Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i PassageMaker

Early in the morning of November 8, 2018, the Norwegian frigate KNM Helge Ingstad collided with the 820-foot crude-oil tanker Sola TS, as the latter was departing the oil terminal at Stura, Norway, 30 miles northwest of Bergen. The hull of Sola TS was hardened for operating in ice-covered waters and further reinforced to prevent oil spills in the event of grounding or collision. Hence, the tanker’s bulbous bow functioned like a battering ram when it impacted the smaller warship. Helge Ingstad’s engine room rapidly flooded, and the frigate saved itself from sinking in deep water by running aground. The crews of both vessels avoided serious injuries. Though the tanker was essentially undamaged, Helge Ingstad heeled over and eventually sank in shallow water. A major contributing factor to this collision…

To call the new outboard-powered 34O from this traditional Down East builder a design departure would be short shrift. This is a new model, after all, from Sabre’s not-so-little sister company that has made their bread and butter building dependable, efficient boats in the Maine lobster-boat style—each powered by a single straight-shaft diesel engine. It’s a monumental change of pace, like swapping the blue heron on the builder’s logo for a sea hawk. The blue heron remains, just look for it to be moving a little faster aboard the 34O. “O,” of course, refers to the outboard power—a pair of standard Yamaha 300s—or the dumbfounded noise one makes after seeing them affixed to the transom for the first time. I made a similar expression when I first locked eyes on…

It’s a foggy and still November day in Port Townsend, Washington, and a childhood friend is taking me and my colleague Brian for a quick spin on his 58-foot schooner, Singawing. Matthew Mortensen is his name. He and his wife, Andrea, operate Great Bear Charters, bringing clients up and down the Inside Passage on their flotilla of one. It’s easy to picture spending a week or more on this charter boat bedecked with all the cruising necessities. Its cozy interior has plentiful sleeping quarters and kayaks flare out on racks above the transom. Out on the water, Mortensen explains that Singawing has become a guinea pig for his hybrid life, a test case for his commitment to eliminating dependence on burning fossil fuels (and yes, in case you’re wondering, he…

My grandmother put large chunks of avocado in every green salad she ever made. Like synchronized swimmers, my dad, my brother and I would push these chunks to the very edge of our respective salad plates, hoping no one would notice—or care—about the obvious dinner-table etiquette infraction. Nowadays, I have adopted avocados completely into my life (as well as onions, peppers and other assorted foods that I wouldn’t touch in my younger years). Maybe I’m a victim of the onslaught of marketing that forced the once-named “alligator fruit” (appetizing, right?) into the national consciousness, but I doubt it. Not even a cartoon avocado with arms, legs, eyes and a hat could get me to try them. But along the way, something changed. Now, I add avocados to anything from cold…

LOA: 75ft. 2in. Beam: 20ft. Draft: 7ft. 10in. Speed: 10 knots/8 knots (max./cruising) Builder: Washburn & Doughty Price: $1,550,000 Listing URL: goo.gl/yuSiG6 Brian Commette, CPYB, Northrop & Johnson Location: Newport, RI Phone: (401) 965-5226 In 2002, at the youthful age of 76, Robert Hempstead decided it was time to build the expedition yacht he always dreamed of. Hempstead spent his lifetime working on various commercial ships as a captain and an engineer. His most unique job might have been captaining newly christened warships from their builders to the naval bases they would o_ cially hail from and training Navy personnel on how to operate them. Hempstead wanted a boat that would safely deliver him and his wife to uncharted and untouched waters. He needed something rugged and self-su_ cient—a true…

HALLOWED GROUNDS Last summer, we endured the long slog up and down Jervis Inlet to see Princess Louisa (pictured at left) for the first time in nearly 25 years. Over those years, we hadn’t been willing to devote the time when we had the scent of Desolation and beyond in our noses. That mistake won’t be repeated. The Princess is every bit as good as she has always been and well worth the time and eff ort. We’ll be back this year. Hector Cyre, Friday Harbor, WA ‘We live in the greatest cruising grounds in the world and shouldn’t forget that. Just don’t tell anybody, okay?’ STARTING ‘EM YOUNG My 22-month-old grandson loves to run into our bathroom, where my stash of boating magazines is within easy reach. He runs…

The ocean is an unpredictable place. But with seasoned navigator Dag Pike at the helm, you’ll never be lost at sea. Pike cut his teeth as a teenager in the Merchant Navy and had already stashed multiple circumnavigations in his pocket by the time he turned 21. Now, after 65 years of experience with all kinds of vessels, Pike is one of the most venerable seamen and acclaimed powerboat-racing navigators in the world. An accomplished author, Pike published his first book, Powerboats in Rough Seas, in 1974. Since then, he’s written at least 50 other titles on a wide range of salty subjects, from navigation and powerboating to disasters at sea and weather analysis. Simply put, what Pike doesn’t know about the ocean isn’t worth knowing. Pike is a Fellow…

To some, the term “Down East” means “blue water,” but the Down East Circle Route is in no way a bluewater trip. Land is always in sight and you’ll never be more than a half day from the nearest port or anchorage. The 2,400-nautical-mile route loops around New England and among the islands of the Canadian Maritimes, reaching its northernmost point, the Gaspé Peninsula, at nearly 50 degrees latitude. Despite this reach into the higher latitudes, the loop is quite manageable. All you need is a sound vessel with a reliable engine that can do at least 6 knots so you can complete the cruise in a single summer. Extended daylight allows after-supper sightseeing at the higher latitudes, and while you will experience chillier waters (around 45 degrees Fahrenheit) and…

For centuries the Mediterranean has been one of the great harbors of human endeavor. Artifacts of great historical relevance can be found in nearly every seaside village regardless of size. Unlike many of the other cultural markers, those that trace the evolution of human interaction with the sea are not always highlighted in the tourist brochures. But mariners with a thirst for exploration stand to be rewarded by these off-the-beatenpath gems of maritime and religious history. Adjacent to the riverine cores of two of the earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt, the islands in the Mediterranean’s heart shine a particular light on the varied trajectories and interactions that nurtured this maritime mecca. Last spring, the 94-foot Trinity-Halter expedition yacht Whale Song departed Sardinia with one goal: to seek out the storied…

Growing up on the wide expanse of the lower Potomac River, just off the Chesapeake Bay, I learned to row before I could read. My oars and my arms took me around the local bays and up the tributaries, allowing me to learn about boats and boating at a safe, leisurely pace. Then came my first motor, a 3-horsepower Johnson Sea-Horse. It relieved my biceps, but frankly, it didn’t push the boat much faster than my oars could during a spirited sprint. Such muscular bursts were unsustainable, though, so the little white outboard extended my range considerably. I guess you could say it was the genesis of my passagemaking. Next came a 9.9 and I discovered that the flat-bottomed Bay-built rowboat would plane. This speed became my drug of choice—and…

Marlow Unveils Voyager 100 Sporting an LOA of 100 feet, the newest line of Voyager Class yachts to be constructed by Marlow Yachts. This 100 line, dubbed “Ice,” joins the “Vagabundo” Voyager Class series introduced in 2010. With a 3,500-nautical-mile range at 9 knots and the ability to sprint at speeds in the 18-to 20-knot range for up to 48 hours, the Voyager 100 is a passagemaker to the core. This series will arrive with redundant systems featuring continuous-duty, hand-built engines and mechanical art ensconced in dedicated technical rooms, with custom environmental systems to explore the great beyond in total comfort and safety. Expected to receive the Unrestricted Navigation designation, the Voyager 100 is slated to launch this summer. marlowyachts.com Aquila 30 Debuts in Miami Aquila Power Catamarans has launched…

When you hear phrases like “dual hybrid propulsion” and “vacuum-infused urethane acrylate resin, Core-Cell and E-glass,” you’re probably not picturing a boat with art-deco styling, one that would look right at home in a black-and-white photo of a 1950s yacht club. But those are just a few of the new ideas that fit seamlessly into the overall vision of the Hybrid Sportsman 38. The latest model from Huckins Yachts has the soul of a classic boat without the carbon footprint or maintenance requirements of one. But it is not simply a modern boat with retro styling or a classic hull design with some contemporary features added. In keeping with Huckins Yachts’ 90-year track record of groundbreaking originality, the Hybrid Sportsman 38 elegantly embodies a concept attributed to pioneering urban activist…

Compare the volume of the waste fumes generated by a working diesel engine to the quantity coming out of the exhaust and you’ll always find a small diff erence. While almost all the fumes the engine produces exit through your exhaust system, managing the missing ones can improve both the cleanliness of your engine room and the performance of your engine. Blow-By While the exhaust system expels nearly all of the fumes produced by the engine’s combustion, it’s not possible for it to capture 100 percent of the gases. A diesel engine works this way: As the piston moves toward the top of the cylinder, it compresses the air, creating heat that ignites the fuel supplied by the injectors. On the one hand, the piston must fit tightly enough in…

For over 200 years the southern tip of Florida has been a hangout for pirates, smugglers and thieves. Still considered the most porous border in the U.S., mile for mile more illegal drugs pass through southern Florida than any other border area. But you don’t have to be a drug runner to enjoy the scenery. Boaters have discovered the last bastion of frontier in the swamps, groves, islands (and high-rises) of the “Florida Mini-Loop.” Looping around South Florida was not possible until the Okeechobee Waterway (OWW) was created in 1937, cutting a route through the center of the state. This project connected Lake Okeechobee (the second largest lake contained wholly in the U.S.) to both coasts by channelizing the St. Lucie River on the east and the Caloosahatchee River on…

Tony Fleming, the founder and driving force behind Fleming Yachts, closes his personal memoir, Riding the Tide, with a clarion call: “Aim high, stay focused, and never give up!” If the boats he builds are any indication, Fleming lives by this mantra. Rarely is greatness accomplished in a single quantum jump. An ascent to excellence almost always involves numerous small steps. And that principle could not be writ more clearly than in the latest version of the Fleming 78. The first Fleming 78, introduced in 2010, was a natural evolution of the company’s 75, which had, at that point, been the flagship of the Fleming line for a decade. This new 78 incorporated a longer waterline to improve running efficiency at cruise and passagemaking speeds. A boost to 90 metric…

In a calm anchorage at dusk, the peace is broken by a cellphone ringing in the cockpit of one of the boats. It rings, stops, then rings again because the caller can’t believe everyone doesn’t have their phone with them constantly. After a half hour of this nonsense, a dinghy departs a nearby yacht and a shadowy figure boards the offender. Quiet is restored. Yachting etiquette was once handed down from experienced skippers to first-timers but, with the explosion of boats on the water, novices are heading out on the water without the faintest sense of basic boating manners. If you’re reading this magazine, you’re probably more the abider than the off ending party. (Permission to sit back with a cold one and enjoy.) But if you’re relatively new to…