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.
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns.” — George Eliot Fall. Is there an easier season to love? The sticky haze of summer has faded to a pleasant memory. You rediscover your favorite sweater and briefly consider (and discard) the idea of socks. The scent of hardwood smoke perfumes the air, and stately maples commence their pageants: red and gold leaves waving so long against crisp blue skies full of high, white cirrus. If you listen closely to an autumn breeze at night, it sounds like gathering whispers, rumors of winter. Wait — don’t think about winter yet! Although retail is already flogging Christmas displays, and the season of run-amok pumpkin spice…
I love this design — fitting maximum livability in a minimal but functional package. Sam Devlin has done a great job [“Sketchbook,” August, “The ‘Tiny House’ Concept Takes To The Water”]. Reuben Trane via Facebook Great design, however, let’s make sure we get this right. Boats are what inspired the designs, storage and use of space in the tiny house movement. Bill O’Gara via Facebook SEEING BACKWARD A sharp-eyed reader who had just visited Castine, Maine, pointed out that the photo of the town’s waterfront with the August issue’s “Local Knowledge” was flipped, so everything in the image is backward. The image we received for the story had been scanned incorrectly. The correct image is shown above. NOTEWORTHY NOTE Although I subscribe to several magazines, Soundings is my favorite by…
UNPRECEDENTED Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico on Sept. 20. It was the first time in recorded history that three Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes (with Harvey and Irma) made landfall in the United States or a U.S. territory in the same year. Text MARIA to 80100 to donate $10 to GlobalGiving’s Caribbean Hurricane Maria & Irma Relief Fund or go to globalgiving.org. Boston Whaler introduced the thirdgeneration 170 Montauk alongside a second-generation 150 Montauk this past summer at its 60th anniversary event in Sarasota, Florida. The original 170 Montauk launched in 1974, the 150 Montauk in 2005. The relaunches are new from the keel up. “Both hulls were completely redesigned after years of research and development,” says Jeff Vaughn, vice president of sales, marketing and customer service. “These are boats with…
1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: The fog signal for a power-driven vessel underway and making way would be: A. 1 prolonged every 2 minutes B. 1 prolonged, 2 short every minute C. 1 prolonged every minute D. 2 prolonged every minute 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A vessel shall have its operating lights on: A. in restricted visibility B. from sunset to sunrise C. any time deemed necessary D. all of the above 3. You are backing from a dock in international waters and see that other vessels are approaching. You should sound: A. 1 prolonged B. 3 short C. 1 long D. no signal 4. INLAND RULES: A light that shows through an arc of not less than 180? nor more than 225? from right ahead to abeam and no more than 22.5?…
A reef-mimicking project in the Mediterranean Sea is deploying plastic into the ocean, not removing it. The temporary reef in the Gulf of La Spezia, off Italy’s northwest coast, should help determine whether aquatic organisms can withstand ocean acidification. The 12-month experiment is a collaboration among several universities and agencies, says Federica Ragazzola, of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. It will test the influence of coralline algae on nearby life forms. The idea is to see whether organisms living inside the algae might have a survival advantage in an era of climate change. “We don’t aim to put more plastic in the ocean,” she says. “We deployed little plastic reefs because we want to test the buffer effect of coralline algae…
LAST OF THE MOHICANS Built in 1929 by the Consolidated yard in New York, Mohican is a classic 69-foot commuter yacht. Her hull is built of double-planked mahogany over cedar, with bronze fastenings. Below is a three-stateroom layout with seven single berths, three heads with pressure water and a well-equipped galley. A pair of 200-hp Fiat Aifo diesels (500 hours each) provide a 23-knot cruise and a 28-knot top end. The owner commissioned a progressive rebuild of Mohican starting in 1992, though she remains 95 percent original. Mohican is lying in Italy and is listed with Edmiston’s Antibes office for $589,170. edmiston.com BEER CAN BLUES The quintessential beer pairing for picking a pile of steamed Maryland blue crabs is Baltimore’s own National Bohemian. Baltimore artist and crab aficionado Travis Edmisten…
