We’ve got our Summer Sailstice plans all set. How about you?
Summer Sailstice, the grand celebration of sailing on the weekend closest to the summer solstice, is not far away, and you can help make it, in its thirteenth year, more global, more truly inclusive of every northern hemisphere sailing nation. First make sure you have set aside the weekend of June 22nd to celebrate yourself, and then read on to find out how you can help. Continue reading
The U.S. Coast Guard released its 2012 Recreational Boating Statistics Monday, revealing
that boating fatalities that year totaled 651, the lowest number of boating fatalities on record.
From 2011 to 2012, deaths in boating-related accidents decreased from 758 to 651, a 14.1 percent decrease; injuries decreased from 3,081 to 3,000, a 2.6 percent reduction; and the total reported recreational boating accidents decreased from 4,588 to 4,515, a 1.6 percent decrease. Continue reading
In the aftermath of America’s Cup sailor Bart Simpson’s death on May 9, representatives of the three challenging teams and the Cup defender, Oracle Team USA, have met several times behind closed doors to reassess their options going forward. Meanwhile, many within the local sailing community have been outspoken about their suspicions that the AC72s may be unsafe in typical San Francisco Bay conditions. Nothing confirms more clearly that the teams and event organizers share those suspicions than the Wednesday night announcement that upper-end wind limits for racing will effectively be reduced by 50%.
A key satellite positioned to track severe weather in the eastern United States has failed, just as the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is about to start.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) activated a spare satellite, which will provide coverage of the East Coast, while it is trying to fix the failed one, the agency said in a status report on its website on Friday.
“There is no estimate on return to operations at this time,” NOAA said. Continue reading
Fire aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship forced it to dock at Freeport, Bahamas, on Monday, with all passengers and crew safe but the rest of the trip canceled, the cruise company reported.
Grandeur of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, was on a seven-night trip that left Baltimore on Friday. The 916-foot-long ship was en route to CocoCay, Bahamas, when a fire occurred in its mooring area early on Monday, the company said in a statement. Continue reading
This breathtakingly spacious, Farr-Designed Bavaria Cruiser 50 is fully loaded and ready to sail away for this season. Features include electric winches, air conditioning, full electronics, twin rudders and in-mast furling. This boat has been Bavaria’s show model at Newport Fall, Annapolis Fall, and in the Spring Shows, and is now being offered for immediate delivery.
If you are in the market right now for a proven offshore cruiser, ready to sail away, at a price that will not be repeated, contact us by email info@bavariayachts.com or by phone 855-220-1120 to schedule a showing of this spectacular 2013 Cruiser 50.
For a buyer willing to keep this boat at our slips in Mystic or Annapolis, you’ll enjoy free dockage and winter storage until Spring 2014.
With the official start to hurricane season on Saturday, here are some tips from the
Coast Guard Auxiliary on how to protect your vessel. Stay safe everyone!
The most important thing to remember when thinking about hurricane preparations is to act early. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until a hurricane is forecast to hit to go out and shop for anchors and extra line. These items should be a part of your vessel’s essential gear.
If you own a boat that is too large to bring home on a trailer and you must keep it in the water year round in a hurricane-prone area, you need to seriously consider what you will do when a hurricane approaches. When storms strike a coastline, those properties nearest the shore sustain the most damage, and boats often fare worse than buildings, getting seriously damaged, destroyed or sunk. You can save your boat from damage, however, if you take the time in advance to make a plan and purchase the storm-survival gear your boat will need.
Continue reading
The morning we took the new Oceanis 55 for a test sail off Miami Beach, the wind was gusting to over 20 knots from the east and seas outside Government Cut were short and steep. The gang aboard for the test sail had joined the 55 at Miamarina in Miami and we had then motored the two miles to the cut and the ocean.
Under power the big sloop, which was fitted with a 75-h.p. diesel and a sail drive with a fixed three-bladed prop, ambled along nicely at cruising revs making 8 knots without breaking a sweat. At full revs, the 55 is capable of running at 9 plus knots while burning about a gallon and a half an hour. The 55 can be equipped with Beneteau’s Dock & Go system that allows you to maneuver into and out of incredibly tight marinas and docking situations. Or you can opt for the simpler bow thruster solution. Continue reading
Navigation experts are warning about the possibility of decreased GPS accuracy and
possible outages over the next months as the sun enters the most active phase of an 11-year solar cycle.
Sunspots and solar flares increase ionising solar radiation, creating more free electrons in the ionosphere. Sudden variations in the density of the ionosphere can cause GPS signals to scintillate and produce delays in signal propagation. The effect is predicted to increase from this month and is likely to last until next year. Continue reading
There is something awe-inspiring and fascinating about tall ships. If you have ever wanted to tour some of these majestic vessels of yesteryear, now is your chance.
Although it began last year, the bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812 will show its real fire power in Summer 2013, when Tall Ships America’s bi-national TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® series of tall ship races and family friendly public maritime festivals sets sail throughout the Great Lakes. Continue reading
A tad out of our league, but this line sure would be fun to sail!
Developed with needs of both blue water and long distance cruisers in mind, the models in the cruising range ensure short handed sailing with ease and are suited for long distances, with increased protection from the elements, additional stowage and tankage, with the option for shallow draft and lifting keels. Continue reading
Two leading boating education organizations with a history of making boating education
easy and affordable, have teamed up to offer a fully interactive online seminar for those First Mates who may find themselves needing to take command of the family boat. Partner in Command, from the US Power Squadrons (USPS), in partnership with the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety, aims to acquaint the First Mate with basic skills he or she may need in an emergency. The seminar is now available online at www.usps.org/edonline just in time for boating season. The cost is $70 or just $55.30 for members of USPS, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Great Lakes Cruising Club and, for a limited time, BoatUS members. Continue reading
Here’s a simple recipe that would be great as a side dish or even an appetizer…
Baja Black Beans
Ingredients
In the northern hemisphere, what side of a hurricane is considered to be the strongest?
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, Linda Hudock, for her answer to “In navigating and piloting, what is the “Rule of Thirds” used for?”: By applying the rule of thirds to the maximum speed of the current for a given area you can work out the speed of the tidal flow for any particular hour of the tidal cycle. (Also acceptable was the rule of thirds pertaining to fuel consumption.)
Thanks to Karen Trautz for this cool shot of YOLO anchored in Kuto Bay, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia, which she reports is their favorite walking beach so far in the South Pacific!
Do you have cool shots from your cruising adventures? Send them to us at cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com.
Less is More
I’ve been sailing my whole life and a parent for only seven weeks, but I can already draw a distinct similarity between the two. When other sailors and parents find out that you are a sailor or parent, unsolicited comments, advice and stories are sure to follow. And while some of these opinions and ruminations are helpful, others are not.
Take for instance, recent conversations involving bottom paint and diaper rash cream. There are many types out there and they all do basically the same thing. But, if a neighbor in the marina or fellow new parent used a certain type and it worked well on their bottom, it will probably work on yours too, which makes sense because you can see the results. That is helpful. Not helpful though, is when sailors and parents tell you to buy gear you absolutely do not need. Lists of sailing and parenting equipment are endless and I have found that, in general, less is more. Especially when the two worlds collide on a 39-foot sailboat.
Enjoy this week’s edition.
Animal‘s GPS track shows where the crew turned around to find the jumper. It took a matter of minutes to locate him and drag him aboard before hightailing it to Station Golden Gate in Horseshoe Cove. Photo Courtesy Animal© 2013 Latitude 38 Publishing, LLC
Bumper sticker philosophers often quip, “If you believe in coincidence, you’re not paying attention.” Well, nothing will get your attention faster than being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time to save someone’s life.
Scott Walecka, his daughter Hilary and friend John Mizzell found themselves in that position Monday afternoon when they pulled a jumper out of San Francisco Bay. The trio had left Santa Cruz at 2 a.m. to deliver Scott’s Sydney 38 Animal to the Bay for the start of Friday’s Spinnaker Cup. ”It was a totally mellow trip,” recalled Hilary, who will be crewing for her dad in the race. “We started out in 10 knots, but the wind dropped off so we motored the whole way.” Continue reading
Emirates Team New Zealand has given the grand tour of their new base at Piers 30-32 in San Francisco to a local Kiwi television program. The team has made its home away from home out of 70 shipping containers and tents, which house everything from workshops and sail lofts to shower blocks and a canteen.
Courtesy of www.americascup.com
The Coast Guard rescued a sailor from his disabled vessel approximately 195
miles southeast of Cape Cod at 7:18 a.m. Thursday, May 16th.
Watchstanders at the First Coast Guard District command center received a distress call from an emergency position indicating radio beacon from the 30-foot sailing vessel Arabella at approximately 3 a.m.
The Arabella had departed Groton, Conn., on May 14, and was en route Bermuda. The Arabella was reported to have a dinghy and flares aboard the vessel. Continue reading
The EU has pledged some $47,77 to strengthen counter piracy efforts in several Eastern and Southern African countries, the European Commission announced Tuesday.
The money comes through support for the support for the Program to promote Regional Maritime Security (MASE), part of a wider package of development and political efforts by the European Union in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region. Continue reading
