Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Soundings

“This is a center truly worthy of the Ocean State,” said Rhode Island’s governor, Gina Raimondo. “The state-of-the-art, sustainable design will allow Sail Newport to bring the magical experience of being out on the water to more Rhode Islanders. In particular, the center will teach our younger generation that these natural resources are gifts we must protect and preserve for the future.” About 200 supporters attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where Raimondo spoke in August, at Sail Newport’s new Mid- Park Marine Education and Recreation Center. They included Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; Janet Coit, director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; and, of course, Sail Newport’s executive director, Brad Read. The 8,500-square-foot building in Fort Adams State Park meets the standards established by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,…

If you’ve ever met Billy Black, you know he loves his work. A welcome presence at boat shows and industry events, Black is seldom seen without a beaming smile on his face. (Turns out, that’s contagious!) Though Black is often cited as the nicest guy in the marine industry, he combines his terrific attitude with a great deal of experience, tremendous skill and an expert eye. “Photography is all about problem solving,” Black says. “My job is to anticipate everything under my control and then be ready for that perfect moment when it all comes together.” An experienced sailor, Black was born in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1956 but has lived in Rhode Island since 1993. He’s been a marine photographer for 35 years. Industry insiders also know that he’s…

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 31 feet, 4 inches BEAM: 8 feet, 6 inches WEIGHT: 7,000 pounds (dry) DRAFT: 2 feet, 9 inches (engine down) HULL TYPE: modified-vee POWER: single Yamaha F300 SPEED: 36.8 knots top, 26.7 knots cruise TANKAGE: 150 gallons fuel, 40 gallons water, 30 gallons waste PRICE: $199,937 (as tested) CONTACT: Ranger Tugs, Kent, Washington, (253) 839-5213. rangertugs.com The edges of the Chesapeake’s Eastern Bay blushed with November hues of orange, red, yellow and golden brown as we motored out from Kent Narrows around 11 a.m. Tucked away in the cabin of the Ranger Tugs R-27, I jostled the throttle. The boat jumped onto plane, blowing through the 20s and then into the low-30-mph range before settling in at wideopen throttle just under 40 mph. I pointed the bow south…

Depending on the boating location, the chances of a lightning strike can vary immensely. Marine surveyors in Florida, for instance, have far more strikes to inspect than those in the Northeast, since thunderstorm activity is much higher in the South. The science of strikes has given us ways to minimize damage and keep people on board safe, but as materials change and science evolves, the technology will keep changing, too. For instance, carbon-fiber masts and hulls have their own peculiar characteristics as conductors. Parts of the boat that project above the superstructure, such as masts and outriggers, can easily become part of the lightning circuit, and we have to conduct the strike to ground as safely and directly as possible. To do this, we provide an air terminal at the…

The Original Unsinkable Few names in boating are as instantly recognizable as Boston Whaler. Celebrating 60 years in 2018, the company has a long-running reputation for building unsinkable, foamcored boats. Its legacy started with a 13-footer that founder Dick Fisher famously sawed in half, then motored around Wampatuck Pond in Hanson, Massachusetts. In Unsinkable: The History Of Boston Whaler, author Matthew D. Plunkett traces the boats’ DNA from the Hickman Sea Sled to today’s flagship 420 Outrage. The book’s 198 pages are illustrated with historic patent applications, vintage advertisements and photographs of Whaler models past and present. (Quarto Publishing, $35) Cruising To Warmer Climes Annually updated by on-the-water editors with local knowledge and cruising information, Waterway Guide’s Southern 2018 edition covers Atlantic and Gulf sections of the Intracoastal Waterway between…

ODE TO TICONDEROGA Designed by Bruce King and inspired by L. Francis Herreshoff’s Ticonderoga, Whitehawk’s 105-foot, cold-molded hull launched in 1978 from Rockland, Maine. This stately ketch has a three-stateroom, three-head layout with crew quarters. Lyman-Morse refitted her during the winter of 2010-11, replacing the teak decks and refurbishing the interior. Whitehawk’s towering Sitka spruce masts were refinished in 2017. She is listed through Sparkman & Stephens for $3.95 million. sparkmanstephens.com BUCKET AND CHUCK IT The 5-gallon-bucket: It’s the unsung hero of boat gear. These plastic companions hold scrubbing suds, stow tools and, ahem, are there when nature calls and there’s no onboard facility. The problem is that most buckets fail after a few years of use. Yeti, known for coolers that hold ice for ages, aims to solve that…

In 1957, Charles Johnson approached John Rybovich in his quest for a motoryacht to be the mother ship to his Rybovich sportfisher. The Florida builder was content producing what were considered to be the world’s best fishboats, and Rybovich declined the job. He suggested Johnson go upstairs and talk to “young Johnny Hargrave,” a recent hire who’d completed the Westlawn School of Yacht Design’s three-year course in seven months. Johnson and the 35-year-old Hargrave talked. They agreed, and they shook hands. It was a moment in history. The resulting boat was the “yacht that launched a career.” Seven Seas set a new standard in American motoryacht design and established Hargrave as a designer of large yachts. Seven Seas was built of steel and wood at Wisconsin’s Burger Boat Co. At…

In the Decmeber issue, Seaver Jones began to walk us through Gannon & Benjamin’s work on the Burmese teak Sparkman & Stephens yawlMah Jong. We left off in the spring of 2015, as springtime’s annual process of painting and commissioning the yard’s wooden-boat fleet overtook the crew. But work continued with the arrival of summer. With the summer 2015 fleet scudding before the wind in Vineyard Sound, the heat of the sun on the metal roof turned the Mugwump shop into an oven. The small crew, gargling gallons of Gatorade, continued reframing inside the hull in the blistering heat. By fall, the shop had cooled, and the full crew returned. Brad Abbott, the third partner at Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, brought his mechanical engineering expertise to bear on the…

The new C34 Coupe is the smallest of Carver’s sport cruisers and flybridge yachts. Introduced at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in November, the boat takes design cues from its sister ships, including a nearly plumb bow, opening ports and fixed glass panels in the hull sides, a swept-back cabin house profile and a cockpit with swim platform. The C34 rides a vacuuminfused modified-vee hull. The hull and deck carry a 10-year warranty. The minimalistic interior has dark wood paneling and cabin soles, and white upholstery. The master stateroom forward has a berth with stowage beneath, hull-side shelves, a hanging locker to port and a flat-screen television. Hullside glass with opening ports and an overhead hatch open the area to the outside. The guest stateroom is amidships, abaft the…

Southport Boats has added a dual console to its lineup of center consoles. The Southport 33 DC rides the same hull, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates, as the Southport 33, 33 LX and 33 ST. The new boat has a bow lounge, an Lshaped cockpit lounge with an adjoining bench seat, and helm and companion seating abaft a windshield with centerline access forward. The enclosed helm area has a hardtop with a power sunroof and side panes of glass. The port console holds twin 6-foot berths, and the starboard console houses the head compartment The 33 DC is geared toward family cruising, but Southport is known for its fishing boats. Among the boat’s fishing features are a starboard hull-side door, twin 5-foot insulated fishboxes with insulated drains, a transom…

Learn more about lightships in this video: soundingsonline.com/boats/classic-boats For a vessel with such a big history, the lightship Ambrose looks surprisingly small. Perhaps it’s because South Street Seaport Museum has the 135-footer tied up across from the 325-foot iron-hulled Wavertree. Or maybe it’s because so many of us have forgotten just how large the Ambrose used to loom in the hearts and minds not only of Americans, but also of immigrants who came to New York Harbor from all around the world. A $4.5 million grant to begin restoring the Ambrose will help remind us of this lightship’s significance in U.S. history — with the work coming at a time when the national political discourse has many people wanting the stories of America’s immigrants brought back to the fore. She’s…

Keeping up with the ever-changing marine electronics world is a full-time job. Just when you think you’ve mastered the lingo — be it CHIRP, Wi-Fi or GPS — a fresh product comes along with newfangled features and high-tech acronyms to learn. This makes researching and buying new equipment a challenge. Fear not, intrepid boat owner. We’ve wrangled the latest and greatest electronics gear from the past several months so you’ll be in the know when it comes time to replace or upgrade your gadgets and gizmos. Whether you’re looking to install a new VHF radio or enhance your fishfinding capabilities, there’s bound to be a piece of gear here that fits your boating style. • GOST Surveillance Cameras GOST’s new high-definition Mini-Ball 1080P and Mini-Dome PTZ 1080P cameras join existing…

For Andrew Walton, becoming an artist was in the cards. “The art chooses you, not the other way round,” says Walton, who is known for his detailed renderings of ships and boats and those who handle them. “My grandfather was a talented watercolorist,” the 57-yearold Briton says. “My interest in art began with him, and as I had a modicum of talent, I ended up with a few school art prizes and found myself pursuing an artistic career.” Growing up by the sea gave Walton’s interest a focus. “My father always had a dinghy, and from [when I was] a very small boy he would take me out sailing,” he says. “My love of the sea stemmed from that quality time with my father. He worked hard, and I didn’t…

Aquamiser+ Watermakers Aquamiser+ watermakers are available in framed (top) or modular models in capacities of 250 to 1,800 gallons a day. A touch pad operates the watermakers, and optional remote displays let users view data and control the units from up to 150 feet away. Aquamiser+ watermakers are made of non-proprietary parts and disposables and are backed by a worldwide network of dealers for ease of maintenance while cruising. An optional Dockside Treatment System turns unsafe or unpalatable dock supply water into potable fresh water. Prices start at $6,800. FCI Watermakers, (801) 906-8840. fciwatermakers.com C-Map Genesis Edge C-Map Genesis Edge mapping service allows subscribers to access bottom-hardness and submerged-vegetation map layers. The Genesis Social version includes downloads of communitysourced Social Map charts and the ability to add personally mapped areas.…