Scuttlebutt Boat News

If It’s Gonna Happen, It’s Gonna Happen Out There

Issue #40 All the News That Fits Between the Sheets Fall 2022

Party Anyone? In Annapolis?

Who’s ever been to a boat show cruiser party? Who remembers one in Annapolis? Who wants one in Annapolis? You read that right...and don’t bother answering, we’ll do it for you. This coming Annapolis Sail Show will bring the Lats & Atts 25th Anniversary party! Cruisers and general party goers unite! It’s been a long time coming but on Saturday night, October 15th we’ll be throwing the grand poobah of all boat show parties when we celebrate 25 years of ruining lives and inspiring dreams. Book your trip to the show now! More info to come.....

Wheelies? Who’da Thunk It?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Join Us At boot Düsseldorf, The World’s Largest Boat Show!

It’s been a couple years since Lats&Atts brought a group of our readers to the World’s Largest Boat Show held in Düsseldorf, Germany. But the show is happening again, January 21-29, 2023. We’ve made arrangements to hold rooms at the Leonardo Hotel for Lats&Atts readers who want to see the show, and we have free admission tickets for those who join us! It’s simple, just contact the travel agent for the show and then email bob@LatsAtts.com to let us know that you will be joining us. We’ll get you the info you need for the free passes, the group dinner as well as arranging kewl nametags that identify you as part of the L&A Group. To hold your room(s) contact Carol Brodsky, at TTI Travel Inc.: cbrodsky@ttitravel.net or call (866) 674-3476.

Miss Sailing? Try This!

1. Take a few thousand dollars down to the docks, and throw it into the water. Then go home. 2. Drink a half-gallon of tequila, sleep a couple hours, and then stand on a rocking chair for a few hours. 3. Have a friend throw buckets of saltwater on you while standing in front of a very large fan! 4. Make 12 sandwiches on white bread with bad meat and cram them into a bread bag. Eat them wet.

Nautical Trivia

Where did the saying “Three sheets to the wind” come from? (Answer on page 26!)

BERMUDA RACE GREEN TEAM

Up to 50 sailors in the fleet will be tasked with monitoring their boat’s waste and innovating best sustainability practices. The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee has made sustainability a focal point of the biennial race. The past three editions of the 635-nautical mile race (2014, ’16 and ’18) have been recognized by Sailors for the Sea as “clean” regattas, culminating with a Gold classification for the 2018 race for its effort to minimize the impact on the environment. This year race organizers hope to achieve Platinum-level status—the highest level—and have laid out objectives to eliminate single-use plastic, maximize recycling and reuse, encourage thoughtful provisioning, and promote the use of environmentally friendly boat and dish-cleaning solvents that lack harsh chemicals, among a long list of suggestions. Competitors are also encouraged to fuel their boats with biodiesel or alternative fuels, to limit grey water discharge and to have designated water bottles for each crew member to eliminate single-use plastic bottles.

Ocean Tribute Awards

The Ocean Tribute Award 2023 call for entries is now open at https://oceantributeaward.boot.de/en/ Apply_now. Projects of interest are initiatives that develop innovative and future-oriented technologies to protect and conserve the oceans, contribute to reducing waste for cleaner oceans or promote sustainable management to protect marine and coastal ecosystems. Applications should be submitted online. Since 2018, the ocean tribute award (Euro 20,000) has been sponsored by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf annually and presented at the boot trade fair (the largest boat and water sports trade fair in the world) in Düsseldorf, Germany in January. The goal is to support people, projects or initiatives in their marine conservation commitment. The jury will then evaluate the entries and select five particularly committed projects. The public can then vote for their favorite project in a public voting.

Read All About It!

Tropical Authors has gathered numerous writers who set their books in tropical climes, on islands, under the water, and along the coast! This is about to include our esteemed Publisher Emeritus Bob Bitchin’s Books. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter. You’ll get emails with new releases from authors, as well as DEALS! Tell ‘em Lats&Atts sent ya. Oh, yeah, and Bob’s books should start appearing there soon! You can sign up at TropicalAuthors.com.

Veterans Join 2023 Ocean Globe Race

The American Odysseus Sailing Foundation enters the Ocean Globe Race challenge and adventure as a healing process for military Vets.

Founded in 2019 by two US Veterans, the American Odysseus Sailing Foundation has signed up for the Ocean Globe Race. The crew will be composed of Military Vets and First-Responders with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, who are given an opportunity to heal at sea, using research-based methods of learning to live with trauma through Adventure Therapy.

Cameron Walbin, a former US Marine with several combat tours was medically discharged after twelve years of active duty following injuries. Finding the transition to civilian life a challenge, he took to the sea, living aboard, cruising and racing on the East coast of the US.

Taylor Grieger, a former United States Navy Rescue Swimmer with several tours in more than seven countries, decided to deal with the stress of being first responder on disaster sites by sailing an old Watkins 36 around Cape Horn.

Both praise sailing as the central part of their recovery. When they met in 2019, they decided to join forces and share what had worked so well for them with other veterans, taking them on day trips, sailing expeditions, offshore adventures, overnight sail and offshore races.

“Veterans go through a drastic shift when they leave the service, from being part of a tight-knit group you trust with your life, to an individualistic, self-oriented civilian life. There is little that therapy can do about it.” Cameron told us. “As Combat troops, we are trained to constantly identify and react to threats. It is exhausting in civil life, but useful at sea. Being on a boat that requires teamwork and some sense of hierarchy, offers a great opportunity to put those habits to use while doing what we love: sailing.”

Some Of The Youngest Sailors Are Girls

Did you know that girls as young as 16 years old have sailed around the world all alone? We start our blog about the exciting sailing facts with the girls as the youngest sailors in the world. Jessica Watson from Australia and Laura Dekker from the Netherlands were both 16 years old when they completed their sea voyages in 2009. Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail around the world with no stops and completely unassisted! While the just as impressive Laura Dekker completed her own sailing adventure around the globe.

Infiniti 52 lost in the North Atlantic

Built in the USA, the first Infiniti 52 to be delivered has been lost in the North Atlantic after colliding with an unidentified floating object (UFO). Designed by Hugh Welbourn, the monoull is the first foil assisted high performance racing yacht developed for semi-custom production. It was in the North Atlantic while Tulikettu was sailing from Cascais, Portugal back to the Team Base in Gosport, United Kingdom. All four delivery crew members survived the situation unharmed, and have returned to the United Kingdom with their loved ones. The yacht collided with a UFO on April 18th. The EPIRB was launched on April 20th at 12:54 am UTC. Will Jackson, Tulikettu shore team manager, supported the Person-In-Charge via a continuous satellite connection. On April 20th at 10:45 am UTC, the entire crew was evacuated to an oil tanker that had been diverted to assist, and Tulikettu had to be abandoned at sea.

The American Dream

There’s a reason they call it the American Dream, cause ya gotta be asleep to believe it! - George Carlin

Documentation Scam

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is advising boaters with vessels that have a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by U.S. mail offering renewal. While the Coast Guard does send official annual renewal notices by U.S. mail, other notices being received by BoatUS members are not from the Coast Guard but rather thirdparty companies whose name or return addresses may appear similar to that of the official U.S. Coast Guard National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC). These letters direct them to websites that may be mistaken for the actual Coast Guard NVDC located in Falling Waters, West Virginia, and appear to show a significant increase in the annual fee to renew Coast Guard documentation.

Nautical Trivia Answer

The saying “being three sheets to the wind” referring to someone who is extremely drunk or out of control comes from this sailing term. On a sailboat, if all three of your sheets are out flapping in the wind you have no control over your sails and thus your sailboat. From page 19

Sailing, Cars, and Tennis?

The Sailing Museum, Audrain Automobile Museum and International Tennis Hall of Fame have teamed together to provide access to all three of Newport, RI’s sports museums with just one ticket.

Newport’s Sporting Ticket is now available for purchase online and in person at all three participating museums. Visitors can experience Newport’s storied traditions in sailing, tennis and automobiles for the price of just two museum admissions at $39 per adult. Ticket purchasers will have 90 days from the date of sale to access all three museums through the end of 2022.

The Sailing Museum features exhibits celebrating the National Sailing Hall of Fame and America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Discover the legends of sailing, try steering a sailboat, take the grinding challenge or fly over the water in the dome with SailGP.

Share The Sail Bahamas - Join The L&A Staff At Sea!

For the past 25 years the Lats&Atts Staff has joined our readers for Share The Sail events all over this big blue ball we call Earth, and we are in the midst of creating the next one, this time to the Bahamas.

But wait! This is no ordinary event. The pandemic is (hopefully) over, and we are free to move about the world again, and what place better to enjoy being back out on our boats than to sail the Bahamas.

We created the Flotilla Charter program back in 1999, when we did our first event in Tahiti. Since then we have taken tens of thousands of boaters “out there” to see what the cruising lifestyle is really all about. This is a full week’s immersion in the cruising lifestyle.

Ah, but you will not be alone. Nay nay, say we. This is a group of like-minded individuals gathered to experience the cruising lifestyle. By the end of the event your life will be changed forever.

So of course we will have to have a couple fun events during the sail. As usual we will host a party while there, and, also as usual, cruising boats that are not part of the share the sail will all be welcome for a small entry fee.

Interested? If you want to get more info on this fun event, email Assoc. Publisher David Levesque (david@latsatts.com) and he will put you on the info list. As usual, this is on a first come, first served, as these events usually sell out! Don’t miss out. Email him today for more info!

ACTIVE PIRACY REPORT from the International Commercial Crime Services: A Narrative of the Most Recent Attacks

June 6, 2022: Callao Anchorage, Peru. Around three robbers armed with long knives boarded an anchored tanker. Alarm raised. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped with ship’s stores. June 19, 2022: Singapore Straits. Duty crew onboard a bulk carrier underway noticed two unauthorized persons in the steering gear room. Alarm raised, crew mustered and VTS informed. The persons escaped upon seeing the crew alertness. A naval patrol boat came to assist. Nothing reported stolen. April 25, 2022: Chittagong Anchorage, Bangladesh. Duty officer onboard an anchored product tanker noticed three robbers on the forecastle deck and raised the alarm. Crew mustered and proceeded towards the forecastle. Hearing the alarm and seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped with stolen ship’s stores. Incident reported to port control and the Bangladesh coast guard, who later boarded the vessel for investigation. Two days later, the stolen items were recovered by the coast guard and returned to the tanker. May 27, 2022: Singapore Straits. Three robbers boarded a product tanker underway. Alert crew noticed the robbers and raised the alarm resulting in the robbers escaping empty handed. May 16, 2022: Singapore Straits. Two robbers boarded a bulk carrier underway using a hook attached with a rope. Alert crew noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. Hearing the alarm and seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped empty handed.

May 27, 2022: Singapore Straits.

Three robbers armed with long knives boarded a bulk carrier underway. Duty oiler on routine rounds noticed the robbers and informed the C/E. Alarm raised, PA announcement made, and crew mustered. Hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped with the stolen ship’s property. A navy patrol boat escorted the ship to the anchorage area.