Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Soundings

TRENDS, ANALYSIS, PERSPECTIVE In the database of National Historic Landmarks there are all kinds of boats from throughout U.S. history, including enough fireboats that even a cursory search requires the fingers on both hands to count them. Some of the designated fireboats date back as far as the early 1900s. The Fireboat McKean Preservation Project in New York wants to add one more to the National Historic Landmarks list, if only some of the fireboat’s neighbors on the Hudson River would stop complaining about the sight of her. Built in 1954, the John D. McKean is named for a marine engineer in the New York City Fire Department who died after a steam explosion aboard another fireboat. The 129-foot McKean was a staple of Manhattan waterways for decades, responding to…

The exponential growth of dual consoles in the fishboat market is undeniable. They promise a blend of fishing and family fun, a claim that Pursuit Boats let me put to the test off Miami aboard its DC 365 — the largest dual console in the builder’s range. I’m not a big fan of the dual console concept, which I feel sometimes fails to get the family-to-fishing ratio right, but I walked down the dock toward the 365 with an open mind. She looks different compared to other dual consoles. Instead of relying on a metal-supported wraparound windshield to protect the bridge deck, Pursuit wrapped the area with glass panels set in a fiberglass structure. The design gives the DC 365 an attractive look and a comfortable, secure feeling for bridge-deck…

They were known to the British as the “Big Class.” The America’s Cup boats of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were unruly — sometimes downright perilous — racing machines. British artist Tim Thompson captures the danger in the speed and power of these 120-foot megasloops in his startling work Neck and Neck. Everything is big: the taut canvas sails, the bow waves, the crashing sea — everything except the crewmen. They were Thompson’s inspiration. “I wanted to capture the action, showing the daring bowmen,” he says. Anyone who has manned the foredeck on a racing boat, be it a J/24 or a Cup boat, knows the feeling: riding the bucking bow, spray flying, hands wet, face streaming, out there to handle a snapping, flapping headsail. “What a job…

Dishes With Fishes Though the majority of seafood consumed in the United States comes from outside the country, there’s a movement toward sustainable, locally raised food from the brine. Barton Seaver’s American Seafood is a go-to reference that covers seafood history, fishing technology, the effect of imports on our diet and economy, and the biology of taste, among other topics. Included are such recipes as pine bark stew, red and white chowder, po’ boys, clambakes, Baltimore crab cakes, planked salmon, oysters Rockefeller and sushi. An index of species — with common, regional and accepted names — rounds out the detailed volume. ($29, Sterling Epicure) Fantasy Fishing Parker McPhee never knows what he will encounter on his next fishing expedition. Pushed by his dying father to stretch out and see the…

Saving and maintaining historic vessels is challenging enough; keeping them Coast Guard-certified as small passenger vessels is beyond impressive [“Walking the Plank,” March]. As someone who cares deeply about these boats, I’m glad there are people like Elizabeth duPont. Kurt Voss via Facebook FORMER AND LADDER Mario Vittone’s March “Lifelines” article about planning to fail [“Be Prepared By Planning To Fail] and his online video about falling into cold water came together for me. I once fell into very cold water from a Ranger 26 sailboat. It was winter on Chesapeake Bay, and I was alone on the boat doing some maintenance, not sailing, when I fell overboard. There was no one around. Fastened to the stern rail was a stainless steel flip-down ladder that got me out of the…

On any given day, you’re likely to find Chesapeake Bay photographer Jay Fleming mucking through a mosquito-ridden marsh, kayaking around a fleet of workboats or diving head-first into a net full of fish. Always willing to go the extra mile to get a great shot, Fleming’s photography provides a glimpse into parts of the Bay many will never see. Fleming’s father was a National Geographic photographer, so it seems natural that he would pursue a career in photography. His vocation dawned when he was 14 and inherited his father’s Nikon film cameras. Though his father emphasized the importance of a strong work ethic and coached him on the basics of photography, Fleming quickly developed his own style. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, Fleming specializes in capturing unique perspectives of the wildlife,…

GARLINGTON LANDEWEER 61 EXPRESS Nestled between the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s east coast, Stuart is known as “The Sailfish Capital of the World.” The city, with a history built upon commercial and recreational fishing, stands in contrast to its luxurious neighbors of Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Stuart’s legacy is so intertwined with angling that a 19-foot-tall sailfish sculpture stands prominently downtown. While Rybovich and Merritt built boats in Palm Beach County, commercial fishermen settled in Stuart, enjoying the quiet countryside and more economical real estate. In 1917, charter Capt. Addison A. Whiticar brought his family to Stuart via steamship and train, and his son, Curt Whiticar, went on to build a 33-foot fishboat that started a legacy. The custom sportfish builder retired at…

When we mix exhaust gases with an engine’s discharge water, we cool the water enough to use rubber and plastics in the exhaust system. This is good because rubber and plastics also break up sound waves and act as an effective muffler. But there are two problems: the increased back pressure from moving that water through the system, and the noise of constantly splashing discharge from the outlet. While that discharge flow is reassuring when we peer over the stern for the indicator that our raw-water system is functioning, it can also be incredibly annoying. Generators running at night to support air conditioning can splash at erratic intervals and, in a quiet anchorage, disturb the peace, even if the generator is soundproofed. The back pressure created by using the exhaust…

LOA: 50 feet, 6 inches BEAM: 14 feet, 6 inches DRAFT: 3 feet, 7 inches DISPLACEMENT (light): 37,470 pounds FUEL: 634 gallons WATER: 158 gallons POWER: twin 435-hp Volvo Penta IPS600 PROJECTED SPEED: 28 knots top, 22 knots cruise CONTACT: Couach, Gujan-Mestras, France. couach.com (Mauricio Weiszberger, U.S. representative, m.weiszberger@couach.com) Fluid may be the best single-word description of the Couach 1500. The curves that define her overall shape play with one another so well that we scarcely notice their individual contributions or where one merges with another. Tracing the sheer line from the bow reveals a subtle incline, but the line remains straight for a bit more than half of the boat’s length. A lounge fills the foredeck, and the superstructure surrounding the area gradually rises to form the base of…

Solid-State Doppler Radar Raymarine’s Quantum 2 solid-state radar uses the latest Doppler target identification, plus CHIRP pulse compression, to identify moving and static targets at long and short ranges. Doppler processing detects the radar echo’s frequency shift in the return signal to determine moving versus stationary targets. Color-coding indicates whether targets are getting closer (red) or moving away (green). Quantum 2 also highlights and color-codes potentially dangerous static targets within about 650 feet forward of the boat. From $1,950. Raymarine, Nashua, New Hampshire, (603) 324-7900. raymarine.com Speed Sensors Airmar’s next-generation “Smart” speed sensors combine speed, depth and fast-response water temperature in a compact through-hull fitting with no moving parts. Eliminating the paddlewheel minimizes fouling and reduces maintenance, according to Airmar. Designed for racing sailboats and long-range cruisers, the DX900+ dual-axis…

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 45 feet, 1 inch BEAM: 16 feet, 4 inches WEIGHT: 50,132 pounds (standard fuel load) DRAFT: 4 feet HULL TYPE: modified-vee POWER: twin 1,000-hp Volvo Penta D3 diesels SPEED: 34.5 knots top, 30 knots cruise TANKAGE: 825 gallons fuel, 120 gallons water, 46 gallons waste PRICE: $1.47 million CONTACT: Viking Yacht Co., New Gretna, New Jersey, (609) 296-6000. vikingyachts.com Viking Yachts introduced the 44 Convertible at the Miami International Boat Show earlier this year. It joins the recently introduced 44 Open in the New Jersey builder’s fleet. “The 44 C runs on the same proprietary surface as our 44 Open, giving her the high performance of a Viking express fishing boat and the stylish deckhouse, expansive saloon and luxurious accommodations of a Viking convertible,” director of communications Chris…

NEWS, EVENTS, PEOPLE Mercury Marine added three V-6 outboards to its FourStroke series at this year’s Miami International Boat Show. The 175-, 200- and 225-hp engines are based on a 3.4-liter powerhead. Mercury also introduced a 200-hp SeaPro outboard aimed at the commercial market. The large-bore, naturally aspirated engines are lighter and more fuel efficient than other 4-strokes in their class, according to the manufacturer. Mercury says the 200-hp model is the lightest in its class at 475 pounds — 35 pounds less than its closest competitor. The company also says fuel efficiency in the 200-hp model is unmatched, yielding an advantage of up to 15 percent compared to other engines. The outboards sport an angular look and can be customized using prepainted and ready-for-paint panels. A service door integrated…

“Pride of Baltimore II remains one of the world’s most revered tall ships, delighting crowds wherever she sails. We will use 2018 to reassess the ship’s future, working closely with our partners in the public and private sectors to make sure we don’t witness the end to Pride’s wonderful history.”Pride of Baltimore Inc. board chair Capt. Eric Nielsen, addressing financial concerns that could mothball Pride of Baltimore II indefinitely. A PRETTY DITTY The Windjammer Elite sea bag from Morris & Barth Ship Canvas has an oil-tanned leather bottom, a matching leather center band and heavy-duty canvas construction. The double-spliced carry strap is made of three-strand rigging rope with a solid copper slider and a monkey’s fist at its center. The strap also has a traditional snap shackle and hand-sewn leather…

The 1950s and ’60s were a time of great activity and innovation in the boating world, with new boats and a new audience waiting to buy them. There were new ways to build them, too. Even as fiberglass construction was becoming the method of choice, some builders looked to other materials. Herbert Phillips was one of them. He started out building steel skiffs and fishing boats at a shop on New York’s Long Island in 1951 before moving to Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1954. Three years later, he moved the building end of his Striker Boats business to the Netherlands and soon was producing steel fishing boats up to 50 feet. Striker’s sea change came in the ’60s, when the company began building boats of welded aluminum. According to Phillips,…

I'm an Exumas addict. When fall days become a little too cold to get wet here on New York’s eastern Long Island, my mind starts conjuring Bahamian turquoise, and I’m ready to head south. Why the Exumas? They strike the right balance of adventure and convenience, easily accessible yet remote enough for the escapist in me. Once you are across the Gulf Stream in Bahamian waters, the Exumas are only 35 miles from Nassau. It’s easy to fly crew in and out, provision and locate spare parts. And the waters are exquisite. It’s believed that there are 365 cays in the 120-mile Exumas chain, which is strung like a necklace northwest to southeast in the central Bahamas. The geography is fascinating. The islands cling to the edge of a huge…

In 2009, Harvard Medical School professor Atul Gawande published The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. The bestseller drew attention to patterns of serious and avoidable lapses that highly trained, talented people in the medical profession were making. His overarching conclusion? If they had only used a checklist. Ordinary folks associate to-do lists with weekend chores and grocery shopping, making Gawande’s epiphany seem prosaic. But his insights have saved lives — lots of lives. His point of departure is that mistakes are caused not so much by a lack of knowledge (ignorance) but rather by failing to apply what we know (ineptitude). His lessons apply to boaters, too. Checklists, both mandatory and informal, have long been part of going to sea. Experience is a great teacher, but when it…

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 45 feet, 9 inches BEAM: 14 feet, 7 inches DRAFT: 3 feet, 11 inches WEIGHT: 42,000 pounds HULL TYPE: modified-vee PROPULSION: twin diesels TANKAGE: 512 gallons fuel, 145 gallons water BUILDER: Grand Banks Yachts, Holland, Michigan, (616) 499-2519. grandbanks.com When a couple has logged a lifetime’s worth of boating, they know what they want out of the lifestyle; they know how to be comfortable in, and on, the boat of their choice. And when they’re ready to move up or down into another boat, they know what they’re looking for in terms of performance, style and comfort. Dan and Barbie Jackson of Riverside, Connecticut, have been boating together all of their married lives, starting when they were in the Air Force at Florida’s Naval Air Station Jacksonville. “We…