Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2021 i Cruising World

LARRY, a friend I’ve known for 20 years, had just dropped anchor in my harbor in Maine. He was returning from a summer in Greenland, heading back to the Caribbean, and he had a question for me: “You busy this fall?” “What do you have in mind?” “Well,” he said, “how about helping me sail The Dove down to the Caribbean?” A few weeks at sea, with Larry, on his Crealock 54 expedition-style sloop? I had to give this invitation some serious thought. That took me all of six seconds. But there was more. “When we get there, how about minding the boat for me while I take off for two months? I need a break. You can invite your kids to join you for Christmas,” he added. “They can…

This past October, I saw one of the most interesting exhibits in more than 500 new cruising sailboats I’ve reviewed over two decades. It was the Arcona 435Z, built in Sweden and introduced by Graham Balch of Green Yachts in San Francisco. Balch describes his business as “a new brokerage dedicated to the electric revolution on the water,” and it was the “Z” in the boat’s name, which stands for “zero emissions,” that made this boat so interesting. This was the first electric propulsion system—not hybrid but all-electric—I’d ever seen on a cruising sailboat. Electric propulsion isn’t new. Since 1879, electric motors have propelled boats; a fleet of some four-dozen electric launches transported visitors around the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago. But cruising sailboats are not launches, and the open…

Let’s just say I was feeling on top of the world. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon early this past September on the Solent—the historical straight off the south coast of England that lies between mainland United Kingdom and the Isle of Wight—and I felt right at home, styling at the helm of the new Oyster 595, freshly launched from the company’s shipyard in Wroxham. The gleaming yacht—a word I do not freely bandy about, but this glamorous steed was far beyond your basic “sailboat”—cleaved through the light chop effortlessly, gliding upwind at 8 knots in precisely the same amount of breeze. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed many a lucky trick at many a lovely wheel, moments I’d wished could be frozen in time, and this was yet another one.…

1980 BALTIC 51 $ 285,000 The Baltic 51 was introduced as a high performance yacht that could be easily handled by either a full-on racing crew or a cruising family. PASTIME has been lovingly cared for by five owners and a series of first rate boat yards. All major maintenance items have been accomplished. Withamodifiedwingkeelsheretainsherperformancecharacteristicswhileaffordingaccesstoawiderangeofharbors. Current owners have fitted a furling boom and many other cruising comforts and have sailed her double handed for extended periods. A high caliber construction at a very compelling price point. PLEASE SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 90 Rodgers Yacht Sales LLC/X-Yachts USA 860-536 7776 | www.rodgersyachtsales.com | Mystic, CT…

Few optics are finer than pulling into a quiet New England harbor before a classic-yacht race and beholding myriad gorgeous yachts, their lovely sheer lines and gleaming brightwork set against a backdrop of hardwood trees in full summer trim. The tradition of racing classic yachts remains strong in New England, and recently has been bolstered by the Classic Yacht Owners Association and its Classic Yacht Challenge Series, which this summer drew dozens of iconic participants and delivered great racing on some of the country’s most storied waters. § The Classic Yacht Owners Association was founded in 2015, with the aim of bolstering camaraderie among classic-yacht owners. One of the most important ways they’ve accomplished this was by joining existing New England classic-yacht regattas into a greater tri-regional circuit that includes…

RONSTAN RONSTAN INTERNATIONAL RF 4056 ANALOGUE WATCH • $180 • RONSTAN.US Looking for a new striking and sporty water-resistance watch? Ronstan International’s RF4056 analogue watch, the latest release from Ronstan International, blends quality and functionality into a stylish watch equally at ease on the water or in the office. The RF4056 features highquality Japanese analogue quartz chronographic movement retained in a brushed, matte-black 43-millimeter stainless-steel case. The watch has a durable, hard-mineral crystal lens and is water-resistant up to 300 feet. The watch weighs 3.2 ounces, and features chronograph functions with a 60-second and 10-minute stopwatch, There’s also a 5-minute countdown timer. A window display includes a choice of 24-hour or 12-hour time, and date. Check your favorite sailor’s last-minute holiday wish list, and you might find the RF4056 right…

When I was a young and smitten sailor, hungry for more, an old salt gave me this advice: “Keep your sea bag packed, and never turn down a boat ride.” I’m happy to say that I have followed his admonition to the best of my ability, and while in retrospect, a few of those rides would have been better off not taken, that practice has led to the best times of my life. Which is why, when I got the recent invitation from my friend Capt. RJ, I knew I had to go. In a pandemic turn of events, organizers had canceled the 2020 US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. RJ, meanwhile, had just taken command of a new Fountaine Pajot and was headed to the show from Fort Lauderdale,…

Tackling our head situation was at the top of our priority list for our recently acquired 1975 Hallberg Rassy Monsun 31, UKIYO. During our prior visits to the boat, we noticed a lingering odor. We already had plans to change the head to an Air-Head composting toilet, so we thought this would be the perfect first project to dive into. Our boat arrived in November by truck and was stowed away in winter storage in Monroe, Michigan. We figured that the origin of the smell was from the old holding tank and its hoses. For our new 31-foot home, we wanted to avoid the persistent smell that comes from traditional marine heads, the extra mechanical moving parts, and the use of chemicals. More importantly, we wanted to maximize storage space.…

One of the strangest things that I have to regularly explain to nonsailing friends is why engines are often run offshore to generate onboard DC electricity. While savvy friends understand that charging needs to happen if one is going to rely on their batteries, those less technologically inclined are sometimes stumped. And rightly so. If sailing is so green, they ask, why do sailors emit CO2 to keep their nav lights on? Contemporary sailors, though, have their choice of several alternatives to producing electricity without starting up their diesel engine, starting with solar panels and progressing to hydrogenerators and wind generators. While plenty has been written about solar panels, this technology depends on the sun, which is dormant during nighttime hours, and sometimes during the day too, especially on my…

Plastic pollution in the ocean is an undeniable and often overwhelming problem that sailors face wherever they go. Many of us have cleaned beaches and pulled floating plastic debris from the water. But what can sailors do with the plastics to ensure that they don’t end up back in the tide? If you are Nike Steiger and Maria LaPointe, you start In Mocean, an organization focused on raising global awareness about plastic pollution and dedicated to empowering the rural coastal communities affected most. Sailors Nike and Maria were stranded on board their vessels, Karl and Joana, in Panama’s Guna Yala archipelago (formerly the San Blas), east of the Panama Canal, during the early days of the pandemic. Unhappy with the plastics they were amassing from the coastlines, they searched for…

There’s nothing quite like baking aboard to lend a homeyness to a cruising boat. And when you find yourself in cool climes—as we did heading up the inside passage from the Salish Sea to southeast Alaska aboard Del Viento, our Fuji 40—firing up the oven and filling the cabin with warm smells is a pleasure every time. It was in those cruising grounds that we began experimenting with bread puddings. Whether sweet or savory, variations of bread pudding are found in cuisines worldwide. You can use just about any kind of bread, but French bread or challah is best. Following the traditions of the Southern US, we lean toward the sweet version; we like French bread, and being chocoholics, this recipe is a favorite. The cinnamon adds a complexity that…

Reeves, you are a beacon on the shoals of life,” a man yelled from up the dock. § All morning I worked on deck. The weekend had emptied the boatyard, quieting the bustle of lifts and cranes. Today there would be no interruptions from passersby, and I could happily focus on the present task: preparing Moli, my 45-foot aluminum cutter, for her second figure-eight-voyage attempt. Then the voice: “I am thrilled to follow your adventure,” the man said. “You show me places I never wish to go; you have experiences I never wish to have. You are a warning to others: ‘Pass not this way.’” Such sentiments, I had found, were not uncommon, and even I had to admit that the first figure-eight attempt—a solo circumnavigation of the Americas and…

Not long ago, I recommended a corrosion-inhibiting product to a client, who replied: “I can’t keep all these sprays, pastes and liquids straight. Can you make a list of all this stuff and where I’m supposed to use it?” What a great idea! Corrosion Inhibitors: Corrosion is a tremendous threat for metallic components and equipment. Over the years, I’ve experimented with a variety of products, and have ultimately settled on two for most corrosion-prevention tasks. In cases where corrosion resistance and light lubrication are beneficial, CRC’s 6-56 works well; it’s a light, oil-like lubricant that coats and penetrates into surfaces that might already be slightly rusted or corroded, such as shift and throttle components, motor-mount adjustment studs, and steering sheave axles. Available in an aerosol or refillable spray bottle, it’s…

TRIMARAN CHARTER PROGRAM HEADS TO THE CARIBBEAN Trimaran Yacht Charter, launched by racer and boat-builder Eric Bruneel, will introduce a charter-management program headquartered in Nanny Cay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, in time for 2022 peak-season charter sailing in the Caribbean. Central to the program is the new Neel 43 model, and one-way sailing itineraries, to and from the Windward Island of Martinique. With two double cabins, the cruising multihull is the work of designer Yannick Bestaven, winner of the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe. The multihull can accommodate up to 10 passengers yet is easily handled by a shorthanded crew. Bareboat and crewed charters are available. The charter business, launched in January 2021 in the Mediterranean, is an outgrowth of Bruneel’s foray into the production of cruising trimarans with naval architects Michel…