Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i Soundings

My inbox at Soundings is a fun place to drop anchor and hang out. That’s because I meet so many fun and friendly readers of the magazine there. I’m always grateful when they take the time to write with stories about their experiences on the water. And often, they’ll share details about their personal boats. Those letters are particularly enjoyable, because a lot of Soundings subscribers drive cool stuff. Bob Howie dropped me a note this week, to tell me about the Caribiana Sea Skiff he keeps in a rack-and-stack boat barn in Texas when he’s not pulling it behind a Ford F-250 to places like the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He bought the 23-footer (shown at left) in 2013 after years of running big sailboats. Bob and his wife, Jackie,…

Yacht clubs nationwide are experiencing a surge in the number of women becoming commodores, and women at the helm say the trend is in great part a result of long-overdue structural changes in the ways yacht clubs have traditionally functioned. “I can’t tell you how many men have come up to me and said, ‘It’s about time,’” says Lisa Curcio Gaston, who is serving as the first woman commodore of the Chicago Yacht Club in its 148-year history. “I think it goes to the fact that the culture of our club has changed a lot, in a good way.” What’s happening is not that a handful of yacht clubs are getting their first female commodores. Those glass ceilings—some of them more than a century old—have been shattering, bit by bit,…

There’s a lot of talk these days about adventure boats but what, exactly, are they? Ben Knowles, president of East Coast Yacht Sales in Yarmouth, Maine, says these craft—pilothouse designs with upright styling and seaworthy hulls—are for those who want to play hard on the water after keeping a shoulder to the wheel in the office all week. They are the kind of people who want to cast off whenever their tight schedule permits, regardless of the weather. “They’re a lot of fun to work with,” says Knowles. “These boaters have limited time, so they make the most of every minute aboard and try to get a taste of adventure in the process.” Boat dealers like Knowles say the growing demand for adventure boats is driven by a few things.…

A blue trawler with red fenders is docked against a pier in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in John Michael Carter’s painting, “Fishing Boat.” While visiting his friend on island a couple of years ago, Carter took advantage of the beautiful weather and found himself down by the water. “A day next to the harbor is a pretty nice place to be outdoors,” he said, when we spoke over the phone. Carter’s work captures the atmosphere of the island, with pastels hues of the water, the blue sky and the colorful homes that dot the shoreline. “Fishing Boat” is serene scene, an idyllic summer day in Vineyard Haven. Born in Chicago in 1950, Carter grew up drawing under the guidance of his illustrator father, E.L. After high school, Carter attended the American…

Every day, thousands of cars that travel along Highway 20 en route to the ferry terminal that serves the San Juan Islands pass the wooden hulk of what used to be the four-masted schooner La Merced. The once-proud ship measured 232-feet long and boasted a gross tonnage of 2,146. Today, it’s filled with sand and sprouting trees as it sits on top of the riprap at the western breakwater of the Lovrić Sea-Craft shipyard in the Guemes Channel near Anacortes, Washington. La Merced, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was built in California in 1917. Like other vessels of this type, her hull had a pronounced sheer, nearly vertical post, a short counter, an elliptical transom and a flush “hurricane” deck. She also was fitted with…

In 2012, Pim Van Hemmen was driving out of an Ikea parking lot in Philadelphia when he spotted a massive ocean liner, rust on its hull and paint peeling from its funnels. It was the SS United States, the former flagship of the U.S. merchant marine fleet and winner and current holder of the prestigious Blue Riband. Intrigued by its dilapidated condition, Van Hemmen—a photographer, journalist and currently executive editor at Soundings—shot a picture through the windshield on his iPhone. When he got home and told his wife about what he’d found, she said he should start a project to photograph the country’s historic ships. She also came up with a name for the project: In Extremis, a maritime doctrine that allows extreme measures to be taken when a ship…

For many boaters, exploring quintessential New England towns is the highlight of the cruising season. From the historic landmarks to the scenic waterways and welcoming marinas in picturesque harbors, the New England coast has an undeniable charm that draws boaters from all parts of the world, year after year. Situated in the heart of coastal New England is the south-eastern corner of Connecticut, a region known for its quaint villages and rich maritime history. Although often overshadowed by the nearby destinations of Block Island and Newport, this region has much to offer boaters seeking a peaceful weekend getaway. MYSTIC Perhaps the best-known destination in the south-eastern corner is the village of Mystic, where nautical history blends with a modern seaport. Two centuries ago, Mystic’s port was filled with whaling vessels…

The first Fleming to arrive in the U.S. was offloaded from a freighter in Long Beach, California, during November 1986. It was a 50-footer, built in the same hull mold as the Fleming 55. A dam had been inserted in the mold to shorten her because at the time it was believed a couple could not operate a boat over 50 feet. Manufactured in the Tung Hwa shipyard in Taiwan, the Fleming 55 was the brainchild of Tony Fleming, a trained aeronautical engineer and a former technical director for American Marine, the maker of Grand Banks trawlers. With nearly 25 years of boatbuilding experience in the Far East, Fleming wanted to build the ultimate open-water cruising yacht for a couple with occasional guests. The design was a semi-displacement hull with…

In 1811, a gang of disgruntled English textile workers destroyed mechanized looms and other weaving apparatus in Nottingham. Called Luddites, after Ned Ludd, a weaver’s apprentice who had supposedly done the same thing 22 years earlier, the group was against new industrial technology replacing skilled workers. I understand how they felt, but not because of economics. I think today’s technology often takes away from the joy of doing things using learned skills. However, it sure comes in handy sometimes. Who wants to navigate through fog without a radar, GPS and chartplotter? Been there, done that, and now my nerves are too old for so much excitement. But there’s still some Ned Ludd in me, as I discovered during a recent conference with some fellow marine journalists. One of them thought…

The captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. He was a former lifeguard, and he knew what to do: He headed straight for a couple swimming between their anchored sportfish and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband told his wife. They had been splashing each other, and she had screamed, but now they were just standing on a sandbar. “We’re fine. What is he doing?” she asked, annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving the captain off. But he kept swimming. Hard. “Move!” the captain barked as he sprinted between the couple. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their 9-year-old daughter was drowning. How did this captain know—from 50 feet away—what the father couldn’t recognize from just 10 feet? The…

The call came in about noon. “I’m at the marina,” said my fishing buddy Adam, “There were stripers blitzing out in Buzzards Bay this morning. I’m going back out.” I didn’t wait for him to invite me. I just replied. “I’ll meet you at your boat in half an hour.” Adam and I have fished together for over 25 years. I had a feeling today was going to be an epic day on the water, so when I arrived at his boat I brought three light-tackle rods rigged and ready to go. I anticipated a battle with a bass within minutes of leaving the dock, but we caught nothing our first hour out. A light breeze rippled the ocean and skies were leaden. Perfect conditions for shallow-water fishing. The breeze…

NEW ENGLAND REGION BALLARD’S NEW SHOREHAM, RI Ballard’s dates back to 1956 and is popular for live music and local seafood alike. Its restaurant and beach are near the Block Island Ferry, which means the location draws day-trippers as well as recreational boaters who visit the island for a couple days or a week. Ballard’s Marina has Mediterranean-style floating docks and takes reservations, with services that include ice, showers and laundry. And the food is satisfying: Ballard’s took top prize at the 2019 Block Island Maritime Institute Chowda-Fest. Look for that chowder on the menu, along with locally sourced oysters, lobster, fish and clams. DIMILLO’S PORTLAND, ME DiMillo’s is in the heart of Portland’s Old Port, a scenic district on Casco Bay with cobblestone streets and brick buildings whose working…

At Marine Weather Center, a client recently asked why the computer model forecast predicted small seas on the windward side of Saint Martin, when what was really happening were strong winds and large seas. The answer had everything to do with how weather models are designed, how they work and how they don’t. Weather forecast models are ubiquitous for good reason: They provide precise forecasts for weather information—such as wind, waves, temperature and precipitation—that we’re looking for, at precise times and locations. Or so it would seem. Weather models have limitations, and understanding these limitations will help you better interpret their forecasts so you can stay safe on the water. Get ready to geek out on some serious meteorology stuff here. WHAT’S A WEATHER MODEL? Weather models break the earth…

Charlie and Diane Ford discovered boating in different ways. “We both love sailing, although I started earlier than Charlie,” says Diane. “My Dad was always on the water, and I grew up sailing with him on Star-class sloops.” Charlie came to sailing a little later in life, after a stint in the Marine Corps and four years at the University of Maryland. “A colleague took me out on his Cal-25, and I was hooked. I purchased my first J/24 in 1983 and raced it hard for 35 to 40 years, including two J/24 World competitions.” His first powerboat was a Correct Craft ski boat, which featured a powerful engine and a fast planing hull shape designed to tow waterskiers. He used it on the large rivers of the Chesapeake Bay.…