Innehållsförteckning för October 2018 från Cruising World

PEGGY’S Race Though named after the swift and agile jackalope, our four-decade-old Sabre 34 is not a race boat. I’ve sailed on race boats, and I would observe that they seldom have full water and fuel tanks, packed lockers, a dodger, or a barbecue mounted on the stern rail when they cross the starting line. Still, there we were, my wife, Sue, and I, in Nahant, Massachusetts, one Sunday last August aboard Jackalope, which these days lives on Narragansett Bay, 80 or so miles to the south of our hometown. Like a lot of sailing adventures, this one could be attributed directly to a couple of cold beers, and a brilliant idea: “I’ll just sail our boat up for the weekend,” I’d told our good friend and longtime sailing pal…

A Tender SUBJECT Have you ever dropped out the bottom of your car? As in, have you at one moment been pulling up outside your home and the next found yourself sitting on the road beneath? Albeit still in the driver’s seat and within the realms of the vehicle, but having fallen through the bottom nonetheless? I have. Only the car was an inflatable dinghy, and home a small sailboat anchored off the Grenadine island of Bequia. Of course, in my scenario, I ended up in the water. Having stood up at the bow of our little tender to tie us on to Blue Eye — the Nicholson 32 my friend James and I had sailed over from England — the soft flooring came all too easily apart from the…

Palau gained independence from the United States in 1994, although it retains free association. As such, U.S. citizens are given a year entry to Palau, free of charge. After three months, they can apply for a temporary resident permit, also free of charge, waiving all national park fees, making the trip to Rock Islands free as well. (Steve and I are citizens of Australia and Canada, respectively, so the fees we paid were different from what U.S. citizens pay.) Palau has a U.S. zip code, so shipping is cheap and usually speedy, making this a great place to order boat parts and spares from the mainland. For larger freight from the United States, we found Triple B Shipping to be an immense help. It has offices in Los Angeles, Guam…

AMEL 50 For half a century, French boatbuilder Amel has been known for its bluewater-capable ketches. Its new Berret Racoupeau-designed 50 takes a decidedly different tack, with twin rudders, a plumb bow, a sprit for downwind sails and a solent sloop rig with an in-mast furling main. Modern systems ensure easy maneuvering. amel50.com BALI 5.4 The new Bali 5.4 follows the design trends of the builder’s range of 40-footers — open floor plan, bright and airy interior, a second cockpit forward of the house — and offers a number of layout options made available by its 54-foot LOA. Choices include four-, five and six-cabin layouts to meet your cruising or chartering plans. bali-catamarans.com BAVARIA C50 The Bavaria C50 shares a number of attributes with its 45-foot sibling, but a longer…

While sailors have long trusted VHF radios for short-range communications, Uniden (uniden.com) is ushering in a brave new era of transmitting data over VHF frequencies with its new waterproof (IPX8-rated) MHS335BT handheld VHF radio. The unit sells for right around $300. The 6-watt handheld features an integrated GPS receiver and digital selective calling, which allows a user to issue blanket-broadcast emergency calls or directly call other DSC radios via their Maritime Marine Service Identity (MMSI) nine-digit number. But what really differentiates the Uniden radio is its Bluetooth connectivity, which allows it to be paired with an Android or iOS wireless device using Uniden’s Marine app. Once connected with the VHF, users can compose private text messages on their wireless devices and send them via the MHS335BT directly to a recipient’s…

Heiva HUAHINE! My wife, Carolyn, and I stood on the hill looking down on the picture-perfect Polynesian village of Haapu on Huahine, in French Polynesia. She’d forgotten her shoes aboard Ganesh, our 43-foot ketch. It was hot. The uphill climb on the grass path had been bad enough, but now the long down-sloping road consisted of sharp, hot lava rocks. We both glistened with sweat. There was no way we were going to manage this next part of our journey by swapping my pair of Crocs back and forth. The sun was bright, too bright, and beating down in waves. “I think not,” I said, conceding defeat. We’d have to turn back. “I agree,” she sighed. “What a shame. I’ve heard the village is lovely.” Just then, a wobbly bicycle…

Shoal-water anchored in the Ten Thousand Islands on the west coast of Florida, with the sky burning orange and the mangroves black and low. The last of the day’s light falls tangled over the water. A half-submerged hull of a fiberglass flats boat looms in the shadows. I turn my cellphone on to check it, as I have each morning and each evening. This time I get a message. It’s my friend Brian. He’s the one who owns the boat I’m standing on. His voice comes as flat as the water. He tells me his wife, Abby, 36 years old and a mother of two, just died. He tells me he’ll meet me in the Bahamas. I picture Brian’s wife as I’d last seen her, up in northern Michigan, tall…

Considering the cost of installing a generator — estimated at $15,000 to $20,000, or possibly more depending on your boat and the power output selected — you might consider some alternatives. How about essentially silent AC power via a direct-current-to-alternating-current inverter and adequate storage capacity that relies on the latest high-capacity battery technology? Marine electrical systems have evolved considerably over the past decade or so, and I’m at the point now where I question the need for an onboard AC generator for most cruisers, though some might still benefit from installing a DC generator to supplement solar-, wind- or water-driven charging solutions. The current density of high-end absorbed glass mat and lithium-ion batteries has improved by 20 to 30 percent due to their inherent capacity compared to older flooded-cell batteries.…

MONTHLY MAINTENANCE Friction and corrosion. These, unfortunately, are constants aboard any cruising boat. However, with a little bit of periodic attention and maintenance, both can be all but eliminated. Friction comes into play the moment you start your vessel’s engine or generator. Were they not coated in oil, the crankshaft, connecting rod bearings, piston rings, rocker arms and cam shafts would quickly grind to a halt. Crankcase oil offsets the bulk of friction’s side effects, enabling engines to run for thousands of hours without ever having to be disassembled to replace any of these components. Oil also acts as a corrosion inhibitor by coating the engine parts that would otherwise rust or corrode. It’s worth taking the time to select your diesel engine’s oil wisely, making certain it meets the…

Besides brand-new sailboats, most boat shows also display current and older models. Have a boat that you’re interested in? You can search Cruising World’s entire archive of sailboat reviews at cruisingworld.com/sailboats…

One HAPPY Ending In sailing, as in life, not all stories have pleasant conclusions. So it’s always uplifting to tell a tale that does. Which returns us to the ongoing saga of cruising sailors Joy and Jim Carey, and of their 45-foot sailboat Kelaerin, and an ending straight out of a Hollywood movie. In last month’s issue, we related what turned out to be just the opening, terrifying stanza of the Careys’ amazing odyssey (see “The Last Wave,” August/September; cruisingworld.com/rogue-wave-rescueat-sea). To briefly recount, in mid-June, the couple were off the coast of Washington state and a single day away from completing a 17-year circumnavigation aboard Kelaerin when they were clobbered and rolled by a roaring sea in the dead of night. Just hours later, they were airlifted off their stricken…

Imagine my delight when I received your DIY edition (Hands-On Sailor 2018). I’ve only gotten around to reading it now due to the fact that I’m currently in the midst of a total refit on our family boat. Strip teak decks? Check. Rewire the boat? Check. Install new electronics? Check. Replace an ancient SSB? Check. And on and on. Up until our current boat, all the boats I’ve owned have been auction or insurance vessels; it allowed me to enjoy the pleasure of sailing boats I could have never afforded otherwise, and it also taught me some valuable lessons. Your DIY issue was a great primer for those who have been sitting on the sidelines considering taking the leap into a salvage boat but too afraid to pull the trigger.…

1. McMURDO SMARTFIND G8 AIS EPIRB • $875 • MC MURDOGROUP.COM Now available for the U.S. market, the Smartfind G8 AIS EPIRB is the first of its kind to include the AIS frequency. When activated, the unit will not only signal the distress to the Cospas-Sarsat satellite networks, but also alert all the AIS receivers in the local area, increasing the chances of a faster rescue. 2. FURUNO FM4800 VHF • $595 • FURUNO.COM The clean, simple look of the FM4800 VHF radio belies its impressive functionality. The radio features a built-in GPS receiver, so no external source is necessary to utilize its digital selective calling capabilities. Its internal AIS receiver can share data over your boat’s network. The radio is waterproof to IP68 standard and also can be used…

BETWIXT and BETWEEN Leaving without a fixed destination to arrive to an uncertain welcome. That is why I sail. It’s the first thing I tell landlubbers who ask, “What is it like, to sail across an ocean in a small boat?” I could describe the long, loping swell of the deep ocean. The black, moonless nights when the darkness chokes my mind. The curl of blue bioluminescence on a breaking wave. The way a new dawn paints the deck candy-floss pink. I could describe the welling of joy when dolphins appear, and the secrets we share. But I always begin with the thrill of leaving port. My port clearance is a precious document, the paper clearing boat and crew of debts and warrants and unpaid bar tabs, free to leave…

DESIGN Once upon a time, every seagoing sailboat had a broad table in the saloon with sightlines to the helm, plenty large enough to spread out a big NOAA chart folded in half. Of course, that meant your boat couldn’t offer other things, particularly if it was smaller than 40 feet. Queen-size berths and separate shower stalls? Not likely. But the times and designs have changed. Cruising World’s Boat of the Year judges examined roughly two dozen new sailboats in October 2017, and in so doing, we marked the ways today’s builders either hewed to tradition or innovated with their boats’ navigation stations. THE TRADITIONALISTS Big chart tables aren’t entirely gone. Six boats in this year’s fleet of new boats exhibited traditional nav stations with ample room to slide parallel…

LIVING ABOARD What kind of coffee maker do you use aboard your boat? Recently, we posted this question to readers on Facebook. Responses revealed clear-cut winners — none require electricity, and all you need is a stove to heat water. A few readers with regular access to shore power or an onboard inverter singled out electric K-Cup coffee makers, such as Nespresso, Keurig or Nescafe Dolce Gusto, but the vast majority preferred simpler options. PRESSED COFFEE (THE IMMERSION METHOD) 1. The Winner: French Press This classic press was the overall favorite; users claim it makes the best-tasting cup of coffee, hands down. The design is simple: a cylindrical glass or metal carafe and plunger/lid with mesh filter. Just add hot water to ground coffee in the carafe, allow it to…