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“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat.” — L. Francis Herreshoff I don’t think I ever left the dock, in the many years I have owned Bossanova, when I didn’t feel a visceral thrill, a small flutter near my solar plexus. Few things have ever made me happier than clearing the jetties, locking open the port and starboard pilothouse doors and switching the VHF to 16. When the pan-pans and securities grew repetitive, I’d change to channel 2 for the strangely soothing patter of the National Weather Service’s robo-voice. Music underway seemed like overkill. I was besotted, and Bossanova’s dry stack exhaust sounded like Barry White…
As a long-ago summer employee of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, I was pleased to read the excerpt from Atlantis Stories [March]. Your readers may be interested to learn that Atlantis is still an active oceanic research vessel in the Argentine Naval Prefecture as the Dr. Bernardo A. Houssay. Having sailed over 1,300,000 miles to date, according to Wikipedia, she is the oldest serving oceanographic research vessel in the world. Congratulations to Mary South on her appointment as editor-in-chief of Soundings. She has big boots to fill, and I know she is up to it. Dan Nerney Portsmouth, Rhode Island EXPLORING THE ARCTIC AND SHERWOOD “Heroism and Heartbreak” [January] is outstanding writing by Jack Sherwood. I was so involved reading his descriptions of the events that occurred with the Arctic Exploring…
Grady-White Boats has updated its Express 330 with a new cabin, helm and hardtop enclosure. “Reconfigured seating allows easier movement around the helm — the social center of the boat — and highlights our ‘surround seating’ helm concept,” says Shelley Tubaugh, Grady-White vice president of marketing. “The emphasis really is on enhancing the people aspects.” Grady has improved the footrests and added a contoured helm seating option. “We’ve tweaked every nook and cranny of the helm area,” adds Tubaugh. A new Airview2 hardtop enclosure comes with an electronically sliding sunroof or a sliding hatch, plus a storage net, color LED spreader lights, eight recessed LED lights, outrigger plates and Clear2Sea side curtains. A SureShade retractable cockpit cover with Sunbrella canvas is available with all hardtops. In the cabin you’ll find…
1. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A sailboat is approaching your power vessel from the port side. Who has right of way? A. Sailboat because he is on your port side B. Sailboat because he is under sail alone. C. You because you are on his starboard. D. You because he is under sail. 2. INTERNATIONAL RULES: A fishing vessel making way in fog with nets out gives what signal? A. short-prolonged-short B. one prolonged C. prolonged-short-short D. danger signal 3. INLAND RULES: Two short flashes on a signal light means: A. My horn is broken. B. I intend to leave you on my starboard side. C. I am turning to port. D. I am turning to starboard. 4. INLAND RULES: Which vessels are normally allowed to anchor in a narrow channel? A.…
She was a beloved member of the French bluewater sailing “fraternity” who earned her nickname as the “Little Bride of the Atlantic” when in 1990, at the age of 33, she won in record time the fourth edition of the Route du Rhum, the solo trans-Atlantic race from France to Guadeloupe. Considered one of the best sailors in the world — a female rock star in a male-dominated sport — Arthaud, 57, was killed in Argentina on March 9 when two helicopters collided during the filming of a reality show for French television. Nine others also died in the accident, including three-time Olympic medalist swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic bronze-medal-winning boxer Alexis Vastine. “Florence Arthaud was one of France’s greatest yachtswomen and charmed the public when she won the 1990…
After three years on the West Coast, the annual US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards ceremony returned to the iconic Model Room at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan. Held annually since 1961, this year’s event honored the accomplishments of two sailing tacticians: Terry Hutchinson, of Annapolis, Maryland, and Stephanie Roble, of East Troy, Wisconsin. The Feb. 26 ceremony saw both winners choke up with emotion, as did the colleagues who introduced the honorees — 1999 winner Dawn Riley and 2013 winner Brian Porter — in a packed house of family, friends, crewmates and the press. Roble, 25 and a first-time winner, stressed how important collaboration has been in getting to this point in her life and particularly this past year, when she was a…
