SOUTHWINDS News & Views for Southern Sailors
Melges 24 World Championship ETAP 37 Boat Review The Right Optimist Program for Your Child
February 2006 For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless
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News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS February 2006
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SOUTHWINDS NEWS & VIEWS
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SOUTHERN SAILORS
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From the Helm: Should Boats be Forced to Leave Marinas during a Hurricane? By Steve Morrell, Editor
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Letters
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Strange Stuff and Ferro-Cement By Morgan Stinemetz
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Short Tacks: Sailing News and Events Around the South
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Our Waterways: News About Our Changing Waterways
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Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show Preview By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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The Ins and Outs of Choosing the Right Optimist Program for your Child By Stephanie Cox
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Tania Abei – Still Sailing After All These Years By Julie Connerley
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Bob and Annie’s Boatyard – Multihulls Welcome By Barbara Pierce
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Proposed Legislation May Change Laws for Marinas During Hurricanes By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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Boat Review: The Unsinkable ETAP 37 By John Grover and Ludwig Hoogstoel
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Fort Pierce Welcomes Boaters By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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PHRF Racing Tips By Dave Ellis
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Melges 24 Worlds in Key Largo By Stephanie Cox
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Racing: News, and Events. Southern Regional Racing Reports and Race Calendars
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Capt. Morgan and a Bottle of Rum Meet the Coast Guard By Morgan Stinemetz
The Melges 24 Worlds. Photo © Tim Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com. Page 54.
68-69 Regional Sailing Services Directory 76 Alphabetical Index of Advertisers 77 Advertisers’ List by Category 77 Subscription Form For this month’s regional air and water temperatures, see regional racing sections COVER: Marrackech Express, the boat that took second overall, sails in the Melges 24 Worlds in Key Largo, FL. Photo © Tim Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com. Story page 54.
The right Optimist program for your child. Photo by Steve Morrell. Page 38
From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…SOUTHWINDS Covers Southern Sailing News & Views for Southern Sailors
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FROM THE HELM Should Boat Owners Be Forced to Leave a Marina During a Hurricane?
I
would usually hold off on hurricane articles till the hurricane season, but if there is anything we have tried to do in our articles it is to promote planning ahead. This legislation is happening now, and it is heavily tied into our problem with disappearing marinas. If we act too late, another storm season could cost us another marina lost, something we can’t afford. After Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992, the state of Florida changed the laws so that boaters could not be forced to move their boats from a marina because of a hurricane. Florida lawmakers are now trying to change those laws—mainly as a consequence of the damage caused by recent storms (see article on pages 46-47). Marina owners don’t so much want to force the boats to leave but to make the owners responsible for damage their boats cause. How many times have I gone to a marina after a storm to see damaged boats and docks because a boat owner has done nothing to protect his boat? I suppose if the boat is damaged, then that is a private affair between that boat owner and his insurance company, but suppose the owner’s lack of attention to his boat’s safety damaged the docks? If I was a marina owner, I would feel that boat owner is responsible. As it stands now, he is not. Today, we are faced with a terrible problem of disappearing marinas—
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largely because it is becoming so expensive to run a marina. Most marina owners are in the business because they like it—they are not in the business just for the money—but if they can’t make money, they can’t stay in business, and if someone comes along with a big offer, they really don’t care if that marina will be sold to condo developers. They just have to get out. Many marinas were heavily damaged largely because of boats that destroyed them—and much of that because boat owners did not secure and prep their boats. We boaters must do everything we can to help them stay in business, because we will lose—no, we are losing—this battle of disappearing marinas. Unfortunately, too many boat owners don’t prepare their boats, thinking insurance will solve their problem, maybe even with the motive of getting a new boat. I believe we must tackle this issue on several fronts. First, we must encourage owners to protect their boats through education, which SOUTHWINDS has tried to do. Learn how to protect your boat, get a storm plan and implementing it. Secondly, we must work on insurance companies. They need to motivate their customers to protect their boats. When I recently bought another sailboat, I had to submit a hurricane plan. They didn’t review it or give me
suggestions. They felt that by asking me, they would help me be aware that I should have a plan. I guess that’s a start. I was hoping boat owners were way above that level of awareness, but I wonder. Insurance companies must take a larger role in promoting hurricane protection through cost incentives, plan reviews, plan suggestions—and enforcement. Most insurance companies do have a financial incentive to have the boat moved or hauled out during an impending storm, but I believe most boat owners don’t know the clause probably exists in their policy, as most probably don’t read their policies. And thirdly, we must work on protecting the marinas. Otherwise, we will have no place to keep our boats after a storm, nevertheless before a storm. And with the rate marinas are disappearing in other ways (through condo development, etc.), we can’t afford that. It might mean we all get liability insurance, or maybe we have to leave a marina during a storm, but I surely don’t want to lose another marina, or my slip at one, because some thoughtless boat owner did nothing to protect his boat—or the marina. Perhaps we need to support this legislation and keep these marinas in business. Steve Morrell Editor
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News & Views For Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS Media, Inc. P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218-1175 (941) 795-8704 (877) 372-7245 (941) 795-8705 Fax www.southwindsmagazine.com e-mail: editor@southwindsmagazine.com Volume 14 Number 2 February 2006 Copyright 2006, Southwinds Media, Inc. Founded in 1993
Doran Cushing, Publisher 1993-2002
Publisher/Editor editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704
Steve Morrell
Stephanie Cox Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp Barbara Pierce
Associate Editors stephanie@southwindsmagazine.com southwindsnews@aol.com cruzcrossroads@yahoo.com
Advertising editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704 davidcurry@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 761-0048 gary@southwindsmagazine.com (727) 585-2814
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Regional Editors CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA waltmcfarlane@aol.com
Walt McFarlane
EAST FLORIDA mhw1@earthlink.net
Roy Laughlin
(912) 429-4197 (321) 690-0137
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp southwindsnews@aol.com SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACING miamiyachtracing@bellsouth.net (305) 380-0106
Art Perez
Production Heather Nicoll
Rebecca Burg Dave Ellis Kim Kaminski Walt McFarlane Barbara Pierce Rebecca Burg Kim Kaminski Tim Wilkes
Proofreading Kathy Elliott Contributing Writers Julie Connerley John Grover Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp R. J. Mitchellette DeeVon Quirolo
Artwork Rebecca Burg angel@artoffshore.com Stephanie Cox Ludwig Hoogstoel Roy Laughlin Art Perez Morgan Stinemetz
Contributing Photographers Julie Connerley Dave Ellis Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp Barbara Pierce Martine Zurinskas
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY: SOUTHWINDS encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoonists, jokers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there, including sailors, to send in their material. Just make it about the water world and generally about sailing and about sailing in the South, the Bahamas or the Caribbean, or general sailing interest, or sailboats, or sailing in some faroff and far-out place. SOUTHWINDS welcomes contributions in writing and photography, stories about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technical articles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles electronically by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photographs, if possible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots, racing, cruising and just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at a high resolution if digital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to us for scanning. Contact the editor with questions. Subscriptions to SOUTHWINDS are available at $19.95/year, or $37/2 years for third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit card numbers may be mailed with name and address to SOUTHWINDS Subscriptions, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941) 795-8704. Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through a secure server on our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. SOUTHWINDS is distributed to over 500 locations throughout 10 Southern states. If you would like to distribute SOUTHWINDS at your location, please contact the editor.
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LETTERS PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL 34218 editor@southwindsmagazine.com
“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” H.L. Mencken In its continuing endeavor to share its press, SOUTHWINDS invites readers to write in with experiences & opinions.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE A LIVEABOARD WHEN… SAILING AND/OR CRUISING IS YOUR LIFE WHEN: You carry your laundry in bags marked “mainsail” or “jib.” Daily activities are scheduled around the tides and the weather. It’s impossible to throw away a piece of rope, no matter how short or old it is. Shopping in a marine hardware store is fun. Most of your income goes toward the sailboat. The rest of your income is used on the dinghy. You believe that you never have enough anchors. You become instant friends with anyone who compliments your sailboat. You’re in bed just after sunset. Most of the clothes you own have epoxy or 5200 stains on them. You never really know what’s going on in the world of television. You wouldn’t give all of this up for the world. Rebecca Burg S/V Angel, Key West, FL Rebecca, I am going to suggest that we call this, “You know You’re a Liveaboard When…” I would like to add a few of my own, having been a liveaboard in a previous life: You know You’re a Liveaboard When… Your fridge/icebox is stuffed full even when there’s hardly anything in it. You take quick showers. Your forearms are scratched up from fixing things in tight places. You become a contortionist from fixing things in tight places. Your pants’ seat is wet from riding in your inflatable. You always have a bunch of quarters for the Laundromat. You are a regular at the Laundromat. You seek warmer weather so you can wear less clothes and not go to the Laundromat very often. You have the biggest yard in the world. Perhaps our readers can send in some more, but we need a Jeff Foxworthy for sailors. Editor LIVEABOARD BOATERS Where does one begin! Talk about stereotypes, and narrowminded people. Only in Florida are liveaboard boaters viewed as a problem. Only in Florida have politicians in concert with real estate developers decided to make people who live aboard vessels unlawful. Through the ages, men have advanced civilization by adventuring upon the world’s oceans. Sailing brought us to See LETTERS continued on page 10 News & Views for Southern Sailors
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this new world. Everywhere, there are harbors with vessels of all shapes, types and sizes. Along the East and West coasts of the United States, there are boats anchored or moored, yet here in Florida, where it is legal to be homeless, it is illegal to live aboard a vessel. Reasons for these punitive laws are as varied as the grains of sand on the beach. Wasn’t the U.S. Constitution written to prevent one well-meaning group of individuals from inflicting harm on a minority? Many liveaboard boaters have meager means to defend their rights. It is easier to just move on. This was true for the American Indian, the gypsies of Europe, and the Mormons. Boaters on the whole are a diverse lot. There are fishermen, pleasure boaters, cruisers, charter sailors, racing sailors, voyagers, weekend and seasonal boaters, trailer sailors, canoeists, and kayakers. Liveaboard boaters are not many, and their reasons may be economic, or pleasure-seeking. (Some people even enjoy climbing snow-covered mountains, or camping in subzero weather.) I am a third-generation Floridian, who owned a boat before a car. I spent my childhood on Clearwater Bay. Now I choose to live on my sailboat, but not at a dock. Perhaps I am a strange breed, but I sail when we move along the coast. Life just feels so much better when you are free to swing with the wind and freely ride the waves and wakes. Tying to a dock makes me feel trapped, just as living in a box with four walls, a floor and a ceiling. I can’t begin to understand the need some have to live in a condo, but I don’t deny them the right to do it. For years I have anchored along the Gulf Coast of Florida, from the Dry Tortugas north to the Homosassa River. I’ve stayed close to my parents, as they are aging, and they enjoy my visits and knowing I am safe. I could fill a book with the anchorages and adventures along the way, but I haven’t seen even five percent of the coast. Pinellas County is the most familiar, and Clearwater Beach is home mostly. In four years, I have been asked to move by law enforcement five times, all in Pinellas County. Only because anchoring laws exist was I obliged to comply. Law enforcement officials have not bothered with me until someone on shore felt the need to complain. A year ago, I anchored at the same location in Clearwater for a month with no complaints. In the last three months I have been asked to move three times. The difference is someone who prizes a view of the water sans boats has bought a condo. Yet the real estate salesperson used a picture of the condo with my vessel in it to advertise the condo. Talk about weird. The bottom line: We need to be more understanding of each other and learn to get along. Capt. Clifford Stephan Cliff, Great comments and information on our sorry state of affairs on Florida’s waters. I rememberd when I lived aboard, I was never once asked to move when anchored out. I also have often thought it strange that those on land complain about the sailboats anchored out, yet travel and sales brochures frequently include photos of sailboats to make the place attractive. I guess it’s all for show. Yes, I believe the Constitution was set up to protect the minority, as the majority doesn’t need a constitution to get what they want. After all, they are the majority. It appears liveaboards are becoming the new group to hate in coastal communities. Editor See LETTERS continued on page 12 10
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WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT OUR WATERWAY RIGHTS? After reading about Boot Key Harbor possibly privatizing, I turned to my husband and said, “I think it’s about time we get involved.” We are moored in the Fort Myers Beach field, and yesterday, I witnessed two boaters who were turned away. One had to anchor out after one night. The other just didn’t come in, because $300,000 in liabil-
ity insurance is required to moor here. Okay. I can understand being insured, but few know of this requirement before they come in here after a long day of sailing, and not all of us can anchor here. Please post this somewhere. Now about the involvement thing. What can we do? Kathie and Charlie Grove S/V My Time Too
Kathie and Charlie, Thanks for your comments, and, hopefully, others will read this about the insurance requirements there. SOUTHWINDS will eventually list all the mooring field contacts for others to read about such information. We are asking sailors to send us information about established mooring fields and those being considered in their areas. SOUTHWINDS is trying to put out this waterways information to get people informed about the problems and changes, and we are considering different alternatives to solving this problem that sailors can contribute to. Stay tuned as we will have more on this in the future, or perhaps others can offer suggestions. Editor CANADIAN VISITORS QUESTION ANTI-BOATER ATTITUDES As a visitor to your country, I was pleased to find your magazine at a local marina in north Florida. We found it to be a great tool in helping us source products and information while we are here. My wife Linda and I are from Vancouver, and we have been reading with interest the various stories and letters over the last few months regarding Florida’s disappearing marinas and the constant struggle that Florida boaters have in trying to survive all the changes in local rules and regulations that seem to be taking place all along Florida’s waterfront. We have felt the effects of some of these changes ourselves, as we see restricted anchorage signs and a shortage of marina space, along with the increase in prices that inevitably accompany large demand and short supply. A marina we stayed at in St. Augustine had three price increases in a few months. These problems seem continent-wide today and are certainly not confined to the state of Florida. We have found that most of them seem to have their origins in the election of local, and in your case, state, politicians who seem blissfully ignorant of the world of boats and boating and what it represents to the Florida economy, but this for the most part can be remedied at the election booth with determination and some organization by the boating community. The proper political leaders can control the greed and avarice of private developers without restricting growth. What’s not so easy See LETTERS continued on page 15
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LETTERS to fix is the attitudes of individuals, such as the letter writer you quoted from in your December issue. Immersed as we are in our Canadian naiveté, it’s hard to imagine that the letter in question was written by an American. Decades ago, when Linda and I were students in Canada and learning about the origins of our neighbor to the south, one of the points driven home by our teachers was the importance America puts in the rights of the individual. It valued these rights above those of the collective, and in this lay the real strength of America. People from around the world were free to come to this place and live out their lives and dreams as they saw fit. It was not illegal, nor necessary, to “fit into society” (as your letter writer put it) in order to get along. Alternative lifestyles were not a privilege but a right—something that could not be said for the rest of the world at the time of America’s birth. I hope the individual who wrote this letter takes the time to meet one of these “liveaboard boaters” so that he or she might learn the danger of generalizations when it comes to classifying people in this world. Thanks for a great magazine. Sandy Francis Vancouver, Canada Sandy, Thanks for your comments and your thoughts. You hit the nail on the head (pun not intended on the pump-out situation): Political leaders can control (well, maybe they can) the “greed and avarice of private developers...,” but not the attitudes of people like the letter writer concerned about liveaboards in the Davis Island seaplane anchorage in Tampa Bay. That attitude is core to the lack of knowledge about liveaboards and the prejudice against them that I see becoming commonplace. No one who knows liveaboards would make such vicious statements about them. I, too, was brought up with the belief that individuals in America were looked upon as totally protected in their rights to be different— not just politically but socially as well, and we all protected and respected those differences. No longer. But believe me, the last dying cries of those wanting to be different were heard in the ‘60s. A few stragglers are still out there, but they are looked down upon now. The fear many had of everyone being the same has just about come true. Many of those cries came from people who wanted to live on boats and cruise the world. When I came to southeast Florida in 1979 and bought a sailboat and moved aboard, I saw that liveaboards were envied by many, and many landlubbers saw these cruisers out there on the water—ready to sail off at a moment’s notice—and wondered, and perhaps wished, if they could do the same thing. Times have changed. Fort Lauderdale was then the sailors’ capital of the Southeast—a jumping-off point for the Bahamas and points south. Now it is the mega-yacht capital of the world, and sailors are looked upon as bums, unless they‘re rich. So now it is okay to have a boat, especially an expensive one, and keep it at a marina—but live on one and you’re weird, a bum that “cannot fit in with the rest of society,” as our letter writer put it. Some people are just unhappy if others are not like them. There’s more people on the land; they are the majority, and I am afraid the tyranny of the majority is becoming true today. There was a time when people wanted to see those sailboats anchored offshore. Now they hate them, and all the prejudices that go with that hate are coming forth. But I still believe there are a bunch of landlubbers who look upon cruisers with envy. Editor News & Views for Southern Sailors
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Strange Stuff and Ferro-Cement By Morgan Stinemetz
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Events and News of Interest to Southern Sailors To have your news or event in this section, contact editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Send us information by the 5th of the month. Contact us if later.
Savannah International Boat Show and Seafood Festival. Feb. 24-26. International Trade and Convention Center. Savannah, GA. (843) 364-8491. www.savannahinternationalboatshow.com.
UPCOMING SOUTHERN EVENTS
Augusta Boat Show. March 3-5. Augusta, GA, Civic Center, www.bkproductions.biz/augusta.htm
Boat Shows Mid-Alantic Boat Show. Feb. 1-5. Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Convention Center. www.boatus.com/boatshows/seast.htm Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show/Miami International Boat Show. Feb. 16-20. See boat show preview, page 36. Carolina Power & Sailboat Show. Feb. 17-19 Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State Fairgrounds. www.ncboatshows.com/2005-2006/ Central Carolina Boat Show. Feb. 24-26. Greensboro, NC, Greensboro Coliseum Complex. www.ncboatshows.com/2005-2006/
New Orleans Boat Show Rescheduled. Originally scheduled for Feb. 8-12, the show is now scheduled for March 812. www.neworleansboatshow.com. Fort Myers Spring Boat Show. March 9-12. Lee County Civic Center, Fort Myers, FL. (954) 570-7785. www.swfmia.com. Macon Boat & RV Show. March 10-12. Macon, GA, Macon Centroplex, www.bkproductions.biz/macon.htm. Palm Beach Boat Show, March 23-26. Flagler Drive and County Convention Center, Palm Beach, FL. (800) 940-7642. www.showmanagement.com.
EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING How Can We Save Docks and Boats During Hurricanes? Southwinds is looking for ideas and real stories on hurricane experiences to pass on to others for our upcoming hurricane section during the 2006 hurricane season. We are also looking for ideas and stories on protecting docks during storms. Should boats be forced to leave a marina during a hurricane? (See article on page 46 in this issue.) Should boat owners be required to keep their boats from destroying a dock during a storm? Should insurance companies give discounts to those who protect their boats during a storm? Send stories, letters and/or photos to editor@southwindsmagazine.com.
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Ongoing – Boating Skills and Seamanship Programs. St. Petersburg, FL, Each Tuesday night, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 1300 Beach Dr. SE, St. Petersburg. U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 72. Completion satisfies the State of Florida boater safety education requirements. The continuous rotating program has 11 lessons. One lesson is presented each Tuesday night. Lessons include: which boat for you, equipment, trailering, lines and knots, boat handling, signs, weather, rules, introduction to navigation, inland boating and radio. (727) 823-3753 Boating Safety Courses, St. Petersburg, FL: The St Petersburg Sail and Power Squadron begins the six-week (every Monday) public boating course on Jan. 9. The course includes safety information plus basic piloting; charts, course plotting, latitude/longitude and dead reckoning.
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Call (727) 867-3088 or visit www.boating-stpete.org for details. The course satisfies Florida’s education requirement for boaters under age 21. Clearwater Coast Guard Auxiliary Offers Public Boating Programs: Expanded Boating Skills and Seamanship (11 lessons). Class days: Feb. 3, 7, 10, 14, 17 (this program started in January). All programs are held at the Clearwater Sailing Center, 1001 Gulf Blvd., Sand Key (Clearwater). They are open to adults and youths. For more information on upcoming education programs or to request a free vessel safety check, call (727) 469-8895 or visit w w w. u s c g a u x . o rg / ~ 0 7 0 11 0 1 / P u b l i c EducationPrograms.htm West Marine Free Seminars for February South St. Petersburg 5001 34th St. South (727) 867-5700 Start time 6 p.m. 2 Basic GPS & Downloading w/Peter Barton 2 Learning how to use your new VHF w/Matt Burress Tampa, 3905 West Cypress (813) 348-0521, 18 Free boat safety inspections w/ USCGA 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 3 Inshore fishing basics w/ Markos Ruane Clearwater, 1721 Gulf To Bay Blvd. (727) 447-5320 Start time 6:00 p.m. 2 Splicing three strand and more w/ Captain Tim 7 Inshore Snook fishing w/ Captain Caudill 9 Care and maintenance of your inflatable w/George Hecht 20 Everything you need to know about your GPS w/Eric Lewis North Carolina Maritime Museum, Beaufort, NC, www.ncmm-friends.org, maritime@ncmail.net, (252) 728-7317. Ongoing adults sailing programs. Family sailing. 2-6 people; 2-6 hours. Traditional skiffs or 30’ keelboat. $50-$240. Reservations/information: call The Friends’ office (252) 728-1638.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
Clearwater Community Sailing Center Sailing Courses and Camps The Clearwater Community Sailing Center has been awarded up to $225,000 through the county’s Recreational Grant Program, sponsored by the Pinellas County Parks and Recreation Department and the Board of County Commissioners. The purpose of the grant is to address the demand for recreation opportunities for the 280,000 citizens who live in unincorporated Pinellas County, which represents 36 percent of the county not within one of the 24 municipalities, ranging from the Pasco County line to Tierra Verde. With this grant, CCSC is offering full sailing scholarships for anyone who resides in unincorporated Pinellas County. Through these scholarships, residents will have the opportunity to participate in the center’s successful programs that teach sailing, water safety and environmental awareness in various venues, including 20-hour courses geared specifically to children, adults and seniors. With the support of the center’s partner, Sailability Greater Tampa Bay, Inc, these programs will also accommodate children, adults and seniors with special physical needs who require adaptable boats, equipment and staff. The value of the scholarships ranges from $200 to $300, mirroring the cost of the courses. To apply for a scholarship, an application must be filled out and submitted along with a utility bill. Go to www.clearwatercommunitysailing.org for the on-line application and information. Full scholarships are available for the following 20-hour courses and one-week sailing camps: Basic Sailing Course (adult & s enior, able-bodied), $300 Basic Sailing Course (special needs), $300 Basic Sailing Course (children, 8 - 17), $300 Sailing Summer Camp (children, 8 - 16), $200
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Other Center Events: Spring Break Youth Sailing Camp. March 27-31 Daysailer Regatta and Fun Races. Open to the public. All classes are welcome to race Winter series schedule: Feb. 11. For more details, call Mark at (727) 535-2602. Marine Corrosion Certification, Feb 7-10. Jacksonville, FL. American Boat and Yacht Council. (410) 956-1050. www.abycinc.org. Standards Accreditation, Feb. 8-10. Wilmington, NC. American Boat and Yacht Council. (410) 956-1050. www.abycinc.org. Boat Owners Warehouse Begins Free Educational Seminars In response to customer requests, Boat Owners Warehouse in Hallandale, FL has teamed up with other members of the local marine industry to present several free seminars. The first event is titled “On Board Marine Electrical System.” It will be conducted by American Battery, Hubble
Electrical System and Wards Marine Electric. It is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 15, at 6:15 p.m. at Boat Owners Warehouse, 1720 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. Hallandale, Fl. 33009. (954) 457-5081. Refreshments will be served and door prizes offered. Jacksonville Beach Coast Guard Auxiliary Begins Boating and Seamanship Program United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 14-04 in Jacksonville Beach, FL, will start a Boating Skills and Seamanship program on Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Captains Club, 13363 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32224.To allow plenty of time for registration and orientation, the first session will start at 6.30 p.m. Insurance companies usually accept this course to lower insurance rates. $45 entry fee covers all materials. Limited space and reservations required. Call Mr. Davis at (904) 821-9692 for details and reservations. Seven Seas Cruising Association-Sponsored Marine Weather Forecasting Workshop. Miami, FL. Feb. 21 -22 A two-day Marine Weather Forecasting Workshop will be held at the Miami Yacht Club on Feb. 21-22. (These dates immediately follow the Miami Boat Show, Feb 16-20.) The workshop is sponsored by Seven Seas Cruising Association and supported by West Marine. The curriculum includes cause and effect of marine weather, charting symbols and terminology, the patterns of weather systems and interpreting surface and 500-mb charts. Lee Chesneau, a senior marine meteorologist for NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center and a USCG-certified STCW instructor, will conduct the courses. He has held marine weather seminars for Safety-at-Sea and at Boat Shows. The cost of the workshop is $250 per person for SSCA members, $300 for non-members. The fee includes a 250-plus-page interactive workbook as well as lunch both days. Limited registration to ensure personal attention. Download the registration form at www.ssca.org.
OTHER EVENTS Everglades Seafood Festival, Feb. 4-6, Everglades City, FL, Free Admission. For more information, go to www.evergladesseafoodfestival.com. E-mail: info@evergladesseafoodfestival.com. 20th Heritage Festival. February 10-12. Key West. Historic Fort Zachary Taylor with dramatic tall ship battles between the fort’s waterfront and the sea. Tours and civil War reenactments. (305) 295-3033. 20
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11th Annual Upper Keys Rotary Nautical Flea Market. February 25-26. Islamorada. Founders Park, mile marker 87. Free event with deals on marine equipment, boats for sale, fishing, diving, electronics, arts and more. Sat. 8-5, Sun. 9-5. (305) 453-3802. www.giganticnauticalfleamarket.org. Tampa Bay’s 3rd Annual Marine Flea Market. March 1012. St. Petersburg, FL. Buy, sell or trade. Marine and nautical outdoor market. Fri. 12-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3. This is not a boat show. Flea market and food. Located at St. Pete’s Spa Beach Park (base of St. Pete pier), near the Renaissance Vinoy Resort Marina, Municipal Marina and across the street from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The Crawfish Festival and Spa Beach Splash are the same weekend and will bring thousands of people to the area. Both events are held within 1/4 mile of the market area. Bulk parking and trolleys for the area originate at the parking lot right next to the market area. This will ensure maximum exposure to the market. www.tampabaymarinefleamarket.com.
NEWS
Red Tide Comes to the Florida Keys Near the end of November, lower Keys divers discovered dead and dying reef fish. A red tide, caused by excessive growth of a type of microscopic algae, Karenia brevis, had bloomed near and around the Keys. By the end of December, the concentration of red tide algae had diminished but was still measurable from the Marquesas Keys to Marathon. Red tides normally occur in the Gulf of Mexico but are less common near the Keys. High concentrations of the red tide algae cause respiratory irritation in people and will kill significant numbers of fish. In some areas of Florida, the comercial shellfish harvest has been affected.
National Sailing Hall of Fame to be Established Prominent names in American sailing signed a formal agreement with state and local officials to establish a National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, MD. The goal is to promote U.S. sailing achievements and educate the public about the sport. “Every other sport has one,” commented Buck Buchanan, president, National Sailing Hall of Fame, Inc. “It will provide an international sailing landmark for sailing enthusiasts,” said Gary Jobson, ESPN sailing commentator, who has been trying to create a sailing hall of fame for years. “It will inspire sailors and get the youth out there.” Displays for the museum will be prepared in time for the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race, the round-the-world competition that will return to Annapolis in April 2006. www.nationalsailinghalloffame.org.
Sailing for Miracles Raises at least $20,000 for Children’s Hospital St. Petersburg The Sailing for Miracles event held at and in conjunction with the Strictly Sail St. Petersburg Boat Show in early November raised at least $20,000 for the hospital. The Sailing
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for Miracles series of events brought 10 icons of the sailing world together at the boat show where several events, including a cocktail party and fundraising raffle, raised some of the funds. A sailboat race, titled Masters Under Sail, put these 10 in a small-boat race with crew. Other events included a raffle put on by the Sarasota Youth Sailing Program. A Catalina 22 (donated by Catalina) and a BigFish (donated by Island Packet) were raffled at the show. The Southeastern Sailing Industries Association (SESIA), which helped organize the fundraiser, donated over $1500 to the Sarasota Youth Sailing Program for its contributions to youth sailing and in thanks for its part in putting on the raffle. Cynthia Wummer of Fort Lauderdale, FL, won the Catalina 22 Sport donated by Catalina Yachts. Wummer, an avid sailor, did not currently own a boat, and said her children, ages eight and 12, are thrilled with their new Catalina 22 Sport. The new owners of the BigFish are Ken and Leinesa Adams of Jacksonville, FL. Coincidentally, Ken is a doctor at Jacksonville Heart Center. Ken and Leinesa came to the boat show in hopes of buying a small daysailer, perhaps something with a small cabin for an overnight or two. Nothing “clicked” for them that day, and they drove home feeling a little down. Their mood quickly changed when they got a call Sunday evening telling them they had won the new BigFish! Ken told Karsten Johnson, President of BigFish, Inc. and Marketing Manager for Island Packet Yachts, “We are extremely excited to be the new owners of a BigFish. It doesn’t have a cabin but it will definitely pacify our sailing urges for now!” The Sailing for Miracles fundraiser will again be held at the Strictly Sail St. Petersburg Boat Show in 2006, and organizers are hoping to raise substantially more at that event. Anyone interested in volunteering for the event, or donating, should contact SESIA at info@sailingvoice.org.
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Go to the SESIA Web site for more information about SESIA, www.sailingvoice.org. A link to the Sailing for Miracles Web site is there. For more information on All Children’s Hospital St. Petersburg, or to donate, go to www.allkids.org.
Hurricane Aftermath on Reef Relief and the Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys By Reef Relief Executive Director DeeVon Quirolo Here at Reef Relief headquarters in Key West, we are still reeling from the effects of the recent hurricanes in South Florida. Our classroom at Reef World flooded but was quickly cleaned up and used by the Red Cross to distribute hurricane relief supplies to local residents. Our offices experienced no damage—although several projects have been delayed—but we are unsure of any damage to the building itself, which is owned by the city of Key West, which will be responsible for repairs needed. We have received inquiries regarding the impact of the hurricanes on South Florida’s coral reefs. The coral reef provides a barrier against storm surge, absorbs the brunt of heavy waves, and helps to prevent or reduce flooding to our islands. However, each storm that pounds the reef reduces the shallow branching corals into rubble. Storms create turbidity in the water column by suspending sediments, thereby reducing the photosynthetic activity that corals depend upon for life. Corals need clear, clean, nutrient-free waters to thrive. Tons of coral rubble are covered in sediment as a consequence of each severe storm. In past years, Reef Relief responded with volunteer teams that uncovered hundreds of live coral fragments that could be found buried in the rubble and sediment. The fragments are elevated and stabilized, creating nurseries to salvage the corals. One such nursery at Western Sambo Reef was used to restore a boat grounding site, and another one at Noname Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas, is thriving. Reef Relief supports immediate efforts to begin restoration of coral reefs. We cannot afford to lose any more coral. Marine life was affected, and residents of the Keys have reported finding fish and other creatures as the flood waters receded. A red tide has been documented at Western Sambo Reef by Mote Marine Lab. This can affect fish and other marine life, and people should avoid diving these areas and coming into contact with the water and the air above the red tide which contains dinoflagellates that cause stinging, itching, and even more severe health problems for humans. Coral reefs in the Florida Keys in particular have been impacted not only by frequent and damaging storms, but also by heavy use. Other damaging factors include bleachwww.southwindsmagazine.com
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ing induced by increased sea temperatures, diseases caused by pollution—primarily runoff from the Everglades and land-based wastewater and stormwater runoff—and overfishing. Thus, the increasing frequency and severity of storms compound an already serious situation for our coral reefs. The impact of recent storms on the environment of the Florida Keys has been devastating due to the already severely compromised condition of the coral reef ecosystem that surrounds our island chain. Florida Keys coral reefs are down to less than two percent coral coverage, thus they are less capable of protecting our shorelines from flooding and storm surge than in past years. They are among the most endangered coral reefs in the world. The main branching corals at Key West and Florida Keys coral reefs are elkhorn and staghorn. We have lost 98 percent of these particular corals within their very limited range, which is Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Efforts are currently underway by the Center for Biologic Diversity, Reef Relief and others to designate these two corals, as well as the rare fused elkhorn coral, onto the U.S. Endangered Species List in order to increase federal efforts to protect the reef from runoff, pollution and climate change. For more information, contact Reef Relief at (305) 2943100, or e-mail reef@bellsouth.net.
Tips For Ocean Eating for the Volvo Ocean Race Team ABN Amro chef and food consultant Gordon Ramsay (www.gordonramsay.com) gave these tips to his Volvo
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Ocean Race crews (reprinted with permission from Gordon Ramsay): • Bring long-lasting bottles of condiments that do not require refrigeration (such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and runny honey) to instantly liven up food. • Olive oil and butter can provide immediate richness to soups and savory dishes. To preserve butter without refrigeration, pack it (unsalted) into sterilized jars and fill to the rim with a cooled brine mixture consisting of 100g sea salt to 600ml boiling water. Use a clean knife to dip out the butter, then top up the brine with clean water. The brine will preserve the butter for up to 6 months. • In addition to salt and pepper, use dried herbs and ground spices to season food. Pack them in small resealable bags and keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, or make up flavored salts by grinding together coarse sea salt with dried thyme, rosemary, oregano and mint. For added spice, combine sea salt with cayenne pepper, paprika or curry powder. Sprinkle onto fish, chicken and meat dishes to enhance their flavor. • Aged hard cheeses such as parmesan and pecorino Romano are fantastic for grating over pasta and mashed potatoes. Remove them from their plastic wrapping, cut into smaller wedges and envelop each one in kitchen paper moistened with cider vinegar to prevent mold from growing. Rewrap in a breathable bag and keep in a cool, dark place if refrigeration is not available.
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• It is now easy to find domestic versions of inexpensive vacuum sealers that are fantastic for preserving food. Wrap batches of space-saving flat breads, such as whole wheat pitas, tortillas and potato farls, in vacuum-sealed bags to provide additional carbohydrates or use as meal accompaniments during the first week or two out at sea. • Nuts, seeds and dried fruit are great healthy snacks to help keep hunger at bay in between meals. In addition, bring little jars or bags of toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds for sprinkling over chicken, fish or rice dishes and to provide extra texture and crunch.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Sunsail Acquires The Moorings
BoatUS Stores Become West Marine Stores On February 1, most BoatUS stores will be changing their names to West Marine. Almost three years ago, West Marine bought the BoatUS stores and has been operating both sets of stores since then. During this time, they have worked to align the two chains and offer the same products, services, and prices. Going to a single name enables them to operate more efficiently. West Marine officials assure customers that the only change will be the name on the outside of the store. The BoatUS association, a totally separate entity, will continue to help boaters through towing, insurance, marina discount programs, consumer advocacy, education and government representation. For more information, got to www.boatus.com, or www.westmarine.com.
Sunsail’s parent company, First Choice Holidays, announced the acquisition of Grand Expeditions, parent company of rival charter operator The Moorings, for $127million from North Castle Partners, a U.S.-based leisure travel group specializing in premium leisure travel experiences. The two major charter companies will now combine their efforts under one umbrella. First Choice Holidays is a multinational company specializing in a variety of travel experiences. The purchase will give Sunsail a good entry into the North American charter market. For more information, go to www.sunsail.com and www.moorings.com.
Hopkins-Carter Marine Opens New Store in the Coconut Grove Area in South Florida Hopkins-Carter Marine, one of South Florida’s oldest marine businesses (since 1916), with locations in Miami, Miami Beach and West Palm Beach, opened a new store to serve the Coconut Grove area. The new store is at Monty’s Marina on Bayshore Drive in Miami, between Shake-a-Leg and the Miami US SAILING Center. There is also waterfront access via the dinghy docks at Monty’s Marina. The store is fully stocked for power and fishing supplies, and it is developing a growing supply of sailing gear including access to the full line of Harken sailing products and Gill foul weather gear. Current store hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. (305) 854-4042. E-mail is hopcarcg@bellsouth.net. www.hopkins-carter.com News & Views for Southern Sailors
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OUR WATERWAYS Fisherman’s Village Marina in Punta Gorda Will Reopen By Barbara Pierce Fisherman’s Village Marina in Punta Gorda, FL, received permits to begin dredging, demolition and reconstruction in January 2006. The popular marina has been closed since May 2003 as the 25-year-old docks had deteriorated. Since then, consultants have been working with state and federal permitting agencies for approval to Fishermen’s Village Yacht Basin, as photographed prior to its closing in May 2003. Photo courtesy reconstruct. Jim Branch. Charlotte Harbor, one complete, there will be 114 slips available, 97 for transient of the major deepwater ports on the west coast of Florida, boaters. Liveaboards will be welcome. Depths at the marina is designated as an aquatic preserve. This meant that enviwill range from 4.5 to 7.5 feet. ronmental issues needed to be addressed in the permitting The new marina will have a large dinghy dock, in anticprocess. ipation of the mooring field to be constructed in the harbor. Jim Branch, dockmaster, anticipates that the first porA ship’s store will also be available. tion of the new docks will be available by April 2006, with Adjacent to the marina is the Fisherman’s Village mall, all the docks completed by late summer. When the project is with several restaurants and specialty shops, and a resort with a pool and tennis courts. The town of Punta Gorda is a state historic district. Jim Branch welcomes inquiries at (941) 575-3000 or marina@fishville.com.
The S OUTHWINDS “Our Waterways” Section SOUTHWINDS has created this section to inform our readers about changes in our waterways. We believe that Southerners are in the midst of a great change occurring on our waterways—through the conversion of many boating properties to condominiums, restrictions on anchorages once thought to be more open and now being more restricted and regulated, and other economic forces at work. The waterways belong to all of us, and all of us have a right to use them. The waterways are not just for those who can afford to live on the water, and it is up to us boaters and lovers of these waters to protect that right. We hope that by helping to inform you of these changes, we will contribute to doing just that. We are looking for news and information on changes, land sales, anchorages, boaters’ rights, new marinas, anchoring rights, disappearing marinas, boatyards and boat ramps, environmental concerns and other related news. Contact Steve Morrell, editor@southwindsmagazine.com, or call (877) 372-7245. 28
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Governor Bush Approves New Marina for Punta Gorda Florida Governor Jeb Bush approved plans for Punta Gorda to transform the city’s waterfront into an 80-slip marina. The governor must approve all new submerged-land leases for state-controlled water. The reaction of the governor and his cabinet to the plan was positive. Few questions were raised. The new Punta Gorda Municipal Marina will be located at Laishley Park on the Peace River. (Boaters must go under a 45-foot fixed bridge.) Overhaul of the existing marina, which has never been open for use, has been in the works for 15 years. The plan is expected to cost the city at least $5-million. It includes new docks, a harbormaster building, boat ramp, park, showers, laundry facilities, and parking. Approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Fish and Wildlife is still needed before construction can begin. Randy Brodersen, project manager, and other officials are optimistic that this will happen quickly. “The average person has no idea that so many agencies and so much bureaucracy is involved.” Within a year, the first phase of construction should be completed. “We’re so happy to see additional slips being built, instead of the land turned into condos,” added Brodersen. “This will be a definite asset to the city.”
News & Views for Southern Sailors
Ocean Dumping Correction We received a letter from one reader correcting us in our December editorial that the limit for dumping off the Florida coast on the Gulf side is nine miles out, not three miles, as is the rule on the Atlantic side. We also have learned through other sources that some cruise lines have agreed not to dump inside of 12 miles anywhere along the Coast of Florida. Along with this, we have found out that a cruise ship can generate 360,000 gallons a day of water with detergent in it from bathing and washing, and there are no rules that prohibit this being done any distance from shore. There have been several bills in recent years introduced into Congress that would limit dumping of sewage to outside 12 miles anywhere along U.S. coasts and some that would prohibit it within 200 miles. None of these bills have passed thus far.
Naples, FL, City Dock Evicts Liveaboards By Barbara Pierce After 25 years, liveaboards can no longer call Naples City Dock home. At the City Dock, in Crayton Cove, a prime
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OUR WATERWAYS area of Naples Bay, liveaboards had until November 1 to Marinas and Boatyards: move out. A Vanishing Breed? “It was a wonderful place to live,” states Captain Ron Euler. “Most of us have found other places to live, but it’s By Barbara Pierce been a sad experience.” The controversy had made the marina an unpleasant place to call home for some time. There’s an alarming phenomenon going on in boating: Manager Lisa Paul stated she had no option but to end Public marinas, boatyards, and ramps are becoming lost to their way of life for the liveaboards, as the marina would developers. They’re becoming condos, waterfront resorts, have lost its state submerged-land lease. dockominiums. For over a year, the Florida Department of Up and down both coasts of the United States, marinas Environmental Protection (DEP) and the City Dock have and boatyards are disappearing. Disappearing at a rapid been negotiating over the liveaboard dock. The dock was rate. It’s becoming more and more challenging to be a the object of persistent complaints that liveaboards disboater, as middle-class boaters are being squeezed out of charged waste directly into the bay. The sewage pump-out marinas, ramps, and yards. log showed limited use, several vessels did not have current A combination of rising property values, rising properregistrations and therefore (per the DEP) were not capable ty taxes, hurricane damage, and the insatiable appetite for of moving to a pump-out station, and there were not enough toilets to meet state rules for the number of liveaboards. (Use of the toilets was mandatory.) Liveaboarda say they were the victims of false complaints. They repeatedly denied that they emptied waste into the bay and stated that they did use the mobile pump-out machine and restrooms at the City Dock. State policy, put into effect since the marina’s previous lease ran out in 2000, mandates that marinas that do not own the bottom beneath them must have a submergedland lease. In a state submerged-land lease, liveaboards cannot remain more than six months in One out of 10 coastal marinas in Florida have been sold or put up for sale in the past year. Photo by any 12-month period. Steve Morrell. This affects more and more marinas in Florida. high-end waterfront development drives marina and boatA liveaboard is defined as a vessel where someone yard owners to cash out to developers. stays overnight for five consecutive days—or a total of 10 Exactly how many slips have been lost is unknown. days in a 30-day period. Neither government officials nor boating advocates are able to count the slips that are no longer available to the general public. Around Florida, it’s estimated that about 10 percent of Florida’s 2,100 coastal marinas have been sold or put up Send Us Information On Public Mooring Fields for sale in the past year. That’s one in 10 of our marinas that soon will not be there for us. SOUTHWINDS is trying to catalog all the public mooring Pinellas County has more registered watercraft than fields and anchorages that are regulated by local municiany other county in Florida. Pinellas lost more than 1,000 palities in the South, whether fresh or saltwater. We ask wet slips to developers last year. Palm Beach lost 15 percent our readers to send us information on those that they of its public marinas in recent years. know, with contacts, locations, regulations, news etc. Developers are paying top dollar for waterfront sites to Contact Steve Morrell at (877) 372-7245, or e-mail mesbuild high-priced condominiums with docks. sage to editor@southwindsmagazine.com, . 30
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News & Views for Southern Sailors
Brad Crabtree Scott Pursell Frank Hamilton John Kelley
Ben Fowke
Dan Howland
Terry Clark
Jim Klimczak
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E-mail: yachtsales@masseyyacht.com
OUR WATERWAYS
Where will you get the boat repaired? Boatyards are becoming scarcer every year. Photo by Barbara Pierce.
“It’s just crazy. Submerged land prices are accelerating faster than land prices,” says Bruce Blomgren, CEO of Brandy Marine. Blomgren estimates that the cost of submerged property is up to $4,500 a linear foot. “With what’s happening, you should get your hands on a dock quickly.” “Our recommendation for the best buys are slips with liveaboard privileges,” says the Dockominium Group. “These will be a disappearing type of slip in the years ahead.” Developers are snapping up established marinas fast. Acquiring permits to build a new marina is a lengthy process, so they prefer to buy existing facilities and rezone the land for residential use. A condo development creates a marketing edge as well as additional income by selling or leasing its slips to prospective tenants. Some boaters choose their condo or apart-
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ment based on being able to dock their boat at the marina. Marinas with slips available to rent to transients are a vanishing breed. From the standpoint of security for the condo owners, the new dockominiums don’t want transients coming onto their property. “Lack of marinas for overnight stops is the biggest boating disappointment I’ve had since moving to Florida,” says Dick Woodhull. “A big part of the fun of boating that I enjoyed on Long Island Sound were the social contacts made in the marinas. I was shocked to realize that if I didn’t buy boatable waterfront property here, I was probably relegated to a smaller boat on a trailer,” Woodhull adds. “It’s a tragedy for Florida,” says George Kupelian, manager of what used to be Bahia Beach Marina and Boatyard in Ruskin, FL, which is now a luxury condo with a yacht club. “Boating will become a sport for the rich. Our marina used to be full of working people—now they’re all gone.” “We’re seeing more of it in Florida and the Gulf,” says Margaret Podlick, vice president of government affairs for BoatUS. “But we’re seeing it all over the country. It’s scary for those of us who have boating in our bloods. It’s a huge problem.”
News & Views for Southern Sailors
Send Us Information and Opinions on Boat Waste Disposal More and more communities are restricting our rights to anchor or moor in their local waters. One of the main complaints is residents’ allegations of sewage disposal from boats. Do boaters pollute the waters in which they anchor? What alternatives to the traditional methods of sewage disposal from a boat exist? Are composting toilets a good answer? Do you have experience with them? How about mandatory pump-outs? Enforced no-discharge zones? How much pollution is caused by local communities compared to what a boat discharges? What about Type I and Type II MSDs? Should they be allowed in no-discharge zones? How are the pump-out services in your area? We are also looking for information on what other countries—in Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and elsewhere—do about boat waste disposal. SOUTHWINDS will be researching innovative ways to dispose of sewage and answers to this age-old problem. We’d like your input and opinions. Contact Steve Morrell editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) -795-8704
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OUR WATERWAYS WHERE ARE BOATS GOING TO GET FIXED? EVEN MORE ALARMING IS THE DEMISE OF BOATYARDS. “They offer you so much, it’s hard to say no,” says Bob Conover, owner of Bob and Annie’s Boatyard, specializing in multihulls, who gets frequent calls asking him to sell. He does not plan to sell. “We’re losing so many boatyards to private developers,” said Lou Daniello Jr., president of the Marine Industry Association of Palm Beach County, Inc. “With more and more boats in the county, where are they going to get fixed?” “We get a lot of boaters from the East Coast who want to bring their boats here for us to work on,” says Jack MacDougall, vice president of Bradenton Beach Marina on the Gulf Coast. “The industry isn’t going to be able to support itself, as more people get into boating and more people move to Florida. I’m hoping it doesn’t collapse on itself.”
ICW Information and Contacts The following non-profit organizations actively work on our nation’s waterways. • The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) works to publicize information on the Atlantic ICW, lobbies to promote the public interest on the waterway, works with government entities to solve AICW problems and more. The public can post problems found on the AICW at the organization’s Web site, www.atlintracoastal.org. History and miscellaneous information about the AICW is available at their Web site. • The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Association (GIWA), formed in 1905, promotes the public and commercial interests of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW). Go to www.gicaonline.com for more information. • The National Waterways Conference promotes, educates and lobbies on behalf of all of the nation’s inland waterways. Go to www.waterways.org for more information.
This family-owned marina is committed to continue to serve boaters. It may be the only one in the area. “We’re at the point where it doesn’t make sense to buy a boat even though you have a slip because you can’t get it repaired,” says Mike Bradley, program director for North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center Marine Services. “A quality yard is an asset to the community,” continues Kupelian. “The process is allowing them to close. The economy is creating the opportunities for developers. I don’t believe the cities and counties saw it coming.” WHAT CAN WE DO? As boaters, we must become proactive. Steps to preserve waterfront land need to be instituted quickly. We all must devote energy to this issue, or recreational boating will become something people used to enjoy. “If you know anyone in an elected office, take them boating,” advises Podlick. “Once they get out on the water, they’ll ‘get it.’ They’ll see the magic of being out on the water. Make sure that your local decision-makers value waterfront access for recreational use. Help them understand that the land must be zoned for something that has to be on the water.” One answer may be for states and municipalities to hold onto the marinas they own and help marinas and yards stay in business, perhaps through tax credits.
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State and local comprehensive planning, with requirements to preserve and enhance public access to the water, is vital. Join a group working on this issue at your local, county or state level. In Punta Gorda, the Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance has influenced local officials to designate a “Marine Zone.” Two new marinas with transient and liveaboard slips will be open soon. Most states have advocacy groups. In Florida, Standing Watch is a major, active boater advocacy group, located at www.standing-watch.org. BoatUS is the leading advocate for recreational boaters at a national level (www.boatus.com). Podlick suggests boaters check back with the Web site from time to time as it is being revised to better address the problem. “We’re putting together a tool kit of what you can do at a local level.”
SOUTHWINDS would like to hear from our readers with information we can share so that we can work together to protect our waterfronts. Contact Steve Morrell, editor@southwindsmagazine.com, or call (941) 795-8704.
Cortez Cove Boatworks and Parrot Cove Marina in Cortez, FL, Open Last summer, SOUTHWINDS reported that Cortez Cove Boatworks would begin hauling boats out on their Travelift
News & Views for Southern Sailors
in early November. We were told this was the case if all permitting went as planned, as they were waiting for their permit to build the concrete ramps out over the water which the lift rides on. Being only one-month behind schedule (fast for the permitting process), they hauled out their first boat, a sailboat in December. The hoist is capable of hauling boats up to 70-feet long and 60 tons. The marina has 34 slips available with a newly dredged basin, Dry dock space and repair and maintenance services are available. (941) 794-0309. www.cortezcove.com (Web site under construction as of press date). SOUTHWINDS also reported last summer that Parrot Cove Marina in Cortez would be opening in August. Delays in the permitting process and resistance from Manatee County slowed the opening down, but Bob Gertz finally opened his doors in December. The marina has 30 slips and a newly dredged basin has up to five feet of depth. Rates are $10 a foot. (941) 795-0088.
Scallops Being Re-established in West Florida Bays Through the joint efforts of Mote Marine Laboratory and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FFWC), scallops are being reintroduced to the bays of Florida’s West Coast. If successful, it could mean the return of bay scallops which were once prevalent in these waters. Loss of sea grasses, pollution and other problems created by human population growth have all but eliminated bay scallops in the region. The program to re-establish them first began in Pine Island Sound near Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Scallop larvae are nourished in hatcheries and then introduced into sea grasses. This proved successful in Pine Island Sound, after monitoring the program there for two years, and the project is now being put in place in other waters of West Florida, like Sarasota Bay, Boca Ciega, and St. Andrews Bay (in the Panhandle). Success of the program could mean the return of the recreational bay scallop fishery. Go to the magazine for a complete article on the subject at Mote’s Web site, www.mote.org.
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MIAMI BOAT SHOW
Sailors Set Course for Strictly Sail Miami – The Cat Capital of the World, Feb. 16-20 By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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ifty catamarans will be on display at the 21st Annual Strictly Sail, the sail-only portion of the 65th Miami International Boat Show, running Thursday, February 16, through Monday, February 20, at Miamarina at Bayside Marketplace, located on 401 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. This five-day event unites the newest and greatest sailboats, powerboats, engines, electronics and marine accessories from over 2,600 exhibitors. While Miami has always been a strong show for catamarans, the 2006 Strictly Sail promises to be the world’s premier event to display and buy multihull sailboats. Notable firsts for this year’s show include the debut of the South African Pavilion, which will feature a fleet of world-class sailing vessels, including the star of this year’s show, the Matrix 760. This striking silhouette sailing catamaran offers luxury for 10 guests and four crew members, making it ideally suited to both the private, luxury yacht and charter markets. The South African Boat Builders Business Council will also showcase an array of travel information about the Cape and feature the region’s top boats from 36 to 76 feet, including Afri-Cat’s 420 power catamaran designed by renowned naval architect Angelos Lavranos. Over 140,000 attendees, including 56,000 out-of-state visitors, traveled to Miami for the show in 2005. Over 150,000 are expected this year. People will be pining for a true show, without the hindrance of weather, said Stephen Bogner, marina manager for the city of Miami. People who didn’t make it to the Fort Lauderdale show might make this one. While the Fort Lauderdale show is not known for an abundance of sailboats, there were even less this year. The show was delayed and ran opposite Strictly Sail St. Petersburg. Pier 66, which usually hosts the majority of sailboats on exhibit, was damaged during Hurricane
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Wilma and was used as a staging area. Miami will have first-class facilities, and everything will be totally ship-shape for the February show, Bogner said. Strictly Sail generated nearly $820-million of economic impact in Florida in 2005, creating over 9,000 full-time jobs to support the 3,000plus watercraft on display. The largest sailboat on display last year was 115 feet in length, with the most expensive sailboat running just shy of $3-million. Hundreds of boats will be on display in the water this year, offering something for every lifestyle and budget. The Yacht and Brokerage Show on the 5000 block of Collins Avenue runs concurrently with the Miami Show, which will also feature in-water displays of powerboats at the Sea Isle Marina and Yachting Center at 1633 North Bayshore Dr. The Miami Beach Convention Center will host the exhibitors and remaining powerboats on display at this year’s show. Not sure if you have sea legs? Then step aboard a catamaran at the Discover Sailing Center (between Piers A and B) for a free introductory lesson that includes an adventurous journey across the blue waters of Miami’s Biscayne Bay. These free half-hour lessons introduce rookies to the pleasure and joys of the sailing experience while remaining in a controlled, supervised environment. Children ages six and older can participate in a free, fun-filled, hands-on boat building workshop from noon to 6 p.m., Friday through Monday. Under the supervision of bilingual, certified instructors, children can take hammer to nail and paint to brush to create two 10-foot wooden sailing yachts that will be launched into Biscayne Bay on Monday. All participants will receive a free T-shirt, and parents can walk the docks freely and unencumbered while their kids are occupied with a constructive activity. Children under 12 pay no admission, while tickets are
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DIRECTIONS From the North: I-95 South to exit 395/Miami Beach East, exit at Biscayne Blvd. Turn right; follow Biscayne to Port Blvd. (NE 5th Street). Turn left; follow right-hand lane into the Bayside Garage. From the South: I-95 North. Exit at Biscayne Blvd. Stay in left-hand lane until the stop sign at Biscayne. Turn left on NE 3rd Street. Follow the left side of the road into the Bayside Garage.
only $15 for adults, with two-day passes offered for $26, valid any two days February 17 through 20. Premier Thursday costs $28. The displays at Sea Isle Marina and the Yacht and Brokerage Show are free. The show opens at 10 a.m. every day and closes at 8 p.m. every day except Thursday and Monday, when show hours end at 6 p.m. If you want to avoid the line, E-tickets can be purchased at www.miamiboatshow.com or www.strictlysail.com. All tickets include entry to the Miami International Boat Show and vice versa. Seminars (all are in the seminar tent) Seminar schedules may change, so please check with show management to confirm. THURSDAY, FEB. 16 10:45 a.m. Hotwire Enterprises and Four Winds - Energy Panel for Cruising Sailors 12:00 p.m. Charles Kanter - Cruising Catamarans: Developing a Knowledge Base 1:15 p.m. Trevor Hodgson - To America from Europe: The Viking Way 2:30 p.m. Pam Wall - A Family Sails Around the World 3:45 p.m. Daniel Brown - Hurricane Climatology, Forecasting and Marine Avoidance 5:00 p.m. Tom Henderson - Determining R Value & Heat Load of Refrigeration Boxes FRIDAY, SATURDAY, FEB. 17 10:45 a.m. Ted Wheeler - Gulf Stream Crossing Strategies 12:00 p.m. Joan Antolik - Diesel Engine Preventative Maintenance
News & Views for Southern Sailors
1:15 p.m. Trevor Hodgson - Be Ready for a Storm 2:30 p.m. Michael Jacobs, MD - Prevention of Sea Sickness 5:00 p.m. Marti Brown - Marine SSB Radio: The Cruisers Multi-Tool SATURDAY, FEB. 18 10:45 a.m. Pam Wall - Hurricane Preparation 12:00 p.m. Phillip Berman - Finding the Right Catamaran for You 1:15 p.m. Dave Thether - Diesel Electric 2:30 p.m. Charles Kanter - Anchoring Techniques and Hurricane Moorings 3:45 p.m. Pam Wall - Cruising the Bahamas 5:00 p.m. John Zeitlin - Marine Electrical Design SUNDAY, FEB. 19 10:45 a.m. Pam Wall - Atlantic Circle 12:00 p.m. Corinne Kanter - How to Become a Galley Guru 1:15 p.m. Dawn Santamaria - Sisters Under Sail 2:30 p.m. Pam Wall and Kathy Parsons - Women and Cruising: What Works for Women 3:45 p.m. Kathy Parsons - Cruising the French- and Spanish-Speaking Caribbean 5:00 p.m. Pam Wall - A Family Sails Around the World MONDAY, FEB. 20 10:45 a.m. Charles Kanter - Cruising Catamarans: Developing a Knowledge Base 12:00 p.m. Pam Wall - Cruising the Bahamas 1:15 p.m. Michael Jacobs, MD - Attending to Medical Problems at Sea 2:30 p.m. Pam Wall - Outfitting for Blue Water Cruising 3:45 p.m. Lee Chesneau - Interpreting Marine Weather 5:00 p.m. Charles Danko - Life Raft Deployment
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February 2006
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The Ins & Outs of Choosing the Right Optimist Program for Your Child By Stephanie Cox
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ant to introduce your kid to the sport of sailing? The Optimist Dinghy is the trainer boat of choice for children 8-15 in the South. The small soapboxlike Optimist Dinghy has been the boat that has started the sailing careers of champions like Mark Mendelblatt, Paige Railey, Allison Jolly, and Ed Baird. It is also the boat that has emptied the pockets of thousands of parents. Are you ready to shell out your hard-earned money and give up your weekends to travel around the country chasing your child’s Opti dreams? Do you secretly long to drive a gas-guzzling SUV with weathered Tackle Shack roof racks and an “Opti Parent” bumper sticker on the back? Here is some behindthe-scenes information that should help you decide whether Opti sailing is right for your family. A Boat is a Hole in Which One Pours Lots of Money (Even if it is Only Eight Feet Long) Be prepared to pay a fair amount of money if you want your child to sail Optimists competitively. With the increase in regatta entry fee costs, travel costs, and club costs, parents are paying a pretty penny for the privilege of having their kids race in the Optimist Dinghy fleet. Parents aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch of teaching kids how to sail. Yacht clubs are having to find new and innovative ways to pay for their expensive junior programs. Yacht clubs are being stung with the cost of having to pay more for coaches, powerboat gas, and equipment. Many clubs have passed these expenses on to parents, found fundraising opportunities, or have reduced the size of their junior programs altogether. If your kid gets good, you’ll pay a lot more money. Talented Opti kids have parents who are willing to travel around the country to have them compete at regattas that will get them on the elite Optimist National Team, the South American Team, the European Team, and the World Team. If your kid gets really good and makes the international teams, you’ll pay a lot to get them to these competitions abroad. The top families in the Optimist fleet also replace their kids’ equipment frequently to make sure it is the fastest money can buy. Do you have to buy your kid a new boat every year? No. But if you are into keeping up with the Joneses, sailing
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Optimists can be an expensive sport. On the upside, you can’t put a price on the experience of growing up Opti. Kids get to make friends with children from around the world. They gain a tremendous amount of self-esteem by learning how to sail their boats alone in a variety of conditions. They get out of the house and become fit. They become good sports and good people if you choose the right program. Traveling across the country provides families with valuable time together. It is hard to put a price tag on the intangible benefits that sailing Optimists provide kids and their families. Shop Around for an Optimist Program Parents today have many options when it comes to junior sailing programs for their children, and these options come with different price tags. Traditional yacht clubs can be the most expensive way to get your kid involved in Optimist racing. Most yacht clubs require parents join the club for their kid to participate in junior sailing. After paying club initiation fees and membership dues, parents shell out a couple thousand dollars before their kid’s first regatta. On the positive side, most yacht clubs have a fleet of boats that new sailors can use until their parents decide to buy their kids an Optimist Dinghy of their own. These clubs expect parents to buy their kids a boat within the first six months of sailing. Another benefit to sailing for a yacht club is the one-stop shopping program can offer. Kids can grow up in a yacht club program as they move from boat to boat. Yacht clubs can afford to staff multiple coaches so sailors can stay with a club as they grow from Optimists and move into Lasers and 420s. Smaller programs may not have the economic means to coach kids after Optimists or may limit their coaching to one type of boat like a Laser. If your kid wants to keep sailing at a smaller program when he or she outgrows Optimists and they don’t have that fleet or a high school sailing team, you may have to look for a new program. Generally, the less formal the club, the less it costs for your kids to start sailing. For example, Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa or Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Sarasota have less membership costs than St. Petersburg Yacht Club
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SOUTHWINDS
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or Clearwater Yacht Club. In exchange for paying less, parents are expected to volunteer more, and these teams fundraise more. You also don’t have to join an actual yacht club to have your kids sail Optis. Sailing centers like Coconut Grove Sailing Center in Miami and Edison Sailing Center in Fort Myers are two clubs where kids can sail for relatively little money. Edison Sailing Center actually uses its annual River Romp Regatta to fundraise for junior activities and also reduces entry fees for participants who donate used sails to their program. Average Budget for the First Year of Optimist Sailing What can a new family expect to pay when their child first starts to sail an Optimist? The price of entry can vary based on the program you join. Below is a conservative estimate of what a family that joins a yacht club would pay to start sailing. *Conservative Estimate of Average Upfront Costs to Start Racing an Optimist Learn-to-Sail Lessons - $300 Yacht Club Initiation - $2,500 Annual Yacht Club Dues - $1,000 Decent Used Optimist Dinghy - $3,000 Clothing (lifejacket, boots, gloves, spray gear, team shirts, sunglasses, watch) - $300 Equipment Use/Replacement (sail-ties, sails, bungee, boat repair) - $500 Regatta Entry Fees ($60 x 5 Regattas) - $300 Regatta Travel for the Family (gas, hotels, food) $2,000 US SAILING/USODA Membership Dues - $200 Total - $10,100 *This is an estimate. Families could pay more or less depending on the clubs they join and equipment they purchase.
What to Look For in an Optimist Program — A Good Head Parent Every once in a while, rumors abound in junior sailing programs about a massive rebellion against a head program parent. Entire families will leave clubs, coaches will quit, and programs will shrink under the tyrannical reign of a particular parent. The head program parent typically volunteers for a position of power where they oversee the coaches, address parent concerns about the program, and act as a liason between the club and the junior team. They are not elected, and it is a thankless job that involves dealing with the less fun aspects of junior sailing. These head parents deal with little league parent concerns that “young Johnny” doesn’t get enough attention. These parents figure out what to do about broken boats and maintain a program budget. These parents also fire incompetent coaches and search for replacements. The bad head parents take the job to get their kid better coaching or advance a personal political agenda at the club. Good program parents are neutral and don’t get rocked by criticism. They want the program to be safe, fun, and competitive. Bad program parents want their kids to get more attention or hold dreams of being commodore of the club. When you are looking for a program, choose one with a junior parent who doesn’t care if his kid wins or loses— only that he or she has a good time. Choose a program with a parent who is organized and good at communicating with parents. Choose a program with a parent who doesn’t cut corners when it comes to safety. Head parents focused on safety make sure that the coaches they hire are US SAILING-certified and the powerboats are properly equipped. Coaches Make All the Difference Just because someone coaches for a yacht club does not mean he is good at his job. It is really tough to find qualified coaches in today’s competitive junior sailing world. In the learn-to-sail summer program business, hundreds of clubs are vying to find qualified instructors who are US SAILING-certified. Since there is a small pool of learn-tosail instructors, coaches can ask and receive a lot of money for a few weeks’ work. In 2005, some of the top learn-to-sail program coaches were making over $20,000 for eight weeks of work in the New England area. Average instructors in New England were making about $6000-$8000 and received free housing if they were from out of town. Top private
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Optimist coaches make $250 a day and fly around the country from one job to the next with all expenses included. In contrast, top coaches in the South make an average of $15 an hour in the summer with many coaches making less than that. Because of this pay difference, many of the South’s best junior and college sailors are instructing in Northern states to make more money. There are good coaches out there in the South. It takes a talented head program parent to sift through job applications and find talented instructors. When you are shopping for an Optimist program, look for teams with instructors who have coached for at least three years and are US SAILING-certified. Talk to the coach and see if they are mature. Check to see if they are Red
Cross-certified and what their racing experience is. Watch how they interact with the kids at practices or regattas. Are they respectful to the kids and do they stay engaged in the act of coaching all day, or are they just floating around catching rays? Finally, make sure that the coach listens to your kid’s needs. Good coaches know when to push kids and know when kids need a break. Do You Have to Join a Yacht Club to Get your Kids in Optimist Sailing? You do not have to join a yacht club or community sailing program to have your kids sail in regattas. If you know how to sail, you can coach your kids yourself. A drawback is you may have to supply your own coach boat, and your kid may not want to listen to mom or dad. Another drawback is your kid may miss out on the camaraderie of being part of a team that practices and races together. Optimist Racing Provides Entry into a Lifelong Sport Racing Optimists can provide a lifetime of memories for both the sailor and the parents. I grew up sailing Optimists with my brother, and I will always remember summers spent crammed in a minivan traveling to regattas in Chicago, Newport, Annapolis, Marblehead, etc. When many families struggled to find time to spend together, our family spent hours on end traveling to regattas together. I made friends sailing Optimists who I invited to my wedding. I gained a sense of self and independence at a young age that has benefited me throughout my life. Sailing Optimists helped me get into college. For me, it was worth every penny my parents sacrificed.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
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Tania Aebi Still Sailing Around The World By Julie B. Connerley
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n May of 1985, Tania Aebi—at 18 years old—set out to become the first American woman to sail alone around the world. She made the trip in a 26-foot Contessa and, upon her return, authored Maiden Voyage, the best-selling book about her journey. The book has survived the test of time as evidenced by the spellbound audience of 130 people, who visited the Pensacola Yacht Club recently to hear Aebi retell her coming-of-age story. The event was a cooperative venture spearheaded by Fort Walton Yacht Club Fleet Captain Phyllis Seaton, who suggested co-hosting Aebi at both yacht clubs after learning about Aebi from two FWYC members, Ace and Suz Carlson. “We are planning on cruising around the world and met Tania during an advanced cruising seminar she spoke
at in California. We really enjoyed her and thought it would be great if she would come and speak at our yacht club,” said Suz Carlson. It was 20 years ago that an 18-year-old girl, nudged by a loving father, began a sailing odyssey that culminated in a tale of survival, romance, and adventures, while circumnavigating the globe alone. However, hers didn’t resemble the traditional girlinto-womanhood story as much as it did that of a naïve sailor, who eventually became master and captain of her own ship. While she had spent a year cruising on a larger boat with her father, Aebi learned much about sailing in general. After making the life-altering decision to cruise around the world, she half-heartedly tackled a textbook celestial navigation course, lamenting, “There was only so much I could do without actually being out there and seeing what I needed to learn and what the experience was going to be like.” No Previous Single-handing Experience or Shakedown Cruise When asked later why she didn’t take her boat, Varuna, on a shakedown cruise, or try single-handing before beginning her 27,000-mile odyssey, Aebi had an equally glib reply. “At the time, my thinking was why not just combine the two. The shakedown cruise will be the first leg to Bermuda. If it doesn’t work out, it is only 750 miles, and I can fly back home.” Perhaps one reason Tania’s story is as fresh today as it was 20 years ago when she sailed around the world is that it was written honestly. She enjoyed the cruising lifestyle she had experienced with her father on his boat, and she knew she wanted to make her “mark” in the world. “My father always thought I was a good writer from all the letters I had written to him over the years trying to convince him why I should be ungrounded. He said I’d have to support myself underway by writing and thought this would be the perfect material to launch a career.” It is one thing to write about scenic sunsets, frolicking dolphins, or ominous storm clouds. It is quite another to admit to the world that after several hundred miles of a 27,000-mile voyage, one is still having trouble navigating. “Once I was actually out there,I was the only person in the world who really knew where I was. I was the master of my universe within that 26-foot space. It was a powerful feeling,and I wanted to keep doing it, especially after I made it to Bermuda.”
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Tania Aebi and Pensacola Yacht Club’s 2005 Commodore Larry Bowyer are all smiles after the standing ovation her presentation received. Photo by Julie B. Connerley.
Mistakes in Navigation Although she carefully plotted her courses and took measurements with her sextant daily, her calculations never worked out. She was frustrated, yet her pride would not allow her to stop and ask directions. By sheer luck, she managed to hone in on the Radio Direction Finder (RDF) at Bermuda, her first stop, and again at St. Thomas and at her third port, Panama. But when she almost missed the Galapagos Islands, Tania realized she needed help with her navigation problems. “When I left Panama for the Galapagos, things changed. The day I thought I was crossing the equator, I had a bunch of presents to open. That night I saw a fishing boat, radioed them for my position and learned I was still 50 miles north of the equator. I only found the Galapagos Islands because they had a RDF that was working at the time. I heard afterwards that it often didn’t work. If I had missed the islands, it was 3,000 miles until the next group of islands, which were surrounded by reefs. I had to figure out my navigation problems!” Putting her pride aside, Aebi told her audience she did ask for help from friends she had met at an earlier port of call. The problem wasn’t with her math, but with her equipment. She was using a plastic sextant that had sat out in the sun one too many times. She had a perfectly good sextant stored in the locker aboard Varuna, and from that day forward, her celestial navigation was always “spot on.” “Just being able to take the sun, moon, stars, a watch and a couple of tables to pinpoint my position in all that water out there was just such a great connection with the universe. I really loved it, and it is something I encourage people to learn, Even if you don’t need it now because of the availability of GPS, it’s just a great connection to a whole way of life,” she said. A College Education? Aebi spent two and a half years sailing around the globe. She passed from her teens into her 20s on the oceans. She witnessed nature at its finest and worst, experienced many different cultures, made many friends, fell in love and later married her fellow sailing adventurer. News & Views for Southern Sailors
“If indeed this trip was in lieu of a college education like so many people like to say in the years since, then this was the longest final exam anybody has ever had. Between Djibouti and New York anyway, that ocean threw everything at me, testing everything I had learned up until then.” Since returning from that first voyage, Aebi, who now lives in Vermont, became the mother of two sons, earned her captain’s license, and received a master of fine arts degree. She also writes a regular column in Latitudes and Attitudes magazine, leads chartered 10-day cruises in different countries overseas and is highly sought on the speaking circuit. Many changes have come about since Aebi made that maiden voyage 20 years ago. On her first trip, she had a VHF radio, a RDF beacon, depth sounder, a short-wave radio for listening, a sextant and a windlass that seized up pretty soon after she began the trip—so the anchor was pulled in and out by hand. If she made the trip today, she says she would only add a GPS to her equipment inventory. In response to questions about whether she would send either of her two sons off to sea alone in a sailboat, Tania takes a different stance. “I think now, especially that I am a mom of my own two kids, that the biggest act of faith of bravery in this whole thing was my dad: to have had the vision to see the possibilities and to have given me the chance when I was 18. I had nothing to lose. I had life all before me, and responsibilities, children, insurance, mortgages, and whatnot didn’t anchor me down. He gave me this chance to do something awesome and to have this great story to tell for the rest of my life. “I couldn’t do that for my kids. I’ll go with them, but I couldn’t put one of my kids on a boat. I just can’t do that. However, I will always be grateful to my dad for giving me the chance.” Aebi is planning to do just that. Instead of retracing her own “maiden voyage” as her father envisioned so long ago, she wants to plot a new course that she and her sons can experience together. “I’d like to go around South America with them, and in the end we will have done the Horn together, and then I can step back and say I’ve done my job as their Mom. They will be ready for life.” Tania Aebi was not the first American woman to sail alone around world, because, as it was later noted, she had a passenger on board for 80 miles of her trip. - Editor SOUTHWINDS
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Bob and Annie’s Boatyard— Specializing in Multihulls, but Monohulls Welcome By Barbara Pierce only railway I know of that econstruction, repair, recan do it.” building, cosmetic work, The railway can move up painting, or fiberglass to a 70-ton boat, 70 feet long work—there’s nothing that Bob and 30 to 40 feet wide. and Annie’s Boatyard in St. Two cranes are also used James City, FL, can’t handle. in the yard. “We can do just Large and small catamaabout anything,” adds Jo. rans, trimarans, monohulls, trawlers, powerboats, small sailRare Wooden Boat Expertise ing dinghies—all are welcome “This is a hand-built wooden at Bob and Annie’s. But multiboat,” says Lenny Wassmer, hulls are the focus and passion talking about his 70-foot cataof owner Bob Conover. maran, Sweet Liberty. “It took “Multihulls are my love. several craftsmen to build it. It Multihulls are what we do,” takes a good craftsman to fix states Bob. “I’ve been a multiit.” For 15 years, Wassmer has hull guy since day one. I got a Bob and Jo stand in front of one of the catamarans in their brought Sweet Liberty, a charride on a Brown, and that’s all yard. Photo by Barbara Pierce. ter boat out of Naples, FL, to Bob and Annie’s for haul-outs. she wrote. I’ve never looked back! I built this yard because I Sweet Liberty was recently in the yard for repairs, as it needed it.” took a double hit from Hurricane Wilma. Cut loose from its Twenty-six years ago, in 1980, Bob bought the boatyard mooring, probably by another boat, it pounded into the from a friend. The 41-foot Buccaneer that he had built needrocky shoreline, where the rocks put a hole in its side. It ed a haul-out, and the boatyard had a tiny marine rail system. broke loose from the rocks and slammed into the dock, After the purchase, word spread about Bob’s skill and which punched another hole in the other side. knowledge about multihulls, and both the yard and the rail “There’s an artisan working on this boat. That’s what it system grew. Multihullers come from all over—California, takes. She’ll be just fine in no time,” Wassmer concludes. Mexico, the Caribbean—to get work done on their boats. The The yard offers a complete woodworking shop. They boatyard, located on Pine Island just west of Fort Myers, is can do planking, joiner work, custom fabrication, or they well known to most multihull owners. can complete a project designed by a boater. They also do “Bob loves multihulls,” confirms Jo Beauvois, his wife wooden boat construction. and partner in running the business. “He understands how “People today don’t know how to work on wood to haul them out and how to repair them. He’s built a great boats,” says Bob. “In a standard boatyard, you’ll have reputation in the multihull community.” trouble finding people that know how to do the job. It’s a “Most people hear about us through word of mouth,” lost art.” she continues. “Boaters in an anchorage someplace hear But not at Bob and Annie’s. about us from other boaters.” “People come here because they know they’ll get their Wood, Fiberglass, Paint, Surface-Prep Mixing Shop boat fixed right,” adds Bob. Routine maintenance is the key to longevity of boats, and Bob’s own catamaran, Dixie G, a Lock Crowther design, Bob’s crew provides the skill and materials necessary to is being worked on in the yard. keep a boat in top working condition. They do haul-outs, bottom paint, detailing and waxing, inspection and prevenUnique Marine Rail System tative maintenance. The marine rail system, one of only a few in the world, is They have experts in fiberglass blister repair, having worth the trip to Bob and Annie’s. It is powered by a 283 done extensive research, work and analysis of procedures, Chevy engine—and good old country engineering—that materials and equipment in this field. runs better than the ones used at drag strips. Visitors to the Another area of expertise is Bob’s paint shop, which is island watch in awe as a 40- to 50-ton boat is slowly and surerecognized as a leader and innovator in topside refinishly winched out of the water and up the rail to be blocked, leving. The paint crew has been using urethane paint since it eled and set for the next day’s work. was introduced to the marine industry and has developed “You can’t get a cat up on a travel lift,” comments Doc refined techniques that result in an exceptionally highHorton, who has built catamarans for 20 years. “This is the
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A Brief History of Multihulls
The rail at Bob and Annie’s. Photo by Barbara Pierce.
quality finish. Whether they’re using spray guns with linear polyurethane finish, or roller and brush with traditional marine enamels and varnishes, the paint crew gives each boat the care and attention that has earned them a national reputation for quality work. West System Epoxy, polyester resin, lay-up, repairs, and custom-design work are standard at Bob and Annie’s. Boaters bring the project. Skilled workers help with the solutions. Crew members know the limitations of the materials but have learned tricks to work around these limitations. The yard also does composite construction to a boater’s specifications. Along with all these services, Bob and Annie’s has a fully stocked store.
The first multihulls were used by ancient sailors in Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. These early multihulls were probably dugout canoes with an outrigger. The canoes were lightweight, fast, stable, capable of carrying cargo and may have been up to 80 feet long. Some form of multihull likely carried early settlers to Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Philippines and Hawaii. According to some sources, in 1662 Sir William Petty launched the first western catamaran in Dublin. This boat, with twin cylindrical hulls, was named The Experiment. In 1868 John Mikes rigged a schooner with a tent between the masts and sailed the 25-foot rubber-hulled trimaran across the Atlantic in an unheard of 51 days. In the next decade, legendary yacht designer Nathaniel Herreshoff won the New York Yacht Club’s regatta by sailing his 24-foot catamaran Amaryllis at nearly 20 knots. In 1947 Woody Brown launched the 38-foot plywood Manu Kai, the world’s first modern asymmetrical catamaran. Arthur Piver is credited with popularizing trimarans, after he crossed the Atlantic in his 30-foot Nimble in 1960. Since 1960 several designers helped convince a skeptical public that multihulls are just as safe as monohulls. The designers included Jim Brown, Lock Crowther, Derek Kelsall, Dick Newick, Prout Marine, Hobie Alter, Bill and Ricky Symons, and Tony Smith. At boat shows today, an ever-growing number of multihulls are exhibited. They are becoming increasingly popular because of their speed, spacious accommodations and expansive decks. furlers, to name a few. They are also familiar with rotating mast construction. One-of-a-Kind Old-Fashioned Marina Admirers describe Bob’s yard as a “one-of-a-kind old-fashioned marina.” The yard is a great place to meet boaters from all over the world. “People sit under the trees and visit,” says Jo. “We have interesting boats and interesting people.” “At Bob and Annie’s—we’re small, we’re family,” claims the Web site, www.bobandannies.com. The friendly, helpful, family atmosphere of the yard is apparent.
Rigging Design/Modification The yard’s experienced crew can do all aspects of rigging. They will help boaters design or redesign the mast and rigging specifically for their boat and how the boat will be used. Modifications often include mast steps, installation of running and standing rigging, deck hardware and sail Bob and Annie’s Boatyard is located at 3420 Stringfellow Rd., St. James City, FL 33956, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For information or reservations, call Bob, Jo, or Yard Manager Eric Blomberg at (239) 283-3962. They are also available at bobandannies@earthlink.net. Three motels are within walking distance of the yard. Reservations at a motel, or whatever help a boater needs while his boat is being worked on, will be given. News & Views for Southern Sailors
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WINDS OF CHANGE — Proposed Legislation May Protect Florida Marinas and Boat Owners During Hurricanes By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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lorida State Rep. Mitch Needleman has lived on the water of Environmental Protection permits in time, Button said. all his life. He understands the predicaments that boaters “The marinas in Stuart, Kadey-Krogen, Stuart Cay, Stuart and marinas face when a hurricane is coming. His 30-year Harbor and Allied Richard Bertram Marine Group, are so career as a marine patrol officer makes him uniquely qualiexposed to fetch from the west that it is actually stupid to fied to study the issue of moored vessels in the path of a leave a boat here,” Button said, adding these boats would not storm, as his life’s work was dedicated to making South even survive a category one hurricane at any of these docks. Florida’s waterways safe. When Wilma blew in, Button knew what would happen Now a congressman in Tallahassee, Needleman is spearand urged the boats in his marina to leave. “They had days to heading new legislation to reverse the laws passed after prepare,” Button said, adding that no one was risking his life Hurricane Andrew a decade ago that restrict marina owners to move his boat before the hurricane. All but six of the vesfrom protecting their property and moving boats in threatsel owners cooperated. Five of the boats sank and wiped out ened areas to safer harbor. half of the marina’s Florida is the only docks, once again, this state anywhere that has time for $75,000 in legislation that forbids a uninsured damages. marina operator to care for “We might have his property, Needleman only lost a few planks said. The intent of the bill, had the boats moved,” which is not final, is not to Button said. “We’re in throw boaters into the season, and we would wild, he said, but to make be booked out now.” boat owners responsible His marina lost subfor their vessels in the maristantial revenue as a nas. If they fail to do so, the result of another bill would allow marina avoidable catastrophe. owners the opportunity to Replacing the pedestals protect the boat and their is costly, Button said, as marina property, too. the electrical systems “I think we have to eat up a few thousand look at the logistics to prodollars. tect the property owner Sailboats, with their sails still on, damaged by Hurricane Katrina in Miami. “It’s time to look at and move forward with Photo by Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp. the bigger picture; it,” Needleman said, these moratoriums may adding that if he has to steamroll it through, he will. Waiting not be working,” Button said. “The state of Florida needs to is not an option. Something must be done before the next hurbe behind us and realize what the marine industry brings to ricane season, Needleman said. this state. I’m all for kicking people out of this marina because It’s one hurricane season too late for Kadey-Krogen I can’t get paid.” Yachts’ marina in Stuart, Fl, said Tom Button, vice president “There may be some marinas in counties that cannot of operations, who feels it’s definitely time for a change in the afford insurance at any cost,” Needleman said. Indeed, some system. Nine boats sank in his marina in Hurricanes Frances docks are not insured, said Frank Atlass of Atlass Insurance and Jeanne in 2004. The docks were destroyed. He and his Group in Fort Lauderdale. The insurance rates are derived partner were put through hell by the insurance companies from the type of dock construction. “Many marinas don’t involved, with 12-hour depositions, exorbitant attorneys’ have dockage insurance,” Atlass said, adding that 50 percent fees, and $300,000 in damage. of all docks are uninsured for storm damage. When the 2005 hurricane season came around, the mari“Insurance companies don’t want to engage in that high na sent boat owners plans for hurricanes, urging them to join risk,” Needleman said. “We need to offer something in return hurricane clubs and to move their boats because they would for them to be in that marketplace.” be responsible for damage to the docks. “Nowhere else in the nation are the rules as strict for Kadey-Krogen rebuilt their uninsured docks, but could marina operators in emergency occasions than in Florida,” he not reconfigure them, because they could not get Department said. “The business world has changed drastically since the
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www.southwindsmagazine.com
1970s, and to dictate to a marina owner how many boats, where the boats would be, where and how they should be moored is now contributing to the businessman’s model.” BoatUS blocked legislation to change Florida’s marina laws last year as a scare tactic to increase its membership, Needleman said, offering his personal opinion. “I sat down and talked to BoatUS and the principals with that, and we need to get this thing going for the next hurricane season. And, BAM! We get hit with another one. Look what happened in Miami. Look at what happened in Fort Pierce.” “On the contrary, we don’t need to raise our membership numbers in Florida,” said Margaret Podlich, vice president of government affairs for BoatUS. “With over 100,000 members here, Florida hosts nearly 20 percent of our members. The legislation failed due to a lack of widespread support in the state.” Everyone around the table agrees the horrific storms provide the opportunity to learn from their experience, Podlich said. “We’re connected. We absolutely recognize the need for boats to have marinas and marinas to have boats,” she said, adding that boats and marinas can be repaired and replaced, but not human life. Some boats are small enough (30 to 45 feet) that they could be secured on land with forklifts. “There are opportunities to do that and we need to,” Needleman said. “I want to make sure we protect the marina owners and that the boaters still maintain rights and need to know they’re not thrown out in the middle of the storm. But if they fail to act, there will be options for the marina owners to protect their property,” Needleman said, which would include dry storage. Today’s weather technology allows people to act early if they want to, said Capt. Jay Clark, the owner of CYS Yacht Management in Fort Pierce, which offers hurricane vessel services. Absentee owners and snowbirds, who can’t watch the local weather, usually depend on a “buddy” to move their boat, and that seldom occurs, he said. “This non-caring, non-reactive group doesn’t act fast enough, and they cause a lot of problems,” Clark said, adding that it’s important to act early prior to yards becoming full or bridges put in lockdown. Some of the biggest violators are sailboat owners. Too often, sailboat owners leave furling jibs on, which blow into other boats as they rip anchors up at moorings. “The jibs are dangerous if the owner doesn’t remove them,” said Clark. There are no easy answers here, said Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. He hopes the recommendations of Needleman’s report will be the basis of new, sensible legislation for the boater and marine operator. “In hurricane country, we have to think outside of the box. The real question is: Where do these boats go if a marina is not a safe refuge?” Needleman added. All 67 counties in Florida are needed to support the proposed legislation, or at least not fight it, Needleman said. “I can’t think of a single county that doesn’t have a lake in it somewhere with people boating on it,” he said. “If I have to be the facilitator to get that thing started, I’m willing to do it. We will be prepared for the 2006 hurricane season.”
See page 68 for windrose legend
Contact marine journalist and associate editor, Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp, with sailing news in southeast Florida at SouthwindsNews@aol.com. News & Views for Southern Sailors
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BOAT REVIEW
The ETAP 37, an Unsinkable Sailor’s Cruiser By John Grover and Ludwig Hoogstoel
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he ETAP 37 is a performance cruiser that fits the bill as a fun-to-sail family boat. She’s also for the “go fast” sailor. Combining ease of handling with abundant safety features, the rigging maximizes performance and handling ability, without loss of stability. If you are accustomed to less responsive vessels, you are in for a surprise when you take the wheel of this ETAP. Allow her excellent tracking ability to dominate, as your tendency will be to oversteer the helm until you adjust. ETAP, a Belgian builder producing one boat daily, has designed double-hulled sailing yachts for the past thirtyfive years. Safety is of primary concern for the ETAP line of boats. Lloyd’s of London and the French merchant marine
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have certified its boats as unsinkable, thanks to the closedcell foam injected between the hulls. Every new model is tested to insure the boat will stabilize after a knock down and fully flooded conditions. The water inside the cabin will rise to knee-deep height, keeping the V-berth and cooking areas dry. She is engineered to make a passage to safety in those conditions—under sail. Other safety features include unequaled nonskid deck material that provides for a very firm grip, particularly in wet conditions. An open aluminum toerail enhances water shedding from topside decks. The boat also has an ample supply of handholds throughout the cabin and topside. The end boom sheeting for the mainsail with dual line pulleys (the smaller line for more purchase) assures maximum control. The removable traveler is located in the cockpit just forward of the pedestal. This convenient positioning helps when maneuvering short-handed, yet removing it for extended stays at dockside is easy to do and surely makes it easier to move around the cockpit—a clever innovation. ETAP boats are dry boats. Their added insulation and double hull construction eliminate interior condensation and make for a warm interior in cold weather, besides maintaining cooler temperatures in hot climates. The deckstepped mast arrangement and Volvo Saildrive, 28-horsepower engine keep the boat totally dry inside. The ETAP has no need for a bilge and, indeed, has none. Below decks, the ETAP 37 features a queen-size berth in the sizable aft cabin with two hanging lockers. The salon settees are comfortable straight benches. With lee cloths, accommodations can carry a crew of four, five, or six. The Vberth forward is roomy and has two hanging lockers. The boat has easy-access storage compartments literally lining the upper bulkheads from the forepeak to the aft cabin. While some interior volume is used for the double hull, a full crew can make an extended passage with the available storage accommodating necessary food, water, and gear all neatly stowed (as the ETAP 37, Just Us, recently did on its Atlantic crossing with a crew of three). The head is located starboard of the companionway and features a wet compartment to hold foul weather jackets, bibs, and boots with room to spare. The galley is to port of the companionway. The double sink is on an island amidships. The island allows the crew to pass securely on either port or starboard, giving security in pitching, rolling seas. The crew instinctively uses the island to brace while dressing for or coming off watch. The crowning achievement for ETAP 37’s design is a panoramic window atop the cabin house that www.southwindsmagazine.com
allows the crew to look at the sea ahead of the vessel’s course while standing in the main cabin. The panoramic window is not only a terrific safety feature, but it also provides for excellent natural daytime light into the cabin. How fast is she? The designers favored a sleek profile without losing stability. With a theoretical hull speed of just over seven knots, she flies like a witch. On a recent crossing, Just Us clocked eight knots and logged a record 11 knots. The impressive Selden rig has a clearance of 57 feet. When the wind builds to eight or 10 knots, the boat sails at a velocity of about half the wind speed. The light, wind performance requires the crew to reef at about 18 knots. Reefing is
done from the safety of the cockpit using a single line reefing system. ETAP offers a roller furling mast as an option. What makes her fast? The boat has a shoal-draft performance keel, standard ETAP equipment, drawing four feet, five inches. Another unique feature is the keel, which is built with two fins, one behind the other, in-line with the centerline. A semi-bulb connects the two fins. This is adapted from the Collins keel of Americas’ Cup racing fame. The two-fin arrangement provides twice the leading edge of a single-fin keel, and upwind performance is only slightly degraded for the gain in speed. Another benefit is that the water flow between the fins enhances maneuverability.
ETAP 32s and 37s are for charter and sale at Yachting Vacations at Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda, FL. Yachting Vacations is the U.S. southeast regional dealer for ETAP and is located at 3190B Matecumbe Key Rd., Punta Gorda, FL 33955. (800) 447-0080. info@yachtingvacations.com. www.etap-usa.com.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
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Fort Pierce Welcomes Boaters By Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp
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ine years ago, Ft. Pierce City Marina wasn’t a very inviting place, remembers Dean Kubitschek. “The docks were covered by ugly fences that were falling down, and the streets rolled up at 5 o’clock.“ But the sleepy fishing village with a gritty, industrial waterfront has a new look and a bright future. If you haven’t been to Ft. Pierce in two or three years, you might not even recognize it anymore. The quiet burg has the makings for a boomtown down the road. Ft. Pierce’s deep water inlet, renovated marinas and redeveloped downtown with intimate cafes and musical events will soon have “glam” accommodations to draw
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sailors and their guests. The best part is that the $50-million redevelopment of the downtown will actually leave the beautiful waterfront intact for everyone to enjoy. New condos, shops and hotels will be across the street from the City Marina on Indian River Drive. That’s a sharp contrast to the South Florida tradition of buying prime waterfront to build a skyrise condo and evicting the yards and marine businesses that have no place to go. “We’re creating a downtown neighborhood,” said Kubitschek, general manager of Ft. Pierce City Marina. “Everything is of quality and is new. The public has a facility it can be proud of.”
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce. Photo courtesy Harbortown Marina.
From his office perch, Kubitschek has a bird’s eye view of Marina Square, a $50-million mixed-use development that will break ground in 2006 by Catalfumo Construction. “It’s an excellent thing across the street and will be an asset to the city,” Kubitschek said, adding that Ft. Pierce lacks hotel beds in this area. “We want people to stop, visit and provision en route to the Bahamas,” he said. Marina Square will open in late 2007. The 2.5-acre, fivestory project will include 95 hotel rooms and 70 condo units priced from $200,000 to $800,000, with 46,000 square feet of retail space for shops and restaurants. “Ft. Pierce is a diamond in the rough It just needs quality development to be on the map,” said David J. Demay, vice president of development for Palm Beach Gardensbased Catalfumo Construction. Marina Square’s courtyard will be a great place for hosting Ft. Pierce’s many fishing tournaments and events, Kubitschek said. In November, Kubitschek’s marina teamed with neighbor Harbortown Marina and a coalition of civic organizations in St. Lucie County to host the weeklong Southern Kingfish Association Championship for 300 boats and 2000 anglers. Ft. Pierce has more downtown projects in the works. One Marina Place and Renaissance on the River will add 80 more luxury condos, with restaurants, shops and parking on Indian River Drive without compromising the waterfront. The City Marina has recovered from the destruction of Hurricane Frances and welcomes boaters with 137 operational slips. No dock is more than three or four years old, Kubitschek said. The docks were beefed up with a concrete main support system, heavy planking and wood piling. The deep draft inlet was dredged to 8.75 feet and is now userfriendly, with no shoaling problems. Ft. Pierce is an ideal port for sailors, Kubitschek said. It provides another inlet for yachts who prefer not to cut across the nearest inlets at West Palm Beach or Cape Canaveral. Its marine industry is modernized and up-todate with full service and reasonable prices. Harbortown Marina, a 33-acre property, was recently bought by Bernie Kosar, former quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, with investors Culpepper and Turpin for $33-million. Harbortown’s plans include a hotel, condos and shops to complement its 306-slip marina with floating concrete docks. Harbortown is friendly to catamarans and beamy News & Views for Southern Sailors
boats and has 900 feet of parallel dockage for large vessels. “You’re not just another number here,” said Steve Stiglbauer, the general manager of Harbortown Marina. Harbortown, which provides easy access to the inlet with no fixed bridges and is also home to a consortium of marine businesses like Whiticar Marine Services and Indian River Boatworks, which has 50- and 150-ton travel lifts. Yachts have the resources of Fort Lauderdale at a fraction of the cost in Ft. Pierce, Spiglbauer said. Harbortown offers courtesy cars at its on-site Avis dealership and is 10 minutes away from an international airport where one can clear customs. Harbortown has delivery captains and fuel available 24 hours a day and is continually being upgraded to attract yachts seeking quality service. Harbour Isles Marina is a unique public marina with a private feel, said dockmaster Sara Anderson. Located on Hutchinson Island, it has 63 slips and two T-heads to accommodate large vessels. The marina on the Indian River is surrounded by a new 800-unit condominium where penthouses are listed for a reasonable $520,000. But they are going quickly as prices in South Florida continue to rise and people discover the values in Ft. Pierce, she said. The citrus industry kept the lid on marine development for some time, but that’s changing, said Sam Yates, president of Yates and Associates Public Relations and Advertising. “This is old Florida here,” Yates said, adding that old Florida means the county has waterfront property and it will stay that way. Ft. Pierce’s goal is to attract more boaters and guests, said Demay. “Right now it’s nothing, but we’re making it something.” Contact marine journalist Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp at SouthwindsNews@aol.com.
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PHRF RACING TIPS
The Art Of The Perfect Tack By Dave Ellis
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ven very efficient craft like America’s Cup boats lose significant time and distance each time they turn the boat through the eye of the wind. If these thoroughbreds can take over 30 seconds to get back up to speed after a tack, imagine what our less efficient boats lose. What can we do to make these necessary turns less deleterious to our velocity made good upwind? First of all, if you are not forced to tack at a particular time, choose your tacking area. Look for a smoother spot in any wave pattern. In a perfect world, tack when you are going full speed in a sudden lull with a puff hitting when you get to the other tack. Yea, right. Yet, that is what match racers will often do when another boat tacks on their wind. They time their tack to correspond to when the blanketed air gets to
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their sails, thereby tacking in less resisting wind while heading to wind. The rate of turn should be surprisingly slow. For many years I’ve been involved with Offshore Sailing School’s spring racing class on keelboats. The last few years Bill Gladstone of North U has been the head instructor. I have never heard Bill tell someone they tacked too slowly. “Make a slower turn,” might as well be on a recording from the coach boat. We have tons of weight and inertia under us as we sail along. A good tack will harness that tendency to remain in motion. Significant distance to windward can be gained by a slow turn. That’s ultimately the way we want to go, isn’t it? Let’s go through a tack in fairly smooth water with anywhere from 6 to 15 knots of wind. Choose the place to tack, whatever the reason for the maneuver. Alert the crew. Usually that means the jib sheet will be taken off the self-tailer or removed from the cleat. The other jib sheet was already wrapped around the winch an appropriate number of times for the wind, almost never more than three times. On a boat going as fast as you are likely to be going for the conditions, there is no reason to head off before a tack. That makes for a bigger turn. Simply turn the wheel slowly just a quarter turn, or gently push the tiller a little way. No, not that much—just enough to get the boat to start turning into the wind. As the jib or genny starts to “break” or form a backwind, let the sheet go. In lighter air, this usually means unwrapping the sheet from the winch to reduce friction. If you are on a boat with a huge overlapping Genoa jib, you may have to keep the sail on the old side long enough to backwind it around the mast to the new lee side. But be www.southwindsmagazine.com
degrees from your later windward course. It takes a while to get back your speed, and it is quicker to do that bow down to get the keel working again. Be aware that with your slower speed the apparent wind has already given you a lift until you pick that speed back up. So don’t overdo the bearing off after a tack. In a blow and waves you will have to be a little more aggressive with the rudder after the initial slow beginning of a tack. But do start to slow down your turn soon after going through the eye of the wind. It is uncomfortable to let inertia turn the boat too far, heel way over and then spin back upwind to above close-hauled. Also it is slow. Remember, slow tacks make a fast boat. It also makes a happier crew. aware that this slows the boat. It has been years since dinghies have backwinded the jib in a tack. It is slow. The mainsail may be pulled in a little as the boat is heading up to aid in the turn by its weather helm inducement. As soon as the boat passes head-to-wind, however, let the mainsail out a few inches. This is for regaining your speed. It allows more twist to the sail, and you will be heading slightly below your eventual upwind heading on the new tack until speed is back to what it was before the tack. Usually a little more tiller is needed at just about the head-to-wind position. Then, as the jib starts to fill, turn the wheel or tiller back toward the center to slow down the turn. It is slow to suddenly turn the rudder to stop a turn, just as it is slow to suddenly turn it to initiate the action. If you have a smaller jib, it may be possible to pull it in too fast on the new tack. The idea is to have it just slightly out from optimal windward sheeting. Again, this adds a little twist and camber for power. Think of it as second gear to get moving again. Then as the boat gains speed, begin pulling the sails in to the usual upwind settings. If your boat has a big jib and your crew’s name isn’t Thor or Moose, there is little chance of pulling it in too fast. It can be pulled in too far, though, so rather than watching the winch handle while cranking, have the crew watch the clew of the jib near the spreaders to see when they are in far enough. There should be a yarn or two off that leach that will curl behind the jib if it is too tight. In winds under six knots, make an even slower tack! A boat will coast farther to windward in light air than a breeze. In the case of light air you may have to crack sheets an inch or two and sail one or two degrees low before a tack to get a bit more speed. Note the small numbers. After a light air tack, you will find it faster to delay bringing the main and jib “home” as you bear off up to five News & Views for Southern Sailors
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RACING
Melges 24 Worlds in Key Largo Challenge Olympians, America’s Cup Sailors, and Average Joes By Stephanie Cox
Few regattas give amateur sailors the opportunity to tack on Russell Coutts, cover Dave Ullman off the line, or call starboard on Jeff Ecklund. The 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championships pit professional and amateur racers against each other in Key Largo, FL, Dec. 9-16.
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osted out of the elegant Ocean Reef Club, the Melges Worlds attracted an international who’s who list of America’s Cup participants and world champions. Ninety-eight boats and hundreds of sailors converged on the Keys hoping for a shot at championship glory. In the end, it came down to the last race with James Spithill’s Luna
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Rossa claiming victory. The Ocean Reef Club is a high-end private resort community with hotel rooms, condominiums, and luxury homes, most of which are second homes. It was not set up as a traditional yacht club, which forced organizers to improvise to make the regatta happen. Boats were lifted four stories into the air to clear the palm trees along the seawall in order to get into the water. Nervous boat owners watched helplessly as their boats dangled in the air. No dropped boats were reported, and the operation ran relatively smoothly. All sailors had to weigh in, and no boat’s crew could exceed 793 pounds. This led some teams to find creative ways to fill weight gaps. Regatta winner James Spithill enlisted as crew 80-pound Optimist Dinghy sailor Mac Agnese. Agnese, of Fort Lauderdale, was Luna Rossa’s secret weapon, and the team benefited from his nimble footwork and quick speed. The eleven-year-old took school off for a week to compete in the regatta. He sailed with some of the best minds in the sport, and won a $2,400 Corum Admiral’s Cup Trophy Watch. At registration, teams were asked to declare whether they were professional or Corinthian. Teams with any members who worked in the sailing industry had to sail in the professional category. Only 27 boats competed as Corinthian yachtsmen. All the boats competed on the same course, but the Corinthian yachts were eligible for their own awards. Light, shifty winds and flat waters tested competitors’ patience on the first day of the regatta. Morgan Reeser’s Mfatic of Fort Lauderdale was on top of the leaderboard at the end of the day. Philippe Kahn of San Francisco skippered Pegasus 575 to second place with three-time America’s Cup Winner Russell Coutts calling tactics on the boat. Spithill was in third, and 16-year old Shark Kahn was in fourth, sailing another boat named Pegasus 492. Perhaps the biggest surprise after the first day’s racing was the performance that the Corinthian team aboard New Wave put together. Southern sailor Marty Kullman skippered his boat to ninth place overall after the first two races. www.southwindsmagazine.com
The Melges 24 Worlds at the Ocean Reef Club. Photo © Tim Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com.
Over a dozen boats were disqualified in the first two races after violating a little known and rarely enforced rule requiring spinnaker poles to be in until a spinnaker is being raised. Other teams took penalties in the first races for having their sails up coming into the harbor at the end of the day. (Under the rules of the regatta, no boats were allowed to come into the harbor at Ocean Reef Club under sail due to the narrow passage between the club and a coral reef. All competing boats were required to have an engine on board and have their sails down once they reached the harbor passage.) Clearly, the judge boats were busy. On the second day of racing, consistency paid off for the Italian boat Marrackech Express as it jumped into the points lead after two races in a fresh 10-knot northerly breeze. Skippered by professional sailor Gabriele Benussi and a group of amateur sailors from Trieste, Marrackech Express mystified race watchers, who wondered whether the recently-formed team could handle the demanding, choppy conditions as comfortably as some of the more seasoned teams. Benussi and his crew had never sailed together until they came to Key Largo for three days of practice before the event. They never faltered on the second day. Morgan Reeser who had led the regatta on the first day, couldn’t finish higher than 20th in race three, dropping him to fourth overall. On day three, Morgan Reeser had a starting adventure in ten knots of breeze that could have been disastrous. Reeser and his team on MFactic had to start on port tack in a 98-boat fleet. “We were trapped,” Reeser recalled. “The only thing to do was go over on the port tack before the starting gun sounded and sail against the oncoming boats, all of which had right of way over us. We ducked and dodged through 40 boats, just like driving head-on into oncoming traffic. It was kind of exciting.” After completing his starting line dance, Reeser found clear air and was able to sail to 17th place and maintain his regatta lead over Marrakech Express. Brian Porter from Winnetka, IL, a perennially successful and consistent racer in the Melges 24 class, posted an 11th and a fourth finish on day three to move his Full Throttle team up from eighth News & Views for Southern Sailors
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RACING
place to fourth place after the first four races. Day four offered up a perfect breeze for Melges 24s. The opening race was in a 16- to 18knot southeasterly wind that chopped up the shallow water north of the reef into two- to three-foot waves. The day belonged to the Italians, who moved into first and second. It should be noted that Spithill’s boat was registered as Italian, but was crewed by Australians and Americans. Spithill skipKai Cox’s Free Range Lobster, from St. Petersburg, FL, yields to another boat. Photo © Tim pered his first America’s Cup Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com. challenge for his native Australia at the age of 19. in 1984, while Charlie took a bronze in 470 dinghies in ’88. Crewing on Luna Rossa were the McKee brothers, Jonathan, They sailed their 49er to a third-place bronze in Sydney in 43, and Charlie, 45, who are on their third America’s Cup 2000, and won the 49er World Championship one year later. challenge and share four Olympic medals between them. The second place Italian boat, Marrackech Express, was Jonathan won his gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class steered by professional sailor Gabriele Benussi and crewed by a group of amateur sailors from Trieste, Italy. The fifth day of the regatta offered up five-eight knot breezes, which helped Dave Ullman and the Pegasus team. Ullman, who skippered Pegasus 575, had worked extensively with the Kahns on sail development and tuning and saw his training pay off. Ullman moved into second place with one day to go. Disaster struck on the Luna Rossa boat when their spinnaker exploded into a billowy white cloud after hoisting. The crew struggled to hoist another chute but somehow managed to stay in the top seven. On the final day of the regatta, a number of different teams could have walked away with trophies. The winds were 6-8 knots from the northeast, and boats were more equal across the fleet in speed in the lighter air. Luna Rossa held a comfortable lead to win the Corum watches and the championship. The winds were extremely light which made the boats more equal across the fleet in speed. Boats that had not done well in previous races were finishing in the top 20. Spithill acknowledged, “With one race today, all we had to do was stay close to Dave Ullman…We had a 20-boat cushion…but the conditions were extremely tough. We got off the start line in good shape, but in these light conditions, everyone does the same speed, so we stayed in close contact with Dave.” In the end, Luna Rossa finished first, with Marrackech Express in second and Dave Ullman’s Pegasus in third. The top southern boat was Morgan Reeser’s MFatic, which clenched fourth place. Other southern boats included Jeff Ecklund’s Star, which finished 21st, Marty Kullman’s New Wave finishing 23rd, Mark Mendelblatt finished 27th on Running with Scissors, Bob Dockery’s Barracuda clenched 56
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Marty Kullman’s New Wave (hull #77), another Tampa Bay boat, finished ninth in the Corinthinian. Photo © Tim Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com.
39th, Tim Landt’s Team Cabarete placed 77th, Kai Cox’s FreeRange Lobster finished 80th, and Gary Schwarting’s Obsession earned 91st. The “average Joe” sailors in the back of the fleet had a good time even though they weren’t winning. On one sail into the harbor, Free-Range Lobster crew Kevin Reali successfully wakeboarded behind his boat in eight knots. Thirsty racers appreciated the waitresses, who kindly delivered complimentary beers while they were derigging on the docks. James Spithill’s Luna Rossa (hull #42), the boat that took first place overall in the Melges 24 All 500 racers enjoyed a Worlds, rounds a mark, barely. Photo © Tim Wilkes/ www.timwilkes.com. gourmet awards dinner, with Buddy Melges taking time out of duck hunting season to attend. In classic Buddy Melges and their racer-chasers. It was the perfect venue to host such fashion, he offered his trademark advice to “win the start, a prestigious event, and sailors could entertain themselves extend your lead, and win races.” The Melges fleet was easily at the resort’s bars. extremely generous in providing three-foot glass vase troOverall, the Corum Melges 24 World championship phies to the top eight Corinthian teams and the top eight offered first class competition at a first class resort in Florida overall teams. One Italian team, who shall remain nameless, in the winter. decided to fill their three-foot-tall trophy vase with rum and Results: coke and imbibe cocktails throughout the dinner. They were 1. Luna Rossa, James Spithill 2. Marrackech Express, Gabriele Benussi 3. Pegasus 505, David Ullman 4. MFatic, Morgan Reeser 5. Joe Fly, Gabrio not kicked out. Although the competition on the water was Zandona 6. Partner & Partners, Francois Brenac 7. Full Throttle, Brian intense, the camaraderie off the water was one of the most Porter 8. Blu Moon, Flavio Favini 9. Fusion M, John Bertrand 10. Ale Ali, memorable aspects of this regatta. Average Joes could sit Nicola Celon with America’s Cup winners over a beer without feeling out of place. All the competitors were exceedingly friendly and Go to www.2005corumm24worlds.com for complete eager to share tips. Maybe it is the Melges 24’s Midwestern results (spelling is correct on corumm for the Web site). heritage that creates this happy fleet attitude. The official race photographer of the event was Tim The Ocean Reef Club held up remarkably well despite Wilkes Photography. To view photos of the event and to the onslaught of Melges trailers, sloppily dressed sailors, purchase photos, go to www.timwilkes.com. News & Views for Southern Sailors
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RACING/REGIONAL RACING National Multihull Elimination Results Changed for Northern Gulf Coast Area D After Protests
The 2006 championship will be sailed in Nacra F18s, all supplied by the manufacturer. To learn more about this year’s championship, visit US SAILING’s Web site, www.ussailing.org.
By Julie B. Connerley The Area D South Eliminations for the U.S. Multihull Championship, commonly known as the Hobie Alter Cup, were hosted by the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club (PBYC) November 4-6. The two-day event drew more competitors than any of the other nine qualifying regions across the United States. Questions arose regarding a competitor’s eligibility compliance, and ultimately a protest was filed against the overall winning team of skipper Brian Lambert and Glenn Purcell. Although the initial protest was disallowed, the protest committee did advise Lambert and Purcell that if new evidence was received, they would revisit the incident. Subsequently, the hearing was reopened, and the firstplace team was disqualified from all races due to ineligibility pursuant to the notice of race, the sailing instructions and the conditions of the USSA Alter Cup. Second-place finisher Bob Curry then moved into first place overall and is invited to return for the national finals, hosted by PBYC March 19-23. Competitors will begin arriving March 18 for registration, practice races and the competitors’ meeting.
Charleston Race Week, Charleston, SC, April 6-9
An annual premiere One-Design, PHRF and IRC regatta for sailboats over 22 feet. Race headquarters at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina in Mt. Pleasant, SC, offer docking, parking, hotel accommodations and evening festivities beachside. Three days of racing will be tricky and competitive as local wind and current considerations can upset a traditional strategic approach. Free storage is offered for trailered boats before the event, free dock space for the first 50 boats registered, fabulous parties, and great racing in the harbor and offshore. This is now the largest regional keelboat regatta with 143 boats and 800 sailors who participated last year. The regatta is sponsored by the South Carolina Heritage Maritime Foundation and the Charleston Ocean Racing Association. www.charlestonraceweek.com. (843) 722-1030.
REGIONAL RACING Reports, News And Race Calendars
Regata del Sol al Sol XXXVIII, Race From St. Petersburg, FL to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, April 28 – Now a Regatta and Relief Effort The 38th annual Regata del Sol al Sol is now a combination regatta and relief effort to the island community. Regatta organizers and racers will take material goods to the island. Financial donations are being solicited and can be sent directly to Freedom Bank of America, P.O. Box 1441, St Petersburg, FL 33731 (contact is Nicole Hawthorne at (727) 820-8603. nhawthorne@freedombank.com) www.freedombank.com. Make checks payable to Regata del Sol al Sol Relief Fund. Donate $50 or more to the fund, and have your name put on the plaque that will be presented to the island with a check at the awards banquet. We’ve collected over $3000 already! Don’t sail? Travel by plane (Spirit has direct flights to Cancun for $99 each way) and stay at the cozy Cabana’s Maria del Mar. Contact Dolly Rote at (727) 898-6158, or Judy Malone at (727) 866-2839, (jmalone@humresources.com) for accommodations once on the island. Schedule of events is on the Web site, along with a multitude of information at www.regatadelsolalsol.org. Sail safely and in style with all the latest in tracking, communications and safety at the top of the list (more to come on this in a future announcement). 58
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Regattas and Club Racing— Open to Everyone Wanting to Race The races listed here are open to those who want to sail. No individual club membership is required, although a regional PHRF rating, or membership in US SAILING or membership in a regional sailing association is often required. (If individual club membership is required, please contact us and we will not list their races in the future.) For publishing of your event, questions and information, send us your race schedule by the 5th of the month to
On-line West Florida Race Calendar
Starting in September, SOUTHWINDS began an online race calendar for West Florida racing and regattas. All racing events held in the region from Marco Island to Tarpon Springs are listed for the period from September 2005 up through August 2006. Listed are the event, sponsoring organization and contacts, and links to the NORs, registration and results, when made available by those organizations. The Web site will also publish up-to-date venue changes for those who send us that information. With this new service, sailors only need go to www.southwindsmagazine.com and will no longer have to seek out the sponsoring organization’s Web site for this information. Only those races open to everyone will be listed. To have your race listed, or changes in your race schedule, e-mail the information to the editor, Steve Morrell, at editor@southwindsmagazine.com. www.southwindsmagazine.com
editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Send in the name of the event, date, location, contacts (Web site, e-mail and/or phone), and, if you want a short description. Do not just send a link in to this information. Since race schedules and venues change, contact the sponsoring organization to confirm. For changes to be published, contact the editor. Changes can be put on our Web site, if possible.
Olympics, then added to the Barefoot/Sea Dog Open Regatta last October and closed out the year with this last event. The PCRF program is planned to be a regular event during the 2006 Lake Lanier racing schedule.
2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl College Regatta, Lake Lanier, GA, Dec 30-31 By R. J. Mitchellette
SOUTHEAST COAST: CAROLINAS & GEORGIA February Water Temperature Cape Hatteras, NC – 46º See page 76 Savannah Beach, GA – 53º for windrose legend Average February Temperatures Cape Hatteras, NC 41º lo – 54º hi Savannah, GA 41º lo – 64º hi For Real Time Southeast Coast Weather go to: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southeast.shtml
Holiday Invitational Regatta, Lake Lanier, GA, Dec. 11 By R. J. Mitchellette The first annual Holiday Invitational Regatta took place on Lake Lanier Dec. 11 on an ideal day with sunny skies, 40degree temperatures, 25-knot winds and white caps. Thirteen boats, ranging from 31 to 45 feet, participated. A Beneteau 37 took first place, with second and third going to a Hunter 31 and a Hunter 33, followed by a Catalina 42, a 37-foot custom, a Pearson 33, and a 33-foot Storebro. Other boats racing included a 45-foot Morgan, which had equipment failure, and a 35-footer, being single-handed, which did not finish due to heavy gusts and rough water. The race course was 9.5 miles from the windward to leeward markers, and the average speed of the skippers was approximately five knots with intervals of 6-8 knots. The event’s organizer is the former 2005 commodore of the Barefoot Sailing Club, who created a new class of racers for the skippers. These boats are essentially cruisers and have been left out of the traditional racing fleets on the lake due to their design and gear, most of which includes biminis, air-conditioning, refrigerators, miscellaneous electronics and assorted exterior and interior nautical décor. These are not competitive racing boats and, in some cases, they are not even considered to be racer/cruisers, yet their skippers still want to feel the excitement and friendly competitive spirit of a race in which they have a chance to win. As all the boats have PHRF ratings, a reverse handicap race was held with a staggered start. The event is called the Performance Cruiser Racing Fleet (PCRF). Each boat must be at least 30 feet, auxiliarypowered, outfitted as a cruiser, have no amenities or equipment removed and not be a regularly raced boat in the conventional PHRF fleets. Each skipper must be a member of one of the five sailing and yacht clubs on the lake. This event was first introduced at the 2005 Special News & Views for Southern Sailors
Rounding the mark at the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl College Regatta at Lake Lanier, GA. Photo by Martine Zurinskas.
Normally, this regatta, which is celebrating its 70th year of continuous competition since 1935, except for an interruption due to WW II, is held on Lake Ponchartrain, LA, but because of Hurricane Katrina, this was not possible this year. The event is usually held at the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, and collegiate teams from around the country participate. Lake Lanier was selected as an alternate in view of the college Sugar Bowl also being relocated to Atlanta, GA. The sponsor of the regatta was Nokia, and the co-hosts were the Lake Lanier Sailing Club (LLSC), which has always had a strong youth sailing program, and Georgia Tech with a strong sailing program of its own. This event is a junior program and consisted of eight teams from three ICSA (Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association) districts over two days with 32 races. with the Navy taking away all honors, having accumulated 33 points and winning the Nokia Sugar Bowl Regatta title. The weather was ideal with winds between 6 and 15 knots and temperatures hovering around the 50 degree mark adding to the excitement of the regatta challenge. The skippers for the winning Navy teams were Dave Parker (class of ’08) and crew Krysta Anthony (’08) in team A, followed by Charles Fulmer (’05) and crew Andrea Bosch (’08) in team B. Other participants in order of points were Ohio University with 92 points, Christopher University with 111 points, Michigan State with 136 points, Notre Dame with 169 points, Georgia Tech with 174 points, University of Florida with 201 points, and the University of Georgia with 248 points. Thanks go to the Nokia Sugar Bowl committee for its SOUTHWINDS
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REGIONAL RACING continued financial sponsorship of the regatta and its diligent exploration of choosing an alternative venue such as Lake Lanier. The regatta is also grateful for support from the LLSC and Georgia Tech for organizing and administering the race, to Vanguard for supplying the Magic Marine Backpacks as a raffle item and to Martine Zurinskas, director of the LLSC’s junior racing program, who also supplied the information and photos for this article. For more information, go to www.nokiasugarbowl.com. Ron Mitchellette, who wrote this race report, is a member of the Naval Academy’s sailing squadron, winners of the regatta.
and pressure differences. A boat length here and there ended up making the difference in several places in each race. At the end of the regatta, Hal Gilreath and class newcomer Emily Howland edged out former national champion Steve Suddath, and Nancy Gilreath to win the five-race event. George Gibbs and Stephanie Gibbons won a tiebreaker over Don Packard and Merrill Varn for third. Great hosts, great event, great sailing—once again the Snipe class demonstrated its motto of “Serious Sailing, Serious Fun.” Full results at: http://gatorbowl.home.comcast.net/
SOUTHEAST COAST RACE CALENDAR
EAST FLORIDA RACE CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 3 US Sailing Mt. Gay Speaker Series Wrightsville, NC., Carolina Yacht Club, NC., www.sayra-sailing.org. 3–5 South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association Annual Meeting, Wrightsville Beach, NC, www.sayra-sailing.org MARCH 4–5 D12 Intradistrict Laser Southerns, Carolina Yacht Club, Wrightsville Beach, NC., www.sayra-sailing.org. 11 – 12 Deep South Regatta, Lightnings, Savannah Yacht Club, Savannah, GA., www.sayra-sailing.org. 18 – 19 South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association, NP 6, Brunswick, GA., www.saisa.org. 25 – 26 South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association, NP 7 Lake Norman Yacht Club, Charlotte, NC, www.saisa.org.
FEBRUARY — Central East Florida 3-5 7th Annual National Wayfarer Regatta. Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 4-5 2nd Annual Flying Scot Regatta. Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 4-5 Hagar’s Run (distance race on 4th) and Hagar the Horrible Regatta (fun race on 5th) Space Coast Catamaran Assoc. 4 First Saturday Sailing at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran Association. 4 ECSA Winter River Race Series #2. Melbourne Yacht Club 4 First Saturday Sailing at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran Association. 5,19 Spring Series #1,#2. Titusville Sailing Center. 5 Small Boat Sunday Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club. 12 Winter/Spring River Race #1. East Coast Sailing Association-Racing. 13,26 Winter/Spring Series #2,#3. Indian River Yacht Club. 12,26 Spring Rum Race #1,#2. Melbourne Yacht Club. 18-19 36th Annual George Washington Birthday Regatta. Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 20 Small Boat Sunday Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club. 24-27 Catalina 22 Mid-Winters. Sanford (Lake Monroe). 26 Women’s Spring Series #2. East Coast Sailing Association #2. FEBRUARY – Northeast Florida. www.sailjax.com 4,18 Frostbite Series #3, #4. Rudder Club. MARCH – Central East Florida 3-5 2006 Rat Island Yacht Club 2006 Azalea Festival Regatta, Palatka, FL, David Burnham, (305) 325-3032. www.ratisland.com/index/Notice.html. www.flazaleafest.com. 4 First Saturday Sailing at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran Association. 4,19 ECSA Spring River Race #1,#2. Melbourne Yacht Club 5 Winter/Spring #5 Indian River Yacht Club 5,19 Small Boat Sunday Racing, Spring Rum #2,#3 Melbourne Yacht Club 3-6 Calema Windsurfing. Midwinters. Calema Board Surfing, Merritt Island 5-7 Trans Monroe Regatta. Lake Monroe Sailing Association Sanford. 8-9 Zenda U C Scow Clinic by Andy Burdick. Lake Eustis Sailing Club 10-12 1st Annual Melges 17 Midwinter Championship Regatta 10-12 7th Annual C Scow Midwinter Championship Regatta Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 11 Space Coast 45, (beach cat distance race) Space Coast Catamaran Association, www.fleet45.org. 11 East Coast Racing Association Women’s Spring #3 12 Spring Series #2 Titusville Sailing Center 12,26 Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club 14-15 Zenda U MC Scow Clinic by Andy Burdick and Eric Hood Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 16-18 34th Annual MC Scow Midwinter National Regatta Lake Eustis Sailing Club. 16-19 Sunfish Mid-Winters. Melbourne Yacht Club. 18-19 Cruise to Melbourne Harbor for St Pat’s Day. East Coast Sailing Association-Cruising.
EAST FLORIDA February Water Temperature Daytona Beach – 59º Jacksonville Beach – 56º Gulfstream Current – 2.3 knots February Average Temperatures Daytona Beach - 49º lo – 71º hi Jacksonville Beach - 48º lo – 65º hi For Real Time East Florida Weather go to: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Florida.shtml
See page 76 for windrose legend
LOCAL RACE REPORT
Gator Bowl Regatta, Rudder Club, Jacksonville, FL, Dec. 3-4
The Rudder Club and the St. Johns Snipe Fleet hosted the 2006 Gator Bowl Regatta, Dec. 3-4, in Jacksonville. It was a beautiful weekend of sunny, dry and light-air sailing. It’s always nice to sail in shorts and a T-shirt in December. The Snipe fleet returned to the Rudder Club after several years of absence with a robust presence including boats from South Carolina and Maryland. Under the watchful eyes of Race Committee Chairman Dick Allsoop, the Snipes enjoyed five windward-leeward races. The entire fleet enjoyed tight racing as evidenced by several mark roundings with multiple boats overlapped. The light air also proved challenging to discern the shifts 60
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19 Sail a Small Boat Day. Indian River Yacht Club 20 Women’s Spring Series #3. East Coast Sailing Assoc.-Women’s 20 Small Boat Sunday Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club 26 Spring #1. Indian River Yacht Club MARCH – Northeast Florida. www.sailjax.com 4-5 River City Regatta (Saturday: one design; Sunday: one design & cruisers). Jacksonville. 17-19 Orange Peel Regatta. Snipe Class. Jacksonville.
Cacace ; 2-Caraluna Cai Svendsen; 3-Shadowfax Oliver Waite; PHRF31Sailing for Life Karen Mitchell ; 2-Blew BaYou; PHRF41-Leprechan; 2Just Chillin; 3-St Clair Richard Hall; J24 ; 1-I’ll Go Gonzalo Diaz Sr; 2 Joe Cool Lionel Baugh; 3 – Gotta Go Pete Benzinger.
BBYRA 2005 Series Trophy Presentation, Jan. 6 By Art Perez
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA February Water Temperature Miami Beach – 73º Stuart – 66º Gulfstream Current – 2.4 knots February Average Temperatures – Miami Beach – 63º lo – 73º hi Stuart – 55º lo – 75º hi For Real Time East Florida Weather go to: See page 76 www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Florida.shtml for windrose legend
RACE REPORT
BBYRA#9 and #10, Miami, FL, Dec. 18 By Art Perez “Postponed” was the most heard word in the second half of the year on Biscayne Bay. It seemed just when things were getting back to normal, another hurricane would come by or threaten South Florida, causing havoc among boat owners and race organizers. Finally, with hurricane season over (but not forgotten), the BBYRA scrambled to get off two more regattas in order to be able to complete the second part of the year’s competition (Series 2). To accomplish this feat, the organizers scheduled two races in one day and hence regatta #9 and #10 were sailed. The first was hosted by CGSC and the second by CRYC. As these were annual regattas, the race was open to non-BBYRA members as well, and a good thing at that, since a portion of the regular racing fleet had succumbed to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. Mother Nature was nonetheless unforgiving once again as winds were light to non-existent and the bay choppy. Between races the fleet had to endure close to a two-hour delay waiting for the wind to materialize. Finally after a 30degree shift, a light five-knot breeze set in, which all but disappeared after the starting gun went off. The fleet arrived back at the dock as the sun was setting—tired, sun-beaten, thirsty and glad that the 2005 season was finally over. The festivities at CRYC proved to be the highlight of the day—lasting way into the night…
The 2005 Series Trophy presentation took place at the Miami Yacht Club with the usual splendor and camaraderie. In spite of the year’s disastrous second half amidst cancellation after cancellation of the scheduled races due to Hurricane’s Katrina and Wilma, the BBYRA and its affiliated clubs managed to squeeze in the four remaining races of the second half with some creative scheduling. Unfortunately, participation was scarce in the PHRF 2 fleet where hurricane-damaged 50 percent of the fleet. The rest of the fleets suffered attrition to one extent or other. With the results in hand and the registration period over, trophies were handed out with well wishes from all on a very interesting year to say the least and with hopes that the 2006 season will be more forgiving. RESULTS: PHRF1; 1st Pl – Triptease/Rubin-Shellow; 2nd Pl – Moving Party 4/Mike Catalano; 3rd Pl – Concept Vs Reality/Steven Alexander; PHRF2; 1st Pl – Blackbird/Pat Cacace ; 2nd Pl – Goombay/Dave Kurtz; 3rd Pl – Hot Air III/David Berg; PHRF3; 1st Pl - Mild to Wild/Russ Horn; 2nd Pl – Magic/John Degan; 3rd Pl – Sailing for Life/Karen Mitchell; PHRF4; 1st Pl – Pale Rider/Gerry Marston; 2nd Pl – St Clair/Richard Hall; 3rd Pl – Special Warfare/Stuart Sorg; J24; 1st Pl – Gotta Go/Pete Benzinger; 2nd Pl – I’ll Go/Gonzalo Diaz Sr; 3rd Pl – Joe Cool/ Lionel Baugh.
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACE CALENDAR FEBRUARY 1-4 Etchells Jaguar Mid Winter Regatta.Host: BBYC – 17th annual event . This is the last of a four-regatta series part of the Jaguar Cup 2-5 Women NA Keelboat Championship. Host: US SAILING Center 2-5 49er NA Championship. Host: US SAILING Center 5 BBYRA PHRF #2. Host: MYC – Second race of Series 1 for PHRF boats. 4-5 Comodoro Rasco Snipe Regatta. Host: CGSC – The 37th annual two-day snipe regatta.
RESULTS: BBYRA#9:PHRF1; 1-Thin Ice Stu Hebbs; 2-Triptease RubinShellow; 3-Dutch Treat; PHRF2; 1-Blackbird Pat Cacace ; 2-Shadowfax Oliver Waite; 3-Hot Air III David Berg; PHRF3; 1-Sailing for Life Karen Mitchell ; 2-Blew BaYou; PHRF4; 1-Leprechan; 2 -JustChillin; 3-St Clair Richard Hall; J24; 1-Gotta Go Pete Benzinger; 2-I’ll Go Gonzalo Diaz Sr; 3-Blah Blah Blah. BBYRA#10: PHRF1; 1-Thin Ice Stu Hebbs; 2-Primal Scream; 3-Moving Party 4 Mike Catalano; PHRF2; 1-Blackbird Pat News & Views for Southern Sailors
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REGIONAL RACING 12
BBYRA One Design #2. Host: BBYC - Second race of Series 1 for One Design boats. 11-12 Star Masters Regatta. Host: CRYC – The 22nd annual twoday regatta for Stars. 11-15 73rd Annual Miami to Nassau Race Week. Host: MYC 18 J24 Spring 2 Regatta. Host: Flat Earth Racing. 25 Miami Yacht Club Annual Regatta/BBYRA One-Design #3.Host: MYC - Third race of Series 1 for One-Design boats. 26 Miami Yacht Racing Annual Regatta/BBYRA PHRF #3.Host: MYC - Third race of Series 1 for One-Design boats. MARCH 2-5 Shake A Leg Midwinters. 4 KBYC “Round the Island” Race. KBYC (Rescheduled from Nov. 12/05) 5 J/24 Spring #3 (Flat Earth Racing). Flat Earth Racing – Third race of twelve for J24 class. 5-10 Stars Bacardi Cup. CRYC - 79th annual three-day regatta for Star class. 9-12 Miami Race Week – Ocean Racing. Premiere Racing 10-12 Miami Race Week – Bay Racing. Premiere Racing 14-15 Lightning Mid Winters. CRYC – 48th annual two-day regatta for Lightning 25 BBYRA PHRF#4. CGSC – Fourth race of the Series 1 for PHRF class. 26 BBYRA One-Design #4. BBYC – Fourth race of the Series 1 for One-Design class. 31-2 Don Q Rum Keg Snipe Regatta. CGSC – 40th annual S.C.I.R.A. sanction regatta. Legend for Yacht Clubs and Organizations BBYRA Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association. www.bbyra.net BBYC Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. www.bbyra.net CGSC Coconut Grove Sailing Club. www.cgsc.org CRYC Coral Reef Yacht Club. www.coralreefyachtclub.org KBYC Key Biscayne Yacht Club. www.kbyc.org. MYC Miami Yacht Club. www.miamiyachtclub.net.
Great sailing, prizes, video of the racing action and parties. www.schoonerwharf.com. 5 Key West Sailing Club. Small boat winter racing in the seaplane basin. 1:30 start. All small sailboats welcome! 20 Key West Sailing Club. Smith Shoals Race and third race in the Commodore Series. 26 Schooner Wharf Wreckers Cup Regatta. Key West. Captain’s meeting 7:00 p,m,, February 25, at Schooner Wharf. www.schoonerwharf.com. MARCH 5 Key West Sailing Club. Small boat winter racing in the seaplane basin. 1:30 start. 19 Key West Sailing Club. Big boat Larry Hills Memorial Race & fourth race in Commodore series. 26 Schooner Wharf Wreckers Cup Regatta. Key West. Captain’s Meeting 7:0 p.m., March 25, at Schooner Wharf. www.schoonerwharf.com. Upper Keys Sailing Club www.upperkeyssailingclub.com FEBRUARY 4 Flail and Sail, Golf Tourney 5 Flail and Sail PHRF Regatta 11 Mystery Mark Regatta 12 Oceanside Championship Regatta #5 18 Commodore’s Regatta B/S Portsmouth 19 Commodore’s Regatta B/S PHRF 23-25 Force 5 Regatta 25 Raft Up #6 MARCH 4 Ladies Sailing Program 5 Oceanside Championship, Final Regatta 11 Early Spring Portsmouth Regatta 12 Marlin Cup 18-19 Glander Cup
WEST FLORIDA February Gulf Water Temperature St. Petersburg – 64º Naples – 66º February Average Temperatures St. Petersburg 55º lo – 71º hi Naples 54º lo – 76º hi For real time eastern Gulf weather, winds and marine forecasts, go to http://comps.marine.usf.edu.
FLORIDA KEYS February Water Temperature Key West – 70º February Average Temperatures Key West 66º lo –76º hi For real-time eastern Gulf weather, winds and marine forecasts, go to http://comps.marine.usf.edu
WEST FLORIDA RACE CALENDAR See page 76 for windrose legend
Key West Sailing Club. Every Saturday – Open House at the Key West Sailing Club. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (305) 2925993. www.keywestsailingclub.org. Sailboat Lane off Palm Avenue in Key West. Casual racing/sailing on the weekends during winter months after October till spring. Come by the club to sail. Non-members and members welcome.
KEYS RACE CALENDAR FEBRUARY 26 Schooner Wharf Wreckers Cup Regatta. Key West. Captain’s meeting 7 p.m., Feb. 25, at Schooner Wharf. 62
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See page 76 for windrose legend
On-ine West Florida Race Calendar Go to editor@southwindsmagazine.com to view the annual on-line race calendar on the Southwinds Web site with links to clubs and information and changes to schedules. To have your race listed, or changes in your race schedule, e-mail the information to the editor, Steve Morrell, at editor@southwindsmagazine.com. The West Florida list of yacht clubs and sailing organizations is also on line. CLUB RACING Bradenton YC. Sunday Afternoon Races at 12:30 p.m. October till beginning of Daylight Savings. PHRF racing on Manatee River. For info call Larry Lecuyer, (941) 729-5401. Venice Sailing Squadron. Saturdays. First Saturday of each www.southwindsmagazine.com
month, PHRF racing. Start at mouth of Venice Inlet. www.venice-sailing-squadron.org Edison Sailing Center, Fort. Myers. Sunfish and dinghy racing once a month, year-round john@johnkremski.com Port Charlotte. Third Saturday of month, year-round. pbgvtrax@aol.com Boat of the Year Races (BOTY): Southwest Boat of the Year (SWBOTY), Charlotte Harbor Boat of the Year (CHBOTY), Sarasota (SBOTY), Suncoast Boat of the Year (SBOTY) FEBRUARY 4 St. Petersburg YC and Davis Island YC. J-24 Meet in the Middle Regatta. 3-5 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. National Wayfarer Regatta. 4-5 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. Flying Scot Regatta. 4-8 St. Petersburg YC. International Optimist Dinghy Clinic. 10-12 St. Petersburg YC. Valentine’s Day Regatta, Opti, 420. 10-12 Isla Del Sol YC. 505 Midwinter Championship. 11 Sarasota Bay Yachting Association/Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Cherry Pie Race. (SBBOTY) 11-12 Tampa Sailing Squadron. Gasparilla, PHRF. 11-12 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Edison Gulf, PHRF. (SWFBOTY) 14-16 St. Petersburg YC. Olsen 30 & Sonar Midwinter Championship. 17-19 St. Petersburg YC., SAILING WORLD NOOD (National Offshore One Design). 17-21 Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show, Miamarina. www.sailamerica.com. 17-19 Clearwater Yacht Club. Laser Master Midwinters. 18-19 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. George Washington Birthday Regatta. All-class, dinghies, Cats, Windsurfers. 21-25 Davis Island YC. J-24 Midwinters. 23-26 Clearwater Yacht Club. Laser Midwinters East. 25-26 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Windsurfing regatta. 26-Mar 3 St. Petersburg YC. Thistle Midwinters. MARCH 3-5 Davis Island YC. Fireball Midwinters. 4-5 Punta Gorda SC. Conquistador Cup, PHRF. (SWFBOTY) (CHBOTY) 4 St. Pete Sailing Assoc.Rich Gahn Memorial Race, PHRF. 5 Bradenton YC, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Manatee SA, Sarasota Bay Yachting Association. Tampa Bay Pursuit Race. PHRF reverse handicap. 5 St. Pete Sailing Assoc. Women’s, PHRF. 5 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Pot of Gold Race. 5-10 St. Petersburg YC. Flying Scot Midwinters. 10-12 Davis Island YC. Sunfish International Masters Championship 11 Pass-A-Grille YC. Anchor Cup, PHRF. (SBOTY) 11 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Shrimp Race, PHRF. 9-12 Acura SORC. Miami area. www.premiere-racing.com. 8-9 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. C-Scow Clinic. 10-12 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. C-Scow Midwinters. 10-12 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. Melges 17 Midwinters. 13-14 Clearwater Yacht Club. Snipe Midwinter Championship. 14-15 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. MC Scow Clinic. 16-18 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. MC Scow Midwinters. 17- 19 St. Petersburg YC. Lightning Midwinter Championship. 18-19 Marco Island YC. Spring Regatta, PHRF. (SWFBOTY) 18 Treasure Island Tennis and YC. Michelob Cup, PHRF. (SBOTY) 18-19 Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. St. Patty’s Day Regatta. 23-26 St. Petersburg YC. Disabled/Open Midwinters, Sonar, 2.4 Meter, Martin 16. 24-26 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. One-Design Regatta, dinghies and small keelboats. 31 Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Sarasota YC Feeder Race to Venice, PHRF. 30-Apr 2 St. Petersburg YC. Rolex Women’s Match Racing Invitational. News & Views for Southern Sailors
NORTHERN GULF COAST RACING: FLORIDA PANHANDLE, ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA, TEXAS Water Temperature – 58º Average Temperatures Pensacola, FL 45º lo – 64º hi Gulfport, MS 45º lo – 64º hi For Northern Gulf Weather go to: www.csc.noaa.gov/coos/
NEWS
See page 76 for windrose legend
Gulf Yachting Association Winter Meeting, Mobile, AL, Jan. 7-8 By Kim Kaminski On January 7-8, the Gulf Yachting Association held its annual winter meeting in Mobile, AL. Each year, the GYA holds this meeting to make decisions on sailing and racing in the area and discusses executive committee meetings, race management, offshore council, one-design council, US SAILING championship committee, trophy committee and the schedule committee for the 33 member clubs to plan for the upcoming year. Awards are also presented for the previous year’s winners of the various facets of the organization. A new committee this year is the Disaster Recovery Committee, which will be chaired by Cal Jones, past commodore of the GYA. Updates on the status of the 33 member yacht clubs can be found on the GYA Web site. This is especially important after the destructive storm season. It offers the membership the opportunity to monitor the progress of the reconstruction effort in full force along the Gulf Coast. Along with the recovery effort, the GYA Yachting Foundation, which was established to help support sailing along the Gulf Coast and among its members (with a primary emphasis on the junior sailors), decided to dedicate any funds received by Katrina toward the reconstruction effort. These funds will be used to restore and replace sailing equipment for the 15 yacht clubs that received serious damage. Another item on the meeting docket will be the US SAILING, Mount Gay-sponsored speakers series with noted author David Dellenbaugh (author of the newsletter Speed Smarts) and his series on “Racing Tactics.” For more information, go to www.gya.org.
LOCAL RACE REPORT
We’re BAAAACK Regatta, Navy Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL, Dec. 3 By Kim Kaminski The 2005 racing season came to a close on Saturday, December 3, for the members of the Navy Yacht Club of Pensacola with the “We’re BAAAACK” Regatta. SOUTHWINDS
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REGIONAL RACING
Navy Yacht Club members Adron Joyner, Sharon Silk, Richard Smith and Brian Silk were all smiles after competing for the first time all year in the We’re Baaack Regatta at the Navy Yacht Club. This team on Big Easy won the Non-Spinnaker Award for their efforts. Photo by Kim Kaminski.
Hurricanes from the past two seasons have played havoc with the Navy’s Commodore’s Cup racing series earlier in the year, plus the loss of their clubhouse facilities due to these storms didn’t help their efforts in sponsoring their usual PHRF races out on Pensacola Bay. The only PHRF race the Navy Yacht Club had managed to hold all year was the successful Bikini Regatta in July. The other Navy races held during 2005 were in one-design boats such as Sunfish, Lasers and Hunter 17s. It was the Navy Yacht Club’s members’ hope to hold at least one more PHRF race during the remainder of the year. Now, with their clubhouse facilities’ repair work progressing and the Bayou Grande Marina complex new docks nearing completion, they decided to let the northern Gulf Coast sailors know that “We’re BAAAACK”. For those who showed up to race and enjoy the postrace activities, it was a pretty good day. Although only four boats (one non-spinnaker and three spinnakers) registered to compete in the race, things went off without a hitch. The Big Easy, skippered by Adron Joyner, won the NonSpinnaker class, and Dan Owczarczak, aboard The Polish Navy, took the honors in the Spinnaker class. A special thanks to the participants from the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club who made the special effort to come across the bay and race during this special event. Hopefully, the 2006 racing season will be a bright and successful one as sailors find all of their storm hurdles behind them as they look forward to the finalized plans for next year’s racing schedule. If all goes well, the marina will be back in full swing with the latest state of the art dock slips, along with a functioning pump-out station. It has been over a year and a half since Hurricane Ivan swept into the area, but things are slowly coming back, and the Navy Yacht Club wanted to celebrate this effort with its last PHRF race of the 2005 season.
Results: Spinnaker (10-mile course): 1 – Polish Navy – Dan Owczarczak, 1:08:46; 2 – Phaedra – Bob Patroni, 1:09:15; 3 – Rumaground – Linda Thompson, 1:14:40: Non-Spinnaker (5 miles): 1 – Big Easy – Adron Joyner, 49:33.
NORTHERN GULF RACE CALENDAR
2006 Kick-Off Party for the Leukemia Cup at Pensacola Yacht Club, Feb. 3 By Kim Kaminski There will be a kick-off party on Feb. 3 for the Leukemia Cup Regatta, March 17-19, at the Pensacola Yacht Club 64
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See NORTHERN GULF COAST SAILING continued on page 75 www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
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News & Views for Southern Sailors
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REGIONAL SAILING
Sailing Services Directory starts as low as $10 a month.
BOAT LETTERING
YOGA SAILING CHARTERS (305) 989-7181 Enjoy a Magical week of Yoga & Adventure Sailing in the Bahamas or Belize Oct. 05 or Jan & May 06 www.dutchlove.com
CAPTAIN SERVICES CAPT. KEVIN MURPHY . . .(340) 277-1026 USCG Licensed Master, Deliveries, Instruction murfdesurf@hotmail.com TOPSAIL SERVICES Delvieries • Consulting Power • Sail USCG Licensed Master • Unlimited Tonnage Don Charland (910) 279-6315 doncharland@aol.com
CANVAS & CUSHION SERVICES SCUBA CLEAN See ad in Underwater Services
COMMUNICATIONS
CHARTERS
DOCKSIDE RADIO www.docksideradio.com Pactor II/III Modem Sales & Support; FCC Marine Radio License filing; SailMail WinLink Installation & Training . . . . .(941) 661-4498
MAHINA LA SAILING . . . . .(941) 713-8000 MacGregor 65 * Two hours to two weeks South Tampa Bay Area in Cortez Daily Sunset Cruises or Sail to the Keys www.floridasailingtrips.com
ADVERTISE HERE FOR $38
CUSTOM BOAT SERVICES & REPAIRS ELLIE’S SAILING SHOP . . . . . . . . .Clearwater Lifelines, rigging, hardware, repairs Serving small boat sailors Since 1958 Sunfish Boats and Parts . . . . .(727) 442-3281 ________________________________________ GLASTECH YACHTS . . . . . .(727) 544-5512 Full Service Marine Yard & Mobile Service Power & Sail • Serving West Florida www.glastech34trawler.com ________________________________________ 3-line ads for $10 a month. 4-line ads for $12 a month. editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704 ________________________________________
Why Advertise in
FISHING GUIDES FL KEYS BACKCOUNTRY TRIPS With Pro Guide Capt. “BR” Exploring, Sportfishing, Birding (305) 304-2258 www.keywestsportfish.com
MARINE DIESEL SERVICE INLAND MARINE DIESEL . . . . . . . . .Atlanta Service/Parts for all makes of diesel auxiliary New Engine Sales–Universal, Beta, Yanmar, and Westerbeke . . . . . . . . ..(404) 513-4414
MARINE SURVEYING TAYLOR MARINE SURVEYING & CONSULTING, LLC Specializing in Sailing Vessels (813) 625-0448 www.taylormarinesurveying.com
Advertise your services here starting at $20 a month editor@ southwindsmagazine.com RIGGING SERVICES (941) 795-8704
SOUTHWINDS?
■ To increase sales. ■ To reach every sailor in the Southern sailing community. ■ To take advantage of the country’s most cost-effective advertising rates.
SOUTHWINDS is delivered to over 500 locations in 8 Southern states — yacht clubs and sailing associations, marinas, marine suppliers, sail lofts, yacht brokers, and other sailing-related businesses — as well as delivered to every state (and the Virgin Islands) through subscriptions. 68
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SERVICES DIRECTORY Call (941) 795-8704 or e-mail editor@southwindsmagazine.com YACHTING VACATIONS Punta Gorda, FL Sailboat Charters 22’-48’ ASA instruction Live-aboard/non-live-aboard www.yachtingvacations.com (800) 447-0080
PORPOISE SAILING SERVICES – Sarasota
*New/Used Sails * New Custom Sails Roller Furling Systems & Packages
(800) 507-0119 www.porpoisesailing.com Scuba Clean Yacht Service See ad in Underwater Services
RIGGING SERVICES
Bay Rigging TAMPA’S MOBILE RIGGING SERVICE Yacht Rigging • Furlers • Lifelines
Cell (727) 215-0704 www.bayrigging.com
SEA TIME SAILING SCHOOL . . . .Miami, FL Offshore trips/Sailing courses www.seatimesailing.com . . . .(954) 636-9726
SAILMAKING, REPAIRING & CLEANING ADVANCED SAILS . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245 Quality Cruising Sails & Service Closest Sailmaker to St. Petersburg Marinas Keith Donaldson . . . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245
SSMR. INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .727-823-4800 Complete Rigging Services On-Site Swaging & Splicing Commissioning Services On Salt Creek at Salt Creek Boat Works Fax 727-823-3270 . . . . . . . . . .St. Petersburg
UNDERWATER SERVICES
Scuba Clean Yacht Service • Underwater Services • Canvas Shop • Sail Cleaning & Repair • Detailing Serving Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Pasco & Manatee Counties.
SAILING INSTRUCTION ADVENTURE CRUISING & SAILING SCHOOL A sailing school for Women and Couples • ASA • West Florida and Chesapeake www.acss.bz . . . . . . . . . . . . .(727) 204-8850
(727) 327-2628
MASTHEAD USED SAIL . . .(800) 783-6953 www.mastheadsailinggear.com Largest Inventory in the South (727) 327-5361
Additionally, 10,000 readers view SOUTHWINDS on the Internet each month. Every issue is available on our Web site www.southwindsmagazine.com. Opportunities for Advertisers ■ Display ads throughout the magazine ■ Classified display ads in the classifieds section ■ Our new, developing regional service directories for local services. CONTACT OUR SALES REPRESENTATIVES TODAY Steve Morrell Publisher editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704 David Curry Advertising davidcurry@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 761-0048 Gary Hufford Advertising gary@southwindsmagazine.com (727) 585-2814 News & Views for Southern Sailors
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C L A S S I F I E D
A D S
CLASSIFIED ADS — 3 Months for $25 Place your ad early on the Internet for $10 • Classified ads with text only for boats are $25 for a three-month ad for up to 30 words. $50 for ad with horizontal photo ($65 if vertical photo). Check or Credit cards accepted. Must be for sale by owner – no business ads. Boats wanted ads included. • Free ads for boats under $500 (sail and dinghies only), all gear under $500, and windsurfing equipment. For sale by owner ads only. • All other ads (including business ads) are $20 a month for up to 20 words, add $5 a month for each additional 10 words. $10 a month for a horizontal photo. Frequency discounts available. Contact editor. • All ads go on the SOUTHWINDS Web site. For a one-time $10 fee, we will place your ad on the Internet before going to press on the next issue. • No Refunds • The last month your ad runs will be in parentheses, e.g., (10/06) is October, 2006.
BOATS & DINGHIES ___________________________ Bauer 10. Everything new. Sprit-rigged. Tan Bark Sail. Sunbrella fitted cover. Galv. Trailer. Spruce mast and oars. Liner with flotation. Bauer yacht finish. $2900. Sarasota. (941) 349-3102 (2/06)
Catalina Capri 23.5 Sport Boat 1998. Carbon sprit . asymmetrical spinnaker. Lift bulb keel. Roller furling jib. New sheets. 6 sails. Dry sailed. Custom trailer. Outboard. Atlanta. $18,900. (404) 723-0686. (4/06)
$50 for 3 months for Ad & Photo 941-795-8704 ALL CLASSIFIED ADS DISPLAYED ON WEB SITE www.southwindsmagazine.com 70
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• Ad must be received by the 10th of the month. TO PLACE AN AD: 1. On the Internet www.southwindsmagazine.com This applies only to the $25 and $50 ads above with and without photo. Pay with Paypal and put your ad in the subject line. If a photo, then e-mail to editor@southwindsmagazine.com as a separate jpeg attachment. 2. Via E-mail and Credit Card. E-mail your ad to editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Text can be put in the e-mail. Send photos as a separate jpeg attachment to the e-mail. Pay by mail (see below) or credit card. You can call us with a credit card number. Give us the credit card number, expiration, billing address and name on card. Call (941) 795-8704. 3. Mail your ad in. Mail to SOUTHWINDS, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175. Send a check or credit card number with information as listed in #2
above. Mail the photo in (35mm best). If you want the photo back, enclose a SASE. Add $5 for a typing charge. 4. Telephone or fax your ad in. Call (941) 7958704 and give us your ad over the phone. There is an additional $5 typing charge. If you have a photo, you can mail it in. We can take your credit card number, or you can mail a check. Fax: (941) 795-8705. 5. Do a combination of the above. E-mail, call in or send the ad text in via Paypal on our Web site. Email the photo directly to the editor. If you don’t have a scanner, mail the photo to us separately. Call the editor at (941) 795-8704 with any questions. 6. We will pick up your ad. Send the editor a check for air flight, car rental, hotel, travel, eating and entertainment expenses, and he will come to your location and pick up the ad. Any ads to be picked up on tropical islands or other resort destinations will be free.
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDS
Advertise your business in a display ad in the classifieds section. Sold by the column inch. 2 inch minimum. (3 column inches is 1/8 page) MONTHLY COST ADS PER INCH
12 6 3 1
$19 $22 $25 $29
MINIMUM INCHES
TOTAL COST
2" 2" 2" 2"
$38 $44 $50 $58
___________________________ Cape Dory 25, 1982. Excellent condition, sleeps 4, standing headroom, Yanmar deisel, bimini, many upgrades including sail covers, sails, roller furling genoa, VHF, compass, toilet. 6 opening ports, Bimini and Dodger. $14,500. mayras1957@aol.com. (305) 6100988. (4/06)
CATALINA 30. 1989. Wing Keel. New Canvas, Full enclosure. AC, custom teak doors. Garmin 182 Chart plotter, Loran, VHF, Auto-pilot, AMFM Stereo CD, refrigerator, extra freshwater tank. New bottom paint September 2004. A very clean boat, carefully maintained. $37,500. Call (727) 421-3014. (2/06)
1983 Hunter 30. Tall Rig, 4’ draft, Yanmar 850hrs, roller furling, sails and rigging 2002, Mech Vang, Inverter w/Microwave, Autopilot, GPS. Race, Daysail or Cruise. Xlnt condition. $17,400. (727) 856-6999. (3/06) 1990 30’ Catalina 30, std rig, fin keel 5’3”, roller furling, bimini, cushions, instruments, Excellent condition. Reasonably and practically priced at $32,900. (727) 207-0717 or e-mail: galileo430@comcast.net (2/06) www.southwindsmagazine.com
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1967 Morgan 34 sloop, bronze centerboard, 4-foot draft, wheel steering, cruise-equipped (liveaboard), gps, auto-pilot, 3 solar panels, Atomic 4 gas engine, 60 gallons water, much more. $14,500/best offer. (239) 462-5004 (3/06)
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FREE-New Hunter 33 or 36. SailTime will pay mortgage and all expenses for 5 years – you put 20% down–own 100%.1-866-Sailtime. 34-5 Hunter 1986. Auto pilot, shoal draft, 30 hp Yanmar, solid stainless steel rail, custom teak swim platform, new portals, etc.
34-5 Hunter 1986. Auto pilot, shoal draft, 30 hp Yanmar, solid stainless steel rail, custom teak swim platform, new portals, etc. Moving must sell $29,500. (239) 910-3595. (4/06)
32 Gulf Pilothouse, complete refit all new 2005- standing running rigging, performance sails, wiring, circuit breakers panel, water heater, holding/macerator, fuel tanks, 12v/110 standing fridge freezer, propane cooktop infared broiling, 3 batteries autocharger, 17000btu heat/air, bimini $49,600 sailsetc@ilnk.com (904) 810-1966. (2/06)
33’ Glander Tavana 1985 center board mast head sloop. Newly painted bottom, hull, topsides and non-skid. New rub rail, teak hatches. New jib sail. 30 HP Vetus diesel. Great Florida and Bahamas boat, draws 3’ board up. A no- nonsense boat offered below market at $15,900/best offer. Needs TLC. Call Major Carter (941) 792-9100.
36’ Islander Freeport B-Plan raised saloon cruiser, Cruise-ready with all the extras. A take you anywhere boat. Newly rebuilt diesel, full electronics and all the extras. $69,900 See www.islanderfreeport.com, e-mail islanderfreeport@pobox.com, (727) 864-9048 (3/06)
Beneteau First 405, French-built 1987. Perkins 4-108, rig & keelbolts rebuilt & upgraded 1998. Rudder bearings & interior refit 2001, Awlgrip renewed 2005. Prop shaft, coupling and bearing new 2004. Phazor 6 kw gen, hro 9, watermaker, Autohelm nav. System, Inmarsat, 5000 btu AC. etc., etc. Santana is a proven vessel for offshore and living aboard, a joy to sail and takes good care of her crew. $115,000 (904) 460-0501 or yachtsantana@aol.com. (3/06)
1987 Catalina 36 TM Extensive Equipment List. Cosmetic “Katrina” Damage. This is a “Must See. $37,500. (228) 326-2694 for info. (4/06) IRWIN 37, Key West slip. New mainsail and cockpit cover, 14 ports, dinghy, outboard, refrigeration, freshwater pump, A/C, hot water heater, 6 batteries with cabling, bottom paint, solar panel, etc. Call Capt. Dave (305) 240-0303, e-mail eastwood@pocketmail.com. No hurricane damage. $105K. (3/06)
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1993 Gemini 3400 catamaran 14‚ beam 18, board up 5‚ board down. In Sarasota. Cruiseready, air, solar, davits, contact Alan (970) 690-3758 or alanm@frii.com for inventory list. Asking $79,000. (2/06) News & Views for Southern Sailors
DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS STARTING AT $38/MONTH SOUTHWINDS
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45’ 6” LOA Bayfield 40, Hull # 34 Full keel 5’ draft, cutter ketch designed by H.T.Gozzard built in 1984 Exceptional condition with lots of new gear. Harken Roller furling on all sails. Marine Air, WS, WD, Depth,VHF w/remote, SSB, CD/Radio, Autopilot, Chartplotter, Radar, Dinghy, Life Raft $114,000 Call Major Carter or visit www.Cortezyachts.com (3/06)
BOOKS & CHARTS ___________________________ Ocean Routing – Jenifer Clark’s Gulf Stream Boat Routing/Ocean Charts by the “best in the business.” (301) 952-0930, fax (301) 5740289 or www.erols.com/gulfstrm
BUSINESS/INVESTMENT ___________________________ Sailtime.com is looking for base operators on the Florida coast. This may suit existing marine business owners who wish to add an additional income stream. Sailtime is a unique business model that requires minimal capital and no staff. Tel. (813) 817-0104 or jtwomey@sailtime.com.
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1984 LANCER 45 CC Sloop with 85 HP Perkins, 3 staterooms, 2 heads, walkthru to aft cabin w/ centerline bed. Marine air. Roller furling main and jib. Depth and wind instruments at the helm. CPT autopilot, Furuno CRT radar, GPS, VHF, stereo CD, TV , full galley, electric windlass, dodger, 11’ Alliance RIB w/OB. www.cortezyachts.com. A great liveaboard or cruiser. $84,000 (941) 792-9100
2” DISPLAY ADS STARTING AT $38 A MONTH
Licensed contractor with experience in highend residential work, both new and remodeling, seeks to qualify a builder as an active, advising, part-time, non-working partner. I am a very responsible, honest experienced builder with excellent qualifications seeking the same to work on projects in residential work. Only very quality-oriented and responsible builders/carpenters need contact me who are in the Manatee/Sarasota counties area. I also am only interested in enjoyable, interesting work — not the rat race. Craig100@tampabay.rr.com.
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FREE – New Hunter 33 or 36. SailTime will pay mortgage and all expenses for 5 years – you put 20% down and own 100%. Call 1-866-Sailtime.
CREW AVAILABLE/WANTED ___________________________ Visit SOUTHWINDS “NEW” boat and crew listing service at southwindssailing.com
editor@southwindsmagazine.com
or
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ALL CLASSIFIEDS ON WEB SITE:
www.southwindsmagazine.com
DELIVERY SERVICES ___________________________ DELIVERIES. ICW, Coastal, Caribbean & Gulf, Sail or Power, by USCG Licensed Captain with 30 Years professional experience Including two transAtlantic deliveries. (443) 243-4925 or www.marylandsailing.com (2/06)
HELP WANTED ___________________________ Articles & race reports in the Carolinas and Georgia. editor@southwindsmagazine.com.
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Sailor Wanted. Turn your hobby into extra cash. Travel the Florida coast making sales calls on retail customers for major marine rope manufacturer. Detail-oriented merchandising experience. E-mail resume and questions to amoffice@amconet.com.
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Sailing Club Manager opportunity with private club featuring tennis, pool, summer camp and active dinghy racing. A mature person with mechanical skills a plus. Housing provided. Send financial compensation requirements to: GM Search, 30 Yacht Club Drive, Beaufort, SC 29907. Edwards Yacht Sales is expanding! Yacht brokers needed to sell sailboats on either coast. Will train! Excellent commissions, group health insurance, bonus plan. Contact Roy Edwards at (727) 725-1600, www.EdwardsYachtSales.com
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Service Dept. Rigger. Massey Yacht Sales is accepting applications and resumes for sail and/or powerboat riggers/outfitters. Many employee benefits including paid holidays, paid vacations, health insurance, workmen’s comp insurance, performance bonuses, and good hourly salary. Must be hardworking, honest, have own tools and be a team player. Excellent service www.southwindsmagazine.com
C L A S S I F I E D department support and organization. Call Alice Winter, ext. 10, service dept. mgr. at (941) 7231949, or fax resume to (941) 729-7520.
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Writers, Reporters, Articles Photos Wanted. SOUTHWINDS is looking for articles on boating, racing, sailing in the southern waters in all regions, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. We are also looking for other articles on the following subjects: marinas, anchorages, mooring fields disappearing marinas and boatyards, marinas and boatyards sold for condos, anchoring rights, sailing human interest stories, boat reviews, charter stories, waste disposal— and more. Photos are wanted on all these subjects, plus we want cover photos (pay $65 for cover photos) of both race and non-race subjects, but about sailing. Cover photos must be very high resolution and vertical format.
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Massey Yacht Sales Positions – Sail and/or power yacht sales positions available in the Massey St. Petersburg and Palmetto dealership offices. Best marina dealership locations, excellent sales, marketing and service dept. support. We are new yacht dealers for Catalina, Hunter and Albin plus offer a large inventory of brokerage sail and powerboats. Applicants must be computer literate, have successful yacht sales history, good knowledge of yachts and builders, be a team player, motivated and hard working. Best yacht sales income potential on Florida west coast. Call Massey General Sales Manager Frank Hamilton at (941) 723-1610 or fax resume to (941) 729-7520.
MISCELLANEOUS BOAT GEAR NEW & USED ___________________________ Wanted Mast for Hughes Northstar 500 (25foot sailboat). (251) 476-4061. (2/06)
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AC/DC Reefer, 22# Bruce Anchor, Anchor Ball, Sospenders, Magma Grills, Mariner 9.9 Mercury Long Shaft 7.5 HP, folding bikes, windsurfers, Metzeler sailing rig, windscoop, Drogues, lifesling, Type I life jackets w/strobe. Nautical Trader. (941) 488-0766.
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Anchors – 40 lb 3-piece storm - $250. 20 lb CQR - $150. 15 lb CQR - $100. (941) 9536240.
Tiralo floating deck chair - a beach chair that floats in water and rolls easily on the sand. Looks great. Folds and fits on your boat or inside your car. More info: www.tiralousa.com. Outboard Motor. 2002 Yamaha 15HP, 4cycle, manual start, great condition, less than 40 hrs use. $1,200 (727) 544-1833. (1/06)
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Bimini top, canvas and frame complete. From BOSTON WHALER. Originally $700. Usable on any craft with 87” beam. Navy. Like new. $400. Pick up only. Lake Lanier, Gainesville, GA. Chris @ 770 536 4628, or cwnlanier1@aol.com.
INSURANCE ___________________________
LODGING FOR SAILORS ___________________________ Ponce de Leon Hotel Historic downtown hotel at the bay, across from St. Petersburg YC. 95 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 550-9300 FAX (727) 896-2287 www.poncedeleon hotel.com
See Classified Info pg 70
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS
February 2006
73
C L A S S I F I E D MISCELLANEOUS BOAT GEAR NEW & USED ___________________________
A D S
SAILS & CANVAS ___________________________
CONTINUED
SAILING INSTRUCTION __________________________ WINDSURFING GEAR __________________________ Wanted: Used Prodigy (standard or race), other boards, miscellaneous windsurfing equipment. Steve (941) 795-8704, editor@southwindsmagazine.co
See Classified Info pg 70 74
February 2006
SOUTHWINDS
ALL CLASSIFIEDS ON WEB SITE www.southwindsmagazine.com www.southwindsmagazine.com
NORTHERN GULF COAST RACING continued from page 64 (PYC). During the kick-off party, fundraising ideas, information packets and registration materials will be available for the regatta, which will help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since 1993, sailors across America have been raising more than just their sails to help save the lives of children and adults who have been stricken with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma. And now the Pensacola Yacht Club, along with its co-sponsors, the Navy Yacht Club of Pensacola, is honored in being able to sponsor this worthwhile event and would like to dedicate its efforts in the memory of past PYC commodore Jim Rosenblatt, who was a victim of this terrible disease. The 2006 Honored Skipper for this very uplifting program is young Jaremy Wynn, who is six years old and lives in Pensacola, FL, with his mom, older sister Dallas, who is 7, and brothers Jacob and Jesse. Jacob, Jesse and Jaremy are triplets. Jaremy was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia on April 29, 2002. He is currently in remission and loves to play ball, ride bicycles and play with his four dogs Calle-Sue, Bitty, Spanky and Dottie. Jaremy wishes to thank everyone for participating in the Pensacola’s Leukemia Cup Regatta to help kids like him. If you would like to register your boat for this special event, you can e-mail Lori Lightcap with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at lightcapl@lls.org or Dana Smallwood at smallwoodd@lls.org, and they will forward the registration forms to you. If you don’t have a boat or crew, you can register as a “Phantom Sailor.” Phantom Sailors were designed to accommodate individuals who do not have a boat but still want to participate in the Cup. The same opportunities are available for those participants who want to fight to save lives as well as win national incentives such as a fantasy sail with Leukemia Cup Regatta National Chairman Gary Jobson (noted sailing expert and ESPN Commentator), or enjoy the live and silent auctions, boat Calcutta, prizes from national sponsors as well as the chance to earn the coveted Leukemia Cup—without physically participating in the regatta. So, make plans to be a part of this exciting and fun opportunity to help raise proceeds which go to funding research in helping to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. Help to improve the quality of life of patients and their families while enjoying the camaraderie of the sailing community. For more information visit the Pensacola Yacht Club Web site at www.pensacolayachtclub.org
Buccaneer Yacht Club Leukemia Cup to be Hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club, March 17-19
Members of the Pensacola Yacht Club gladly accepted the request and will be the host of the 2006 regatta, offering the event in memory of past commodore Jim Rosenblatt. Enthusiasm for the Leukemia Cup regatta series has grown over the past 12 years with the help of noted sailing expert and ESPN commentator Gary Jobson. Jobson serves as the national chairman of the Leukemia Cup Regatta and to date has raised over $17-million in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. March 17-18 will be the dates for the Pensacola event. Starting on Friday, March 17, participants can enjoy a silent auction and a gala fellowship social sponsored by Mount Gay Rum. On Saturday, March 18, PHRF and one-design sailors will sail. Observers can also join in the regatta fun by participating in a Calcutta event (by picking who will be the top finishing boats in the race) with prizes provided by national sponsors. Everyone can join in the fundraising efforts by participating in this charity event for a chance to win great prizes and help the Leukemia Society. The proceeds will help to fund research to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. For more information on this event, check the Pensacola Yacht Club Web site: www.pensacolayachtclub.org FEBRUARY 3 Leukemia Cup Kick-off Party - Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL 4 Cruising Raft-up - Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL 4 2006 SCYA Women’s Sailing Convention. Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. www.scya.org or call Gail Hine at (951) 677-8121 11 Valentine Regatta - Pensacola Beach Yacht Club Pensacola Beach, FL 11 Winter Series Race 3 & 4 - Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile, AL 17 Winter Series Race 5 & trophy Awards - Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile, AL 18 Miami Boat Show 24-26 North Boat Show - Tallahassee, FL 25-26 Florida Sportsman Boat Show - Fort Walton Beach, FL 25 Mardi Gras Regatta - Pensacola Yacht Club - Pensacola, FL MARCH 4 Maxine Sansom Race #1 - Navy Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL 11 Maxine Sansom Race #2 - Pensacola Beach Yacht Club Pensacola Beach, FL 11 Cruising Raft-up - Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL 17-19 Leukemia Cup Regatta - Pensacola Yacht Club - Pensacola, FL. (In memory of Past Commodore Jim Rosenblatt) 25 Maxine Sansom Race #3 - Pensacola Yacht Club Pensacola, FL Northern Gulf Coast Yacht Club Legend PBYC Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL. www.pensacolabeachyc.org PYC Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL. www.pensacolayachtclub.org. MBC Mobile Yacht Club NYC Navy Yacht Club
By Kim Kaminski The Buccaneer Yacht Club in Mobile, AL, has successfully hosted one of the 47 nationally held Leukemia Cup Regattas for the past two years. Following the damaging hurricane season of 2005, and due to the lack of area facilities, the club members put out a request asking the Pensacola Yacht Club to help in their efforts and continue to raise money by keeping this important event going strong. News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
February 2006
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INDEX
CAPT. MORGAN continued from page 75 of rum is because he did not have his gear stowed properly for sea. This didn’t occur in the harbor, it occurred in the channel, and the Monhegan was traveling at a proper speed.” Forgive me if I raise an eyebrow in disbelief. I have never talked to Capt. Heyl, so I have no idea how he came to his conclusion. It appears that Capt. Heyl doesn’t know the rules and regulations governing damage from boat wakes. Nowhere is it written that wakes generated “in the channel” are exempt. Damage done from wakes generated anywhere are the responsibility of the vessel generating them. My boat was in Key West Harbor, close to the breakwater just off The Galleon when it was rolled by the Monhegan. And I know how to get a vessel ready for sea. Capt. Heyl is further quoted in the Navy Times article as saying, “Still, I intend to write him a letter saying I will buy him a beverage of his choice if he comes to visit.” Needless to say, gentle reader, I have not heard from Capt. Heyl. Ever. And though I have been in Key West any number of times, I didn’t know about Capt. Heyl’s offer until early January 2006. I tried to reach Capt. Heyl at Coast Guard Sector Key West. He wasn’t in. Cmdr. Kennan? Voice mail only. Uh, a live person? I got Candy Cohenn, command secretary, who kept telling me, “Wait a second,” and putting me on hold. After several minutes and several more “wait-a-seconds” and being on hold for about five minutes, she came on the line and told me I would have to take it up with the Seventh Coast Guard District’s legal office in Miami. They would 76
February 2006
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TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS provides this list as a courtesy and asks our readers to support our advertisers. This list includes all display advertising. .......................... Acura Miami Race Week . . . . .13 Air Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Aqua Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Atlantic Sail Traders . . . . . . . . .41 Banks Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Beachmaster Photography . . .71 Beneteau Sailboats . . . . . . . . .BC Beta Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Bluewater Bay Yachts . . . . . . .6,7 Bluewater Sailing Supply . . . . .10 Boaters Exchange . . . . . . . . . .41 Bob and Annie’s Boatyard . . . .32 Bo’sun Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Bubba Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Carson/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . .BC Cortez Yacht Brokerage . . . . . .71 Crow’s Nest Restaurant . . . . . .21 Cruising Direct Sails . . . . . . . .27 Defender Industries . . . . . . . . . .9 Dockside Radio . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Dwyer mast . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Eastern Yachts/Beneteau . . . . .64 Edwards Yacht Sales . . . . . . . .66 El Cid Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 E-marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73,74 First Patriot Health Insurance .73 Flying Scot Sailboats . . . . . . . .72 FX Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Garhauer Hardware . . . . . . . .39 Gasrparilla Regatta TSS . . . . . .55 Glacier Bay Refrigeration . . . . .19 Gold Bars Captain’s Book . . . .73 Gulf Coast Yacht Sales . . . .67,70 Gulf Island Sails . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Hanse Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack . . . . .50 Hotwire/Fans & other products . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Hunter Marine . . . . . . . . . .24,25 Island Marine Products . . . . . .18 Island Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 JR Overseas/Moisture Meter . .45 Kevane Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Lake Fairview Marina . . . . . . . .7 Laurie Kimball Realtor . . . . . . . .9 Leading Edge Yacht Brokers . .67
Leather Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Lex-Sea Charters . . . . . . . . . . .71 Life Captions Video . . . . . . . . .40 Manton Marine Surveyors . . . .69 Massey Yacht Sales 31,35,47, IBC Masthead Enterprises . . . . .29,73 Mt. Dora Annual Regatta . . . .53 Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau .BC National Sail Supply . . . . . . . .22 Nautical Trader . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Noble Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 North Sails . . . . . . . . . . . .15,74 Pinnacle Fractional Sailing . . . .17 Porpoise Used Sails . . . . . . .8,74 Precision Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Premiere Racing . . . . . . . . . . .13 Pumpout Boat . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Quantum Sarasota . . . . . . . . . .3 RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Regata del Sol al Sol . . . . . . . .11 Rparts Refrigeration . . . . . . . .34 Sailboats Florida, Inc. . . . . . . .71 Sailing Services . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Sailrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Sailtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Sarasota Youth Sailing Program65 Schurr Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Scurvy Dog Marine . . . . . . . . .51 Sea School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Sea Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36,73 Snug Harbor Boats . . . . . . . . . .7 SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 St. Augustine Sailing School . .74 St. Barts/Beneteau . . . . . . . . .BC Strictly Sail Miami . . . . . . . . . .14 Suncoast Inflatables . . . . . . . .16 Sunrise Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Tackle Shack . . . . . . . . . . . .7,50 Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Turner Marine/Island Packet . .23 Ullman sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 US Spars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Walker Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Watersports West . . . . . . . . . .74 West Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC Whitney’s Marine/Sail Center .24 Windcraft Catamarans . . . . . .33 Yachting Vacations Charters . .48 Zarcor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34,74
know about it, she said, and gave me the number to call. The buck wasn’t stopping in Key West. I called that number. The legal office didn’t know anything about the claim and couldn’t find any record of it. I called Candy Cohenn in Key West five times to tell her in person that she had steered me down a blind alley. Got her voice mail every time. So, nineteen months after I submitted my original claim for the Cuban rum to the Coast Guard, I am still no closer to getting anyone associated with the U.S. Coast Guard to do anything about it, much less acknowledge that the claim even exists. It makes a body feel full of patriotic pride to know that one of our Armed Forces, the U.S. Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, will step up to the plate and take full responsibility for its own mistakes. www.southwindsmagazine.com
ADVERTISER INDEX BY CATEGORY TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS provides this list as a courtesy and asks our readers to support our advertisers. This list includes all display advertising. SAILBOATS – NEW AND BROKERAGE Beneteau Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC Bluewater Bay Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Boaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carson Yacht Sales/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC Cortez Yacht Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Eastern Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC,67 Flying Scot Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Gulf Coast Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67,70 Gulf Island Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Hanse Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,50 Island Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Island Yachting Centre/Island Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Lake Fairview Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Leading Edge Yacht Brokers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina//Hunter/Shannon/Albin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31,35,47, IBC Masthead Yacht Sales/Catalina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29,73 Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC Pinnacle Fractional Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Sailboats Florida, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Sailtime, Fractional Sailing & Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Sarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats . . . . . . . . . . .65 Snug Harbor Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 St. Barts/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC Suncoast Inflatables/ West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,50 Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Turner Marine/Island Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Walker Bay Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Whitney’s Marine/Sail Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Windcraft, Trimarans and Catamarans, Sail or Power . . . . . . .33 Watersports West/Windsurfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIES, CLOTHING Air Duck Hatch Windscoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Bluewater Bay Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Bluewater Sailing Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL . . . . . . . . .41 Bo’sun Supplies/Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Defender Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 E-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73,74 Garhauer Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Hotwire/Fans & other products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Island Marine Products/Davits,motorlocks,etc. . . . . . . . . . . . .18 JR Overseas/Moisture Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Leather Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Masthead Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29,73 Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Rparts Refrigeration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Sailrite Sewing Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,50 Walker Bay Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Watersports West/wet suits, etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 West Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC Zarcor, boat shades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34,74 SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICES Atlantic Sail Traders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida . . . . . . .69 Cruising Direct/sails online by North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Masthead/Used Sails and Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29,73 National Sail Supply, new&used online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 North Sails, new and used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15,74 Porpoise Used Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,74 Quantum Sails and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Sailing Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Sunrise Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Ullman Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 News & Views for Southern Sailors
West Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC US Spars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 CANVAS Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida . . . . . . .69 Quantum Sails and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 USED SAILING/BOATING SUPPLIES Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign, West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Scurvy Dog Marine/Used, Consign, Pensacola FL . . . . . . . . . .51 SAILING SCHOOLS Sea School/Captain’s License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 St. Augustine Sailing School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 MARINE ENGINES AND ACCESSORIES Beta Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDS Bob and Annie’s Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 FRACTIONAL SAILING/CHARTER COMPANIES Lex-Sea Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Pinnacle Fractional Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Sailtime, Fractional Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Yachting Vacations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 MARINE SERVICES, SURVEYORS, INSURANCE, TOWING, BOAT LETTERING, ETC. Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online . . . . . .68 Beachmaster Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 First Patriot Insurance Health Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Manton Marine Surveyors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Pumpout Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 MARINE ELECTRONICS Dockside Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 JR Overseas/Moisture Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36,73 BOOKS/CHARTS/VIDEOS/AWARDS Bubba Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Gold Bars Captain’s Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Life Captions Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Noble Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 REGATTA ADVERTISEMENTS, BOAT SHOWS Acura Miami Race Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Gasparilla Regatta Tampa SS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mt. Dora Annual Regatta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Regata del Sol al Sol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Strictly Sail Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Regional Sailing Services Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68-69 Subscription Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Alphabetical Advertisers’ List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
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February 2006
77
Capt. Morgan and a Bottle of Rum Meet the Coast Guard By Morgan Stinemetz
I
n May of 2004 I put in a $10 claim with the U.S. Coast Guard. Earlier that month, in Key West, a Coast Guard cutter, an 82-footer named Monhegan, had motored past my 27foot sailboat, Reefer, and thrown off enough wake to roll my boat to what I estimate to be 20 degrees from vertical. In the process of the roll, and because of the Monhegan’s wake, a bottle of Cuban Añejo rum that I had sitting on a galley counter was rocketed off the counter and broke on the cabin floor. The smell of rum was everywhere. While Carry Nation, a misguided woman who had a propensity for entering saloons with a raised hatchet in the early stages of the last century, may have reveled at wasted alcohol, I saw only shattered brown glass and the loss of a treasure. Havana Club Añjeo is not available in the United States. When I brought the rum home with me, it was legal for people in my line of work to buy rum and cigars in Cuba and bring them home. That all changed on the last day of September in 2004, when the Bush government, apparently teetering on the brink of collapse due to the amount of cigars and rum brought home by the 100 or so journalists that legally visit Cuba yearly, decided to embargo rum and cigars, as well as everything else. Anyway, I was out of a bottle of rum due to the ineptitude of someone on the Monhegan. When I submitted my claim to the Coast Guard, I asked for $10 for the rum, which was about what it cost in Cuba. I had the proper form, Standard Form 75. I filled it out correctly. Coast Guard Sector Key West assigned an officer, Lieutenant Commander Scott Driscoll, to investigate the matter. I sent the paperwork to him. Over the summer of 2004, we talked on the phone a couple of times, at my instigation, and Lt. Cmdr. Driscoll assured me he was working on it, and later, had completed his investigation and turned the packet in. Then in November of 2004 Lt. Cmdr. Driscoll called me again. He couldn’t
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Reefer in Havana, Cuba. Photo courtesy Morgan Stinemetz.
find the Standard Form 75. Well, he must have had it at one time or he couldn’t have started his investigation. Before he called in November, however, he had already assured me that he had completed his investigation. Now we were starting all over again? In defense of Mr. Driscoll, he was very busy as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard cutter Matagorda, which was being worked on at the time. Anyway, I filled out another Form 75 and sent that to Driscoll. I called him a couple of times. He wasn’t in. Then he was transferred. I never talked to him again. In the fall of last year, I talked to the executive officer of Coast Guard Sector Key West, Commander Gwen Kennan. She told me that my claim packet had been processed and was at a Coast Guard processing center in Virginia Beach, VA. And she gave me the name of a warrant officer up there to talk to. His name was Mr. Everett. I called him. He told me he had never seen the claim, but that he was familiar with it, because a story about my lost bottle of rum had appeared in
the Navy Times and had been posted on the bulletin board where he was stationed. the Navy Times had called me and interviewed me about the rum on May 4, 2005. The story about the rum appeared in the June 20, 2005, edition of the Navy Times. The article stated, “Coast Guard officials, meanwhile, say they have forwarded the claim to a case officer and are looking into it.” To me, that means the investigation was actually completed, even though there had been a false start. The case officer is the aforementioned Mr. Everett. He has told me twice that he has never seen anything in writing pertaining to my claim. All he knows of it is what he read in the Navy Times article on his bulletin board. Recent phone calls to Cmdr. Kennan have not been returned. Mr. Everett, however, lately sent me a fax of the Navy Times article. In it, the commanding officer of Sector Key West, Capt. Phillip Heyl, is quoted as stating, “The reason this boater lost the bottle See CAPT. MORGAN continued on page 76 www.southwindsmagazine.com