Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Soundings

“A traveler is really not someone who crosses ground so much as someone who is always hungry for the next challenge and adventure.”— Pico Iyer Yesterday afternoon I looked out my office window and saw hints of spring. Broad daylight at 4 o’clock, later on a little warmth in the amber gloaming. … Soon there will be yard work without a coat, the sweet smell of warming earth, birdsong and tender buds. Feeling the natural world as it wakes from a deep winter nap has got to rouse the optimist in even the stingiest soul. And has there ever been an adventure that didn’t begin in optimism? Embarking on an undertaking that involves unknown risks, for an exciting or remarkable experience (to paraphrase the Merriam- Webster Dictionary) is inconceivable without…

1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A vessel in a narrow channel consenting to being overtaken would sound: A. no signal unless a course change is made B. 2 prolonged, 1 short blast C. 2 prolonged, 2 short blasts D. 1 prolonged, 1 short, 1 prolonged, 1 short blast 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: When seen from directly astern, the minimum lights a vessel underway must show are: A. 1 yellow light B. 2 yellow lights C. 1 white light D. 2 white lights 3. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A vessel should enter a traffic separation scheme at right angles: A. when obliged to cross the lane B. when joining or leaving a lane from the side, rather than the termination of the lane C. to fish in a separation zone D. never 4. An ebb tide…

Consider the captains we’ve sailed with. We still contemplate their qualities, long after parting ways. At least I do. Some are naturals, but most are people who use discipline, honing their characters and applying training and experience to their good instincts. Being a crack sailor or having great boat-handling abilities alone is not enough when it comes to being a “right stuff” captain. First, character does matter. Good captains possess a stable nature, are at ease in their own skin and are comfortable with delegating responsibilities. Some decisions are difficult to make, and secure captains know how to balance the vessel’s needs above the desire to be liked. The captains I’ve most respected have the confidence to take responsibility, balanced by a graceful ability to admit mistakes. And they made…

Ship’s log, winter 1975 Schooner Janeen Carefully sounding our way through the reef into the Tobago Cays anchorage Weather: fair In the winter of 1975, we sailed the 138- foot Herreshoff schooner Janeen (now the Mariette) to the Grenadines. We had just picked up a charter in St. Lucia, a repeat client and guests who typically stayed with us for three or four weeks. The cruise started off well. With a stiff breeze off the quarter, Janeen made a fast run between St. Lucia’s Pitons and the north end of St. Vincent, averaging 14.5 knots. The following day found us anchored in the Tobago Cays. Though this was one of the favorite anchorages of the day, it was unusual to find more than one or two yachts there. Horseshoe and…

You can’t get much closer to the water than you do in a kayak. That kind of one-on-one feeling is what got Vickie Silvia started on boats. “I started out kayaking as an adult, with a friend who was an avid kayaker,” the 54-yearold from Old Lyme, Connecticut, says. “She took me out and showed me the [Connecticut] river, and that was it. I kayaked for 10 years. It’s so basic — you’re so close to the water — and I fell in love with the river.” Then she went out on Long Island Sound aboard a friend’s sailboat. “That was it, that was all it took,” Silvia says. She and her partner, Laurie, went from kayakers to boaters, finding themselves the owners of a Catalina 30, a classic cruising…

Before He Was A Guru If you’ve read any DIY boat repair or maintenance books, there’s a pretty good chance Nigel Calder wrote one of them. Known for his detailed, well-illustrated and easy-to-understand instructions, Calder writes about everything from diesels to electrical systems. Of course, he wasn’t always a cruising veteran. In his new book Shakedown Cruise, Calder recounts his first serious adventure aboard his home-built, Atkin-designed sailboat Nada with his partner, Terrie, and their first child. Leaving from New Orleans, the couple head toward the Caribbean, where they learn to troubleshoot their diesel, run aground and navigate the old-fashioned way — without electronics. Seasoned adventurers and cruising newbies alike should enjoy reading about Calder’s rookie mistakes, as well as learning from his triumphs. ($25, Adlard Coles) The Final Frontier…

Check the Coast Guard’s annual boating statistics, and you’d think it never happens. The most common reason a boater calls mayday, the topic of so many news stories involving rescue, the thing that rescuers respond to most often barely gets a mention. Though collisions are the most common mishap on the water, they are rare for offshore cruisers and usually can be avoided. It’s not flooding or fire or even a failure of some sort that causes the most serious problems at sea. And no matter how good a mariner you are, your boating skills cannot help you avoid this one. All you can do is prepare. What is most likely to go wrong at sea? You are. Medical problems far outweigh problems with boats as reasons for distress calls.…

Janeen’s chef prepared many gourmet delights using wine, but this was my favorite. You don’t have to be a connoisseur or a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu to enjoy great wine-based recipes. This one is simple to make and tastes just as great afloat or ashore. Ingredients 3 pounds beef, cubed1 large onion, chopped1 teaspoon crushed garlic2 beef bouillon cubes1 bottle red Burgundy wine2 boxes whole mushrooms3 tablespoons olive oil CornstarchSalt and pepper to taste Method Brown the beef in a frying pan using about two tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir occasionally, and don’t let it burn. While you stir, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a few spoonfuls of wine. (It will give off the most wonderful aroma.) When the beef is cooked, place in a…

There’s something tortuous about magazine deadlines. As you read this in print, it’s likely mid-March, and spring is right around the bend. As I write this, however, it’s snowing lightly and the local creek down the street from my Annapolis, Maryland, home remains frozen. Still, there’s much to look forward to when the sun begins to warm Chesapeake Bay waters. Aside from the blooming crocuses bursting from my unkempt landscaping, the earliest and most reliable sign of better boating weather is the winged arrival of osprey. These fish hawks will be fresh off endurance flights from South America when they start landing on the Bay’s aids to navigation, right around the time folks are downing green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. Attached for life, osprey couples quickly get to gathering…

Yamaha Marine Group has added a 90-hp model to its lineup of high-performance V MAX SHO 4-strokes. The smallest member of the V MAX SHO family, it’s designed for smaller center consoles, bay boats and flats boats. “The new V MAX SHO 90 is the perfect power solution for boaters looking to replace an older 2-stroke 90-hp outboard with the clean, quiet efficiency of a 4-stroke,” says Ben Speciale, president of Yamaha Marine Group. “It’s also a great choice for inshore and multispecies boats.” Weighing 353 pounds, the V MAX SHO 90 is built around Yamaha’s 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder block, which has a single overhead cam with four valves per cylinder and precision multipoint fuel injection. Also under the cowl is a 35-amp alternator. The engine is available in 20- or…

Just as automobile technology is changing to match new environmental standards, so must our boats. Evolving awareness of open gasoline vents expelling raw hydrocarbons into the atmosphere has prompted re-engineering solutions. Some, such as the portable jerrycans with spring-loaded openings that we use for gasoline equipment at home, seem to spill as much as they used to vent. But some of the current engineering entering the world of boats mimics the vehicle rules and, thus, will start to seem familiar. While new standards do not apply to existing gasoline boats with single direct vents, anyone buying a newer boat is going to find new features. The first familiar item is the gasoline fill cap, which clicks or gives some other indication that it is fully engaged and sealed, ensuring that…

“You don’t win the race at sea. You lose it at sea. You win the race during the preparation.” Conrad Colman said this after he completed the 2016-17 Vendée Globe under jury rig. The winner had crossed the finish line 74 days after starting; Colman finished in 110 days. Preparation to avoid that fate is what’s happening now for the 2018 Golden Globe Race, the re-creation of a solo, nonstop race staged in 1968. The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race awarded a trophy to the first person to complete a solo circumnavigation via the five capes and a cash prize for the fastest time. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, aboard a 32-foot wooden ketch christened Suhaili, was the only one of nine sailors to finish. Although the original race had virtually no…

Two great cruising adventures are possible in North America: the Inside Passage of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Loop, which wraps the eastern third of the United States and the southeastern part of Canada. The Inside Passage runs from Washington to Alaska, passing through Canada’s lovely British Columbia, nearly 1,000 miles of almost completely sheltered waters and most of them in wilderness. The Great Loop is a 6,000-mile journey (following the seasons) from Lake Michigan to Louisiana, across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, up the Eastern Seaboard to the Hudson River and St. Lawrence River, then back to the Great Lakes. Both of these cruises come up in conversation around the boat shop and my design office at least weekly, and come boat show time, they’re mentioned virtually…

Howard Wheeler founded Wheeler Shipyard in 1910, and for more than five decades the New York City company would be one of America’s most innovative and influential builders. In addition to producing all manner of vessels for the military, Wheeler (later renamed Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., then Wheeler Yacht Co.) is credited with building the first sedan cruiser, offering a dinette that could convert to a berth and helping to pioneer the use of diesels in pleasure boats. By the 1930s, Wheeler was building yachts for a “discerning clientele.” These included the Sedan, Sport Fisherman and Promenade Deck models (shown here), along with a Playmate series of Sportsman’s Family Cruisers in 31-, 34- and 40-foot lengths. Fishing boats were another specialty. Wheeler delivered a 38-foot Playmate for a young writer who…