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“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” — Will Rogers I can’t claim that Heck and Samba are naturally salty dogs. When I moved the three of us aboard a boat more than a decade ago, they went willingly because they were always up for an adventure — it is a hallmark of the Jack Russell terrier. Bossanova was a small ship with a dry stack exhaust and a throaty chug underway. Her pilothouse was raised, and she had a lot of freeboard and open deck space. I worried about running the boat and keeping an eye on “the boys,” so I put them in life jackets. Within minutes they had chewed through the straps. So I put some…
I very much enjoyed Chris Landry’s “Carolina On Our Minds” piece in the March issue. What a rich heritage every builder here in northeast North Carolina has, tying back to the great fishermen, builders and teachers like Omie Tillett and Warren O’Neal. Thanks for a great read! Joan Maxwell President, Regulator Marine Edenton, North Carolina A SIBLING PATROL BOAT I was intrigued by your article about Zaida and the World War II Corsair Fleet [“All American,” April]. I also own a former member of that fleet, the 44-foot (LOD) Java Head, a Charles Mower-designed cutter launched as Jubilee in 1933 by Hodgdon Brothers in East Boothbay, Maine. She raced with distinction in the 1934 Newport Bermuda Race, placing second in class. During WWII, she was CGR1942 in the Corsair Fleet.…
Bertram Yachts will follow its new 35 with a 58-foot convertible, scheduled to begin construction in June and launch in late 2017. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, company will base the 58 on the 1980s Bertram 54, with updated naval architecture from Michael Peters Yacht Design. The 54, which debuted in 1981, became an icon for Bertram — a reliable, good-looking sea boat with a big cockpit for fishing and a luxurious interior for the family. “We know the 54 set the standard,” says Bertram general manager Susan Davids. “It was known as a great fishboat with great performance in big seas.” The 58 will retain some of the 54’s DNA but will also show its own identity. A raked deckhouse, flybridge and windshield and a broken sheer give the 58…
Test your knowledge with these Coast Guard license exam prep questions from the National Captain’s Institute captains.com 1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: In a crossing situation on international waters, a short blast by the give-way vessel indicates: A. vessel is holding course and speed B. vessel is turning to starboard C. vessel intends to pass to port D. vessel is backing down 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A towboat engaged in towing a string of barges astern will exhibit a towing light. That light is a: A. pair of amber lights B. yellow light, 135˚ C. 10-point colored light D. 20-point white light(s) 3. When the bearing of a range is listed as 180 degrees in the Light List, it means: A. from the boat to the range in true degrees B. from the…
As friends, family and sailors in the Clipper Round the World Race mourned her loss, Clipper founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston promised a full investigation into the death of IchorCoal crewmember Sarah Young, who was swept overboard shortly before midnight April 1 in heavy seas and 35- to 40-knot winds as a localized low enveloped the 12-boat fleet in the north Pacific. Racing from Qingdao, China, to Seattle with 3,242 miles to go, Young, 40, an experienced sailor from London and IchorCoal’s quartermaster, “was tidying the cockpit after reefing the mainsail in 35 to 40 knots of wind when she was knocked from her position by a wave. She fell back toward the guard wire and was swept under it by another wave,” said race officials in a statement. Young was…
New York City was on the verge of losing the last remnants of its oncevibrant maritime hub in lower Manhattan in 1967 when Peter and Norma Stanford quit their uptown jobs to found the South Street Seaport Museum and saved dozens of historic treasures. The Stanfords are considered icons in maritime heritage circles, whose members fondly remembered Peter when he died March 24 at the age of 89. “Peter was a persistent man, endlessly insisting that the apparently impossible could be achieved,” reads a remembrance by Jonathan Boulware, executive director of the museum. “It was Peter’s vision in the 1960s that led to the preservation of the counting houses of the Seaport, including Schermerhorn Row, one of New York City’s treasures. It was Peter’s work that led to the acquisition…
