Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i Soundings

This issue isn’t pegged to any one theme, but in a number of stories this month, there are references to pride, and the deep pleasure that can be derived from a job well done. In Fire & Metal, Senior Editor Gary Reich suits up for a day of work beside employees at Yamaha Marine’s Precision Propeller, where 60,000 wheels are made every year. The time he spent in the Indiana facility learning the finer points of the lost-wax casting process taught him that by the time a prop reaches the shipping dock, it’s been touched by many hands. “Each finished prop looks like a beautiful sculpture,” says Reich. “The visit gave me an overwhelming feeling that everyone in that factory cares, and that they know their work makes a lot…

As of early October, the dockmaster at the West 79th Street Boat Basin in New York City said it had been a while since she last saw one of the giant, flashing LED billboards go by. The same was true at Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River, and at Liberty Landing Marina on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. The visual calm on the waterways around Manhattan was a welcome reprieve to many boaters following action by New York lawmakers in a long-running battle to stop the use of floating digital billboards—the kinds with 1,200-square-foot screens made up of flashing LED lights that turn the waterways into a blinking, neon advertising parade reminiscent of Times Square. In March, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that the…

It’s 9:45 a.m. when the kids pour out of the school bus at the Sail Newport Sailing Center. Half the fourth-graders head up to a classroom with teachers, while the other half grab life jackets and walk to the dock with sailing instructors. There’s a nice breeze and the Sail Newport J/22s have their mainsails already reefed. The jibs remain furled too, but when the nimble 22-foot keelboats get off the dock, they move at a good clip. This is only the third of 16 weekly sailing lessons for the 160 students, many of whom come from families that lack access to boats. The program gives all the kids a chance to steer, and each boat has a student at the helm. Sail Newport Program Director Kim Hap-good checks sail…

Inlets are essentially nautical highways. They are as hectic as their roadside counterparts, but with the added challenge of changing depths, tidal flows, winds and boat traffic. Passage through any inlet is rarely the same twice, which is why situational awareness is always the key to safety. That situational awareness should start when you’re on approach from the ocean. It’s not always easy to predict the sea state near the inlet. A mile out, conditions can be flat calm, but at the inlet’s mouth—where the inflowing or outflowing tide can conflict with the wind—substantial waves and deep troughs can develop. For that reason, a savvy strategy is to approach the inlet from offshore, rather than by running tight to the shoreline and making a 90-degree turn at the entrance. As…

Most relatively small bottom fish don’t get much respect. One exception: the black sea bass. Up and down the East Coast, just about everyone loves catching these fish. You might argue it’s because they’re often present in large numbers relatively close to the docks. Or, you might believe it’s because those black bass are usually willing to bite numerous baits with abandon. But anyone who’s filled a cooler with black sea bass knows the real reason: When it comes to table fare, these fish simply can’t be beaten. Their firm, white meat is akin to that of a grouper’s, and it’s just as sweet as any fish gets. In addition, black sea bass freezes exceptionally well. These five tips are sure to help you catch enough to fill your freezer…

A few years ago, I rode a bicycle from Belgium south through France almost all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. I became familiar with what the French call a caravane, a sporty-looking travel trailer that facilitates going places and doing things in the great outdoors. I thought about that trailer recently, during a sea trial of the new 895 Sport by Jeanneau. I contemplated the oodles of outdoorsy possibilities I could see in this compact, practical cruiser. There was a paddleboard-friendly roof rack. The cockpit sported a rail-mounted Magma grill, foldaway bench seats on three sides and a movable dining table. And there was fishing paraphernalia, including a rocket launcher, cutting board and optional bait well. Going aboard, I noticed little side-to-side movement, a finding that surprised me, given…

I have owned a RIB for almost a decade. I’ve used it on the Great Lakes, and on the Chesapeake and Penobscot bays. I have run it from the Jersey Shore across Raritan Bay to Manhattan on the ugliest of days, flying off ocean swells, safely landing in the troughs and arriving in the city faster than I could have gotten there by car. Despite its small size—15 feet, 5 inches—Bob is one of the most seaworthy boats I have ever used. As it turns out, I may have been going easy on Bob. “Eighty percent of our customers use our RIBs a lot harder than you and I would,” Matthew Velluto, director of business development for Ribcraft, tells me as we tour the company’s Marblehead, Massachusetts, facility—which builds a…

The roots of boating often run deep. Dana Brackett’s go back to age 6 and his grandfather’s 50-foot wooden powerboat, built in 1928 at the Vineyard Shipyard in Milford, Delaware. “It was a thing of beauty that fully captivated my mind on the idea of classic wood,” says the resident of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “I can still smell the varnish, mahogany and hemp lines from that boat. It led me ultimately to buying a classic yawl.” He’s talking about Summer Wind, his 1964 Concordia yawl, Hull No. 97 of the sailboat series that Abeking & Rasmussen built in Germany. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt that the Concordia was the most beautiful and quintessential wooden sailboat there is,” Brackett says. “A Concordia is about as good as…

74’ OCEAN ALEXANDER OPEN FLYBRIDGE Beautifully updated with new interior furnishings (2018) and up to date mechanical services. The 74 OA offers a warm and relaxed interior which proves to be a wonderful live aboard for periods of time. These boats are hard to find on the pre-owned market and for good reason….They are unbeatable when it comes to modern, versatile platforms in which to cruise. CONTACT EZRA ANDROUS call 410-693-1887 or email EZRA@AYCYACHTS.COM. $2,599,000 42 FT SABRE 42 2015 They Just Don’t Get Nicer Then This Unless You Pay $1mil & Buy A New One. This Original Owner 2015 Is Spotless, Lift Kept & Has Just Under 250 Easy Hours. Shrink wrapped to the water line 5 months of the year and Cruised in upper and mid Chesapeake Bay’s…

When Back Cove Yachts released the Back Cove 34O with outboard engines last year, it was a departure for the Rockland, Maine, builder, which had long been known for its Downeast-style, inboard-powered models. Now, Back Cove has announced that it will release a second outboard-powered model, the Back Cove 39O in 2020. Back Cove says the new boat, with an LOA of 43’10”, will have a range of 300-plus miles at cruise, and a top speed of 37 knots with twin 425-hp Yamaha XTO425 outboards. (Price with that power is $625,000.) Triple 300-hp Yamahas will be standard, but the company intends to provide optional power packages that will give the 39O a top end of more than 40 knots. The 39O’s hull design will have the same Trailing Edge Lifting…

Since June, Habib Dagher and his team had watched their custom 3D printer being put together. Before that, it had taken them three years to find a company that could even build the kind of 3D printer they wanted, incorporating their patent-pending technology. And before that, it had taken them about 15 years’ worth of science to develop the materials the printer would use to create things once they turned it on. On a Thursday night this past fall, that moment finally arrived. “We asked the team, what should be the first thing we print with this?” says Dagher, who is executive director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. “We had the option of printing something small and meager, but we wanted to…

Donnie Jones, owner of Jones Brothers Marine in Morehead City, North Carolina, describes his 20-plus-year-old business by saying, simply, “We make boats for guys who want to fish.” The builder’s Cape Fisherman 23 is a top seller with classic lines, and it’s a good example of a serious fishing boat in the size range. There’s a variable-deadrise hull for handling the flats, the shallows and a squally, offshore chop. A 12-degree transom deadrise provides a flat surface for planing while keeping the draft shallow: It’s 12 inches with the motor up. A sharp (56-degree) bow entry helps cut through waves, while an 8-foot beam adds to overall stability. Composite PVC foam core and fiberglass construction includes glassed-in stringers and bulkheads for a lightweight, stiff and sturdy hull. Jones Brothers rigs…

Mark Grady wasn’t looking for a boat. He already had one. But then, boatbuilder Tommy Townsend called from Mystic, Connecticut. A 1966 41-foot Penbo trawler yacht was about to get chain-sawed. The trawler, Annie Glynn, had been for sale for years, but even with the owner willing to give her away, there were no takers. Townsend knew that Grady loved Penbos as much as he did; two years before, Grady had purchased a 1965 37-foot Penbo sardine carrier that Grady restored and turned into the Mary Curtis. That boat had just won the best powerboat award at the 2018 Antique & Classic Boat Festival in Salem, Massachusetts, after Grady had enjoyed his second summer aboard. “I was perfectly happy with the Mary Curtis,” Grady says, noting how Townsend told him…

BRIG Eagle 6.7 BRIG builds 21 models from 9 to 33 feet. Based in the Ukraine, the company’s latest RIB, the Eagle 6.7, replaces the Eagle 650 with a redesigned deep-V hull, SeaDek flooring, an optional Bimini top, a foldable swim ladder, a built-in cooler, a glass console dashboard with space for two 9-inch displays, and a foldable table. The 6.7 is 21 feet, 9 inches long and can carry up to 11 people. Recommended power is a 150-hp Honda 4-stroke outboard. An optional 225-hp Honda is also available. The 6.7 made its American debut at the 2019 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Zodiac Open 6.5 Zodiac became synonymous with inflatables when Jacques Cousteau used their boats in his 1960s television show. The French builder, now known as Zodiac Nautic,…

At the National Marine Electronics Association expo this past September, Vesper Marine announced Cortex, a modular system the New Zealand-based company describes as “VHF reimagined” with a base unit, handsets and a mobile app. Cortex systems can start with just an M1 base unit, which provides AIS and monitoring capabilities. Adding an H1 or H1P handset enables VHF radio functionality. A few minutes with the handset showed me what the company means. The functions I might want to access were almost always right on the screen. On the AIS target information screen, for instance, there was a button to call each target. This makes a big difference when compared to the sheer number of button presses required for many features on a typical VHF radio. I’ve tried to use station-to-station…

58 FT HERRESHOFF BOUNTY 58 2004 Near-exact replica of the original 1934 Herreshoff BOUNTY, with old-world elegance above and below. Maintained to perfection, CATRIONA has enjoyed numerous upgrades during her current owner’s tenure. Generous layout with two light-filled staterooms and crew’s quarters forward. Sail a modern design with the feel of a yesteryear classic. Contact Wellington Yacht Partners (401) 683-6070, info@wellingtonyachts.com, www.wellingtonyachts.com. 44 FT TARTAN 4400 2008 Beautiful example of this spacious deck saloon cruiser. Generous cabins and plentiful storage in a light-filled cherry interior with AC and reverse-cycle heat. Carbon mast, electric winches, Quantum Hydranet sails, generator, thruster. Huge cockpit with full bimini. Seasonal use, in excellent condition. Contact Bob Marston at Wellington Yacht Partners, 401-474-1275, bmarston@WellingtonYachts.com, www.WellingtonYachts.com. 54 FT ALDEN YACHTS 54 1990 Rare mid-cockpit layout with only…

A young woman leans into life as she steers her Century Rascal past the photographer in this image from the Mystic Seaport exhibit On Land and On Sea: A Century of Women in the Rosenfeld Collection. The caption states, “Although a model, this young woman seems determined to stay on course.” The demeaning comment about her profession aside, she is one among countless women who discovered the hobby of boating—once thought of as the province of men—when Morris Rosenfeld & Sons became famous for their images of 20th-century yachting. The 70 photographs in this exhibit capture the various ways in which women took to the water at that time. The Rosenfeld Collection is built on the inventory of Morris Rosenfeld & Sons photography business, which was located in New York…

Lexus has long been known as the luxury automaker that marches to the beat of the tagline, “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection.” Now, with the help of American boatbuilder Marquis Yachts, Lexus is turning its eye toward high-performance motoryachts with the launch of the 65-foot LY 650. The boat made its world debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last month. The 65-foot flybridge yacht is powered by 1,050-, 1,200-, or 1,350-hp Volvo Penta diesels with IPS pod drives and features a three-stateroom layout capable of sleeping six. The open main salon (above) looks contemporary and has lounge seating, a lower helm and an aft galley that serves the cockpit. The LY 650’s exterior is highlighted by muscular lines, a two-tone color scheme and metallic accents. Entertaining spaces include…

No one could figure out what happened. He was just going fishing. It was a beautiful winter day, and he knew all the good spots. He had plenty of gas, his boat was in good shape, and he had VHF radios, a life jacket and an EPIRB. Being a retired U.S. Navy boatswain’s mate, he knew the water and all about boats. He had even won safety awards. I knew what went wrong even before we started our U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and flew up the James River in Virginia to look for him. There he was, face down and dead in the freezing water. A pocket of air in his coat was the only thing keeping his shoulders and part of his head on the surface. It had been…

Historically in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, where offshore canyons are often more than a 100-mile journey from shore, offshore fishermen relied on reports from other anglers and personal local knowledge to find the fishing hot spots. Many times, though, heading out into the deep was a shot in the dark and a potentially expensive fuel investment. The worst-case scenario? Motoring around for 12 hours and then returning to the dock with an empty fish box and the dreaded feeling of defeat. Then, about 10 years ago, anglers started going online to access the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s sea surface temperature imagery, which showed the location of eddies, temperature breaks, and other temperature anomalies that attract plankton, forage fish and pelagic predators, such as billfish and tuna. Soon, professional services…

It’s not unusual for a boat company to break out the bubbly to celebrate the launch of a new model. The nice thing about the Champagne toast aboard Formula’s 380 Super Sport Crossover (SSC) at the Norwalk Boat Show in September was that guests were able to gather on the large swim platform around a high-top table. We rested our glasses there, stashed cell phones in the table’s nifty stowage spot for smart devices, and then took in the layout of the latest addition to Formula’s line of family cruisers. “Our swim platforms have become a trademark for Formula,” said John Adams, the company’s exclusive designer for almost four decades. As we stood on the 380’s teak-covered platform on a sunny day, it was easy to see why. This boat,…

“What did you do for safety?” It’s a common question for Tiffany Loney, 46, and her husband, Bruce Halabisky, 49. As decorated circumnavigators and the parents of two daughters, Solianna, 13, and Seffa Jane, 9, who were born during the voyage, they have heard the question more often than they care to remember. “I don’t know what people are talking about,” Loney muses on a quiet September evening, sitting by a crackling driftwood fire on the gravel beach that fronts their home on Orcas Island, Washington. “Duh. We got the right boat.” Vixen, the wooden gaff cutter that served as the family’s home and vehicle beginning in 2002, tugged at her mooring a scant 50 yards off that beach. After returning from their voyage in 2015, the family settled here,…

It’s one thing for a marine artist to paint what he sees before him. It’s something else to recreate a scene out of history and imagination, let alone make it attractive, entertaining and historically accurate. The latter was the challenge for marine artist Russ Kramer when he agreed to paint this work for a commercial fisherman and his family. “He and I were interested in recreating a scene on board in the glory days of the Grand Banks fishermen,” Kramer says. The artist drew on a host of sources before he ever put brush to canvas. Kramer watched the 1937 movie Captains Courageous starring Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew. He researched skippers on vintage newsreels. He viewed documentaries about schooners from Gloucester, Massachusetts. He studied a model of the schooner…

This custom-built, five-bedroom, two-story home is located in Punta Gorda on Florida’s Gulf Coast, at the confluence of Charlotte Harbor and Peace River. It offers access to 129 square miles of protected water in the harbor, where you can sail, kayak, fish and cruise without having to enter the nearby Gulf of Mexico or Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. If you’re up for a bigger adventure, destinations such as Sanibel and Captiva islands, Boca Grande, Little Gasparilla Island, Cabbage Key, Useppa, Pine Island Sound, Cayo Costa and Redfish Pass are all a short distance away. You can make day trips to these popular ports and return home to watch the sunset from your own home. The house comes with 83 feet of seawall and a 69-foot dock with jet-ski lift and hook-ups…

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