Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Soundings

One of the best things about my job is the opportunity it provides to connect with so many adventurous people. Just the other day, Joe Borrison, a subscriber to the magazine, pinged me with a question for our tech team about the props on his 250-hp Yamaha outboards. One email led to another, and I learned that Joe makes a trip to the Abacos each year aboard his Grady-White Freedom 285 Dual Console. He trailers the boat all the way from his home in Rockville, Maryland, to a launch ramp in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then runs it across to the Abacos. “People in Florida do the trip over to the Bahamas all the time, but I haven’t met many boaters in the Chesapeake who’ve cruised to the islands.…

1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: In an overtaking situation you alter course to pass on the other vessel’s starboard side. Your signal would be: A. Two prolonged and one short blast B. Two prolonged and two short blasts C. One short blast D. Two short blasts 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: Lights should be on from sunset to sunrise and: A. That’s it B. From sunrise until sunset C. In restricted visibility D. All other times 3. INLAND RULES: Vessels underway in restricted visibility shall: A. Proceed at a safe speed for the conditions B. Have engines ready for immediate maneuvering if she is power-driven C. Have due regard for the prevailing conditions and circumstances D. All of the above 4. INLAND RULES: In a narrow channel a vessel proceeding upbound against a current…

Anglers up north have surely had enough of snow and ice at this point in the season, and fishermen in Florida can stop laughing at the rest of us, now that winter is drawing to a close. Fisheries up and down the coast are about to shift into high gear for the spring. We’re all excited to see new species swimming in waters close to home. These three much-anticipated spring bites will be some of the first to start ringing in the new season. Maine to Maryland Northern anglers can get an early start on 2019 by targeting yellow perch. Though they’re small in stature yellow perch are some of the tastiest panfish on the face of the planet. Whether your neck of the woods is about to experience the…

Blake Jamieson grew up on boats. As a child and into his teens, he was lulled to sleep by lapping waves against the hull of his parents’ sport-fisherman. They’d cruise along the remarkable coastline near their home in Vancouver and into the waters just south of Alaska, digging clams one day, diving the next. When Blake was older, as a student at the University of British Columbia, he spent summers working with the Coast Guard doing search and rescue. When he had a few days off, he’d meet his parents on their boat in the rugged wilderness of Desolation Sound, where they’d swim in some of the warmest waters in the region, kayak, fish and kick back. Blake’s parents would say of their son that the ocean was ingrained in…

It was 1992 and I was captain of a lovely old 110-foot power yacht named Electra. She was a creation of the 1930s, with none of the chrome and fiberglass that one sees so often today. Electra echoed the charm of a bygone era of rich teak bright-work and lovely mahogany. The interior was restored to its original grandeur, complete with grand piano, stained-glass hatches and polished brass fittings. I had many adventures on Electra, but the following tales show how strange life is. First, let me tell you about my troubles with the owner’s wife, though it’s not what you think. In late November of that year Electra was anchored off the beach to the north end of the island of St. Lucia. There was a big party on…

I thoroughly enjoy the magazine and really liked the interview with Billy Joel (“Talkin’ Boats with Billy Joel,” January 2019). My father, Bill Walker, was on site the day Joel and Christie Brinkley launched their boat Sea Major at the yard of Lee Wilbur. The day before, my father had launched his Duffy 35, which had been customized for him by Wilbur. As the story goes, Dad was also the one who poured the champagne for Joel and his wife at the party as all others stood watching in awe. Rett Walker Erie, Pennsylvania Thanks for the article on Billy Joel. It was fun to read about the various boats he has had through the years. I’d like to clarify some of the information on the Wilbur boats he owned.…

Successful anchoring depends not only on good ground tackle but also the anchorage itself. Most folks have a fair idea of what makes a good anchorage. You need shelter from the elements and room to swing 360 degrees. But what else? Bottom type is important. I’ve dragged anchor in flat calm because the hook couldn’t get purchase on the ledges below. A firm clay bottom can also be difficult for the anchor to bite into. Mud is usually good, but if it’s too thin, like a loose slurry, the flukes will slip through the substrate like a fork through chowder. Kelp beds are notorious for poor holding, but there are exceptions. One time, we were anchored in kelp on the coast of Tasmania when a sudden blow came up, yet…

I’m stoked about “the Mule.” That’s the nickname for the 38-foot foiling mono-hull that the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic team launched in November as a test boat for the 36th running of the America’s Cup. The 2021 competition in New Zealand will race aboard a new class of 75-foot foiling monohulls, called AC75s. However, the rules don’t allow syndicates to sail an AC75 until March 2019. Until then, syndicates can build and test smaller foiling monohulls: INEOS Team UK built a 28-foot prototype, T5, which has been gybing and tacking and doing 30 knots in a 12-knot breeze. The Mule had her first ride on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay this past fall and has spent the winter zipping around on Pensacola Bay in Florida. The boat looks fast…

To get Southport Boats’ first dual console—the 33 DC—out into Tampa Bay, Florida, our crew had to lock her out of a community lagoon that sits 1 to 2 feet above sea level. We gently coaxed the boat into a set of overhead slings before using a joystick to hoist her 15 feet up and “fly” her over the spillway. Once the 33 was hoisted high, I could take an intimate look at her running surfaces. She has full-length waterline chines, as well as a pair of lifting strakes on each side. One strake runs almost full length and the other stops amidships. I also got a closer look at her aggressive entry, Carolina flare and 22-degree transom deadrise—all of which are primo ingredients for a smooth, dry ride in…

Lightweight Outboard The EP Carry from PropEle Electric Boat Motors is a lightweight electric outboard specifically designed for small craft such as dinghies and tenders. At 21 pounds—including a 7-pound, buoyant, lithium battery pack—it delivers clean, quiet electric power. All the controls are mounted at the end of the tiller arm, including the ability to lift the prop for beaching. The EP Carry provides propulsion for up to three hours with speeds up to 4.2 knots. It’s available in three shaft lengths. Price for motor, battery and fast charger: $1,600. Underwater Drone The Navatics Mito is a remotely operated underwater vehicle that can shoot 12-megapixel still images and ture 4K video at 30 fps. Four thrusters allow it to maintain cap depth, heading and orientation at a speed of 3.8…

LOA: 36’ 7” Beam: 11’4” Displ.: 17,700 lbs. Ballast: 7,000 lbs. Fuel: 50 gals. Water: 150 gals. Power (aux.): 40-hp Westerbeke diesel For Chuck Fadely and Helene Harris, it all started with a little sailboat. “I had a 22-foot, bilge-keel Westerly Nomad while living on the North Shore of Long Island,” says Fadely, a retired photo-journalist. “It was named One Love. Helene and I had our first date onboard. In the four years since, we’ve never been apart.” About two years ago, the couple started making plans to retire, sell their house and move onto a larger boat. But first, they had to find the right vessel. Fadely had owned a number of sailboats in the past—including a Siren 17, Catalina 22, Bristol 27 and Allmand 31—so he was able…

My mother is awesome. I could write a book about the wisdom she’s passed on to me over the years. Her lessons always contain a memorable phrase—often borrowed—that help an idea stick. “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” That gem from George Bernard Shaw capped off her lesson on arguments and conflicts. “Opportunity isn’t going to knock on the door. It’s busy out there working.” That was Mom’s version of Thomas Edison. She used this to get me off the couch as a teenager. But it was her Ben Franklin that I saw in action most during search-and-rescue work. “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.” Franklin and Mom were right. You live by the company you keep.…

Who were the guys who ran those beautiful commuter yachts in the early 19th century? Chrysler, Gould, Vanderbilt, Morgan and others whose names we all recognize were men who didn’t need to punch a time clock, and who could afford a pleasant boat ride on the way to work, with breakfast served in the morning, cocktails on the way home. However, they still wanted to go fast. In 1903, William K. Vanderbilt’s 153-foot Tarantula was called the fastest yacht in the world. Her triple steam turbines pushed her to 26 knots; each shaft required three propellers to absorb the horse-power of the engines. In 1915, Peter Rouss, heir to a department-store fortune, built Winchester IV, which was 225 feet long with 7,000 horsepower from turbine engines pushing her to 32…

Anchored in Engineering If you’ve been around boats during the past 20 years, you’ve likely touched one of John Muir’s products. Muir, who started his marine career as a diesel fitter, designed and built some of the world’s most innovative boating gear, including windlasses, drum winches, sheet winches, hydraulic steering systems and more. Muir and Muir Engineering’s story are told in the 416-page Blood, Sweat & the Sea. The book describes not only the products that Muir conceived, but also the people and boat projects that inspired the engineering behind them. Filled with color photographs, the book is an excellent read for any marine gear nerd. ($78, Downstream Publishing) A Family Afloat Erik Orton was working in his high-rise New York City cubicle when he realized that life must have…