Innehållsförteckning för August 2024 från Soundings

As this issue came together, I had the chance to get more face time with my colleagues. And what a refreshing experience that was, particularly since those in-person interactions were on boats. Our company, Active Interest Media, went remote a few years ago, as many businesses did in the wake of the pandemic. While I appreciate the benefits of working from home, there is a downside—namely, that occasional feeling of disconnection from coworkers. In short, there are days when I really miss my office peeps. Sure, we do what we can to keep communication open and interesting—regular Teams calls, more thoughtfully worded emails, the sharing of silly memes. But there’s no substitute for sitting across from the people you value professionally, particularly if you can do so on the water.…

Ron Russikoff grew up boating on the Delaware River, in the shadow of the Philadelphia skyline. His father and other relatives were members at the Quaker City Yacht Club, known as a working man’s club in a region with far more factories than luxury yachts. The spot has a mooring field instead of slips. Even today, the local “yachts” rarely top 50 feet. “We got married there,” says Dana Russikoff, who has been with Ron for more than 30 years now. The club became an even bigger part of the fabric of their lives after they created, installed and launched the first-ever SureShade there in 2007. “It’s where it all began,” she says. “It’s where we were inspired by boating.” In the ensuing years, as the couple built up their…

Sometimes it’s hard to wrap your head around all that’s evolved since 1851, when a syndicate of owners from the the newly minted New York Yacht Club brought their schooner America to the UK for a summer of racing and returned with the trophy that would become the America’s Cup. It helps to remember that no matter the era, the Cup has always been as much a contest of cutting-edge yacht design as it is of high-level sailing skills. Seen through that lens, the foiling monohulls that are racing in this year’s 37th America’s Cup, likely exceeding 50 knots and resembling fighter jets more than sailing yachts, make sense. It also helps to look back. When the Americans returned with their new prize, a syndicate member authored the Deed of…

As soon as I’d scrambled across the rock weed to get onto Eastern Egg Rock and laid eyes on Theresa Rizza’s hat, I knew I was in trouble. Rizza, a 28-year-old bird researcher from California and seasonal supervisor on this 7-acre island bird sanctuary off the coast of Maine, was wearing a broad-brimmed hat completely covered in bird excrement. Kat Lane, 22, a researcher from Ottawa, Ontario, was wearing a similar hat, also richly adorned with guano. Besides the hundreds of puffins that come here to breed, this island, which sits exposed to the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of Muscongus Bay, is the nesting place for multiple bird species, including a couple thousand terns and hundreds of laughing gulls. Rizza and Lane informed me that the avians didn’t take…

Marine lithium battery systems have undergone a remarkable evolution in recent years. If you’re looking to expand the battery capacity for your growing electrical needs, want to reduce long-term operating costs or reduce weight aboard your boat, a lithium battery installation may be in order. Lithium Ion is a broad term that encompasses various lithium battery chemistries, but the dominant choice in the marine sector today is Lithium Iron Phosphate, commonly known as LiFePO4 or LFP. This chemistry mix has gained popularity for its safety features, long-term cost effectiveness, and extended cycle life. In terms of safety, a properly designed lithium system can be as safe or safer than a lead acid system. Lithium battery conversion is an extensive topic that often leaves boat owners unsure of where to even…

Boaters and marina owners are all bracing for impact following predictions for an above-normal hurricane season that began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting 17 to 25 named storms this season—including four to seven that are category 3 or stronger. Within that nail-biting forecast is an element that boaters should be keenly aware of: a likely increase in the number of short-fuse storms. A short-fuse storm is the kind that gets predicted more like a tornado than a traditional hurricane. Short-fuse hurricanes intensify a lot faster than traditional hurricanes, sometimes just two or three days prior to landfall. These types of storms can increase in windspeed by at least 35 miles per hour inside of a single day. For boaters and marinas, the shortened warning window…

LOA: 48’8” Beam: 14’4” Draft: 2’3” Dry Weight: 25,353 lbs. Fuel: 396 gals. Water: 118 gals. Standard Power: (4) 300-hp Mercury Verados Max. Power: 1,600 hp I’m not the first person to be duped by the De Antonio D50 Coupe. The first time I saw it from a dock in Fort Lauderdale, I assumed the day yacht had a pair of brawny sterndrives under the big sunbed at the transom. But then I stepped aboard the new flagship from the Spanish builder. Somebody pushed a button near the helm, and that four-person sunbed rose up on an electric hatch to reveal four white Mercury Verado 300-hp outboards. “The engine hatch and enclosure that surround the outboards make the De Antonio unique,” said Lucas Hackathorne of Nautical Ventures, the U.S. distributor…

Some things we still can’t see, due to the Cup teams’ infamous secrecy, but they’re absolutely integral to the boats: Push-Button Controls. All sail-trim and foil adjustments are tackled via hydraulics, batteries and programable logic controllers that collectively deliver fast, responsive, and load-free interface controls. LiDAR. Light Detection and Ranging sensors can be used in the lead-up to the Cup. Teams have likely been using LiDAR sensors to analyze sail shapes. Each team can divide positions as they see fit, but here’s a basic overview of who does what: • The driver steers the boat; the onsides helm drives, while the offsides driver often calls tactics. • The mainsail trimmer/flight controller role is often split, with the onsides sailor trimming the massive mainsail and the offsides sailor articulating the foil…

Bill Baker stood at a podium in Poulsbo, Washington, looking out at a sea of people inside the Sons of Norway Lodge. “What I see here is community,” he said. His words met the moment, which was part of the largest single gathering of Nordhavn yachts, ever—58 boats, according to the builder—held in the waterfront city known for its Scandinavian heritage. Baker, a member of the planning committee for this owners’ event, has a Nordhavn 62. “All of us need community,” he added. “It’s something that we all want in our life.” Hundreds of boaters have found that sense of community through Nordhavn ownership since the brand’s founding in 1978. The three-day rendezvous in May also included owners who attended without their boats, just to be part of the fun.…

“What the heck is that?” says Udo Willersinn, who looks bemused. He’s at the helm of the Fjord 39 XP as we slowly approach another turn on the New River. Standing with shoulders squared, he tactically monitors the heavy traffic on this artery that cuts across the city of Fort Lauderdale. A low, black vessel glides by, like a shadow passing over the water. “It looks like something trying to be a submarine,” says Wendy Meade, who is sitting beside Udo in one of three bolster seats. She’s working the VHF so he can stay focused on navigation and keep both hands on the wheel. The couple—co-founders of Yacht Sales International, U.S. distributor for the Fjord brand—operate as a good team. I tuck my cell phone into my pocket with…

THE DEFENDER Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ). Its roots date back to the 1987 Cup, when Michael Fay and David Richwhite financed the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s first (unsuccessful) challenge. Fay and Richwhite supported two more attempts (1988, 1992), but for the 1995 Cup, Sir Peter Blake became team boss, with Olympic Gold medalist Russell Coutts skippering. The team, racing for the RNZYS, sailed brilliantly, and—after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger-selection series—delivered American skipper Dennis Conner’s second Cup defeat. The Cup went to Auckland, where TNZ staged a successful defense (2000). Then, a nightmare: Coutts and others defected teams (2000), Blake was murdered (2001), and TNZ lost the 2003 Cup 5-0 to Alinghi. The now-Emirates-sponsored team—led by offshore-sailing legend Grant Dalton—rebounded to win the 2007 LVC but…

LOA: 31’0” LWL: 29’3” Beam: 11’0” Draft: 3’0” Fuel: 130 gals. Water: 50 gals. Power: (1) 315-hp Yanmar diesel The fuel docks in the Manatee Pocket near the St. Lucie Inlet in Stuart, Florida, are hectic on mornings when the sailfish are snapping offshore. Private and charter boats alike hustle for gas, ice and bait before rushing to the deep. Propellers spin on center consoles with triple and quad outboards. In the midst of the mayhem, Capt. Bob Massey—who has been messing with boats for some 80 years—points the bow of The Ralf, his Maine-built Duffy 31, toward the fuel dock. His gentle wake carves a white crease in the water as Massey pulls the engine out of gear. Near the piling, he reverses the thrust from the single Yanmar…