Table of contents for July - August 2016 in PassageMaker

What began as a weekend of volunteering for Kadey-Krogen Yachts at the Annapolis Boat Show more than a decade ago ultimately turned into a dramatic career change for Larry Polster. Inspired by love for his Krogen 42, Polster left a 17-year career in consulting to lead an expansion effort for the world-renowned cruising brand. He launched a successful sales office in Annapolis, Maryland, and today is one of the company owners and also serves as vice president. Being from the Midwest originally, what first sparked your interest in boatbuilding and design? When I was a boy, my father, who had never been boating, had an epiphany that boating would be a great activity for our family of five. (Think of him as the poster child for the Grow Boating Initiative…

“Not your father’s trawler,” I thought, looking astern from a brand-new, first-in-the-USA, Beneteau Swift Trawler 30 throwing out a roiling wake as we headed north on Sarasota Bay at over 20 knots. Justin Joyner, sales manager for Beneteau powerboats in North America, and John Armstrong of Canadian Yachting welcomed me aboard. The contemporary design of the trawler looked right at home surrounded by gleaming new high-rise condos ashore and the sleek silhouettes of stylish multi-story motoryachts berthed along the dock. FIRST IMPRESSIONS The Swift Trawler 30 was moored starboard-to, which you need to do to take advantage of the deck-level boarding gate, or bulwark door. A 24-inch-wide side deck runs the entire length of the boat, while the cabin extends fully to the port side, making the most of the…

EYES IN THE SKIES Drone photography has graced the cover of two recent issues of PassageMaker as well as last month’s sublime aerial sunset photo in Viewfinder. Inexpensive consumer drones are taking a place alongside handheld VHFs and binoculars in the cruiser’s duffel bag, and none more so than the Phantom, by industry leader DJI. First-to-market (or smartest-to-market, depending on how you look at it), DJI popularized drones by combining crystal-clear, stable HD footage, and a user-friendly flying experience, all wrapped in a design befitting a piece on display at a modern art museum. In addition to improved three-axis stabilization for its onboard camera, and a 28 percent increase in battery life (read: flying time), the newest DJI drone— dubbed, Phantom 4—adds two small sensors on the front landing gear…

To any Manhattan-ite, the signature black-white-red striped stack on a McAllister tug is as ingrained in local fiber as bagels and $1 pizza slices. Founded in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, McAllister Towing has the distinction of building, and sustaining, a family-owned and operated towing and support business since the 1800s. With a lineage that deep, it is safe to say that McAllister has seen its fair share of significant dates in U.S. history through the years. In fact, it is impossible not to conjure up vivid pictures of tugs steaming around New York Harbor, bustling about the beehive port in an era when ships were the epicenter of commerce. Today, 150 years later, little has changed. Sure, McAllister’s stacks adorn higher-tech tugs, more powerful and maneuverable than their ancestors, but the work…

TrawlerFest and PassageMaker magazine were proud to present Tony Fleming with a lifetime achievement award, recognizing his indelible contribution to the world of power cruising over the past 30 years. Fleming accepted an engraved brass clock from Weems & Plath in front of family and TrawerFest VIPs in Anacortes, Washington. Starting a new business at 50 years of age, Tony built what would become one of the most successful lines of luxury yachts in history, whose graceful lines were perhaps only exceeded by their abilities as proven passagemakers. Nothing is more symbolic of these seagoing capabilities than Tony’s own Fleming 65, Venture. Profiled often in these pages—and in the pages of other magazines—Venture has logged over 55,000 nautical miles (while her sistership, Venture II, has accrued over 10,000 nautical miles).…

BLUE WATER EXPRESS XT Few things extend your cruising range more than equipping your cruiser with a source of clean drinking water. Watermakers, however, can be a tough fit for the tight spaces on many small and midsize yachts. Enter the Express XT series of watermakers from Blue Water Desalination. Featuring fully automated operation and a top-end model capable of producing 33 gallons of fresh water every hour, the Express XT can keep your freshwater tanks topped off all day, even under heavy demand. Blue Water also offers the XT with an optional remote control, entirely eliminating the need to go belowdecks to operate the unit. The XT can also be set to flush itself with fresh water, making maintenance a snap. Though Blue Water designed the XT into a…

A bluewater passage is a dream held by many trawler owners. A sense of adventure and accomplishment draws them toward distant horizons. But what exactly defines a bluewater passage? When do you cross the blurry line between a long-range passage and a bluewater voyage? With the generous contribution of insights from some of the most respected cruisers and captains around, let’s review what defines—and how best to prepare for— bluewater passagemaking. TIME & DISTANCE The gravity of any ocean passage increases with time and distance from the shelter of safe harbor. The first marker is when you travel beyond the range of a professional towing company’s assistance. Once beyond that range, you are at the mercy of private vessels offering assistance or the great expense of an ocean tug which…

Marie McWhirter lay in a lump on her boat in the dark; upside-down and unconscious on the polished white stairs leading from her main deck to the top helm. Blood pooled around her head. On the concrete dock where our boats were tied it was well past time for dinner, and dim deck bulbs barely illuminated the damage. Her head was heavy in my hands, her blood warm through my fingers. Marie was tough enough to survive the headlong fall from her top deck, but I didn’t know that yet. We had just met. We were on a lonely island, hours away from a doctor or hospital. Bruce and Marie McWhirter were fortunate—they were better prepared than most. Their experience raised a number of thoughts about emergency preparation, and steps…

LOW BRIDGE Great story on cruising the Erie Canal (“Slow Churn,” April 2016), however, a major error as to air draft needs to be corrected. The story says, “loopers with a clearance of 12 feet, 6 inches or less can shuffle all the way to Buffalo.” That measurement is incorrect. Air draft on the Erie Canal is 21.5 feet from the Hudson River to Three Rivers (Syracuse) and west to Tonawanda (Canal terminus) is 15.6 feet. Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario clearance is 21.3 feet. Search online for, “Erie Canal bridge clearances.” All significant dimensions for the entire Canal system are shown. Peter Wiles Sr. was a friend of mine. Years ago, when a lame-brained governor wanted to close the Canal, Wiles sat in the governor’s office waiting room for…

Garmin Panoptix PS60 Through-Hull Transducer The new Panoptix PS60 transducer from Garmin brings through-hull performance to a multifunction sonar system, delivering proprietary views, including LiveVu Down, RealVu 3D Down, and RealVu 3D Historic. Compatible with hulls of 0- to 25-degrees deadrise, the transducer comes with a stainless steel stem, fairing block, and mounting hardware. The transducer works with Garmin multifunction displays, including the GPSMap 7600 and 8000 series, and several others. The PS60 has an internal AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) sensor that adjusts the sonar signal to accommodate the motion of the boat. The power of new sounders is in the data, and it all comes through the transducer. Match your fishfinder to the transducer it’s supposed to have—on a fairing block to penetrate the boundary layer—and reap…

JAMES HAMILTON James and Jennifer Hamilton are currently circumnavigating aboard their Nordhavn 52, Dirona, they write about their journey and experiences at: www.mvdirona.com On the definition of a bluewater passage: A voyage really does feel completely “bluewater” once you are more than 300 nautical miles offshore. At this point, you are outside the range of most rescue helicopters and are pretty close to being on your own if things start to go poorly and quick rescue is needed. On Dirona, we try to operate in all conditions as though rescue is unavailable. On the feeling of their first bluewater passage: Our first true bluewater run was 2,028 nautical miles from San Francisco Bay to Hilo, Hawaii. It was the first time we were truly out there and clearly “on our…