Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2019 i Cruising World

Sailing legend holds that the celebrated yacht designer L. Francis Herreshoff commonly referred to fiberglass as “frozen snot,” a rather pejorative term for one of the easiest and most cost-effective materials afloat for building sailboats. Trouble arises, however, when it’s time to permanently unbend a boat’s sails, since well-crafted fiber and resin lasts virtually forever and is notoriously hard to recycle. As a result, many tired old boats end up as landfill fodder. In fact, the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA) estimates that some 1.5 million fiberglass boats were retired in the U.S. between 2003 and 2012, and that’s saying nothing of the eye-watering toll that’s been extracted by recent hurricane activity in weather-battered states like Florida and the Carolinas. Fortunately, RIMTA and Rhode Island Sea Grant created the…

The sun was still contentedly below the horizon, lazily lighting the sky with muted colors. My watch partner and I lounged in the cockpit, chatting between sail adjustments in the flimsy daybreak breeze along the shore of Northern Alaska. A bird caught my eye through the dimness, but it was not a common seagull or booby. My brain didn’t register what my eyes saw until the bird had swept across the back deck and circled for a second pass. It was an owl! Our mouths hung open, emitting a series of giggles and “woahs,” as the owl settled in next to the mast. We scrambled to take blurry photos in the faint light, sure our visitor would depart at any moment and leave us with a dreamlike memory of the…

The resident artist aboard, my wife, Nancy, paints with oils, which at times creates unusual challenges as we fling and bash Francis B between Georgia’s marshlands, Labrador’s fjords, and the icebergs and mountains of Greenland. The search for the most visual impact often contradicts traditional rules of safety and seamanship, and frequently sets our course as much as the weather and season. On the western side of the North Atlantic, the North American coastline varies from the low country of the south to the mountainous Maritimes—so our practices (or malpractices) change accordingly with the latitude. In the long tidal river that cuts far into the west side of Ossabaw Island in Georgia, we drop anchor a few yards from the edge of a marshy plain. I double-check the weather forecast…

MONTHLY MAINTENANCE When it comes to propeller-shaft couplings, not just any fasteners will do. Contrary to popular belief, those employed to secure your propeller shaft and transmission output couplings should not be stainless steel. Inch for inch, typical 18-8 series stainless-steel fasteners are not as strong, and thus have a lower torque rating, like their mild-steel brethren. The fasteners used in this application are typically familiar hex-head cap screws, in grade 5 or grade 8, with three and six radial lines on the head, respectively. For small auxiliary diesels under 100 hp, grade 5 is adequate—however, there’s no harm in using grade 8. Fasteners should be zinc or cadmium (both are silver in color; zinc-chromate plated (yellowish); or phosphate (black) for corrosion resistance). Whatever the choice, after assembly the fasteners…

As I wandered about the truly spacious decks and superstructures of the Bali 4.1 during last October’s United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, scribbling notes for this review, I jotted down a quick thought in the margins: “Writing this for wrong mag… should be Architectural Digest.” My point was that the appointments and layout of this rather remarkable catamaran were not unlike the features you might find in a very comfortable resort condominium. And I did not mean that in any sort of derogatory way. Quite the opposite. Built in France by the same folks who make the light, fast series of high-performance Catana cats, the Bali line is now 5 years old and has become the builder’s premier brand, in large measure because of its ever-expanding presence in…

One morning this past November, as I motored out of a marina in Pompano Beach, Florida, with Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager, something radically different jumped out at me from one of the boat’s three Raymarine Axiom XL 16 chart plotters. We were headed up the Intracoastal Waterway towards the open waters off of Hillsboro Inlet, when one of the plotters displayed a real-time video feed that was overlaid with augmented-reality tags hovering above aids to navigation and AIS-equipped vessels. The tags came compliments of Raymarine’s ClearCruise Augmented Reality (raymarine.com) and were extremely handy given the rising sun’s near-blinding angle. But rather than squinting at the horizon for buoys, channel markers or other boats, McGowan and I used the ClearCruise video feed to recognize aids to navigation and other…

As a sailor, I have to trust certain quantifiable truths: atmospheric pressure, fluid dynamics and magnetic pull. I believe a good knot will hold, and the right course will lead home. But having felt the ridiculous tomfoolery of wind and currents, I can’t blame seafarers for our superstitious ways. We are immersed in the great mystery itself. At sea, in weather, in wild places, I am on high alert, colliding and colluding with every pulse, pain, push and pull. I feel it all in junkie sensation, a purity impossible to explain or to bring home to everyday life. But I can say one thing with confidence: I believe in waving to every boat I see. The true boat wave, I feel, should be an open hand raised high above the…

If you blinked hard, and quickly, a fairly concise history of multihull sailing on the blue waters of the Caribbean was right there in front of you, for all of the sailing world to see. Glancing to port, as graceful as a soaring bird in flight, was the bright-red trimaran Tryst, having just turned a nice round 50, but still pretty as the proverbial picture. Her legendary designer, Dick Newick, had his very own style every bit as distinctive as anyone named Herreshoff, and Tryst’s fluid lines have aged extremely well. If anything, despite the years and the savage hurricanes that tried so hard to destroy her, she’s lovelier than ever. But what was that, to starboard, screaming through the slight chop on a tight reach, faster than a speedboat…

WEATHER Occasionally we hear complaints like these from fellow cruisers about the unsteady weather here in the South Pacific: “The weather here is lousy. We should have stayed in the Caribbean!” Or, “The Pacific is so cold!” Admittedly, there is some truth in these simplified conclusions; the trade winds are frequently interrupted by disturbances and some areas really do cool down. So, some crews do seem truly surprised by the mixed weather after their arrival in Polynesia. However, by analyzing the patterns responsible for tropical weather in the South Pacific, it’s possible to plan favorable itineraries and perhaps avoid any unpleasant surprises. WANDERING TRADES Trade winds, as we’ve learned from the weather textbooks, are caused by the air-pressure difference between a high-pressure area (or ridge) in the subtropics and the…

Based in La Rochelle, the French builder Fountaine Pajot has been crafting good-looking, well-designed, dependable cruising catamarans for over four decades now, and they have the drill down pat. I’ve always found their boats to be well put-together, fun to sail and with all the boxes ticked with regard to comfort, innovation and performance, both underway and with the hook down. Simply put, they’re cool cats. Their new Astréa 42 more than holds her own in the company’s wide range, which now extends from 40 to 67 feet. It’s probably apparent that I’m a fan of the brand, but I’m not alone. When the company unveiled plans for the Astréa at the Cannes Boat Show two years ago, the following few months they took over 150 orders for the boat…before…

Change is good! At least that’s what Lagoon Catamarans is banking on with its handsome new 46-footer, which had its North American launch this past winter at the Miami International Boat Show. The newest model from longtime Lagoon collaborators VPLP and Nauta Design replaces the immensely popular Lagoon 450. For the better part of a decade, the 450 occupied the sweet spot in the company’s range of sailboats that runs from 38 to 77 feet. First launched in 2010, more than 745 of them were sold. By any definition, that’s a pretty impressive number, and the new model will have big shoes to fill. But the 46 is a pretty sweet ride—as I found out when I tagged along on its delivery up to Fort Lauderdale after the show. As…

RIFF RAFF - C&C’S EXPRESS SERIES, 2001 Riff Raff is a fine example of C&C’s flagship express series. A true racer cruiser, it features the elusive combination of performance and luxurious usable accommodations. Her updates and maintenance have her ready to win a race or enjoy an extended cruise with the family. Riff Raff is sailfast yet easy to handle. All control lines are led aft to the cockpit under the deck, primary winches are set well aft and easily reached from the helm. The two impressive private staterooms and head with a separate shower stall boast a varnished cherry interior. Both the main salon and galley are large and capable of entertaining a sizable crew. A change in lifestyle has prompted the sale of this beautiful boat. If you…

THRILLED BY THRILLS After being away for 10 months last year sailing with friends in New Zealand and then in the Oyster World Rally, my wife, Carol, and I are back home in cold Virginia catching up on this past year’s magazines. Corinne Dolci’s article, “Thrills Await” (Underway, April 2018), about volcanoes, moray eels, sea snakes, sharks and more brought a smile to my face one cold morning as we too saw all that and more in Vanuatu, Australia and Indonesia before heading across the Indian Ocean to South Africa. We were never terrified, but instead are continually amazed by all these “dangers” in the world. —David Tabor, Irvington, VA BIT BY THE BUG IN GREECE I’ve just read Zachary Krochina’s interesting story about Delos, Greece, and the Greek sailing…

1. KENYON STACKEN • $595 (SET) • COOKWITHKENYON.COM If you are looking for a space-saving cookware set for the galley, check out Kenyon’s StacKEN. The handles are removable, and the seven-ply stainless-steel and aluminum construction ensures even heating and excellent heat retention. All the pieces fit for easy transport in the included cooler bag. 2. HELLY HANSEN LILLO • $120 HELLYHANSEN.COM Night watches and dinghy rides can still be chilly even in the summer. Available in men’s and women’s sizes, the Lillo sweater features a cozy quilted fabric for insulation. The water-resistant pullover works well alone or layered underneath foulies. 3. COSTA BEACH BAG • $60 COSTADELMAR.COM Perfect for a day at the beach or for hauling stuff in the dinghy, the Costa Beach Bag is constructed out of a…

IT WAS KATE’S FIRST CONCH SALAD IN MARSH HARBOUR THAT SET HER INNER CLOCK TO BAHAMAS TIME—ONIONS, BELL PEPPERS, TOMATOES, ORANGES, LIMES. THAT, PLUS TERRANCE AT HIS OUTDOOR TOP GUN FOOD STAND KEEPING UP A STEADY PATTER, TELLING US ABOUT HIS FAVORITE LOCAL FISHING SPOTS AND SEEMING NOT TO NOTICE THE BLURRING MACHETE IN HIS HAND AS IT DICED THE VEGETABLES AND SCORCHED THE CONCH IN FRONT OF US. “He had his special secret hot sauce, and he put all that citrus in there,” Kate said. “You could just tell he knew what he was doing. Honestly, his conch salad changed me.” And so, I too was once changed by a conch salad. But that was 35 years ago, when I was 16—two years younger than my daughter Kate is…

THE dream of living aboard a catamaran and cruising is an easy one to picture—sharing sundowners with friends in a spacious cockpit, sprightly sails through the islands, sleeping quarters in separate hulls—but the steps of making this happen? That’s a bit more complicated. In early April 2019, I had the opportunity to meet several couples who were just at the cusp of making this dream their reality. They were in the British Virgin Islands by invitation to attend Privilege Academy, an orientation program designed for new and prospective owners of Privilege Catamarans to teach them the ins and outs of cruising on a cat. Trainees paid their travel expenses but “tuition” was complimentary. With just three days for class, there was going to be a lot to cover. Privilege Academy…

SEAMANSHIP In my life as a professional sailor, I log thousands of miles a year under sail, and spend many days and nights afloat. But it’s all about racing—I (almost) never go “cruising.” Sure, as any sailor does, I dream of heading off into the sunset (say a South Pacific sunset) with my loved ones on a beautiful wooden schooner and casting off the ties of civilization and all that good stuff. But half of my “day job” is probably pretty similar to yours: stuck behind my laptop and tethered to my cell phone. And the other half requires getting on an airplane and flying to some beautiful destination to sail on some incredible boats, with some of the best racing sailors in the world. Ah, the good old treadmill.…

The Catana 53, which CW’s Boat of the Year judges and I took for a spin last fall following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, is a boat that gets you thinking: Why are we short-tacking across the brown waters of the Chesapeake, when instead we could be dancing across tropical blue rollers and riding steady trade winds, with the boat delivering on its design promise of endless and effortless 200-plus-mile days? Good question. For the purpose of our test sail, the Catana did just fine. Flying the self-tending jib, we tacked upwind at 7.9 knots in 15 knots of breeze. And with the solent rig’s screecher rolled out and the main eased, the speedo jumped to 10 knots or so on a beam reach. Still, as BOTY judge…

LAGOON CATS JOIN SUNSAIL FLEET Sunsail has added the Lagoon brand of catamarans to its Caribbean charter fleet in 2019. The new Sunsail 464 (Lagoon 46) and Sunsail 424 (Lagoon 42) complement the existing fleet of Leopard catamarans by Robertson and Caine. Vacation sailors can book these yachts immediately; charter-yacht ownership opportunities are also available. The Sunsail 424 is a four-cabin, four-head sailing catamaran. It is outfitted with a generator, air conditioning and watermaker and is available in the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Grenada, St Martin, the British Virgin Islands and Belize. The Sunsail 464—also a four-cabin, four-head configuration with skipper cabin, generator, AC and watermaker—is a brand-new design. Featuring a fly-level sun pad, front cockpit seating and generous interior, the Sunsail 464 is available for charter in the BVI. For…