Inhoudsopgave van November - December 2016 - PassageMaker

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The seeds were planted in 2012. We had been cruising for several weeks in the remote waters of northern British Columbia, where it isn’t unusual to go for several days without seeing another boat. Then surprisingly, two other Nordhavns sailed into Sea Otter Cove where we were anchored on the west side of Vancouver Island. The Nordhavn family is a close knit community. Two Nordhavns in the same anchorage usually means a party. Three boats in a distant location increased the odds, especially since we already knew Jim and Lynda Frantz, the owners of N40, Albedos. Over the next couple of weeks, Orion, Albedos, and an N62 named Island Greeter sailed south, hopscotching each other from cove to fjord to anchorage. When we reached Barkley Sound, near the southwest corner…

After spending three days at Marina Heming way on the outskirts of Havana, we began our cruise west along the northern coast of Cuba, aboard our 34-foot PDQ power cat, Thing 1 Thing 2. We planned to cruise through the Archipelago de los Colorados along the northern coast, stop at Los Moros Marina at Cabo San Antonio at the northwest tip, and dive in the waters off of María la Gorda, which lies underneath the westernmost tip of the island. Total one-way distance: approximately 200 nautical miles. We would then have to retrace a portion of our route before making the crossing back to Florida via the Dry Tortugas. LEAVING MARINA HEMINGWAY There are a number of deep water pocket bays along the coastline west of Havana, with many protected…

This older Grand Banks has had extensive electrical system upgrades. Running new wires on older boats can be challenging. The over-current protection has been installed well: The clear acrylic cover prevents anyone from accidentally tripping a breaker and it provides a convenient location for labels. All wire terminations have been properly crimped and heat shrink protection has been added. The house negative bus bar offers a clean low resistance connection point for multiple ground wires. To the left, a house positive bus bar has been installed and a protective cover will prevent anyone from accidentally making contact with a hot circuit. On the far right, a Class T fuse has been installed to protect the inverter wiring. Class T fuses are fast-acting and physically small, while still able to handle…

As sailing ships yielded to steam power, the need arose for propeller shaft bearings. Builders needed a way to support a rotating shaft while minimizing wear on the shaft and maximizing longevity of the bearings. In 1852, after initial attempts using brass produced poor results, a British marine engineer named John Penn patented the first water-lubricated shaft bearing using wood. Only one species of wood has the properties needed to resist wear from a spinning metal shaft. It was called lignum vitae (Latin for wood of life because it also became known for its medicinal properties). In the early 1900s, a California miner named Charles Sherwood needed a quick fix for a failed pump at a mining site and used a rubber tube to solve the problem. The rubber worked…

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE SASS SR. On October 18, 1805, Lieutenant WilliamClark wrote in his journal that he had sighted spectacular Mt. Hood while traveling down the Columbia River with his fellow explorer, Captain Meriwether Lewis. Retracing parts of the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition more than 200 years later, Tony Fleming and his crew were similarly awestruck by the raw beauty of snow-capped Mt. Hood and the surrounding Columbia River Gorge. Fleming’s 65-foot Venture was underway on a 360-mile exploration of the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia and Snake Rivers from Portland, Oregon, to Lewiston, Idaho. While a number of small cruise lines follow this legendary route, promoting its majestic scenery and historical significance, Fleming found few private cruising boats venturing past Hood River, the picturesque, wind-blown town located 65…

Karen and I are gearheads who cruise. Show me a new cool cruising tool, and I swoon. Make it affordable, and I drool. Convince me it’s tested and cruiser-ready, and I click the link to buy now. If you are anything like us, get ready to add at least one lowprice purchase to your better boating “Gotta Get” list. (We have no connection to any of these companies, by the way). So, what’s our criteria for making this list? If we show a slick piece of boating gear we love to cruising guests on Largo, and the regular response is: “where can I get one?” it makes the list. Here are six out of a baker’s dozen in regular rotation on Largo. For more items, ones that couldn’t fit in…

NORMANN COPENHAGEN WHISKEY GLASSES The perfect gift for the whiskey connoisseur in your life, Normann Copenhagen lowball glasses are designed to allow you to enjoy a fine whiskey the way it is meant to be. Attractive and functional, the interior curve of the glass is sculpted to allow your whiskey to naturally turn over as you sip, releasing its woodsy aroma and flavor. The glassware fits the hand well and looks stunning next to a decanter. $50 (set of 4) STOCKING STUFFERS (Gifts under $25) Nite Ize Reusable Gear Tie These gear ties are must-haves for every boater. Made from heavy duty wire covered in a soft, UV-resistant rubber exterior, these ties will keep your lines, extension cords, or fishing rods organized and color coded. Brightly colored, easy-to-use, and reusable.…

After our epic, experience-packed cruise to Alaska in2015, we decided to reduce the miles we would travel in 2016 and focus on the alluring coastal waterways of Washington and southern British Columbia. We had spent many summers in our past sailing these island-studded waters, always cherishing our surroundings, but often cursing the persistently windless conditions and whining about the pervasive chilly and damp air. So it was a welcome pleasure to rediscover this cruising paradise in the warmth and comfort of Kohea, our Kadey-Krogen 48. Throughout the summer we revisited our favorite anchorages. We hiked trails through silent evergreen forests. We treasured our many wildlife sightings of seals, otters, eagles, and whales. We were awed by colorful and serene sunsets. And we relished in provisioning in local grocery stores and…

In 2014, at the age of 51, Tanya Binford set a side her busy life to pursue a solo circumnavigation of the 5,000-mile Great Loop. Starting from her newly-adopted home of Southport, North Carolina, she fired up her restored 25-foot Ranger Tug, Annabelle, and headed out on an adventure that would change her life. The genesis of the trip came on the heels of losing her best friend, mentor, and savior, prematurely to cancer. Tanya forced herself to re-evaluate her own mission in life: For her, it was a carpe diem moment when she decided to take a year off from her career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner to leave everything behind. Crossing is a detailed story, not only of the author’s inspiration and preparation for the voyage, but also…