Cruising World April 2016

Looking through the list of afternoon seminars on the final day of US Sailing’s Leadership Forum this past February in San Diego, I found myself in the throes of a deep and personal philosophical debate: windowless meeting room or sun-splashed pool. Hmm. There were two sessions to go on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon before the closing reception lowered the curtain on the three-day confab. In 24 hours I’d be back home in New England, with another 6 to 10 inches of white stuff forecast for my impending return. Outside, youngsters splashed from the diving board and waiters delivered cold ones to shady tables. I was truly betwixt and between when one session jumped out from the rest. It was titled “Improving Off shore Safety with the Right Gear,” and the…

After we sailed halfway around the world from Vancouver, British Columbia, our arrival in Madagascar was a revelation. In most places we’ve traveled, the fact that my husband, Evan, and I sailed there, from so far away, on our own 40-foot Meander catamaran, with a kid and a cat, has earned puzzled laughter and questions about pirates, storms and kitty litter. But in Madagascar, international sailboats are taken in stride — of course we’d sailed Ceilydh there. Why would we travel any other way? At sunrise the dhows slip out of Crater Bay, past anchored boats, on the first whispers of wind. As the breeze fills in, the huge sails billow and strain against the willowy tree-trunk masts. Filled with all manner of passengers and goods (fruit, chickens, granite stones),…

Cruising World Authors Win Big A number of top awards handed out during Boating Writers International’s 23rd annual breakfast at the Miami International Boat Show went to Cruising World editors and contributors this year. In all, the contest attracted 127 participants and 322 entries. The magazine did particularly well in the Boating Travel or Destinations category, sweeping the top three prizes plus a certificate of merit. First place went to “Hung Up on Hongs” by Cap’n Fatty Goodlander. “An Accidental Paradise” by Ben Zartman took second, and third place went to executive editor Herb McCormick’s “It Is Windy, No?” Boating Lifestyles was another good category for CW. First place went to “The Transition” by Lin Pardey, and second went to “Very Big Passages, Very Little Kids” by Mike Litzow. Read…

With confirmed cases of the Zika virus on the rise and no vaccine available, it’s more important than ever to protect yourself from insects. Zika is transmitted through mosquito bites and can cause fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis and birth defects in babies, among other complications. The illness typically lasts several days to a week. The Center for Disease Control recommends taking “advanced precautions” to prevent mosquito bites, including covering exposed skin with long-sleeved shirts and pants, using EPA-registered insect repellents that contain DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus, sleeping in screened-in locations, and using permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Luckily for cruisers, clothing treated with permethrin, which is approved by the EPA as both safe for human use and effective at killing mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects, is becoming more…

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of dominoes falling — and when they’re done, the boating life in Florida could be changed forever. On January 26, House Bill 1051, which would ban anchoring in three popular anchorages, passed unanimously in a subcommittee hearing. The bill states in part that “a person may not anchor or moor a vessel at any time between the hours from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise” in three popular areas, including: • In Fort Lauderdale, the section of the Middle River lying between Northeast 21st Court and the Intracoastal Waterway. • Sunset Lake and sections of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach • In Destin, Crab Island in Choctawhatchee Bay. The ostensible motivation for the Middle River and Sunset Lake bans appears to…

1. ACR GLOBALFIX V4 EPIRB • $400 • ACRARTEX.COM The new GlobalFix V4 from ACR is one of the lowest-cost EPIRBs on the market. Don’t let the price fool you, though — this 406 MHz EPIRB has an internal GPS and also transmits a 121.5 MHz homing frequency. Perhaps most notable is that the compact unit also features a user-replaceable battery that’s good for 10 years. 2. CREWSAVER RESCUE C.A.S.E. • $1,200 • CREWSAVER.COM Ideal for inshore and near-coastal cruisers, the Crewsaver Rescue C.A.S.E. is a platformstyle buoyancy aid that can fit a crew of six. It comes in a compact valise and features a boarding ladder and five ballast pockets for stability. 3. GARMIN QUATIX 3 • $600 • GARMIN.COM The quatix 3 is much more than a watch…