Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Cruising World

BRAVO, BVI Thank you for your cover story in the March issue (“The Way it Was” by Herb McCormick). I think it will be appreciated by every islander, and it brought tears to my eyes more than once. We have sailed in the British Virgin Islands for years, but we just returned from our first post-Irma charter and it was a uniquely meaningful and moving experience. Yes, it’s as stunningly beautiful as ever, and we guiltily enjoyed the relative solitude, but what made it unforgettable was the people. All the same people we have seen for years — but now, the reserve that comes from being a necessary guest or an obligatory host fell away. The BVI islanders lived through a truly terrifying experience, and it’s clear that their sense…

1. HELLY HANSEN HELLYPACK BAG • $150 • HELLYHANSEN.COM From the outside, this may look like an ordinary duff el bag, but unzip the sides and it unrolls to reveal pockets and pouches to keep all your gear organized. Clips at the top allow you to hang the pack up, keeping your cabin tidy, and the waterproof outer fabric ensures your stuff will survive splashy dinghy rides. 2. GILL OS3 COASTAL JACKET • $230 • GILLMARINE.COM Gill has updated its popular OS gear for coastal cruisers. The new OS3 Coastal range features jackets and bibs for men, women and kids. The jackets (women’s shown) feature waterproof and windproof two-layer fabric, adjustable cuff s with inner seals and a fully lined, high-visibility hood. 3. HENRI-LLOYD FREEDOM HI-FIT TROUSERS • $235 •…

I am prepping for our fourth circumnavigation differently from my first, not because I’ve changed my cruising philosophy but because technology continues to evolve. For example, I used to carry a spare set of injectors, gaskets (including a head gasket), an alternator and a starter motor for our diesel engine. Now, with the advent of worldwide airfreight, I merely ship them in as needed. This not only saves weight and upfront expenses, but it’s economical and practical because it eliminates the chance of my spares being water-damaged prior to use. These days, I only carry such consumables as fan belts, filters and lubricants. Filters, by the way, are a special problem because some of them have metal housings that need to be kept rust free. I store them in an…

As we rounded a bend on the Missouri River, swallows darted from the sandstone cliffs, sending shadows across our red-and-white sail. Our flotilla came into view: a motley crew of canoes and kayaks haphazardly pulled up on shore, above which our friends lounged near a grove of cottonwood trees, enjoying Montana’s spring sun. My 3-year-old son, Talon, stopped playing with a rope long enough to ask, “Is that our campsite, Mom?” It wasn’t. We were only 3 miles into a 50-mile float down the National Wild and Scenic section of the upper Missouri River, part of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Our friends were simply waiting for us to catch up. Since this was our maiden voyage in the sailing canoe, my husband and I had launched later,…

LIVING ABOARD How can one possibly enhance Maine’s magnificent coastal cruising? Our answer: carry stand-up paddleboards. Indeed, the explorations and exercise they provide are high points of our sailing journeys. We would not want to carry our rigid boards offshore, but in near-shore conditions they travel without difficulty, lashed to the lifelines outboard of our Finngulf 391 West Wind’s inboard chain-plates. We still love rowing and exploring with the wonderful wooden Maine-built pea pod we tow, but nowadays, we more often find adventure on the paddleboards when the water is calm. A memorable paddle up the Englishman River, a lovely estuary draining into Englishman Bay just east of Roque Island, exemplifies the fun and the connection to nature we enjoy. The anchorage off the river’s mouth is exposed, but we…

SEAMANSHIP What do you do if there’s a major hurricane, Category 3 or above, bearing down on your boat? Surviving the storm involves a certain amount of luck, but you can substantially up your odds with good preparation. We’ve taken two major hits, from Hurricane Irma this past year in the Florida Keys and Marty in 2003 in the Sea of Cortez, and have been within 50 miles of the eye of four other storms. Those experiences taught us many things, with these 10 being the most important. CHECK YOUR INSURANCE 01 Double-check your insurance policy for required preparation for a major hurricane. Also, reread the hurricane plan you filed, stating how you would prepare. Should a claim be necessary, you’ll have to prove you fulfilled your obligations. Be sure…

Every 10 years or so, a new wrinkle in boat design or layout comes along that alters the way in which we perceive cruising boats. Way back when (OK, more than a decade ago), it was the not-so-subtle shift from full-keel yachts to those with fin blades and skeg-hung rudders. More recently, raised deck saloons changed the way we looked at interior spaces, opening up the main living area with wraparound windows, more light and headroom, and panoramic views. Then came chines, once the purview of metal boats but suddenly ubiquitous in fiberglass production craft, with claims of better performance (maybe) and voluminous accommodations (definitely). And let’s not forget the explosion of cruising catamarans, which are a separate discussion altogether. Now, with the introduction of Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey 440 and…

Some of my most treasured possessions are nautical books signed by the authors, which I’ve been collecting for years. Among many others, my bookshelf is graced by prized, inscribed copies of A World of My Own by Robin Knox-Johnston (with a joke about my sailing skills); Adrift by Steve Callahan (with a cool personalized sketch like the ones in the book); and Cruising in Seraffyn by Lin and Larry Pardey (with nice notes from both authors). But one of my favorite titles is Arthur Knapp’s Race Your Boat Right, a tome not familiar to many cruising sailors but a classic in its own right. Knapp’s book was a gift from friends who, knowing my obsession, came across it while perusing the shelves of a used bookstore. Written in 1952, Knapp…

On the outer edge of a shallow bay painted in vibrant blues, wooden boats lie at anchor with their bows in a row. This is the starting line of a Bahamian sloop regatta, and with the crack of the gun, crews rush to raise sails, haul anchor and beat to the windward mark. Bahamian sloops were once solely workboats; today they’re racing machines with traditional bones. Regattas began in the 1950s in a bid to keep the wooden-planked vessels from fading into history. What started with a single event in George Town’s Elizabeth Harbour, on Great Exuma, has grown to a couple of dozen races per year. The sloops might no longer double as fishing boats, but they retain their roots. Sails must be Egyptian cotton. Hull and spars must…

If there’s more than one sailboat out on the water, it must be a race. Cruisers will say this as an affable joke on land, but that competition, friendly and spirited, inevitably emerges on the water. It’s a reflexive response to the sight of another sailboat in an otherwise lonely ocean. My husband, John, and I learned how to sail on a racecourse, a trial-by-fire method in which our bruised shins and egos very slowly, over several years, evolved into elevated confidence and eventually a few trophies. In contrast to fair-weather weekend cruising, racing offers a steep learning curve driven by diverse weather conditions and a cohesive crew. Determined to sail faster than the competition, racers push their boats past the edge, leaning in to the difficult situations and illustrating…

Boards were missing from a rickety dinghy dock where cruisers tie up upon arrival to Bequia’s Admiralty Bay. Last year’s devastating hurricane season wasn’t to blame; peeling paint and weathered shingles nearby tell a bigger story of long-term inattention. An older man with varicose-rippled legs, the left one encumbered by edema, limped down the pier with a greeting. “Do you know Tango?” he asked. Well, we did now, as that’s how he introduced himself. His gray coils sprung away from a friendly face that was sprightlier than the rest of his form. Tango was the first step in what I anticipated to be a challenging quest on Bequia: to find the identity of “R. Williams,” and meet him or her if possible. Worked in bright colors on a base of…

Location, location, location. No, I’m not trying to sell you a house, but we are talking real estate here, as in where to keep your boat when a hurricane threatens the U.S. East Coast. After experiencing 2003’s Hurricane Isabel on the Chesapeake, having the good luck to be late coming south in 2012, thus missing Hurricane Sandy, and then a near miss of Hurricane Irma’s ferocity last fall while in the central Florida region, I’ve decided, no more hurricanes for me, thanks (well, hopefully). But in the process of preparing for (or running from) those three and a couple of others in the years between, and having watched the paths of other tropical cyclones, I’ve developed a list of hurricane holes in case I get caught out. Just what makes…

Hot on the heels of launching the Sun Odyssey 440 last fall, Jeanneau this winter brought a big sister — a stunning 49-footer — to Miami’s International Boat Show for its North American debut. Like the 440, which won accolades from our Boat of the Year judges following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, the Sun Odyssey 490 features Jeanneau’s creative cockpit and topside design that includes uncluttered side decks that slope down to meet the cockpit sole. On the 440, the cockpit table is offset to provide a clear path from the transom to the companionway. On the 490, it’s the companionway that’s slightly offset to port to achieve the same end. On both boats, seat coamings fold out to create spacious spots for lounging. A double backstay,…

Although I grew up in a sailing-obsessed household with a physicist father who was an early and enthusiastic convert to electronic navigation, my first time experiencing a truly state-of-the-art navigation system was in 2007, when I was invited aboard Puma Ocean Racing’s Volvo Open 70 Avanti to document the team’s offshore training ahead of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. The great Mark Rudiger was navigating, first threading us under New York City’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and then into the open Atlantic before our bow unexpectedly and dangerously began delaminating, necessitating a retreat back to the Big Apple, up the East River to Long Island Sound and, eventually, to Newport, Rhode Island. Rudiger masterfully leveraged the boat’s electronics, which included tablets, laser range finders, weather-routing software, state-of-theart radar, a satellite-communications system and…

In an effort to encourage more women to be involved in offshore sailing, the Storm Trysail Club and Foundation has created Women Offshore, a new video produced by Gary Jobson. In the video, 10 highly experienced sailors share ways to get more women racing and cruising long distances. Women Offshore is being offered to yacht clubs and sailing organizations wishing to present this video to their members. Free downloads can be requested by contacting STC member Butch Ulmer (butch@uksailmakers.com). The Storm Trysail Club and Foundation is dedicated to developing offshore safety standards and best practices. The group organizes a series of Safety-at-Sea Seminars throughout the U.S. each year. To learn more about the club, visit stormtrysail.org, and for more information about their Safety-at-Sea Seminars and videos, visit stormtrysailfoundation.org.…

Aboard Kate, our Newport 41, I only plan menus when we’re making a passage, or if my partner, Steve, and I are having guests for dinner. Daily meals are much more off the cuff. One recent evening, as the sun was setting and stomachs were rumbling, I realized I didn’t even have a vague idea what we’d have for dinner. This would definitely be a quick-fire challenge. § I grabbed a packet of spaghetti: easy, but a sauce would require inspiration. I began by sauteing some onions in oil. As the galley filled with that sweet, familiar aroma, I foraged for more ingredients. There were a few slices of bacon in the fridge; it would add a smoky element to the sauce. Garlic, we had. Though we hadn’t seen fresh…

Aboard the 60-foot cutter Hummingbird, we’d set off from the enchanting waters of Scotland some 40 hours earlier for the approximately 240-nautical-mile passage north to the remote Faroe Islands. With a fitful southerly breeze, we’d knocked off much of the trip under sail alone, though we relented in the truly light stuff and kicked over the auxiliary to make some miles while motorsailing. All was going according to plan right up to our final approach to the islands, when damp, dense fog enveloped us and our surroundings. We knew we were literally right on top of the stark, dramatic Faroes, but we couldn’t see squat. Hunched over the radar screen, we had a clear rendering of the pass we were aiming for when the fog magically lifted and the island…

So how do you find a safe spot if you’re not near one of the locations I’ve outlined, or can’t get hauled out where you are? First, take a good look at your charts. Scope out areas that offer protection from fetch, such as up a river or creek, and that are as far away from major bays and sounds as possible. Then go to Google Earth and take a look at the topography of the area. Do you see lots of trees, or hills, surrounding the anchorage? You do? Sounds promising. Road access? Could be a winner. The images below show Brewer Creek (circled), where I anchored for Hurricane Isabel. Its location, well off of the bay and a distance up the Severn River, offers good protection and minimal…

Most of the new sailboats I look at in a given year have me filling my notebook with lines’ worth of creature comforts, electronics packages and long lists of options, from air conditioning to windows that darken at the flick of a switch. So that’s why a pair of simple sailboats — each a throwback in its own way — sort of stood out from the crowd at last year’s U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. At first glance, the new Stiletto-Xc and the Malbec 18 are very different beasts. Heck, the former has two 30-foot hulls built from exotic fibers and resins, and the latter is a monohull and about two-thirds the size. But the boats share a “keep it simple” credo, and both are the products of builders…

FREE RANGE CHICKEN 2006 CUSTOM PERRY 59 FREE RANGE CHICKEN is an unforgettable boat, beginning with the name. Having owned 8 boats prior to FRC, the owner knew exactly what he wanted in a long range performance cruiser with go fast capabilities. It’s no secret Bob Perry is a legend in designing ULDB sailboats that are highly successful in the waters off of Southern California. Combining an iconic yacht designer, a knowledgeable owner and a custom yacht yard that understood the dynamic, the ultimate part luxury, part competitor was created. This yacht was designed to facilitate short handed cruising, while still being able to accommodate a race crew. Free Range Chicken represent a great opportunity for anyone looking to get away from it all, with great comfort and speed. PLEASE…