This is what cruising kids do with a little free time in the BVI! Thanks to Carol Connor for this great shot.
Do you have cool shots from your cruising adventures? Send them to me at cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com.
Broad Reaching with Andrew Cross
Just Sail It
We gingerly motored out of the marina in Friday Harbor, set the main and shut down the engine just a few boat lengths from the entrance. That was the most the engine moved us forward for the next 75 or so miles. 13 hours later, Jill sailed us into the marina in Seattle and I dropped the main and worked the dock lines as we glided to a stop in our slip.
The issue was, half of our folding prop had fallen off a few days prior and I wanted to haul the boat in Seattle to put the new one on. Sailing was our only option and with a favorable forecast, it wasn’t a bad one. I figured that if we sailed fast enough to hit all the currents at the right time it wouldn’t be a problem. And it wasn’t. We sailed fast averaging 5.5 knots and the trip turned out to be a great time, with beautiful conditions. I guess, sometimes engines are just overrated.
Enjoy this week’s edition.
Coast Guard, AMVER Rescue 4 sailors 350 miles Southeast of Cape Cod
Watchstanders from the 1st Coast Guard District command center in Boston were
notified at approximately 5:20 p.m. Sunday of a distress call from a Canadian-registered 406 MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon registered to the Romarin II. The Coast Guard verified the registration with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and contacted the vessel’s owner.
The Romarin II had been chartered and was enroute to Quebec, Canada from the Caribbean when it became demasted and disabled. Continue reading
Pink Boat Founder Walks Away, But Regatta Continues
Whatever happened to the pink boat that was suppose to sail around the world…
Last summer’s inaugural Seattle Pink Boat Regatta, held on Shilshole Bay, drew around 50 boats and raised $36,000 for breast cancer research.
At the heart of the effort was a man named Thomas Watson, who planned to sail solo and non-stop around the world in his distinctive pink sailboat with the goal of raising $1 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Watson formed a nonprofit organization, The Pink Boat, and helped organize three Pink Boat regattas, two in San Francisco in and one in Seattle last September. Continue reading
Posted in Dock Talk
Tagged Pink Boat Regatta, Sloop Tavern Yacht Club, Three Sheets Northwest
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America’s Cup to Remain on Track after Last Week’s Tragic Accident
In light of last Thursday’s events on San Francisco bay, we at BWS would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Andrew “Bart” Simpson.
Organizers of the America’s Cup said emphatically that the race will go on as
scheduled but have appointed a committee to review last week’s deadly accident in San Francisco Bay that took the life of Olympic medalist Andrew “Bart” Simpson.
“The America’s Cup remains on track and racing will take place this summer,” said Tom Ehman, vice commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which is an America’s Cup trustee. Continue reading
Video of the Week: Maersk Alabama Movie “Captain Phillips”
Here is the trailer for the upcoming movie “Captain Philips” about the pirate take over of the Maersk Alabama and the hostage situation involving it’s captain, Richard Philips. It looks pretty intriguing to us…
Cargo Ship Rescues Australian Sailor in the Pacific Ocean
An exhausted Australian sailor has been rescued in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A
cargo ship picked up Juan Dario Zea Restrepo about 425 nautical miles off Christmas Island in the Republic of Kiribati on Monday night (US time).
He is now aboard Singaporean container vessel, Kota Wangi, which is making its way towards Melbourne.
The 58-year-old mariner was sailing from California to Christmas Island, in the Republic of Kiribati, when his vessel’s autopilot reportedly failed. Continue reading
Deaf Solo-Circumnavigator Finishes, Receives Special Recognition
Shortly after Gerry Hughes aboard Quest III, a Beneteau 42s7, crossed the line on May 7th to complete his circumnavigation around all five capes, he was greeted in Troon Harbour, Scotland by a throng of more than 100 supporters. Among them were Frances Rennie and John Forsyth, representing the Ocean Cruising Club, who presented Gerry with a special award of recognition for his achievement.
Tartan Yachts Building Boats for Gay Games
Tartan Yachts is building 20 boats for the sailing competition in the 2014 Gay Games. The Gay Games are billed as the largest LGBT multi-sport event in the world. They will take place in August in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ohio-based Tartan will be providing 20 new Tartan One Design Racers that are modeled after the award-winning Tartan Fantail 26. Continue reading
Avoid Sailing Near These “Ship-Killing” Nautical Chart Dangers
Here’s another helpful sailing tip from our friend Capt. John at skippertips.com…
Could you glance at any nautical chart or GPS plotter and pick out the wreck symbols at a glance? Sail too close to these hazards and your hull could become impaled, your keel cracked, or your propeller and shaft mangled. Learn to recognize the three most common “ship killers” at a glance for safer sailing on the waters of the world.
If you are anything like me, the symbols and abbreviations on a navigational chart are like a treasure chest of information. Unlock their meaning and you have a virtual “3-D” of useful info to keep your boat and crew safe and sound.
Here are three wreck symbols to get you started on the road to navigation safety wherever you sail. These three are the most common wreck symbols you will find on nautical charts. Use the descriptions below along with the illustration to learn more about these deadly hazards: Continue reading
Posted in Boat Rat's Tip of the Week
Tagged cruising tips, safety tips, Sailing Tips
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Boat Review: Sabre 456
The Sabre 456 was launched in 2010 and has drawn a lot of attention from both Sabre owners and would-be Sabre owners.
The Jim Taylor design is an upgrade of the Sabre 452 that was introduced several years ago with a new keel, new rig and modernized interior.
On deck, the 456 has a large, secure cockpit with high seatbacks and a single large destroyer wheel. The main sheet runs to the traveler forward of the dodger so the cockpit is not cluttered. The chainplates for the shrouds are well inboard for close sheeting angles on the genoa and to make going forward easier.
Continue reading
Tech Talk
Burch at the Helm
Starpath Navigation founder and BWS columnist David Burch has assemble his technical pieces on a diverse range of cruising and maritime topics into a new book, Burch at the Helm. The book covers the technical aspects of basic navigation theory, practical inland and coastal navigation, ocean and celestial navigation, marine weather, and ocean and tidal currents, to name a few.
The subjects covered in the book deal with special issues that are not often covered in detail in standard references. Some were motivated by issues of the day when published, but have been updated as needed with new resources on the topics. Continue reading
Northern California Boat Fest Starts Today
Northern California Boat Fest is an annual 4-day event for all types of boaters. This year’s event starts on Thursday May 16th and concludes on Sunday the 19th. Held at Marina Village Yacht Harbor in Alameda, California. Boat Fest includes over 100 sail and power boats on display, boat equipment and services, seminars, boat rides, music, food and product demonstrations. All free to the public!
For more information on the event visit boat-fest.com
Posted in Cool Things to Do
Tagged boat shows, Northern California Boat Fest, seminars
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“Penguin” Semi-Sub Lets You Explore Under the Sea Without Getting Wet
Here’s a great new toy for your super yacht or a green, marine pastime for when you are not sailing. It’s a bizarre semi-submarine that lets you explore the ocean floor without ever getting wet, from a company strangely called EGO.
The South Korean firm EGO has produced the product engagingly called “Penguin”(formal name EGO-SE 450), with two floating hulls on either side of a central cabin sitting just below the water. The cabin has three very large windows for underwater viewing. Continue reading
Noonsite is Now on Twitter
If you are looking to get updates on world cruising destinations, look no further than noonsite.com (“the global site for cruising sailors”) and their new twitter feed…
Over recent months we have progressively been upgrading noonsite’s capabilities to 
make discovery of, finding and sharing the quantity of information on the site easier. One of the problems with having such a huge source of information is making it easy for our users to find what they are looking for, and more importantly keep abreast of what’s going on in the part of the world they are cruising.
Other changes to the design of the site to facilitate this further are being worked on, but one of the first improvements we have made is to get involved with an easy and simple way of distributing site information. Continue reading
For the Hungry Crew
We grill a lot on our boat and are always looking for new ways to make it interesting. We made this last week and it was fantastic!
Grilled Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce
4 slices bacon
1 (1 pound) fillet salmon, cut into 2 portions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
4 slices country-style bread, toasted Continue reading
Mindbender
On a NOAA chart, what does the abbreviation “Co” stand for?
Send your answer to cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com. A winner, who will receive a Blue Water Sailing hat, will be selected at random from the correct answers.
Thanks to last week’s Mindbender winner, Daniel Jarl, for his answer to “What is a “preventer” used for?”: A “preventer” is used to prevent an accidental jibe by securing the boom on one side while sailing downwind.
Cruising Shot of the Week
Thanks to Ellen Massey Leonard for this picturesque shot of Heretic anchored near the Pain de Sucre in Iles des Saintes south of Guadeloupe!
Do you have cool shots from your cruising adventure? Send them to me at cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com.
Broad Reaching with Andrew Cross
Go Fly a Kite!
Outside of racecourses and sailing photos, why is that you don’t see spinnakers all that often? Especially from the cruising crowd? Last Friday, as we sailed south under spinnaker across the Strait of Juan de Fuca we came across two other cruising sailboats going our same direction. One was motor sailing with just their mainsail up and the other was under power with bare poles. It was a picture perfect 10 to 15 knot day for all three of us to have our spinnakers up, or to at least be sailing with the engine off.
If you read that thinking, “I fly my spinnaker!” Thank you. For those of who have a spinnaker that never sees the light of day, put that on your list of things to do over the summer. Sure, I’m a little biased. You see, sailing with a spinnaker is one of my favorite things to do, cruising or racing. Seriously, it brings a smile to my face every time. But even more seriously, brush off the fantasy that flying a chute is too difficult, dangerous or whatever. With a little practice on a light to moderate wind day, flying a kite might just end up being the highlight of your sailing season!
Enjoy this week’s edition.
Sailor Rescued 70 Miles East of Kitty Hawk, NC
The Coast Guard rescued a 72-year-old man Wednesday after he requested a medevac from his 24-foot sailboat approximately 70 miles east of Kitty Hawk, N.C., at approximately 9 a.m.
Rescued was Trevor Wilson of Great Britain. Apparently this wasn’t his first time to be rescued either.
Wilson activated his 406 megahertz emergency position indicating radio beacon at approximately 6 a.m., which alerted the Coast Guard 5thDistrict watchstanders. Continue reading
