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We’ve heard it a million times: It’s not about the destination, but the journey. It goes without saying that mariners, as a group, must believe this more than most. Everything about a love of boats, whether sailing or motoring, is focused on the here and now, the journey itself. What’s better than the journey’s beginning? A walk down the dew-covered dock, early morning sea smoke hanging above still water as a rising sun warms the sky to apricot. Stowing a few provisions, powering up the chart plotter and opening the paper chart, doing an engine check, a radio check, a last weather check … then you’re off. There is nothing that has ever made me happier than an offshore run on a fine day, when the sunlight hits the water…
VHF NO-NO I read with interest, as I do every month, the November issue of Soundings, including Mail Boat. The letter titled “Bridge-to-Car Communications” piqued my interest. As a longtime licensed master and captain, as well as a telecommunications operator, certified Coast Guard Auxiliary member, I think you should perhaps take this opportunity to advise readers that it’s a violation of FCC regulations for anyone — other than a certified facility/user — to use a VHF radio on land. While it may seem like a good idea, as the writer pointed out, to communicate with other boaters and perhaps a bridge tender, the FCC forbids the use of a VHF radio for this purpose. To wit: “You must have a special license, called a marine utility station license, in addition…
‘DETERMINED’ OR DUMB? Rimas Meleshyus doesn’t sail; he drifts, as he puts it, “Kon Tiki-style.” Perhaps he should try sailing his sailboats. Meleshyus was rescued last June off Saipan, 137 days after leaving Hilo, Hawaii. In 2016 he was rescued off Hawaii after a 46-day drift from California. In 2014 he was rescued off American Samoa after drifting for months. And in 2012 he was rescued after grounding on a remote island during a 34-day passage across the Gulf of Alaska. “I’m a very determined person,” Meleshyus told the Whidbey News-Times in 2015. Cruisers Debuts Cantius 42 Cruisers Yachts unveiled the Cantius 42 at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in November. Cantius express cruisers are known for interiors that maximize space, and Cruis ers wisely kept that formula on…
1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: You are underway in restricted visibility and hear three distinct bell strokes followed by five seconds of rapid bell ringing followed by three distinct bell strokes. This indicates a vessel: A. servicing an aid to navigationB. engaged in underwater constructionC. more than 100 meters, at anchorD. less than 100 meters, aground 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A fog signal of one prolonged and three short blasts on the whistle indicates a: A. vessel fishing or trawlingB. sailing vessel with wind abaft the beamC. power-driven vessel backing from the dockD. vessel being towed 3. INLAND RULES: “Not under command” means: A. Vessel may deviate from the rules under the rule of special circumstance. B. Vessel is unable to maneuver as required by the rules due to an exceptional circumstance. C.…
HOME SWEET HOME AFLOAT Two stories high and with 2,208 square feet of living space, the Luxuria isn’t any ordinary houseboat. The fully furnished vessel has two staterooms, including a master with a wraparound head/shower compartment. It has floor-to-ceiling windows, a “chef-quality” galley, a saloon with a simulated fireplace, heating and air conditioning, an office, an outdoor balcony and more. Twin 300-hp Suzuki 4-strokes allow a change of scenery. Priced just shy of $1.5 million, the Luxuria measures 46 feet with a 24-foot beam. luxuria.global A SAILBOAT UNDER THE TREE Measuring 10 feet, 6 inches overall and weighing 111 pounds, the Tiwal 3.2 inflatable sailboat packs into two bags. Once at the beach, the boat inflates and assembles in 20 minutes, says the manufacturer. The hull is made of PVC…
The Coast Guard had a one-word problem: A hoax caller kept contacting them, saying “mayday” and disconnecting. Just a couple of seconds of the voice recordings was all that the agency had to work with. Coast Guard investigators had been snagging some hoax callers with old-fashioned detective work, GPS-based technology and searches on social media, where braggarts sometimes post about the commotion they’ve caused. But they couldn’t figure out how, if at all, a suspected repeat caller might be identified from just the word mayday. And it was important to find a way. These calls were among the 150 or so confirmed or suspected hoaxes that the Coast Guard typically receives in a year, out of more than 16,000 legitimate calls from boaters needing help. Responding to the hoaxes wastes…
