Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.
“To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” — Carleton Mitchell As anyone who has experienced a period of boatlessness will tell you, being without one doesn’t mean you think about “yours” any less. It’s a little like phantom limb syndrome: Approaching storms make me wonder if I should add a few more lines; an early cold snap causes worry about whether I should haul out. Mostly, though, being temporarily marooned ashore gives me time to think about my next boat and how to choose wisely. It’s a process that only works with honest evaluation, and I have to mind my tendency…
My first time on a sailboat was in 1969 on a cruise for teens with Capt. Jim Sharp [Walking the Plank, August]. Boy, did he look like a Maine sea captain with his yellow slicker, smoking a pipe upside down. I even thought he had a wooden leg. The lessons unknowingly learned from Capt. Sharp surfaced years later when I got my own boat. When he bellowed, “Get those upchucking kids to the leeward side,” it meant take care of the boat; someone could slip on that. When the instructors had our heads down doing exercises, he’d say, “You are passing through one of the most beautiful places in the world. For #&@*%#! sake, stand up and look around!” In other words, let go and appreciate the beauty. When the…
Wellcraft’s new flagship center console, the 262 Fisherman, is 2 feet bigger than its predecessor, the 252. “It’s a completely different boat with an LOA of 26 feet, 4 inches and beam of 9 feet,” says Wellcraft vice president of engineering Christophe Lavigne. Offered for the past decade, the 252 measured 24 feet, 4 inches with an 8-foot, 9-inch beam. Below the waterline, however, the design remains the same. “It has a proven modified-vee hull that goes back to the early 2000s,” says Lavigne. “There was no need to change that. We wanted to maintain its salty fishing heritage but also offer the family everything for day boating.” Outfitting includes a mix of fishing and day-cruising equipment. The builder installed live wells in both cockpit corners, along with a pair…
Test your knowledge with these Coast Guard license exam prep questions from the National Captain’s Institute captains.com 1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: While underway in fog you hear the rapid ringing of a bell, followed by the rapid ringing of a gong. It is a: A. vessel aground B. pilot vessel C. vessel less than 100 meters, anchored D. vessel more than 100 meters, anchored 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: When approaching another power-driven vessel from dead astern, you alter course to port in order to pass along his port side. You should sound: A. 1 prolonged blast B. 1 short blast C. 2 prolonged blasts D. 2 short blasts 3. INLAND RULES: A special flashing light must be visible for: A. 1 mile B. 2 miles C. 3 miles D. 5 miles 4.…
Sen. Marco Rubio has asked the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the safety of the jetty at Miami’s Government Cut after a crash that killed Miami Marlins ace pitcher José Fernández, 24, and two friends. The three died when the baseball player’s 32-foot SeaVee, Kaught Looking, crashed into the north jetty at a high rate of speed about 3:15 a.m. on Sept. 25. “Florida leads the nation in the number of registered boats and, thus, unfortunately also leads the nation in boating-related fatalities [52 in 2015],” Rubio, who is a boater, wrote in a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul F. Zukunft and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy. Rubio acknowledged boaters’ responsibility to operate their vessels safely but added that…
Hurricane Matthew weakened as it marched up the Southeast coast of the United States and stayed just far enough offshore to spare an estimated 2 million people catastrophic damage from winds that early in its 11-day run as a hurricane reached 160 mph. “We’re blessed that Hurricane Matthew stayed off the coast,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in Jacksonville after surveying damage. Still, the hurricane took at least 38 lives in the United States — 19 in North Carolina, 12 in Florida, three in South Carolina, three in Georgia and one in Virginia. Matthew finally made landfall Oct. 9 at McClellanville, South Carolina, as a 75-mph Category 1 hurricane, its power sapped by 30- to 40-knot wind shear, dry air and lower ocean temperatures north of Florida. Along the way…
