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“When I am in charge of a vessel, I always command; nobody commands but me. I take all the responsibility, all the risks, all the hardships that my office would call upon me to take. I do not steer by any man’s compass but my own.” — Capt. Michael Healy, U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1896 I don’t know about you, but if there are two things I could use a lot more of these days they are silence and knowledge. Every two minutes it seems an alert goes off on my phone, keeping me abreast of the latest presidential tweets, Republican vs. Democratic feuds or administration fiats. Some peace and quiet would be heavenly. Instead, a recent electronic ping informed me of the new White House budget and subsequent ones…
Sitting on the banks of the Manatee River in Florida, reading Soundings with a Dark ’n’ Stormy … doesn’t get much better, unless I were in the Bahamas. Winston Fowler Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net IN COD WE TRUST I have been a fisherman and boater for more than 60 years, and I have subscribed to Soundings for more than a decade. I was particularly touched by Capt. Lou Boudreau’s new column in the April issue, “Tales From The Captain’s Table” [“The Day We Finally Met The Teef Pullin’ Man”]. Although my childhood experiences are New England-based, certain memories do cross geographical distances. From my home port, freshly caught cod is available most of the year, so the good captain’s fish cake recipe really hit home. My mouth still waters thinking…
Maverick Boat Group, known for Maverick, Hewes, Pathfinder and Cobia fishing boats, has launched a 28-foot dual console geared toward family boating. The Cobia 280 has all the elements for a comfortable day on the water, says group president Scott Deal. “You can fish the boat hard, flip a couple things around, and it becomes a family daycruising boat,” Deal says. Three padded benches with backrests — cleverly hidden in the gunwales and the transom console — can be deployed to fill the cockpit with seating. The companion seat at the helm, with an adjustable backrest, can be used as a forward- or aft-facing settee and converts to a sunpad. A sink, wine rack and cooler are abaft the starboard helm. Upgrades include a grill, refrigerator and shore power. An…
German sailor Jurgen Kantner, whom Somali pirates captured nine years ago and later released, was beheaded in February by a militant Islamic group in the Philippines that had kidnapped him in November and demanded a $600,000 ransom. The group, Abu Sayyaf, released a video of the 70-year-old sailor’s beheading. Jesus Dureza, an adviser to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement that the government had exhausted all efforts to save him. “We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim,” the statement read. Germany’s foreign ministry also released a statement. “We are deeply shaken at this inhuman and horrifying act. We condemn the murder of this German in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification for such an act.” The German government also…
Capt. Sandy Yawn will soon be a familiar face to fans of Bravo’s reality TV show Below Deck Mediterranean, when she becomes the first female captain on the series this season. The Florida native has 25 years of experience in the megayacht industry and holds a USCG Master of Oceans 1600T/3000T All Oceans license. Her career at the helm has taken her through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and she has extensive knowledge of the U.S. East Coast, the Gulf Coast, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. In 2004, Yawn and her crew were recognized for their handling of a shipboard fire in the Red Sea with a “Distinguished Crew Award” from the International Superyacht Society. A member of the Captain’s Advisory Council for…
When fishermen who are fishing aren’t talking about fish, they often talk about fishing boats. At least, that’s what Martha’s Vineyard angler David Thompson and his friends would do back in the 1960s. They fished all around the island off Massachusetts, going after stripers, bluefish — whatever was in season — in various local craft. As they did, they exchanged ideas about the ideal fishing boat and how they’d go about building it. But Thompson was different from most; he followed up the talk with action. In 1969, Thompson launched his dream fishing boat, a 32-footer with a cuddy cabin, built of newfangled fiberglass. It was based on the lobster boat hulls of Maine designer Jarvis Newman, tweaked for the local waters. It was named after Wasque (pronounced WAYsquee) Point,…
