Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Soundings

U.S. Rep John Sarbanes calls himself an aspiring boater. “I love being out on the water, but I don’t get much of a chance to do that,” the Maryland Democrat told Soundings. “Whenever I’m out on the water, I’m in seventh heaven.” So, of course, are millions of Americans, which is one reason Sarbanes and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, also a Maryland Democrat, have introduced a draft plan to create a Chesapeake National Recreation Area. It would place certain sites around the Chesapeake Bay under the auspices of the National Park Service, as a way to bring more resources to the region while celebrating its history and creating more public access. The draft plan is the result of years’ worth of conversations with various groups that advocate…

Naval architect Bob Warman of Vancouver, Canada, drew the lines for the Camano 31. When he built, launched and sold the first 31 (originally referred to as the 28), his design immediately garnered interest, as it borrowed some of the form and functionality of working vessels in the region. Over the next nine years, Warman made more than 125 of the compact cruisers. The Camaro 31 is a capable coastal craft with the bones of a workboat, one that can carry its crew safely across open stretches of water efficiently and comfortably. It has a well-flared bow and a sharp-angled, near-plumb stem that can part waves and shed spray quickly. Those elements give way to rapidly widening sections that disappear below the waterline. A couple of features below the waterline…

Mercury Marine recently hosted a combination reveal and retirement party for its Verado outboard line. The introduction of its new V10 Verado 350/400 models also marked a farewell for the L6 Verado 350/400, the last descendants of the 2.6-liter supercharged platform that introduced the Verado nameplate 19 years ago. That’s a long run for any powersports product, and in that time, design tools, casting techniques and digital controls have advanced exponentially. Mercury has leveraged this technology, and a deep well of engineering experience, to fill the last gap in its new generation of Verado outboards with these all-new V10 models. Boats with outboard power have also changed a lot in the past 19 years. Center-console models over 50 feet are now powered by four or five big outboards. Wide-beam day…

While tourism in the BVI is reportedly not yet what it was five years ago, it’s coming back in a big way. Most boat charter bases and marinas have been rebuilt or repaired, businesses have reopened, and fuel, groceries and provisions are readily available. As a result, the crowds are growing, so it may take a while to find an open mooring ball, a space at the dock to refuel or a table at a restaurant. But before you get put off by that idea, remember that this is a good thing. After several very tough years, the BVI are finally regaining a sense of normalcy. The islands narrowly escaped the worst of the 2022 hurricane season, and the region has largely recovered from the twin hurricanes (Irma and Maria)…

I used to teach seamanship and boat handling to new boat owners. Most of them wanted to learn how to dock their boat—and then go tearing out of the marina as if they were on a fast Sunday highway ride. But that’s never where I started. Instead, my first lesson was always rooted around safety. My strategy was based on the day I watched an excited, middle-aged man do a face-plant into the cockpit of his first new boat. He jumped aboard and his feet slipped out from under him, a result of the wet sole and his worn-out running shoes. It never occurred to him that the boat he just bought was fraught with ways for him to get hurt. His misfortune was a reminder to me that nobody…

Due to its fall timing, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show typically hosts dozens of new model introductions, and the 2022 event was no exception. But the world debut of the 50 GLS from Cruisers Yachts was clearly one of the most hotly anticipated launches at the show. Starting from the moment the gates opened on the first day, Hull No. 1 was filled to capacity with showgoers checking out the 50’s features and amenities. Part of the reason for all the buzz about the boat were its twin fold-out “beach doors,” which were deployed at the show—a huge attention-getter. Another attraction was the brawny power package: triple 600-hp Mercury V-12 Verado outboards, which give this yacht a top end over 48 knots. Before the show was many hours old,…

Deb Kiley had a vague sense of unease before her voyage on the 58-foot sailing yacht Trashman with fellow crewmembers Brad Cavanaugh, Mark Adams, Meg Mooney and Capt. John Lippoth. She didn’t get along with Mark, but there was something more, a pervasive gloomy feeling about sailing the boat from Maryland to Florida. Getting to Florida, however, was part of her plan, and she didn’t give other methods of travel serious consideration. Kiley figured the run south would be relatively brief, and then she’d leave the boat and be done with it. Just one day before departure, however, her gut feeling became more pronounced, telling her something wasn’t quite right. So, she decided against making the voyage. She called the boat’s owner and told him she was backing out and…

The ribs of a partially built schooner rest on the sands of the Carver Shipyard in Searsport, Maine, in John H. Snow’s Schooner On the Ways from 1918. Under the blue sky and sparse clouds, a steam shed, oakum shop and storage buildings color the background. Carver Shipyard, named after the master shipbuilder John Carver, began producing boats in 1824. The first boat built there was the schooner Boston, which Carver himself worked on. Within 40 years, the yard produced 25 schooners, six brigs and five barks, among other ships. The yard then passed to Carver’s son George, who continued to produce boats after the death of his father. Frederick Frasier Black, author of Searsport Sea Captains, wrote, “Of the early ship builders, and there were many, John Carver was…

Weather forecasting has always been a primary concern for boaters, who nowadays rely on all kinds of sensors and satellites to try and stay ahead of storms. But is it possible that in addition to looking at new technology for better forecasts, we should also be looking backward in time? As it turns out, some of the information we need to improve today’s forecasts could actually be buried in the pages of handwritten logbooks from whaling ships that date to 1780. That’s the theory behind a research project led by Timothy Walker, a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Caroline Ummenhofer, a climate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Together with their team of researchers, they are combing through thousands of logbooks…

The rise of the mega center console is a jaw-dropping trend in boating. Open fishboats have morphed into bluewater beasts that are long on length, heavy on horsepower and high on price. But what about the angler who wants a more conventional-size boat that’s well-made and well-equipped for weekends on the water with the family? Are there any new coastal rigs near 30 feet for the fishing fanatic in search of a civilized ride? Absolutely. Check out this trio of center consoles, all of which are made exactly for that type of boater. PURSUIT S 248 Most new center consoles are designed to fish, cruise and entertain. They’re for owners who are serious anglers and super-social at the party cove. The Pursuit S 248 fits that mold, as it combines…

My brother Rik and his wife, Anne, have had a long love affair. They met in high school, and even though Anne never shared Rik’s passion for boating, during 37 years of marriage she has always happily gone along as he pursued his lust for boats. When they married in 1986, Rik already owned a 24-foot Pearson Lark. That sailboat was followed by numerous canoes, a Lightning, a WoodPussy, an International DN iceboat, a 22-foot inboard-powered Seabright skiff and, in 2019, the mother of all boat purchases, a 1989 Transworld 50 fantail trawler. Because Anne had always taken care of everything at their home, she agreed to the trawler purchase on one condition: She wouldn’t have to do a thing aboard the boat. That was fine by Rik, who would…