Latitudes & Attitudes #31 Sumer 2020 by Latitudes & Attitudes

RUIN YOUR LIFE AND LIVE THE DREAM OF SAILING AWAY FROM IT ALL!

SAILING DELOS! Laura Dekker CRUISING

MAINE TURKEY SAN BLAS ISLANDS and more! Summer 2020

Issue #31

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A BIRTHDAY SAIL IN THE

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In This Issue... Page 17

Issue #31 Summer 2020

Page 44

Jessie & Luke Sail to Beaver Island

Sailing Delos: Behind The Scenes

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Page 59

Laura Dekker Adventurer

Bob Bitchin’s BVI Birthday Bash

Page 66

Page 72

Cruisers Are Bums!

1,444 Days: California to Panama

Page 98

Page 102

Home Sweet Home

Cruising Nevis & St. Kitts

Page 120

Page 137

Dreaming of the Cruising Life

Cruising The San Blas Islands

Page 145

Page 150

Chasing My Dream

Dinghy Come Back!

Page 150

Page 162

Three Maine Islands

Cruising The Turkish Riviera

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Issue #31 Summer 2020

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Another Way

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Underway

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Life Aboard

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Book Review

Talk of The Dock

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Lifestyle

Cap’n Cap’n

I Saw It At The Boat Show

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Bosun’s Bag

Mackie White

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Our cover girl is crew on s/v Delos. Their YouTube channel, “Sailing Delos,” has over 350,000 followers. The full story starts on page 44. People Who Helped Us Create This Issue David Carey Captain Woody Hendersen Trampus Wells Tara Kelly Mary Taylor Vicki Seymour Brad Modesitt Susea McGearhart Brian Weeks Richard Frankhuizen David Selby Susea Carmody Monica Kendrick Ronna Benjamin Shiera Brady Len Freedberg Chuck Ritenour

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But, the thing to remember is, every time you make a mistake, you can learn something from it. So, don’t kick yourself in the butt for making mistakes, just be sure that you learn the lesson from whatever it is. As time goes by, you’ll find your self making less and less mistakes. That doesn’t mean you stopped learning—it just means that maybe you’ve learned the basics. But don’t By worry, something will happen the next time Bob you’re out. It might be a slipping anchor, or a torn sail, or a myriad of other things that can Bitchin go wrong. Funny thing is, that’s pretty much what makes our lifestyle so exciting. Sure, you could I’ve decided that ya gotta do dumb stuff when you’re young. If you don’t, how are you ever going to sit home on your couch watching “I Love Lucy” reruns, grow wise with age? Oh, I’m not sayin’ you have to shoot but the only thing you’ll learn is how silly TV used to be. As time goes by, you’ll learn the same thing yourself in the foot to learn to use a safety on a gun, but you do have to go out and anchor the wrong way a it took me a lot of years to glean from all this: The adventure really begins when something goes wrong. couple times before you learn the best way to anchor. Next time you’re sitting around a waterfront bar, Of course, you also have to be smart enough to learn from these mistakes. Otherwise, you are bound to listen to the stories that are being told. You won’t hear about a perfect sail on a perfect day. No, you will hear repeat them over and over and over again. The bigger the mistake, the less likely you are to how one newbie filled the diesel tanks with gasoline make it in the future, right? I mean, it just makes sense. at a fuel stop, or how someone misjudged a channel If you sail your boat in the front of an oil tanker doing 20 entrance and went aground, or any one of a hundred knots, chances are you won’t make that same mistake great stories about anchors, sails, masts, and people again. You’ll probably be dead and gone, but hopefully who did something silly or dumb. That’s part of the adventure. What at one time someone will learn from your mistake! What I am saying is, the longer you’re on a boat, seems to be a real disaster, when it comes to the telling the more you learn. I remember the first time I was ever of it in a waterfront bar, has now become an adventure. When I start telling stories of some of the dumb on a sailboat. It was scary! We sailed out of the harbor on a Cal 28, and as we passed the breakwater and slid things that I’ve done and that have happened to me, out onto the ocean with a 18-20 knot breeze, I was my life seems full. The night we slipped anchor off of sure I was gonna die! I was gripping that big ol’ round Hellespont in Greece. The time we broke our steering chromy thing (I now know it’s a winch!) and hung on for gudgeon in the middle of the South Pacific and had to dear life as I watched the guy who was selling me the steer using two pipe wrenches and our legs (don’t ask!). Yeah, if I’d never been dumb enough to try and boat prance around like things were normal. They were NOT normal. The floor was at a 30% cross the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel in Hawaii in 55-knot angle. How the hell was he standing upright?! There winds, I would not have the tale to tell of how we got were loose ropes all over the place, and crap was flying knocked down by an 80-foot rogue wave. But, having done it, I know one thing. I lived! You around down below as if we were in a hurricane. But we weren’t. Now, 100,000 miles later, I can can’t get the feeling of defeating a storm unless you sail look back and laugh at what I was like back then. I out from under it and into the sunlight! You can’t feel can look back at hundreds, nay, probably more like the exhilaration of sailing into the Marquesas Islands thousands of stupid things I did while learning what it without going through the doldrums of the ITCZ. So, the next time you do something and say to means to be a sailor. The funny thing is, I am still learning every time I yourself (or worse yet, your wife says to you), “That take a boat off the docks. And I think that’s the lesson was pretty stupid,” just remember, someday you may to be learned here: Ya gotta make mistakes to learn. remember exactly what it was, and not do it again! Or, Oh, I’m not saying go out there and mess things up on as I always like to say, you have to purpose. Hell, you’ll mess things up as much as you slay the dragon if you want to kiss the maiden! need to just being human.

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BEAVER ISLAND BY JESSIE ZEVALKINK-YEATES

Hove to, with a double-reefed main and staysail in Lake Michigan, we are not even twenty miles from home. A short weekend trip to Lake Michigan’s largest island and I’m realizing that I have the incredible ability to forget vile experiences. An abundance of frightening, frigid, and water-logged moments—never existed. Internal arguments, self-misery, and sailing-induced stress—imagined.

y retrospective memory remembers only the fragments I choose. I consider it a blessing, and the reason I will continue putting my life at risk in large bodies of water. I’m convinced that the others who relentlessly return were gifted with this ability as well.

Over the course of two years and approximately 15,000 nautical miles, we have closed our Atlantic circuit and returned s/v Desirée to my father in the Great Lakes.

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What? You thought he was just going to give us that boat? No way. I’ve tried to buy it from him in the past with a family discount. “No amount of money will ever buy my boat.” Dead pan in his response, he kindly let us sail it to England and back instead. The saying, “Everything is for sale,” does not apply to Desirée. So, we borrowed her, and looked after her purposefully, with the intent of returning her to her original owner.

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BEAVER ISLAND

I’m slightly emotionless about closing the circle. Our life, on this particular boat, feels like all that I know at this time. All I am and all I have become. I haven’t had enough time to process our return. My gung-ho attitude and ability to handle nasty situations are through the roof, however. Sailing hove to out here in my “backyard” feels just fine. A rational, land-based human would tell me to take this attitude to the hospital and get it checked out. Maybe pick up a prescription. Speaking of ill, I am ill. Like “cough-cough” ill. It hurts when I swallow and my body aches. My anatomy whined at me to stay in bed on a long weekend off, but my brain persuaded me to go sailing instead. To add more drama, and solicit empathy from the female sailor, it’s my time of month, and emotionally I feel like a rotten banana peel hanging out the side of a dumpster that no one wants to

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touch or see. We are sailing to Beaver Island, 45 miles north of home, and are in some of the worst conditions I’ve ever seen—and I am not interpreting that information through self-diagnosed illnesses. We have pushed this boat hard. Really hard. We’ve learnt her limits out in the Atlantic and we’ve learnt ours. Today, we have a better understanding of when to call the shots than we once did. Hence, hove to. Surely you are wondering if we looked at the forecast. We did, and it didn’t look that nice. But, it didn’t look all that bad either. I use multiple sources for weather forecasting, as many cruisers do. We tend to take them all, average them, add ten knots of wind and some sea height, and then ask ourselves if it’s manageable. Our conclusion about today, based off of this method: “It might be uncomfortable.”

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BEAVER ISLAND

It’s blowing 35 out of the west, gusting to 45. Our method lead us to believe it would be gusting to 35. Nonetheless, we carry on, unsurprised. We are crossing from the tip of Leelanau Peninsula to Beaver Island. Beam seas and a 60-mile fetch of stacking lake chop leave no time for Desirée to find her cadence. The difference between ocean swell and lake chop is the difference between sweet, sautéed onions and punchy, raw ones. Even if you’re an onion lover, raw onions will make you cry every time you cut them. My attitude has graduated from a rotten banana peel hanging off the dumpster to a diced raw onion left on the counter top to teargas unsuspecting guests. Sustainable, but wickedly unpleasant. The raw onions roll under Desirée’s full keel, lifting her to port and dropping her off a starboard cliff, skipping past the propeller. We are towing a fancy inflatable rib fitted with an aluminum base that we also borrowed. That conversation was had, yes. “We should hoist the dinghy and put it on the deck, huh?” I asked with a lack of enthusiasm. I was responded to with an equal lack, “Yeah, probably,” followed by sailing away with the borrowed rib in tow. Stabilized (if you want to call it that) at 2.5 knots while hove to, we are able to slow the boat and kick our feet up. The rib is payed out as long as the line allows. Gusts sweep over the lake, deadlifting the rib and flipping it bottom-side-up. We tow it upside down until the next weightlifting gust airlifts it again, gracefully spinning it. A triple two-loop, and the rib lands back on its feet. We watch, cringing with a knife in hand, ready to cut the line if it becomes a dire situation. Our blood is pumping, but we know very well that all these forces are bigger than us. I imagine having to cut away the rib and it showing up on someone’s beach. An anonymous $3,000 gift, unregistered with the state. A baby on a door step with no Social Security number.

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I go down below to secure the loose items that I can hear on my walk-about. Tato, the cat, has lost her kibbles all over the V-berth. Soft and wet, it dribbles down the bulkhead. It smells as one would imagine, like cat puke. She has sailed with us across the ocean from Portugal, never once being seasick. I feel absolutely horrible. I know there is not a thing I can do for her. I’ve been there many times. We look at each other. I tell her I am terribly sorry and that it will be over soon. I give her a scratch on the back and she seems to acknowledge my empathy. At least, I tell myself she does. This goes on until we are in the lee of Beaver Island, many hours later than anticipated. The lake flattens, but the wind rips around the south side of Beaver. Our remaining miles are fast as we transition to a broad reach and roll out some headsail. The progress makes me feel less like a raw onion and more like a sautéed onion. Palatable. Luke is having a blast, so happy. In these moments I sit back and observe his joy. I wonder how he does it, and in a way I am bothered that I don’t feel what he is feeling because, as I mentioned in my opening paragraph, my joy seems to be experienced in retrospect. A pin goes loose on the genoa block, one connecting it to the track on the cap rail. It’s fully loaded with the headsail, and the next gust fractures the pin. The genoa sheet shoots off to sea with the weight of the metal block. With savage kinetic energy, it snaps back and forth, threatening to punch a hole through the ports, or anything in its way for that matter. Luke goes to tackle it in attempt to save it from damaging the boat. A parental reaction, similar to placing your entire arm across your child in the front seat when you slam on the brakes. As if your arm is enough to protect what you love most. It’s worse than watching the rib spin in circles. I yell his name and squeeze my eyes shut because I can’t handle what’s going to happen next. When I open my eyes, there is blood everywhere. The block smashes into Luke’s eyebrow, slicing it open. He says nothing and carries on furling in the headsail. He bleeds

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BEAVER ISLAND

all over the cockpit but continues to function until I force him to sit down and stop moving. We sit in the murder scene and smell the cat puke, taking a moment to slow down. With blood draining from his eyebrow, and full British sarcasm in effect, we carry on sailing the last miles to port. We have our roles aboard Desirée. We trust each other now. Call me a young buck, but I genuinely believe that what we have learned about each other, from stress management, sports psychology, and emotional intelligence, in our first two years of marriage is equivalent to that of a decade—all because of this boat. We round up into the bay and start the diesel donkey. I take the helm and we discuss anchoring versus docking. The bay is paved with grass, not often a friend of the anchor. Anchoring here in the past has always taken multiple attempts to achieve good holding. When tired, ill, bleeding, and cold, nothing is more salivating than the security of a dock to sleep at for the night. We agree to take our chances and pull into an available crosswind slip. I circle around the bay. We observe the dock, time the fierce gusts, and hope for the best. Other cruisers, comfortably docked, wait to witness our attempt. This is one of those moments when you have to accept that you are the performance: People are not only watching, but they are judging. Desirée has generous freeboard at the bow, meaning the pressure of a stiff gust easily overpowers her 25 horses. I know very well that if I do not input aggressiveenough RPMs, these 30-knot knocks will punch us in the face like the genoa block. I line Desirée up with crosswind suspense and full-forward speed to hold course. Three boat lengths in advance, I put it in reverse. She’s a heavy girl who responds slowly to gear

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change. A bystander on the dock cups his hands to his mouth and shouts. “I’m really not so sure about this!” I hear him. It’s too late to back out. I don’t respond. Luke is at the bow, counting down the feet and shouting back, “I’m not really sure either!” That makes three of us. Their voices are ripped sideways with the wind until they meet the flat side of a trawler and stop. I’m in hard reverse—with multiple men yelling at me to put it in reverse. I don’t respond, again. I am intently focused and perturbed at all of them shouting something that was stupidly obvious. We nail it square into the dock so fast and still in full-reverse with just enough RPMs in the bank to stop us from smashing the dock. A father and son grab our lines in silence, not so thrilled with our risk assessment. A woman peeps her head out of a trawler, smiling, dips her chin, and gives me a round of applause. If that wasn’t a Captain Ron maneuver, I don’t know what it was. The underestimated gale, the hove to, the illness, the flying rib, the pukey cat, and my bloody husband are immediately and selectively forgotten. The thrill and challenge of docking in highly unfavorable conditions was beyond satisfying. Luke trusted me, in a moment where I wasn’t sure if I trusted myself. That alone made me feel strong when I woke up this morning feeble. I am a perfectly ripe banana, a sweet sautéed onion, and a qualified docker. I say screw it to my health and crack a beer. Cheers to the ability to selectively forget. Beaver Island welcomes us sincerely in the evening with a smashing performance of the Northern Lights. Yet again, a confirmation that I will continue putting my life at risk in large bodies of water.

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Lats&Atts Scuttlebutt If It’s Gonna Happen, It’s Gonna Happen Out There

Issue #31

All the News That Fits Between the Sheets

Boat Show Updates

If you are planning to go to any of the upcoming shows, be sure to check with their websites to verify the shows will be held. At this time we are “planning” for the Newport International Boat Show, September 17-20 (newportboatshows.com); the Annapolis Sailboat Show, October 8-12 (annapolisboatshows. com); and the St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, December 3-6 (stpeteboatshow.com). Be sure to verify before visiting a show!

Summer 2020

Bitchin & Beans, Samaritans?

Michael Beans, currently at Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda, is known for his great “Happy Arrr” shows in the islands. But most folks don’t know that when he was 19 years old he helped create The Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti to create a free school on the remote island of Île-à-Vache, Haiti. The school now serves 270 students with full-time teachers, provides a meal to each student daily, and produced about 50% of the food for this lunch program. Michael Beans & publisher Bob Bitchin have been friends for 20 years, and now Lats&Atts is becoming a sponsor. You want to help? Go to www.goodsamaritansofhaiti.com!

Summer Sailstice

Summer Sailstice has always encouraged participants to get out “together” to celebrate sailing wherever they are in the world. Whether Sailstice parties, raft-ups, races, and community events will be possible still remains to be seen. Regardless, we will be celebrating the 20th Summer Sailstice, in some way, come June 20th. Hopefully, we will be hoisting our sails, but if not, we will adjust course!

Nautical Trivia Baggywrinkles are found on a lot of boats! What are baggywrinkles used for??

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Sail? OK, Motor-NO!

Sunsail Advisory

The Great Lakes added strict rules. Some boaters are angry with Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home order. At first people thought they would be able to go boating, but for some that has changed. Basically, if your boat has a motor, you can’t go out on the water. Michigan, known as the outdoorsy, Great Lake State, has over 10,000 lakes, streams, and rivers. The order is not banning all outdoor activities. People can still sail, kayak, and canoe. Not sure how this protects people from COVID, but figuring out political motives is way above our pay grade.

The folks at Sunsail have put up an easy-to-use page on their site to help people understand what areas are being affected by the COVID-19 virus. These advisories are for US customers. Australia use www.sunsail.com.au/traveladvisory. Sunsail, like the rest of the global travel industry, is closely monitoring all updates and advice issued by the CDC, WHO, international government entities, and global airlines. The list outlines the current travel status of charter destinations. You can find a lot more information here at: www.sunsail.com/travel-advisory.

Lats&Atts for Free? Are We Nuts?

Here’s the deal. The recent pandemic has once again changed the magazine business. Seven years ago we went to quarterly, as the marine industry could not afford to advertise every month. So we dropped our ad rates, cut our ad % to have more stories so we’d get better sales, and we were (and are) the #1-selling boating lifestyle rag out there. But once again it’s changing. With book stores closed, our only market is now supermarkets, where we sell great, but our advertisers need more eyes. So we’ve decided to make the online version of the print issue free. That way it reaches more eyes, and we hope that many, like us, prefer to have the print issue in hand, and will subscribe. Only time will tell! The print issue is just $25 a year or $7.99 a copy!

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Latitudes & Attitudes 29 5/1/20 1:03 PM

The Sand Bar Un-Decorates to Help

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The Sand Bar, located in Tybee Island, Georgia, is quiet, with no customers or employees in sight. Like many other restaurants, The Sand Bar had to switch to takeout and delivery only. Even though owner, Jennifer Knox, is struggling financially she realized there was an opportunity to help her now unemployed staff. “We were sitting there doors locked and I’m like oh my gosh, ‘There’s money on the walls and we have time on our hands,” referring to the bar’s decor. “’We gotta get this money down.’ For nearly 15 years, patrons have been leaving their mark on the island bar by writing on a dollar bill and stapling it on the walls and ceilings. Knox just celebrated her six-year anniversary of owning the bar with her mother, Pam Hessler. Over the next three and a half days, five volunteers took on the tedious task to help gently take down the weathered money. Some bills had dozens of staples in them, according to Knox. Some of the currency came from countries across the globe. After the bills were taken down, it took about a week and a half to clean them off and get them counted. In total, $3,714 was collected and the stacks of bills stretched in piles across the entire bar counter top. This was used to pay the employees who are now out of work!

VISAR Needs You

Trade Winds?

Virgin Islands Search and Rescue Our ancestors found that the Atlantic is a non-profit, non-governmental had very reliable wind roads. These volunteer marine search and rescue roads were called trade winds, trade organization operating in the BVI, being the Middle English word for established in 1988. They have two “track” or “path.” The trade winds bases in Tortola and Virgin Gorda, were so important for the English fleet with a total of 50 volunteer crew and economy that the name “trade” members who respond to medical became generally accepted to mean emergencies ranging from slips and (foreign) “commerce.” falls, dehydration, strokes, heart attacks, and boating accidents. On average, their crew will respond to over 90 emergencies a year, with their coordinators (similar to 911 operators) handling over 200 emergency calls a year. This season, VISAR is tasked to replace their rescue vessel in Virgin Gorda. VISAR is asking for help. Please consider donating to allow them to continue saving lives at sea. Here’s the link: https://mp.gg/54iyl w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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WE CAN GET YOU THERE...

Ready to get your cruising life started? From helping you find that perfect-for-you vessel, to fine-tuning the vessel you already have, B&G Marine Services is the perfect partner to help ensure your cruising experience is everything you want it to be. With service locations in New England and the British Virgin Islands, we offer a full complement of refit and supporting services, and are known for producing high-quality work and providing first-class customer service. To discuss what we can do for you, give us a call on +1-401-324-9569 , or send us an email at info@bgbvi.com - no matter what you need, we’re always happy to help.

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Arctic Ocean Rapid Change

A new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their international colleagues found that freshwater runoff from rivers and continental shelf sediments are bringing significant quantities of carbon and trace elements into parts of the Arctic Ocean via the Transpolar Drift—a major surface current that moves water from Siberia across the North Pole to the North Atlantic Ocean. Higher concentrations of trace elements and nutrients locked in the permafrost are expected to increase as more river runoff reaches the Arctic, which is warming at a much faster rate than most anywhere else on Earth. The Arctic plays an important role in regulating Earth’s climate due to greenhouse gas emissions. Once the ice is gone, the Arctic Ocean will absorb more heat from the atmosphere, which will only make our climate predicament worse.

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Feeling a Little Blue?

Well, that doesn’t mean seasick. Actually it comes from the old sailing days. If a ship lost its captain during a voyage, the sailors would sail blue flags to indicate their loss. So if you’re feeling blue, you’re actually referring to the blue flags that used to signal that the ship’s crew was in mourning.

Expensive, But Not A Boat!

A tow truck driver prepares to retrieve a nice $1.25 million. Bugatti Veyron from the water. The driver said he was startled by a pelican. It was a great day for the brown pelican Wednesday, being taken off the Photo: Chris Paschenko, Galveston County Daily News endangered species list, but the driver of a rare 2006 Bugatti Veyron EB—one of only 15 in the U.S.—may be wishing he had never set eyes on one of the ungainly creatures.

Goiot Escape Hatch Recall

Goiot Systems has issued a recall on their escape hatches delivered before September 2018 and the Goiot safety kits, due to a risk of the hatches detaching from their frames, which could affect safety during navigation. Models concerned are Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot, Catana-Bali, and Nautitech. They are asking that all owners and users of their boats contact them without delay by referring to their internet sites or contacting their dealer.

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Waterway Guide, Dockway, AGLCA, and Snag-A-Slip are reporting the changing status of access to marinas, services, and docks while the United States is developing a response to the spread of COVID-19. The information comes from boaters, marinas, partners, the U.S. Coast Guard, their staff, on-the-water boating editors, and internal teams of experts. They are providing boaters with up-to-date info for captains and crew to make informed decisions regarding their vessel and safety. They will continue to publish and update news about affected facilities and waterways until normal conditions resume. To submit information and help inform your fellow boaters, please email us at covid19@waterwayguide.com.

Son of a Gun

In lesser days, women needed to be smuggled onboard. Then, when the passage took longer than expected, they naturally needed to give birth every now and then. On sea, women typically gave birth between the cannons on the gun deck. If the child wasn’t claimed by one of passengers or sailors, it was entered in the ship’s log as being the “son-of-a-gun.”

65+ Knot Record

What is it like to sail at over 65 knots? This run shows Vesta’s Sailrocket 2 smashing the outright world speed sailing record and easily becoming the sports first true 60+ knot boat. She averaged 65.45 knots over the 500 meter course and hit a peak speed of 68.33 knots (78+ mph, 126+ kmh). The shot here is from the third run of the day. The photo shows her burning down the 500meter course in under 15 seconds.

22,229 Miles in a Straight Line

OK, it’s mostly a theory of amateur cartographer David Cooke, who discovered the Cook Passage in 2015. It’s a straight line running around the Earth from Port Renfrew, B.C., to Quebec, without ever touching land. While critics claim it’s impossible to navigate in a perfectly straight line, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a cool theory, and it’s the longest you can (theoretically) sail straight without touching land.

Advisory Now A Warning?

In a move that could simplify and potentially reduce misunderstanding of urgent weather messages used by recreational boaters to make critical boating safety decisions, the National Weather Service (NWS) has proposed renaming the Small Craft Advisory to a Small Craft Warning, according to the folks at BoatUS. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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Panama Canal

Jimmy Cornell has confirmation from Panama that the temporary measure to stop transits by pleasure craft has been lifted. There are special measures being applied to boats in transit. They must be in quarantine for 14 days in Panamanian waters (in a marina or at anchor) with any shore contact being forbidden. They will be inspected by a Panama Canal official only after the quarantine period is completed, and formalities can then be completed for the transit. Transits can suffer delays because of the backlog, but they are taking place. Although the situation is not back to normal, matters are under control.

Loose Cannon!

It’s a sailing term. The cannons on a ship could weigh up to 3,400 pounds (or 1,500 kg). You can imagine that a loose one could do quite a bit of damage. So loose cannons are dangerous—and should be avoided at all cost. Hence the saying.

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Monaco Shut-Down

Monaco’s government has temporarily banned all leisure boating activities and barred entry to cruise ships. Port Hercules now requires yachts larger than 78 feet to fill out a mandatory Declaration of Health before entering the port. Raphael Sauleau, the CEO of Fraser Yachts, a yacht brokerage with offices in Monaco, told Business Insider that residents fully support the lockdown. “Many captains and crew remain on board yachts, so on lockdown but in good spirits, keeping the yachts (and themselves) in good shape and preparing for the eventual rollback of restrictions which is currently set to start in Monaco in May,” Sauleau said. “Yachts sound their horns each night to thank the front-line and essential workers.

An Apple a Day

There are so many kinds of apples, that if you ate a new one everyday, it would take over 20 years to try them all.

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Buffett’s Got Cabin Fever Too!

Jimmy Buffett has canceled live shows, but in exchange for waiting to see him live, he is bringing the tour to his Parrot Heads stuck at home. We’d all rather be eating cheeseburgers in paradise, or at least in our favorite restaurants. But until our stay-at-home orders are lifted, at least we have the internet on our side. The Cabin Fever Spring 2020 tour will be coming to Parrot Heads around the world on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It’s your “virtual license to chill,” according to Buffett. “Well, live touring may be temporarily paused as we all do our part to socially distance, but we’re all still desperately in need of some fun,” organizers said. “We will be re-broadcasting a show from the archives ‘live’ like we would from a night on the tour.” So make a margarita and pull out a lawn chair. The broadcasts will start at 8 p.m. EST, with an encore at 8 p.m. PST. Viewers can watch on Margaritaville.tv or listen on Radio Margaritaville on Sirius/XM.

So Sayeth The Sooth Sayer

According to Albert Einstein, who knew a lot of stuff, if honey bees were to disappear from Earth, like they kinda are, humans would be dead within four years.

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Words of Wisdom About Food

According to our old friend Dave Dudgeon, breakfast is golden, lunch is silver, and dinner is lead. And so should we eat accordingly!

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America’s Cup Update

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is a fluid path ahead for all of the teams in their home countries in how they will handle the ways the 36th America’s Cup is changing just about every day. They have no more information on their relative performance other than what they already know via differing levels of early testing. So the question is, do they trust their initial instincts? Or do they change their plans? American Magic’s Skipper, Terry Hutchinson, acknowledged recently, “We missed the opportunity to see where we are vulnerable,” by not being able to race in Cagliari or Portsmouth “It’s going to require us to lean that much harder on the design side of the program.” The biggest question mark though is the progress on each of the teams’ highly-anticipated second AC75s currently in production in their home countries. Build timelines that were well established long before COVID-19 had made itself known to the world are near impossible to change without ripple effects on the wider campaign. Some production continues, some has been halted. Do the teams complete the build at home, or get their new boats to Auckland to finish? Do they ship them or fly them directly to Auckland. And most importantly—how will they compare relative to each other when they eventually see the light of day? Ohhh, only time will tell!

Nautical Trivia

Baggywrinkles are used to prevent sail chafe and are usually attached to the main shrouds, port and starboard. They can be used on any shroud that may rub against a sail. They were traditionally made by sailors out of old lines cut to various lengths and attached to a central core to form a sleeve.

(Answer from page 26)

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

April 22, 2020 - Singapore Straits. Two robbers armed with knives boarded a bulk carrier underway. Duty crew spotted the robbers and informed the officer on watch. The alarm raised and crew mustered. Singapore Police Coast Guard boarded the vessel for investigation. Nothing was reported stolen. April 26, 2020 - Umm Qasr Port, Iraq. Unauthorised persons disguised as stevedores boarded a berthed container ship. They broke into the forepeak store and started stealing shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s properties by passing them to their accomplices on the jetty. Alert crew noticed the persons and raised the alarm, resulting in their escape. Port Authorities responded and were able to recover and return the stolen items. April 11, 2020 - Taboneo Anchorage, Indonesia. Duty crew on routine rounds onboard an anchored bulk carrier noticed the forward store room door security padlock broken. Further investigation revealed shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stores had been stolen. April 9, 2020 - Offshore, Puerto Dos Bocas, Mexico. Duty crew onboard a dynamic positioning pipe-laying vessel noticed two boats with seven armed persons approaching at high speed. The alarm was raised, a PA announcement made, and crew mustered in the citadel. Three persons managed to board the vessel. The master activated SSAS, increased speed, and commenced maneuvers resulting in the persons escaping. Port Control was notified and a patrol boat was dispatched to assist the vessel. After the crew emerged from the citadel a security search was carried out. The crew and vessel were reported safe.

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ANOTHER WAY ALONENESS VERSUS LONELINESS By Tania Aebi

At the beginning of April, I received one of the random emails that still come in periodically, telling me how something I once did and wrote about relates to their own life or sailing dreams. It referenced current events and brought up something I’ve been thinking about a lot these days: our capacity to adapt to anything. The lady wrote: “If I am not mistaken, you were on David Letterman back in the 1980s after you completed your solo circumnavigation of the globe in a sailboat. Do I have that correct?” Correct. But, the days, weeks, and months following my return are part of a huge, trippy blur. I remember things in the big picture—like being picked up by a limo headed for the David Letterman green room—but few of the details—like our actual conversation. All that stuck was a joke about my cat who’d gone missing the very day I made landfall. While ashore for a couple of hours at the Coast Guard station at the entrance to New York Harbor, he wandered ashore and disappeared for something like a week. I was very upset.* I don’t remember what Letterman actually said, but do recall responding something about the joke not being funny. Funny was trying to watch a recording of it back at home and finding out we hadn’t set the timer right. Lucky was never having to relive what I said about that, or anything else, as a 21-year-old on national television. Less cringing involved. The lady’s email continued: “I was in college and my boyfriend (at the time) and I were struck by what you said when Dave asked if you were lonely during the trip. You replied with something to the effect that you weren’t because there was no one else around, so you weren’t missing out on anything. Do I have that correct? I have been citing your comment as people assume I am lonely during this pandemic.” Naturally, I can’t recall saying those very words either, but they sound about right. Because of that trip and the hours, days, and months spent alone at sea, I had lots of time to ponder endlessly the concept of aloneness versus loneliness. It has been further processed in the decades since spent in the company of bipeds of all kinds. It took a lot of hindsight to be able to appreciate what happened for me out there.

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Every time I pulled up anchor and headed out into the unknown, I had to go through a period of withdrawal. Cut off from all the sights, sounds, smells, and freedoms of being ashore and among other people was a radical change that required major adaptation. And, to get to a place of acceptance, of being okay with aloneness in the middle of the ocean, there was no dodging the effects of this withdrawal— anxiety, fear, restlessness, heightened emotions, depression—all kinds of bad feelings. Then, as if by magic, or our natural capacity for resilience and adaptation, this period would pass. Every time. After several days of agony, I’d arrive at where I needed to be. Everything was okay, and in fact, I was pretty privileged to be alive and experiencing this. The subsequent days would start to melt one into the next, and for the most part, I was fine with being my only friend. So much so that as the end of the whole adventure loomed, I started fearing what it would be like to be thrust back into civilization for the rest of my life. Clearly, I survived and adapted to that as well. It is a fact that one person can feel terribly lonely in the middle of New York City in normal times, while another would crave some alone time. By nature, some of us fear loneliness, while others embrace the aloneness. Humans tend to be social, herd creatures, we need others. But, some of us also don’t. Not all the time, anyway, and that isn’t freakish, just different. And, we can’t know who we are without being given the chance to find out. Current events are highlighting more than ever our differences, how we choose to adapt and embrace the stay-at-home orders, or resist adapting and embracing them. About a week before the Letterman appearance, I’d arrived in New York City after spending fifty days alone at sea crossing the Atlantic from Gibraltar. No land; not talking with anyone unless a ship hove into VHF range; eating potatoes, cabbage and canned food; rationing water; reading lots of books; spending hours just staring at the endless ocean as we roared down the biggest mountains of waves I’d ever seen, or bobbed aimlessly in the longest flat calm. When the stay-at-home orders started being issued, I found myself comparing the situation to

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In May of 1985, an 18-year-old Tania set sail from Manhattan, New York, and became the ﬁrst American woman and youngest sailor at the time to circumnavigate the globe. Upon her return to Manhattan in November 1987, Tania had visited 23 countries and sailed 27,000 miles. Nowadays, Tania runs charters and delivers boats all over the world when she’s not at home, raising her sons, working on her next book, or battling snow in the winter and weeds in the summer.

taking off on a long passage. Meals aren’t being prepared in tiny galleys while being tossed around but, without restaurants, we have to make all our own food now. Though we can still do careful shopping to try and find more toilet paper and fresh greens, longer term provisioning skills come in handy for easier meal planning and housekeeping. Though very few people are living in confines as tight as aboard a boat, most of us are spending days on end with ourselves, friends, or families, getting to know each other more intimately than ever before. Yes, it’s a tenuous connection. We can still leave our homes for walks. We have large fridges, freezers, and access to endless water. For better or worse, we can reach out and talk to anyone anytime, and have unfettered access to the news cycle. We don’t have to worry about leaks threatening our clothing, food supplies, engine, and systems. But, still, it’s a huge and collective adjustment to a new world order. This adjustment is what I am talking about. When you set off on an ocean crossing, a long passage, you are really stuck at home. You literally can’t leave to get your hair done or go to church. And coming to terms with that is a version of an adjustment people who have never gone to sea are now experiencing. Whatever the idea of casting off and heading into the unknown does for you on land, out there, you become a different person. Something in you has to change and accept that every new day is the unknown. Heading into the ocean void is a way to feel this reality tangibly, not as an abstraction or a philosophical point. We’re hard-wired to seek the

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destination, a safe harbor, and everything comes to an end. No passage lasts forever, nobody spends an entire life alone, families and relationships will break up, and along with the world, morph into different shapes. This too shall pass. The pandemic is testing all of us in many ways, and we adapt differently, in the way we adjust now, and the way we will remember it as well. Will it be as a blessing or a curse? I hope all this alone time, this opportunity to look within, to detach for a moment from the relentlessly voracious and headlong rush toward more of everything, will be as good for the world as it was for me. *While ashore, my cat had boarded a Coast Guard cutter just as it headed back out to sea. When they returned and turned off the engines, they heard his meows coming from behind an instrument panel where he’d been freaking out and hiding for a week. We were reunited and spent the next 20 years together, happily ever after.

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SAILING DELOS By David Carey

assionate, exciting, and down-to-earth: These are qualities that should define an entrepreneur. With so many people trying to use social media and platforms like YouTube to launch their rise to fame, it can be difficult to know who the genuinely good people are. Enter s/v Delos, a project

featuring four, adventure-seeking souls exploring our diverse planet by the power of the wind. Exceedingly passionate about sharing their journey, they have created over 230 YouTube episodes of their travels sailing around the world, which spans six continents and 45 countries. The Delos Project is an inspiration to millions. Supported through Patreon and YouTube, they have managed to create a sustainable income on their own terms, using technology, social media, and a lot of can-do attitude. With over ten years of experience, 350,000 YouTube subscribers, and a billion minutes of their content watched, they have cemented themselves as the go-to YouTube sailing channel. Delos’s popularity has steadily grown over the past decade, during which they have amassed a loyal following known as The Delos Tribe. Brian and Brady’s recent visit to the Annapolis Boat Show saw them pack out a ballroom-sized event, requiring the organizers of the show to run a back-to-back session with another packed out audience. The purpose of the event was to explain how they make money while cruising, a topic they have worked at for many years. “We were amazed at the response we received. People are obviously interested in going cruising, but they can’t figure out how to fund it long term,” said Brian. When asked about what advice they would give to those looking to make a career out of what they love to do, instead of what will earn them money, Brady replied: “I am very fortunate to be a part of the Delos project. There are few who can say they love what they do while earning a living. I think the best advice I can give Sailing vessel Delos (right) has over 350,000 followers on YouTube

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is to find what you are passionate about and to go after it. Money is important to a certain level, it definitely affords you the freedom to chase your dreams, but if you are not passionate about what you do, it will show in other areas of your life. I think one of the reasons we have been able to sustain this lifestyle through YouTube is that our passion comes through in our videos. If it didn’t, people would have tuned out a long time ago. Whether you are looking to start a YouTube channel, a business, or any new venture, if you are passionate, it will shine through, and people will engage with you, they will want to support you on your journey. This is what will motivate you to move forward, to put in the endless hours that are needed. Just because you love what you are doing doesn’t mean it comes easy, and without that drive, it won’t last.” A quick look in the comments section of any of the videos Delos has posted to YouTube will give you a feel for how these four trendsetters have inspired the masses. Speaking about what it feels like to know you have had a hand to play in people’s lifestyle choices, Karin said, “It’s hard for me to grasp that this is actually happening. I still can’t believe it when people come up to me in a supermarket and thank me for everything I have done for them, or when we get messages from strangers telling us they have sold everything and are going cruising; it’s very special.” Brady continues, “Inspiring people is an incredible feeling, and it doesn’t have to be a major life change like selling everything to buy a boat. We

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just want people to do what they love and make time for it, whether that’s reading more, riding bikes, going for walks, or drawing, the message is the same: Do what makes you happy!”

CHARITY WORK Although incredibly popular among sailors and landlubbers alike, many viewers may not be aware of the more charitable facets of The Delos Project and their commitment to giving back to the communities they visit. Speaking with the crew, it is obvious that this YouTube sensation is not just about partying, diving, and shooting videos. Brian explains, “From the beginning, when we started making the videos, we decided to give a percentage of what we make from YouTube, Patreon, and our product sales to charity. Every year we set aside 10% of our earnings and put them in a separate account that we use to fund projects and charities that catch our eye.” With over 50,000 dollars donated to various charities in 2019, they have set the standard of giving for successful YouTubers the world over. “I think giving back to others is a way of paying it forward, of showing people that you can do something positive just for the sake of doing it with no expectations. We hope that by doing this it will inspire others to do the same” said Brian. Alex Blue continues, “It doesn’t feel fair to just take—whether it be resources, or a photo, or a memory. Every country we visit, every community, has its battles, and many of them have too limited of resources to deal with them properly. People want to help, they want to get involved,

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but are unsure how. I think their trust in The Delos Project and its crew can help bridge that gap and make a difference on a very local and direct level.” From the hurricane-devastated island of Dominica to the cancer foundation BASE Camp, Delos has been helping children affected by storms or disease, contributing funds to rebuild schools and helping improve the lives of kids with cancer. They have also donated cash to the people of Haiti to help them build traditional Haitian sailing boats, as well as providing outboards for the local boats to help them host a number of beach cleanups. They have also donated money to the Ocean Research Project, an initiative that tracks environmental and fish migration. When asked how Delos is able to get involved with these projects, Brady said, “I think The Delos Project has only been possible because of others giving to us. The more we give back and spread positivity, the more it spreads around the globe. Giving is infectious and has no side effects!” The devastation suffered in the Bahamas in 2019 led to further initiatives by Delos and its loyal followers, Brian explains, “Currently we are working with local sailors and cruisers to take supplies directly from Florida to the places in the Bahamas that need them the most. It’s the transportation of ‘the last mile’ that can often be challenging for big ships and airplanes delivering goods to such small islands. We’ve used social media to coordinate volunteer boats with some Delos Tribe members on the ground, and a number of supply runs have been accomplished.”

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As for the future, the crew plans to continue helping others and sharing the Delos love. Brady explains, “I really want to explore sailing programs around the world. Wouldn’t it be incredible to take kids from underprivileged areas out sailing? To teach them about the environment and how important the ocean is to the health of our planet? Education is the only way we will be able to take care of the Earth.” Following a dream can be a roller coaster of emotions. On the days when it all seems too hard, it is channels like s/v Delos that can provide the inspiration we all crave at some time or another. Their success is a testament to their kind-hearted nature and their willingness to give back to those who supported them, embraced them, or just plain needed help. It’s clear to see the message they spread is genuine, and that they have made their mark on cruisers around the world. To follow the adventures of The Delos Project, log on to www.svdelos.com or visit their YouTube channel.

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rom Boats F 5 w e N o 4 See Tw Yachts, the 5 t A a n B i l Cata orth 34O N e u r T s.com and the aYacht Catalin

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Latitudes & Attitudes 51 4/30/20 11:49 AM

Laura Dekker & The Fate of Guppy By Captain Woody Henderson

If you’re a sailor, you ought to know about Ms. Dekker. Many of us followed her sailing exploits and remain inspired by her determination and sailing grit. She currently holds the record for youngest person, female or male, to circumnavigate the world solo by sail. Laura was 16 when she completed her voyage in 2012. Sailing is like any other passion. The truly great have been born both with a higher aptitude and the benefit of having mentors that supported their drive. Laura’s parents were cruising the world when Laura was born during a stop in New Zealand. She spent the first five years of her life cruising on a sailboat. After the family returned to the Netherlands, she sailed and raced with her dad. At the age of 6, Laura’s dad bought her first boat, an optimist sailing dinghy. She would sail it solo while dad windsurfed alongside. When Laura was 8, she read Tania Aebi’s book, Maiden Voyage, the inspirational story of Aebi’s own solo circumnavigation. I can tell you from personal experience, this book will make a certain kind of kid want to sail around the world.

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When she was 11, Laura took a family friend’s Hurley 700, a 23-foot cruiser, on a seven-week summer sailing tour around Holland and the Wadden Sea. She wasn’t solo this time; she brought her dog, Spot. That winter Laura found her own Hurley 700. With a loan from her dad, she bought that boat w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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and spent the summer of her thirteenth birthday cruising around the Netherlands. Laura saved her money from working various jobs so she could someday accomplish her dream sailing voyage. It’s the way a lot of us went about it…except for the age thing. When not at school, Laura prepared and trained

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for sailing’s greatest challenge and adventure: a solo circumnavigation. I read in different places that Laura’s dad encouraged her to do the hard sail to England to possibly discourage her from her very ambitious dream. When I asked her about it, Laura corrected this point: “My dad didn’t actually encourage me to sail to England, I sailed there in secret because I didn’t think my parents would allow me. The police there then put me in custody, and my dad picked me up. He then encouraged me to sail back to Holland though :)” It was 2009, when she was 14 years old, that Laura announced her intention to sail around the world. The Dutch government was not excited about Laura departing from the Netherlands solo at her age and was able to delay her departure by ten months. And they had another stipulation: she needed to get a better boat. So, Laura and her dad found an old 37foot Jeanneau sailing ketch. A partial refit ensued. She named the boat Guppy, the name that she had chosen for all of her prior boats. Laura oﬃcially began her circumnavigation from Gibraltar on August 21, 2010. She hadn’t yet had her fifteenth birthday. She had to leave in secret because, you know, she was oﬃcially too young to be soloing. Laura’s circumnavigation took her to many exotic destinations. From Gibraltar, she visited the Canary Islands; the Cape Verdes; Sint Maarten and the Leewards; the ABCs; the San Blas Islands of Panama and the Panama Canal; the Galápagos; the Marquesas Islands; Tahiti; Mo’orea; Bora Bora; Vava’u of Tonga; Suva, Fiji; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Darwin, Australia; Durban and Cape Town, South Africa; and back to Sint Maarten. For most, there is some peace found in moving your own little word across a vast ocean. Laura was able to transmit written updates to her blog throughout her adventure. In one entry she writes, “Everything is as it should be. It is just great bobbing on the sea and watching the endless blue surface.” The entries belie her surprising comfort at sea. Less missing her family than one would expect and more pure appreciation of being at one with the ocean and beyond the sight of land. Laura had occasional access to comments from the public reading her updates, “There are people who are worried about whether I am wearing a lifeline all the time and whether I eat enough. Please do not worry at all regarding the safety. All is at its best…Since I was six years old, my father taught me everything

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about safety, and if I went sailing without a life vest or a lifeline, my boat was chained for the next day. That was really annoying.” Her stories span a range of personalities, from experienced captain to excited teen. At one point, Laura would be deftly navigating a storm, while at another, she would be experiencing dolphins, rays, sharks, and whales with glee. If you’ve done some cruising, you know that there is less actual downtime than your peers assume. Laura had to keep up with all the port authority paperwork and boat maintenance that the rest of us have to…in addition to the schoolwork she was required to do. While in the Canaries, Laura achieved her Ocean Diver qualification. I noticed that Laura discovered early on, a key offshore captain’s trick, “While asleep, I unconsciously register all the noises around me, so if anything changes, I am awake instantly.” At her many destinations, Laura encountered friendly receptions. Her own Dutch islands in the Caribbean, Sint Maarten and the ABCs, were no exception. While in Sint Maarten, Laura was invited to sail with the tallship Stad Amsterdam for a ten-day cruise. This was one of the many, once-in-a-lifetime experiences afforded Laura for braving this bold adventure. Her updates are filled with funny insights, things we’ve all experienced while sailing. Through them, we learn that Laura is not motivated by the fame or attention for what she is doing, “While cleaning, I periodically got disturbed by brash press people …” Followers pointed out how other solo record pursuers were different from Laura. Rather than rush around the world, Laura wanted “to see something of the world and learn about it while doing so.” Taking that time with her voyage allowed her a myriad of experiences, including getting caught in fishing lines and having to swim under the boat at sea to cut them away, and more fun activities like baking bread and navigating by the stars. Though she was completing a solo circumnavigation, she connected with others w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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over VHF and shortwave radio. She also shared movies and books with fellow sailing families— mostly English titles, so she got in some practice with that. And, there was a lot of hull cleaning. In Fiji, Laura was again treated to an offGuppy adventure, a few days on the squarerigged tallship Alvei. She commented on the joy of not being a captain for a little bit. Right? As Laura sailed by New Zealand, she pledged to return, a promise she made good on after her circumnavigation. Guppy and Laura would sail back through the canal and across the full width of the Pacific to finally get to sail the beautiful island nation where she was born. After rounding the bottom of South Africa, Laura crossed her original circumnavigation longitude. She wrote about the occasion, saying, “Today Guppy came in line with the Netherlands’ longitude [5° E], which means that I have now crossed all of the Earth’s longitudes...that’s pretty amazing. Now I only have some 4,800 nautical miles to go until I reach the Caribbean and finish my circumnavigation of the world.” For a lot of people, this would indicate a circumnavigation completed. But Laura was determined to make it official and cross her outbound track just 4,800 nautical miles later, back at Sint Maarten. Here are some sailing statistics from Laura’s trip. It was 518 days from Gibraltar to the oﬃcial end of Laura’s circumnavigation, though her actual Sint Maarten to Sint Maarten time was 366 days. The longest distance sailed in one leg was 5,800 nautical miles, between Darwin, Australia, and Durban, South Africa, which took 47 days. The worst noon-to-noon distance covered was 40 nautical miles; the best, 194 nautical miles. The highest current encountered was five knots off South Africa in the Agulhas current. Her max speed (surfing) was 11-12 knots. Before each journey, the boat was equipped with twice the quantity of food as needed. And for water, 66 to 79 gallons went in the tanks, plus drinking water containers. I know Laura through my good friend Tania Aebi, the very one that helped inspire Laura with her book Maiden Voyage. I am fortunate to now run group-sailing vacations with her, one of my own sailing inspirations. It was Tania who reached out to me to

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see if I could help with an issue surrounding the fate of Guppy, describing it as something in my area. After Laura and Guppy cruised New Zealand, Laura started looking for a new home for Guppy. Laura was formulating her plan to start a foundation in the Netherlands to help children. She found a non-profit in Los Angeles called LifeSail Inc. LifeSail was to operate w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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Guppy for as long as they used it for teaching children. Laura and LifeSail signed an agreement that was clear: If LifeSail sank Guppy, the bulk of the insurance money would go to Laura. LifeSail paid a dollar, had Guppy put in their name, and solicited donations for the delivery of Guppy. Then through a series of bad decisions, they put Guppy on a reef and collected the insurance money. And though Laura has reached out many times, LifeSail has not made even a partial payment to Laura. I think Tania suggested it was “in my area” for two reasons. One, I taught sailing a hundred yards from where LifeSail would later set up shop. Two, I have a passion for consumer advocacy, nautical and otherwise. Helping to protect honest people from those who would take advantage of them is my way of giving back for the amazing life I have been allowed to live (see old articles here in Lats&Atts). Laura has published a PDF online that details all of her interactions with LifeSail. As a professional offshore sailor, I can tell you that it was hard to see the founder of LifeSail repeatedly dismiss Laura’s expert sailing advice. Based on the play-by-play, a bad ending seemed inevitable. The one thing that all parties agree on is how thankful we all are that no one was seriously injured or killed because of a series of unfortunate decisions. The legal dealings are in Los Angeles, which is diﬃcult for Laura since she has started a family and is running her own foundation in the Netherlands. My sailing friends and I are helping spread this story because we believe a happy ending is still possible. LifeSail may decide to make an offer (without strings) that will allow both parties to mend. I reached out to the board members of LifeSail, Inc. for comment a while back, no one has responded. Feel free to post on your favorite forum. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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Captain Woody is a sailor who does some writing. He got his start crossing oceans with Bob and Jody on the Lost Soul. He has captained private yachts as well as Coast Guard cutters for Sea Shepherd. He delivers yachts between organizing group sailing charters around exotic island destinations.

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䈀甀椀氀搀夀漀甀爀䐀爀攀愀洀㼀 ᰠ 圀攀挀愀渀䐀漀吀栀愀琀℀ᴠ 䠀甀琀挀栀椀渀猀䌀漀⸀Ⰰ 䤀渀挀⸀ ㄀㄀㤀㔀䬀愀瀀瀀䐀爀椀瘀攀䌀氀攀愀爀眀愀琀攀爀Ⰰ 䘀䰀㌀㌀㜀㘀㔀 58 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 58 ComPac Yachts ad.indd 1

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4/24/20 12:14 PM

A Birthday Vacation In The British Virgin Islands By Bob Bitchin

Photos by Bob & Jody Bitchin, Jeff & Debbie Kolod, and Ed & Sherry Cieleszko

In the 27 years since we started Latitudes & Attitudes, we have been lucky enough to go on quite a few “working vacations.” These usually consist of gathering a bunch of our readers on a bunch of boats and sailing in some very kewl places. The first one, almost 22 years ago, was with six boats sailing the Îles Sous-leVent area of the Society Islands: Raiatea, Taha’a, Huahine, and, our favorite, Bora Bora. Since then, we’ve sailed a few times in Greece, the Grenadines, New Zealand, Australia, Croatia, the Pacific Northwest, and, of course, the British Virgin Islands numerous times. Over the years, we have showed hundreds of people what the cruising life is all about. It was fun, but it wasn’t a vacation as much as it was, as they say, w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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“herding cats.” You know, overseeing a group of boats on our Share The Sail, making sure the boats were provisioned, and arranging for events, parties, and meals ashore. Oh don’t get me wrong, we loved what we were doing, but we were always “doing.” And, somehow, I have been able to do my 60th, 70th, and 75th birthdays in the British Virgin Islands, where I know so many great people it almost feels like our second home. But, it was always while herding cats. Okay, so much for the backstory. Let’s get on with it. This year for my 76th, my friend, Raul Bermudez, who runs MarineMax, asked me why I’d never done a story about cruising on a power cat. My answer was pretty simple: I had never cruised on a power cat. He’d heard my birthday was coming up (his is the same day!),

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A Birthday Vacation in the British Virgin Islands

so at the Annapolis International Boat Show he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: If I came to Nanny Cay, Tortola, for my birthday, he’d have a power cat waiting for me. “Kewl,” I thought. “A real vacation!” I contacted Jeff and Debbie Kolod, two friends that have sailed with us on a number of our Share The Sail events—and who usually end up being my co-captains as I tend to spend a lot of time working with other boats—and asked them if they wanted to come along. They did, and had a couple neighbors, Ed and Sherry Cieleszko, who joined us as well. When we arrived at MarineMax base we were met by Fayola. Then Akeema showed us the boat, an Aquila 443 named Fawasome. We had a lot of fun figuring out what the name meant. I will leave it to you and your imagination to figure out what we came up with! The boat was impressive. After about a half-hour checkout, we kicked the tires and lit the fires. I really enjoyed pulling out from the slip, where we had to spin the boat in its own length to get out. With the twin screws, it was easy! We’d heard there was a “bomb cyclone” due in that night, so we planned on heading straight over to Great

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Harbor on Jost Van Dyke which would be well-protected from an east-northeast wind. But as we made our way up the coast, we realized we were doing 11 knots which would get us there waaayyy early. So, we took a detour over to Norman Island to see the new Willy T, the old one having sunk in Hurricane Maria the year before. It took less than 30 minutes to get there (!), and soon we were bellied up to the bar for a quick libation before heading out again. Once again, we were surprised by how fast we made it back to Tortola. We decided to take a turn around Soper’s Hole, tucking in to see how the repairs were coming along. When we stopped in the year before it had boats up on the beaches and the buildings were all destroyed. Now, it was looking pretty good. The old Jolly Roger was still closed, but some of the stores were open and the moorings were being used once again. That was a good sign! We knew we would need to tuck into Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke to have the best position for the impending storm, so we headed over. Once again, we were surprised by the speed and comfort of the power cruiser. All six of us were “sailors,” so this was a first for us all, and I have to tell you, we were impressed. The speed and comfort of the boat was great. We pulled into Great Harbor and lucked out, finding the only open mooring ball right up inside where it would be the most protected. That afternoon we went in to pay our respects to Foxy and participate in the crab races (we lost!). We

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then headed over to Corsairs, where my old friend, Vinny Terranova, has been serving the best food on Jost for years! He and I have a little bit of a “past,” as he also owns Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson in Colorado, and we’ve known each other for decades. The meal, as usual, was great. And, also as usual, it turned into a two-hour meal with libations flowing and a good time was had by all. We stumbled into the dinghy and back to the boat where we got ready for what was expected to be a tough night. We were not disappointed. A little after midnight, the wind picked up and the rain started. But we hardly noticed, tucked in as we were to the northeast side of the bay. The seas remained fairly calm since there was not much fetch and the rain actually sounded refreshing on the hull. The cabins on this Aquila were very large, and the beds were really comfortable. The most surprising thing was how dry the boat stayed. It was still raining when we got up in the morning, but we were cozy and dry in the salon area, which had plenty of room, and even on the flybridge. We decided we would wait out the weather one more night at Jost, then head over to Whites when the weather broke the next morning. After that we were going to Cane Garden Bay to celebrate my actual birthday. A New Dinner Place & The Great Dinghy Caper The next night, after a day swimming in Great Bay, we decided to try a new place for dinner. Still in Great Bay, we wandered into a place called Cool Breeze,

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located between Foxy’s and Corsairs. The lady running it, Rose, said they didn’t start serving until 7 p.m., and it was just 6 p.m., but she had us sit down and said she’d make us some appetizers. We definitely picked the right place. Her 13-yearold son Ethan was the only other person there, and he set the table, always smiling. When we ordered some tequila and limes, Rose brought out the drinks and Ethan kept us supplied with limes and whatever else we needed. A little while later, out came a platter of the best garlic shrimp you could imagine. Then a huge basket of french fries cut from fresh potatoes. This was turning into a great evening. After a while we were looking to find Rose so we could order dinner, but she came out with a huge platter of barbecued chicken. We asked if we should order, and she asked, “When you came in your asked if we had chicken and ribs, right?” We nodded and she brought out another huge platter of barbecued ribs with plates of salad, brown rice, and all the fixin’s. It turned out to be one of the best evenings Jody and I have spent in the islands in years. Soon John, Rose’s husband, came and introduced himself. For the next half-hour we all sat and listened to how they had survived the hurricane the year before, and how their son Ethan had been flown out after the hurricane on Kenny Chesney’s plane to Nashville where he lived for a year as they rebuilt their home and restaurant. We learned that Kenny Chesney had been helping the islands come back in a big way. He had his plane fly in supplies, then fly people out whose homes had been destroyed. After the delicious dinner, we wandered back over to Foxy’s and had a quick drink, then headed out to the dinghy dock where we’d left the dinghy tied up. It was gone!

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A Birthday Vacation in the British Virgin Islands

Or so we thought. We searched all over for it, but we couldn’t find it. After a few minutes, we figured someone had just taken the wrong dinghy since they all looked pretty much alike, so we left Ed and Sherry on the dock and “borrowed” another dinghy to go out and search for the lost dinghy of ours. Jeff and I dropped Jody and Debbie off on our boat, then started the search. It was dark, raining, and blowy, yet still we methodically searched every boat anchored and moored in the bay, though to no avail. After about an hour we got a text from the dock. The people whose dinghy we’d borrowed had returned, so we brought the dinghy back in. As we were coming into Foxy’s dock, we saw a dinghy that looked like ours, with no light, being driven up on the beach. We rescued Sherry, who was being verbally assaulted by one of the ladies in the group whose dinghy we were using, and went to check out this other dinghy. Sure enough it was ours. It had been abandoned on the beach, waves were crashing into it, the engine was buried in sand, and the boat was full of water—but it was there. We emptied the dinghy and freed it from the sand, and soon were safely back on the boat with the dinghy hanging safely from the davits. The funny thing was, while we’d been searching the harbor, an anchored catamaran had slipped anchor and was crashing into another cat that was on a mooring. Jeff and I helped push it away with our commandeered dinghy.

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As it turned out, the people whose dinghy we used owned the boat that had slipped anchor and hit the moored cat. Methinks they were not having the best night! For the rest of the evening we sat discussing how much fun it was when something went wrong. I think my new saying is going to be, “The adventure begins when something goes wrong,” since we had so much fun during the search, and especially when we found the dinghy! All’s well that ends well! The next morning the swells were still wrapping the island from the storm the day before. We pulled around the corner into Whites Bay, but it was too rough to stay, so we headed around the island over to Sandy Cay, where it was too rough as well. Eventually, we tucked into Manchineel Bay on the east coast of Jost, by Foxy’s Voodoo Lounge. We spent a few hours there enjoying swimming and hangin’ out, then started across to Cane Garden Bay, where I’d planned on having my birthday at both Myett’s and Pusser’s Store. But as we all know, God laughs at plans made by cruisers. As we approached Tortola and Cane Garden Bay, we noticed there were no boats in the bay. This was pretty odd since Cane Garden Bay is one of the most popular mooring fields in the islands. It was also a little odd to see four or five surfers surfing right into the bay! It seems that the storm the night before had kicked up some 12-to-13-foot ocean rollers that were rolling right

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into the bay. We pulled in, looked around, immediately did a U-turn, and headed back out the narrow opening. This is where we found the speed of the power cat to be a true blessing. We kicked it up to 10-11 knots and headed north around the top of Tortola. As we passed some of the cliffs, we could see huge, crashing waves—some splashing 50 to 60 feet in the air and into some of the homes on the lower cliffs. As we passed below Guana, the seas were in the lee and it got a little smoother. But then we entered the pass between Great Camanoe and Guana. It seems the pass intensified the waves. As we cut between the skinny pass, between a small group of outlying rocks and Great Camanoe, we started surfing these 12-to-13-foot swells. All of the sudden we found ourselves skidding down the faces at 17 knots, then slowing to five or six knots as the waves passed under us. Now that was exciting! The seas calmed once we were in the lee of the larger island. We made our way through the mooring field at Marina Cay, and then up into the lee of Scrub Island. We decided we might as well head for North Sound on Virgin Gorda, figuring it would have to be calm in there. I made a zig-zag between the dogs, using their lee as much as possible, and then up and over Virgin Gorda and into the Sound. We’d made the right decision: It was calm in the sound. I called my friend John Glynn at the Bitter End Yacht Club to see if they had opened yet after the hurricane. They hadn’t, so we made our way into Leverick Bay. As we were pulling into the dock I got a real surprise. An old friend, Michael “Beans” Gardner, was entertaining there. He and I had met probably twenty years ago when he lost his boat in a storm at Marina Cay and ended up working on Marina Cay for years entertaining cruisers. Over the years we’d lost touch as he moved from island to island, but we’d run into each w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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other now and then, have a tot or two of rum, and do what sailors do, talk story. But here he was, entertaining at Leverick with his “Happy Arrr” pirate party. As it was my birthday, we made a reservation for that evening. We had a great time watching his show and reminiscing about the old days. In 2007, Michael founded The Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti. They now sponsor over 500 Haitian children going to school and being fed. That evening, Jody and I agreed to start supporting the foundation with him, so you will see a lot more about it in the coming issues. You can learn more and donate online at www.goodsamaritanofhaiti.com; you’ll find the link on our home page! But, back to the story. His show was great. If you cruise the BVI, you must make it to Leverick Bay and see the Captain Micheal Bean’s “Happy Arrr!”. It was an extremely memorable birthday! In the morning, “the girls” headed up to the spa they’d discovered the afternoon before at Leverick, and the guys worked on cleaning up the boat and getting ready for our next voyage. This time we were heading to Anegada, where our friends Tommy and Sharon Brownell were waiting for us. We were looking forward to the good weather that had come in and spending some time on our favorite island in the BVI. The time came for us to depart. As we pulled away from the dock, a little wind grabbed the stern of our boat, and one of life’s embarrassing moments occurred: The swim step hit the dock as we pulled out. You have no idea how embarrassing it is, after living aboard for almost 40 years and sailing 100,000 miles, to make a blunder like that! Fortunately, there wasn’t any damage to the boat, just my ego! I felt like the rankest amateur that had ever helmed a boat! We motored over to Bitter End Yacht Club to see how the rebuilding was coming along. They had been completely destroyed by the hurricane. When we got

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A Birthday Vacation in the British Virgin Islands Update on the Bitter End

Clearing and construction has been methodical and steady at BEYC. But that process was mostly complete earlier this year. Visitors to the BVI and North Sound in recent months (and from a distance) saw what amounts to a “blank slate.” The new Quarterdeck Marina is planned to be functional by October/November 2020, along with the Clubhouse Restaurant, a new beach bar, shops, watersports center, and beaches. Patrick Brizio is their new general manager. Progress can now be seen. Of course, current events (COVID-19) will play a role in timelines. However, BEYC remains upbeat about the future and looks forward to welcoming guests back later this year and into 2021. there, it looked like the docks had been repaired, but the main buildings and all of the cabins were still gone! There were a lot of folks working, so it looks like they will be back in business soon. Then we aimed the boat north toward Anegada. The trip across the 16 miles was great. The twin engines were humming as we cruised at a little over 11 knots, making landfall in just a little over an hour—faster than I’d ever made it before. We maneuvered through the dogleg entrance to the anchorage and found our way back to an open mooring in front of Neptune’s Treasure. Tom was waiting for us on the dock. He drove us over to where he was staying, at Dean & Henny’s Guest House. It was just about a mile down the beach, and it had an unbelievable beach of its own. We spent the afternoon lazing on the beach and swimming. That evening, we went back out to our power cat and enjoyed a beautiful night, which was much appreciated after the storm two nights earlier. The following day was a play day. Jody picked up a car from Dean’s rental fleet. The four men piled into one car and the ladies into the other. Our first stop was at Cow Wreck Beach, the original “honor bar,” with chairs in

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the sand and a mile-long white beach that’s as beautiful as any in the world. We all went swimming, then headed over to Loblolly Beach, where we ran into Captain Ken, who we’d sailed with in Tahiti a couple years earlier. He was now running a catamaran charter company. It was great getting back in touch. I think the best part of the cruising lifestyle is when you run into old friends all over the world. After a couple hours in Loblolly, we headed to the Big Bamboo a few miles down the same beach for some great conch fritters, chicken wings, and conch stew. If there is one thing you can count on when on the island of Anegada, it’s good food and beautiful beaches! After lunch we toured the “town,” dodging wild goats, cows, and even a few donkeys. Then we stopped to see the endangered Anegada Iguanas, which were being protected until they were fully grown so they could be reintroduced into the wild. They are only found on this one island! That afternoon, we went back to our Aquila 443 power cat with Tom and Sharon. Then the crew that was sailing with Ken came over to say hi. The boat was perfect for entertaining 14 people, with room to spare. It was one of those afternoons I will never forget.

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About VISAR

Virgin Islands Search and Rescue is a non-profit, non-governmental volunteer marine search and rescue organization operating in the BVI, with two bases: one in Tortola, the other in Virgin Gorda. They have a total of 50 volunteer crew members and two fully-equipped rescue vessels that respond to medical emergencies ranging from slips and falls, dehydration, strokes, heart attacks, and boating accidents. On average, their crew will respond to over 90 emergencies a year, with their coordinators (similar to 911 operators) handling over 200 emergency calls a year. VISAR not only has to raise their budget of $250,000, but must raise an additional $100,000 to replace their vessel in Virgin Gorda. You can help! Go to VISAR.org and donate! I have to say I was really impressed with the boat we’d gotten from MarineMax. Everything worked great. We had a watermaker—so we didn’t have to pick up water— air conditioning that helped keep our clothes dry and us cool, and four separate seating areas for entertaining. It was made for the Caribbean. Everyone except for the crew took off just before sunset. That night we spent another great evening doing what cruisers do: sitting around having a cocktail, enjoying some munchies, and talking story. It was one of those perfect evenings! Early the next day we dropped our mooring and headed south towards the Baths. The Baths have to be one of the most beautiful areas in the BVI. When we arrived just after 9 a.m. all the moorings were already taken, but we found an easy anchorage in just 20 feet of water. Jody and I stayed aboard while the rest of the crew headed in to explore the rocks and caves created by the huge boulders. I’ve been lucky enough to live the cruising lifestyle for over 40 years, but I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable birthdays I can remember. The cruising lifestyle is one like no other. It’s one in which you find friends you never knew you had and where acquaintances turn into lifelong friends. Oh yeah, and I guess I have to admit I kinda like the idea of a power cruiser! It was easy to handle, had more room in a 44-foot boat than I ever thought possible, and maneuvered like nothing I have ever sailed. So Raul, thank you for one of the best birthday presents I can recall. And now you can’t say I never write about power cruisers!

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Opposite Top Rachel and Trampus enjoying some Cuban music and mojitos at a cafe in Fort de France, Martinique.

I Believe Cruisers Are Bums! By Trampus Wells

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Opposite Middle Crews of s/v Soluna, Bubblemoon, and Twinsanity enjoying the hot springs in Guadeloupe with sack lunch beers!

I believe that cruisers are bums . . . in the absolute best sense of the word! We are all transients, without any perceivable roots in any particular location on Earth. Cruisers, and most long-term travelers, get to see a distinctly unique view of the world. We are effectively homeless. We are wanderers. We are vagabonds. We are bums! We move when the wind is right, and stop at any place that looks pretty. How can we do this, you ask? Are we anti-social, or outcasts, running from something in our past? In some cases, that is absolutely true. How can we survive with no community or stability? Well, stability in cruisers is a rare trait. We are all fairly unstable by most traditional definitions. But, as for a sense of community, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got that in spades! We have been living aboard our Maxim 380 for a couple of years now, and traveled a few thousand miles from the southern US to and through the eastern Caribbean. Many have traveled further, and to more exotic locations, but that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t what we set out to experience. After working for international companies for many years, and traveling almost 50% of my time, I was done! I had missed so much of my kids growing up, and my wife had told me that the new normal was when I was gone. Somehow, I had gotten to where my presence somehow w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Bottom No worries, it should buff right out! Touring Dominica with a busload of friends! TEAM Pepper for Eva!

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Dominican sunset during a Carnival parade and party in Portsmouth.

disrupted their “normal” existence. This was unacceptable! Debating whether this life was worth continuing or not, I made a decision. To quote one of my favorite South Park characters: “Screw you guys . . . I’m goin’ home!” There was nothing left to do but buy a boat, sell everything that wasn’t needed (including the house), and run to the ocean. So, we did, and immediately sat for months, repairing the boat, reconsidering our decision, secondguessing everything, and generally freaking out. Yep, cruising is awesome . . . After getting acquainted with our new reality, we realized that this decision was one of the best we could have made for our family. The boys (Carrick, 7, and Tripp, 10) have already grown and changed in ways that my wife, Rachel, and I could have never imagined. They are more able-bodied, adventurous, accepting, confident (they didn’t need much help with that), and comfortable in environments that are so foreign to them it is ridiculous. They are fast to make new friends and can play with just about anyone. Language barriers and age differences have all but disappeared. Kids are kids, and they all want to play. Watching that has been a real pleasure. This leads me back to the idea of community. Community is typically defined by location, social interests, political/religious beliefs, or other socioeconomic factors. The cruising community turns all that on its head. It is

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Top Sunset with Rachel and Tripp in Scotts Head, Dominica.

Bottom Martinique has some unbelievable street art! This street alone had several amazing pieces. This guy was my favorite!

one of the most egalitarian communities that I have ever experienced. We have the millionaires and thousandaires; conservative and liberal; incredibly clean and excessively dirty; sailing purists and sailors who constantly “charge the batteries” while sailing; and any other stereotype you can think of. All of whom will gladly help someone at the drop of a hat. I have even, literally, been offered the shirt off of someone’s back. It was bright pink, and I had watched him wear it constantly for several days in a row, so I kindly declined. I have watched perfect strangers jump on empty boats that were dragging their anchor during a tropical storm and get it re-anchored—just to have another boat drag right next to it. Everyone jumped from boat to boat, repeating this until the anchorage was secure. No sense of self-preservation, no “that’s not my boat” attitude, just knowing that they need to do what they could to help. No one asked for thanks or berated the boat owner for not securing properly. Nothing—just helping for the sake of helping. I had a wise friend (in a pink shirt, by the way) explain it perfectly to me one day during one of our ever-present sundowner sessions. He said he was asked if he would miss his neighborhood when he left to cruise. He replied, “Why would I miss it? My neighborhood follows me from country to country.” We have found that this is true everywhere we have been. People offer help, regardless what it is. Climb your mast to rewire something . . . Sure thing,

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Top Trampus, Tripp, and Carrick killing time wandering around Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua. I said, “Look scared!” Carrick couldn’t be bothered . . . Bottom One of the boys’ favorite pastimes is swinging or climbing in the rigging. Several other kid boats have had to allow their crew the same privilege, much to the parents dismay. Sorry, not sorry! let me get my harness! Your anchor is fouled on an Admiral Nelson’s anchor from the 1700s . . . Great, I’ve been wanting to try out my new dive gear! Your head has broken and there is poo everywhere . . . Um . . . I’ll have a beer for you when you get done! The list goes on and on. Like our kids have found: age, race, language, financial differences—all of it seem to drift away when you start sipping on a rum drink and talking boats. We have to laugh and point out that our French Colombian friends are using “y’all” now (we are from Texas). Seeing a familiar boat sail into the anchorage is a reason to wave and yell at them, even if you saw them just a week ago. Out of all that we have seen and experienced in this traveling life so far, the biggest eye-opening experience has been the amazing community of people that we have met. The ebb and flow of salty dogs, vagrants, rum-soaked dreamers, and, most importantly, bums, has created one of the best communities in the world! I am happy that our ever-growing community now includes friends from many US states, Canada, French Canada (it’s different), Ireland, Norway, Germany, Austria, Australia, South Africa, Colombia, France, Turkey, United Kingdom, every Caribbean country we have visited, and even Thailand. All have offered up their would-be homes for a visit if we get over that way. And, you know, I think they genuinely mean it! It looks like when our cruising days come to an end, we may teach our kids the fine art of couch surfing! w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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1,444 DAYS: CALIFORNIA TO PANAMA By Tara Kelly

omebody once told me, “Direction is more important than speed.” Many people are going nowhere fast. Not us. Our journey from California to Panama took us 1,444 days. Many cruisers are faster, some much slower.

But us? We’re doing us. When we decided to go cruising, we didn’t set a time limit. We said we would stop when we found our slice of paradise. Fort Bragg, California

Sailing up to and entering the shallow Noyo River, under a bridge no less, might make you nervous when it is your landfall after crossing from Hawaii in 33 days. Nonetheless, we had made it. We had the biggest smiles on our faces while walking around and enjoying the new scenery. We spent ten days at Dolphin Isle Marina for rest and provisions. After that we were ready to push off the docks and continue down the amazing California coast. We set sail early one morning towards Santa Barbara, or so we thought. It always happens in the dark, my husband says. He’s right. At 4:00 a.m., 18 miles outside of Monterey, our port-side rudder cassette broke. Luckily, we had a spare! The following day the spare was installed and we were ready to depart again. But now the southerly winds had arrived, so we were stuck in Monterey for the next ten days. We went sightseeing at the farmers market and became regulars at the local Mexican restaurant for our daily margaritas. There are far worse places to get stuck, I guess. This is when I realized that making plans and having timelines doesn’t work well when you’re cruising. Morro Bay was picturesque. Dolphins splashing, whales jumping, sea lions basking in the sunlight; the moon, stars, and sky...pinch me! We had spoken to Lynn on the phone and agreed to take a mooring for two weeks at the Morro Bay Yacht Club. This was a great spot to look at the wildlife and watch the surfers in their thick wetsuits.

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Xenia on anchor at Catalina Island, California

Newport, California

The Channel Islands is the Archipelago of California. It consists of eight islands; we visited four: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Catalina Island. These islands are remote and beautiful. The surrounding waters have a diverse ecosystem and a few plants found nowhere else in the world. When sailing around these islands, you must be prepared for wind and rough seas which can change at any time—especially around Santa Rosa and San Miguel where 30-knot winds are common. Our next stop was Santa Barbara Harbor. My husband grew up in Carpinteria and had worked out of this harbor for 25 years. Santa Barbara is a great little city on the Central Coast. It is easy to get around by walking or taking the bus or trolley. Oh, or Uber! There were great restaurants and shopping on State Street. You can only stay on a dock here for 14 days at the regular rate, then the rate doubles for days 14 to 28. If you leave after the 14 days though, you can enter back at the regular rate—but you must be gone for five days. So, if you’re staying longer this will require some shuffling, but it’s worth it. After saying goodbye to our friends and family, we were off to Catalina Island. We ended up getting harbor jobs there for four months. My husband drove the shore boats and I worked in the office. We had good times with friendly people on a lovely island. It’s said it’s all in who you know. Isn’t it though? While working in Catalina we had met some nice folks who offered to let us stay on their mooring in Newport Beach. Our friend Sue introduced us to her friends, and we soon found ourselves mingling and fitting right in with the American Legion Yacht Club, making more and

Anchored in Ft. Bragg

Monterey, California

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1,444 DAYS San Blas, Mexico

Tara and Mike in Mexico

more friends. Thank you, Commodore! While there, we found employment giving harbor tours with the Fun Zone Boat Company. The anchoring was free five nights of each month, and the happy hours were quite fun. If you haven’t been to Newport Beach, go! You might never want to leave.

Goodbye USA and Hola Mexico!

Our first stop was Baja Naval Marina, a boatyard in Ensenada. This was the first time I had been to Mexico— and it wasn’t what I had in mind. I was experiencing culture shock and not so sure I wanted to be there. The roads were dirty and the sidewalks had holes where you could fall ten feet to your death. What had I gotten myself into? I soon settled down after checking in to the country, which was easy because it’s all in the same building. You literally step from one booth to another then back to the bank—over and over again. Once we were legal, it was time to celebrate with some cold cervezas. A big thanks to our good friend Scotty for helping us. As we continued to push our way to warmer weather, we noticed the water changing into a deeper blue and more dolphins dancing off our bow. We were slowly taking off our winter layers. Being anchored in Cabo San Lucas in front of big, colorful resorts was tranquil. We met up with our family and enjoyed an all-inclusive day pass at a beautiful pink resort...which lasted all week. By the end of the week, we couldn’t even think about another piña colada. We had planned to stay a short time in San José del Cabo so we would make it to Mazatlán for Carnival. One month later we finally arrived. We had tried getting across this channel twice—but both times we’d had to turn

Barra de Navidad, Mexico

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Costa Rican sunset

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CALIFORNIA TO PANAMA

New Friends in El Salvador

Over the water restaurant in El Salvador

around at Los Frailes due to heavy northerly winds. When we finally arrived in El Cid Marina for Valentine’s Day, it felt like a special treat. We rented a small tour car and drove around town to see the sights. We met new friends from Minnesota and they gave us our third crew member, F Wilson, a coconut that we agreed to grow on our boat and plant somewhere special along the way. We shared huge laughs and lots of fun. F Wilson is now safely planted in Mexico and growing bigger each day. Isla Isabel and San Blas are where I began to fall in love with Mexico. Desolate sandy beaches with miles and miles of palm trees left me breathless. You won’t find huge shopping malls here, and the cost is half what it is in Baja. We met some cruisers, Kathy and Hal on Airborne, who are experts in the area. They shared with us the ins-and-outs of the simple cruising life in Mexico. The most important lesson was to stop, enjoy it, and don’t rush. We did just that. I joined a local Zumba class. We started to fit into the community. Pretty soon locals would wave at us as we walked down the streets. Some people might be bugged by all the mosquitos and no-see-ums in the area. Bugging up at dusk and dawn is a must. However, we didn’t mind, it kept the crowd level low. The Crocodile Tour is great and surfing at Matanchen Bay is a blast. We cried when we left many many months later. La Cruz is a fun little town if you are into live music, bar hopping, and shops. For me, it’s all about the pool— and this marina doesn’t have a good pool. Also, anchoring among fifty other boats is just too much. It didn’t feel like Mexico to us, but we did enjoy our short time here. Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta (near Puerto Vallarta) is a wonderful, clean marina with three pools. A lot of cruisers say this place is hard to get in and out of because of the bus, and that taxis to Paradise Village take more time. We wondered why you would ever want to leave this place. It was brimming with tourists, but in my opinion it’s a far better value than the La Cruz marina. Also, it’s closer to the Puerto Vallarta Sam’s Club for provisioning. We continued down to the small fishing village of Barra de Navidad. This beautiful marina has the French Baker, clean pools, and water taxi pangas that take you to town. The French Baker comes by your boat every morning, ringing his bell and offering freshly made cheese or chocolate croissants. He must have made $50.00 a week from me alone. The locals are friendly and the restaurants are great. Melaque is a short bus ride. And, if you are there for Saint Patrick’s Day (San Patricio), don’t miss this huge celebration. It is the best fireworks and dragon show you will see in Mexico. Zihuatanejo was another great stop. This is one that is popular with cruisers for its Sailfest and International Guitar Festival. If you need anything while here, Hilda is on VHF channel 65. She’s located in town and will help arrange the delivery of water, gas, cola, and beer to your boat. Also in town are the most mouth-watering rotisserie chicken and chili rellenos. We were told the anchorage area is not the cleanest and swimming wasn’t advisable, but I jumped off the back a few times and didn’t seem to have any problems. It’s a great place for dinghy landings as the locals will watch your dinghy for a dollar or cold cola. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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1,444 DAYS Xenia anchored in Las Perlas Islands, Panama

More new friends in Costa Rica

Acapulco should not be missed. If nothing, you have to see the cliff divers. The nine bays of Huatulco are charming, with the clearest blue water that we have ever seen in Mexico. The town is easy to get around by walking, riding your bike, or taking a taxi. It was with heavy hearts that we checked out of Mexico in Chiapas. Mexico was good to us and we will return one day. Sooner rather than later, we hope. Now it was time to cross the notoriously windy 260-mile-wide Gulf of Tehuantepec. It took us three days to get to Bahía del Sol, El Salvador, since we anchored along the way. When we joined the El Salvador rally it included Bill as our guide across the bar. We went over that bar going 13.8 knots. What a rush! El Salvador doesn’t see many tourists, so I felt a bit out of place. We settled in for six weeks and met local cruisers and expats, Lynn and Lou. The hotel manager, Juice, and all the staff are amazing people. The surfing is great in La Libertad, and renting a car was easy. Once you drive around El Salvador, you will begin to see the beauty. They have a trash issue currently, but are continuing to rectify the situation to beautify the country through education and resources.

Falling in Love With Nicaragua.

The coastline here is magnificent—a surfer’s paradise. For boaters, the winds can be outright scary thanks to the Papagayo winds. It’s crucial to watch the wind reports, then add ten knots to whatever they predict. We found it expensive to check in and out here, since you pay fees at each anchorage. One officer wanted my husband to give him $20.00. He told the officer to talk to me, which he never did. He must have known I’d say “NO!” We met Ralph and his wife, expats who live in San Juan del Sur. If you’re tired of the boat, they own a very cute, very cozy hotel. You will find them quite friendly to cruisers—they love showing you all the local fun.

Pura Vida Costa Rica!

The northern islands are astonishing with their thick green jungles and the noise from howler monkeys in the background. We made stops in Bahía Santa Elena, Playa del Coco, Samara Beach, Drake Bay, Golfito, and Pavones. Costa Rica is a country that seems to have it all put together: it’s clean and has recycle bins, the people are some of the friendliest we have come across, and there are beautiful beaches and volcanoes. We really enjoyed the macaws and parrots. When we watched them, we felt like we were one with the jungle. We stayed at a newer IGY Marina in Golfito. If you don’t mind that it is under construction, you will appreciate that it less expensive than a fully-functioning marina. It’s safe and clean, and staffed by amazing people. Mario will escort you in the golf cart to the pool and assist with all your needs. The Port Captain is right next door, and checking into the country was affordable, easy, and painless—as long as you have all your original, non-expired documents. We know several people who had problems because of they didn’t. Every time I think of Panama I can’t stop singing the Van Halen song. Our other cruiser friends sing the Panama Red song. Either way, it sure seems to get you in the mood to celebrate this great country. Similar to Costa Rica,

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CALIFORNIA TO PANAMA A beach in Las Perlas Islands, Panama

the northern Panama Islands are remote. Make sure you are provisioned with water, food, and beer because there’s no stopping off at a tienda. Bahía Honda was so primitive that when we asked the locals where we could get water they pointed to a creek. The gleam in the man’s eyes as he rowed his woman to fill their water was priceless. Such happy, simple people. We made stops in the Islas Secas, Beano, Puerto Mensabe River, and Vista Mar Marina. We are currently in Las Perlas. Vista Mar is the only affordable marina in Panama. They now have a trailer for hauling your boat. Coronado is a great place to provision. And who knows, you might even get to be a line handler and go through the Panama Canal! Just taking the bus over the Bridge of the Americas gives you chills. The Allbrook Mall is huge, and getting around with the metro, taxis, or Uber is easy and affordable. We can’t seem to put a finger on why Panama is different from other Central American countries, but it is, somehow. In a magical way. The city is full of life, and you can find anything you want or need. A lot of locals speak English. Casco Viejo is a fun town with hip rooftop bars, a brewery, and my favorite, the rum bar. Located a little over 30 miles away is the Archipelago of Las Perlas. With 200 islands, and only 12 that are occupied, the Islas Las Perlas are marvelous, just jaw-droppingly gorgeous. They have huge 20-foot tidal ranges, rocks, and reefs, so you need to be prepared to take extra precautions. Most cruisers only spend a week or less here—a missed opportunity in my opinion We have made so many friends here in the Las Perlas. We’ll at least set some roots for a while. Come join us and see what the Pacific Ocean has to offer. So, California, bienvenido a Central America. Dream big and don’t quit! w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Anchored in Panama

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What’s Out There? Cruising Monohull

The all-new Hylas H60 has been designed for comfort as well as speed while cruising. The designer, Germán Frers, has carefully balanced performance and functionality to meet the needs of blue-water cruisers. This stylish new design with her easy-tohandle sail plan is a perfect fit for couples looking for the modern cruising lifestyle. For many years, Hylas has been the go-to boat for blue-water cruising— the Hylas 60 takes that heritage one step further. From the integrated bow platform with self-launching anchor, to the automated telescoping passerelle at the transom, this vessel never disappoints. The all-new Hylas H60 will make short work of even the longest passages. If you’d like to see more, it’s easy. Just go to www.HylasYachts.com. Tell ‘em Bob sent ya!

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Hylas H60

GET ALL THE FACTS: www.HylasYachts.com

Hylas H60 LOA 59’2” LWL 54’9” Draft (shoal / deep) 6’6” / 8’10” Beam 17’3” Displacement 65,256 lbs Power 150-hp Volvo D3 Fuel 370 USG Fresh Water 391 USG Sail Area 1,827 sq. ft. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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What’s Out There? Cruising Catamaran

The Leopard 45 sailing catamaran is a true blue-water cruiser. This cat features lovely interior accommadations and a sleek exterior. And, now it offers an innovative hardtop lounge, a feature first launched on the award-winning Leopard 50! The lounge includes a seating area, sunbed, and table. with access to the lounge by floating stairs leading up from the aft cockpit. The helm station remains well-protected and is thoughtfully integrated into the cockpit and the rest of the boat. The new design offers an entertainment package that really sets the boat up for entertaining, with an open saloon and galley. It also offers a lot of strorage for those long offshore passages. If you’d like to get more information on this new design, just go to www.LeopardCatmarans.com.

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Leopard 45

GET ALL THE FACTS: www.LeopardCatamarans.com

Leopard 45 LOA 45’ LWL 42’11” Draft 4’11” Beam 24’2” Displacement 32,849 lbs Power Two 45-hp Yanmars Fuel 185 USG Fresh Water 206 USG Mast Height 70’ w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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What’s Out There? Power Cruiser

Kadey-Krogen Yachts has done it again with their new Summit 54’. With an exterior designed by Michael Peters and an interior designed in tandem by Espinosa Yacht Design and interior designer Katie Astras, this is a very comfortable and safe powercruiser. Inside, the wraparound windows provide a full view of what’s around you. The galley offers a teak table, Ultraleather seating, and Silestone counter tops. Between the master suite, VIP stateroom, and optional third stateroom or office, there is plenty of room for guests! The exterior really brings it all together, with the well-designed flybridge and lounging area on the main deck. This vessel is the full package for those looking to cruise in comfort. If you are looking for more info on this boat, it’s easy. Just go to www.SummitMotorYachts.com!

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Summit 54’

GET ALL THE FACTS: www.SummitMotorYachts.com

Summit 54’ LOA 58’5” LWL 48’10” Draft 3’7” Beam 15’10” Displacement 55,400 lbs Power Two 542-hp Cummins Fuel 750 USG Fresh Water 215 USG Bidge Clearance (with arch) 23’4” w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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Latitudes & Attitudes 85

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Underway! Ever wondered 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? We prefer you send a digital pic in the highest resolution possible. Tell us who took the pic and where it was taken. We will probaby throw it into our “digital pile” and pull it out someday. We won’t send you any money, but you will be famous worldwide! Email to: underway@LatsAtts.com.

By Sharon Brownell, from a trip from Cape Charles, VA, to Charleston, SC,on Distant Star, waiting for weather

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By Scott and Jana Helm, of s/v Blithe Spirit II

By Gary Peterson, somewhere in Mexico

By Earl, on a lake in Kentucky

By Mike Martell

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By Ralph Erickson, of sunset in Mystic

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By Bob Hemstreet, of Abra Cadabra on the 4th of July

By Raymond Muzika, of La Fragata ARA Libertad (far left) and the Alexander Von Humboldt II (above) in Charleston, SC

By Chris Stokes, of his daughters, Ruthie, Vivian, and Frances By Doug Shipley, out at sea

By Gail Lundstrom, of daughter and friends W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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By Pierre, of his wife, Claudine, enjoying a sunset on the lake in Switzerland

Latitudes & Attitudes 89 4/29/20 11:12 AM

By Captains David and Brandee from Toronto, Canada, of Stargazer and her dinghy anchored off Hawksbill, Exuma, in the Bahamas

By Ed Gribben, of Michelle and Max sailing!

By Daniel Bowman

By Ric Bischoff, in the Exumas, Bahamas

By Gary Russell

By Lonnie and Madeline Williams on s/v Largo, of sunrise over Watergate Yachting Center in Clear Lake Shores, TX

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By Alain Gallat, of Lucky Lady, his Beneteau 423, sitting in her slip in Bayou Grande

By Brian Bills, of a passing junkrigged ketch in the Chesapeake

By Buck Wilken, of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands of Australia

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Latitudes & Attitudes 91 4/29/20 11:12 AM

By Clara Flamengo, of Alex Flamengo and Dawn in Humber Bay, Toronto

By George Howard, of s/v K’Plaah anchored in Lundstrom Cove on Lake Roosevelt, WA

I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious - Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) The Oﬃce

By Mark Wareham, of cruising in Newfoundland

By Dave Stahnka, of Robertson Island

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By Dan Jefferson, in Northwest Creek Marina, New Bern, NC By Col. Chris Stokes, of Vivian, who turned 7 on the trip, with Chris, Alisha, and daughters, Ruthie and Frances. The cake was baked at sea.

By Bill Malone, aboard Jolly Rover in Key West By Denny Webb, off San Francisco

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By Laura, of Rob running the new halyard on their 40-year-old, fixerupper, Cool Change, a C&C 24, on Lake of the Ozarks, MO

Latitudes & Attitudes 93 4/29/20 11:12 AM

By David Malmquist

By Michael Peck, of the kids enjoying rides in the hammock chair in Poulsbo, WA

By Melanie Farmer, of Herreshoff 28 Scout in Boot Key Harbor By Jeff Wahl, sailing off Mexico

By Mike Stinson

By Donna, in the BVI

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Of Taylor Swift enjoying a day on a sailboat

By JB, of sunset in San Diego

By Deena Mitchell, passing through Angels Gate

By Keith Coy, of San Diego Bay

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By Jeff Owen, of his girls

By Norm Martine, of Cape Cod at night

Latitudes & Attitudes 95 4/29/20 11:12 AM

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Latitudes & Attitudes 97 4/29/20 2:09 PM

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sweet

Home

Home By Mary Taylor

There’s an old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” and it’s so true! Our hearts have been all over the world and our “home” has been a space 37 feet long and 12 feet wide with 8 feet of headroom. You don’t walk up steps to enter this home—you descend and are careful not to bump your head. If there are more than two people in this home, you need to take a seat so the others can pass by. Does this sound appalling or appealing? In our case it was appealing because we loved the ocean and were compelled to explore its boundaries under the power of wind and sail. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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When we first started sailing we had no idea we would call a 37-foot sailboat home for 12 years. At the time, we had a smaller sailboat and a lovely home in a beach community. That sailboat was 30 feet long and the house 1,000 square feet, so clearly we were used to existing in relatively small spaces. Our careers were on the normal upward trajectory, with commitment to long working hours and a willingness to put work first and pleasure second. One of the pleasures in which we did indulge was weekend sailing to Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California. While anchored there one weekend, we met a Canadian sailing couple who introduced us to a world we barely knew existed. It was the life of relatively normal people who chose to quit their jobs, sell or rent their homes, find and prepare a sailboat, educate themselves to the challenges and solutions of a life at sea, and then (to the amazement of friends and family) simply sail over the horizon to a radically different lifestyle. But, before you disappear over that horizon, you have to first turn a relatively simple sailboat into your home and your

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life support system. You know how you take the availability of water (both hot and cold), electricity any time you want it, and reliable refrigeration for granted? Well, you can’t assume you’ll have all those necessities on a small boat that may not be hooked up to water lines or electricity for months at a time or, for that matter, will even be in places that have electricity and water. We took care of all those challenges right after we acquired the 37-foot, seaworthy boat. Classes on diesel engine repair, electrical and water making systems, weather, navigation, sail and rigging repair—all were necessary before we could call the new boat our “home.” Rather than mowing lawns, we set out in the rare days of stormy weather (remember we were in Southern California) to test our mettle in strong winds and rough seas. We didn’t buy furniture or fancy dishes for our new home; instead, we bought anchors, dinghies, and plastic plates that wouldn’t break when they flew across the cabin. We did reupholster the cushions around the dinette table with bulletproof fabric for those days when salt water would pour down a hatch, or the pot of stew on the gimbaled stove suddenly went airborne. There were other domestic touches— locks on all the cupboards so they wouldn’t unexpectedly open and dump flour, sugar, or oil on

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the new upholstery, and the installation of a canvas cloth alongside the settee to keep us from falling to the floor while asleep when the boat listed abruptly. Finally the boat was all set up and we were appropriately educated (or still ignorant enough) to feel it was safe for us to untie the dock lines and head out to sea. Now our little 37-foot ship truly was our home. And home she was. We lived on her for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for seven years and 35,000 miles (not to mention the other five years between voyages). Like normal homeowners, we turned on music and danced—but not in the family room, it was around the mast in the main salon. We did laundry, but often it was in a bucket on the deck and our clothes lines were the lifelines that encircled the boat. What made our little ship such a home was the shared goal my husband and I had of seeing the world together in this fashion. We both were willing to put in the work required, to face the sometimes frightening experiences, and to always be the other’s strongest supporter. We came to have complete trust in each other’s decision making and sailing capabilities. We were each other’s best friend. The boat reflected that bond and literally glowed with the love it encompassed. And isn’t that how you define a “home”?

Latitudes & Attitudes 101

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Saint Kitts and Nevis: Why Bother, You Ask? By Vicki Seymour

eading to Saint Kitts and Nevis from Guadeloupe or Montserrat in November almost guarantees pleasant 10 to 15 knot winds from the east to southeast, making for a speedy and easy daysail. Coming from the BVI in the north, you might, of course, want to wait until the wind turns to the northeast to make the trip. And from Antigua, either head to Montserrat and then sail north or you might get a good direct downwind or on the beam sail! Whichever way you arrive, this often-overlooked Caribbean isle has

some good anchoring options and plenty to offer those that like to explore, like history, hiking, or simply a touch of on-shore luxury or dining. Nevis, a near perfect 93-kilometer or 36-mile square volcanic circle, was our first stop. There are no marinas, but mooring balls are located along the very long, sandy Pinneys Beach to the northern end of the main town, Charlestown. You are not supposed to anchor here, in a bid to protect the seagrass. So, as always, check your mooring before heading off. Your first stop is likely to be

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the dinghy dock in the center of town where you will find Immigration, Customs, and Port Authority close at hand, side by side, in one of the beautiful stoneand-wood buildings that the town is full of. Clearing in here covers you for both islands, and allows you to clear out of St. Kitts, or vice versa. Once we were cleared in, we picked up a historic trail map from the Tourist Office and had fun wandering a little to check out the lovely buildings and a little of the local history. The museum at the birth home of Alexander Hamilton (a US founding father seen daily on the USD $10 bill) was a key highlight to me. This w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Saint Kitts and Nevis

could be because it had the added bonus of the fun and funky Art Cafe in its pleasant garden space, where you could get a smoothie or snack. Also pleasant are the (free) mineral hot pools on the southern side of town for at least a soak of the feet, but be warned—they are hot! You can remain moored in this area, which we found calm with the bonus of enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay, and enjoy the beach bars close at hand, or there are a couple of other anchoring options. In the north of the island is Oualie Beach and Bay. For a cat, this could be a good spot for a peaceful stay, but as it is a long, shallow bay it was no good for our 2.6-meter draught. Instead, we cruised further down Pinneys Beach to a spot just off the Hamilton Resort and the Yachtsman Grill. With a new dinghy dock, very calm waters, good free wifi, and great thincrust lobster pizza, this was the perfect place for us to base ourselves to explore the island via a hired car. For hikers, the key hike is up the volcano. There is also a Hermitage trail which runs around the southern side of the volcano and ends at The Hermitage, the

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oldest wooden house in the Caribbean. Speaking of places for a bit of pampering, this is one to try for a cool night’s sleep in the hills, or at least a quiet meal on the beautiful old plantation house veranda. Alternatively, and my favourite, is the Golden Rock Inn, owned by Helen and Bruce Marden (who is well known in the modern art world). It is a quirky and luxurious hideaway, complete with monkeys, hummingbirds, and anoles flitting around its lush 100-acre tropical gardens, and absolutely excellent food to boot. After some exploring, pampering, or simply relaxing, and beach bar time on Nevis, it is time to head to St. Kitts. The south of the island is where it is at. There are a few good anchoring opportunities, and the pick of the bunch for us, assuming you are happy to have some solitude, is Bug’s Hole and Shitten Bay (not shitten you on the names either)! Complete with very wind-protected calm water and a steep shelving rocky beach, you can anchor in close with a deeper draught and have your own personal beached shipwreck, clear water great for swimming off the boat, a reasonable amount of fish and

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Why Bother, You Ask?

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coral for snorkelling, and hardy goats and their rock-hopping antics ashore to entertain you. You can’t really go wrong. It would take a westerly to upset the waters and you’re not likely to get that! Apart from some unobtrusive daytripping boats, we had it to ourselves. The added bonus is a hiking trail that takes you up over the ridge to another anchorage at Major’s Bay—again complete with its own wreck and calm waters, although probably a little more exposed. It is really hard to beat Shitten Bay, but after enjoying it for a bit we headed to a local’s favourite, White House Bay. Calm waters but a lot more wind greeted us, hence a less good anchorage at the time. But, its popularity is probably for the fantastic SALT Plage beachside cafe. Salt Plage is part of the nearby Christophe Harbour Marina tucked away in the Great Salt Pond. It has the best dinghy dock I have seen, complete with a rustic, Robinson Crusoe-like bar and restaurant that I call luxury rustic! It’s the perfect spot for sunset and those yachtie sundowners— particularly on reggae nights with the band strumming a tropical beat. I must mention the Christophe Harbour Marina. Built with the luxury superyacht crowd in mind, like the blaring horn, the main building is a bit of an affront to the senses. However, it appears well-built and would be a great escape in case of a late hurricane. Despite needing a night or two in a marina, and this one being almost brand new, we were happy to give the virtually empty and soulless place a miss and opted for the Port Zante Marina instead. It is a shame as it sits in a beautiful area. Maybe it was just too early in the season. En-route to Port Zante, we passed more anchorage spots along Frigate Bay. We did not stop ourselves, but with the local beach restaurants and bars, it looks to be a good option, depending on what you need at the time. The ever-popular Shipwreck Bar and Grill sits at the southern end of the beach and provides a great casual atmosphere for those that make it ashore for sundowners and a meal.

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Saint Kitts and Nevis

Why Bother, You Ask?

As for Port Zante; its right smack-bang in the centre of Basseterre, the capital city. It is small and primarily used by locals, and it is right beside the cruise ship terminal, which provides some interesting added entertainment with their comings and goings. If there is space for you, it is a great little marina with the friendliest dock masters I have come across anywhere at all. The bathrooms are a little lacking in luxury, but aside from that, it is safe, clean, friendly, and cheap! It is also an easy place from which to explore the island if you want to hire a car or take a tour. Again, the island has a volcano to hike, amongst others, a restored â&#x20AC;&#x153;sugar trainâ&#x20AC;? to take a trip on, a well-known batik centre, the UNESCO heritage Fort George (yes, better than the average) atop of Brimstone Hill, monkeys monkeying everywhere, and one rather lovely luxury hideaway in the north of the island, Belle Mont Farm. Belle Mont is a luxe boutique hotel set on a hillside organic farm and definitely worth at least lunch, if only for the surroundings and the fabulous view across to Saba and Statia close at hand, and St. Martins and St. Barths in the distance. Further north before heading to Statia, or wherever your next stop may be, is the very little St. Kitts Marine Works marina you could potentially stop at, depending on the size of your boat (it needs to be at the smaller end of the scale). The marina is literally below Brimstone Hill and it is easy to grab one of the many passing minibuses to Basseterre or to the north, including Belle Mont Farm, from there, as well as to walk up to the Fort. Though not the cheapest of Caribbean destinations, and often overlooked, I would wrap it up by saying here is an island where the people are genuinely friendlier than average, the options ashore are plentiful, the sailing is easy and enjoyable, and the anchorage choices cover most tastes. I can only say: do botherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and add it to your list for your next Caribbean sail.

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Washed Out to Sea By Brad Modesitt

I have been a river runner most of my life. This is where I find passion for life, my monetary livelihood, and the place I just can’t pull myself away from. I own a whitewater rafting business, Mountain Whitewater, on the officially labeled “unnavigable waterway” of the Cache la Poudre River in Colorado. Years ago, I even paddled 2,400 miles from the Cache la Poudre down to the navigable waterways of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. I didn’t learn much about navigation except that it is difficult for a canoe to avoid an ocean-going freighter. Once to the sea, my voyages stopped. Rivers have been my life as I amassed over 24,901+ river miles (that’s the circumference of the Earth). I finally figured out where all those river droplets were cruising off to—the allure of the sea. Oh sure, I had been sailing a few times before, and had even sailed through cool spots. My first ever sailing was crossing from the Pacific to the Caribbean through the Panama Canal, which I did five times before ever hoisting a sail. A friend and I enrolled in Blue Water Sailing School to learn the basics of sailing out of the Bahamas. There are

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schools all over the States to learn sailing, but why go to a community college when you can go to Harvard? Sailing in the Bahamas was like getting my SCUBA certification in Utila, Honduras, with the second largest reef in the world, compared to a swimming pool session. Having fun in a beautiful area while going to school? I want the full adventure right off the bat. The first thing we couldn’t help but notice was the luxuriousness of the 43-foot Fountaine Pajot Belize catamaran. Bryce and I started backpacking together over 15 years ago. Once we became rafters, we laughed at how difficult things were when we could only hike into an area with our house on our backs. With a raft, we could carry tons of belongings, float into remote wildernesses, and do day hikes from there. Life was easy. I haven’t done a remote backpacking trip in years. Rafting has taken over. Sailing raises that comfort level exponentially once again from rafting. The kitchen and tables and tents and toilets and chairs and food and games don’t need to be packed up and stored each day. Everything w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

4/29/20 2:00 PM

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is bolted into the boat and ready to go. Large tables are surrounded by comfy couches that can store more stuff than you can haul. Actual refrigerators and freezers; are you kidding me? We even had a coffee maker and microwave. Hot showers, of course. Close a few hatches that brought in a nice breeze, pull the anchor, and get ready to hoist the mainsail. That’s a piece of cake compared to rafting. Once those sails are raised, the wind flows through your hair and there is no feeling like it. Harnessing nature in such a primitive and unharmful way is empowering. Why can’t everything be like this? But it’s not, and your bones feel life’s worries melt away. Why can’t I live like this all the time? Why isn’t this home? Why not? Hmmmm? w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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My great-grandfather Thibodeau had a poem that he would quote often: One ship sails East, Another goes West, By the self-same winds that blow; ‘Tis the set of the sail, And not the gale, That determines the way they go. I can now feel what that means. I want to set my own sails for the distant coasts and the nearby coasts. I want to see it all. I want to bring my wife, Lindsey, and our twoand-a-half-year-old and six-week-old—they deserve it. Lindsey really deserves it. She was the one who gave me this school for a Christmas present. I was overwhelmed. Especially when I realized what I had done. She had told me the cost, about $2,500.00, and was adamant that it was for both of us. She even made me promise not to spend more than a hundred dollars. Because of some previous efforts, I was certain that a pop-up camper would be in the driveway, so I bought her something that she truly wanted, would be totally unexpected, and I didn’t think we needed. I thought it was overpriced plastic: a Dyson vacuum. Yep, she got me a trip to the Bahamas learning how to sail— without kids and with my best friend, Bryce—and I got her a vacuum. I was drinking rum and cokes while she was knee deep in diapers. The vacuum does kick ass, but most women wanted to kick mine at that point. I can honestly say that it is better to receive than to give sometimes. I had the time of my life sailing in turquoise green waters from harbor to harbor. Learning all

Editor’s Note: The quote is from the poem “‘Tis the Set of the Sail” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1916).

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Editor’s Note: The quote is from the poem “‘Tis the Set of the Sail” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1916).

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the new vocabulary like “luff” and “rake” and “clew” and “plunker” can be a bit overwhelming. We studied hard by day, snorkeled and played hearts at night. The world is there to enjoy—so we did. Raising the mainsail and then our genoa, we started learning. Tacking and jibing either against or with the wind became familiar. We could take our boat, Cataway, almost anywhere. At one point, at low tide, I steered the boat into Hope Town Harbor and went directly aground. We steered quickly off and then learned another lesson from our captain. There are sailors that have gone aground, sailors about to, and liars. Everyone will go aground at some point, even America’s Cup racer Dennis Conner. With that mishap out of the way, I am ready to learn more. We took the American Sailing Association tests, both written and practical. We passed. Now as licensed skippers, we can rent a monohull or catamaran throughout the world. My wife took a big hit being at home alone with the kids, and I was in a deep hole with the vacuum. Practical isn’t always better than romantic, even at 10 times the price. Lindsey knew what she was doing; a skipper certification can provide a lifetimes worth of romance as we sail to deserted isles and beautiful coastlines. Within a few years, Lindsey, Ella, Chase, and I would set sail on our own Lagoon 410 catamaran. I have a rare wife that all sailors want: she wants me to sail and she wants to sail with me. We won’t ever stop running rivers, but now when we get to the rivers’ mouth, we’ll keep on going. And, we’ll leave the vacuum at home.

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boot Düsseldorf: The World’s Largest Boat Show By Bob Bitchin

I have been lucky enough to visit the Düsseldorf Boat Show, known as boot, for three years—and every year it is even more impressive. This was the first year we invited our readers to join us to see what the show is really like. Eighteen people were able to join us, and they walked away as impressed as I was. In fact, one couple ended up buying a new, 56-foot catamaran at the show! boot isn’t your average boat show. It had more than 1,900 exhibitors in the 17 halls on the exhibition site. The

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show goes for nine full days, and you need that much time to see all that is there. One of the highlights for our group was a special dinner that Petros Michelidakis, the show director, arranged for us the night before the opening. The Schumacher on the Oststrasse, founded in 1838, is considered the oldest brewery in the city. Usually the wait to get a table is over two hours, but they had a table waiting for us. It even had little sailboats on it!

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To our surprise, at around 10 p.m. Petros himself showed up to have a drink with us before heading over to the showgrounds to walk the whole show (over ten miles of aisles!) before its opening to make sure all was in good shape. Talk about a conscientious director! In the morning, our group met at the Messe Center a half-hour before the show opening. We had been invited to participate in the pre-opening ceremonies. Meeting the people who put this show together was a great experience. After the opening ceremonies, the gates were opened, and the first of more than 250,000 watersports fans from 106 countries made their way see the boats, gear, and accessories. It was an amazing sight! The visitors to the show come from 24 European countries, not just Germany. These visitors’ home countries were mainly the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy,and France; and, from overseas, the USA and Canada. Once on the show floor, the variety of boats and gear was overwhelming. There was an estimated

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2.5 million square feet of watersports and boating gear. The international press were all over the place. And, the boat displays were unlike anything you have ever seen. I was first invited to this show a few years ago by Hasko Scheidt of NV Charts, a worldwide chart and navigation company that has been advertising with us for years. His company’s booth has become our “home base” while at the show. This year their booth was amazing. It was a replica of a waterfront chart store, complete with every chart and navigation item they carry. The big diﬀerence between the Düsseldorf show and others is the amount of creativity the vendors can put into their exhibits to display their wares. The show itself is broken up into seven huge halls. Since the show is during the winter, it is an all-indoor show. But, don’t let that fool you. There are more boats here than in any boat show I have ever attended. In the “Luxury Boat” area they had boats as large as 100 feet on display. Each hall had its specialty. The majority of our time was spent in the sail and trawler section, but the building that housed the “Marine Tourism” booths was just as exciting. There were booths from all over the world extolling the virtues of cruising in their seas. The charter booths were also amazing. Every charter company imaginable was on hand to show oﬀ the latest vessels available for charter all around this big blue ball we call Earth. If you were in need of sustenance, the halls had a number of good restaurants, places to grab a quick bite on the show floor, and, of course, beer. Germany is known for their beer, and there were stands for all to enjoy. But the best thing about the show was the variety of boats.

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The show had everything: from small day-sailers to huge mega-yachts, and everything in between. Manufacturers unheard of in the US were displaying a dizzying number of beautifully-designed cruisers, sailboats, and power-cruisers. Then there was the incredible display of motors, accessories, and outboards. Seven Marine had their 627-horsepower outboard on display. Yes, 627-horsepower! They had diesel, electric, and gasoline outboards of all sizes. If you are into the boating lifestyle, I suggest you visit the boot Düsseldorf International Boat Show at least once in your life. It is an amazing spectacle. Next year’s show is already set for January 23-31, 2021. Make your plans early, because when 250,000 people descend on the city of Düsseldorf, the hotels fill up fast. Maybe we’ll see you there?

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When Laziness Ends Up a Boon By Susea McGearhart

First comes the pitter-patter of drizzle upon the closed dodger’s windows. “Rain,” I declare. “I’ll get the hatches.” As I dash below, I can’t help but notice the thick, smoky, swollen black clouds creeping menacingly over Mt. Pleasant. Gene stays topside, snapping closed the window in the companionway dodger. The wind puﬀs then huﬀs as a herd of galloping rain engulfs us. We sit in the cockpit: yeesh! The torrents of rain fall in sheets; it’s relentless—violent—a total whiteout. “Man, I’m glad we’re at anchor,” I say, “and not underway.” During the five hours it took to motorsail from Union Island (the southern point of entry into St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to Bequia would have been menacing in a whiteout due to boats of all sizes and shapes heading the typical north and south routes. The sun came out, palm trees shimmered, the beach had swimmers, and Big Cay could be seen again.

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But then, within an hour, another squall prowled over the mountains releasing another copious amount of rain. The next day Gene confesses: “I’m so mad at myself. I should have opened up the water deck fittings and filled up the tanks.” “But we filled up five days ago and it’s not like we’ve been wasting water.” “It doesn’t matter, Susea. I was lazy, period.” “Well, I was lazy too.” Not that I ever set up the water collecting. I think he’s afraid I’ll drop the lids to the deck fills over the side, and shockingly, we don’t have spares. So, when the muddled, leadened clouds started to sneak over Mt. Pleasant again, Gene made ready to collect rainwater. He opened the starboard and port water tank values. (Laziness be banished. Pﬀt!). But it was a tease: we barely got a spittle. The next day, while closing the water tank deck fills and the water tank valves, Gene was surprised to

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see water dripping into the bilge. “The packing gland must be drying out,” he shared with me. I looked down into the open floor board: “Wow, that’s a lot of water.” Gene got out his adjustable spanner wrenches and torqued on the packing gland as much as he dared,then said: “It’s not the packing gland, it’s the exhaust hose. It’s cracked. This is not good!” “How do you know it’s the exhaust hose?” “Because it’s wet on top! I hope we can find a replacement.” “You don’t have one? You have a zillion parts all over this boat!” He regarded me with a withering stare... “Well what should we do then?” “Go look for one. We’ll start at Piper Marine. If anyone has it he will. So, hurry up, let’s go.” Gene does not usually panic, so this was serious. We left Lower Bay and hauled ass across Admiralty Bay into Port Elizabeth, locked up the dink, and headed directly to Piper Marine. There in the rafters, Piper had the perfect 3”-by-5’ hose. Had Gene (and I, to be fair) not been so lazy and indeed collected water during the deluges, we (and he, to be fair) would not have noticed the leak. We could have been underway heading south thirty-ish miles down to Tobago Cays and the hose could have ruptured. Tons of saltwater would have poured in. Could our two bilge pumps keep out the cascading water below the floor boards? Would we have had to call a MAYDAY? Abandon ship because our sleek Catalina 50 sloop, Moody Blues, was sinking? “Honey, all we would have had to do is close the water intake valves. We would not have sunk. Your imagination...” So yes, sometimes laziness can be a boon.

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Parking Ark By Brian Weeks

It was about 5:00 p.m. somewhere on the ICW in North Carolina, and we were looking for a place to anchor our steel Spray 38, Ark, for the night. We saw this restaurant (a big one—three stories tall!) with a huge parking lot, and a dock on the other side of the parking lot. We pulled up to the dock, tied Ark to six small cleats on the floating dock (which were probably designed for an 18-foot fiberglass fishing boat, not a 36,000-pound steel ketch), and went below to clean up for dinner. When we came out to eat, I noticed that I had not put out fenders. When I tried to put one between Ark and the dock, the current was so strong that there was no way I could even push Ark the eight inches away to insert the fender. There wasn’t any boat traﬃc, and the dock had its own rubber bumper (and Ark is steel), so I didn’t think much about it. We went to dinner. The restaurant was huge—they must have been able to seat at least 500 people. I asked the restaurant owner if she minded if we stayed there for the night, and if so, if there was a charge. She said there would be no problem and no charge. She did mention that the current was quite strong there, and that we should watch it. After navigating the tides in Gloucester, Massachusetts, for many years

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(which are 12 feet and sometimes as much as five knots), I figured we would be ok, so I tied the boat up with six lines, all 5/8” diameter, even though the cleats were undersized for our boat. We had a few drinks and a great dinner at their bar, which overlooked the ICW. We walked back through the parking lot (which was now full) and went to Ark to watch TV for a while, and then we went to bed. I got up around midnight, as the boat seemed to be heeling over for some reason. I came out to find that we were heeling, not from the wind or being aground, but from the current, due to our full keel being perpendicular to it! We were fore and aft to the ICW, but we were tied perpendicular to an inlet that had the current screaming out of it. We were also around six feet from the dock. There was no way that I could get to the dock to secure another line, and the water was flowing so fast that if I fell in, it would sweep me under the boat, keelhauling me, and spit me in the inlet and out to sea. I also noticed that I had five lines stopping the boat from moving backward and only one stopping it from going forward…and that line happened to be our only line that was frayed in the middle. As I sat in the cockpit watching that one line, I was thinking, “Man, I hope it doesn’t break,”

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It’s possible to improve upon perfection. Just not very likely.

when CRACK! The line parted. I remember repeating a line from “Pirates of the Caribbean” that Captain Jack Sparrow seemed to say quite often—“Not good...Not good!”—as the boat started moving forward toward the concrete parking lot. The five other lines held tight, but now the boat was pivoting in an arc toward the lot, about eight feet away from the bow. BAM! The steel bowsprit not only hit the concrete, but bent the steel “battering ram” that we have on the front, and it rode up onto the parking lot concrete! Again, not good, as the tide was going out with a vengeance, and if I couldn’t get the boat oﬀ the concrete fast, we would be stuck there, and the stern would go lower and lower until low tide! There was one good prospect that came of this, though. Now that the bow was on terra firma, I could climb up the bowsprit and onto land, then go down the dock and secure another line. I threw a line over to the dock (which was now about eight feet away), climbed up the bowsprit and the bow pulpit, and clambered into the parking lot, which was now dark and empty. At this point, I was also thinking that if the cleats let loose on the dock (they were not very big, and if one pulled out they would all go in sequence), Ark would be swept into the ICW and out the inlet, and Heather (who was still sleeping) would wake up sometime tomorrow in the Atlantic... I tied the line to the piling and pulled it tight. Then I stood on the line, and, after a few tugs and removing the slack in the line, the boat finally came oﬀ the concrete. Phew! At this point, I could slowly pull the boat back, inch by inch. I added another line and moved a couple of lines back, so now there were four lines pulling forward and four pulling back, with two on the pilings. I went back on board. Heather, still half-asleep, asked what that “bump” was. “Oh, nothing... go back to sleep,” I said. Lesson learned: Even though the wind or tide is pulling you one way, it will change, and pull you just as hard the other way...

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DREAMING OF THE CRUISING LIFE By Richard Frankhuizen

had dreamed of going cruising since I was in college, but life happened and that dream took a back seat to a litany of life challenges and events. A few decades later, the dream was reawakened after a bout of surviving cancer. Crewing and chartering is a beginning, but owning a boat is a completely different conversation. I understand what it takes, the costs, and the volume of work required.

My sweetie, Georgia, is a very successful recreational boater. Day trips, a week on a charter boat, and always on a mooring ball at night. This is a world away from owning a boat and cruising. We have discussed getting a cruising cat, and have looked at many. Honestly, owning a boat is so different from being a guest on a charter that I was concerned that we would make the plunge and spend a bunch of money only to learn that she hates the experience. I was at a loss as to how to resolve this gap in experience so she could make an educated choice in the matter. Captain Paul of Baloo, an Outremer 49, invited us to move the boat from Curaรงao to Klein Curaรงao to Bonaire, and then to the Virgin Islands. The boat was on the hard in Curaรงao, meaning that there would be boatyard work and high temperatures to

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survive. Boatyards tend to be almost as hot as Fresno, California, in the summer. And, the trip would include overnight sailing, which meant standing watches. But, we would include a variety of stops to discover new places and meet new people. It was the perfect adventure for my sweetie to get a taste of cruising and boat ownership. I proposed the idea and Georgia said okay. As time went by, we both got more excited about the trip. Georgia and I flew to Charlotte, South Carolina, at the end of SERIOUS SAILING EQUIPMENT October 2019 and met up with Paul. The three of us flew 1 800 874 3671 | atninc@hotmail.com to Curaçao and went straight to the boatyard. www.atninc.com We climbed up the ladder and started the process of unpacking, changing from our travel clothes to shorts and flip flops. The boatyard did not disappoint—it was hot. ATN_SPINN_Cr_Out_2012_FINAL.indd 1 Regardless, the projects needed to be completed, things needed cleaning, and Georgia was all-in on the adventure. A few times she got overheated, and Melissa who worked in the office at Curaçao Marine was so kind and took good care of Georgia. We completed the projects and slept on the boat in the yard the first night—this was a mistake as it was quite warm, but that is boat life sometimes. We launched the boat only to discover that the thru-hulls that had been replaced were leaking. The boat was hauled out again, repairs were made again, and we launched again. As you know, straight thread and national pipe thread do not coexist well together. On Friday evening, the boatyard hosted a wonderful potluck dinner for the cruisers. Honestly, the boatyard provided 80% of the food at the potluck. It was nice to meet and visit with the other cruisers and boatyard staff. Georgia tends to experience motion sickness and this was a concern. We had purchased an overstock of Bonine, which works well for us both and does not seem to have any side effects. For anyone that has not been seasick, I can only describe it as a “Kill me now and put me out of my misery” kind of experience. It can be a deal-breaker. We parked Georgia at the helm seat where she could be in the fresh air, see the horizon, and allow her body to acclimate as we cleared out of Curaçao and w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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motored dead into the wind and seas for about 20 miles until we reached Klein Curaçao. Klein Curaçao is a small desert island, perfect for kiting, picnicking, and walking soft, white, sandy beaches. It would be a crime to sail by and not stop and take in the serenity of the island. After a night on the hook, we were off to Bonaire the next morning. After another 25 miles or so, we managed to grab the same mooring ball that we had had in June (Georgia was not with us that time). We checked in, then got some provisions—which sounds so much better than grocery shopping, but it’s really the same thing. We went to the kiteboard beach and Paul played out on the water while Georgia and I relaxed in the shade and watched the activity. Chris flew in the next day. We picked him up from the airport and drove directly to the kiteboard beach for some kiting. Not too bad to get off a plane and 20 minutes later be in the water kiting. That day we met a gal from Switzerland who ended up going to dinner with us which led to other shared adventures including snorkeling, dining out, and even spelunking on Bonaire with Arjen (a local Dutch kiteboarding instructor and guide). It is hard to explain the instant friendships that organically happen when cruising, but it is one of the things that I love about this life. The time had come to begin our voyage northeast to the Virgin Islands. We had estimated the trip would take three days, but the

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weather got us there in four. Georgia and I had the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. watch, which turned out to be about 6 or 7 p.m. to midnight, which was perfect. We got to see sunsets, skies full of stars, and squalls on the radarâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;fortunately we missed all of them. Georgia assisted with almost all sailing duties and watch standing, including reading the chart plotter and radar. While underway, we had dolphins visit us four times, something that is always good luck. When we were over 100 miles offshore, we had about a half-dozen swallows visit us over the next day or so. These little guys were so tired I could walk over to them and pick them up. They would sit on my finger and sleep. We gave them water and bread crumbs, then off they went after a period of rest. One evening, Georgia was asking me a question about the steaming light. I slide the top over and shined my light on the mast. I saw something on the hardtop and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember a structure being there. I shined my light on it and it turned out to be a seabird who had decided that spot would be his perch for the night. When he turned and looked at me, I apologized, turned off the light, and closed the hatch. He stayed there until sunrise, nose into the wind. As many sailors know, flying fish often hit and land on the boat. Another evening, Georgia and I were on watch and she went down into port hull and stepped on

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DREAMING OF THE CRUISING LIFE

something. She picked it up and turned the light on, only to discover she was holding a dead flying fish about eight inches in length. She screamed and threw it. I went down to clean it up. Not 20 minutes later she calls me again as there is something on her backpack that was on the bench in the stateroom. I walk down to our stateroom to see what is going on. Another flying fish. We never figured out how it got there. But, it is possible that when she threw the fish it landed on her backpack, and the one I cleaned up was a different one. Either way, we were finding fish scales for days after that. We sailed by St. Croix without stopping, sailing directly to Jost Van Dyke. We grabbed a mooring ball and made our way over the White Bay to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar for a Painkiller. A friend from Jost Van Dyke had showed Georgia how to make authentic Painkillers, so during the afternoon happy hour while underway, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d all enjoy a Georgia-made Painkiller. Mine were always a virginâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which, by the way, is really refreshing and kid friendly. After we got back to the boat,

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Paul shared that he likes Georgia’s Painkillers better than those served at the Soggy Dollar Bar. I do as well. We enjoyed the beach at White Bay, meeting some terrific people on it and in the water. Later, we took in the bubbly pool, had dinner at Corsair’s, chatted with Vinny (the proprietor) about the recovery after Hurricane Irma, then hung out at Foxy’s in the evening and danced. The days blended together in such a nice, organic way, and it was soon, unfortunately, time to make our way to St. Thomas to catch our flights home. We visited St. John, spent a night on a mooring ball, then made our way to St. Thomas for fuel. We picnicked at Water Island. The next day our voyage had come an end. A shout out to Captain Paul and Chris for a great couple of weeks together and the opportunity to experience cruising this way. Georgia never got seasick, and she participated in all the activities, work, and chores. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever seen her so relaxed. I think there might be a cruising catamaran in our future.

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Life Aboard

W hen I t A l l Goe s Horribly W rong!

Kyle and Shelley live aboard their 1981 Dufour CT 12000 pilothouse ketch. They did a refit which took two years and was completed in 2013. In July 2014, they left Lake Ontario, Canada, to cruise and bring school supplies to less fortunate kids through their Right to Write Ministry. They sailed through the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, and across the Pacific, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where everything went horribly wrong. Here is the story Shelley shared with us.

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October 23, 2019, exactly one year since almost dying in a motorcycle accident in Indonesia, we were back in Canada after a long recovery for Kyle and a very long sail home. We had settled our boat at a dock in Thetis Island, British Columbia, a couple days before. The locals there told us that it was a quick 15-minute dinghy ride to the town of Chemainus on Vancouver Island. Being a beautiful sunny morning with nice flat seas, we decided to go visit the town.

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The day before, we had looked on Google Earth to see exactly which direction to go and where to park the dinghy on the other side. We noted the log booms in the picture of the Harbour. The log companies had been on strike for a while, so logs were piling up. It was weird, but I had a dream the night before that on the way we hit a log and flew out of the dinghy. I mentioned this to Kyle and we both kept a good lookout for wood on the water along the ride over. We had a nice walk around town looking at all the murals painted on the buildings. But Kyle was feeling under the weather. His recurring rib pain from the motorcycle accident was really bothering him. So we decided to return to Bubbles. At the dock, I told Kyle to give me his bag with the phones in it to put in the dry bag so they did not get wet. He said he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t planning on going in the water. I said no one ever plans to go overboard. He complied. The weather was still good. We had a clear view and watched for logs again. This next part to me is fuzzy. Kyle would tell me later that he felt the throttle being ripped out of his hand for no reason. Likely a submerged deadhead or even a seal under water, as there are lots around here. We will never know. It all happened so fast. I remember the boat starting to take a sharp turn. I looked back at Kyle to see why we were turning and at that moment flew out the dinghy. I felt cold then. I put my hand w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

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Life Aboard

up and felt the bottom of the dinghy. What I did not know at the time was that between the looking back and the feeling of cold I had been run over by the dinghy. It sliced my face open, then my right arm and jacket must have got caught up in the propeller. I tried to breathe but felt freezing cold water enter my throat. I thought to myself, remembering being sea sick in the bad weather coming from Japan, that I prayed to my sister to watch over us and keep us safe so I could get to Vancouver and see Kelly. I had just spent the past couple weeks with her. Was this it? Had I gotten my wish but now it was over? I knew I had to fight or I was going to die there. And I knew if I died there, so would Kyle, and so would a piece of all those who love us because I know the terrible feeling of loss. So I began to fight. I tried to get my zipper undone to get out of my clothes to get out of the water. I do not know how long I fought. Time is funny in these situations. Then, as I was kicking up, I saw the light. I thought I was at the surface so I took a breath, but it was water again. Kyle told me later that all he could see was my feet and he could not get my head above water. He knew I was stuck but needed to figure out how to save me. So he had pushed me down under the propeller in order to get me unwrapped from the prop. It worked. And as he did this time I felt air on my face. I heard Kyle screaming at me, “You are not going to die on me, damn it. You are not going to die on me.” With that, I finally breathed some real air and felt for the handle on the side of the dinghy to hold on. Kyle was trying really hard to pull himself back up out of the water into the boat. I could see the pain, fear, and shock on his face. I felt my arms getting weak, my body succumbing to hyperthermia. I tightened my grasp on the dinghy handle and started cheering Kyle on. “You can do it Kyle. Get in the boat. You can save us, I need you to get us both out of the water. We

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are not dying today, Kyle.” He started cheering us on too. We had to talk our way through the shock. He pulled with all his strength. I could see the pain on his face. I kicked my feet as hard as I could to try to help, but I was so weak and so very cold. I just kept saying “Get me out of the water, Kyle,” and he kept saying “I am not letting you die on me.” Finally, I landed in the boat. Kyle said I was bleeding badly. I could again see the shock building. So, cheerleaders it was as we talked ourselves to shore. At some point, Kyle started the engine and aimed the boat back towards town. We were about seven minutes away, freezing. I knew every time Kyle looked at my face with the skin from my check hangin down that it was not good, so I just kept making him look out away from me. “Look for logs, Kyle. Can you see the dock, Kyle? We are going to make it, Kyle. When we reach the dock, call 911 from the phone in my dry bag, Kyle.” I was talking to keep shock at bay for both of us. When we reached the dock, Kyle could barely move. He rolled out of the dinghy and on to the dock, obviously in a great deal of pain. I grabbed the chain and threw it over the dock so I would not float back out to sea. I threw the dry bag at him and told him to call 911. I was still sitting in a puddle of cold water, bleeding profusely. Kyle found the phone and dialed. I heard him trying to tell the operator where we were. I saw a man walk by. Was he really going to walk right by? Kyle yelled at him as he held the phone towards the man, “Can you tell the ambulance where we are?” The man then took a good look at us and realized we were in trouble. He took the phone and said the ambulance is on the way. Kyle was lying on the dock shivering. I knew he needed to not lose focus yet. I took all the strength I had and stood up in the dinghy. I stepped onto the dock and collapsed on top of Kyle’s legs. He put an arm around me. He was still talking to the 911 operator, begging for help. They told him to put w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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When It All Goes Horribly Wrong! pressure on my face. I felt him pull the skin from my chin back up my check and press hard on it. I knew this was difficult for him. I could see the pain on his face as he held mine together with his hand so tightly. I was always the rock. He was the one who cried if no one remembered his birthday; I barely cried at funerals. My mom taught me cowgirls don’t cry. We needed to be strong. I felt Kyle pulling my cold wet sweater off and a man was over me placing his warm sweater on top of me. I said, “No, I do not want to get my blood on your sweater and ruin it.” Kyle laughed and said, “Just take it, Shelley. You’re cold.” Then the man said the ambulance was there. It got a little fuzzy again. Knowing we had help, I let go a little. I remember bumping up the dock on a stretcher, and them cutting my clothes away and putting warm packs and blankets all over me. They poked me a dozen times in different areas of my body trying to find a vein, but I was too cold. They finally stuck a needle in my shoulder. I could hear a man tell Kyle to take his wet clothes off so they could give him scrubs and blankets. I just remember saying, “I am cold, I am cold, I am really cold.” And I could hear Kyle saying “I love you. You are not dying on me. The deal is I get to die first, remember? I cannot do it without you.” Once I was finally being cared for and warming up in the hospital, the nurse and I had to beg Kyle to go get his own X-ray and check-up. He refused to leave me until he knew I was going to be okay. He was being my rock now. Once he met my surgeon and got more reassurance about my state of health, he finally went to get checked out. I think his chest X-rays scared the staff. They had never seen such “messed up ribs.” With the old damage, they could not tell new damage, so we have to send them for comparison with the old ones from a few months ago. I was sure all his pulling on me had hurt him greatly. I had swallowed a lot of sea water. They needed to watch for near-drowning for 24 hours before releasing me. My chest X-ray showed some damage, but nothing that should not heal with time and antibiotics. In my face, the propeller has shattered two occipital bones and some nerves. Thankfully, my eye had been saved by my sunglasses. They put metal in my face to reconstruct the bone and sewed up some nerves. Time will tell how much feeling I will get back in it. My arm is a little mangled and bruised but will heal. But we are alive still! When we got back to the boat last night, the neighbors cat must have followed me in. This darling little white kitty was laying on my bed, and I looked at it and thought, Yup, that is 2 of out 9. No more of that please. After almost six years and 40,000 nautical miles, Blowin’ Bubbles is in her new home. Kyle and Shelley are now running Ganges Marina on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and living aboard. They are ready for new, calmer adventures. w w w .L at s a t t s . c o m

pg 126-129 Life Aboard - MKC V2.indd 5

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Latitudes & Attitudes 129 4/29/20 12:29 PM

Book Review By Capt. Jim Cash

The Boater’s Cookbook By Sylvia Williams Dabney

When Sylvia’s book arrived, I thought, What do I know about reviewing a cookbook? We review cruising books, about and for those that are out there on the water. I then learned that she and her husband, Stanley, former VP and co-founder of Valiant Yachts, had been living the dream and cruising for over 15 years, and Sylvia had actually performed the marriage ceremony (she is also an ordained minister) of Garry and Carol Domnisse, the couple who wrote Our Island in the Sun, a book reviewed in a previous issue. They were all connected by Valiant Yachts. This big world of ours can indeed be small in the amazing and remarkable lives of cruisers. Then I got to thinking, after the mechanical reliability and safety of our boat and crew, what is the next most important thing about cruising—our meals, right? After hours of blue-water boredom, don’t we look forward to what we are going to have to eat? The 450 recipes were collected over the years sailing their Valiant 40 Native Sun from Alaska to the Caribbean and beyond. Sylvia shared and received recipes from countless fellow cruisers met along the way. Interspersed between the how-tos and whats, she shares tidbits with us about the who, such as Colin Tennant, a coconut plantation owner in St. Lucia with a pet baby elephant named Bupa. The coconut popcorn he introduced to her is addictive, says she. Caution!! Do not read this book when you are hungry. Just as she got my mouth watering for coconut popcorn, I was immediately introduced to pickled eggs. My only memory of pickled eggs was in the small country towns of my youth, where there was always a five-gallon jar on the counter filled with gross looking hard-boiled eggs. I often wondered if people actually bought those things. We have here seven recipes, from “basic” to

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“pineapple,” and my cravings kicked in while wondering, can you make a deviled pineapple pickled egg? Temptations continue with “Bacon Jalapeño Turkey Meatball Poppers” (ground turkey, cream cheese, bacon, garlic, chili pepper, jalapeño, etc. combined and baked, served with toothpicks). Does it get better? Why, yes, perhaps with the “Bourbon & Cider Glazed Chicken Meatballs”…really? We are also introduced to Captain Charlie (a retired U.S. Navy Captain in his 70s) happily sailing his Valiant named Leo with his beautiful female crew members that contributed to this book of feasts, including “T’s Queso,” a meaty cocktail dip to die for. The recipe for beer bread appealed to me because my transAtlantic South African crew member had also made it. Sylvia’s recipe in here was given to her by another Valiant sailor—seeing a pattern? Imagine the smell of fresh bread baking in the afternoon with nothing but the sights and sounds of the ocean all around. Of note, I have never been a fan of quiche but always thought it was French and have now learned it was originally a German dish from Lorraine, which later became part of France. The “Seattle Avocado Crab Quiche” recipe was sounding pretty tasty as well. This book offers a generous portion of helpful hints regarding galley set up, food storage, spices, etc. I was fascinated by the “moving flour” story. Even in processed flour there are unhatched insect eggs, all good protein, I assume. Sylvia explains finding her flour (which was stored in a galley cabinet apparently behind the dark boot stripe on the hull) crawling with bugs. This area was subject to a slightly higher temperature and humidity, allowing the dormant eggs to come back to life, hatch, and produce. Her solution is keeping flour in

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a tightly closed container and storing below the waterline where it is cooler. Cuba, since the late 1950s, has been the forbidden fruit of cruising destinations. Over the years, depending on the administration in the White House, obtaining permission for U.S. documented boats to sail to Cuba has been easier or more difficult. Sylvia tell us of their adventures during the 1999 St. Pete, Florida, to Havana race. It was particularly interesting to me because I first sailed to Cuba a year later, and it was there I enjoyed my first of many mojitos. Sylvia devotes a sub-chapter to this marvelous drink. However, it was the eating out at the paladares that stood out for me. Why hadn’t I heard of these? They had a guide that pointed them out. Instead of traditional tourist restaurants, these paladares are small restaurants, often in a family’s living room, with only three to four tables. She describes a fabulous gazpacho she had at one of these establishments, and one she duplicated later, calling it “Conch Republic Grilled Seafood Gazpacho.” Like any sailor that enjoys eating, garlic is an ingredient that ranks high as on my list. The story about Joe’s Garden is a must read. It is so interesting how Sylvia intertwines nautical history with her cookbook stories, including the fact that a young Carl Weston, future head of Uniflite’s Contracts Division that built Valiant Yachts, worked a summer job at Joe’s Garden in Bellingham, Washington. Sylvia claims that the garlic is soooo good that she orders it online from Joe’s Garden rather than buy it locally. I very much enjoyed reading/reviewing this book. Before I get to my “must eats” list, I have to bring to your attention to the chapter on butter. I kid you not, in Chapter 19, there are 15 pages dedicated to butter. Just imagine the Walnut, Brown Sugar, and Raisin Butter melting over a stack of flapjacks. A great section towards the end is the substitution chart, especially for spices. It is especially helpful when a recipe calls for a certain ingredient that you do not have and the closest store is over the horizon. For example, it is useful to know that when a recipe calls for balsamic vinegar, you can substitute apple cider or red wine vinegar and add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Here are some favorites that will make you want to add this book to your onboard library: “Cheese-Stuffed and Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts;” “Sylvia’s Chardonnay Mussels with Lemon-Garlic Fettuccine;” “Beach Party Chili” (the bacon makes it enticing, and I bet it could be done in a slow cooker with less stirring…that’s how I made it); “Cheesy Baked Hash Brown Patties;” “Calico Baked Beans” (bacon again!); and “Cream of Avocado Soup.” Bon Appétit!

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Latitudes & Attitudes 131 4/28/20 5:33 PM

Press-ganged!

Or, the terrifying consequences of reading too much Herman Melville, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, and C.S. Forester. By Dave Selby

Art by Claudia Myatt

Aye, I remember well that day. The voyage that set my course through life started in the Queen’s Head Tavern. Where it ends no mortal soul can say, for the round sea has no beginning, no end, and no horizon nearer than eternity. I know not if it was an unstirred yearning or the deafening deluge of icy, gale-driven rain stinging my face like musket balls in an elemental battle for my soul that diverted me that fateful day from the lonely waterfront wanderings which were the singular solace of a workhouse orphan. Aye, but I remember well the day I was pressed inward and discerned, through the fog of electronic into service aboard the tallship Lady of Avenel. Whether cigarette smoke, longshoremen, and shorter ones too, bound for hell or high latitudes, I cared not, for I had the huddled in soft conspiratorial whispering, a low murmuring craving of the sea in me. It turned out to be the babble like the muffled rumble of lazy rollers dying on Orkneys actually, and they were very a distant reef, the menacing seduction that nice. But, I digress. foretells a journey’s end, wherein lies Aye, I remember well. the promise of life…or salvation Man and boy, I served of death. ’Tis one and all. ’Tis the Lady and her cruel also a very long sentence. master for longer I dimly recall than I can now the mightiest of them recall—at least separating himself from nine, possibly the huddle and stepping ten days, which towards me, at which his judging by the circle of conspirators, pantheon of responding to an great nautical unspoken command, Hornblowery-type closed their ranks and writing is more than turned inward, no space enough experience to between their shoulders, write several volumes of their broad backs a barrier sea literature in the “my time as impenetrable as the before the mast” genre, and towering battlements of ancient Troy. start sentences with “Aye.” Dark knights of a round table, I mused After hours on iceberg watch, Dave in mute terror while mixing metaphors, For sooth—which is finally spotted some on YouTube another approved way to have no secrets to tell if their eyes see start seafaring sentences—I nothing their tongues may betray. Of remember well the day a timorous youth crossed the course, they could have been playing dominoes. threshold to manhood. I was 59. I barely dared touch Yea—which has the same letters as aye but in a the door handle, which seemed a ghastly contrivance different order and should be used to prelude moments fashioned from the shin bone of a white whale. Turns out of high drama—when next I stirred I was within an it wasn’t, yet it would not yield to the gentle pullings of my instant thrashing in a frenzy of fear, unable to loose my soft hands. Turns out the pub door opened inwards. legs and arms from whatever shackled them. Turns out I Verily—which is allowed occasionally as long as was in my sleeping bag. And so was I impressed aboard you don’t overdo it ‘cause it sounds a bit fey—I stumbled on the brigantine Lady of Avenel as 16th mate. Aye,

132 Latitudes & Attitudes

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if nothing else, that tells you there were 16 on board. Of hardships I’ll not trouble ye, though the internet connection was woefully intermittent. But wonders I have to tell. Even before we sailed I was promoted to 15th mate, as the other bloke didn’t turn up. How my heart burst with pride that day, for though Cap’n Rob Salvidge was no salvager of souls but a former BBC radio presenter who cared naught for his ratings —just one of the reasons he’s no longer on radio—his lashings with the cat o’ nine tails daily reduced in number. Thus rewarded, I applied myself to gaining a passing familiarity with the intricate wonders of tallships, whose towering masts scratch the clouds like a quill on vellum, and soon knew something of the ropes and the whereabouts of the USB

charging points. The whereabouts of the ropes were quite straightforward too; they were everywhere. For this application and my growing usefulness, I gained something of his approval, and durst I say he may even have despised me less, for perhaps he saw in me something of his younger self, as one day he growled with fatherly warmth: “You don’t look as stupid as you are.” Praise indeed. “Don’t touch the ropes. Just keep a look out for ice,” said Cap’n Salvidge. Thus was I, a workhouse orphan of 59, elevated to the rank of 14th mate. Editor’s Note: Despite Dave’s help, the Lady of Avenel made it to the Orkneys to offer tallship adventures for the summer season (www.ladyofavenel.com). After failing to spot any icebergs, Dave was demoted to 15th mate.

Lessons Actually Learned: Dave’s time on a tall ship finally makes him a man and say “aye” a lot.

Dave Selby is a cruising sailor and budget-boating campaigner whose longterm mission has been to demonstrate how cost is no barrier to getting afloat, and to share the wonder, grief, joy, and laughter of sailing. Since buying his first boat, he’s been floundering around the east coast of England without ever dying once, chronicling his meteoric rise from total novice to complete incompetent. Learn more about him at www.ImpracticalBoatOwner.com. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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4/29/20 8:46 AM

Talk of the Dock

Zuzana’s Prediction: Fun Stuff that makes sense

Thankfully, the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS) went off without a hitch this year just before the world shut down. Manufacturers of all kinds were busy with product launches, some of which made it into the annual Innovation Awards, so I thought I’d introduce you to a few of the winners. Pull out your wallet because it’s a great time to go online shopping to outfit your boat as you dream of the summer to come.

MirageDrive 360 by Hobie

Lots of us carry toys aboard like SUPs and kayaks, and a few even have the Hobie MirageDrive that lets you pedal rather than paddle. These drives have been around a while and are fantastic for when you venture far and can use the big muscles of your legs rather than your arms to reduce fatigue. That said, trying to turn a kayak with this drive requires a large radius as it won’t make anything but a gradual turn. But Hobie put some smart guys on their R&D team and they came up with the MirageDrive 360 that lets you go sideways, in reverse, and even diagonally so you can make a

tight turn in the kayak’s own length. The kick-up fins retract on impact and provide precise steering so you can get into tight spaces and shallow waters. Currently, Hobie is offering this miraculous drive on their Pro-Angler series that comes in Arctic Blue Camo and Amazon Green Camo. However, I bet you’ll be able to order any version of a Hobie with this drive soon, so you don’t even have to fish to enjoy complete maneuverability. You can see the kayaks on www.Hobie.com.

Magnetic Coasters by Stay Put Systems

Out of cupholders in the cockpit? No worries – just add magnetic coasters that secure your wine glass, snack bowl, or coﬀee cup, even in rolling waves. Stay Put Systems developed coasters that can be moved around the boat as needed. The two-part solution includes a ﬂexible steel base that sticks to most surfaces, even if they’re not completely smooth. The base is removable

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and washable, and it uses a silicone-based adhesive or sticky gel to attach. It can be reused/moved/washed about 200 times. The magnetic part attaches to you glass or dish with the same silicone gel. It can be removed when you put your dishes into the dishwasher or microwave. Join the two together and your cocktails stay put even on the foredeck. There are multiple sizes and you can even use two together to secure large dishes like casseroles, so you can eat under way without wearing the spaghetti. Don’t stick the base to a varnished surface unless you like to varnish a lot. The bases can be custom imprinted (like with the name of your boat) and the makers are even thinking about offering bejeweled versions so you can bling your boat. See them all at www.StayPut-System.com.

Pup Plank

by Solstice Docking Solutions

Give Fido a fighting chance to get out of the water on his own. The Pup Plank is an inflatable dog ramp that can be used on boats, docks, and pools so you can save your back and stop lifting your pup on deck. The mini-ramp is made of PVC drop-stitch material, so it inflates to a hard surface for good footing and it packs away neatly when not in use. The middle of the ramp has a W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

4/27/20 2:30 PM

The Latest Industry News & Gossip By Zuzana Prochazka

As an insider, Zuzana has the privilege of seeing a lot of what’s going on inside the boating industry. If you are into the boating lifestyle, chances are you’d like to be privy to some of the things that will affect your lifestyle as soon as they become available. So, here is some of the inside information she has found while working the boat shows and industry functions. tightly-woven mesh that is weighted down into the water at the end so it’s easy for your pet to swim up to. The mesh lets dogs get a good paw-hold, and once they’re up, the top has a traction pad, so they feel secure and are likely to want to use it. The ramp attaches to your swim step with two stainless D-rings and two eight-foot lines (included). The plank comes in two sizes – the standard for small dogs up to 28 pounds and the XL version for dogs up to 100 pounds. Prices are $270 and $360 respectively, which is a lot less than the cost of a chiropractor if you throw your back out lifting your baby. Find them at www.SolsticeDockingSolutions.com.

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2/2/20 11:37 AM 4/28/20 4:43 PM

CRUISING IN THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS By Suzy Carmody, aboard s/v Distant Drummer

e left Turtle Cay Marina in September onboard s/v Distant Drummer, a Liberty 458 cutter-rigged sloop, bound for the San Blas archipelago. This out-of-the-way group of islands strung along the northeast coast of Panama ticks all the boxes for Caribbean paradise: tiny cays clustered with palm trees, fringed with white sand beaches, and surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water. The nearshore islands are crowded with huts, but the outer islands are uninhabited or sport a single, shaggy-thatched shanty with an ulu (dugout canoe) pulled up on the beach.

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Located in the southwestern Caribbean, the San Blas islands receive a consistent northeasterly breeze during the dry season; but in the wet season, between June and November, the winds are more variable and small intense squalls are common. Light winds and bright sunshine make for happy sailing, so when we spotted dark clouds gathering, we headed for a sheltered nook behind the reef. Katabatic winds, known as chocosanas, often blow up overnight from the southeast, and also need to be kept in mind when anchoring. Chichime is the most westerly island in the group and lies 30 nautical miles from Turtle Cay Marina. We enjoyed a close reach in a light northerly breeze getting there, but as we approached the anchorage we saw that it was already crowded with boats. It was too late to go anywhere else, so we slid through the narrow cut in the reef, squeezed

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in, and dropped the pick. Luckily, people there donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to mind anchoring very close together. The next day, we launched the kayak and headed out for a snorkel on the outside of the reef. We paddled through a break in the surf and enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of the coral, searching for grouper and snapper under the ledges and in the caves. We saw a nurse shark prowling a few feet below us, but it paid us no attention. Getting back across the reef was a bit more of an adventure. Rollers were breaking on the reef. Suddenly, a wave caught us, sped us along, then left us perched on top of a bommie. Watched by some bemused fishermen, we waited for the next wave which picked us up and hurtled us into the lagoon. We were just glad just we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t roll! The San Blas islands are in Guna Yala, an autonomous region of Panama which is home to the indigenous Guna Indians. The Gunas are shy, peaceful

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people who live a tribal lifestyle with its own laws, culture, and customs. They are small and slim, with straight dark hair and pronounced noses. The men and children wear western clothes, but the women are striking in their traditional dress: a dark sarong with a brightly-coloured blouse covered by a vividly decorated bodice made from a mola. Their wrists and ankles are strung with multiple twists of orange and blue wini beads, and they have a thick, gold nose ring through the septum of the nose. Tourism is one of the mainstays of their economy, but the Gunas have avoided tourist development of any kind; there are no resorts or hotels on the islands. Day trippers come out to the islands in pangas (small fishing boats) to lie on the beach, soak in the azure waters, and eat fish and rice in the wooden shacks amongst the palm trees. Those who wish to stay a little longer can charter a sailboat for a trip amongst the islands.

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To the south of Chichime lies East Lemmon Cays, a large expanse of shallow reef spotted with tiny sandy islets encrusted with coconut palms. This is another popular spot for cruisers and local boats, but this time we were able to anchor away from the crowd in a shallow channel between two islands. A few families live on the islands. As soon as we anchored, we were approached by ulus selling lobsters and molas. Molas are colourful applique pictures made from several layers of cloth that traditionally depict birds or animals. They are made by cutting and sewing each layer to create the drawing and are then finished with embroidery to give finer detail to the picture. High-quailty molas are made with up to seven or eight layers of cloth and very fine stitching; these can take up to two to three months to complete. The ladies paddle out to the boat and wait patiently to attract your attention. Then they display their vibrant multi-coloured molas, carefully

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unfolding the cloth, explaining the motif, and gently persuading you to buy one or two. East Holandes Cays is about ten nautical miles eastward along the island chain. Because it is the furthest from shore it gets a lot less rain than the other islands. The anchorage known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;swimming poolâ&#x20AC;? is spacious and it was easy to find a quiet spot for ourselves in the aquamarine water of the lagoon. There were a few other cruising boats around; several people had musical instruments on board. After a hard days snorkelling or kayaking, it was very mellow to get together for jamming and sundowners on Barbeque Island. Heaven with sand flies! There are no shops in the San Blas Islands, so finding fresh produce apart from coconuts, fish, and lobsters can be a problem. However, every week or so, a veggie boat comes out from the mainland delivering fruit and veggies to the

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restaurants www.bobbitchin.com and boats hanging out in the cays. The dark Add $2.75 Postage for First set and $1.50 For each Additional blue prow of Juan Juan the Veggie Man’s panga loaded with goodies was always a welcome sight in the anchorage. It was the wet season, so during the afternoon downpours we managed to collect water in strategically placed buckets. Nonetheless, after a month we needed to Last Of An Era top off our water tanks. We sailed to Nargana, an island close to the coast which is the largest settlement in Guna Yala and boasts the only ATM machine in the province. Water was available on the dock andTelevision we managed to buy Reganother $39. a setcouple of some veggies, so we were all set for weeks in paradise. While they last There are several great snorkelling spots in the islands, $20. a set butFTW our Publishing favorite was Canbombia, an island about nine www.bobbitchin.com Box 100 nautical miles east of Nagana. We dropped the pick inside Berry Creek, CA 95916 the reef at the east end of the cay and were happy to find that Add $2.75 Postage for First set and $1.50 For each Additional we had the anchorage to ourselves—superb! The reef on the north side of the island is a wall with a fantastic array of soft and hard coral: tubes and pipes, ragged swaying fans, scarlet trees, and big round brains teeming with brightly coloured reef fish of all shapes and sizes. We often saw nurse sharks and large rays, but strangely not a single turtle. Apart from being one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean, the thing that makes the San Blas Islands really special is the people who live there. They welcome visitors, but are also protective of their unique heritage, which may explain why Guna Yala has been unaffected by the crime wave which has blighted other parts of the northern Panama coast. After six weeks in the remote and beautiful San Blas Islands, it was difficult to tear ourselves away. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Latitudes & Attitudes 143

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Chasing My Dream

By Monica Kendrick

I’m at the helm of the largest sailboat I’ve ever been on! We’re motorsailing with the main up on a 2004 Leopard catamaran. It’s 47 feet of adventure, wonder, and freedom. I can hardly believe the series of events that has gotten me here: my first solo watch on my first boat delivery. It’s 1800 hours, the sun is heading for the horizon, and I’m considering the words of the delivery captain, “The most important thing is to stay on course. After that, don’t hit anything.” Of course, there are other recommendations, but staying the course and avoiding objects reduces it to essentials. I’m feeling slightly nervous, definitely excited, and seriously cautious. Mostly, I’m relieved to have the first watch, my first watch, 1800 to 2200, finally start. We’re heading north from Key West inside Hawk Channel, dodging crab traps, and thankfully we’ll still be well south of Miami when my second watch, 0400 to 0600, is complete. Although I know I have to watch for ships and decipher their light configurations, I also know they probably won’t be crossing my line in the night. Meanwhile, schools of flying fish glitter almost invisibly off the starboard rail in the dusky light while the Atlantic Ocean is its beautiful sparkling Atlantic blue. The sunset over the Lower Keys is a spectacular wash of blue, yellow, orange, and magenta. One of my crewmates surfaces long enough to snap a few pictures, and we have w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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a quiet conversation before she leaves me comfortably alone in this darkening environment to ponder my path to this moment. My 53rd birthday had just passed when a friend and her husband invited me and a few others on a birthday sail aboard their boat, Tackless Too, a St. Francis 44 catamaran. The sails were full as we plunged west out into the Gulf of Mexico. Unbeknownst to me at the time, we were out in small craft advisories, but neither the boat nor her skippers were “small craft.” Sitting on the foredeck, I found the wind and waves exhilarating. Back in the cockpit, however, the other guests were not so enthusiastic, so the decision was made to turn the boat around and head for protected waters. Although I felt disappointed, I also understood the idea was for all on board to enjoy themselves. It was my first lesson that sailing is not for everyone, but I suspected it was for me. Tonight, there’s a new moon, so the black night sky is a delight of stars, and the sea is calm. Even though we’re not far enough offshore to lose the coastal lights, I marvel at the beautiful Milky Way and the few constellations I can identify. The captain comes into the cockpit around 2130. She checks in with me, “Anything going on?” “Not much,” I answer as I raise the binoculars, aiming at a southbound ship to our east. “Just the one ship so far, and no dangerous objects in the water.” She smiles and replies, “Good.” Thirty minutes later, she has created a delicious meal for our crew of four. After

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Chasing My Dream dinner, I turn the watch over to her and retire. As I climb into my berth, I whisper a silent thanks to the powers that be. With every sailing experience that followed the birthday celebration, I found myself envisioning the cruising lifestyle. I have friends who had lived aboard and cruised distant waters for many years, but I had no idea such a way of life existed until I met them. I’d been on a sailboat vacation once in my early 20s and had a fabulous time in the American San Juans and Canadian Gulf Islands. Still, I never considered sailing to be more than a pastime or vacation experience. How do people live on boats, earn a living, and travel the world? What is a cruising community? Did I want to always be a guest, or could I own my own boat someday? Between family obligations and full-time work, getting started was not easy. Begin with basics, I figured. Since my husband had no interest, I invited a friend to sign up for a couple of sailing classes with me. Even though our experience with the sailing school was a disappointment, we both wanted more. Together, the two classes were barely an appetizer. How could we apply what we’d learned? Neither of us had access to a boat, so how could we practice any of the skills to which we had just been introduced? The alarm wakes me at 0345, and because I’m excited by the first night of this delivery, I climb out of bed without hesitation. Once in the cockpit, I receive a briefing from the person on watch. She’s tired and doesn’t linger, so I quickly find myself alone at the helm. Because the stern light has burnt out, I don’t sit still for long. The captain has hung a Luci light as a replacement, so every few minutes I step up on the coamings, both port and starboard, to get a clear view of the seas over the bimini. Being here on the water, looking at the stars overhead in the calm seas, listening to the hum of the engines, and feeling the cool night air causes me to feel a particular kind of peace that’s new to me. I am in exactly the right place at this moment. A friend recommended I join a Facebook group called Women Who Sail (WWS), which led to attending a monthly meeting of a subgroup, WWS Tampa Bay. I sat at a table, awestruck by women who seemed to have some magical characteristic that set them apart from me. I was a wannabe and they were the real deal. I felt like a fish out of water, but I decided to ask anyway. “How long have you been sailing?” “Do you ever take new people along?” “When did you learn to sail?” “Can you make any recommendations?” I wake to the sound of breakfast being prepared in the galley. I lie in my berth, listening with my eyes closed, hearing the rush of water along the hull, quiet conversation in the salon, and the sound of metal pans on the stovetop. It dawns on me that I have no sinus headache, my teeth aren’t aching, and my ears are clear. I’ve experienced this unexpected bonus on day sails, but not to this degree. All the pain in my face and head from

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chronic allergies vanishes when I am away from land. I’m clear-headed, and I love the sensation! I arrive in the galley moments later to see that everybody is up. The captain and my two crewmates are engaged in conversation about a new weather report. I pour the last cup of coffee and add cream, then sit down to listen. Winds are picking up, as is the swell. Rain will come, and we won’t have gentle seas today, but it’s not my watch for several more hours, so I enjoy my breakfast then return to my berth to read. The wind continues to increase, but more significant is the swell with short intervals. I’m not uncomfortable in my cabin; in fact, I like the pitching of the boat. I feel like I’m on a big swing, swinging comfortably through space, so I set my book aside and doze. When I wake sometime later, the press of my body into the mattress seems to have become more pronounced. I’m suddenly a little restless, but when I rise, I find I’m not restless; I’m nauseous. Good god, am I seasick? I feel wonky. “What are you supposed to do when you’re seasick?” I ask myself. Oh right, get out from belowdecks. I make my way to the cockpit, but I find I cannot watch the horizon off the bow. Instead, I must sit at the table and observe over the starboard side. I’m told the swell is between five and seven feet with some even larger. When my other crewmate joins me in the cockpit, I confess I don’t feel well and I’m kicking myself because I’ve forgotten my seasick medicine at home. Thankfully, she offers me some of hers, which I accept, although at this moment I’m doubtful it will help. When she returns, the watchstander also accepts her offer, and I feel better knowing it’s not just me. I eventually lie down on the cockpit bench seat and drift off into queasy sleep, vaguely aware of cooling raindrops from time to time. One of the women suggested I join a couple of social sailing groups. Someone else suggested listening to nautical podcasts, and others gave me lists of sailing books, websites, blogs, Facebook pages, and YouTube videos. Once I started looking, I discovered there were many resources, and I followed through on every suggestion that had the potential to move me forward. My intellectual knowledge was growing and I was looking forward to practical application. I wasn’t eligible for the Bay Sailors group since I’m married, so I joined the Meet Up group, Tampa Bay Sailing. To my good fortune, I was invited onto a boat not far from my home. The captain talked a lot about the mechanics of sailing and told many stories while aboard his Tayana 36. There were a variety of people on his boat, and I felt good because, for the first time, I wasn’t the least experienced person on deck. “Monica, go wake the others. We need to reef the main,” I cautiously rise from my place in the cockpit and discover, to my immense relief, I feel one hundred percent better. I disappear into the boat to raise the other two crew. When I arrive back on deck, I scan the horizon and w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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see that the weather has worsened. My crewmate says, “We’ve had a couple of ten-footers, and there’s lightning near the shore to our west.” Once everyone is on deck, a crewmate and I go to the mast. While she’s easing the main halyard, I find the ring from reef one and muscle it on to the reefing hook. The captain is at the helm, and another crew member is working with the main sheet. I’m intensely focused on my tasks, my safety, and the motion of the boat on the rollers, so much so that everything else momentarily fades from view. The halyard goes on the winch, the clew is tightened, and the lines made off. The winch handle is placed in its pocket, and we return to the cockpit. No vestige of nausea or mental fog remains. We all work as a team, and it’s exhilarating. The squall arrives moments later, and, just like that, the chilly rain is pelting us. We dash to the main salon, all except the watchstander who remains, soaking wet, at the helm. “Not my watch! Good luck,” jokes the captain, and we burst into laughter behind the closed doors of the salon. I realize that will be me at some point in time, so I should not laugh too loudly. Only a few minutes later, the squall blows out and it’s 1800—my watch. I subscribed to a number of sailing podcasts— “On the Wind,” “How I Think About Sailing,” “The Boat Galley,” and “Ocean Sailing Podcast,” to name a few. I was immediately hooked while visualizing everything as I listened. I read articles devoted to women’s sailinng experiences from the “Admiral’s Angle” on the website WomenandCruising.com, and I also found the book Blue Water Women by Gina De Vere. I began to learn there are many ways to live and work on the water. A particular YouTube channel called “White Spot Pirates, Untie the Lines” captured me. Until that time, my YouTube sailing searches had revealed videos of beautiful young women frolicking, or hipsters asking for donations to fund their fabulous lives in exotic locations. Not what I was looking for. “Untie the Lines,” however, was real and relatable, the documentation of one woman’s quest to own, maintain, and sail (single-handedly at times) her own boat. Her style, persistence, and commitment spoke to me. I was struck by her independent nature and in w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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admiration of her bravery. Here was yet another woman who could be a role model for me. My third watch is progressing. The seas have settled. We’re well north of Ft. Lauderdale, and the color of the water has changed. It’s not the same as yesterday’s deep, vibrant blue. When I see something on the surface ahead, I adjust course accordingly. It’s a silver mylar balloon off the starboard bow, and I feel sad to see this detritus. How many balloons end up in the stomachs of our precious sea creatures?, I wonder as we pass it by. “We’re going to get that f***ing balloon!” The captain’s voice rockets out of the main salon followed by all 5’ 4” of her. She’s at the helm and I’m on my feet, following her instructions before I even realize the boat is turning to starboard. I grab a boat hook and go forward to the starboard bow. As she comes alongside, I reach out and succeed in glancing the ballon, but it’s fully inflated and there’s not enough ribbon for me to get the hook wrapped. I come aft to find another crew member at the starboard sugar scoop waiting to grab it on our next pass. A moment later, the villainous balloon has been plucked from the ocean, followed by a shout of hooray, and I hear the captain say, “We saved a turtle today.” She and the others go back to the main salon, and I feel glad to have been part of one small act to protect the sea life that cannot defend itself from our ignorance. I became increasingly aware of the complexity involved in operating a boat, so it was no longer exclusively about the act of sailing. There was so much more to be considered: safety, maintenance, navigation, weather, and on and on. I felt daunted, but my lack of knowledge became my motivation. If I continued to chip my ignorance away, I would one day find myself a competent sailor. Maybe. Because I was impressed with the camaraderie of the WWS page, I thought one day to make a post about an experience I wanted. That post resulted in an invitation to travel to upstate New York, where I sailed on Lake Cayuga with a lovely woman and US Coast Guard captain aboard her Alberg 35. She challenged me to stop identifying myself as a beginner and instead own my role as a sailor. This was a scary shift in perspective because I felt more

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Chasing My Dream accountable as a sailor than as a beginner. Her generosity was an example of how the sailing community embraces their own at any level. I was a bit startled when my newfound friend cautioned me to carefully check out any person I would consider getting on a boat with for blue-water sailing. With few exceptions, all the folks I’d sailed with had been complete strangers to me in the beginning, including her. Was I exercising good judgment, or was I just lucky to have stumbled upon good people? I continued to sail as a guest or crew wherever I could, and as my work schedule allowed. I was becoming more confident and more useful as crew but felt impatient about gaining experience. Again, on the WWS Tampa Bay Facebook page, I discovered a post inviting crew to a boat about an hour south of my home. I met and sailed with the skipper on her 33-foot Navigator just before Thanksgiving. We sailed together many weekends in the following months, which gave me practice handling dock lines, handling sails, anchoring, and provisioning. As is often the case at sunset, the wind picks up, and I appreciate its touch on my skin and in my hair. Tonight’s palette is pink, orange, and baby blue with big dramatic silver-rimmed clouds. For me, there’s no better vantage point in the world for a sunset or sunrise than from a boat at sea. As the sky darkens, I notice the wind doesn’t settle; instead, it picks up and the seas become choppy. I’m tired tonight because of the big swells from earlier in the day, the excitement that preceded this trip, and the inconsistent sleep of the last few nights. At 2100, I welcome the company of a crewmate into the cockpit and enjoy some conversation. The main is still reefed from earlier, and the catamaran is bouncing, although not uncomfortably. Fifteen minutes later, the wind intensifies again. It’s on the nose, and we’re definitely slapping harder now and losing speed. We are still talking and watching for ships when the captain makes her way on deck at 2145 and assesses our situation. We are almost abeam Ft. Pierce Inlet where we could sit out the weather because the wind has strengthened enough that headway under motor is minimal. She steps into the main salon to check various weather apps. At 2200, I turn the watch over to her. I am tired! The boat is pitching and swaying in the wind and chop as I brush my teeth and rinse my face. I change clothes and climb into bed. Later, I’m only vaguely aware of the captain bringing the boat in. I have a fleeting thought that I should get up and help, but my body replies by sinking deeper into slumber as the anchor pays out. Looking to do more than daysails and overnights, I came across another WWS post from a woman looking to sail to the Bahamas in February and was thunderstruck when I was selected to be crew. I met her just after Christmas and began sailing aboard her Jeanneau 39 in the Banana River on Florida’s east coast on a weekly basis.

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Although it was a long drive, it seemed I’d found another mentor. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the crossing to the Bahamas because the necessary weather window didn’t open up for us. “Yep,” my sailing buddies said. “That’s the reality of cruising.” I awaken to calm waters and cool temperatures. This wind is blowing directly out of the north, and I realize the sun has been up for some time. Because we’re at anchor for the day, I decide to make myself useful by polishing the stainless. It’s a gratifying activity. In the afternoon, we gather at the salon table to play cards and drink wine in a relaxed and lazy atmosphere. I love the silliness and laughter we share. Afterward, everyone retires for private time. I return to my book, An Embarrassment of Mangoes, and daydream about the cruising lifestyle. In the evening, we enjoy another delicious dinner, followed by an early bedtime. Tomorrow we will complete this journey. After attending several Power Squadron courses and a Florida Boating Safety course, I set a goal: I want to earn my captain’s license. To do so, I learned, I would need to document 360 days of sea time. That’s a lot of sea time! So, at the end of 2018, with the support of my family, I retired in order to go all in. Then, as luck would have it, I met another mentor. We connected immediately, and I liked his calm demeanor, so I began sailing on his Catalina 42. Even better was that he too was retired, which allowed me to sail during the week. Patient, encouraging, and generous, he provided as many learning opportunities as a situation would allow. He challenged me by guiding me when I felt anxious instead of taking over. I felt elated to have a variety of people to sail with and learn from. I had gone from sailing sporadically on weekends to sailing several days a week. And then, much to my surprise, I was invited to be part of this delivery crew. It’s early morning on our last day, and the boat is facing due east while I wait for the coffee to finish brewing The sun is lightening the sky, though it’s not above the horizon just yet. It’s still cool out as I make my way to the tramp, coffee in hand, to contemplate the serenity of the sunrise. This trip has been a great experience filled with many firsts: first time in the Florida Keys, first time in deep water, first night offshore, first (and hopefully last) experience with seasickness. In short order, my crewmates join me, and we share our thoughts as we each take pleasure in the moment. Soon enough, it’s time to retreat to the galley, where I’ll prepare our final breakfast. Motorsailing from Ft. Pierce Inlet is easy with calm seas and a light breeze. Throughout the day, I prepare myself for our arrival by gathering my gear and cleaning my areas. I read, contact friends on social media, and soak up the sun. Even so, I do my best to remain present in the moment, to savor the feel of the boat as it progresses through the water, and to imprint the feel of the breeze across my skin. This delivery has been an w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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is not canceled! incredibly positive experience, and I wonder how I could do this regularly. Late in the afternoon, we arrive at Port Canaveral Inlet. I’ve been keeping my eye on no less than three container ships, either anchored east of the inlet or being brought in by tug boats. These ships dwarf our boat, and I think I would not like to work on them. Our captain appears nonplussed by the commercial traffic around us while I, on the other hand, am fascinated by all the activity. She’s receiving instructions via cell phone from the Leopard’s owner to tie up on the starboard side to a restaurant on the channel. Soon enough, on a westward heading, the captain swings the boat around and says, “Okay, ladies, let’s not be tonight’s entertainment. Let’s get it right the first time.” Dockhands await, customers are watching, and somewhere in the mix is the owner. We take a collective breath as she brings No Expectations alongside the seawall. We each hand off our respective lines, mine going into the hand of a man who is busy on his phone. I think this is hilarious, but manage to keep from laughing. I don’t, at this moment, know this individual is the owner. The delivery finishes and I wonder, Am I a credible sailor now? We enjoy a victory dinner compliments of the owner, and each order a cocktail to toast our newfound friendships. On my trip home, I reflect on the many events that led to this gratifying moment. I began, at 53, with a small inkling of desire, which became a series of questions that, in turn, transformed into a plan, resulting in this wonderful cascade of experiences. Being genuinely open to guidance, fortunate enough to find mentors, and willing to take risks has been my recipe for success—at least thus far. Now, at 56, I understand what others mean when I hear them say that it’s never too late. In my case, I accept that I’m not young, but I don’t accept that I’m old. I have discovered a world that I want to participate in, that I want to be part of. At some point I’ll be competent, I’ll be more confident; and perhaps, someday, I’ll be the captain mentoring another woman. w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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We hope to be doing this

We might be doing this!

if this is it, We Will still have fun!

no matter What, We Will hoist our flags & celebrate

Celebrate SailiNg oN JuNe 20

how to celebrate will be up to you

The 20th annual Summer Sailstice celebration of sailing allows you to participate in something bigger, but in a very individual way.

Post your plans at www.summersailstice.com then plan to #raiseyoursails

Latitudes & Attitudes 149 4/24/20 12:09 PM

DINGHY, COME Story by Ronna Benjamin Photos by Shiera Brady

A knot or cleat that is tied in a hurry. A frayed line. A distraction that causes you to forget to tie your dinghy up at all. We all make mistakes. If we are lucky, we notice them right away or a kind soul in a crowded anchorage notices a roaming dinghy. I laughed to myself each of the three days we were recently anchored in Elizabeth Harbour near George Town, Bahamas. Every day, there was a call over the VHF about a dinghy floating solo in the harbor, a dinghy missing, a dinghy found. “Aren’t they lucky,” I thought to myself, “having their dinghy float away in a crowded anchorage.”

We were not quite so lucky…

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4/23/20 12:13 PM

BACK!

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DINGHY, COME BACK! The Dinghy’s Story It was a moonless night in South Caicos. The winds were howling. The last of a front was just passing through. At the stern of Exodus (my home, a Hylas 49 sailboat), I bobbed happily. All 11 feet of the water that slapped my bottom was warm and gin-clear. I smelled salmon on the grill and garlic mashed potatoes cooking below. I heard lively banter as scotch was sipped and wine was opened. After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. and their guests loaded themselves carefully into my belly. They handed down a bottle of Macallan 18 (the good stuff for the guests) and puttered the 100 yards or so to their good friends and buddy boat. The captain met us at the stern with his usual smile. Mrs. threw my painter aboard, and one by one they left me. My painter was double-hitched to the stern cleat. I bobbed hard in the water as the group settled in to play Codenames, women against the men (as always). It would be another night of fierce competition. Yet, something was not right. Mr. did not double-check my hitch. He did not look back my way, and it wasn’t long before I could feel my painter loosening. “Hey, I’m struggling to hold on here!” I called into the wind.

No one glanced my way. “Hey, you guys! It’s pretty bouncy out here!” I yelled, but no one looked back. In the darkness, the first hitch came off. As soon as the second hitch came undone, my painter slipped entirely off the cleat, and I was free! I’d never been free. I was floating in the darkness, out to sea, drifting away. I could hear the cries of delight from the girls’ team fading in the distance as I drifted away. “Well,” I thought. “I’m on an adventure.” The lights of my security dimmed in the distance. Meanwhile… “Thanks for a lovely evening,” I told our hosts grumpily (the women had lost three games in a row), “but it’s past cruiser’s midnight and we have a long day tomorrow over the Caicos Banks.” One of our guests looked over the stern of the boat. “Where’s the dinghy?” she asked innocently, the words no cruiser ever wants to hear. I raced to the stern. “Mike, the dinghy is gone,” I gasped, hoping against all odds that he had moved it, that I was temporarily blind, or that it had somehow drifted under the two hulls of the catamaran. It took less than a minute for the two captains to grab flashlights,

Happier times, tucked in behind the big boat

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launch the buddy boat dinghy, and head out into the pitch darkness downwind toward the shallow water. There were no other boats in the anchorage. To no one in particular, I commented, “Two guys who have been drinking, heading out on a moonless night, downwind in 25 knots, towards the shallows…now what could possibly go wrong with that?” They had enough sense to come back, soaking wet and depressed, before something worse went wrong with that. The Dinghy’s Story I drifted, my painter trailing underneath my bottom. How far had I gone? Ten miles? Twenty miles? Hours went by. I bobbed and drifted, helplessly. As the sun came over the horizon and the winds and the seas calmed, I finally came to rest. There was beautiful, white sand under my bottom, and the sun warming me. I was not harmed, just lonely. Meanwhile on Exodus… By the time we pulled up our anchor the next morning, our friend had hired a private pilot to search for our dinghy by air. He had drifted in his own dinghy to further refine probable drift speed and direction. The missing dinghy was reported to the Turks and Caicos police and coast guard. Both boats pulled out binoculars and searched, 40 miles and six hours across the Caicos Banks. Each white cap began to look like a floating dinghy. We found nothing. The Dinghy’s Story The sun was beating down on my body, burning through my Hypalon. I was giving up hope when I saw a small fishing boat in the distance heading toward me, slowing down, and a rather large man leaned over the side of his boat and grabbed my painter. He tied me to the stern of his boat and dragged me off the sand. I was dragged about ten miles, and I was beginning to think

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that maybe this man (let’s call him “Henry” to protect the not-soinnocent) did not intend to bring me to home. Henry met up with another boat, then drove me until my fuel was almost depleted and we finally reached land. He and his friends lifted me on top of another small boat, which sat atop a trailer, and we drove inland. They left me in a yard surrounded by chain-link fence, while three chained dogs barked angrily at me, threatening to puncture me with their sharp teeth. Meanwhile on Exodus… “I loved that dinghy,” Mike said sadly (as if I didn’t know) while we sat docked at the Southside Marina in Providenciales. “It was perfect.” Our dinghy was an AB, with an unpainted aluminum bottom and bow storage locker purchased in Curaçao just over a year ago. It had a 20-horsepower Tohatsu motor that we had purchased a few months earlier in Virginia. It had stainless-steel locks with matched keys from Grenada, and an anchor and chain from Martinique. Our new favorite flip-flops (courtesy of Zappos), which lived in the dinghy, were recently brought down by our guests. We were becoming maudlin. We really needed to move on. So, move on we did. Mike found an AB dealer with our type of dinghy in stock. Our friend found a shipping company that ran two boats a week from the US to Turks and Caicos. We reported the loss to our insurance company. Mike filled out so many forms his head began to spin, and we arranged to have the money for the new dinghy wired to the dealer so the new dinghy could be put on the next ship. Maybe things would have been better if Mike hadn’t been so efficient, but he is Mr. Efficient. At 8:30 the next morning, he wired just shy of $6,000 to the dealer, and our new dinghy was en route to the shipping terminal.

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Thirty minutes later the phone call came. “I think I might have found your dinghy.” It was the pilot, calling our friend. He was so surprised that he hadn’t seen the dinghy from the plane (“It was so clear I could see the sharks in the water,” he had commented) that he had continued to investigate on his own. He saw our dinghy advertised for sale on a local website. “If you want to purchase this dinghy, contact me,” the advertisement said, and there, right there, was a picture of our dinghy! So we called. Henry talked fast and nonstop, barely letting our friend get a word in. He said he found it, so it was now his dinghy, not ours (invoking the old “finders keepers” rule). Henry didn’t believe it was ever our dinghy. He said we were scammers. He said he already had a buyer for $3,000 and if we wanted it, that was the price. Maybe it was a good idea to get the police involved and maybe it wasn’t—but that’s what happened. The police instructed the boys to arrange a meeting to buy the dinghy, so that they could arrest Henry. I certainly didn’t have a better plan. The Sting The deal with Henry was that the boys were to meet him at an old

abandoned gas station, show him the $3,000 cash, then follow him to the dinghy. The police instructed the boys not to bring money. They were to bring only a cell phone and meet the police on their way to the old gas station for further instructions. In their rental car, carrying no cash (and driving on the left side of the road to heighten the tension), the boys met the police. They were told to call the officer’s cell phone when they were driving into the gas station and then leave the phone on so the police could hear what was happening. The boys drove into the gas station. As soon as they saw Henry with three friends (he brought muscle?) our friend pressed “send” on his cellphone. Miraculously, there was plenty of cell service, the phone battery did not take that opportunity to die, and the call went through to the officer. “Why is your cell phone on?” Henry asked as he approached the driver’s side window. No one breathed or spoke. Just as Henry started to get agitated, the police drove up. “That’s how you do business?” Henry asked. “You call the police?” For the next half-hour, Henry and his friends argued with the police. Amidst shouting that they were going to “call lawyers,” the

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DINGHY, COME BACK! The police help get me back where I belong

Going back into the water police finally told Henry that they were going to take him to jail and he could call his lawyer on the way. So, that’s what they did. Henry, the police, and the boys in the rental car all headed off to the police station. After driving five minutes, Henry apparently thought better of this whole idea and the group turned and drove inland. They arrived at a yard surrounded by a chain link fence. Behind the fence was our dinghy. The Dinghy’s Story As time passed, I became forlorn. Would I ever see Mr. again? Would I ever get back home? Just when I had almost given up all hope, the dogs started barking again, their chains clanging in distress. Three cars drove up. Henry came out first. Two police officers emerged from the second car. Two more men in the third car walked toward the fence. One of the men peered through the links of the fence and stared at me. It was Mr.! The Deal Mike walked through the gate escorted by an officer, past the yelping dogs, to inspect the dinghy. The bow locker was still locked. The motor and dinghy looked undamaged. Even our flip-flops were there. Mike and the police officer walked back to the chain link fence where Henry was complaining about

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how much effort it was to retrieve the dinghy. Mike told one of the officers that he appreciated the fact that Henry had retrieved the dinghy and he was willing to pay him reasonable salvage. They agreed on $500. Mike went to the ATM. Everyone shook hands. It was then that the boys realized they had to get the dinghy five miles over land back to Exodus. That would be difficult, to say the least, in their little rental car. Henry was not about to help. Despite heroic efforts, our friend was unsuccessful in flagging down a random pickup truck on the streets of Provo. Luckily, one of the officers had a friend who owned a landscaping company. He soon came by in a rusted pickup truck, towing a trailer filled with 10-foot palm trees (you can’t make this stuff up). He said he would drop off the palm trees and come back for the dinghy. He did exactly that. The Dinghy’s Story I was going home, but not so fast. It took four large men to lift me over the rusted tailgate of the old truck. My nose was jammed against the bottom front of the cargo bay and my motor stuck way up in the air, but I was comforted by the fact that Mr. and his friend were taking me home. When I arrived back at the marina, the truck backed up to a crane. I was lifted ever-so-slowly

up and over the water before being brought gently down. Mr. started my motor and drove me back to Exodus’s side. The ordeal was over, at least for me. …But, It Ain’t Over Until You’ve Left the Country The next evening, Mike and I went to listen to live music at the marina bar. It was cooler than expected that evening, so Mike went back to the boat to retrieve our sweatshirts. One of the local men, a stocky, cigarette-smoking guy we had met a few days earlier, approached me when Mike left. He put his arm around me all friendly-like. “How was your day?” he asked, amongst some other pleasantries, like “When are you leaving?” and “Where are you heading next?” Of course, I told him all our plans. Then I said, “Did you hear, we got our dinghy back?” “Oh yeah, I heard,” he replied with a knowing smirk. “It’s a very small island…” As he spoke, he inexplicably flicked his cigarette ashes over the balcony, which almost landed on a woman’s head on the level beneath us. “Ooh, I almost lit that woman’s hair on fire.” He took another drag. “You have a lot to worry about,” he continued as I glared at him, astounded. “It’s a very small island.”

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By this time, Mike had returned and was listening as well. “See that guy at the bar there?” he said, motioning to a very large, heavily-muscled, well-dressed man sitting at the bar. “Recognize him?” We did not recognize the man. “He was there.” “All’s I’m saying is that it’s a very small island,” he repeated. “Are you saying we’re not safe here?” Mike asked incredulously. “I’m saying you’re safe as long as you stay in the marina,” he said, and then he walked away. For the next three days, as it got closer to the time when we wanted to leave the marina, we became more and more anxious. We both lost hours of sleep. We had never been threatened before, and

we were not sure what to do about it. Provo was a small island. They (whoever “they” were) could easily find out when we checked out of the country. A fellow cruiser thought we should hire a private security boat to escort us. In the end, we decided private security was overkill. We hoisted the dinghy onto the foredeck. We turned our AIS to receive only. Our buddy boat accompanied us as we anchored near an outer island and we left Turks and Caicos waters early the next morning…without incident. The Aftermath But it wasn’t just sleep we lost. We were not able to return the new dinghy to the dealer. After many more emails and phone calls, we were able to rent a storage unit, then paid even

more to have the shipping company deliver the dinghy to storage. That is where our new dinghy will sit until we are able to sell it when we arrive back in the States. We are well over $6,000 in the hole. So, ladies and gentlemen of the cruising world, if you are going to lose your dinghy, it’s best to do so in a crowded anchorage. A bright light that sits on the motor at night is a wonderful idea, and your name and contact information should be in an obvious place. And, please, doublecheck your dinghy painters every single time you tie up. Actually, triplecheck them. You don’t want to end up with a great story but pay for it with many more gray hairs and a big hit to your cruising kitty.

Once again back where I belong

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Three Maine

There are about 4,000 rocky islands along the Maine Coast. Most look the same today as they would have looked to the Vikings. One hundred years ago, 300 islands were settled and 100 of those had year-round inhabitants. Now there are 15 with people living on them yearround. The economic and political forces that led to that change are still operating. Over the past few years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sailed Judy, my 1984 Ericson, to six of them, and this year I visited three more: Matinicus, Vinalhaven, and Swans.

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Islands By Len Freedberg

Judy and I departed our home port, Shipyard Marina in Hingham, on the Saturday before Labor Day. I was lucky to have with me deckhand Paul Satwicz: excellent sailor, companion, and possessor of an inexhaustible supply of stories. My hope was to sail directly to Matinicus Island, about 130 nautical miles northeast. The prevailing wind is southwest, so my hope was not ridiculous. Leaving at noon on the ebb tide, we would arrive there during daylight Sunday. My log entry at 1845 says we were sailing â&#x20AC;&#x153;almost in the correct direction.â&#x20AC;? By 2400, the wind was on our nose, and we had already motored some hours. By noon Sunday, it was obvious we would not be entering Matinicus Harbor during daylight. My only prior close encounter there was years ago when I was alone and the fog was so w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Three Maine Islands

dense I couldn’t find the critical buoy. Since we could make Monhegan before dark, that became our destination. I’ve learned cruising has more than enough excitement and danger that is unavoidable—there is no reason to seek it out. We were lucky there was a mooring available, and that it was calm night. I have been at Monhegan when Judy rocked all night long. We were in our sleeping bags after a delicious early dinner and up at dawn Monday. We sailed most of the way to Matinicus and had no problem navigating into the harbor. It was high tide, and in the middle of the harbor there was a mass of seaweed, presumably on the top of the rocks the chart shows. We motored over to a lobster boat unloading at a floating dock. Its inhabitants told us where the guest moorings were and warned us to avoid the rocks. When the ten-foot tide went out, most of the inner harbor was filled with a mini-mountain! The guest moorings are marked by a lobster buoy

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with a can attached. In the can is a notice with the cost ($30) and a map of the island. Matinicus is the most remote of the Maine islands that are inhabited year-round. There are about 120 seasonal residents, and we were lucky to have a long talk with one of them, Dave Sears (www.dsearsart.com), an artist who has been living and working there for four months or so annually for many years. In 2019, the two hour and fifteen minute ferry crossing from Rockland on the mainland was scheduled to go once in January, February, and December; twice in March and November; three times in April; and weekly May through October. The trips are not spaced evenly because there is no way to load and unload when it is low tide on the island. There are no medical facilities, no restaurants, and hardly anything for tourists. It’s wonderful! Paul and I took a long walk to a spectacularly beautiful beach where I twisted my ankle but fortunately was able to walk, although later it blew up to about twice its normal size.

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The year-round residents are lobstermen who, like they did this year, do very well financially. Many of them have homes on the mainland and stay on Matinicus a few days at a time. At the Christmas party in 2018 there were just 19 people. The K–8 school will not open this academic year; ot was last open during the 2017–2018 year. The island has its own power plant for electricity. A licensed operator is required, and recently it was a challenge to find someone when a vacancy developed. The year-round people we met could not have been nicer. When I could not reach my wife because l had no cell phone service, I used the VHF to call the lobsterman from whom I rented Judy’s mooring, and he contacted someone working in the harbor who came over in a skiff and handed me a cell phone. I rewarded him with the last of my Irish whiskey. The next morning there was no wind, and thankfully no fog. We motored to Carver’s Harbor

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on Vinalhaven Island, about two hours through a well-marked passage. The mooring we found was $25. We went ashore and went into the first open business. That was a piece of good luck. It was the real estate office of Wesley Reed, a year-round resident, sculptor, collector, and owner of two restored antique Fords, one of which is garaged in the office! He gave us a tour of the island, the highlight of which was the K–12 school. Vinalhaven, like several other islands, had commercial granite quarries, and Wesley was part of a group that paid for and built a granite wall in the school. There are 1,200 year-round residents, about 120 students, a new principal (who we met), and about 3,000 seasonal folk. The mainstay of the economy is lobstering, and we had a huge and delicious lunch with Wesley and Johnny, a friendly lobsterman who recently bought a 40-foot boat so he could go further offshore.

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Three Maine Islands

Johnny drove away in an Escalade, so evidently he’s doing well. As with other islands, all is not perfect. There has not been a principal of the school who stayed more than three years, and many have left after one. It is 75 minutes by car ferry from Vinalhaven to Rockland, there are six trips daily all year, and many year-round inhabitants keep a car in Rockland. Vinalhaven has no hotels and, evidently, no interest in developing tourism. The next morning we had beautiful sailing conditions for a few hours until the wind died, then we motored the rest of the way to Burnt Coat Harbor on Swans Island. Swans is also a lobstering island, and we got a mooring with a hawser for a pennant—maybe that’s why it

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was $40?—from one of the companies along the waterfront. Swans is peaceful and lovely; there is a small general store, no hotels, and no restaurants. There are 350 year-round residents and about 800 seasonal people. The school is K–8 and this year has about 30 students. Only the islands with the largest populations have enough students for a K–12 school. Students on Swans go to the high school on Mt. Desert Island. It’s close enough that they can commute daily, unlike islands where high school students have to board on the mainland. We met Peter, a marine biologist who has been studying seaweed and mussels on Swans for the last 30 years. He is a seasonal resident and told us there are good relations between

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the year-round and seasonal people. One of the issues on Swans, and other islands, is the high property taxes on the large waterfront properties, owned mainly by seasonal folk. Peter told us of a recent instance in which the owner died, and the heirs are selling because they aren’t there enough to justify the expense. Swans has at least five ferries daily, year-round, from Bass Harbor, just 40 minutes away. I love each of the Maine islands I’ve visited. Each is unique, but they share a special way of life. Both the year-round and seasonal residents I’ve met are fiercely committed to their islands. The State of Maine is generally committed also, but finances are an issue. For example, on Vinalhaven, the state would not pay for the

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granite wall. Also, while relations between yearround and seasonal people are generally good, the needs and interests of each group differ. We were told of a friendly conversation between two people, one from each group, during which the seasonal resident was told: “Your windows are here 12 months, you’re not.” Five of the six islands I haven’t visited are in Casco Bay, near Portland, Maine, and the sixth is Islesboro in Penobscot Bay. I hope to get to all six. The economic and political forces on these special island communities will lead to more changes in time. It worries me that the economy of each of these three islands almost totally depends on a tasty crustacean which so far only grows in the wild.

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Sailing The Turkish Riviera By Chuck Ritenour

Who has not heard of the Riviera? When asked, most would say it is in France, but that would be incorrect for there is a vibrant Riviera along the Turkish southeast coast. This coast, also called the Turquoise Coast, is the coast that Marc Anthony gave to Cleopatra as a wedding present. It is the home of Santa Claus, as well as the world’s oldest shipbuilding facility. Here you will find old cities that are wrapped around and over their ancient counterparts, large amphitheaters that are still in use, and a 12,000-year-old worship temple; and ancient civilizations are still being discovered. After a great winter in Marmaris, SoulMates, our Jeanneau DS40, pointed her nose east along a well-traveled coast. We first stopped in the large bay with the city of Göcek on one side and Fethiye on the other. Charter companies maintain a base there and one can spend a lot of time exploring the nooks and crannies around the bay with great

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S/V SoulMates sitting at what they consider to be “their” marina in a safe and beautiful harbor along the Turkish coast

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anchorages and warm mild weather without the fear of the dreaded Meltemi. While there, we hooked up with old friends, Russ and Tommy on Once Around, who were headed west and explored some inland areas including the ghost city of Kayaköy. As with all relationships among longterm cruisers, after a brief reunion and breaking of bread and adult beverages, Once Around headed west and SoulMates headed east to Kaş. When we arrived in Marmaris the previous year for the winter, we signed a one-year contract with the marina w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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because it was less expensive than signing a sevenmonth one. That winter, the marina made a new policy that said with a year contract you could stay in any Setur Marina for free for a month. Kaş has a new modern Setur Marina, a quick walk to the town center, and a ferry to the Greek island of Kastellorizo. We took a quick ferry trip were soon enjoying a glass of Greek wine while watching the local restaurant owner feed a couple of large turtles that make their home in the harbor. The town is small but there are a couple of grocery stores and a bit of pork was purchased as we have done before on other Greek

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Sailing The Turkish Riviera islands but this time the Turkish authorities decided not to allow it in Turkey. East of Kaş lies Kekova Roads with its superb anchorage. Kekova Roads was not unfamiliar to us for our friend Christine Kling featured it in her book Knight’s Cross. We dinghied ashore to Üçağız. While walking around, we found Hassan’s restaurant. Hassan and his family were a wealth of information on the castle that could be seen in the distance, the sunken city and the home of Santa Claus. Chuck asked Hassan if there was a bus to Demre (the ancient town of Myra), the home of St. Nicholas and the ancient city of Patara where St. Nick was born. Hassan said there might be a way to get there, then asked when we wanted to go. We told him anytime. He told us he would make arrangements while we finished our meal. As we drank our post-meal cay, Hassan came up and said, “Come on, I have a ride for you.” When we asked the price, we were surprised and said, “Yes, let’s go!” Turns out, our driver was a friend of Hassan and also owns a tour boat. We first saw the old city of Patara. This was the meeting place of the fourth-century B.C. Lycian League, the first democratic union in history. The league had elected representatives with proportional representation, a model that influenced the US founding fathers as they wrote the US Constitution. It is also the birthplace of St. Nicholas, born 270. After wandering around Patara, we drove over to Demre with its rock-cut tombs and large amphitheater. But the real reason to visit Demre is the church dedicated to St. Nicholas. He died and was buried in 343, and eventually a church was built around his tomb. In 827, folks from Bari, Italy, stole his relics and moved them to Bari. However, that does not stop people from coming and worshiping here. St. Nicholas is one of the patron saints of Russia, so during our visit Russian was the language to be spoken. But, the thing that surprised us was the cross in the shape of an anchor. It turns out, St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of sailors. And we do need all the help we can get. After we returned to Kekova Roads, our next stop was a dinghy ride across the bay to Kaleköy and the ancient fortress built by the St. John Knights to protect the area from piracy. The climb to the top was effortless and gave us a great view of the anchorage. We could see the many tour boats cruising in and around

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the area, and the sunken city of Simena (now Kaleköy) across the straits from the castle. In the second century, an earthquake stuck, submerging the lower part of the city. Now, stairs descend into the ocean to rooms and houses below the waterline. Most cruising boats turn around at Kekova Roads, or head east to the Setur Marina in Finike and then head back, but SoulMates takes the other road, the one most don’t follow. After a quick stop in Finike for a Sunday BBQ with cruisers living there, we rounding the tip of the Lycian coast. SoulMates first anchored off Kemer, a major resort destination that attracts many Russians. Because we dropped the hook off a Club Med resort, we were treated to a great concert that night. Kemer is unique, with the warm Mediterranean waters and wonderful beach on one side, and an 8,343-foot mountain behind it. So, one day you can sun yourself on the beach and the next climb an 8,000-foot peak. Or, like us, you can take the cable car to the top. We left Kemer and sailed to the top of the Gulf of Antalya, which we called Antalya Bay, and into our last Setur Marina. It was a bit out of town, but there were no real marinas closer to town. We caught a bus downtown, visited the old city, the world’s largest tunnel aquarium, and an incredible archaeological museum. While we were there, we met up with Christine Kling and her husband, Wayne, who are having a 78-foot aluminum boat built. Antalya has a free zone where Wayne spends his days supervising Naval Yachts, the builder, w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

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Sailing The Turkish Riviera in construction of Möbius. Möbius will be an ocean-going passagemaker with a range of over 7,000 nautical miles. We kidnapped Christine, so to gain her freedom she took us around Antalya to see Hadrian’s Gate, built in 130, and then over to Perge, a large city and the capital of the area. The city was established about B.C. 1,000 and lasted until about 1,400, when the harbor silted in and the people moved to Antalya. But we weren’t satisfied with her ransom, so she drove us over to Aspendos Theater, one of the bestpreserved ancient theaters. It was built in 155 and holds 12,000 people. In the summer, plays and concerts are still performed in the theater. On the way back to Antalya, Christine took us by the Duden Waterfalls. SoulMates sailed 70 nautical miles east and entered perhaps the oldest harbor in which she has ever been. Side was a major city, as the old ruins testify, founded in the seventh-century B.C. Today, to our surprise, it has a huge resort community. And unlike many other ancient cities, the ancient streets are covered by a layer of glass, so as you walk around you actually walk above them and can imagine what people were thinking as they walked along those streets several thousand years ago. We continued down the coast and ended up in Alanya, home of the oldest shipyard in existence, built in 1227 by the Ottomans. It has five vaulted bays that are 40 meters long and 57 meters wide. Ships that were built there helped the Ottomans control the seas from the Black Sea to a lot of the Med. Inside the building are examples of how the ships were built, anchors, and navigation methods. Due to its strategic position, Alanya has been fought over for centuries, and major ancient fortifications are present everywhere. Leaving Alanya, we were not sure what we were going to find, but SoulMates is a true pathfinder and anxious explorer, so east we went. Our goal was Mersin and an inland trip to the world’s oldest worship temple, the 12,0000-year-old Göbekli Tepe, discovered in 1994. Off the beaten path again and into the unknown...but isn’t that what adventure cruising is all about? Finding those rare places people don’t go.

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I Found It At

The Boat Show Hart Systems Tank Tender No matter how many tanks you have, one easy system handles them all!

Ron Hart designed the Tank Tender for his own vessel to measure the level of fluid in every tank onboard. He knew that knowing exactly how much fluid remains in each tank can be critical. Tank Tender is a simple pneumatic system of gauging the liquid level in water, diesel, and holding tanks. One instrument can measure up to ten tanks. Just select which tank you wish to measure, press and hold the push-button valve, actuate the cylinder air pump, and receive the inch reading of fluid level in the tank...in seconds! When properly installed, Tank Tender gives accurate readings within +/- 1 %. It also allows for the convenient measurement of all tanks from one location without the threat of cross-contamination of fluids. And, the shape of your tank is not an issue since the calibration of gallonsper-inch is done on each tank upon installation. Even better, it requires no maintenance, electricity, or batteries. Tank Tender comes as a complete system, there are no added costs to consider. This system was built to meet your needs. Hart Systems, Inc. is a small company with one product and one focus: The Tank Tender, since 1982. Oh, yeah, and they have been advertising with Lats & Atts for about 20 years, so you know they are a reliable company! Ready to order one or just want more info? Go to www.TankTender.com, and be sure to tell â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em Bob sent you!

Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

pg 167 ATBS Hart Tank Tender - MKC-F.indd 1

Latitudes & Attitudes 167 4/23/20 12:35 PM

Fendertex from PYI Textile fenders are now available in the USA!

Fendertex® Fenders have been available and tested in Europe for the past five years. They are now available in the Americas through PYI. As the world’s only textile fender, they are ultralightweight, designed to minimize storage space on the boat, strong and durable, and customizable. They are up to 95% lighter than traditional PVC fenders and up to 40% lighter than inflatable PVC fenders. The fenders are easily inflated and deflated, and can be rolled or folded to take up minimal space—a common issue with traditional fenders. Designed to withstand large amounts of compression, they are being used on many of the world’s largest yachts. The design of the fender allows them to adapt to changes in temperature, as well as hold shape under extended periods of compression. For more info, you can go to www.Fendertex.com.

Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section 168 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 168 ATBS - Fendertex - MKC-F.indd 1

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NE W PO R

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pg 169 Newport Boat Show Ad.indd 1

PHOT O BY O NN E VAN DER WA L

NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

Latitudes & Attitudes 169 4/27/20 12:08 PM

OceanMedix

Vessel medical kits for cruisers and more!

The OceanMedix® Vessel Medical Kits were originally developed for an offshore lobster-fishing company in Rhode Island. With the adoption of the new Subchapter M federal regulation in 2016 governing our US tugboat fleet, a few tweaks were made so these kits met both the federal requirements of “suitable” for commercial fishing vessels and “appropriate” for working tugboats. Once introduced, it became clear that this product line was also a valuable addition to our recreational boating offering. The OceanMedix® Vessel Medical Kits are available in three sizes (small, medium, and large), in both “coastal” and “offshore” configurations, to accommodate the number of POB, duration of the trip, and the distance away from professional medical care. Each Coastal Medical Kit is configured around a first-aid manual, first-aid supplies, and severe bleeding supplies all in a Pelican Storm hard case. For the Offshore Medical Kits, prescription medications and doctor’s prescription orders are added to address a number of medical situations that might be encountered where direct access to professional medical care might not be an option. Being properly outfitted in anticipation of a potential medical situation, either illness or injury, is essential. Preparedness and prompt attention can be of the, essence and can significantly contribute to a positive outcome. Need more info? It’s easy. Just go to www.OceanMedix.com, or call them at 866-788-2642.

Latitudes & Attitudes Event & Boat Show Section 170 Latitudes & Attitudes

pg 171 ATBS OceanMedix - MKC.indd 1

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4/29/20 9:04 AM

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pg 171 South Coast yachts.indd 1

Latitudes & Attitudes 171 4/28/20 3:31 PM

1990 65’ MacGregor - $99,000 Jim Davis - 386.871.4959

1987 50’ Gulfstar - $79,000 Curtis Stokes - 954.684.0218

1985 48’ Mayflower - $75,000 Brent Anderson - 651.528.4198

2001 47’ Catalina - $205,000 Jason Hinsch - 410.507.1259

1984 44’ CAL - $109,500 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238

1990 43’ Slocum - $247,300 Jim Davis - 386.871.4959

1984 43’ Wauquiez - $122,500 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238

2006 43’ Beneteau - $178,900 Robbins Flynn - 251.232.9171

1976 42’ Morgan - $55,000 David Raftery - 802.349.7200

1981 42’ Passport - $72,000 Brad Peterson - 305.481.1512

1974 41’ Gulfstar - $39,500 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238

1992 40’ Sabre - $59,500 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559

To see more details about these and all other yachts around the globe, please visit our website at

www.curtisstokes.net 172 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 172-173 Curtis stokes.indd 2

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4/28/20 3:22 PM

Worldwide Yacht Sales Yacht Charters New Yacht Construction

1994 40’ Hunter - $85,500 Lars Bergstrom - 910.899.7941

1997 40’ Beneteau - $70,000 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898

1980 39’ CAL - $57,500 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

2013 39’ Catalina - $225,000 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898

1989 38’ Sabre - $69,000 Ryan Daniels - 904.580.0559

2000 36’ Endeavour - $121,500 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

1976 36’ Cabot - $24,999 Steve Horinek - 239.887.0898

1983 36’ Canadian Sailcraft - $29,500 Mary Catherine Ciszewski - 804.815.8238

1984 35’ Baba - $89,000 Barbara Burke - 904.310.5110

2000 35’ Tartan Yachts - $110,700 David Raftery - 802.349.7200

1970 35’ Morgan - $16,900 David Robinson - 410.310.8855

2003 32’ Bavaria - $59,900 Bill Boos - 410.200.9295

1.855.266.5676 | 954.684.0218 | info@curtisstokes.net w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

pg 172-173 Curtis stokes.indd 3

Latitudes & Attitudes 173 4/28/20 3:22 PM

pg 174-175 Eastern yachts.indd 2

4/28/20 3:18 PM

pg 174-175 Eastern yachts.indd 3

4/28/20 3:18 PM

176 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 176-177 Passport Broker.indd 2

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4/28/20 3:26 PM

2008 PASSPORT 470 CENTER COCKPIT

A perfect balance between performance and comfort, the hull shape ensures soft motion offshore and and the moderate displacement offers a smooth ride without compromising on performance. Includes an impressive list of equipment and gear. Asking $539,900

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pg 176-177 Passport Broker.indd 3

Latitudes & Attitudes 177 4/28/20 3:26 PM

pg 178-179 S&J Yacht Sales.indd 2

4/24/20 11:59 AM

pg 178-179 S&J Yacht Sales.indd 3

4/24/20 11:59 AM

MasseyYacht - Ad Full 0420.pdf

180 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 180-181 Massey Yacht sales.indd 2

4/16/20

12:46 PM

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4/24/20 2:51 PM

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Latitudes & Attitudes 181 4/24/20 2:51 PM

pg 182 Whiteaker Yachts.indd 1

4/28/20 3:34 PM

pg 185 Little Yachts.indd 1

4/28/20 3:41 PM

YOUR VIRTUAL BROKER

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www.atomictunayachts.com 888-833-8862 Tiburon 76 Main Street Tiburon, CA 94924608 w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

pg 184 Atomic Tuna Yachts.indd 1

Alameda 2099 Grand St. Alameda, CA 94501

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Latitudes & Attitudes 184 4/29/20 12:42 PM

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1-800-4-PASSAGe (800-472-7724) www.sailopo.com w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 1

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Latitudes & Attitudes 185 4/29/20 12:39 PM

186 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 2

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4/29/20 12:39 PM

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Wanna Cheat? Here are the answers to this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maritime Crossword Puzzle. Go ahead, no one will know... except you! on Page 190

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pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 3

Latitudes & Attitudes 187 4/29/20 12:39 PM

Q.Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? A.My sense of decency. 188 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 4

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4/29/20 12:39 PM

New Book From

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pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 5

Latitudes & Attitudes 189 4/29/20 12:39 PM

Get Lats&Atts at these Local Direct Dealers

Available at Most Magazine Outlets: West Marine, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo & Chapters plus these great local Marine Stores Does your local Marine Store carry Cruising Outpost?

If not, let them know that it’s as easy as 1 - 2 - 3

1. Go to our website - 2. Sign up to be a direct dealer - 3. Make more sales!

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Captains Nautical Supplies 1120 NW Ballard Way Seattle WA

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Chowder Barge 611 N. Henry Ford Wilmington, CA

Seabreeze Ltd 1254 Scott St San Diego, CA

Corsairs Beach Bar 6501 Red Hookm Plaza #201 St. John USVI

Whale Point Marine 205 Cutting Blvd. Richmond, CA

Dockside Solutions 7001 Seaview Ave NW Suite 160 Seattle WA Kingman Yachting Center 1 Shipyard Ln Cataumet MA

Scuttlebutt 433 Front St Beaufort NC

Liberty Landing 84 Audry Zapp dr. Jersey City, NJ York River Yacht Haven 8109 Yacht Haven Rd. Gloucester Point, VA And at these Boat Brokers Curtis Stokes 1323 SE 17th St Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Marine Warehouse/ Bocas Marina 2330 NW 102 Ave Miami FL

Dennison Yacht 850 N.E. 3rd Street Dania Beach, FL

Merri-Mar Basin 364 Merrimac Street Newburyport, MA Port Royal Marina 555 No. Harbor Dr. Redondo Beach, CA Redbud Marina 9001 E Hwy 88 Claremore, OK Redondo Marine 1010 N. Catalina Ave Redondo Beach, CA Sailboats Inc 1560 N. Sandburg Chicago IL Sailorman 3000 S. Andrews

Eastern Yachts 335 Lincoln St Hingham MA Eastern Yachts 13C Beach st Ext. Vinyard Haven, MA Eastern Yachts 39 Alexander Rd Portsmouth, RI Massey Yacht Sales 1110 3rd St South St. Petersburg, FL Whiteaker Yachts 1035 Riverside dr Palmetto FL Suncoast Yachts 1551 Shelter island San Diego,, CA

190 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 185-190 Bosun's Bag Alt.indd 6

Moorings Yacht Sales 850 NE 3rd #201 Dania Beach, FL HSH Yachts 300 Admiralty Way Kemah TC Bellhaven Yachts 714 Coho Way Bellingham, WA Wagner Stevens 326 First st Annapolis MD Little Yacht Sales 800 Mariners Dr Kemah TX S&J Yachts 323 10th Ave West Palmetto FL S&J Yachts 17 Lockwood Drive, Charlston City, SC S&J Yachts 274 Buck’s View Ln Deltaville VA S&J Yachts 5774 Main Street Rock Hall MD

S&J Yachts 7076 Bembe Beach Rd Annapolis MD Curtin Marina 501 E. Pearl St Burlington NJ

Across 1 Rope fastener 4 Tying up, as a ship 8 Historic period 9 Moves very rapidly as a tide 10 Sailing event 12 Voyage 13 Website symbol 14 Lowest point 17 Highest deck 19 Skiff, for one 21 The Buckeyes, briefly 23 A ship’s officer 24 No vote 26 Big coffee pot 27 Cool ___ cucumber 28 Evening cocktail, to a Brit 30 It crosses Long. 31 Naught 32 Mythical lady who lured sailors onto the rocks 33 Thanks, for short 34 Get some rays

Wanna Cheat? The answer to this are on page 189

Lido Village Books 3424 Via Oporto Newport Beach, CA

South Coast Yachts 955 Harbor Island Dr San Diego, CA

Down 1 Cloud type 2 Bakes in shells 3 Puts a big toe in the water, for example 4 Berthing place 5 Web address ending for companies 6 ___ coastal 7 Seize 11 Org. protecting air and water 15 One way to change color 16 Floating organism in the sea 18 Flat-bottomed boat 20 Violent windstorms 22 Disentangle 23 Enjoys the sun 25 Tall stories 29 Compass point, for short w w w .L at s A t t s . c o m

4/29/20 12:39 PM

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pg 191 Mackie White - MKCR.indd 1

Latitudes & Attitudes 191 4/24/20 12:02 PM

FFE EATU RERDE D ATU LATITUDES & ATTITUDES - Advertiser Spotlight

YEARS IN LATS & ATTS: 19 BUSINESS: Life line safety products LOCATION: East Haddam, CT “We think it’s safe to say there is no other sailing magazine like Latitudes & Attitudes, and that’s a good thing! Johnson Marine has been advertising with Latitudes & Attitudes for almost 20 years. There is no other publication that is more down to earth and connected to its readers than they are. When you want cruising sailors to see what you have new to offer, Latitudes & Attitudes is a great place to advertise and partner with. At Johnson Marine we know the customer is always right, and it is refreshing to see a magazine that knows this too—and how to have fun and make friends all at the same time.”

www.CSJohnson.com 192 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 192-193 Featured Advertiser-JOHNSON - MKC.indd 2

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5/1/20 11:14 AM

ADVERTISER INDEX These are the smartest advertisers in the marine industry! Be sure to tell ‘em where you saw ‘em.

Marine Advertisers

AB Inflatables 195 Annapolis Hybrid Marine 113 ATN 121 Atomic Yachts 184 Aumaris Nautical Jewelry 117 B&G Yacht Services 31 Bacon Sails 131 Beta Marine 33 Blue Water Sailing School 24-25 Boater Base 127 Bob Bitchin Books 133 Bocas Marina 113 Catalina Yachts 51 Celestaire 38 ComPac Yachts 58 Conch Charters 107 Coppercoat 39 CS Johnson 119 Curtis Stokes & Associates 172-173 DesignMD.co 37 Eastern Yacht Sales 174-175 Edson 5 El Cid Marinas 36 eMarine Systems 105 Fabric Tattoo 110 Forespar Marelon 115 Froli Sleep Systems 131 Great Lakes Scuttlebutt 110 Hamilton Ferris 34 HMC Handcraft Mattress 123 Hylas Yachts 2-3 Indiantown Marina 121 Kanberra Gel 30 Keenan Filters by KTI Systems 23 Kiwi Grip/PYI 111 L&A & CO Back Issues 136 L&A TV/DVD 143 L&A Ship Store 42-43 Little Yacht Sales 183 Mack Sails 27 Mack Yacht Services 29 Mantus Marine 125 Martek Davits 131 Massey Yacht Sales 180-181 Mystic Knotwork 127

New England Ropes 115 NFM New Found Metals 125 Newport Int’l Boat Show 169 Next Gen 131 Nova Luxe Yachts 96-97 NV Charts 28 OCENS 109 Offshore Sailing School 13 Pacific NW Boater Tested 32 Passport Brokerage 176-177 Passport Yachts 10-11 Port Ludlow Marina 119 PYI 123 Pyrate Radio 135 Rainman 9 Royal Cape Catamarans 103 S&J Yachts 178-179 Sailrite 196 Sailtime 14-15 Salty Dawg Sailing Association 129 SeaFrost 35 Shade Tree Fabric Shelters 117 South Coast Yachts 171 Spectra 16 Subscription Ad 84-85 Summer Sailstice 149 Two Can Sail 109 Ultra Marine West 7 Weems & Plath 111 Whiteaker Yachts Sales 182

Bosun’s Bag

Banner Bay Marine Cruise RO Watermakers CruisingConcepts.com Eqodry USA Forget About It Foss Foam & Rudders Gig Harbor Boat Works Hart Systems How Not to Sail Hydrovane International Marine Inc. Keylime Sailing Club Kiss-Radio Tek M&B ShipCanvas Masthead Enterprises Matthew Turner Tallship No Wear Guard OceanMedix Offshore Passage Opp Pyrate Radio Sailmakers Supply SeaWaterPro.com Snappi Technautics Thomason Jones Company, LLC Wakespeed Zarcor

Non-Marine Advertisers None! Why would we want that? This is a boating magazine. Ya wanna see fancy watches, pick-up trucks, and highpriced cars, read the other mags!

Boat Brokers

Atomic Yachts 184 Catalina Yachts 51 Curtis Stokes &Associates172-173 Eastern Yacht Sales 174-175 Hylas Yachts 2-3 Little Yacht Sales 183 Massey Yacht Sales 180-181 Passport Brokerage 176-177 Passport Yachts 10-11 Royal Cape Catamarans 103 S&J Yachts 178-179 South Coast Yachts 171 Whiteaker Yachts Sales 182

DON‛T WAIT! Contact Ad Director Lisa O‛Brien aboard Traveler in the San Juan Islands. 510-900-3616 Ext 105 Lisa@LatsAtts.com

ADVERTISERS

Latitudes & Attitudes : Winter - Spring - Summer & Fall Issues Next Issue: Fall 2020 You can reach the most active segment of the Ad Insertions by 7/20/20 - Art Due 7/24/20 - On Sale 9/3/20 boating market - in print and online! Contact Us Today: Ads@LatsAtts.com 510-900-3616 ext.105 W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg 192-193 Featured Advertiser-JOHNSON - MKC.indd 3

Latitudes & Attitudes 193 5/2/20 8:19 AM

Boat People

Meet some folks who have managed to make a lifestyle out of most people’s dreams. Boat people can be found on oceans and seas, scattered around the globe. They can be spotted easily. They are the ones who have a glazed look in their eyes as they scan the horizons. Here are a few we’ve seen. Have you seen any lately? If so, email a photo and information to: submissions@LatsAtts.com.

Dave Suelzer is attending a “sails” meeting on Lake Erie. He made the mistake of being friends with our art director, Rich “Magic” Marker, who told us that actually he is more of a drinker than a sailor—but then, aren’t we all?

Meet Jeff Duval. This pic was taken halfway between the mainland and Hawaii during the Pacific Cup Race to the islands. It must seem kinda strange to him to go that slow, as he is a chief pilot and spends most of his time at over 400 mph!

Here is Mike Lanxon spending some time at the tiller of a Beneteau 235. He’s heading out of Road Town, Tortola, for Norman Island, where he plans on relaxing for awhile. The photo was taken by his friend, Rob Ehlers.

Meet Natalie Grose. She’s living the life of a sailor aboard The Call of The Sea’s yacht, Seaward. She is headed to Cabo del San Jose for supplies and then back to San Fransisco on the Ocean Clipper Route.

Jeff Stender wanted to spend his 59th birthday with the Lats&Atts crew at the Miami Boat Show Cruiser’s Party. So, he had a large cake made, and we helped him celebrate with all who could get there before it ran out! Thanks Jeff!

Emma Wilson is seen here on opening day at the World’s Largest Boat Show in Düsseldorf, Germany. She and her dad joined Bob and Jody, and a dozen Lats&Atts readers for the show, and some very fun times!

194 Latitudes & Attitudes pg 194 Boat People R2 - MKC.indd 1

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4/27/20 11:06 AM

pg 195 AB Inflatabales.indd 1

4/28/20 1:35 PM

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4/28/20 2:48 PM

The following 24 pages are from Latitudes & Attitudes from 2010—10 years ago. Enjoy! The most popular section in every issue is and always has been the Underway Section. These are photos sent in by cruisers from all over the world. From Lakes and rivers to crossing oceans, boaters around the world remind us why we go out to sea in ships. Skip to the last page if you’d like to get the free online version of Latitudes & Attitudes each issue!

Of course, if you’d prefer to read the magazine as intended, in print, PLEASE feel free to join us with a print subscription. It is the paid subscriptions that allow us to print on the best paper, with the most articles and the least advertising—and, as you will notice in this issue, it’s all marine advertising, which means you cannot turn to a page in this magazine that will not have something of interest to you if you are a boater! Click here for print subscriptions: $25 annually, $45 for two years, and $65 for three full years!

Part of every paid print subscription allows Lats&Atts to offer FREE print subscriptions to all active-duty military! Active-duty military can subscribe to the print issue absolutely free by clicking here!

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 1

5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Ken Proud of Cherry Venture, Double Island Point, Qld., Australia, 1974

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 2

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

Underway! From June 2010 Issue #120

by Leonard Bisgrove, Bay of Conception, Baja, Mexico

The photos used in Underway! are sent in by cruisers like you, from all over the world, and they give an insight into why we cruise and what it’s really like out there. Have a photo you think other cruisers would like to see? Something that might show the true feeling behind our lifestyle? You can send them as digital files (min. 300 DPI). Each photo must include who it was taken by and where it was shot. Also, it should have your name and address on it. Your submission will become hopelessly lost in our “system,” and some day may pop up here. We don’t know how it happens, it just does. Email to: editor@seafaring.com. W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 3

by Mike Robinson of nieces Katie & Sheila aboard Holiday, San Francisco

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Marty of Dale, Foxy & Brian Mellon, Jost Van Dyke

hitchin' a ride in Two Harbors, Catalina Island

by Nathan Bucknall, Seward, Alaska

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 4

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5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Brian Mellon

by Peter F. TenHaagen, Ft. Meyers, FL

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 5

from the internet - new way to launch a powerboat

by Colin Mack

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

of Heidi - go girl!

by Wayde of Carissa, Marissa, Sara & Tara, NJ

by Karen of Ben, Kemah, TX

by Kathy Rice, Lake Michigan sunset from Hot Fudge

by Stacy Stout, Alaska

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 6

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5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Dennis Pennington of daughter Sarah, Destin, FL

by Wayde of Lisa & Erica, Sandy Hook, NJ

by Val of Ken and Mike, St. Lucia

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 7

by Scott of Leslie Sterkel & Foxy Callwood

by Kathy of Sailor Scott and LYH gang, Muskegon

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

of Steve & Pumpkin, Redondo Beach (come on Steve... try to relax!)

of Alan Olson & Patricia Ferrer

from Alex & Sue Hasenclever, catching a ride in

by Dene Ecuyer of Jill, Sandy Spit, BVI

by Bobbo of Paige & Cambria, Cane Garden Bay

by Todd Duff, The Baths, BVI

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 8

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

from Jesse Molnick

by Ann of Robin and Greg, north coast of Tortola, BVI

by Roberta of Ace

by Editor Sue, Morro Bay, CA

of Joni at Tobago Cays

by Joe Teresi, Ft. Lauerdale, FL

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 9

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Ralph of Michelle in Mobile Bay

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 10

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

Underway! From July 2010 Issue #121

by Ken Windsor, Guana Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

pg Addl Online - MKC.indd 11

from Thomas J. Hannon

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Bill of Sali, sailing from the Keys to Norfolk, Virginia

by Grandpa Allen of Capâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Collin aboard Hot Fudge, Muskegon, Michigan

by Gaylene Whenmouth along the Great Barrier Reef

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages

by Paul Gaines on Savage in Patagonia

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by Dave in the San Juans, Washington

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Ben of Loarraine and Deb

by Claude LeBlond, Emerald Bay, Catalina

by Arthur, "Our Crew," BVI

by Bob Swayze of Dixie's first sail

by Doug in the BVI

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

by Doug Robinson, Virgin Gorda, BVI

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Brenda Rogers, Lake Tahoe

by Carma Foley, Agate Pass, Washington

by Denise Clifford near Death Valley, Utah

by Kathy of Rhumb Runners at Bitter End Yacht Club, North Sound, BVI

by Curt Devoir, near Seattle

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W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Bruce Hopkins, sunrise in Camden Harbor, Maine

by Dave Bickert of a BIG wave

by David C. Wilson in the Sacramento River Delta

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Cheri Feltmeyer in the Dry Tortugas

by Frank Bogensic of Sheila

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by Diane, of Pirates Bob, Mark & Carl, BVI

by John Moore of the Exy Johnson, Two Harbors

by Hal Mintun of Karen near Anacapa Island

by Greg Shattuck of Jill

by Alex Munro

by Jon Nixon near The Bight, Norman Island, BVI

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W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Arthur, jammin on Mistral, BVI

by Derek of Michelle on Lake Erie

by Roberta of Ace

by Chris - three dog lunch - yum!

by Jerry of Chris, BVIs

by Deb & Ray Shibe - Raritan Bay, New Jersey

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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of Reylyn Yarussi in San Blas

by Dene of Emily, Aimee, Woods, and Jill

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W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

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Underway! From August 2010 Issue #122

from Jack Gray, S/V Crosswind

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Steve Meckstroth of Art, sailing from St. Barts to St. Martin

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by Bill & Diane Stevens, Sicily, Italy

by David Fisher of Sonja and friends

by Scott Sichler in Isla Mujeres, Mexico

from Gimmy Tranquillo, Marina del Rey, CA

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by Steve Jankowski of Steve, George & Eli

W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Chris of Digger, checkin' things out

from Matt & Nancy Uhl

by Bob Bitchin of grandaughter Tabitha, aboard S/V Saga

by Bill Aver on Georgian Bay, Ontario

" No Parking Zone," Les Sables d'Olonne, France

by Grandma Kathy of Pirate (Gnome?) Laynie and mom, Muskegon, MI

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Stu Friedman, Lake Michigan

by Darren O'Brien, Oakland, CA

by Sam Johnston

from Jesse Molnick

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W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Dave Weigle, underway on Watts Bar Lake, Tennessee

from Doug & Wendy of Kristen, BVIs

by Verl Sheets at Pirates Cove, Norman Island

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Dale West, on the mooring in Emerald Bay

by Derek Morrison, between Cape Town & St. Helena

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:27 PM

from Thomas J. Hannon, Florida Keys

by Carol Milam, Clear Lake, TX after Ike

by Tom Kirksey of Liz & Claire

by Tom Farley at the Willie T, BVIs

by Mark Drozda, Granville Island, BC - eagle eye view!

from Terry Conn aboard S/V Soren Larsen

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W W W . L AT S A T T S . C O M

5/1/20 3:27 PM

by Susan Fowler of Christina Daniele, BVIs

by Heather Deeks, Lac St. Louis, Quebec, Canada

by Roberta of Ace

from Terry Conn, Tahiti

W W W .L AT S A T T S . C O M

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by Capt. Guillo of Sydney The Man

by Jane Fredrickson, Sea of Cortez

Latitudes & Attitudes Bonus Pages 5/1/20 3:28 PM

Sign Up Here for the Free Online Version Of Lats&Atts Latitudes & Attitudes is the #1-selling boating lifestyle magazine on the newsstands in the United States. The print issue sells for $7.99 or $25 a year. The online version has been $3.99 an issue, or $10 a year to subscribe, but it is now FREE. Our gift to you during this time of economic stress. There is no obligation to buy anything. As each print issue comes oﬀ the press, we will send you the online version, complete with everything that is in the print issue, often with extra pages, at no cost to you whatsoever. All we need is your email address and we will send you each issue as it comes out, quarterly! Click here to add your name to get each new issue as it comes out RUIN YOUR LIFE AND LIVE THE DREAM OF SAILING AWAY FROM IT ALL!

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