Innehållsförteckning för May 2023 från Cruising World

While every cabin on Totem is part of the refit, changes to the galley crept up on us. At first, we focused entirely on nondiscretionary needs. The Force 10 we installed in 2007 was on its last legs, and was not practically repairable. The laminate countertop installed in 2014 in Thailand was wearing through enough to expose particleboard—that had to go. Jamie fell through dry-rotted stringers under the sole—looks like that would have to be replaced! Discretionary updates crept in, easily justified. The new stove’s geometry would let us reclaim precious inches of workspace at the forward end by rebuilding a cabinet, turning it from skinny to functional. Then, when pulling off the laminate—why not just pull the whole countertop and reimagine a better use of the storage spaces below?…

2018 PASSPORT 545 CENTER COCKPIT “Solitude” Solitude is a sunning yacht designed for easy and safe cruising. With her self-tacking jib, Solent sail plan with all sails being roller furling and electrically assisted she is a dream to sail. She has two large staterooms, each with island berths and private in suite heads with separate stall showers offering a comfortable experience aboard. Top that off with a large galley any gourmet cook would be proud of and a main salon with seating for six and a walk-in engine room and you have a recopy for a great adventure aboard. Of course cruising in style wouldn’t be complete without ALL of the amenities of a self-contained and self-sufficient yacht, and Solitude has them all. You can view this spectacular Passport Vista…

I could smell the forest before I even opened my eyes. It was a sweet, woodsy smell with a heavy fragrance of wet earth. If I kept my eyes closed, I could easily have placed myself on the forest floor, surrounded by the refuse of the trees that were making their way to becoming soil. When I did open my eyes, I remembered that I was lying under anchor on board Triteia, my 1965 Alberg 30 sloop, in Kaneohe Bay, on the windward side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. I climbed out of my berth and started my morning routine: filled the kettle, lit the fire, and loaded up my stainless-steel French press with ground coffee. Out on deck, I looked toward the sea, and then toward land. The…

Speaking on behalf of the 2023 Boat of the Year team, I can say none of us could have predicted a better grand finale to our multiple days of sea trials that immediately followed the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, this past October. With 17 boats in the hunt for honors, we lucked out with two days of blue skies and honking northerlies, followed by a windshift to the south that picked up where the previous breezes left off. It was the first time I can remember when every entry enjoyed such generosity from the Chesapeake wind gods. And by the time we boarded our last vessel—the handsome and rugged Tartan 365—along with designer Tim Jackett, the whitecap-covered bay was the ideal venue for a performance cruiser to,…

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has two distinct seasons: dry, from December to May; and rainy, from June to November. The driest weather is in Guanacaste province in the north, and the rainiest part of the country is the Osa Peninsula. During the dry season, there will be more-consistent wind for cruising, but the country is affected by the Papagayo gap winds: strong, intermittent northeasterly winds that commonly blow 30 or 40 knots, with gusts up to double the forecast windspeed. They are strongest from December through March, when the northeast trade winds are at their height in the Caribbean. To sail through the Papagayos, follow the shoreline carefully to avoid the fetch that builds farther out to sea. During the rainy season, winds tend to be light. Take advantage of the…

MONTHLY MAINTENANCE Most propulsion engines (and gensets) on sailboats are located at or below the waterline, making them ripe for seawater flooding, which can occur for one of three reasons. First, the engine is not installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. This can allow a siphon to develop, fill the exhaust, and then flood the engine’s cylinders. When the engine is idle, a bad installation also can push in water through the exhaust discharge in a following sea, and from there through open exhaust valves and into the cylinders. Second, an anti-siphon valve malfunctions. Or third, the engine is cranked excessively while bleeding the fuel system. With each revolution, the raw-water pump moves a small amount of seawater into the exhaust system, which eventually overflows back into the engine…

For the salsa 3 Roma tomatoes or small local tomatoes, diced 1 Tbsp. jalapeño, diced (fresh or canned) ½ cup onion, diced Juice of one lime 2 tsp. sea salt ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped Seed tomatoes before dicing; if using fresh jalapeño, remove seeds. Combine all ingredients well, and let sit for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop. For the tacos 2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. each: onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt (or simply substitute your favorite pre-made blackening spice mix) 1 pound mahimahi or other firm white fish Cooking oil, for frying 2 cups purple cabbage ¼ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds 1 tsp. sea salt 8 small soft flour or corn tortillas Makes 8 tacos Combine spices in a small bowl. Set…

In the ongoing history of production-yacht construction, one of the more astonishing lists covers what seemed like iconic, top-notch sailboat brands—Little Harbor, Alden, Valiant and Tayana, to name a few—that have simply ceased to exist. But then there’s the story of shipyards such as Sweden’s Hallberg-Rassy, named for the founding boatbuilders Harry Hallberg and Christoph Rassy. In one iteration or another, it’s been knocking out boats for 80 years now. After splashing nearly 10,000 yachts, it shows no signs of slowing. There are lots of reasons for this longevity, a major one being that once a sailor has owned a Hallberg-Rassy, at some point he or she will likely trade up or down for another one. Quality, after all, begets quality, and it’s a testament to the brand that there…

DIY PROJECTS Nighty-night. Hope the bugs don’t bite.” My parents used this rhyme to tuck me into bed each night. I used it with my own children. It is particularly pertinent on a boat, because there’s nothing more annoying than a mosquito buzzing around in a dark cabin, and the moment you switch on a light in the hope of squashing it, it vanishes into some small cranny—until you switch off the light again. It’s also not really ideal to spray a small cabin with insect repellent because you might be the one who gets repelled. The answer is to have bug screens covering all openings, particularly portlights and hatches, which you might want to open all night for ventilation. Most portlight manufacturers make mesh screens that fit their portholes.…

For some reason, flotilla charters seem to have a stigma attached to them, especially among experienced bareboat charter skippers. “I don’t want to be led through the islands like a string of rubber duckies,” one sailor says. Another says: “I want the freedom to run my own boat, sleep late when I want, and stop for a snorkel.” Yet another: “Flotilla charters are just for beginners, and I don’t want to be slowed down.” Those are three common misunderstandings that have kept flotilla charters from being as popular with North American charterers as they are with Europeans, who embrace flotillas as a great vacation choice. The very word, flotilla, seems vaguely military and suggests a group of boats being herded along by a mothership. Nothing could be further from the…