know how that would change. Today we can take a dozen selfies or record numerous takes and discard what we don’t want to keep. Almost like it’s the “catch and release” of life’s precious moments. And because it’s so easy to capture everything and delete what we don’t want, it’s easy to overlook and forget the laughs and conversation involved in trying to get what would become discarded memories.

Time After Time….

Well we made it to Summer…the summer issue that is, as well as the start of summer season. We realize many of you are enjoying “endless summers” regardless of the time of year, so to you we raise a glass of rum and say “well done”! And for many who still deal with months of colder weather, seasonal wardrobes and close-toed shoes, well, we feel ya. Hopefully we all experience endless summers one day.

Hard to believe we’re almost to the half-way point of 2023. I always swear the mystical timekeepers sped things up somewhere along the line. “Where does the time go” is undoubtedly one of the most widely asked questions of all-time, pun intended. Right up there with, “What is the meaning of life”, and “Do you want fries with that”. But how many of us have ever really searched for an answer to where the time goes? When I became a dad 18 years ago with the birth of my son I was warned by friends to soak in every moment, enjoy it all because it goes by so fast. No kidding it does…15 months later here was a beautiful daughter gracing my life. Now I sit staring at the cusp of two college-bound teens, wondering where the time went. Truth be told, we’re blessed to have the technology we do to document our lives in digital. Can you imagine living without the instant gratification of photos, videos and wi-fi? Oh wait, anyone older than 30 pretty much did already…Of course back in the day Polaroid teased us a bit. Anyway, what we enjoy now sure is a far cry from how my folks kept track of the passing of time. Show of hands, who recalls dropping film off at the kiosk and waiting a week to see if you got any pics with everyone’s eyes open?

Red-eye back then meant something way different than a choice at Starbucks.

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My point is being in the moment makes the moment that much more meaningful. Watching my kids grow, making moments and memories has been the single greatest pleasure of my life. Being involved in Lats & Atts I am privileged to see so many moments and memories laid out on these pages, families and friends alike. And that’s just what we receive from cruisers. There are so many countless moments not recorded, that live on in the people who experienced them. Not everything is meant for digital devices. Ever notice how if you put down the phones and just talk to others it seems the time may slow down a bit? Try it sometime if you haven’t. Live in the moment without recording it. And you just might feel like time stands still.

Cheers,

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Lats & Atts

Scuttlebutt

If It’s Gonna Happen, It’s Gonna Happen Out There Issue #43

All the News That Fits Between the Sheets

Summer 2023

KIRSTEN NEUSCHÄFER A Victory Which Made History!

Even before crossing the finish line becoming the first woman to win the incredibly challenging Golden Globe round-the-world solo race, Kirsten Neuschäfer already made history and won the hearts of so many. Kirsten was one of 16 competitors who set out in early September 2022 from the coast of France in the 30,000-nautical mile Golden Globe “retro” race, rounding the three great capes.

She made history during the journey as the first woman to round Cape Horn at the head of this legendary solo circumnavigational race. They call it a “retro” race in that just like the original in 1968, all technology, including GPS, is left behind. Competitors were also on a retro boat no longer than 36’. Again, no GPS, no sat phone, no engine and no radio contact with anyone other than race officials. Making her journey even more remarkable was the fact she veered off course in the Pacific, rescued a stranded competitor, shared a bit of rum before safely delivering him to a freighter and continued on her way. She passed the calmer times reading and listening to cassette tapes, as no computers were allowed and dealt with a broken spinnaker pole, numerous storms and having to clean her hull while underway in the middle of the ocean. Upon finishing she really just wanted to have some ice cream. Kirsten, we would gladly buy a round of frozen treats along with a fresh bottle of rum to top it off. Simply incredible.

Well done!

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Lats & Atts Scuttlebutt

100-YEAR-OLD SUBMARINE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF LONG ISLAND SOUND It’s been a maritime mystery for nearly 80 years and it’s finally solved.

Divers in Connecticut finally found the wreck of The Defender, an experimental submarine that sank in Long Island Sound in 1946. The 92-foot-long boat was found by a team led by Richard Simon, a commercial diver. “As a kid, I grew up diving in Long Island Sound,” Simon said. “As a diver, it was one of those myths, ‘Hey, there’s a submarine lost in Long Island Sound.’”

The sub was built in the early 1900s

by Simon Lake, a naval architect who wanted to win a competition for a U.S. Navy contract. The boat didn’t win and no one ever bought the vessel but it was still popular and was even visited

by Amelia Earhart in 1929, said Simon.

The sub was an experimental vessel, equipped with wheels to move along the ocean floor and a door that gave divers the option to exit the vessel underwater.

Eventually, it sat docked in New London, CT before it was abandoned and later scuttled by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1946.

Simon developed an interest in the sunken submarine years ago and spent months analyzing sonar and underwater mapping surveys of the bottom of the sound.

He also looked at government documents to identify any phenomenon that matched the size of the Defender. They found the Defender more than 150 feet beneath the water’s surface.

“It was legitimately hiding in plain sight,” Simon said. “It’s on the charts.

It’s known about in Long Island Sound, just no one knew what it was.”

“This is kind of a treasure for all of us. We are the submarine capital, if you will, of the world. We have Electric Boat, we have the Navy base,” said Simon. “There’s so much history here with submarines that it’s really an important part of our state history.”

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Lats & Atts Scuttlebutt

FLY the FRIENDLY FLAGS

By Stephen Payne

I was sitting on my boat, “Jaywalking the World,” between those islands just south of Cannes one day last summer, sipping on a glass of wine. There were about 1,199 other boats there. People were waving at each other, but there was very little actual interaction between the boats. I’m a very social person, but it’s just me on my boat. I realized it would seem a little odd for me to jump in my dinghy, row over to another boat and just say hello.

I continued sipping on the glass of wine and then I had myself a little think. The idea I came up with was to have a small “friendly flag” that signified I welcomed people to come over and say “hello.” I’m not suggesting that boat types aren’t friendly — they are! — but they’re also human and sometimes need a little prompt to let them know it’s OK to introduce themselves.

So I sat down at my computer that evening and designed myself a flag, and ordered a couple thousand. I then posted a notice on the 20

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“Med Sailing” Facebook group page that I had these flags and the reaction was an overwhelming “Yes!” To date about 300 flags have been mailed out and I’ve given away about another thousand. I’ve left them in Nice and Cannes Marinas.

I’ve even handed out a few as I walked around other marinas. About 95% of the people think it’s a really good idea.

Several people have actually met because of the flags. This sailing season hasn’t started yet, but I’m very hopeful that this little idea, that occurred to me whilst sitting between a lot of other boats who weren’t really talking to each other, will actually work. It’s going to take a couple of years, maybe less if you tell your friends.

My old friends don’t call me as much. I love meeting new people, but not knowing the language makes me try less. No country is “home” to me anymore. I have a little trepidation about growing old in a foreign land….. alone. Sometimes I just want to sip wine with someone else, just to prove I’m still human.

So if you would like to join our little “friendly flag” club, there is a link below. www.friendlyflag.net

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The

Non-Conformist in all of US

By Tania Aebi It’s safe to say many people drawn to the cruising lifestyle are non-conformists. From the earliest sailors venturing out onto the open sea on primitive craft to contemporary adventurers traveling the world with their modern boats in search of new experiences, they have proven to be a special breed, different. At its core, sailing and cruising is about embracing the unknown, not being deterred by uncertainty, and having the confidence to navigate major challenges. In many ways, this is what non-conformism is all about, being willing to chart your course and choose your own path, even if it means being uncomfortable, going against the norms of society.

Back when sailing transitioned from being the only way to propel ships to a subculture sport and a way of life, sailors started writing books about the adventures they were living. Leaving behind the ravages of war, the soulless pursuit of career and money, failed relationships, they wrote about whatever inspired them to take small crafts to sea. They all preferred to weather any kind of oceangoing adversity in return for freedom from the trappings of western civilization and the rewards of simple, beautiful, and primitive anchorages around the globe.

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My childhood was spent among non-conformists, so I slipped right into life afloat when introduced to it as a teenager, on the cusp of between then and now, just before the GPS paved the way to the boom years. Aside from loving the thing about being at sea, heading from one landfall to another under sail with our whole house, I looked forward to every anchorage and dock, excited about who we’d meet there. Upon pulling in, I’d check out the personalities of boats, sails, deck arrangements, and dinghies, knowing these were further expressions of the owners, some of whom would inevitably become new friends.

In this world, I felt like I was among my people and came of age with these elders, teachers and role models. The spontaneous communities that formed between cruisers who found themselves in the same far-flung harbors always felt tight knit and supportive—in that moment. Of course, being itinerant by nature, they never had to stand the test of time. But, living for that moment with a mutual sense of belonging and connection, you don’t usually find non-conformists ashore, we argued, laughed and loved, almost always feeling connected by the sea and blessed to be living this life. It wasn’t for everyone, and that was

fine. Forty years later, these role models have aged, stood their last watches, or crossed the bar, with me coming up behind them.

Recently, somebody recommended watching a movie called The Sailor. Knowing nothing about it and having zero expectations, I did, and it tapped right into memories of cruising in the early eighties and the people I knew then.

Very slow paced, it opens with Paul Johnson, an elderly gentleman pushing his dinghy into the water from a beach, rowing back to his ramshackle boat in Carriacou’s Tyrell Bay. His hair is yellowed and unruly, he wears a faded Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. Unsurprisingly, he is also barefoot.

I never met him, but I knew that kind - a character film makers decided to explore further. “He loved, drank, lived foolishly, and never truly lived on land,” repeat many of The Sailor’s online reviews.

Born in 1938, Johnson had the sailing storybook life, heroic in his own way. “Never be afraid to be terrified,” he’d say, having been absolutely terrified on too many Atlantic crossings to count. In 2017— the year Hurricanes Maria and Irma thoroughly terrified and devastated several Caribbean islands—the movie was filmed in Carriacou, as he was getting closer to eight bells, and still drinking heavily.

Voiced over recollections are used to tell his story, in his own words. Some of the action is about moving his relic of a boat to the mangroves as Maria passes to the north.

Or shopping and grumbling about an ugly new shopping center. He says things like: “I could take this boat of mine down to North Africa in five days,” in the scene before his engine is revealed to be quite seriously kaput and unusable.

Between words, we hear a waterfront soundtrack of wind generators, waves, rain, wind, music. We see the world from his cockpit, where he sits in tattered wraps, drinking and watching time keep passing, when not sorting through faded pictures, frayed lines, dusty shelves, threadbare and time-worn everything. Life around him goes on. Others mess around with boats in the Caribbean anchorage while weather reports, people and scenes—afloat and ashore— are unhurriedly captured on film as Johnson’s voice, recorded elsewhere, narrates an often rummy version of his life. Nearing 80, trembling and cloudily remembering the adventures and misadventures, Johnson’s body and wit have slowed as he ages in place. Surrounded by the pictures and memories left after living hard, shipwrecking and rebuilding. As with his Atlantic crossings too many times to count, he still functions well enough to reminisce, splice old lines, relying on the kindness and support of this last community in a lifetime of anchorage communities.

Many nice people are drawn to help him, loaning him cigarettes, joking about his drinking, while he remembers storms and worse storms, women and booze. “Maybe I’ve been a dreadful person,” he wonders at one point. Then, ever the captain of his own vessel, he crankily scolds and bosses around the people helping to move his boat to safety.

He needs others to look at the engine, moor securely, bring him supplies and water, make sure he can stay on the final boat of many he has called his homes. Except for a brief attempt at living ashore in the Azores—with one of multiple wives—he has only ever lived aboard boats. He was born on a boat, sailed across the Atlantic for the first time when he was sixteen, designed boats, built boats, lived and breathed boats.

Watching this slightly voyeuristic movie of a man fading into the sunset, I can see who he once was, can imagine the younger me hanging onto his every non-conformist word, admiring his familiarity with the sea, his mastery of sailing and boat construction, his fearless ability to haul up canvas and get everywhere and anywhere without an engine. I can picture the women who flocked to him, had his babies, and then had to leave a man who could only love himself, his boat, and the combination of the two on the ocean.

Released in April 2021, Johnson died aboard in June 2021, and The Sailor is “dedicated to all the wandering souls out there.” The non-conformists of then and now. Johnson belongs to the so-called Silent Generation—preceding the Boomers and Gen Xers. They pioneered a movement, an exodus of dream chasing, adventuring spirits, the forefathers of what has become a massively commercial industry today. Time marched on, and we are left with their ghosts, the memories of what enticed western civilization to follow these sailors to all but the most remote and hidden corners of the planet.

As he and his peers fade to the horizon astern, their extreme, larger-than-life personalities riding years of growth and boom, of curiosity, exploration and exploitation of the planet, have left a mark, and inspire still.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Whine of the Ancient Mariner is where you’ll find Bob Bitchin’s writings as he gradually settles (hopefully) into semi-retirement. He’s been busy lately adjusting to life with his new bionic hip and continued shenanigans with www.BobBitchin.com.

So please enjoy the Whine of the Ancient Mariner.

Whine of the ancient mariner

By Bob Bitchin 30

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just enjoy the ride!

Okay, we might as well face it. Boaters are not the brightest bulbs in the pack. Wanna know why?

It’s simple. What we do for fun is to pack up all the stuff we think is important to us, like wives, girlfriends, and if you are truly gifted maybe both, and then get onto a fiberglass bathtub a little larger than the average jail cell, and sail off into the sunset.

At least that’s the plan. Speaking of plans, just so you know, as you are making said “plans”, keep in mind that God laughs the loudest at plans made by sailors.

If you want to see why, just plan a voyage of a few months, and try to put dates on your arrival and departure from port to port. Really.. just try and give it a shot.

The first thing you realize after casting off is that you are completely surrounded by salt-water. Not clean and drinkable water, but if you’re sailing the seven seas, you are doing so on salt water!

Wanna guess what you have on your boat that hates salt water?

Okay, we’ll give the slow kids a chance to catch up..

Yeah, that’s right… electricity and salt water do not mix. So what do we do? We have electronic navigation, autopilots, refrigeration and SSB or Ham Radios. Who was it that figured that out? And because we have such labor-saving devices, why would we take paper charts, right? They are expensive, and a GPS is so much easier…

Until they quit!

So here’s a little fun we had while crossing the Atlantic a few years back. We’d left the Azores after a little storm had held us there for an extra week, and when we left the Sailing Vessel White Hawk was leaving as well. We jokingly said we’d race them to Gibraltar. About halfway we hit a little weather.

The seas were up to about 25 feet with 30-40 knot winds, but they were on our beam, so not too bad.

We had a double reef in the main, and were running under our mizzen & staysail, without the jib. It was well balanced, but the seas were slapping us on the beam. About 150 miles out of Gibraltar our “mascot” Dolly, a 4’ wooden dolphin we’d had carved for the bow-spirit in Hawaii broke loose from the bow. That kinda sucked, and while we were messing about trying to see if we could retrieve it, we jibed.

Now for those of you who have not yet experienced a jibe on the high seas, let me tell you how much

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whine of the ancient mariner fun it is. The first thing that happens when you are in high winds is the boat stops healing in the direction it’s been laying over, and goes upright for a second, as the 500 pound mainsail boom whips over your head (or worse yet, makes that “boom” sound when striking a slow crew member’s head!) and, if you are lucky, it does not snap the sheet line.

Now in the case of Lost Soul, she was a 68’ Staysail Ketch, and mounted square in the middle of the storm room’s roof was a beautiful mushroom shaped GPS Antenna.

Any idea what happens when a 500 pound boom swishes over the top of the storm-room when there is said Antennae mounted?

Okay, come-on, always the same hands!

But you are right. The little mushroom Antennae heads for freedom!

And so it was that we found ourselves bobbing for Antennas 150 miles from The Azores.

But wait, there’s more!

It took us about an hour to tack around and find the cute little thing, and to catch it. Once we did, we realized that we still did NOT have a position!

But wait! Being a prudent mariner, I had my paper charts! I always marked our position when I would take a noon-site with my sextant. I really did it more to feel like a real sailor than to keep our position….But the GPS did a great job of that… until it didn’t!

When I’d bought the boat it had an old Micrologic 4102 SatNav and we’d left it mounted in the Nav Station. So I found the manual and fired it up.

But wait? What’s this? The instructions say we have to enter our position to start? I had a position marked from noon the day before, but was not sure of our exact position now. I checked the position we were in the day before, and then added an estimate based on our log, where every two hours the watch would enter approximate speed and bearing.

So I guesstimated our position and fired up the SatNav. It didn’t really care for the input. It just sat there blinking. Might have had something to do with the fact that it had not been fired up in probably 2-3 years…

But I digress Since we couldn’t get the SatNav up and running, I then proceeded to waste about 4-5 hours taking 32

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the Antennae apart, dumping copious amounts of rice all over the magical parts inside (Hey, it works for an iPhone dropped in the head, so why not a GPS antennae?) and sweating how we will find our position.

But then it hit me. When I started sailing some 30 years ago, I used a sextant to navigate. I couldn’t afford SatNav, and GPS was still in Military hands…

So just before noon I broke out my trusty Sextant I got from the folks at Celestaire, and took a noon site.

For the next couple days we sailed like they did “back in the day.” Each day at noon the crew would gather around that little hunk of brass & glass known as a sextant, and we would anxiously await high-noon so we could plot our position.

Ya know what? The voyage got more exciting after that. The joy of plotting our position the old fashioned way added to the cruising adventure.

As we sailed through the Straights Of Gibraltar, seeing Morocco on the opposite shore from the rock, dim memories of sitting in Mrs. Canavan’s 5th grade Social studies class some 50 years earlier entered my alleged mind. I sure wish I’d paid more attention back then…

So what is the moral to this little tale? Just remember this… No matter where you go, there you are! So enjoy the ride!

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procession were lively and happy, excited to have a threeday party to hang out with their friends.

Cruising Again Unfortunately, the first day of Carnival in Port-au-Prince was marked by a shootout between the police and the army. Looting and chaos ensued, a state of emergency was declared, and all roads out of the city were closed for several days. Our new coupling, which had arrived in the city the day before, was stuck. Marc closely monitored the situation, calling the DHL office every day, and then, success – he delivered the package to our boat nine days later.

Carefully reversing the extraction process, Neil had the coupling in place the next day. Then we delicately handturned the prop shaft while checking the clearance between the prop shaft flange and the transmission flange, and when the prop shaft alignment was acceptable, the final bolt-up was completed. Finally, we were mobile again!

After three weeks, we learned to love Île-à-Vache and the warm, friendly people we met there. The continuous knocking on the hull often became a bit tiresome, but the visitors were asking for work, not handouts, with courtesy and dignity. Nonetheless, after fond farewells, we were overjoyed to feel the wind in the sails and hear the water rippling past the hull – happiness is cruising again.

When a winter norther blows through the Bahamas, the northeast trades reach gale force as they funnel through the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti. We were in Santiago de Cuba on board Distant Drummer, a Liberty 458 cutter rigged sloop, hoping for a lull in the wind. We planned to cross to Haiti and spend a few days at IÎle-àVache, a small island on the south coast that is popular with cruisers waiting for fair winds to sail east to the Dominican Republic.

The eastward route along the south coast of Hispaniola is renowned for strong headwinds and counter currents.

We knew we were in for a difficult passage, but a season cruising south through the Lesser Antilles to Grenada was our reward for a few days of hard sailing.

Cuba to Haiti Eventually, the break came, and we departed Santiago passing through the narrow entrance beneath the magnificent Castillo del Morro, which guards the entrance to the bay. We had a fabulous beam reach across the Windward Passage to Tiburon at the west end of Haiti. In the lee of the island, the wind veered, and we picked up a west-setting counter current, the second night of the passage was spent motor-sailing slowly into a headwind.

The next morning we entered the channel between Haiti and Île-à-Vache. The passage meanders between shoal reefs and is peppered with buoys and plastic bottles marking fishing nets and lobster pots. As we approached the island a dinghy came out from the shore and hailed us then motored close by alongside. The local men on board, Felix and Pipi, had come out to welcome us and guide us into Baie à Ferret, where we planned to drop the pick.

I was on the helm while Neil had gone forward to keep lookout and prepare the anchor. As lookout, we have agreed upon warnings for imminent danger in our path: “neutral” is used to stop the prop if we are about to catch

a fishing net or lobster pot, and “reverse” is used to stop the boat quickly to avoid collision with something hard – usually rocks or a coral reef.

We were motoring with our guides alongside when suddenly one of the men cried out “reverse, reverse!” and “reverse now!” To me, this meant only one thing – we were about to hit a coral head. I quickly shifted into reverse and revved hard to stop the boat as rapidly as possible. Neil came running aft, wondering what was going on, as he had seen nothing ahead and told me to put the engine in neutral. We looked over the transom; a white fishing buoy was floating on the surface, and a black spurt flushed out with the exhaust water from the engine.

Engine Trouble Our hearts sank; after thirteen years of cruising, we had finally snagged a lobster pot. The rope had wrapped tightly around the propeller, and Neil hopped into the water to cut it away. Eventually, the rope came free, but we then found we were getting no drive from the engine to the propeller – something was wrong with our drive train. Luckily, Felix’s dinghy had a fifteen horsepower outboard. We tied the dinghy to the starboard side of Distant Drummer, and they slowly drove us into Baie à Ferret, where we finally dropped anchor. It was a very distressing end to the voyage.

Neil spent the next couple of days “head down, arse up” in the engine room, trying to assess the damage. Eventually, he found a broken coupling between the transmission and the prop shaft had acted as a weak link and prevented the locked prop from causing any serious damage to the engine. Surprisingly Île-à-Vache had good internet coverage, and we were able to get in touch with a Perkins specialist who had worked on DD back in British Columbia three years ago. He sourced a replacement part and had it on its way within a few days.

Logistics in Haiti are fraught with problems: theft is not uncommon, corruption is endemic, and anything (goods or people) transported by road has a high chance of being intercepted by bandits. Again, local help was at hand; we arranged delivery by DHL into Port-au-Prince, and our new friend Marc coordinated with DHL to have the package delivered to an address in Les Cayes, a nearby city on the mainland. We settled in for a long wait.

Les Cayes To complete Immigration formalities, we needed to visit Les Cayes, the nearest city to Île-à-Vache on the mainland of Haiti. Karma, one of the islanders, helped us with arranging a taxi boat to cross the channel and came with us to show us around and assist with the bureaucracy. Packed in like sardines on the hard wooden seats, crouched down under a tarpaulin to protect us from the seaspray splashing over the sides, it felt more like a refugee boat than a ferry into town.

As we arrived, the wind picked up, and it was too rough for the taxi boat to approach the shore. Dirty grey waves were breaking on the rocks, which were littered with conch shells, plastic bottles, and heaps of discarded clothes. We were poled into shallow water in a small skiff, then carried

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beautiful blue waters

The

Photo Credits: Allie Reilly

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of the Bahamas have always been home to me; a safe place where I felt completely free and myself.

By Lauren Landers

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In middle school, my mom mentioned something about marine biology and from that point onwards, it was what I wanted to study at college. Fast forward a few years and I decided to move to Fort Lauderdale to attend Nova Southeastern University. I began freediving and started training for my captain’s license.

Within my first year of college I was learning how to operate and detail sportfishing boats and I became hooked.

I obtained my 6-pack license my second year in college and started working for the shark diving industry in Jupiter, FL on the weekends which I did for the remainder of my college career. Anytime that I wasn’t studying or working on campus, I was either in the water freediving or working on boats; and I loved it.

I graduated with my B.S. in marine biology in May 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown. Through my freediving connections and friendships, I spent August 2020 through April 2021 sailing with friends. Stephanie Schuldt invited me on her 46’ catamaran where I learned about the sails, how to spearfish, and engine repairs. After my time with Stephanie, my friend David Langlois invited me on his 46’ Beneteau Oceanis for a few months to help with charters. On this boat I learned a lot about singlehandling, mechanics, sailing, and general information about monohulls. Within one year of joining Stephanie on her boat, I had found and put a deposit on a boat, a 3 cabin-3 head, 1993 Beneteau Oceanis 510.

Photo Credits: David Langlois

When I look back at my childhood, the thing that stands out were the annual trips my family would take to the Bahamas.

Beginning years before I was born, my grandfather would take my family (his 6 kids and their families) on a 2-cabin sportfish to the Bahamas each summer for a few weeks.

I was only months old when I came to the Bahamas the first time; my parents and grandfather pulled a drawer from his bedroom and that was where I slept on my first trip.

I have faint memories from my childhood trips, but the stunning, clear water took my breath away every time.

I had my favorite spots, I knew which bars had the best [virgin] pina coladas, the ring toss games, the sharks, and our favorite snorkel spots. As most teenagers do, I went through a phase in which I still loved going, but didn’t want to participate in anything; snorkeling, fishing, or motoring, and would sleep most days. But it was still where my heart was.

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Boats will take from you as much as they give you.

I consider myself lucky that I had worked on boats for so long and still loved them, even knowing how difficult and frustrating they can be. My boat was no exception and resulted in a large emotional rollercoaster from the moment I found her. Long story short, the engine threw a rod during my sea trial, a new engine was put in which was hydrolocked within one month, resulting in having to buy two brand new engines within months. I was out of money and couldn’t see the end of the issues, but I kept my faith through every setback.

I waited 4 months for the boat to be ready after she threw the rod; new engine, new windlass, bow thrusters, and fixing damage that happened when the engine failed.

I was at a low point in my life during this waiting period; I was impatient; not understanding why the progress was so slow. Four months after seeing my boat for the first time, I was finally able to sail her back to Florida on December 17, 2021. I was stressed as I had booked a charter in the Exumas, Bahamas for December 31st, but leaving that dock was the best feeling. The wind was howling at 25 knots and we were flying downwind and surfing up to 10 knots. I had never felt so free in my life and couldn’t even imagine where this new beginning would take me. I had crew (David) until I reached the

Exumas which allowed for my first singlehanded sail from the Exumas to Fort Lauderdale (about 200 nautical miles) on my new-to-me boat. It went so smoothly and when I arrived in Florida on Christmas Eve I felt that I could really do this. I turned the boat around, sailed back to the Exumas, did the charter and then the engine hydrolocked during the charter (January 1, 2022)!

Seeing mixed oil and water leaking out of the air filter was probably the worst feeling; I thought I was finally beginning this new life. I had to sail back to Fort Lauderdale with no engine which began the largest turning point of my life. I had to trust myself and my judgment for this 150 nm sail. Once I arrived in Florida, I ended up waiting another 4 months; spending money and not knowing when my next penny would be coming in. However, without these 4 months, I wouldn’t have started my YouTube Channel which has now given me the freedom I always longed for.

The period of waiting changed my life.

I learned so much more about my boat, myself, and relationships with others. Looking back over the past year and a half of boat ownership, one of the things that sticks out to me is the confidence I have developed. When you are sailing by yourself or with others, you have to trust yourself and their ability whole heartedly.

If you or those you are with can’t fix it or solve the problem, it’s not going to get fixed.

I have learned creativity, frustration, patience, handiwork, moments of despair, triumph, fear, and the list can go on. But overall, when I think about my younger self, I know she would be proud of the woman she has become and continues to grow into.

The skill sets you learn while living on a boat are, in my opinion, not comparable to anything else. You will learn to be an electrician, plumber, rigger, mechanic, and I guess the role of a captain is thrown in there as well. I spent my life studying textbooks and occasionally in a lab dissecting marine life; I never thought I would take apart my engine or install lithium batteries on my own. This is one of the things I truly love about living on a boat, every day is so similar, but so different; the days are never repetitive because I feel like I’m learning something new about either the boat or myself daily.

I would recommend this lifestyle to everyone.

The crystal blue water and the feeling of the sails filling with wind is liberating, but beyond that, it’s a chance to learn a little bit more about

Photo Credits: Allie Reilly

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yourself. Living on a boat with people as well as operating a boat solo has been one of the biggest teachers of my life. I confidently believe that I would not have the mindset I do now without living this way. However, I also believe solotraveling in general can contribute to teaching a similar lesson. It’s amazing how much you can learn about yourself and your capabilities when you are relying solely on yourself.

While cruising, something that has really touched my heart is how amazing the boating community is. Strangers have helped me without question, best friends have been made after sharing an anchorage for a few nights, and I’ve had sailing friends drop everything to tow me.

This was the reason I felt confident enough to purchase my own boat; I knew there was at least someone I could call to walk through a problem and give advice. We learn most of the things we do by physically doing them, not by watching others and studying books. Throughout school, I memorized so many things for tests, yet the most I could do was recollect the memory of memorizing the information, but not the information. I used to be terrified of touching a wire, would never know where to start with fixing a leak, and definitely would not have pickled my own engine from salt water. A friend told me once as we were docking “put it on your mind that nothing will go wrong” and it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given.

I believe that following your passion, whatever that might be, is one of the only ways to live a truly fulfilling life. I would tell someone to read books, watch documentaries, speak to those doing it, but don’t wait too long to take action.

The worst thing that can happen is that you took a chance and tried it. The good days I have had on the boat far outweigh the bad days I have had. And I wouldn’t even call them bad days.

They have all been a learning experience that I have been extremely grateful for, and honestly, the most memorable. I am less than two years in and continue to look forward to everything this lifestyle has to offer while sailing to new destinations and meeting so many more people and cultures.

Photo Credits: Taylor Henley

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Photo Credits: Allie Reilly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Photo Credits: Anna Graves

Lauren Landers followed her heart, and her dad’s advice, and has enjoyed life to the fullest!

You can follow her adventures here:

YouTube: @laurenlanders

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THERE’S

THIS PLACE...

(Snorkeling Edition)

By Lisa Kerr & Dave Gagnon (Sailing Dark Angel)

Rudder Cut turtles are so chill

Nurse sharks are like sea puppies

This guy was following me around!

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Dark Angel, our 39’ Fortuna Island Spirit 401 catamaran, doesn’t have as much room for expensive dive gear as some bigger boats, and our wallets match. We may not have expensive SCUBA gear, but we have snorkels and fins, and we use them. A lot. We especially like to go to the places most tourists overlook.

Some of our favorite places, including Bimini, Conception Island, and the Exumas island chain in the Bahamas, have beautiful snorkeling areas that are teeming with underwater life and beauty.

If you’re looking for rays, sharks, turtles, parrotfish, lionfish, angelfish, stunning coral, or even man-made attractions, there are some amazing places to snorkel in the Exumas.

In Pipe Creek, surrounded by Compass Cay, Thomas Cay, and even the aptly named Over Yonder Cay, there are coral gardens that defy expectations. If you idly pass by Compass Cay, or just dip into the marina to visit the famous nurse sharks without stopping to snorkel Pipe Creek, you’re missing out on a spectacular array of coral, curious nurse sharks, toothy, big-eyed barracuda, shy turtles, and more fish than you can count. This breathtaking area is awash with beautiful beaches, sandy shoals, and even an Isolated swing set on a sand bar.

We especially love the fan and brain coral that is in abundance throughout. Be careful diving here, though. The current can rip pretty hard through some of the cuts out to the Bahamas Sound! Slack tide is your friend.

Some man-made snorkeling attractions in this area came about totally by accident, like the trucks we found or the cargo plane sitting quietly in the bay at Norman’s Cay. Visit the infamous plane at low, slack tide to get the best dive. The reef fish are friendly, and the plane wreck is fascinating. Any landing you can swim away from...

My favourite coral garden

Any landing you can swim away from

Ramora are always looking for a free meal

Not all man-made dives are accidental. Near Rudder Cut Cay, island owner and renowned illusionist David Copperfield sunk the now famous underwater sculpture “The Musician,” consisting of a full-size grand piano with an attentive mermaid perched on the bench. It’s about 15 feet deep and this majestic work of art is well worth a visit. There are also caves nearby that can be entered from the water, and if you know where to look, you’ll find fantastic, placid sea turtles nearby, idly munching on seagrass. Be respectful, though. Rudder Cut www.LatsAtts.com

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THERE’S THIS PLACE

and Musha Cays are private islands, and they don’t welcome visitors.

Stop in and see Dino, the “turtle whisperer,” at Little Farmers Cay, where you can feed huge sea turtles. Don’t forget to bring your mask, snorkel, and fins to dive with the turtles afterward. Little Harbour is teaming with fish and rays, and these giant turtles may actually seek your attention.

Farmers Cay turtles are used to people and some even demand attention

At first I was scared to death of this 5’ shark, then I fell in love

Explore this plane at low slack tide

For those looking to explore a bit of history while snorkeling, the Sapona shipwreck is a must-see destination. This historic vessel was a cargo ship that ran aground near Bimini in a hurricane in 1926 and has since become a popular spot for snorkeling and diving. The shipwreck is home to a variety of fish and coral, and the intricate metalwork and rusting hull make for an interesting and unique snorkeling experience.

If you’re looking for a more secluded snorkeling spot, we recommend the reefs and beaches at Conception Island. This uninhabited island is located north of Long Island and offers some of the most beautiful and pristine snorkeling experiences in the Bahamas. The waters here are crystal clear and teeming with marine life, making it a true paradise for snorkelers.

One of the highlights of snorkeling at Conception Island is the opportunity to spot a variety of pelagic fish, including tuna, barracuda, and even the occasional shark. The reefs here are also home to a wide variety of colorful fish, coral, and other marine life. The water is generally calm and shallow, making it a great spot for beginner snorkelers. This is a marine park, so leave your fishing gear behind.

We’ve barely scratched the surface in our underwater exploration of this enchanted 700-island country. The Bahamas is home to a variety of incredible snorkeling destinations, each with its own unique features and marine life. From the crystal clear waters and shallow reefs of Pipe Creek to the historic ship and plane wrecks of Sapona and Norman’s Cay, there is something for every level of snorkeler to enjoy. And with its crystal clear waters, Conception Island and Pipe Creek offer some of the best snorkeling in the Bahamas. So if you’re planning a snorkeling trip to the Bahamas, be sure to check out these incredible locations and discover the beauty and diversity of the Bahamian waters for yourself.

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Lifestyles

By Robin Stout

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One morning at the dock in Antigua Harbour Marina, we saw a Nordhavn arrive, and it was hard not to notice the family of five aboard from California: a mom named Brooke, a dad named Braden, two young kids named Rooney and Penn, and a baby named Leo in a pouch. We noticed the two kiddos seemed very mature and self-assured. We had to meet the family – the Palmers of the YouTube channel Aboard Mermaid Monster – and hear about this cruising family. Here is what they had to say, based on our conversation: Robin: Tell us about your family both when you began this liveaboard lifestyle and now.

Brooke: I hate to say it, but land life was tearing our family apart. Braden and I seemed to be going in semi-separate directions. I was doing my own thing with the kids, and he was busy working. We actually

had plans to demo our home and rebuild a bigger, fancier home. The day before the demo, I woke up and felt sick about our decision. It was like a scene from a movie. Braden woke up, looked at me, and said, “what are we doing?” We were just keeping up with the Joneses, as they say. We both knew something had to change. We canceled the demo plans that day.

That morning I told him, “you know that boat idea we talked about when dating? What do you think about just going for it now?” He knew this was his one shot before I might back out. We started calling brokers, and three months later, we were driving across the United States in a minivan rental along with our paddle boards, dog, and Eames lounger, where we would move aboard our Nordhavn 55 trawler in Southport, North Carolina. Have we ever owned a boat? Nope. Ignorance is bliss, right?

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Life Aboard: Aboard Mermaid Monster

tighter than you could ever imagine.

We are all best friends. I can truly say it was the best decision we could have ever made. While it makes zero financial sense most of the time, it makes perfect sense on so many other levels. It’s like this big magical secret that if you know, you know. You can try to explain it to landlubbers, but they just don’t get it. I know this because I was once one of them. You are always questioning and doubting the things they tell you are important in society. How much money do you have? How do you make your money? Out here, no one asks what you do for money. They don’t care.

You are instant friends with your neighbors whether you are rich or poor. It is exactly what life should be like everywhere.

Our family has also grown out here.

We went from two kids to three. We have a ten-year-old daughter, an eight-year-old son, and a four-monthold baby boy. We also have a giant Airedale terrier named Captain. The two dogs we started boat life with have both since passed on. We miss them dearly.

R: Tell us about your background and what made you decide to live aboard.

B: We have a pretty standard background. Without boring you with our entire life story, I will start with when Braden and I met. We met in college at the University of Utah about three days into the semester. In one of the first phone conversations we had, we ended up discussing our life dreams. He asked me if I could do anything, what would I do? I said to have kids and travel around the world. He one-upped me and said he would have kids, buy a boat and cruise around the world. I instantly knew that he was my soulmate, and 52

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that is no exaggeration. We dated for two years, tied the knot, and have been married for 15 years. Braden and I have thought a lot about why we decided to move aboard, and while there are many reasons, the biggest reasons being an obsession for exploration and a love for the water. Water offers us freedom. We can look out at the never-ending horizon line and search for the hope that we will find our achievable dream. Water instills that sense of exploration that exists within all of us. Seventy percent of our Earth’s surface is covered by water, and 95 percent of it is yet to be truly explored. To me, that is both powerful and humbling. We have no choice but to respect the water.

This basic thought has been the driving force behind our insatiable appetite to keep living this lifestyle. It is widely addicting, and we have zero plans of stopping.

R: Tell us about your boat, why you chose her, and how you named her.

B: We knew the make and model of the boat we wanted before we even decided to commit to boat life. We looked at exactly three Nordhavn 55 trawlers, put in an offer on all three, and ended up with Mermaid Monster. We chose this boat because it’s like the Range Rover of trawlers. It is rugged and super tough, can cross oceans, but is still very comfortable to live in. We think sailing is amazing; however, we had never owned a boat before this one and thought sailing seemed daunting to jump full-time into with a three and five-year-old. To each their own, but at the time, the Nordhavn felt right. I think Trawlers have a bad rep, but at the end of the day, they are extremely efficient vessels. We hold about 2,350 gallons of diesel. Yes, it seems shocking, but we only burn five gallons an hour with a cruising speed of around 8kts.

Our particular boat is a twin-engine Nordhavn, which is not very common for the brand. She is equipped to cruise a range of 3k nautical miles, has a water maker that makes 60 gallons an hour, and multiple redundant systems for radar, autopilot, navigation, and more. She’s a 75-ton tank, and we love her.

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Life Aboard: Aboard Mermaid Monster

The name came from the children. Our daughter wanted to name the boat “fun time sparkly mermaid rainbow.” She was five at the time – haha – and our son wanted to name the boat “monster” because he was and still is obsessed with Tim Burton and all his spooky monster characters.

I was on a jog one morning, and it just clicked: Mermaid Monster. If you look at our Monster logo, it is actually a loose overhead view of our boat. The three eyes are the three hatch windows, and the mouth is the Portuguese bridge.

R: What adjustments did you have to make moving a family onto a boat? What did you find to be challenging and rewarding?

B: I shared this question with Braden, and the first thing he said is, “it’s more like what adjustments would we have to make to move back to land,” haha. We’ve been doing this for so long that we can’t even remember. Honestly, there weren’t many adjustments. The kids were little at the ages of three and five, so they were both easy and mobile and had zero roots in our hometown community. If you ask Penn where he is from, he will most likely say, “I am from nowhere”, or “I am from Mermaid Monster”… it used to put a confused smile on people’s faces.

The challenging parts of boat life are honestly simple tasks. A task that you are used to being quick, like running to get groceries, turns into a few-hour ordeal, especially if you are arriving at a new port. You need to source a market, get there, buy groceries (I always unbox stuff during the checkout despite the weird looks because it saves on unloading the packaging once on the boat), and then get all the food back, loaded on the tender, unloaded off the tender, put everything away, and throw out the garbage.

The rewarding parts of boat life are also simple tasks, in my opinion. It feels good to be mostly self-sufficient. For example, waking up in a new anchorage, finding a good fishing spot, catching dinner, and cooking it outside on the grill as the sun goes down while the children play on the beach. Those are unforgettable moments.

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R: How do you think your children have benefited from living aboard?

B: This is a question Braden and I discuss daily.

Literally. We are always assessing and reassessing.

Is this boat life still benefiting the kids? The answer has always been yes, even when we are doubting it. Something we have noticed is how innocent our kids are. I am guessing that it is because they simply aren’t in school. They are free to use their imagination, and we school them at a pace that is efficient and fun for them. People have criticized us, telling us that we can’t shelter our kids forever, and my response is, “I sure am going to try for as long as I can,” haha. Our kids are also exposed to so many different life scenarios. From handling bad weather to navigation through difficult water or exploring a new city and culture, you can’t beat it.

They are also introduced to many different people from various backgrounds and lifestyles. We have friends that are billionaires, and we have friends that are basically glorified homeless, and they are all amazing and incredible human beings.

R: How long have you been aboard, where have you traveled? Where have been your favorite spots and why?

B: Our family has been cruising for five years now.

We have close to 20k miles under our belts. We have cruised the entire East Coast of the USA multiple times and have gone all the way up to Maine and all the way down to Grenada. A few of our favorite spots are the Bahamas, Southwest Harbor in Maine, Liberty Landing in NYC, and Antigua. The Bahamas and Antigua have crystal clear water, endless beaches, and a chill atmosphere. Southwest Harbor has crisp ocean air and is close to amazing hiking

in Acadia National Park. The kids love NYC, and we have found Liberty Landing Marina to be a great affordable way to “do NYC.” It’s just a ferry ride away from the city, and the night view of the lights is amazing.

R: What are your future plans and why?

B: I honestly don’t know. If you are a cruiser, then you know this is almost an impossible question. You make 17 plans, throw them away and end up doing the one that your friends are doing last minute, haha. Or at least that is what we always end up doing. However, our loose plans are to cruise back up the Caribbean chain, make a pit stop for boat work in Florida and then head up to Nova Scotia for the summer. After that, maybe an Atlantic Crossing, or we will head West through the Panama Canal?

We want to stay a bit more stateside for the next ten months or so with Leo, our baby, being so little still.

R: What advice would you give other families considering this lifestyle?

B: Do it. Don’t hesitate. I promise it will be the best years of your life. Don’t wait for a “better time.”

The Palmer family moved onto Mermaid Monster in July 2018. Follow them and their adventures here: @aboard_mermaid_monster www.aboardmermaidmonster.com

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SAFETY AT SEA on a

TRANSATLANTIC PASSAGE

By Capt. Jeff Werner

In the fall of 2021, a yacht owner hired me to sail his new 54-foot Nautitech Catamaran on a transatlantic passage. After a successful shakedown cruise with untested crew from Lisbon, Portugal to Lanzarote, Spain in October, it was time to prepare for the final transatlantic leg from the Canary Islands, Spain to Antigua in the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands in December.

To assure safety at sea while voyaging requires proper passage planning and constant situational awareness. Whether for an overnight coastal sail of 150 nautical miles, or more than 3,500 nautical miles across an open ocean, passage planning is divided into four phases: appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring: www.LatsAtts.com

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Appraisal: All information relevant to the contemplated passage should be considered, including: • The condition of the vessel and its equipment.

• The need for competent and well-rested crew.

• The requirements for up-to-date certificates and documents for the boat and crew.

• Purchase of accurate and up-to-date charts (paper and digital) and sailing directions, cruising guides, current and tidal atlases.

• Availability of weather routing services.

PLANNING: Based on the appraisal, a detailed passage plan is prepared to cover the entire voyage from the departure point to the arrival destination, including: • Plotting the intended route on the appropriate scale chart.

• The method and frequency of position fixing (GPS, celestial navigation, hand-bearing compass).

• Environmental considerations for disposal of garbage and holding tanks while underway.

• Contingency plans to proceed to a port of refuge in the event of an emergency noting all potential safety hazards along the intended route.

• The details of the passage plan should be clearly marked on charts and written in a notebook.

EXECUTION: Having finalized the passage plan, and the time of departure and estimated time of arrival determined, the passage is executed in accordance with the plan.

Monitoring: Using the passage plan as a guideline, the progress of the boat is closely and continuously monitored: • Changes in weather, sea state, navigational hazards, equipment failures, and crew health may require necessary alterations to the passage plan.

• Monitoring is a feedback loop; being self-sufficient, flexible and creative is the key to any changes with the passage plan.

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Cap in a

Takeaways from my transatlantic voyage:

Captain Jeff Werner successfully reeling in a dorado for dinner.

• Having more crew than the insurer’s minimum requirement of three, allowed ample rest and time for relaxation, maintenance, and daily chores.

• A warning of pirates masquerading as refugees from Western Sahara became a reality when a suspicious pirogue approached. We steered away from the potential pirates and alerted the Spanish coast guard in Gran Canaria.

• Running gear chafe is the silent enemy on all sailing passages. Jibe preventers and a mainsheet soft shackle were repaired or replaced underway.

• Weaker than normal tradewinds, and an intense polar low-pressure system that dipped into the intended route caused changes in both headings and sail plans for days at a time. Daily satellite updates from PredictWind offshore weather routing provided assessments of forecasts and was a very useful planning tool.

• A failure of a cooling fan in the large onboard freezer caused the loss of proteins for seven dinners. Due to thawing, chicken breasts, pork chops, shrimp and ground beef had to be tossed overboard.

Thankfully our success at trolling underway allowed us to replace those seven dinners with freshly caught dorado.

This was my third west to east transatlantic passage under sail, and each one has been different. The watchwords for voyaging are always “expect the unexpected”.

about the author Jeff Werner has been a yacht captain for more than 30 years. he is a certified instructor for the RYA, MCA, USCG, and US Sailing. jeff has completed over 100,000 miles of passage making under sail.

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Welcome to British Columbia From the blue and green of Puget Sound and Seattle, through the Salish Sea and along the Inside Passage through to Juneau, Alaska and Glacier Bay, lies a world of discovery, and a lifetime’s worth of memories; just don’t expect to be satisfied after one season. Almost 1000 nautical miles long, this passage works its way through bustling picturesque coastal cities, dense rain forests, quaint island communities, and remote anchorages. With deep fjords into the mountainous landscape, the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC) provide a unique cruising destination, teeming with adventure.

Although the adventure of the Pacific Northwest is the leading draw for boaters everywhere, the waters for the most part are extremely safe, with less than 6% of the Inside Passage being unprotected.

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On the southern border of British Columbia is Vancouver, a coastal metropolis offering a variety of marinas, fine dining, and entertainment under the picturesque backdrop of Lions Gate Bridge and the Coastal Mountain Range. With year-round cruising both here and the Southern Gulf Islands, the small trip through Burrard Inlet and up Indian Arm is the perfect representation of the diversity that the entire 500-nautical mile British Columbia coastline has to offer. This amazing day trip provides a unique experience as you leave behind the busy waters of one of the world’s busiest ports to the remote wilderness of a waterway only accessible by boat, all in just 10 nautical miles. Due to the steep terrain and granite cliffs along Indian Arm, the mountainous landscape has no development despite its proximity to downtown Vancouver.

Bute Inlet

A Mariner’s Dream.

By Steve Jackman

Cruising up the arm, numerous waterfalls are viewable from sea level during the summer with a few of the smaller ones turning to frozen ice-falls in the winter. At the head of Indian Arm, rumored to once have been a hideout for Al Capone, is the Wigwam Inn. Now a private outstation for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the Wigwam Inn originally opened as a German fishing lodge back in 1910.

The year-round cruising of the Salish Sea has a lot to do with the temperate climate as much as it has to do with the protected waters. Tucked in behind Vancouver Island, the protected waters of the Inside Passage have a 17 foot tidal exchange so many of these waterways can only safely be navigated at slack or smaller tides. The most famous of these is Seymour Narrows, which is potentially

the roughest natural waters in the world, flowing with a Reynolds number of around 1 billion. To give you some perspective, water is deemed turbulent with a Reynolds rating of 2000. What causes this turbulence in addition to the large tides, is the shape of the archipelago and Vancouver Island funneling the water to and from the Pacific Ocean at speeds in excess of 15 knots. Passing through the narrows at this speed, reflecting off the shores in various directions, causes friction between water layers and even large cavitations.

Although it sounds dangerous, simply paying attention to your tide charts and navigating these areas at slack tide makes the trip through the narrows quite pleasant. This wasn’t always the case; before its demolition in 1958, Ripple Rock,

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Mackenzie Sound

the twin-peaked mountain, was just 9 feet below the surface right in the middle of Seymour Narrows.

Since the first known ship sank there in 1875, 119 vessels have sunk, taking with them 114 lives. The decision to remove Ripple Rock was made in 1942, and the first attempts at holding a barge in place to use 1500 controlled explosions to remove the rock failed. In 1943, a barge held in place by six, 1-1/2 inch steel cables connected to anchors, snapped every 48 hours, and two years later the two larger overhead cables installed, kept breaking leaving the crew only able to detonate 93 of the 1500 planned explosions.

In 1953 a feasibility study was done on placing a large explosive inside the rock from underneath tunneling in from Maude Island. Over a 27-month period, three crews built over 2800 feet of shafts with two large “coyote shafts” where they put almost 1300 metric tons of explosives. The explosion is still the world’s largest non-nuclear explosion although claims that larger ones have happened in both Russia and China 62

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while building mines and rerouting rivers. Now Ripple Rock and both its peaks sit 45 and 50 feet below the surface at a low tide well out of harm’s way allowing safe passage.

This massive flow of water moving northwest up the Inside Passage into the Pacific Ocean subsequently creates a pocket of water adjacent to the east with much smaller tide exchanges creating the warm waters of Desolation Sound. At 6,350 acres, Desolation Sound is BC’s largest Marine Park just 80 nautical miles northwest of Vancouver. The “warmest waters north of Mexico’’ are highlighted by the twin waterfalls off Cassel Lake up Teakerne Arm, and Prudeaux Haven with its myriad of bays and interconnected coves that are fun to explore via smaller craft. Tucked in on the west side of West Redonda Island is the community of Refuge Cove, the only year-round community within the park, and well deserved of its name, the bay has been a place of safe harbor from the winter

southeastern winds for boaters for centuries. The iconic store that has been around for over 100 years is well supplied for provisioning trips and tries to have “one of everything”. Their regular shipments through the cruising season make it a great place to provision if you’re planning on spending the week indulging in all that is Desolation Sound.

If you’re more in the mood for a remote wilderness adventure and less boating traffic, as Desolation Sound can be quite busy during peak cruising season, then further north you go. Progressing through Discovery Passage and Seymour Narrows, or through the Octopus Islands and Okisollo Channel you start the 86-nautical mile trip up Johnstone Straight to the Broughton Archipelago. Known to blow even in the summer with the traditional afternoon northwest winds, Johnstone Strait can be easily navigated even if you are cruising at slower speeds. The trip can easily be broken up along the way with a variety of quaint marinas and private anchorages to choose from, all nestled in among the mountains. If you are looking for a little water sports adventure, the standing wave within Okisollo Channel happens to be a destination for paddlers around the world. The wave forms on flood tides over 7 knots and under 10 knots the wave is perfect for a quick surf. In larger currents, the wave becomes much steeper and much more challenging and doesn’t always play well with others.

Cassel Falls – Desolation Sound

At the north end of Johnstone Strait is Blackfish Sound, one of my favorite places to spend a day.

The collection of wildlife, especially with their ratio to passing vessels, is unparalleled along the coast. I do love my fishing, and although there are some magnificent fishing spots closer to the tip of Vancouver Island, the rougher waters that come with them easily make my decision to fish among the abundance of marine life in and around Blackfish Sound an easy one. Robson Bight Ecological Reserve and its whale rubbing beaches are right here attracting Orca with the huge schools of salmon and other bait fish coming in from the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the Orca, it is basically a daily occurrence throughout the summer to also see Humpback Whales, Pacific White Sided Dolphin, Dall’s Porpoise, sea lion, otter, black bear, grizzly bear and eagles.

Maybe my mindset on a fishing experience is altered slightly because I was fortunate to catch my lifetime fish at an early age. I would rather spend my day in calm waters watching this marine playground www.LatsAtts.com

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Welcome to British Columbia - A Mariner’s Dream

The Broughton Archipelago

of wildlife go by with a slightly reduced chance of catching a bigger salmon than sit in 3’ waves all day.

Blackfish Sound also provides an entrance to the Broughton Archipelago, a cruising experience that used to feature a whole community of marinas. Now with a slight reduction in operating marinas, the focus has changed slightly to more of a wilderness experience at anchor, but there are still a few hidden gems with marinas and rural communities that make the Broughton welcome to all transient boaters.

Located right across from the Broughton Archipelago is one of the better marine hubs on the island in Port McNeill, near the tip of Vancouver Island. Accessible by boat, land, and direct flights to both Seattle and Vancouver, the town has a great community built around the harbor making it very efficient for provisioning. Protected by a recently improved breakwater, North Island Marina can host yachts for transient moorage up to 285’ making it a great spot to leave the boat in their care if you need to break up the cruising season or switch out guests or crew. Built with hospitality in mind, the marina’s unique in-berth fueling system makes it one of the most convenient experiences on the coast while its eye-catching 10’ custom stainless BBQ is straight from the grilling gods. Not hot enough for you? Just turn the ship’s wheel starboard to really sear today’s 64

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catch. Being located near the tip of the island, the marina’s advantageous location also makes it a great spot to wait out any inclement weather before crossing north on the 56-mile nautical trip across Queen Charlotte Sound into the Great Bear Rainforest.

Whether you are continuing north along the Inside Passage from here, circumnavigating Vancouver Island to explore the sandy beaches and offshore fishing off the outside of the island, or slowing the pace to enjoy one wof the aforementioned archipelagos, British Columbia’s waters have a little bit for everyone. If you are looking for a teaser of the Pacific Northwest there are plenty of bareboat charter options available with fleets including powerboats, sailboats and catamarans. If you’re ready to pull the trigger and bring your own vessel, yacht transport is an option for delivering right to the south end of Vancouver Island in Victoria, and there are plenty of service yards and marinas around for any needed off-season maintenance and upgrades. Regardless of your plans on how you want to experience the Inside Passage and the trip to Alaska, the 500-nautical mile stretch of the Inside Passage of the British Columbia coastline is a mariner’s dream, and we’ve barely covered the tip of the iceberg.

Blackfish Sound

Vancouver – Coal Harbour

Straight of Georgia

Calm Channel

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Dawn in Watamu

This is Why I Sail:

CASSANDRAVILLE

SAILS TO KENYA

By William Kosar, JD, LLM

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Dawn Ngomeni

The planning for this voyage started following our last sailing trip up to Lamu, Kenya, in March 2022. We had sailed across Ungwana Bay several times before, and I wondered if anyone had cruised it and knew cool places to anchor and explore. Earlier this year, we also drove up to Kipini at the north end of the Bay to check that out as a possible anchorage.

Bahari Hai, a local CSO who works with Beach Management Units (BMUs) on sea turtle conservation, published their report on turtle nesting sites earlier this year. I approached Justin several weeks ago about my plans, and we met on Wednesday with a few of his people. He put me in touch with Daniel Maisa up there, and we made plans to sail up on the very next Saturday morning.

The previous day, I contacted the Kenyan Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (RMRCC) via email and let them know by phone the morning of the departure that we were on the move and advised them of our destination.

We planned to sail at first light, and we were on the beach at Ocean Sports Resort just in time to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean. We were underway and crossed over the reef at 0615.

As Malindi Bay curves north, we couldn’t follow along the coast as we would soon run into a number of large reefs off of Jacaranda and then Leopard Reef and the Malindi Marine Park, so we made for the waypoint of Mid Canyon, hoping it was far enough offshore to avoid all the fishing nets. Wrong!

We snagged one with one of our fishing lines. We then made for Boiling Pot, and then we were in the clear as the next waypoint was Ras Ngomeni.

As we sailed past Che Shale Resort, flying along downwind under our black spinnaker, the fishing line screeched.

“Samaki!” (fish), I shouted! We quickly landed a five to six kg Giant Trevally (aka GT or Kolekole, in Kiswahili), we got ourselves organized and underway, and then again, the lines screeched! This time, a three kg kingfish.

We then adjusted ourselves and made for the Ras. It always thrills me to pass it and see it up close. We waved at the people ashore – I always wave to them and passing fishermen – and then set our sights on the San Marco & Broglio space platforms. As promised, I rang Maisha, who said once we passed the largest of the three platforms, to follow the GPS track straight in, and he would be waiting for us on the beach (S2⁰ 52.334 E40⁰ 10.154// S2⁰ 52.581 E40⁰ 08.736).

The water was shallow (8 or so feet) but had a consistent depth. We did as he said and could see the villages on the beach waiting for us while a few tried to fish with a long net — no luck).

Fisherman Daniel Maisha, who is Chairman of MABICO (the local conservation CBO in Marereni), met us on the beach.

He promptly offered to take us to Coco Beach Restaurant.

After a trek across the island and then a canoe ride up a shallow muddy tidal creek, we made it to the mainland and the miles and miles of salt ponds, where we took two motorbikes amidst the many ponds to the destination only upon wading across two or more rivers, Daniel received a call that CassandravillE had drifted ashore and was in the mangroves and that the villagers were pulling her back to sea as the anchor had not held.

We turned around, and Manu and Muema raced back.

I, being terrified of motorbikes, went back at a slower pace on the motorbike driven by Maisha. When we reached the destination, the water wasn’t high enough for the speedboat to take us, but the dinghy arrived after some minutes (and much praying from me). www.LatsAtts.com

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This is Why I Sail: cassandraville sails to kenya

Arriving Giriyama island

On the way back to the beach, we saw where their fishermen were raising saltwater tilapia (Tilapia zillii) which takes eight months to mature. They just sold the last crop a few weeks back but at a poor market price.

Ap

I had arrived to see the yacht a little further out to sea with Manu and some teenage girl on board.

The yacht was covered in branches and mud, and the starboard diamond shroud had snapped. (As I write this, I am waiting for the replacement to come from the rigger in Cape Town. The port window was broken in half, and we just found out the other day when we beach the cat to clean the bottom that the starboard rudder shaft had become bent and is now fixed.) We noticed that we were still dragging, and the decision was made for my Plan B: anchor behind Ngomeni.

As a thank you to the villages, I donated the two fish (I always view fish as a Gift from God) to the villagers. Manu paddled then to the shore, and Muema could see the children of the village dancing around the fish. I was too shaken to notice. Apparently, they had not caught any fish all day.

We then sailed off into the darkness to where the GPS indicated the village of Ngomeni was. I didn’t want to go into the village, so I aimed for two dim lights on shore. After about two hours, we arrived and followed what I thought were the lights for the mlango. We then dropped and set the hook in about eight ft of water, as the tide was going out.

Welcome to Che Shale

I rested in my berth while Muema cooked up some pasta Bolognese. I went to sleep immediately thereafter but was up just after midnight to check on the anchor and watch the brilliant full moon eerily light up the sand dunes. It seems that we somehow had gotten over the reef without going the mlango, which we saw and marked on the GPS in the morning.

I was up just before 0600 to watch the sunrise over the Ras. This is why I sail.

We were underway before 0700. I found on previous occasions that the Kenya Revenue Authority can be aggressive in demanding bribes, and the brutish Kenya Coast Guard can be, well, brutish.

I then set a course for Che Shale Resort to see if we could get near there. Fellow catamaran sailor Chris had warned me that it was treacherous. We sailed close along the reef on the south side of the Ras, looking for the mlango as this is reputed to be a good place to anchor. We then sailed towards the three new blocks of flats overlooking the bay.

I had thought about sailing along toward Che Shale. Justin later told me that we could, but we need to know the route amidst the mwambe (reef) and mawe (rocks).

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Gir

Gir

Approaching Ras Ngomeni

Giriyama Island Beach

Giriyama Island Beach

Bill n Daniel

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This is Why I Sail: cassandraville sails to kenya

Muema pulling the spinnaker sheet

Justin, the laid-back proprietor of Che Shale Hotel, rang us, as we were three miles out, and called to ask if we stopping by. In fact, as noted, we were making for Che Shale when Justin rang. In fact, he had seen us sailing by the afternoon before heading north. So, we made for the world-famous Barefoot Beach Hotel. He told us to aim for his sport fishing boat Snark and to take the white mooring ball just behind it.

His dinghy was waiting to ferry us to shore, where we were greeted on the beach by Justin, his wife, two daughters, and two lovely docile Labradors (who Manu thought were the size of cows!)

Che Shale, for those of you who have not been there before (my wife Cassandra last took me and my daughters there about ten or so years ago), is a wonderful, chill, relaxed sort of place (with a reassuring “no speedo” rule).

Along the way, my friend Laura had told me via WhatsApp that she had three wageni (guests) for a sundowner onboard CassandravillE, as we do the occasional charter. We could not make it to Watamu in time, but they suggested that I could pick them up at Malindi Sea Fishing Club (MSFC), and they could sail with us back to Ocean Sports Watamu.

Poor holding Giriyama Island

We arrived at 1415 after sailing across Malindi Bay with an expected pick-up time of 1430. I had called Angus of MSFC, who had arranged for the club dinghy to collect our guests and bring them to the yacht. Manu went ashore. After many desperate phone calls to Laura, the guests finally arrived at 1530. I was annoyed because we lost an hour of daylight waiting for them as it is a four-to-five-hour journey.

Malindi is surrounded by reefs and shallow water to the south, so we made our way again for the Boiling Pot and then Mid Canyon.

At about 1700, we set the sails and turned off the motor, and had a wonderful downwind sail under jib and main back to Watamu. The sail was so wonderful that I had completely relaxed and had forgotten about all the drama of getting the guests on board a few hours earlier. The sunset was beyond magnificent, with many different shades of red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple.

We arrived back at our mooring in Watamu safely at about 2000. What a wonderful cruise it was, with so many adventures! …

Bill Kosar has been a passionate sailor for over 52 years, having started out as a junior sailor at Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Canada when he was 13. He moved to Kenya in 2008 and has since made his home in Watamu, where he and his wife, Cassandra, have lived since 2011.

You can learn more about Bill and see CassandravillE’s latest adventures at www.youtube.com/@sailingcassandraville.

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Camden

CRUISING Mid-Coast Maine Explore Hundreds of Islands and Shoreline

By Bob Arrington - Photos by Dori Arrington At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much to Maine’s coast from Casco Bay to Mount Desert Island.

At just 100 nautical miles, it’s an easy day’s cruise in the average downeast motor yacht. However, if you want to discover the hidden treasures of Maine’s coast, all you have to do is slow down and take the path less traveled. It may only be 100 miles traveling straight, but if you follow the shore line in and out of all the bays and rivers and take the time to explore its many islands, 100 miles becomes over 2000 miles of a breathtakingly beautiful shoreline.

Beginning with Casco Bay down east of Portland, mother nature opens her arms and draws you into one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the northeastern United States. With its crystal-clear waters, picturesque islands, and stunning sunsets, Casco Bay is a boater’s paradise.

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The bay is home to over 200 islands, each with its own unique charm and character. From the quaint fishing villages of Bailey Island and Harpswell to the rugged beauty of the Casco Bay Islands, there is something for everyone. The islands are perfect for exploring, whether you are interested in hiking, swimming, or simply relaxing on the beach. Dolphin Marina, on the southern tip of Harpswell Island, is worth the trip to Maine all by itself. A family owned marina and restaurant, Dolphin is a throwback in time where service and personal attention still means something. Their fish chowder is delicious and the warm blueberry muffins they deliver to your boat each morning are out-of-this-world.

One of the best things about boating in Casco Bay is the opportunity to see some of the area’s incredible wildlife.

Seals, whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all commonly spotted in the bay, as are a wide variety of seabirds.

The bay is also home to a number of lobster boats, and

there are few things more quintessentially Maine than watching a lobsterman haul in his catch.

Another highlight of boating in Casco Bay is the incredible sunsets. As the sun dips below the horizon, the sky over the bay explodes with color, casting a warm glow over the water and creating a truly magical atmosphere. Few things are more peaceful than watching the sun go down over the bay, with nothing but the sound of the waves and the gentle hum of the boat’s engine to break the silence.

Continuing down east from Casco Bay, many boaters make Boothbay Harbor their next stop.

Boothbay Harbor is a charming coastal town, known for its picturesque waterfront, historic architecture, and well protected harbor. The town and its surrounding areas offer a wide range of activities and attractions for visitors to enjoy, from exploring local landmarks and cultural institutions to relaxing on the beach.

North Haven Island

North Haven Island

A short drive away from the harbor, is the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - a must-visit destination, with 270 acres of gardens, ponds, and woodland trails to explore. The Boothbay Railway Village is another popular attraction, offering a glimpse into Maine’s transportation history with historic trains, cars, and artifacts on display.

As beautiful as our tour of Maine’s coastline has been so far, some say the best is yet to come.

Approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Boothbay Harbor is the entrance to one of the most spectacular bodies of water in the world Penobscot Bay. At over 1000 square miles in area, Penobscot Bay is a vast and beautiful bay. Penobscot Bay and its chief tributary, the Penobscot River are named for the Penobscot Indian Nation, which has continuously inhabited the area for more than ten thousand years. Today it still supports a thriving lobster harvesting industry as well as drawing thousands of tourists each summer to its crystal-clear waters, rocky coastlines, and picturesque islands.

Bass Harbor Head Light

Penobscot Bay is ringed with quaint villages, the most popular of which is Camden on the Bay’s western shore. Camden has a long history of ship building and as one of the country’s earliest summer resort destinations in. By the late 19th century, sprawling estates and mansions dotted the area around Camden. Today, many of those estates www.LatsAtts.com

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have become bed and breakfasts as Camden’s popularity as a resort town has continued to grow.

Boating in Penobscot Bay offers endless opportunities for exploration, relaxation, and adventure. The bay is home to hundreds of islands, each with its own unique charm and character.

Some of the most popular islands to visit include Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Isle au Haut. These islands offer a wide range of activities for boaters, from hiking and exploring to relaxing on the beach or enjoying a delicious fresh caught lobster.

Harpswell

One of the unique features of Penobscot Bay is its rich maritime history, which can be explored by boaters through visiting the many lighthouses, forts, and museums in the area. Some of the most popular landmarks to visit include the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, the Owls Head Transportation Museum, and the Maine Maritime Museum Next stop is Mount Desert Island, home to the popular Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain, with its stunning views of rocky coastlines, pine forests, and crystal-clear lakes.

Visitors to Cadillac mountain willing to set an early alarm, get to see the sunrise before anyone else in the continental United States. The island is a popular destination for boaters, with several unique harbors, serving as great launching points to explore the island.

Acadia National Park Penobscott Bay

A favorite destination for boaters is Northeast Harbor, with a charming downtown area, filled with boutique shops, art galleries, and restaurants serving fresh seafood and other local specialties.

The village has a rich cultural scene, with frequent concerts, art shows, and other events taking place throughout the small village. Located on the southern side of Mount Desert Island, Northeast is a popular destination for boaters exploring the island’s coastline.

Adjacent to Northeast Harbor is Southwest Harbor. Access to Southwest Harbor is through a large deep entrance. The harbor offers plenty of dockage with moorings and a marina, including fuel, and other amenities. The marina is conveniently located a short walk from the village, and easy walking distance to shops, restaurants, and other attractions.

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Southwest Harbor is also known for its friendly and welcoming community. Boaters enjoy the warm hospitality of the village’s residents, who are always happy to share their local knowledge and help visitors make the most of their time on Mount Desert. Full service yards are also available in the harbor.

A turnaround point for many on a downeast cruise is Bar Harbor, located on the north side of Mount Desert Island. The journey around the island to Bar Harbor by boat takes you past stunning views of Maine’s rocky coastline, passing lighthouses, coves, and fishing villages along the way.

Southwest Harbor

Once in Bar Harbor, there are many attractions and activities to enjoy. The town is known for its shops, restaurants, and galleries, which offer a taste of Maine’s unique culture and history. Visitors can take a stroll down Main Street, enjoying the charming architecture and bustling atmosphere.

The town’s marina offers docking for boats of all sizes, and boaters can explore the town on foot or by renting bicycles.

MID-COAST MAINE MARINAS

Maine’s remote location may seem daunting to reach, yet with a little planning and a good boat, Maine’s wilderness is reachable and worth the effort to explore.

7. Mt Desert Municipal Marina, Northeast Harbor

1. Dolphin Marina, Harpswell

2. Derecktor Robinhood, Georgetown 3. Boothbay Harbor Marina, Boothbay 4. Lyman Morse, Camden, ME 5. Front Street Shipyard, Belfast, ME 6. Dysart’s Great Harbour, Southwest Harbor 8. Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina, Bar Harbor

Courtesy of Maptech

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WHAT’S OUT THERE?

True North by Catalina Day trips and extended adventures! That’s what the new owners of True North Powerboats, our friends at Catalina yachts, have to boast about the potential for their new acquisition. Understanding the True North line appeals to sailors, Catalina now combines their legendary craftsmanship with the rugged and timeless Downeast aesthetic of True North. Let’s take a look at both the 34 and 39 Outboard Express:

True North 34 & 39 OE Called the “Go-Anywhere, Do-Everything Boat”, the True North 34 and 39 Outboard Express accommodations plan is designed for adventurous people who want to experience nature – comfortably. The main living spaces (including galley) are all on one level, and connect seamlessly to the spacious cockpit in the stern. Warm and dry when it’s

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POWER CRUISER

rough, open and airy when it’s not – you’ll always have an intimate connection to your surroundings. The boat’s “open concept” interior is the “galley-up” configuration popular with True North owners looking for a very social experience on the water.

The Outboard Express performs exceptionally well on flat water in fair weather. But its unique ability to handle rough weather and stormy sea conditions is one of the many elements that sets this boat apart. The sharp, plumb bow slices through the waves instead of pounding on top of them when the seas build and the hull’s balanced displacement and flatter aft sections deliver a rock-solid ride in virtually all weather conditions.

The True North 34 & 39 Outboard Express are proudly made in the USA by highly experienced craftsmen in Largo, Florida and with much the same attention to detail as the True North 34 OE, the 39 is in production and launching soon!

TRUE NORTH BY CATALINA

GET ALL THE FACTS:

www.truenorth.yachts TRUE NORTH 34 OE LOA 39’ Length of Hull 33’ 4” Beam 12’ 2” Displacement Approx. 14,000 lbs Standard Power Twin 300 HP Gasoline Fuel Capacity 250 Gallons 75 Gallons Fresh Water Capacity TRUE NORTH 39 OE LOA 44’ Length of Hull 38’ 8” Beam 13’ 6” Displacement Approx. 20,000 lbs Standard Power 700 HP Gasoline Fuel Capacity 400 Gallons Fresh Water Capacity 100 Gallons www.LatsAtts.com

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WHAT’S OUT THERE?

The iconic design of the Swan 55 represents over 50 years of evolution since the first Swan 55 was designed by Sparkman and Stephens in 1970. This was a legendary model which paved the way to the Swan 57, the Swan 53 and followed

by Swan 56 in 1997. The evolution of the Swan 55 is sure to write another page in the history of Nautor’s Swan based on the pillars deeply rooted in Swan DNA: Elegance, Quality, Performance and Reliability.

Swan’s have always been designed taking the deck and organization into account and this recent iteration is no exception. Safe and reliable sailing combined with comfortable accommodations living aboard. Great attention has been paid to proper protection both from adverse weather and from sun with well-designed sprayhoods, biminis and awnings.

The current Swan 55 follows the timeless adage of her predecessors, adding in some new innovations that enhance livability still further in the cockpit and transom areas, like the “transformer” tables or the extra-long swimming platform.

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MONOHULL

odds with one another: space and liveability to comfortably call it home, and at the same time, incorporating elements allowing you to move around below decks in safety when sailing in heavy weather. Ample natural light, necessary storage spaces and functional areas are all trademarks of Nautor’s Swan.

As we’ve come to expect, the Swan 55 offers an exclusive layout combining all these elements. There are three comfortable cabins with two heads, complete with a separate shower box (third head is optional). The salon and galley are designed for maximum liveability but also to be very functional while under sail.

From architect German Frers: “The Swan 55 model line represents a new generation of hull design developed with the assistance of tools available today to study the behavior of the canoe body in all sailing conditions. These are hulls with a powerful back end that attain maximum sailing length and low resistance while heeled thus the lowest possible displacement / length ratio and they provide excellent balance through the range of heel

SWAN 55 angles in combination with the well proven twin rudder set up. These boats need to carry a fair amount of equipment for the comfort of the people living and enjoying life on board. She will be a pleasant yacht to sail, both easy to handle and cruise in its standard version and race in its performance set-up version, which includes a square top mainsail and a bowspirit for the light weather and downwind sails”.

From interior designer Misa Poggi: “Three cabins, two bathrooms and a “stock” cabin, to be used according to the owner’s needs. A layout allowing great comfort for long periods of ocean navigation. The design matches with the materials. The one chosen for the Swan 55, have been selected to be aligned with the life onboard and it mirrors a perfect home-lifestyle… practical, pleasant, comfortable and durable. 4 essential elements that need to coexist at sea”.

GET ALL THE FACTS:

www.nautorswan.com SWAN 55 Designer

Germàn Frers

LOA 58.20ft Hull Length

54.50ft

Beam 16.40ft Draft 8.20ft Ballast, standard keel

16.600 lbs

Engine Yanmar

4JH110CR.81 kW 110 Hp

Displacement

49.494 lbs www.LatsAtts.com

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WHAT’S OUT THERE?

Already taking home numerous industry awards and accolades in 2023 we would be remiss if we didn’t follow suit and showcase the all-new Neel 43 Trimaran in this Summer issue. From families looking to cruise with space and style, to discerning and experienced cruisers looking for added performance, the Neel Trimaran delivers on all cylinders. Some excerpts from the official Neel brochure: The NEEL 43 continues to amaze and to innovate, marrying an elegant and striking design with impressive interior volumes, housed within reduced exterior dimensions. This model boasts all the features that have made its range of predecessors so successful... a trimaran that is both fast and safe, comfortably accommodating up to 10 passengers, yet easily maneuverable by a small crew. Its handling at sea, coupled with its performance and comfort levels are outstanding. When it comes to living space, the NEEL 43 is bold and innovative. The sophisticated and refined design of the vast interior and exterior living area ensures a breathtaking panoramic view. The NEEL 43 features the renowned Cockloon®, an impressive interior/exterior living space made possible by the wide opening between the cockpit and the saloon. It also incorporates the extra-wide Full Beam Cockpit® with multiple seating configurations 84

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CRUISING CATAMARAN

that can be rearranged to take full advantage of the different vistas. In addition, a built-in plancha provides the opportunity to safely cook outside. The helm station is especially ergonomic, offering a triple seat shaded by a sun awning fixed on stainless steel tubes. Its access, from the cockpit via side steps or from the deck, ensures seamless communication between the skipper and the crew. The roof is reached by an integrated step on the side, rendering the mast, boom and sun-lounging area easily accessible. Around this area, a secure handrail has been incorporated for safe movement aboard. The wide, wellprotected stern skirts make it easier to access the sea and maneuver the dinghy. In addition, the system for lifting and handling the dinghy has been greatly simplified.

There are two double cabins, and the configuration of the saloon can be rearranged to sleep up to 4 people The master stateroom is on the main deck, a constant feature of NEEL-TRIMARANS, offering invaluable privacy and a breathtaking panoramic view. Also located on the same level is the bathroom, which is equipped with a rinse basin and closet.The double cabin at the front of the central hull is accessible from the saloon.The rest of the saloon, with

NEEL TRIMARAN its kitchen and chart table, is an entirely open-plan and highly ergonomic living space, and the main seating can be converted into a double bed. In addition, a partially-segregated double berth resting area makes it possible to take part in life on board whilst relaxing comfortably, without getting in the way of the rest of the crew. It is also an ideal place for children to take a nap, where a watchful eye can be kept on them. Finally, at the front end of the floats, accessible from the main deck, there are two single berths, which further increase the sleeping capacity of the boat.

For more information visit www.neel-trimarans.com

GET ALL THE FACTS:

www.neel-trimarans.com NEEL TRIMARAN Overall Length 43’ Overall Width 24.60’ Draft 4.95’ Displacement (CE norms) 9T Full batten mainsail 630 sq.ft Fuel 80 USG Engine Diesel 50 HP www.LatsAtts.com

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Mum-Sara, Dad-Lee, son-Taj and daughter-Bella. Jumping off there floating home in Sumatra Indonesia

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TEENS ONBOARD Tips and Advice to Ensure your Teen Liveaboard Experience is a Positive One

By Erin Carey, and Sara and Lee Rice of Catalpa II

Our names are Sara and Lee, and for the last eight years, we’ve been exploring the seas with our two children, Taj and Bella, along for the ride. While it’s not smooth sailing all the time, we absolutely love the lifestyle we’ve built and the experiences we get to share with our children.

Lee and I grew up on the East Coast of Australia, where our lives were full of outdoor adventures such as surfing, fishing, and camping. We’d always enjoyed the ocean, so when our children were born, it also became part of their lives. Since we lived close to one of the world’s best surfing beaches, we spent a lot of time there.

At the time, our family life was quite normal.

Lee and I ran our own business, and the kids were in school. While we never considered ourselves financially rich, we had everything we needed.

Still, something inside us yearned for a life of adventure. We dreamed of sailing away and traveling the world.

When Lee and I both lost a parent, we realized life was too short. We hadn’t purchased a home on land because we wanted our future to be spent sailing the world while living on a boat.

So, in 2014, while Taj was nine and Bella was eight, we purchased a 44-foot sailing boat named Catalpa. A lot of maintenance was required, but before long, we’d taken the kids out of school www.LatsAtts.com

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TEENS ONBOARD - Tips and Advice to Ensure your Teen Liveaboard Experience is a Positive One and set off to follow our dreams. Many might have called us crazy, but it’s been the best decision we’ve ever made.

The kids were always the number one concern, and we were clear that if they ever wanted to return to land, we’d do that. Fast forward to today, and we’ve upgraded to a 53-foot boat called Catalpa II, which gives us plenty more room. Taj is now 17, Bella is 16, and they’ve now lived half their lives sailing the world on a boat.

EDUCATION Many wonder how we manage our children’s education while living on a boat. The reality is it’s not much different from the homeschooling that many parents choose on land. There are some complications, of course, particularly if we’re in an area with no internet service, but we also trust the children to be self-motivated and learn wherever they can.

Early on, we used primary school workbooks following the Australian curriculum, then moved to high school math and English while also letting the children choose other subjects of interest. They spend about 2-3 hours on schoolwork each day. Both kids have said they are not interested in attending high school on land, so if they decide to attend university, they will do a bridging course for that. Visiting so many different countries has helped them learn about language skills, local food and customs, and different religious beliefs. When we were in Indonesia, we learned how to cook local food with newly made friends in their homes. Taj and Bella also taught the remote village children how to play the ukelele. We visited the local mosque, where we learned about our friends’ religious beliefs, and we helped by planting trees in the jungle with the local teenagers.

In terms of online learning, we use a range of tools such as short courses on the topics they are interested in, podcasts, YouTube, and audiobooks to maintain their learning. They have even learned how to play the ukelele and guitar from YouTube. So, it’s certainly not a traditional high-school life, but the children love our experiences and maintain their education extremely well.

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university, but he’s been making his own money for years now. He has his own art business, Art of Taj, where he does digital design artwork. He specializes in logo and t-shirt designs, customized art pieces, and digital art prints and has an online store. He has also created a coloring book and illustrated a children’s book called “My Home is a Boat.” He is now considering moving into the tattoo artistry field.

Bella is still deciding what she wants to do, exploring courses online, and helping with video editing for our business. We know that both kids have gained a solid education so far, and they will excel at anything they put their minds to.

SOCIALIZATION For many teens, their friend groups are an integral part of life. Throughout our cruising life, Taj and Bella have constantly been meeting new people, quite often in different countries. This means they have learned to communicate with people of all different ages, religions, and cultures. When we’re in port, they do plenty of normal teenage things, such as going to the movies and hanging out with friends. They go surfing, hike up mountains, scuba dive, and go to the shops when we have other teenagers around.

Of course, they miss out on some social aspects of life, but we’re very clear that the option to return to land is always there. But we all keep choosing to travel and explore the world further. We believe that our kids have far more social skills than we did at their age, and we put this down to their resilience and willingness to embrace new adventures.

The cruising lifestyle also includes meeting up with and even traveling with other families occasionally. So, the kids have plenty of opportunities to make friends and still keep in touch with many online friends. Their favorite apps include Instagram and WhatsApp. It can be difficult to spend time with new friends in port or while traveling and then say goodbye, but the digital world keeps everybody well-connected, and the kids handle this extremely well.

In fact, for a whole year during COVID, we traveled with another family who also had teenagers. The younger ones were able to share amazing adventures snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, spearfishing, and exploring islands. Plus, our children spend a lot of time with other teens who may not speak English

Visiting a Bajo village in Tomia Wakatobi

Catalpa in Morotai Indonesia

On a hike in the Wayag islands Raja Ampat

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TEENS ONBOARD Tips and Advice to Ensure your Teen Liveaboard Experience is a Positive One well. This helps them to develop social and language skills, as well as learn to appreciate different cultures.

ENTERTAINMENT AND TEEN LIFESTYLE We’ve probably touched on some of the things our teens do for fun already, but it is an exciting and enjoyable life. That’s why we all keep choosing to stay out on the seas. We never feel bored because there is always something to do, such as surfing, fishing, jumping in the ocean for a swim, wake surfing, or scuba diving. While there is no typical day on the water, an ideal day consists of a morning surf session and afternoon spearfishing.

Nighttime is the time for us to all chill. If there’s no surf, we might go scuba diving or freediving or head on a hike. When we are somewhere nice, we make the most of our time outdoors as much as possible. We catch up on work, school, and study when we’re in port.

The kids have their devices for entertainment and keeping in touch with friends, but they’ve developed the skills to pay for these things themselves. Taj has his own business, and Bella runs our social media pages. Ultimately, there is always something to do, so we don’t see our teens spending hours on end playing video games or mindlessly scrolling.

When we were last in Australia, Taj got his learner’s license and will look into getting his driver’s license on our next visit. So, the kids are always doing something, whether learning, working to save money for themselves, or just enjoying all the cruising lifestyle has to offer. They certainly don’t get bored, but if they need time alone (as everybody does when living in close quarters!), they have their own space. Our upgraded boat was chosen mainly to give the kids more privacy as they age. It’s a 53-foot monohull with three cabins and much more room than our last boat. It also has two bathrooms, which is a luxury, along with a much larger deck area.

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Surfing Morotai Indonesia

The Mentawai islands Sumatra

OUR KEY LESSONS You learn so many things along the way, especially about the cruising lifestyle in general.

Life can be really difficult when times are tough on a boat. Yet when things are great, they are incredible.

You have probably heard this before, but there is no better way of explaining it – the highs are super high, and the lows are low, but when things are tough, there will be an incredible moment just around the corner. That’s why we’ve lived this life for so long.

From money worries to being unable to fly home as often as we’d like – you name it, we’ve overcome it! We’ve had countless blocked toilets requiring us to poop in a bucket for days and rough weather causing seasickness and sleepless nights. We’ve had unexpected broken parts taking up funds we don’t have and stranding us on remote islands. We’ve been hot, flustered, and angry with one another, and we’ve all felt like quitting – living on a boat is anything but easy. But those challenges quickly become a distant memory when you’re atop a volcano in Malaysia, euphoric from a natural high after hiking through nature for hours on end — or surrounded by manta

rays while snorkeling in the Philippines or scuba diving in Raja Ampat among the richest marine biodiversity on earth. However, of all the sights we’ve seen and the places we’ve visited, what made them even better were the people we were experiencing them with. We have met friends we will remember for the rest of our lives. Whether they were other boat families or the locals who graciously took us into their homes, we have enriched our experience in many ways with the amazing people we’ve met. It’s the people as much as the places that have kept our teens in love with this lifestyle.

In terms of making it work with teens on board, we’ve learned that it’s about embracing the time you have together. Sure, there will be challenges along the way, but we’ve found these challenges only bring us closer.

Only you can decide what’s right for your family, but we can say from experience that if you have teens with you and if they want to be there, it’s an amazing way to live. We have quite similar interests, which also makes it easier. We could imagine it being more challenging if you’ve got vastly different personalities and interests in your family.

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However, we’re excited about the future. We’ve recently spent six months doing boat work on Catalpa II in San Diego and have just sailed to Mexico. Eventually, we will head down the Baja Coast and up into the Sea of Cortez. After that, we will decide whether we go across the Pacific or through the Panama Canal. Our teens are more than happy to be on board, but we’re aware that they may want to get out and spread their wings in the near future. We’ll be fully supportive of that, and until then, we simply cherish every minute they’re with us.

North West Island on the East coast of Australia

Visiting a Village in Savu Indonesia

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Welcome to Team

Sail La Vie

By Steph Schuldt and Cole Harrison

Captain Steph explores the shallows with Zeaky onboard keeping a watchful eye.

Photo credit: Capt. Cole Harrison

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We Just

BLEW UP Our NEW TENDER…

Sound like clickbait? You’re right, maybe a little over the top, but we’re so excited about our new Flexboat SR 12 LX RIB that we wanted to make sure we had your attention.

I’m Captain Stephanie Schuldt, and I’m on a journey of discovery and adventure with my best friend, Captain Cole Harrison.

I started this journey after giving the corporate ladder a bit of a climb, only to decide it wasn’t for me. After ten years, I quit my job and moved down to the Florida Keys. I got my Captain’s License and bought a 46-foot sailing catamaran. She’s named Sail La Vie, but I call her home. I’m also a professional freedive instructor and even hold a world record for spearfishing.

Along the way, some mutual friends introduced me to Cole. Cole grew up in the Keys as a professional spearfishing guide and speargun builder. Like me, he also left a job behind to travel the world as a captain, guide, and cameraman.

Most recently, he’s been in the South Pacific, working on yachts and sailboats as well as the TV show Survivor.

Needless to say, we got on famously. So famously, in fact, that we decided to set out on www.LatsAtts.com

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Welcome to Team sail la vie this adventure together. We live onboard Sail La Vie with our two rescue dogs, Zeaky and Finn. We’re sailing through the Bahamas now but have dreams to sail the Caribbean, then through the Panama Canal, and on to French Polynesia.

This brings us to the Flexboat that we just blew up.

As you probably know, you don’t just head out to sail halfway around the world. There’s a lot of preparation involved, working through every system on your boat, checking the rigging, testing the electronics, etc., etc.

The list goes on and on. And every piece of equipment, every component has to be ready to do its job in the best – and worst – of conditions.

After a lot of research into dinghies and tenders, we contacted Flexboat, a Brazilian boatbuilder with years of experience building inflatable tenders for recreational and military use. In fact, their reputation for building tough, safe, and durable boats for the Brazilian military, police, and fire departments really set them apart from the other brands we looked at.

Right away, we realized that we needed a better dinghy to get to shore and back. But a dinghy is more than that for us. Since we’re divers, we needed a boat that could handle the extra duty of a dive boat. We’re hard on our boats, not in an abusive way, but in a “use” way. We’re covering long distances to get to dive spots, we’re hauling extra gear, we’re climbing in and out of the water, we’ve got spearguns, and spears, and dogs. In other words, we needed a boat that would perform exceptionally well in a wide range of activities, beyond getting from point A to point B. We chose the Flexboat SR 12 XL and call her “Flex.” Like all of Flexboat’s inflatables, 98

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Zeaky relaxes onboard his Flexboat as Captain Cole Harrison pulls him along taking in the sights of the underwater world.

Photo credit: Capt. Steph Schuldt

During a quick stop while exploring the Bahamas, Captain Steph gets smothered with kisses from her faithful companions.

Photo credit: Capt. Cole Harrison

Captain Steph’s spearfishing adventure in the Bahamas rewards her with a hefty size lobster catch for dinner.

Photo credit: Capt. Cole Harrison

Zeaky and Finn spend time on their new Flexboat, while their humans enjoy snorkeling in the Bahamas.

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Welcome to Team sail la vie

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it’s built with thicker Hypalon, so we don’t have to worry about the puppies’ nails or our spearfishing gear puncturing a hole. The sturdy rub rails make pulling up to rock walls and tying up to bigger boats worry-free. There is a solid nonskid deck on the inside, which keeps the pups and people from sliding around and stays dry through a clever drainage system. “Flex” features reinforced areas all over the boat that wear the fastest, including reinforced handles on both sides. The SR 12 LX is a comfortable dry ride – and fast, too. She’s the ideal inflatable for us and is a boat any sailor or water enthusiast should definitely consider.

So, like all inflatables, the first thing we had to do, once we got her home, was blow it up literally. I know, it’s a long way to come, just to get punned like that, but we’ve got a long way to go, and we’re counting on “Flex” to carry us to a lot of adventures.

Cole and I have a world of adventure ahead of us, and partnering with Flexboat puts us one step closer to making our dream a reality.

We invite you to follow along with us on YouTube (Freediver Steph) and on Instagram @captaincole and @freediversteph. Be sure to “like” and subscribe to our channels.

Captain Steph and her fur baby Zeaky off joy riding on a beautiful sunny day.

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UNBURIED TREASURES

New England

Rugged coastlines, temperate weather, quaint villages…all part of the recipe and romance of coastal New England. In this installment of Unburied Treasures, we’ve asked and you’ve answered with your favorites from New York to Maine. We hope you enjoy and are inspired to check some of these out yourself.

Best

ANCHORAGES: Block Island, RI >> Cuttyhunk MA Vinalhaven, ME

Favorite

CRUISING GROUNDS:

Buzzards Bay, MA >> Long Island Sound Casco Bay, ME

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Best WATERFRONT RESTAURANTS/BAR: Dolphin Marina & Restaurant – Harpswell, ME Claudio’s Restaurant - Greenport, NY The Oar - Block Island, RI www.LatsAtts.com

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UNBURIED TREASURES - NEW ENGLAND

Favorite

LOBSTER:

Young’s Lobsters Pound - Belfast, ME Lusty’s Catch Bremen, ME East Wind Lobster & Grille Buzzards Bay, MA

Hidden

GEMS:

Vinalhaven, ME >> Brooklin, ME Biddeford Pool, ME

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Favorite

MARINAS: Mystic Seaport Museum - Mystic, VT Kingman Yacht Center - Cataumet, MA Milford Landing Marina - Milford, CT

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TALK OF THE DOCK

5 INNOVATION AWARD ENTRANTS THAT ARE COMING YOUR WAY

By Zuzana Prochazka

The National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Awards are held each year at the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS), and this year, there were over 50 entrants in this prestigious contest which is judged by boating journalists. There was a good crop of hot products this year, so let’s take a look at a select few.

ION ELECTRIC OUTBOARD BY ILMOR ENGINEERING There’s been a proliferation of electric outboards lately, but none are slicker or more groundbreaking in their design than Ilmor’s ION, a 9.9-hp 6 kW motor that turned heads when it had its world debut. The ION’s motor is contained in an underwater bulb where it benefits from passive cooling in its submerged housing. Also, a first in the under-10 KW range is the integrated hydraulic trim system. Even a weed detection monitor notifies the user that the propeller is fouled, which may cause a thermal overload.

What stole the show, however, was the ION’s sleek design. An LED lighting strip is integrated into the backbone of the body and changes color based on “mode.” The system is red when charging, white when running (which is presumably a Coast Guard-approved stern light), and variable in party mode. The ION lacks a tiller, so currently, it can only be used for remote steering applications, but per the company, this may change. Retail is expected to be $5,000.

RESQLINK AIS PERSONAL LOCATOR ELECTRONICS

BEACON (PLB) BY ACR

Personal locator beacons have been around for years. Most of them work on satellite connectivity to search and rescue (SAR) or local AIS transponders that alert nearby vessels with a request for assistance. For the first time, ACR Electronics has combined the two technologies into one beacon. ACR has combined Automatic Identification System (AIS) functionality, Return Link Service (RLS) technology, and Near Field Communication (NFC) capability into the 406 MHz ResQLink, and that means boaters who’ve gone overboard have a much better chance of being located and rescued.

Alerting nearby AIS-equipped boats in a boater’s vicinity allows the closest vessels to respond directly to the digital mayday and pinpoint a precise location (within 10 meters). Also, NFC capability provides users with smartphone connectivity to the beacon, which now tells them that their distress message has been received and their location was detected, and that brings peace of mind. This dual-function beacon with a feedback function retails for $500.

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HALO 2000 AND 3000 RADAR

BY SIMRAD YACHTING No part of boating is advancing faster than electronics, and radar systems have been evolving at breakneck speed. Simrad’s two new high-performance radars, the HALO 2000 and 3000, feature higher pulse compression and improved detection ranges. HALO 2000 comes with 50 watts of power and visibility out to 72 nautical miles, while the HALO 3000 is a powerful open array with 130 watts of power and a 96 nautical mile range.

Exceptional beam sharpening for enhanced target separation is unmatched in the marketplace and the Bird+ mode targets flocks of birds at ranges of up to eight miles.

Whether you’re punching through the fog near a dangerous coast or looking for where the fish may be biting, the new HALO systems are a technological leap in the right direction.

Prices for the 2000 and 3000 are $6400 and $9000 respectively.

WSO200 WIND AND WEATHER STATION BY MARETRON The Maretron WSO200, an ultrasonic wind and weather station, can read wind speed and direction at up to 30-degree angles of the heel. This is perfect for sailboats and even powerboats operating in heavy, rolling seas. Additionally, all measurements are calculated using six ultrasonic sensors with no moving parts which can get caught in the rigging.

Data is displayed on any NMEA 2000-enabled device, and the information is available on any N2KView V3 software-enabled display. There’s no bearing wear, and the unit is sealed, eliminating malfunction due to salt, dirt, or birds sitting on it. The station operates at 9 to 32 volts and is water resistant to IP 67 standards. Retail is $595.

TACKLE TRAY STATION BY SEASUCKER Sometimes you want to fish from your boat, but you don’t want to keep tackle and fishing gear out all the time. That’s where SeaSucker’s new removable Tackle Tray Station comes in handy. No need to drill holes for a permanent installation for this convenient package that holds two rectangular Plano tackle boxes and holders for pliers and a knife.

Using SeaSucker’s patented suction cups or “vacuum mount technology,” you can attach over 200 accessories to the boat and other surfaces. Mount anything from bike racks to electronics and cupholders to this newfangled tackle station - turning your yacht into a temporary fishing boat. Expect a retail price of around $250. www.LatsAtts.com

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s y! t e s a n w u r s nde U

*Pamlico inbound at sunset, Indian River Inlet, Delaware

By Robert Feld - Sunset out of San Diego

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By Dianna Peercy, Lake Erie

By Dr. Bret M. Ribotsky

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s y! t e s a n w u r s nde U

By Joe & Juliette on SV Osprey, a Pacific Seacraft 37

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By Linda Lindsey - view from her dock

By Steve - Mobile Bay, southbound on the Alabama River

By Kevin Spellman Sunset at Tyrell Bay Grenada.

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Paraty

A trip to Article and Photos By Capt. Jean De Keyser

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After an eight and half hour flight from Miami to Sao Paolo, and a four-hour drive through the Atlantic coastal landscape, we finally reached our destination, the colonial city of Paraty, located on the Costa Verde that runs along the coastline of the state of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

Admiral on a swing

We came here on an invitation from Wind Charters who were putting a Brazilian-made Delta 41 sailboat at our disposal to discover the area with the idea of promoting this destination with American sailors.

We had invited long-time Med Sailing Adventures flotilla supporters, Kevin and Delana from Oklahoma, to join us on this adventure.

A UNESCO Heritage Site of Humanity, Paraty was founded in 1597 By Portuguese colonizers and is now a popular tourist attraction. Visitors from all over the world come to enjoy the tropical surroundings and the hundreds of neighboring islands with white sandy beaches and warm waters.

Wind Charters has sixteen yachts, mostly Brazilian-made Delta sailboats in the 37’ to 41’ range. They also have a couple of Lagoons and a comfortable Brazilian-made Cat-Flash 41 a sleek-looking catamaran.

The marina is secure, modern and clean and the staff members are efficient and knowledgeable.

As soon as we got back from provisioning (don’t forget the beer!), we dropped the lines and set off for our Brazilian adventure. Our destination for the night was a peaceful anchorage on Ilha da Cotia. Several sailboats and smaller motor yachts had preceded us. It was now getting dark and time for dinner and cocktails.

We cooked a tasty spaghetti dinner and enjoyed a bottle or two of red wine. Life is good.

Time to go to bed but a little drama pushed our bedtime a bit back.

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A TRIP TO PARATAY

Fresh oysters

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sugarcane juice popular in Brazil) for medicinal and digestive purposes of course, and noticed a boat dragging anchor and heading our way. No crew members to be seen. They were already tucked in for the night. We started yelling and had roving fenders ready. Another hundred yards away from us, crew members on another boat started yelling too. Finally, the crew of the wayward yacht came up from below, but they had no clue what to do.

First, they shouted back at us that we were moving and not them. When they realized what was going on they were in total panic.

They had booked a crewed charter and each evening the skipper would secure the yacht for the night and the charter company picked him up. Without the skipper on board and with no sailing experience, they were floating further away towards the rocky shore. They were saved by the crew of the other boat who came to their assistance with their RIB. After they had been safely anchored, the cove turned quiet, and everyone got a well-deserved rest.

Sunday morning, the sky was gray and overcast and while we were enjoying breakfast on our boat, Malicia, a local fisherman paddled by in his dugout canoe and offered to sell us oysters.

We ordered two dozen, which he shucked right in his canoe. They were so delicious and the whole thing did not cost us even $10.00.

From Ilha da Cotia, we sailed to the other side of the bay of Ilha Grande to the small island of Cedro for a swim and lunch at the beach restaurant Bar do Coqueiro. We had delicious empanadas and a bowl full of small, fried shrimp, washed down with numerous Cachaças.

The following morning, Kevin and I paddled to the shore in search of additional food. We found wine, pasta, bread and some veggies and a local fish store. The fishmonger cleaned and fileted one red snapper and removed the scales and innards of the second one. The filets ended up as ceviche for lunch and the whole snapper was destined that evening for the grill on our boat. Unlike the Magma grills in the U.S.A., the

grill here was not propane-powered but worked on charcoal. So, we had to light charcoal with alcohol and wait for it to heat up sufficiently to start grilling.

Back on the yacht, we pulled the anchor and motor-sailed, sometimes in heavy rain, to the small bay of Piraquara de Dentro. This bay is very well protected from winds but we needed water and opted to go to nearby Porto de Frade, a luxury resort with a well-equipped marina.

There was no dock space available, and we got a buoy close to the entrance for the equivalent of US $40.00 and, fortunately, it came with free water taxi service.

The following morning, we went to the dock and filled up our water tanks and motor-sailed to nearby Ilha Cunhambebe Grande, named after an Indian chieftain who revolted against Portuguese invaders.

The island is beautiful with a very nice anchorage, but the rest of the crew was not as enthusiastic as I was and we continued to Ilha de Itanhangá. We dropped the hook under an impressive sheer monolith of a rock. Mila, Kevin and Delana paddled to shore and hiked a trail all the way up to the top of the monolith where they had a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

A nearby beach, called Praia da Piedade has an adorable small white colonial church, right on the edge of the water. Trails led from there to nearby beaches on the island of Ilha Gipóia.

Legend has it that the island is haunted by the ghosts of the first adventurers who got marooned there. It is a delightful place, worth visiting. We were anchored off the beach of Praia da Piedade and I decided to stay on the boat while the rest of the crew paddled ashore.

And it is Thursday! Time to sail back to the other side of the Bahia da Ilha Grande, but, before raising the sails, we stopped for snorkeling at the Ilhas da Botina, two small rock formations with palm trees growing on top and surrounded by crystal clear waters. We snorkeled for a good

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A TRIP TO PARATAY hour until the anchorage started filling up with tour boats carrying day trippers from Angra dos Reis. We swam among triggerfish, zebrafish, and other smaller fish.

When we left the Ilhas Botinas, the wind picked up with peaks of eight knots of speed.

It was almost a straight shot on a thirteenmile-long port tack from Ilha Grande to the entrance of the Saco de Mamanguá, a long and narrow fjord-like bay that ends in a culde-sac with depths of about 2 meters. Halfway down the “fjord” we found the village of Praia do Cruzeiro. We anchored for lunch and then continued further inside to Bananal, a stunning anchorage, well protected from all winds and with white sand beaches. We thought it was a perfect place to spend our last night before returning to the base. We had left our hatches open with the mosquito screens in place, but they were no barrier for the pesky No-See-Ums. We got attacked so aggressively that we had to close the hatches and try to kill as many as we could find. At six o’clock, Kevin started the engines and Delana raised the anchor to escape the onslaught of these miserable insects. We motored back to Ilha da Cotia, where we had spent our first night hoping to find the oyster man. No oysters but still plenty of flies inside the boat.

Around noon, we went to nearby Paraty Mirim, a tiny village with a restored colonial church and a beach with some bars. The wind was blowing and Kevin, Mila and I paddled ashore.

The wind was blowing straight into the beach and paddling that dinghy back would have been impossible. A local water taxi towed us back to our yacht and we left for our final leg, back to the base, where the dock crew was waiting and helped us dock.

They came on board and fumigated the cabins to kill the last bloodsuckers that were still hiding in nooks and crannies. On shore power, we finally were able to use the air conditioning.

Our last dinner in Paraty was at the restaurant at the marina with a delicious meal and excellent 118

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service. Soon after we were in the AC-comfort of our cabins for our final night aboard.

Check out was at eight-thirty on Saturday.

After breakfast at the marina restaurant we boarded our taxi for the four-hour ride to Rio de Janeiro. Like any other tourists, we had to visit the Sugarloaf Mountain, with the statue of Christ on top of the Corcovado and, of course, the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.

We loved this trip and are already planning our return visit for May 2024.

Autopilot lets us relax

Dugout on beach

It’s a hard life!

Church of Ilha Gipoia

At anchor at Ilhas Botinas

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Coffee,

Beers and Bingo 124

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This March, Young Cruisers Association (YCA) co-founders, Caroline and Logan Rowell, sat down with four other YCA members for a chat about some of the realities of cruising in 2023.

Although not a perfect sampling of the incredible diversity within YCA, these four couples represent three countries, fund their cruising lifestyle in varied ways, hold different relationships with social media, some are cruising with kids and are married and unmarried. Most importantly though, they were all in Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas on a Monday night for bingo at Cap’n Jacks and met up again, the following morning, for a much needed coffee at the beautiful Hope Town Inn and Marina. Here’s where the conversation went:

On SOCIAL MEDIA: YCA: Let’s talk a little about Social Media. Taylor F, if you weren’t doing YouTube and other social media, do you think you would still cruise and work remotely? Or is YouTube the reason you are cruising?

Taylor F: I think it made it (cruising) a lot more possible for me. I don’t think I would be cruising right now, at my age, if it weren’t for [YouTube]. I like to think that I would have done it anyway, it just might have taken me a lot longer.

YCA: Because you lived on a boat before [YouTube], right?

Taylor F: Yeah, and I was waitressing and just living at the docks, so that was one way. But full time cruising and not having a base or anything, you kinda have to figure out remote [work].

YCA: So Cody, you and Therese have a YouTube channel (Sailing Vinyasa), is that in hopes that YouTube will eventually allow you to not have to go back and do seasonal work? Is the goal just to capture moments?

Cody: It’s a lot of ‘capturing the moments.’ We have family all over the world, so it’s a good way for us to show them what we’re doing and we don’t have to make a phone call and explain what we’re doing every day.

Therese: Yeah, it’s just a lot of questions. I’ve traveled a lot and every time I come home it’s so much “where did you go, what did you do” to a million different people. This [YouTube] is just a good way to not have to do that. And it’s basically my little project - like I’m the one that edits, and I’m the one that wants to film.

But I’m not pushing it. Not making videos every week or anything.

the videos to be good because I think it’s fun to edit.

Like anything you post, you want people to like it.

YCA: So Chris (Triple Tail) and Alex (Islabela), you don’t do YouTube to my knowledge, that’s because it seems totally far fetched and foreign to consider filming and editing, or that’s because you are camera shy, or is that because you are lazy (kidding)? You guys are both young people that already live a life mirroring the kind of content you see out there. You shoot fish, you repair your own boats, so why no channel? Or let me ask another way… let’s say it was easy to accumulate hundreds of thousands of followers and it happened overnight for you. Would you do it?

Chris: So, there are some reasons I would consider doing it and some I wouldn’t. I would in regards to the fact that it seems like a decent means to making a living. Some reasons I wouldn’t: Firstly I’m an introvert, I like to keep to myself. Taylor, my wife, isn’t able to do dental hygiene (her trade) while we are cruising, so we thought about doing the whole YouTube thing. She talked to Taylor Francis who explained to her how to make the videos, etc. My wife got a GoPro and started bringing it out and immediately we realized that we were missing the moment. We would go down and shoot a nice fish that we were really excited about and Taylor would be like ‘we didn’t get it on camera, that’s a bummer.’ You lose some of that moment of excitement when you’re celebrating with each other when you get a big fish. And I think that’s the main reason we don’t do YouTube. Missing the moment.

YCA: So Taylor Francis, do you feel like you miss some moments? Can the job part take away from the experience part?

YCA: We know that for Taylor F, content and subscriber numbers are work. So, there is inherent stress involved. Would you say for you (Cody and Therese) your relationship with YouTube is actually stress free?

Taylor Francis: For sure, sometimes. And that’s why I tend to make a point of going and doing fun things with people and not even bringing the camera. When it’s a time I really just want to be present, I don’t bring a camera. And the other times I just know I’m going to have to sacrifice that.

Therese: I wouldn’t say totally stress free, but pretty close to it. I don’t have any ambitions [for our YouTube channel] and I don’t think it will be big, but I do want

YCA: I think that’s the biggest misconception with YouTubers. A lot of people assume if you are doing YouTube, you film everything all the time. But in all www.LatsAtts.com

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Meet

CHRIS AND TAYLOR STICKEL from Jersey Shore, USA. If you remember the TV show Jersey Shore, you can think the polar opposite when it comes to these two. If the life mantra GTL in that show stood for Gym, Tan, Laundry; The Stickels acronym would be DFL: Dive, Fish, Laugh. They live to be underwater chasing fish or trolling offshore, alongside million dollar sport fish boats, in their 17 ft tender. The pair are pro-level spearfishers and Taylor is a women’s pole spear world record holder.

Meet

TAYLOR FRANCIS AND KIKI TERRELS from Canada and USA. Once Kiki figured out they spoke the same language, he fell madly in love with a kindred traveling spirit. Many of you may recognize Taylor from her YouTube channel Taylor’s Travels, or her time on boats like SV Delos. Kiki and Taylor met through the YCA (yes we will always and shamelessly take as much credit as possible for this) directory when their boats crossed paths in Florida back in 2021. Both had stepped off the yellow brick road life had served up and chose boat/ RV adventures. It’s hard to find two people who enjoy a laugh as much as these two.

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the time spent with you, and Riley and Elayna, rarely is a camera out. And what about you Alex?

Alex Berg: Chris pretty much said it. I’m fine in small social settings like this, but I do not like being the center of attention. At all. I also feel like I would end up down the rabbit hole of constantly trying to look through a lens. Developing that on and off balance would be really challenging for me, I think.

YCA: Seems like YouTube success brings more of the balance. People that are really grinding hard to ‘make it’ on YouTube spend a lot more time filming and editing. So, question for you guys without a YouTube channel: Do you get asked by other cruisers or people around the dock or back at home if you have a YouTube Channel?

Chris: We have, many times. The moment people realize that we spearfish a lot, they sometimes ask us.

YCA: Does that make you think or feel pressure that: ‘maybe we should have done this?’

Chis: Absolutely. Especially since we know Taylor [Francis] and know it’s possible. But I also think the market is really saturated now, and that’s another reason I’d stay away from doing it. Taylor [Francis] has already developed herself and people trying to get into it now, there’s just too much competition.

YCA: This one is for the ladies. We obviously all live on boats and in bathing suits 90% of the time. We know now if you want to have tons more followers you could go full shameless. So where does the pressure start and stop when it comes to showing skin? Even if you only use Instagram for personal posts. Influencer or not.

Therese: Yeah, obviously it’s been proven—show more get more [on social media]. I don’t mind it but I also don’t have that many pictures of me in a bikini. I’m not that comfortable with myself, or with that kind of exposure. I don’t want the negative comments or people implying that I’m trying to do that [get more followers with skin]. So in one way, I’m shielding myself from that.

Taylor Francis: Regardless of follower count or whatever, there’s societal pressure all around most women. It’s not just a social media thing. It’s hard to just turn that off and say ‘screw society, I don’t want to

do that.’ But for someone like myself, that’s not what I want to be known for, my body or my appearance is the least interesting part about myself. I would like to think that people think I’m cool or give more likes for being a badass sailor. So finding that balance is hard and it’s different for everybody. What do you think, Caroline? (Are you allowed to interview the interviewer?)

Caroline: I think for me, as far as skin goes, there’s a couple sides to it. On one side, I’m proud of my body.

I’ve had two children and I feel like I’m strong and my body is capable of doing things. Not that I am trying to show it off, but my body is part of my human self that shows my spirit in a way. And I hate to feel ashamed of feeling like a strong woman. But on the flip side, especially as a mom, I also hate showing my body when I know there are tons of people out there that have a really hard time finding that strength or bringing their body back after giving birth. I always struggle when I post a picture in a bathing suit because I know I’m not struggling with diastasis recti or many of the postpartum things that can happen to our bodies. So, I try to always think about what other people could be going through and how what I am posting could affect them, mentally . Especially as a mom.

Therese: I can relate to that. I never had a problem with gaining weight, it went way on the opposite side of the scale, which was hard. But you can’t talk about that because people don’t think that’s a thing.

But last year I felt horrible. I was a shell of nothing.

And it affected me posting things. If I post a picture with skin it’s because I think that picture looks cool.

And it needs to look really cool to cross that line to get posted.

Caroline: And I think that’s the hard thing about social media. Obviously, we all know that people are posting the good stuff, the best of the best, the big fish or the good light.

Alex: I wish Taylor [Berg] was here because she would say the opposite, she’s always yelling at me to put clothes on.

YCA: The sarong doesn’t count?

Alex: Not when the wind’s blowing.

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Meet

ALEX AND TAYLOR BERG (yes, another Taylor)

from the USA. With a full-beard, thick luscious fro, and a fur coat of body hair, Alex will make any man question their T levels. Taylor, who sold her house and moved aboard with Alex after he won her heart with weekends cruising in the Chesapeake, learned to sail and says her transition to boat life was the ‘best decision of my life.’ Ever willing to join on an adventure, help with a project, or hang in the cockpit, these two are exactly what everyone wants in a cruising buddy.

Meet

CODY, THERESE, AND MILLY (LM) from the USA and Norway.

If you ever thought moving onto a boat in Norway with someone you met a couple weeks ago in Fiji was a terrible idea, Cody and Therese would agree. But it worked! They survived the ultimate personality compatibility test: living on a boat; and are now on their third cruising boat raising a beautiful toddler, Millie. Their recent purchase of a Brewer 44 had a few surprises missed by the surveyor, but fortunately they are savvy enough in the ways of boat work to make the structural and systems repairs to get Vinyasa cruising.

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Bonus Snippet

On RELATIONSHIPS:

YCA: Kiki you’ve been on multiple different boats.

Cruising alone, cruising with a partner (friend) and now on a boat with Taylor. If you were talking to a young person, would you tell them to do it now, solo. Find a buddy and go. Or wait until they have a romantic partner?

Kiki: My first boat (solo) was definitely the least stressful situation I’ve had on a boat. And I think that’s because it was entirely on me. I know that if the boat fails or something [messes] up, it’s my fault. Balancing a relationship or a friendship alongside with the stressors of having a boat is [hard]. Being in confined quarters with anyone for a long time, as we all know, that’s just how it goes. If you are with someone constantly, if you can handle being on a boat with somebody, that’s who you’re gonna be with; you’re gonna be sweet.

YCA: Yeah, very few people who even make it through two years successfully living on a boat cruising together have real relationship issues like many of our friends back at home might have.

Alex: And this rolls into the ‘do you wear deodorant question.’

Therese: Yeah yeah, there’s no hiding. After knowing each other for 10 days, we spent 5 weeks in my boat.

Cody: We made it past our first black water tank issue.

After that you’re either going to be together or not.

To join the Stoke and learn more about YCA visit www.youngcruisers.org

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Underway!

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Ever wonder why people love the boating lifestyle?

Well, here in the Underway section, folks from all over the world show us what it’s really like out there. If you have a photo you think tells a good tale, why not send it to us? Tell us who took the picture and where it was taken. We will probably throw it into our “digital pile” and use it some day. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide!

Email to: submissions@latsatts.com

By Karson Winslow Fakarava Atoll, Tuamotus

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By Martin Henry, Drifting into the nights anchorage

By Brian - Shelly and Moses enjoying a double rainbow in Puerto Rico

By Gary Peterson, San Juan Islands

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Underway!

By Gordy - Taken in the Bahamas on a recent flotilla

Cindy Holden on Tenacity.1

By Kellee Clare - Lola aboard sv the 410 Lagoon LunaSea

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Underway!

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By Gary, of a Fleet of wooden work boats in Volendam, Netherlands

By Jesse Krawiec, of SV Smitty, sailing near Hangmand Island in Quincy Bay

By Richard Northrup

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135

BIG ADVENTURES in “Little” RHODE ISLAND

By Mark Reid

Rhode Island may be the “smallest” state, but its rocky shoreline and winding coast seems endless. From the Mystic Seaport (seems more like Rhode Island than Connecticut) up past Watch Hill as you sail in between Galilee and Block Island past Narragansett (that’s my beer!) you’re left with a plethora of choices, all of them filled with oceanic delights.

Beavertail Lighthouse juts out at the south end of Conanicut Island as you enter the realm of historical Newport Harbor making your way past Fort Weatherhill and Horsehead (the Wharton family homestead) docking at TPG Conanicut Marina in Jamestown which lies directly across from Fort Adams, which plays host to the legendary Newport Jazz festival, in addition to countless other events.

Every direction you take, tack or gybe, in Rhode Island there is no wrong turn. Other states are certainly bigger, 136

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Yours truly on the rail racing on Long Island Sound with Oakcliff Sailing Academy CEO and Hall of Fame skipper Dawn Riley at the helm. Photo Molly Riley

but little “Rhody” packs a punch! Speaking of packing a lunch....

To anyone familiar with Newport regatta get-togethers on Narragansett Bay, it can seem like a bit of a crazed affair. Remember the scene in the movie Jaws when hundreds of boats are leaving the harbor at the same time and everyone is yelling and screaming at each other to get out of the way? Welcome to the moshpit madness of Rhode Island.

In what is always a conjectured rivalry on where America’s sailing capital might be, Newport always leaves little doubt as to who’s number one when the city is filled with thousands of international visitors wining and dining at the city’s fabulous restaurants and bars, surrounded by countless galleries and shops.

For those who visit, many park their luxurious superyachts on or off the cobblestoned piers of either

Bowens or Bannister’s Wharf. Home of the infamous Aquidneck Lobster Company, the Black Pearl and Clarke Cooke House.

The Cup’s illustrious past is inextricably woven into the entire fabric of Newport - its shops, inns, streets (including one named America’s Cup Avenue), galleries along with a rich, vibrant sailing tradition that continues to this day. And when a yachting event comes to town; watch out!

In 1983, many mourned the loss of the “Auld Mug” to the Aussies when the hearts and the actual Cup itself were torn in half in sorrow and grief when the “Men from the Land Down Under” left town with the Cup. Newport’s obituary was written and that was it!

Not true. Not only has Newport thrived and grown into more than America’s yachting capital, it knows how to put on a show. Witness in 2018 when The Ocean Race was set

to leave town on what started as a foggy, drizzly dreary day. Not a boat on the bay in sight. But still, outside of the neon colors of the bowsprits of the racing boats it appeared that even “Little Rhody” had overslept and the ships would sail to sea with nary a Narragansett ripple.

But wait!! When the clouds parted, and the sun came out, hundreds if not thousands of spectator vessels appeared out of nowhere to create a Rhode Island know-how; bumper to bumper boats with a yacht race in between!

For me, returning to Newport is always done with a bit of a sigh and trepidation. I miss its turquoise beaches, “Christie’s Restaurant”, the great seafood and last but least the Cup. The weekend wasn’t the best. A bit of rain. A bit of dreariness. But, in the end my stay was full of surprises! It is important to always do things a little differently. Even after touching base with my favorite haunts. www.LatsAtts.com

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For the first time I visited Harold “Mike” Vanderbilt’s “Marble House” which is like a veritable America’s Cup Museum. Every room was a lap of luxury. Vanderbilt was the owner/skipper of 3 of the J-Boat defenders of the Cup in the 1930’s and a legendary bridge playing master.

We hit Evelyn’s Crab Shack in Tiverton. If you like seafood in a casual drive-in environment, the place rocks and for a little bit of mystery and mayhem I couldn’t avoid driving up to Fall River to visit Lizzie Borden’s creepy house. It’s a Bed & Breakfast now. If anyone dares to stay there, let me know!

The next day I knew exactly where I wanted to go the Castle Hill Inn. The rolling lawn takes spectating to the next level as you can either say hello, or goodbye.

The Bloody Mary’s and jazz are legendary, as are the rooms which cost just $48.00 when I first stayed there and now are about a grand! Castle Hill is always welcoming, and its manicured lawns roll like a carpet down to the footsteps of the water’s edge as the racing thoroughbreds waft on past.

For me the poetry of my passion for the America’s Cup extends back to my first trip to Newport many years ago. It was nearly winter’s end and with spring’s early airs not quite in reach we crossed over to the island on an eerily dark evening. The wind that night provided a mournful howling as it ripped through the metallic tapestry of the bridge framework that surrounded us, the sounds of the fury churned like the climatic roar of a majestic symphonic crescendo.

“Horsehead’ was built by and still owned by the Wharton family, yes that is my middle name, but it’s not enough to get me through the front door! Photo by Mark Reid

Nothing like a good lobster haul!

Photo by Mark Reid

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The Clarke Cooke House and Candy Store. Enough said!

Photo by Mark Reid

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No, you’re not walking the plank! But it is a long way out to the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Photo by Mark Reid

With the restless, frothy waters of the Atlantic Ocean below and the lights illuminating the darkness of the night from above; you could almost imagine the specter of ghostly yachts gliding wistfully across those wisps of wind towards a solemn solitary adventure at sea. Later that evening I was struck by all the pictures on the wall about the America’s Cup races that had taken place in years past on Rhode Island Sound.

Images of Sir Thomas Lipton, Nathanial Herreshoff “The Wizard of Bristol”, Harold Vanderbilt; America’s Cup yachts past and present graced the mahogany paneled walls as a testament of their magnificence. With the air of excitement and the anticipation of a summer full of sailing splendor the seeds were being sown, for a passion that has held sway over me henceforth.

We stayed and played at the Castle Hill Inn as spring slowly gave way to summer and as those magnificent 12-meter yachts would sail by we would listen to jazz bands while sipping cocktails and picnicking on the finely manicured lawns which rolled down towards Narragansett Bay. That summer, be it scaling the rocks at Beavertail, or spending a quiet day digging for clams on the “other side” in Little Compton, it was an idyllic time that bears remembering.

Lay days were spent on the beach at Goose Wing, under the ‘Cape catching the surf as it rolled through those turquoise waters past the beach blond sands. Like the tide, it leads the way inward towards the marshes and small harbors that encompass the pastoral beauty which is “the State of Rhode Island”. Those were great years to be in Newport, filled with passion and drama.

It is one of the oldest port cities in the American Colonies. In the mid-19th century Newport became famous for its “Gilded Era” as palatial mansions were built on its rocky shoreline (picture the Great Gatsby).

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escape the ghastly heat and humidity of the city. There is more than a little bit of history attached to three of Rhode Island’s more unique yacht clubs. Since 1988 the New York Yacht Club has held court at Harbour Court. The stately Renaissance Norman-style mansion, overlooking Brenton’s Cove, was completed in 1906. The original NYYC clubhouse from Hoboken, NJ was brought to the property and has taken up a dignified place on the finely landscaped and manicured grounds.

The Ida Lewis Yacht Club takes its name from the daughter of the keeper of the Lime Rock Light on the southern side of Newport’s inner harbor. A house was built on a series of limestone ledges several hundred feet offshore and has weathered at least a few hurricanes and became the clubhouse of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club in 1928.

Ida was born in 1842 and her father was Hosea Lewis who was the lightkeeper and when he passed she inherited the post until her death in 1911. She became famous as a one-woman lifeboat station and had made so many daring rescues that she seemed to be regularly featured in many national publications of her time.

The genesis of The Storm Trysail Club dates to the chaotic 1936 Newport-Bermuda Race. The yacht club hosts Block Island Race Week on odd years. Yachts compete in various sailing courses and circumnavigating the Block Island Sound. That year the Storm Trysail Club was founded could have been the moment when the mainsail aboard the schooner Salee blew out during a gale and the tattered remains were deemed beyond repair 300 miles from Bermuda. A storm trysail was used in place of the mainsail for the heavy weather for the long sail to Montauk, NY, hence the name.

The new Sailing Museum (365 Thames St.) underwent an all out rebuild of the old armory building and now is a state-of-the-art museum for sailors and non-sailors alike, young and old, who just want to take it all in with a healthy dose of sailing history in all shapes and sizes.

The city needed a downtown attraction like this even with Ft. Adam’s and other historic attractions as well as regular visits by the Ocean Race (ex-Volvo) this spring and the possibility of playing host to the America’s Cup once again if American Magic prevails in 2024. Also, just a short drive away is the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the Herreshoff Museum in historic Bristol.

For me being in Rhode Island is more than sitting out on the rocks at Beavertail watching the sun set, taking a deep breath of the fresh sea salted air and trying to take it all in knowing that in a few hours or days time I will be gone, longing for my next visit.

It isn’t just having Clam Chowder, (not New England) at the Candy Store bar looking at all the America’s Cup memorabilia that adorn the walls inside the legendary restaurant, Rhode Island is a peace of mind and a piece of history.

I’m not sure when I’ll be there again, I do know that long after I am gone my ghost will take up residence at one of the stately houses or mansions so we’ll catch you then.

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BOOK REVIEW

By Capt. James F. Cash

My Old Man and the Sea

By David and Daniel Hays

I have dusted off an older tome for this review. First published in 1995, this book is appropriate for the sailors and dreamers out there today that have the itch to do some serious blue water sailing. This true adventure is about a father and sons’ sail around Cape Horn in an engine-less 26’ sailboat and they lived to tell the tale. The title tells us a lot and though this story is a vivid true sailing adventure, it is also a story of family connection and bonds between a father and son.

The narrative shifts between the father – David a 60+ year old, semi-retired director of a theater for the deaf in Connecticut; and, son – Daniel, at the time, a mid 20s on and off college student finding his way in life.

The idea for this new adventure was David’s [Dad], “Let’s do the Big One, Dan” He said. “The Horn.” “Let’s go,” Daniel replied. That’s how the story begins. After some research, they decided on a Laurent Giles designed Vertue, a classic full keel English design, and found a fiberglass unfinished hull #005 in Portsmouth England and had it shipped to the United States to be fitted out.

They agreed that Daniel would take the new boat from New London, CT to Jamaica where David would join the trip. They would transit the Panama Canal, thus allowing for a west to east rounding of the Horn. We learn some history of The Horn from David including the voyage of Captain William Shouten who was from the Dutch town of Hoorn. In 1616 he rounded south of the continent naming “Cape Horn,” after his hometown.

The sailing adventure starts in Daniel’s voice as the reader sails with the occasional friend helping as crew and Tiger his adopted Ship’s cat. He sails down the east coast and then over to the Bahamas and into the Caribbean. He writes “More than 500

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miles to Jamaica, island hopping in paradise. But I want to get there, get dad on board and go for the Pacific.”

The passage to the Panama Canal, its crossing and into the Pacific we hear from David who quotes from Joseph Conrad regarding the “departure” from the mainland. “It is not the ship that takes her departure; the seaman takes his departure … with another tiny pencil cross for every day of the passage.”

Meaning you know you have departed when you are mentally underway and your passage has begun. As they settle in for the passage to the Galapagos Islands, Daniel says “took departure in the Conradian sense” as they leave the coast of Panama behind.

After arriving in the Galapagos, the reader is taken on a short tour, and they beg for an extension to the limit a yacht is allowed to stay, but soon the long passage to Easter Island looms and they were anxious to get underway. On this passage, we hear from Daniel about his dad’s definition of cooking while underway, “Cooking is time spent in the galley area, after which food scraped out of the utensils and off the walls, is served.”

They make landfall after the longest passage so far and marvel at the famed Moais statues where Dan writes “What beautiful passion and expression-carving on a mountain in almost forever stone”. However, like the Galapagos, no matter how alluring he says “There are no more adjustments to make or equipment to buy to make us feel prepared. The time has come. We are ready for the Horn.” Off they go toward the goal of the voyage.

They experience all the renowned weather for which the Southern sea is known for and celebrate Christmas at sea.

Daniel writes, “I’m eager to get past Cape Horn. It’s gotten in the way of thinking for the future, because it seems to me that The Horn’s comment on my future is, “Maybe not.” At 300 miles west of The Horn Daniel says “When you think of these waves, imagine a big green Mack truck skidding at you sideways with 50 bathtubs of shaving cream on top…and the roar in the rigging is like the sound track from a bad dream.”

On Daniel’s 176 day of the voyage, January 6th he yells “Dad, I think I see The Horn.” David jumps on deck looking north and asks, “how did you see it Dan?” Daniel replies, “One wave didn’t go down.” There was Daniel writes “a frozen wave at the end of the continent, a featureless gray hump… The Horn.

David exclaims, “The Horn bore north and I stepped behind him [Daniel]. Few had rounded the Horn in a boat this small, and he was ahead of me.” Needless to say the rest of the voyage was anti-climatic though they put into Queens Harbour in the Falklands before heading north to Montevideo, Argentina where David departs and Daniel continues toward home with another college friend who joins as crew up to Rio de Janeiro.

On day 317 of the voyage in the North Atlantic, Daniel writes “I can feel Montauk… I know it’s there just over the curve of the earth,” he writes as the voyage nears its end as they round the tip of Long Island, NY toward home to New London, CT. In the afterword, David quotes Sterling Moss [famous race car driver], after a season of auto racing where a dozen of his fellow drivers were killed, and reflecting on comments regarding the “courage” it takes to race cars, said, “There is no such thing as courage, there is compulsion or necessity. Leave it there.” David says when also asked about his courage to undertake such an adventure, “I always believed he [Sterling Moss] was right, and we had a hell-of-a ride.”

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REFLECTIONS AT SEA:

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY B y Pa m N e f f

Father and son time on the bowsprit

As we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in the cockpit of our Kadey Krogen trawler, we reflect, reminisce, and remember the good, the bad, and the ugly of four decades of cruising.

I say it this way because there are glorious, sunny days with fair winds, and there are days of storms, running aground, close calls docking, and even fearful days of huge 20-foot waves, lightning, and near knockdowns offshore.

So what makes us keep going out to sea?

Why do we sell one boat and get another just a little bit bigger and stronger to travel farther? Is it that we easily forget the bad and even the ugly and lovingly remember mostly the romance and freedom of living aboard?

Perhaps it is the memories of all the wonderful fellow boaters that we still keep in touch with so many years later. Or maybe it’s snuggling up in the berth when it rains, and you are tied safely at a dock.

Often you fix something or learn something new, and you are so darn excited and thrilled about that. It is all that and so much more that have kept us afloat for 40 years, and we are still going.

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THE MENTOR It all started when we met a unique mariner named Ken. He would buy sailboats that had been neglected and completely rebuild them better than new and then sell them to those who appreciated his fine workmanship. He started mentoring my husband, Jim, and taught him a plethora of mechanical, plumbing, rigging, and what constituted a seaworthy boat. He was pretty grumpy and obsessive about the boats, but we loved him anyway. His wife was a saint!

THE INITIATION (the good)

Before we knew it, we bought a Fuji 32-foot ketch from him and took her to St. Augustine to learn all we could about sailing, boat care, and navigating.

We named her Shangri La - she was a ton of fun and we fell in love and wanted more.

Our anchorage in Walllilabou, St. Vincent the day before Hurricane Wrong Way Lenny hit the islands

We always had a plan to sail around the world.

It seemed so expansive, exhilarating, challenging, and free of all the cares in the world! A cheap way to live - wow, did we have a lot to learn!

Jim still worked as a vice president of a large construction company, but our dream was with us day and night. We lived a suburban life and had a son but we remained restless for the next adventure.

A PARTNERSHIP (some of the bad events)

Many years later, we ended up buying another boat from Ken. This was a boat he had worked on to take his family through the Caribbean when his kids were young. She was a CSY 44 walkover.

Not sleek or fast but rugged, strong, seaworthy, and safe. Ken’s daughter and son-in-law were partners in the boat with us, which worked out perfectly. They lived in Minnesota and used her in the winter, and we lived in Florida and used her in the summer.

One year our partners decided to sail with their family for seven months down the eastern Caribbean to Trinidad! We thought it was a brilliant

Chat and Chill on Stocking Island dinghy parking lot

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Reflections at Sea: the good, the bad, and the ugly idea! The plan was to then put the boat on the hard in Trinidad, and then we would do the return trip after hurricane season and teach our son about our love of cruising.

Idyllic anchorage in Wardrick Wells in Exuma Park

Our friends had a marvelous sail down with the following winds and seas. It was much different for our sail back in the winter, with head seas on the nose averaging eight feet and winds around 25-28 knots daily. The good thing about trade winds is once they set in, they remain steady for the day.

The most challenging trip was from Guadeloupe to Antigua. The forecasted weather was so tenuous that the five boat captains in the anchorage discussed whether to venture to Antigua to make it in time for the famous Christmas celebration or to stay in port. The weather was forecasted to get worse each day for the rest of the week. We decided to let our son decide, so we asked him if he wanted to make this rough trip.

“I just want to go somewhere that the kids speak English and I don’t want that medicine administered anymore,” he said quietly.

As a concerned mom that is facing an 8-10 hour slog to windward with a six-year-old, I had to do what was necessary. An antinausea suppository that let him sleep the entire way curled up on the heeled side of the boat in a corner under the dodger worked like a charm. When we arrived at the next island, he woke up and was ready to play! You do what you have to do. It is still one of his favorite stories. We made it to Antigua, anchored in English Harbor for Christmas, and had a wonderful time.

THE BIG ADVENTURE (the ugly event)

After many years of enjoying our CSY, it was time to think about Jim’s upcoming retirement and our chance, finally, to be full-time liveaboards. Now we wanted safety, seaworthy and much bigger boat with all the bells and whistles. Our partner’s son bought out our half of the CSY, and we remain close friends with the entire family to this day.

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Cody learning how to read by playing his Gameboy he got for Christmas

Reflections at Sea: the good, the bad, and the ugly Ziggy the boat dog learning to swim for the first time

Now we could start looking for our dreamboat. We wanted a boat 50 feet in length, a huge galley for me to cook, lots of storage, two engines, an easy sail plan, and enough room for our friends and family to join us. After much research and many boat shows, we decided on a Voyage 50 catamaran. To say our monohull friends were disappointed was an understatement!

We didn’t care we knew what we wanted.

The first year we spent several months in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas just getting to know her. It was so great to be able to anchor so close to the beach and just swim up to the bar. We had a blast! We bought a house with a turning basin at the end of a protected canal just for her. She was so spoiled!

Then we found out about the wonderful adult winter camp called the Exumas. More specifically, Stocking Island, across from Georgetown was the spot to hang out. We thought we were in heaven! Every morning we had a cup or two or three of coffee while listening to the Net. The Net is on the VHF radio and is a place where the cruisers discuss all kinds of things such as the weather, who’s new in the anchorage, activities during the day such as volleyball and Texas Hold’em, and dance and BBQ parties. Over the next few years, we spent several months in the winter in the Exumas. The last year there, we sailed through all the Out Islands to the Turks and Caicos, where we owned property and spent a month. Such an idyllic, beautiful dream trip.

So where is the ugly, you ask? To make a long story short, we had tied up in Emerald Bay to do laundry in anticipation of my family coming to visit and planned to have a nice dinner. There were swells when we came in, but they didn’t bother us much since we were big. The marina is basically built on the ocean and has a shallow dredged entrance.

The local knowledge is not to enter or leave when there is a cold front in the winter due to the treacherous waves.

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Reflections at Sea: the good, the bad, and the ugly The next morning the dock was rolling forward and back like a hilly road. It was hard to get on and off the boat. The entrance to the bay is a concrete L shaped tunnel with a rock jetty shore. From the boat, we were not able to see out to the ocean. We heard others passing by saying on the radio they felt it was too dangerous to come into the bay. We spoke with sailors who had just come into the fuel dock and to see their impression of how bad it was. “ Not too bad, you just have to steer well”, said one fellow. “ You have a big boat; you’ll be fine,” said another. Then just before we were going to leave, a small 30-foot Gemini came in, fueled up, and went back out. Okay, we thought, if he can do it, we can do it. It was March and the wind was calm. As we motored, around the foot of the L, we felt confident and continued our turn to the right through the tunnel.

As we approached the channel markers and now looking out to sea, we saw a white foam wave heading our way that was gathering speed and height. It hit us with a big push and was about 10 feet high. We watched in fear as, in the next six seconds, the next wave, which was about 12 feet, came roaring onto our deck and started to push us back towards the jetty. Now I was starting to panic and pray.

Cody playing chill guitar music as we sail on our Voyage 50

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The third and most powerful monster wave was cresting 15 feet straight up! It came over our coach roof and down into our boat, into our cockpit, and through our glass sliding door. The boat was at about a 45-degree angle when the wave went over us. We were now perilously close to the huge rock jetty behind us. We were one boat length away from certain demise. Jim was wrestling the steering wheel the entire time and had engines at full throttle to prevent crashing or running over the channel markers tied down by lines. Once we got past the three waves, there was just the swell rolling along. We were like, did that really just happen? We were in shock. Then I remembered our poor dog, Ziggy. Fortunately, that day I had tied him in the cockpit, so he was safe but very shaken.

We all were.

THE AFTERMATH The first thing I did was to get on the radio and let everyone know what happened and that we had damage to the boat. Fortunately, a flotilla of cruisers were headed to Georgetown, and they all surrounded us and guided us in as our electronics were not working.

Even as we passed the reefs going into the channel, some of the sailors were getting nervous. We made it into a dock, and reality started to sink in. We would have to get a hotel room. The Peace and Plenty got us a room immediately and even allowed Ziggy to join.

As word got around about our incident, cruisers came every day to bring us dehumidifiers and check on us.

Our bags and bags of laundry were done for free by a local. A cruising couple from South Africa helped us get our electronics working. The locals stepped up and offered so many services that we needed, and we can never thank everyone enough!

REFLECTIONS AT SEA:

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

I did call our meteorologist, Chris Parker, and asked what the heck happened. He said we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we had left five minutes before or five minutes after, we would not have had those waves. They were two wave trains, one from the northeast and one from the southeast from Africa, that combined just as we were leaving that very minute. Go figure! Or maybe we got too confident with our experience and our big boat.

Who knows?

When it was time to head back to the states, I had wave PTSD and didn’t want to go. “Hire a crew or captain but Ziggy and I are never going in the ocean again,” I said sternly. Then Jim used his big brown eyes and most lovey-dovey voice to say he didn’t want to go with anyone else but me, and I could pick the weather and if it took a month to get home that was okay. So I went. Ziggy did too.

TEN YEARS LATER We ended up selling our catamaran to a great guy that has made her into a beautiful dive master boat based in Culebra and the Florida Keys for liveaboard dive trips. We bought our Kadey Krogen trawler, and Ziggy and I are happy traveling the east coast on the gorgeous waterways. We still go south for the winter and still love living aboard. When we are asked what is our favorite part of cruising, we always say the people.

Boaters that watch each other’s backs and lend a hand or share food and supplies in times of need are what matters most. Highly recommend cruising for everyone!

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IN THE

BUFFALO

BVI’S

The crew at Soggy Dollar

Recently, eighteen racing sailors from the Buffalo Harbor Sailing Club embarked on a one-week charter in the British Virgin Islands, renowned as one of the best cruising grounds on the planet, and it did not disappoint.

Waypoints (charter company) in Nanny Cay on Tortola had matching Fountaine Pajot Elba 45’s and they were the perfect boats for our mini flotilla. Elba 45’s are very well appointed and the added lounging areas were plentiful with additional seating in the forward trampoline area and up top next to the helm station. The cockpit of course was very spacious, and we even fit all 18 of us on one boat on the last night for a final “eat and drink all the provisions” night! Even the main salon was a lovely option for relaxing because the cockpit doors opened fully allowing an open concept design flow from the interior to exterior.

Captain Magdalena Jaworska

We were a motley crew of folks in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s including two nurses, a teacher, and a ship’s engineer! Five of our crew hold captain’s license 150

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credentials, our resident ship engineer Zach Harris is one of them at 29 years old and three of those Captains are women, in fact we had 15 women sailors on this crew!

It even inspired a few of our less experienced female crew to take our local sailing club’s sailing lessons this summer.

The sailing and anchorages we visited gave us a great opportunity to test all our skills but also have a relaxing and fun time in such a beautiful place. There was talk of going directly to the North Sound but the wind that week was consistently blowing 20+ kts so we figured a nice short shakedown sail would suffice and promptly made our way to Norman Island culminating in quite the night at the Willy T to kick off the charter!

Cow Wreck Beach Bar Anegada

We continued to visit the usual spots but since Irma some of these have changed so it was a treat to see places like the new Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock.

Anegada’s newest addition of Anne’s Tipsy by Anne beach bar was a super treat, not only was Anne just lovely but they are a Buffalo Bills backer bar and we had 18 Bills “mafia” descending! We spent two days in Anegada, it’s really such a unique place you could ideally spend a week just chatting with the special people there.

Jost van Dyke is always a picturesque tropical paradise and playground at Soggy Dollar and Foxy’s but speaking of special people the highlight of my trip was meeting Baba and Urynthia from Ali Babas in Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke! I mention this because it’s very easy to pass by on the way to and from those more known hot spots. Baba and Urynthia were delightful and welcoming and the food was amazing to boot!

To quote a good friend Bruce Ellmann who stays there each year…. “Always worth visiting with Baba and learning more and more JVD history. Shame so many rush by to hit the touristy spots and miss out completely on the true local flavor”.

I’d like to give a shout out to Waypoints, especially the base in Nanny Cay Tortola for their extreme professionalism, amazing staff and top-notch boats.

For the record the S/V No Agenda beat the S/V USS Flamingo in all the “races” LOL! Cheers, Laura Redding Vice Commodore Buffalo Harbor Sailing Club www.LatsAtts.com

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E-SeaRider Dog Bed www.e-searider.com

SHO

The original bean bags for boats, E-SeaRider are now in their 4th generation of design and proudly introduce the Dog Bed Bean Bag, available in Large and Small.

Event & Boat Show Section

The Large measures 30” x 54” x 8” and the Small clocks in at 30” x 36” x 8”. Beginning in 2002 and using Styrofoam pellets, their bean bag filler will not absorb water. In fact, all of their bags contain virgin beads, which are very small and uniform making a more firm base.

Their bean bags clean easily with soap and water and are 100% made in the USA. Visit www.e-searider.com for more information.

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Huck Bucket

T A BO W

The

www.thehuckbucket.com

t A t I d n I Fo u

The HUCK Performance Bucket is definitely not just another five-gallon bucket. Constructed of a proprietary blend of performance polymers known as SpryTech, providing extreme strength and durability, yet lightweight and offering excellent UV stabilization so it won’t degrade in constant sunlight, and BPA free so it’s food-safe. Ergonomic indents, bulkheads and a stayput design all highlight the handle, while turtle grip treads, raised feet and dynamic grips enhance the sides and bottom.

SHO

Event & Boat Show Section

Backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee and proudly Made in the USA, Huck Buckets are the real deal! For more information visit www.thehuckbucket.com

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ePropulsion Navy Evo www.epropulsion.com

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Powered by ePropulsion’s new E-Series Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries the ePropulsion Navy Evo is a light-duty outboard that is available in two power levels, 3kW and 6kW. The Navy 6.0 Evo has a brushless direct-drive motor, ensuring they are reliable and quiet.

Event & Boat Show Section

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With three times higher energy density and 70% less weight than lead-acid batteries, the E-Series batteries are perfect for smaller vessels with minimal interior storage space. www.epropulsion.com

Hull Shield Ultrasonic Anti-Fouling

T A BO W

The

www.hullshield.net

t A t I d n I Fo u

The Hull Shield system is a “must have’’ for everyone who has their boat in the water. Engineered with the same ultrasonic anti-fouling technology used by the US Coast Guard, Navy, and commercial shipping vessels, Hull Shield prevents bio-fouling from attaching to your hull by emitting pulses of low power signals targeting specific frequency bands to effectively reduce and stop marine fouling from attaching to your hull bottom, while working in conjunction with a soft ablative bottom paint.

SHO

Event & Boat Show Section

These signals are transmitted directly to the hull through transducers attached within the bilge. For more information check out www.hullshield.net

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Showez Portable Shower www.travelshowers.com

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Event & Boat Show Section

Showez is a battery-operated, collapsible and easy to stow away 2.6-gallon portable shower that is pressurized by a lithium-ion battery.

This innovative product provides four minutes of continuous water pressure and a battery that lasts for over 30 minutes, making it an ideal solution for those who need a quick and easy way to wash away sand, saltwater, and sweat.

The product comes with a travel bag, as well as a hook and suction cup to hang the showerhead wherever you need it. And with the lithiumion battery providing powerful water flow, you can enjoy a comfortable shower experience no matter where you are. www.travelshowers.com

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Mantus Solar Navigation Light

www.mantusmarine.com

Ideal for a dinghy or a small boat, the all-new Mantus Solar Navigation light is the perfect navigational aid and must-have for your gear. This light is Coast Guard Approved for 2NM and relies on a solar cell to keep the light always ready to use.

Offering 5 Modes of Operation: 360 deg tricolor light, 225 deg bicolor light, 112.5 deg red side light, 112.5 deg green side light and 135 deg white stern light, with run times of 12 - 36 hours accordingly, the Mantus Solar Navigation Light also features a USB C charging option and is IPX8 water resistant. It can be mounted on the bow of the boat, the engine cowling or on the transom pole. www.mantusmarine.com www.LatsAtts.com

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Sail & Power

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Castine, ME

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•

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‘The Informative Brokers’

LIST YOUR BOAT WITH US AT THE ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOW IN OCTOBER info@bviyachtsales.com R FO

LE!

SA

R FO

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1982 FREEDOM YACHTS FREEDOM 44 ‘LULU’ $42,300

R FO

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1980 BRUNO AND STILLMAN BRUNO 55 ‘TOAD HALL’ $260,000

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2006 HALLBERG RASSEY 53 ‘SE’ $625,000 162

1990 ISLAND PACKET 38 ‘BONAVISTA 1’ $119,000

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1913 WRIGHT AND HARRIS GAFF CUTTER ‘SAUNTRESS’ $20,000

Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023

LE!

SA

1986 HINTERHOELLER NIAGARA 35 ‘PARKA’ $59,000

R FO

LE!

SA

1985 COOKSON FRERS KEVLAR/ CARBON CUSTOM 43 ‘JAGUAR’ $79,500

R FO

R FO

2014 LEOPARD 58 ‘POSIDENS PEARL’ $899,000

R FO

LE!

SA

1989 NAUTOR SWAN 61 ‘ASPARA’ $479,000

R FO

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2008 CATALINA 470 ‘WALRUS’ $245,000

R FO

1979 C-KIP 47 ‘GOLDEN OPAL’ $150,000

LE!

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2010 BENETEAU OCEANIS 50 ‘JOGFUND’ $110,000

E!

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S OR

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2018 LEOPARD 4800 ‘YD’ $699,000 E!

F

2008 HYLAS 46 ‘MY DEERE’ $399,000 E!

E!

F

1981 WESTSAIL 43 ‘NATIVE DANCER’ $139,000 LE!

SA

1999 NIMBUS MAXI 1000 ‘TUMBLER’ $69,000

E!

F

LE!

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2000 ZODIAC 633 HURRICANE $79,000

2018 LEOPARD OWNERS VERSION 45 ‘CLEAVAGE’ $789,000

AL

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2022 FOUNTAINE PAJOT 40 ISLA ‘DORE’ $729,000

R FO

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S OR

F

1999 JEANNEAU 45.2 ‘DARK AND STORY’ $139,000

AL

F

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F

S OR

2000 NORDLUND RAISED PILOT HOUSE ‘PRIME TIME VII’ $995,000

AL

S OR

1997 BENETEAU OCEANIS 461 ‘MI AMORE’ $89,000

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R FO

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F

S OR

1967 BREAUX CUSTOM ‘ROCKIN’ DIVE’ $140,000

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S OR

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2016 JEANNEAU 479 ‘WANDERFUL’ $239,000

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S OR

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2004 GEMINI 105MC ‘INTO THE MYSTIC’ $94,000

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2018 DUFOUR 460 GRAND LARGE ADVENTURE ‘IMAGINE 2’ $269,000

1986 KELT 39 DI ‘SYTALAUS’ $89,000

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2018 BAJA 280 SPORT $150,000 www.LatsAtts.com

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Live Social feed, Weather Map Points of interest, Weather Buoy Great Offers and so much more!

Share the Sail

Join us for

Share the

Sail

November 4-11, 2023 Abaco Islands, The Bahamas

Join The Share the Sail team for an exciting 7-day charter throughout the Abaco Islands with Navigare Yachting.

The Abacos have been The Bahamas’ boating capital since colonial times, and whether you are a sailing purist, willing to tack until the last gasp of wind, or just a sun worshiper joining the adventure to relax and explore with fins and snorkel, this is your paradise. The Navigare base is located in Marsh Harbor, right next to the Abaco Beach Resort, only ten minutes from the Leonard Thompson Airport.

Choose Your Catamaran Select one of three sailing catamarans from Navigare Yachting.

40 Lagoon (4 cabins & en suite heads in all cabins): $2,500pp* 42 Lagoon (4 cabins & en suite heads in all cabins): $3,000pp* 450 Lagoon (4 cabins & en suite heads in all cabins): $3,500pp* *Price includes: Provisioning for Breakfast, Snack and Lunch; Entertainment; Happy Hour Party; Welcome Dinner; Swag Bag filled with gear and gifts and of course lots of fun with the Bob and Jody crew. Please note this price does not include a captain. Single cabin occupancy available, please contact us for pricing.

Other taxes & fees may apply.

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Itinerary – 7 Days SATURDAY 11/4: MARSH HARBOUR.

● Arrive in Marsh Harbour where Navigare is based. If you arrive the night before, you can stay at the newly renovated Conch Inn & Marina, located by the charter base. ● Lunch: For those that arrive early on Saturday we will head by land to the southern part of the island to Pete’s Pub - a great beach bar in Little Harbor. ● That afternoon return to the base for a skippers briefing and any final provisioning followed by happy hour at Snappa’s Bar & Grill at the Conch Inn & Marina. Sunday morning departure.

SUNDAY 11/5: HOPE TOWN.

● Depart Marsh Harbour in the morning and head to Hope Town. Arrive in the harbor of Hope Town and try to secure a mooring ball in the harbor or anchor off the harbor entrance and dinghy over. ● Enjoy the shopping, exploring and dining in this quaint town. Lunch and dinner in town on your own - there are several good options including Cap’n Jacks and the restaurant and bar at the Hope Town Inn & Marina.

MONDAY 11/6: MAN-O-WAR CAY.

● Depart Hope Town after lunch and head to Man-O-War Cay and grab a mooring ball in the main harbor and/or dock at the newly renovated marina by the fuel dock. ● On your way to the main harbor you can drop an anchor on the Atlantic side to swim and enjoy the beautiful beaches. In the afternoon explore the town and enjoy a tour of the boat building still in operation today. ● Dinner on your own boat or ribs/chicken barbeque potluck.

TUESDAY 11/7: GREAT GUANA CAY.

● Depart in the morning for Great Guana Cay and anchor in the harbor

by Grabbers. ● Lunch at the famous Nippers - a short walk from the harbor to the ocean side to experience this lively restaurant/bar. ● Dinner - Join us at Grabbers for our Share the Sail Party and enjoy dinner, drinks, and music on the beach.

WEDNESDAY 11/8: NO NAME CAY TO GREEN TURTLE CAY.

● Sail from Great Guana to No Name Cay (14nm) through Whale Cay. Watch the swimming pigs and check out Big O’s for or lunch and some more island fun! ● Sail out from No Name to Green Turtle (3nm) where there are several anchorage options - South Green Turtle, New Plymouth at Black Sound, White Sound. ● There are plenty of restaurant options including Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar where you can get an original Goombay Smash.

THURSDAY 11/9: GREEN TURTLE CAY.

● Stay in Green Turtle Cay and explore different harbors.

FRIDAY 11/10: ELBOW CAY.

● Depart in the morning from Green Turtle Cay and head back through Whale Cay channel south to Elbow Cay (27nm). Anchor in the protected harbor by Tahiti Beach. ● Afternoon - enjoy beautiful Tahiti Beach and the sandbar for the day and lunch at Thirsty Cuda - a floating tiki bar. Or head to Abaco Inn on the Atlantic Side. Also there is an option to sail to Sandy Cay to snorkel at the preserve and then return for dinner. ● Dinner - we recommend the newly renovated Firefly Resort on the Sea of Abaco side. Reservations are suggested and we can contact the restaurant.

Act Now Secure your charter boat in the 2023 Share the Sail.

Contact Us Toll Free: 877-775-2538 bahamas@latsatts.com latsatts.com/Bahamas

SATURDAY 11/11: RETURN TO BASE - MARSH HARBOUR.

● Depart and return to the base for checkout & departures.

Itinerary may change slightly.

Share the Sail www.LatsAtts.com

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Hard-to-Find “Stuff” for the Cruiser

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the Bosun’s Bag 174

Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023

the Bosun’s Bag

Nautical Word Search abeam abyss ahoythere altitude azimuth bail barge batten bearing becalm below bilge bosun buoy caulk chock crests decks drift ensign equator fairway ferry

flare fleet galley halyard hatch haul hawser iceberg jack jollyroger keel knot kraken leeway lurch manifest marlin mess monkey narrows navigation nomad northpole

oars paddle passage pilothouse pitch radar raft ratlines reckoning reel rolls salvage screw sextant shark shore trough under water whale

Answers on page 177

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GIANT NAUTICAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Wanna Cheat? The answers to these are on page 177.

Created by Myles Mellor

Across

1 Notorious pirate, aka Edward Teach 7 The Ancient Mariner writer 12 Rock’s ___ Jovi 13 Hit the shore, as a wave 15 Capable of ocean travel 16 Large game fish 18 Nothing 19 Juice for short 21 Fishing equipment 23 Masts, booms, etc.

25 Extreme self-confidence 29 Forward motion of a ship or boat 32 Kind of tuna 33 Stomach muscles, briefly 36 Cat o’ ____ tails 38 Line that parallels the equator 41 Gather and bind, as a sail 42 Sailed a zigzag course 44 Daiquiri liquor 45 Circle ratio 46 What wild storms do 47 “___ on deck!”, 2 words 49 Cutting tool 50 Blades’ sharp sides 52 ___ humbug!

53 To sail around the world might be one 55 Sailing vessels with a single mast 58 Mature as wine 59 Goal 61 Golden state, abbr.

63 Fleet heads 65 Spears used for fishing 67 Skill 69 Mexican food 71 Highly recommended attraction, 2 words 73 Golfer Michelle 74 Water body near Sydney Australia, named by Captain Cook, 2 words 78 Nutritional abbr.

80 Alliance that includes Ukraine, abbr.

81 Small amount 82 Caribbean island, 2 words 85 Ship pronoun 86 Shark species 87 Bread or drink choice 88 Two prefix 89 Bond’s opponent, __ No 90 Aquatic bloodsucker 91 Navigation technology 92 Khloe’s sister

Down

1 Naval officer 2 Toward the stern 3 Sea ___: large aquatic mammal 4 Nautical miles 5 Where the river meets the sea 6 Manta 7 Video gear 8 Smoky stone 9 Reef dweller 10 Jamaica ___, Daphne du Maurier novel 11 Movable bridge used in boarding or leaving the ship 14 Maui “hellos” 17 Informal acknowledgement of debt, abbr.

20 Tentacled sea creature 22 Time to look ahead 24 James Bond, for one 26 Knife handle 27 Vessel’s cargo capacity 28 Beach promenade 29 Line used to raise the head of any sail 30 West Indian islands 31 Monsoonal 34 Pollinator 35 Precious stones 37 Coffee variety 39 Banquet coffeepot 40 Fizzled firework 42 Teacher’s assistant, for short 43 John ___ Passos 48 Former Spanish fleets 51 Prod into action, 2 words 52 Protective structure that extends from the shore int the sea 54 Vacation planned route 56 Winter outerwear 57 Try a little drink 60 Melville classic about a great white whale, 2 words 61 Rotating engine part 62 Caribbean cruise destination 64 Back of a boat 65 Bootleg liquor

66 Articulate 68 ___ Eliot 70 Trucker’s radio, abbr.

72 Sunbathing result 75 Bound 76 “Papa’s Got a Brand New ___” 77 Alongside (naut.)

79 In need of a drink 82 Sun in South America 83 Belief system 84 Experienced sailor 85 Gentleman’s address 88 Arts degree

To Donate, Participate, or Volunteer, go to: CallOfTheSea.org

wanna cheat?

Here are the answers to this issue’s Extra Large Maritime Crossword Puzzle and The Word Search Puzzle. Go ahead. No one will know... except you! :)

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FEATURED

LATITUDES & ATTITUDES ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT

Since 1959, Bacon Sails & Marine Supplies has been outfitting sailors and cruisers alike from all corners of the world. Originally selling used sails on consignment out of Doug & Dixie Bacon’s Garage; it has since grown into the New & Used – Sails , Hardware, Rigging, & Service Loft that Bacon’s is known for today. Still Family Owned and Operated by Steve & Stevie Reeves; you can catch them and the rest of the Bacon Crew in Annapolis, MD.

YEARS IN LATS & ATTS: 15 BUSINESS: Bacon Sails & Marines Supplies LOCATION: Annapolis, MD www.baconsails.com 178

Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023

“Given the cruiser oriented articles that make up Lats & Atts – It has always been a no-brainer to advertise Bacon’s with their Magazine. The “True” cruiser is reading their articles & Bacon’s deals with the same cruiser for their boating needs. With Lats & Atts recent addition of David Levesque – who we’ve known for a long time – We look forward to many more years of partnership as the magazine continues to grow in good hands”!

ADVERTISER INDEX

A B C E

AB Marine Inc. | 175 Aero Yacht Ltd | 18 Annapolis Hybrid Marine | 120 Aquamarine Water Solutions | 46 Atlantic Towers & St. Croix Marine Products | 157 ATN | 79 Aumaris Nautical Jewerly | 33 Bacon Sails | 78 Banner Bay Marine | 174 Barefoot Yacht Charters | 159 Bavaria Sail & Power By S&J Yachts | 2, 3 Beta Marina East/West | 66 Blue Water Sailing School | 36, 37 Bluewater Yachts | 4, 5 Bocas Marina | 120 Bolt Depot | 167 BOW | 175 BVI Yacht Sales | 162, 163 Call of the Sea | 177 Conch Charters | 158 Conch Inn & Marina | 44 Constitution Marina | 56 Coppercoat | 120 CS Johnson | 95

M

M&B Shipcanvas | 173 Mack Sails | 27 Mack Yacht Services | 26 Magica Rust Remover | 172 Mantus Marine | 105 Maptech | 168 Marine Formula | 149 Masthead Enterprises | 177 Mastry Engine Center | 121 Med Sailing Adventures | 121 Mystic Knotworks | 173

N P

Newport Boat Show | 112 Next Gen | 157 Niche Watercraft | IBC No Wear Guard | 177

Panama Posse | 44 Performance Yacht Sales | 60 Progressive Insurance | 19 PYI | 105 PYI - Fender Flex | 73 PYI - Kiwi Grip | 167

Dock Boxes Unlimited Inc. | 93 Dragonfly Energy | 67

Rainman Portable Watermakers | 23 Ringed Davits | 78

e-Marine Systems - Air SilentX | 30 e-Marine Systems - Xantrex | 79 E-SeaRider Marine Seating | 73 Eastern Yacht Sales | 164 El Cid Marinas | 34 Evolution Sails | 103

S

S & J Yachts | 160, 161 Sailmakers Supply | 177 Sailing Trader | 177 Sailrite | BC Sailtime | 28, 29 Seabbatical Long term Charters | 159 Sea Frost | 21 Sea Water Pro Watermakers | 10 Shadetree Fabric Shelters | 120 Sirius Satellite Radio | 35 Snap-A-Lot | 175 South Coast Yachts | 166 Spurs Marine Manufacturing, Inc. | 95 SunBrite Solutions | 790 Sunsail | 45

T

TeakLite Flooring Inc./Flexiteek | 66 Technautics | 173 Temo France | 11 The Moorings | 16 The Sail Warehouse | 173 TPG Marinas | 93

Forespar Products Corportation | 95 Forget About It | 172 Foss Foam & Rudders | 174 Froli Sleep Systems | 157 Great Lakes ScuttleButt | 169 Greatland Laser | 143

H K

OffShore Passage Opportunities | 174 Offshore Sailing School | 13, 173

Hamilton Ferris Co. | 20 Hart Sytems | 157 HMC Handcrafted Mattress | 73 Hull Shield | 49 Hydrovane International Marine Inc. | 172 ICA Group | 73 Indiantown Marina | 103 Kanberra Gel | 34 Keenan Filters | 9 Keylime Sailing Club | 177 KISS Radio Tek | 177 Lanex Yachting | 78 Lasdrop | 44 Lifeline Batteries | 143 Little Yacht Sales | 165, 167

Ultra Marine West | 14, 15 US Spars Inc. | 150, 151 Visar | 174

W

Wichard | 8 Wind Charter | 113

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BOAT PEOPLE

Meet some of our favorite cruisers out there making dreams happen! The fine folks on this page are the dreamers and do’ers and can be spotted easily on oceans and seas worldwide. They have that look of excitement and joy, with a hint of whimsy. We are all family and a global community and it’s a wonderful world we are part of. Have a favorite cruiser you’d like to see featured?

Send it us at: Submissions@LatsAtts.com

Sailing With The Jamess

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Team Nacreous

After years of dreaming, Sam, Cait, and their daughter Charlie sold their house, all their belongings, moved out and hit the open road in search of the perfect boat!

They now sail the world in search of adventure on board their Jomarco 550, SV Endless Summer @sailingwiththejamess

Annie and Justin are a couple (skipper and captain, respectively), hailing from Wisconsin and making their way down to Florida this year!

They did a total refit of their 38’ 1984 Catalina and are now ready to make cruising a part of their everyday lives.

As great as the Great Lakes are, nothing compares to the global cruising lifestyle! @teamnacreous

Sailing Red Seas

Isurus Winds

Iain and Brioni Cameron have quite the story...from setting off from the UK to buy a boat in the middle of the pandemic, to being blackmailed and left homeless on a Caribbean Island, finally hitchhiking their way through a bunch of countries until they eventually found the boat they now live on! @realredseas

Haley and Caden are two Georgian (U.S.) ocean lovers with a shared dream to see the world by sailboat! They found and refitted their Tartan 42 in the beginning of the pandemic. After moving to and completing her refit in Green Cove Spring Marina, they set off on their greatest adventure yet - down South! @isurus_winds

SV Mundays Off

Teulu Tribe

Joe and Vanessa of s/v Mundays Off are a young-at-heart couple seeking adventure wherever they can find it underway.

They currently call Bahia San Carlos, Sonora, home, and are meeting up with other cruisers and building the community! You can follow their adventures here: @sv_mundays_off

Becka and Zach are a couple of Brits who had a dream of buying an old ketch and sailing around the world.

Lots of saving, many lessons learned, and a whole lot of determination later, they are now doing it aboard their Colvic Victor 40, Teulu! @teulutribe

Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023

sun U n d set erw s ay!

*By David Levesque - Lake Erie

*By Erik Kyle - Tahiti

*By Erik Kyle - Greece

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s y! t e s a n w u r s nde U

*By Erik Kyle - Tahiti

*By Erik Kyle - Greece

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Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023

*By David Levesque - Lake Erie

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Latitudes & Attitudes | #43 Summer 2023