Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Soundings

This is Trieste on the bottom, Challenger Deep. Six three zero zero fathoms. Over.” The year was 1960, and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh was calling in. At some 36,000 feet, he and Swiss oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard had just arrived where no one had ever been: our planet’s deepest point, the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. Since then, 12 humans have walked on the moon and hundreds have traveled in space, but only one other person, filmmaker James Cameron, has visited the Challenger Deep. And, each of the two manned submersibles that ventured there—Trieste in 1960 and Deepsea Challenger in 2012—only went once. Now, Triton Submarines of Sebastian, Florida, has created a manned submersible that reportedly can travel to the ocean’s extreme depths again and…

LOA: 39’8” Beam: 11’1” Draft: 2’0” Weight: 19,180 lbs. Fuel: 200 gals. Water: 70 gals. Power: (2) 260-hp Volvo Penta I/O diesels Price: $539,000 A family-owned company in Naples, Italy, builds the Gagliotta Lobster 35 as one of a small line of semi-custom models that it offers. The 35 has been in production for a couple of years, and it recently hit American shores when Springline Yacht Sales in Mystic, Connecticut, signed on as the exclusive U.S. distributor. “Gagliotta calls this Downeast-style boat a lobster because that’s the moniker used in Italy for a gentleman’s day boat,” says John Thomas of Springline Yacht Sales. “We think it will have great appeal in Maine and coastal waters in the Northeast.” The retail price of $539,000 buys a midsize cruiser with handsome…

About 700: That’s the number of Pearson Tritons built during its mid-20th-century production run. The last of these pioneering fiberglass production sailboats launched in 1967, and many are still sailing. Some are prized for the same qualities that made them a hit at the 1959 New York International Boat Show. Boatbuilders Clint and Everett Pearson brought the first one to that show, hoping to branch out from the fleet of rowboats and dinghies they’d been building since 1956. Swedish-born Carl Alberg designed the 35-foot sloop, which was built in fiberglass, making it one of the first production boats to use the new material. The Triton’s narrow hull, low freeboard and long overhangs were similar to the folkboats of Alberg’s native land. (Tom Potter of Jamestown, Rhode Island, also helped shape…

LOA: 37’0” Beam: 13’0” Draft: 3’10” Displ.: 18,187 lbs. Fuel: 211 gals. Water: 80 gals. Power: (1) 425-hp Cumminsw diesel Price: $505,000 It was a pristine spring morning in Norfolk, Virginia, as we slipped the dock lines and motored into the glassy Elizabeth River. By the time 7 a.m. rolled around, Naval Station Norfolk’s aircraft carriers, guided-missile frigates and other support craft were passing our starboard side, the rising sun backlighting their jagged outlines. It was the kind of morning every boater dreams of, but we knew it wouldn’t last. A staticky, synthetic voice barked gale warnings over the VHF radio as we passed Hampton, Virginia, in a brand-new Beneteau Swift Trawler 34. We were on a delivery timetable, so we pushed into the Chesapeake Bay. A few hours later,…

Cancer struck Thomas Hoyne in 1972, when he was 48. He was given two years to live. A well-known magazine and advertising illustrator, he left his career behind and took up his marine artist’s brushes for good, intent on painting “the great sail-driven vessels” of the Grand Banks while he still had the time. During the next 17 years, until his death in 1989 (doctors, be damned), the self-taught Hoyne created around 100 paintings depicting, with a mixture of exacting detail and compelling atmosphere, the lives of 19th- and early-20th-century New England fishermen. The work Handliners is a fine example of his style. Two dorymen are fishing with a handline—a laborious method that was believed to catch better-quality fish than trawling methods, so much so that handlined fish brought a…

Seventeenth-century travelers coming to Chesapeake Bay were constantly amazed at the quantity, size and quality of its oysters. With a combination of shallow water, firm bottom, plenty of nutrients and a mix of salt and fresh water, the bay was ideally suited for making oysters. Lots of them. Native Algonquins called the vast waterway Great Shellfish Bay, and Europeans quickly realized why. As one visitor wrote: “There are banks of them and ships must avoid them.” The average Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) was as much as four times the size of an English one. “I often cut them in two,” a connoisseur said in amazement. Settlers soon caught on, and oysters became an important food source for America’s growing immigrant population. People fished or farmed in the warmer months, then…

LOA: 65’5” Beam: 18’8” Draft: 4’6” Displ.: 71,500 lbs. Standard Power: (2) 900-hp Volvo Penta diesels w/IPS1200s Fuel: 1,000 gals. Water: 225 gals. They’re back. Two years ago, the luxury automaker Lexus partnered with Marquis-Larson Boat Group to create a 42-foot Lexus Sport Yacht concept. It made quite an impression with sleek looks, high-tech features and a carbon-fiber build, but it was a one-off and today is on its way to the Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan. Now, the partnership has returned with a 65-foot yacht design, and this one is going into mass production at Marquis-Larson’s facility in Pulaski, Wisconsin. “The overwhelmingly positive feedback and reaction [to the concept boat] from the media and potential retail consumers caused Toyota Motor Corporation’s marine division to explore the likelihood of a…

LOA: 26’8” Beam: 8’0” Draft (engines up): 1’7” Displ.: 4,200 lbs. Fuel: 75 gals. Water: 14 gals. Tested Power: (1) 250-hp Mercury Verado outboard Price (w/listed power): $189,800 Vanquish Boats has revealed an updated Doug Zurn-designed center-console that includes a forward cuddy and other improvements. The builder says it is designed for customers who day cruise with family and friends. “We aimed to improve our existing 26 center console with a cuddy and other comfort features,” says Vanquish Boats president Morgan Huntley. “From the thoughtful application of wood trim to the quality and placement of the seating areas, this is an amazingly comfortable boat. The Doug Zurn hull rides like a dream.” Perhaps the most interesting new feature is a cuddy cabin tucked away in the bow. The area is…

LOA: 46’5” Beam: 14’6” Draft: 3’6” Displ. (dry): 32,200 lbs. Fuel: 360 gals. Water: 100 gals. Power: (2) 435-hp Volvo Penta IPS600s Price: TBD Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep, especially on a boat. That idea is not lost on Cruisers Yachts. The Wisconsin-based builder just added the 46 to its Cantius line of sport coupes, and a prime space onboard is the master stateroom. Located amidships, this full-beam cabin with en suite head has soft lighting, a comfortable queen berth and the kind of serene spatial arrangement that will induce yawns. The 46 replaces the Cantius 45. That boat also had a stateroom amidships, but it was set up more like a crash space for kids, with a berth tucked under a section with minimal headroom…

Sail Newport is New England’s largest public sailing center. What makes it unique? Our mission is to promote access to the sport. One way we achieve that is by providing boat storage. If you own a boat and don’t belong to a yacht club, you can keep it here. We have rentals too, for those who don’t own a boat. Close to my heart, though, are the instructional programs for people of all ages and experience levels. Do many students become lifelong sailors? I can’t put a number on it, but I know we’re very successful at taking adults and kids who come in with no prior experience and making them into sailors. I think most of the people who have the opportunity to learn here, whether for recreational or…

As I was walking the crowded docks of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, a friend from colder climes called to harass me about being somewhere warm in late October. Like most of us, he’s a boat nut, and he was curious about what I was seeing. While there was plenty of buzz about aesthetics and style, technology was driving some of the most interesting changes in boat construction and design. Here’s how I explained the leading trends to my friend. TRANSFORMING BOATS My first experience aboard a boat that transformed to increase comfort and utility was several years ago when my wife, Peggy, and I were cruising in the Pacific Northwest on a Ranger Tugs R-31. Seating in the cockpit expanded when we deployed two bench seats, port and…

In late October, President Trump signed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 into law. It’s expected to help with the dredging of major ports along the East Coast, the prevention of aquatic invasive species, and the improvement of water quality in South Florida’s boating and fishing areas—including taking a step toward controlling the harmful algal blooms that have plagued parts of the Sunshine State. This law is about authorization, which means telling the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers how money should be allotted. Another law, involving appropriations, still needs to be enacted to provide cash for the plans. “This is Congress saying, ‘OK Army Corps, this is good to go, we’re putting our official stamp on it, but we’re not giving you the money yet,’” says Kellie Ralston, Southeast fisheries…

LOA: 30’0” Beam: 9’8” Draft (engines up): 2’0” Weight: 8,220 lbs. Fuel: 230 gals. Water: 26 gals. Power: (2) 300-hp Yamaha F300s Price: $230,400 There’s been a sea change in preferences among boat owners. It’s marked by the growing demand for day boats. More people want seaworthy platforms that can cover a lot of nautical miles in a single day and then carry the crew back to the dock in comfort at dusk. As a result, the center console is having its moment in the spotlight. There seem to be more new models than ever before and new companies entering the segment, but it’s also good to see legacy brands that have been producing center consoles for decades continue to build on their success. Pursuit is among the latter. It…

Modern marine electronics advance at such a rapid pace that if you don’t pay constant attention, it’s easy to lose track. Countless new gadgets premiered at the fall and winter boat shows alone. If you’re thinking about upgrading your system—or replacing it entirely—then there are three product categories to watch closely as technological advances translate to real benefits for boat owners. Integration with Power Systems The integration of electronics and power systems is nothing new, but the marriage has matured and now rises to a new level. The virtual anchoring technology that has allowed boat owners to press a button and hover the vessel in place is now available with more sophisticated control options. Systems such as the Yamaha Helm Master, Mercury Marine Skyhook and SeaStar Optimus 360 (which can…