Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2021 från Cruising World

In any normal year, between work and play I typically find myself aboard a pretty eclectic collection of boats, from our 1978 Sabre 34 to friends’ and dock mates’ vessels of the same or newer vintage to classic yachts, and of course the latest models on display at various boat shows. One benefit of being surrounded by a broad variety of sailboats is that you can sort of follow the evolutionary path from there to here, with few abrupt surprises. But 2020 was not a normal year—in so many ways. Because of quarantine restrictions this past spring in Maine, where our boat spent the winter, it remained on the hard all season. So, aside from 2020 being the first year in many that I lived entirely ashore, parked on a…

1 large potato (about 1 heaping cup, peeled and diced)1 Tbsp. butter1 lb. fish fillets (any firm white fish, such as flounder, halibut or cod)2 garlic cloves, minced finely Salt and pepper, to taste Pinch of fresh or dried dill weed3/4 cup all-purpose flour, in a zipper-lock bag1 egg, beaten in a bowl1 cup bread crumbs, spread on a plate3-4 Tbsp. olive oil1 lemon, sliced Serves 2 to 3, depending on appetite. Boil water in a medium saucepan, add diced potatoes and a pinch of salt, cover, bring back to a boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain water; mash potatoes with a fork or masher. Let cool. In a large frying pan, heat butter and 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat, add garlic, saute 3…

One of the most common observations people make after they meet my little family and see Ganymede, the 31-foot boat that we once called home, is, “How very simple everything is!” We are mistakenly taken by some as pioneers of simplification, as bastions of off-the-grid living. And we are, I suppose, in a way—but it’s purely accidental. For starters, the reason we went to sea without a 12-volt electrical system is mostly because I can’t stand the constant upkeep and bother they entail. To be perpetually cleaning contacts, running wires, changing fuses and poking multimeter leads everywhere would put a crimp in my relaxed cruising style. Not having batteries, of course, cuts down on all the lovely and useful gadgets they normally power, but there again my reasons against them…

SHOULD I STAY SHOULD I GO? This punk-rock anthem to indecision seems written especially for cruisers. As each season winds down, one query tops the usual weather-and-repairs yammer in every port: “So, where you guys headed next?” When my wife, Rebecca, and I sailed from the Pacific Northwest in 2009, that answer was south, at least to start. Each winter we pushed farther on Liberte, our Beneteau 361, lured by monkeys, waterfalls and that age-old temptation of new horizons. Liberte dawdled through Costa Rica and Panama, through the Panama Canal, and on to Guatemala’s Rio Dulce, Belize, Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas. And boy, are we glad we did. But by our third season in the Bahamas, when that destination question arose at a farewell dock party in Green Turtle…

When you test the fleet of new boats that are introduced every year—year in and year out, as we at Cruising World have been doing with our annual Boat of the Year contest for over two decades now—you begin to identify the shifting trends in boat design and construction as they inevitably occur. (Remember the total proliferation of “deck/saloon” layouts?) For 2021, as we put the dozen yachts that cleared the COVID-19 hurdles to become BOTY nominees through their paces, we began to sense some themes shared by many of the entrants that were unmistakable. It was beyond coincidental. Superior sailing performance should always be a common denominator in any collection of solid, well-conceived sailboats, but for 2021, it seemed to be a higher priority than in previous years. Which…

At the upper end of the cost equation for the 2021 Boat of the Year contestants, there were three boats with a price tag north of seven figures, which in our viewpoint puts them into Luxury Cruiser territory. The Southerly 480 was the outlier of the three—very cool and versatile, but with older if proven technology—which steered us into a lively discussion of the merits of two truly state-of-the-art sailboats, the HH 50 and the Hylas 60. So the question was, how do you choose between excellent and exquisite? The similarities, apart from their rarified sticker prices, were rather striking. Both built in the Far East. Both with similar Boat of the Year pedigrees, having each notched victories in previous contests. Both marketed similarly. Both with strong support systems for…

VOYAGING It was 0300, and I was on the helm of one of the fastest monohull racing yachts on Earth; the Bakewell-White-designed supermaxi racing yacht Rio 100. With a reef in the main, a small jib set and a large reaching gennaker unfurled, we were romping along at sustained speeds in the high teens with bursts well into the 20s. I was decked out in the latest, greatest foul-weather gear from Musto and “talking story” with a Volvo Ocean Race veteran serving as my watch captain. Pinching myself to be in this place in time, we were fully sending it across the Pacific on what was quite easily the fastest boat I’ve ever sailed on a long bluewater passage. A multimillion-dollar, all-carbon-fiber racing yacht that has set numerous course records…

There’s another plumbing issue that might lead to the engine flooding. A traditional propeller-shaft stuffing box needs a slight bit of water—drips, really—to cool it while the engine is running and the shaft is turning, but none when the shaft is at rest. Tightening the nut on the stuffing box will adjust the rate of dripping. Some boat owners anxious to keep the stuffing box really cool add a small hose that, via a T fitting, carries water from the raw-water cooling loop and exits underwater along the shaft into the stern tube. This, of course, allows another opportunity for seawater to siphon back into the engine. The stuffing box’s cooling waterline also has to be looped high above the waterline with a vacuum break valve at the top. Unless…

When Steven Callahan left Maine in January 1981 on Napoleon Solo, a 6.5-meter sloop, for a solo sail to the Canary Islands and back to America, he was planning to fulfill a childhood dream and thought he had prepared for all contingencies. Callahan was 29 when he started what he later described as an “exhilarating crossing” of the Atlantic and made it safely across the sea. On January 29, 1982, Callahan left the Canaries for the sail back to America. The first week of the return journey, Callahan said, “was smooth trade-wind sailing, and when a gale started, I wasn’t too concerned. I knew the boat, and I’d been through much worse.” Later, on the night of February 4, 1982, something—“probably a whale or a large shark,” Callahan recalled—smashed into…

The United Nations estimates that 1.5 billion tons, or one-third of all food produced, is wasted annually. It is also estimated that more than 40 percent of that food is wasted by the consumer. What you put on your plates has far-reaching environmental consequences, and that means you have the power to make big, positive environmental changes. On a more personal level, reducing food waste means less stinky trash to deal with on board. Reducing food waste doesn’t mean going vegan or giving up favorite foods. It doesn’t even require major changes to your routine. Simply by being a little more mindful about the food you buy and eat can help prevent global food waste. Use What’s on Board: The first step toward reducing food waste is simply to use…

It is difficult to describe the utter devastation of a Category 5 storm such as Hurricane Irma because any accurate attempt seems like wild exaggeration. An 80-foot twin-engine catamaran with a generator and full fuel tanks blowing through the air like a 40-foot-wide tumbleweed? A 50-foot monohull whose barometer momentarily functioned as an altimeter before the boat landed on the roof of a government building? Entire harbors a sea of blue from the antifouling of the capsized rental catamarans? Crazy, right? Thatcher Lord and his wife, Vicki, couldn’t believe their eyes on September 6, 2017, as they forced open the door of their battered home enough to escape. The hillside on St. John, in the US Virgin Islands, appeared to have burned, as if magically incinerated during the torrential rains.…

Armchair sailors around the globe are living vicariously these days as they watch sailing adventures unfold on YouTube. But while a handful of sailors and their channels have star power enough to earn a living, is posting videos a viable way for most of us to feed the cruising kitty? To find out, I reached out to eight video bloggers—or vloggers—and their answers were surprising. While a few report a steady, reliable income, several others were quite candid about how hard they had to work to capture what was supposed to be a laid-back lifestyle. With 1.9 billion people tuning in to YouTube each month from 91 countries around the world, the platform reaches more viewers than any TV network. Individual channels receive a portion of their advertising revenue, so…

MY LIVEABOARD FAMILY OF SIX FINALLY DOCKED. WE PULLED OFF OUR IRISH SAILING DUBARRYS, SLIPPED INTO OUR KNEE-HIGH WELLIES, AND STEPPED OFF THE BOAT ONTO THE FLOATING PONTOON AT OBAN MARINA TO STRETCH OUR LEGS AFTER HAVING CROSSED THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND UP THE IRISH SEA. When I put on my Wellies, my sea body became a land body again. I walked through the boatyard and trudged through the muddy paths, and my sailing soul was filled with the piece of land my heart needed. Floating offshore aboard Selkie is the life we have chosen, but this land, this place, the family of Oban Marina and the Isle of Kerrera was a home we had chosen for winter. “I never want to leave here,” said my 10-year-old daughter, Lily, four…

With this year’s aforementioned diminished nominee list, it was impossible to break down the fleet across the board to fit each boat into a neat, tidy category. One of the two notable exceptions was the Performance Cruiser class, with three strong entries: the Arcona 435, the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 and the X-Yachts X40. We’ll get to the Arcona and the Beneteau in the pages to come, but for 2021, the clear winner in this class of sweetsailing racer/cruisers was the X40. It clearly met the criteria for being the top performer in its stated design brief: a boat that will compete strongly—and well—on the racecourse, yet be comfortable and fun for coastal cruising. With the X-Yachts, we’ve seen this figurative movie before. The Danish brand has taken home BOTY hardware…

Let’s play a game of “what if.” So what do you think would happen if you commissioned your new $2 million flagship from a naval architect who’d enjoyed an unparalleled career spanning multiple decades designing some of the most memorable cruising and racing yachts ever conceived, such as a long line of iconic Swans? Who was well-known in both Europe and the Americas—you know, Western civilization—as one of the legendary figures in contemporary boat design? A guy like, oh, say, Argentinian Germán Frers. And what if you teamed up Frers with one of, if not the, most well-established boatyards in the Far East, a family-run company that’s been in business for just over four decades, an outfit where the torch has been passed down through the generations, and that’s now…

MONTHLY MAINTENANCE Recently, a member of a forum in which I participate shared a plea for help with an engine that would not start: “When I try to turn it over, I get nothing.” Should you need similar assistance, get the terminology right. If you turn the key to the crank position, wherein the starter usually engages and the engine rotates, and you get no response, the engine “will not crank.” If you turn the key and the starter engages, it “cranks but will not start.” Most key switches have three positions: off, run and crank. The latter is spring-loaded, so it stays engaged only while you are turning it; when you let go, the key returns to the run position. If it does not crank (i.e., it doesn’t even…

In addition to the point-and-shoot cameras manufacturers sent me so that I was able to use them in the field, my research turned up a few more possibilities to consider. The Panasonic Lumix TS7 is designed to withstand drops from almost 7 feet and to endure loads up to 220 pounds, while also offering waterproof protection down to 102 feet. The camera comes with a 20.4-megapixel sensor that takes high-resolution stills and ultra-HD video, and its zooming capabilities deliver the equivalent of a 28-to-128-millimeter lens.com; $450) The FUJIFILM PINEPIX XP140 features a 16-megapixel sensor, a 5x optical zoom, and a lithium-ion battery that can take up to 240 images in between charges. The camera’s software features automatic subject recognition (it will autofocus on people’s eyes), multiple self-timer modes and the…

The sailing community lost a giant among the ranks of production boatbuilders. Frank Willis Butler, president and chief executive officer of Catalina Yachts, passed away November 15, 2020, in Westlake Village, California, due to unexpected complications from a recent illness. In making the announcement, Catalina said: “We extend our most heartfelt condolences and sympathy to Frank’s family. Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult time.” A sailing icon and industry “kingspoke”, Butler introduced hundreds of thousands of people to sailing during his lifetime. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Butler have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Butler leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Catalina Yachts.…

PETTIT ODYSSEY TRITON • $350 PER GALLON • PETTITPAINT.COM If you sail in a high-fouling area, check out Pettit’s new Odyssey Triton bottom paint. This ablative antifouling paint uses three biocides—copper thiocyanate, Econea and zinc omadine—to keep hull surfaces smooth. It’s VOC-compliant and provides multiseason protection in all waters. ACR RESQFLARE • $80 • ACRARTEX.COM Developed as an alternative to pyrotechnic flares, the electronic ResQFlare, when paired with the included distress flag, is a US Coast Guard-approved distress signal. The high-intensity LED emergency light provides 360-degree visibility for over 6 miles, and is waterproof and buoyant. GILL PENRYN HYBRID JACKET • $150 GILLMARINE.COM This versatile jacket is suitable for both on-the-water activities and shoreside adventures. It features a super-lightweight, breathable and stretchy fabric, plus synthetic, nonabsorbent down insulation. The raglan…

While my husband, Ken, and I were in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, aboard our Morgan 38, Mary T., I was eager to experience village life beyond the typical cruiser hangouts, and I was intrigued by the work of a charity called Pass It On Guatemala. Julia Bartlett, a British cruiser, created the organization in 2014 after sailing from England and island hopping through the Caribbean. Currently in her mid-70s, she has the energy of a teenager and works nearly every waking hour on her charity, without renumeration. She winces at the appellation of “Saint.” When I first met Bartlett in 2016, Pass It On Guatemala (passitonguatemala.org) had one simple mission: recycling discarded boat batteries and solar panels to light up schools and clinics in remote villages. Schools often double as community…

Our second dedicated category for 2021 was the Full-Size Cruiser class, with a quartet of dedicated, longrange cruising boats capable of extended voyaging and living aboard, including three very substantial nominees: the Southerly 480 (which, at a cost of over a million dollars, was also considered in our Luxury Cruising class deliberations), Dufour 530 and the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54. As with the Performance Cruiser division, however, for the winner we chose the boat we felt best served its stated purpose: a capable cruiser with robust displacement for an experienced couple of retirement age. That yacht also happened to be the lone entry for 2021 built in the United States: the Island Packet 439. Under previous ownership, Murphy said, “the company built 25 boats on this same hull, the IP…

Social distancing was not a problem. There wasn’t a soul around on the poolside patio of the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront. In fact, the entire bloody place seemed more deserted than the Overlook Hotel, the setting for cold mayhem in the book and movie The Shining. Along with my mates, photographer Jon Whittle and CW editor Mark Pillsbury, we’d repaired to the rooftop pool with a 12-pack in advance of the next morning’s appointment to sail the Island Packet 439 for our Boat of the Year contest (see “A Determined Dozen,” page 64). Which is when we were joined by a mysterious stranger. Who had friends. Sasha LaRiviere turned out to be one of the most impressive women we’d ever met, a graduate of the Citadel—the military college and a…