Table of contents for April 2015 in PassageMaker

In this issue you will see that we have redesigned what we call “the back of the book.” We call this new section “@Rest,” which the nautically inclined will recognize as the opposite of under way. This represents the time when we are docked or at anchor and can stand-down, relax our vigilance and enjoy the moment. At Rest revolves around quality of life. Some of the elements of At Rest will be familiar. Some are new. Think of it this way and note the buzz words: You enjoy a cocktail before dinner then curl up in your redecorated saloon with a good book (okay, an e-book). The next morning, while the air is cool, you perform your regular exercise routine. Maybe you keep score with a personal device such…

SURVEY RESULTS, FLORIDA CONTACTS. Download the results of the Florida anchoring survey and contacts for key Florida legislators. Just scan the QR code or visit www.passagemaker.com and enter the search term “anchoring survey.” Nearly 12,000 people responded to a survey conducted by the state of Florida as it contemplates reregulating anchoring. The survey, consisting of 25 questions, was conducted over a 17-day period, ending December 7, 2014. In 2009, state lawmakers enacted legislation that stopped local governments from placing inconsistent and often onerous restrictions on anchoring. Last year, despite lobbying from waterfront property owners, the legislature defeated an attempt to repeal part of this prohibition. Expect new legislation to be introduced to grant Florida cities and towns the authority to re regulate anchoring based on the concepts floated in the…

It was our fourth morning at the marina in British Columbia’s Broughton Islands, and it was time to go. We had enjoyed the marina and the social time with fellow cruisers, yes, but the bright lights and grocery stores of Port McNeill, the nearest town on Vancouver Island, beckoned. The previous day we had been kept dockside by strong winds. And this morning dawned “tick a fog” as they say on Canada’s east coast. Stay or go? We went. You might say that impatience got the better of us, clouding our judgment. But, in fact, our decision was a reasoned and reasonable one based on our experience with our boat and instruments, the mostly unencumbered channels we would follow toward McNeill, the light vessel traffic along most of our route,…

For cruising guides we used Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast from the Cruising Club of America and Cruising Guide to the Canadian Maritimes by Capt. Cheryl Barr. Upon entering Canada, contact Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at 888-226-7277 or 905-679-2073. Add country code 001 if calling from an Iridium phone. Holding is excellent in every anchorage we mentioned except near Sherbrooke Village. Anchor between the last two sets of buoys in the channel. There will be no boat traffic. Fuel and water are available in the larger centers. Lunenburg, Halifax Harbour, St. Peters and Baddeck have pump-outs. Please use your holding tanks in every harbor and discharge offshore between anchorages if there is not a pump-out. Alcohol is limited to reasonable ships stores on arrival into Canada. Most…

Hull laminate varies from area to area, depending on panel size, location and other factors. However, an example of the quality would be the base lamination below the waterline. It contains 18 layers of glass, with average total thickness of .375 inches. The areas above the centerline, top of keel, along the chines, and the stem have significant additional reinforcement. The hull is solid hand-laid glass with vinylester resin used in the outer laminations throughout. Core material is a Gurit Corecell M Foam in the house sides, and decks. Nidacore honeycomb is used in the FRP molded saloon sole. Fleming complies with certification programs by NMMA/ABYC, RCD/CE, Canadian Small Vessel Regulations, National Standard for Australian Boulders. This ensures the vessel is suited for any market across the globe. A full…

Hampton Skylounge 630 Grand Alaskan 60 Willard 30 Fleming 55 Symbol 59 Classic Benetau Swift Trawler 34 Beneteau Swift Trawler 44 Beneteau Swift Trawler 50 Fountaine Pajot 46 Fountaine Pajot 47 Greenline 48 Jongert Trans-Atlantic 78 Grand Banks Heritage 42 Grand Banks Heritage 52 Grand Banks Heritage EU 54 Grand Banks Eastbay SX 50 Cruisers Cantius 48 Jenneau 28 Jenneau Velasco 43 Krogen Express 52 Nordhavn 46 Nordhavn 55 Nordhavn 57 Nordhavn 64 Krogen 55 Expedition Krogen 48 AE Krogen 48 Whaleback Chris-Craft 48 Outer Reef 65 Outer Reef 70 Vripack 54 Neville 39 DeFever 50 Ocean Alexander Wetsig 40 Kristen 52 Mainship 32 Mainship 37 Gozzard 51 Lowland 68…

THE HULL FORMULA Larry Polster’s article “A Comparison of Trawler Types” (20th Anniversary Commemorative Bonus Edition) presents an interesting perspective. Though I do not have a pure trawler (boat that can only go slow), I look forward to the many interesting and informative articles PassageMaker presents each month. While Larry acknowledges the many boat styles/designs that can qualify as trawlers, he is not acknowledging the fact that many of these designs most certainly afford every advantage of a pure trawler, save one—they typically cannot provide the same fuel efficiency at displacement speeds. My wife and I have a 2009 60-foot Hatteras motoryacht we very comfortably cruise up and down the East Coast at planing and displacement speeds. There is no engine manufacturer we have talked with that says we cannot…

COMPACT GPS COMPASS Seapilot, a Swedish company specializing in AIS, has brought to market the world’s smallest and least expensive GPS compass, designed for boats up to 40 feet LOA. The Vector Compact allows radar and chart overlay functions and other navigation features to perform with greater accuracy, avoiding the magnetic deviation issues common with traditional compasses, including the fluxgate compasses used with autopilots. Measuring just 10 by 5 by 1 1/2 inches, the Vector Compact can be mounted on a variety of surfaces. It comes in two networking configurations, NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000. Price $999. Visit www.seapilot.com. FORWARD-LOOKING GARMIN The latest in forward-looking sonars comes from Garmin, and although the technology is not quite ready for the trawler market, the day is not far off. Garmin’s Panoptix All-Seeing…

The American Meteorological Society’s Glossary of Meteorology defines fog as a collection of water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near the earth’s surface that affects visibility. Specifically, fog reduces visibility below a half-mile. The most common type of fog in the temperate coastal areas of North America is advection fog, which results when warm air is cooled from below as it passes over cold water, causing water vapor to condense and saturate the air with moisture droplets. The colder the water, thanks to phenomena such as currents or upwellings, the more likely fog becomes. The sunny, warm days of late summer and early fall—ideal cruising weather for most of us—are also the most likely to be foggy. Fog may form in the evening, overnight or early-morning hours, then dissipate as…

During the early 1900s, an America’s Cup contender broke in half in 22 knots of wind while competing off Newport. The boat was designed for 20 knots. The commercial fishermen of the two largest Atlantic fishing ports, Gloucester and Lunenburg, had a giggle about the “yachtsmen” in girl boats not competing in more than 20 knots, which just gets these large fishing schooners moving well. So, they staged a competition between boy boats from the U.S. and Canada. The first year, Bluenose broke a topmast while leading the Canadian qualifying race and lost the right to represent Canada for the first meeting. The U.S. won. The next meeting and every one since, Bluenose represented Canada and beat every American challenger except on one occasion. Although the Bluenose was matched against…

A good broker will make a buying or selling transaction as simple and stress-free as possible. Here are four bits of advice on how to get what you want. 1. TRUST. But with a Reason. So you decide you want to use a broker, but which one? Ask your knowledgeable friends and acquaintances for tips on who to use. Meet with the broker, face to face if possible, and begin to form your own relationship. And check references: A good broker will have plenty of them.2. USE THE RESOURCE. A broker has access to an immense wealth of boat knowledge—based on following the market in general, information about recent, comparable sales of boats similar to yours, surveyors, service yards, and much more. Listen to their advice—they know what they’re talking…

EXPERIENCE RIVIERA BEACH. Catch the video of all the fun at TrawlerFest-Riviera Beach. Just scan the QR code or visit www.passagemaker.com and enter the search term “Riviera Beach Video.” Ask anyone cruising under power today to trace the origins of their boat-centric lifestyle, and you are likely to be told that their moment of clarity happened during a TrawlerFest somewhere. They may have come for the seminars, or to go aboard the boats, but after they arrived, something else happened. They met each other. Cruisers are some of the nicest and most interesting people. The thought of living in each other’s company as they navigated our waterways and crossed chunks of ocean proved irresistible. Today, experienced cruisers continue to attend TrawlerFest not only to refresh their skills, but because it…

Our friends who don’t live on boats believe that Karen and I must be carved to sun-bronzed sinew by our cruising life. They may think hauling stout lines through stormy seas keeps us buffed to boaty fitness, but nothing of the sort occurs. It’s fun to think boating makes you fit, but after a few months cruising we had begun to look more like a chubby Gorton’s Fisherman and his wife than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and so do most cruisers we know. And why not? Cruising can’t build the cardiovascular endurance that keeps hearts healthy and bodies ready to fight or flee. We know, we used to be fitness fanatics: Karen a black belt and I a bodybuilder. But martial arts, bodybuilding and boating aren’t concepts that co-exist…

HISTORY OF PASSAGEMAKER. To read Bob Lane’s last story, scan the QR code or visit www.passagemaker.com and enter the search term “Personal Look Back.” Passage Maker’s longtime Pacific Northwest contributor Bob Lane crossed the bar on February 5, 2015. His death was the result of complications from a stroke in December. His last story was a history of this magazine, written for the recently published 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition. Who else could do a better job than the man who had been with us since the very beginning? As an editor I will miss working with someone who could write so well “from the head and the heart,” as I told the Seattle Times obituary writer. Bob was himself a retired Seattle Times reporter, and as a former newspaperman myself,…

TAKEAWAY POINTS ▄ Don’t go unless you have to—but a little practice can be a good thing.▄ Be aware of potential hazards, including vessel traffic, in the area before you go.▄ Slow down.▄ Maintain watch with eyeballs, ears, even your nose.▄ Rely on your autopilot to steer an accurate course while you keep watch.▄ Understand clearly how to use your plotter, radar, AIS and VHF radio, to navigate safely in low visibility. Based on our experience in British Columbia’s Broughton Islands, here are some thoughts on running in fog that may help you prepare for your next “low-viz” passage, whether it’s a voluntary one or not. GO—NO GO The most important consideration you face is whether to set out in poor visibility in the first place. If you don’t really…

Garry and Jacque Nelson of Waterford and Doug and Jan Martin of Day Dreams couldn’t think of a least favorite part of their trip when I caught up with them in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula 34 days into their adventure. The couples, who met at their shared home port, Toledo Beach Marina, situated between Toledo, Ohio, and the Detroit River on Lake Erie, were feasting on fresh local whitefish in the dining area of Waterford’s afterdeck, a glorious meal accompanied by fresh garden salad and a bit more vino than planned. They’d opened two bottles simultaneously—an honest mistake—and I was pleased to assist in rectifying the situation. As we toasted the rainbow forming over the hills of nearby Houghton, the couples talked about finding joy in slowing down, savoring time, history,…

CHARLES TRUTHAN of Ocala, Florida PassageMaker: You just bought a Great Harbour N37. Is Pelican your first trawler? Charles Truthan: Yes, and the new name will be Insandity. Care to be there for the renaming ceremony? PassageMaker: Insanity or insandity? Truthan: With the “d”—Insandity. The Admiral likes to walk barefoot in the sand and the rest of the families think we are insane—hence Insandity! It turns out that we are the second documented vessel with that name. Darn, I thought it was pretty original. PassageMaker: What are your cruising plans and how do they relate to the seminars you attended at TrawlerFest? Truthan: We have sold our home and are moving aboard. We’ll be cruising the Great Loop this next year. After that, who knows! I started with the two-day…

When my wife, Judy, and I ran an American Tug 34 1,100 miles down the ICW to Fort Lauderdale late last year, we quickly learned that our most valuable guide was Mark and Diana Doyle’s CruiseGuide for the Intracoastal Waterway: A Mile-by-Mile Cruising Guide for Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL. This guide is right at the top of my list for running the ICW. While we’ve run shorter stretches of the ICW in our Nordhavn 47, that boat’s 6-foot, 2-inch draft has made many of the legs untenable for us, so our time along the ICW over the past 10 years has been limited. But with the American Tug’s shallow draft, low bridge clearance and 17-knot top speed, we were driving a boat that just begged to be taken down…

SPERRY ORIGINAL 2-EYE BOAT SHOE Days of pounding the planks at a boat show can really give footwear a workout. Of the countless pairs I’ve worn and worn through my trusty pair of Sperry Topsiders has held up admirably and continue to be the longest lasting in the foot-well. Going on year three, the pair has had everything from motor oil to mojito dribbled on them and the stain-resistant leather has done an excellent job of deferring my inevitable reputation as a dock slob. The Hand-Sewn Tru-Moc Construction is both durable and comfortable, while the non-marking soles provide plenty of grip underfoot in both wet and dry, thanks to what Sperry calls Razor-Cut Wave-Siping, which resembles the grooves cut into tires to improve their wet-weather traction. Easy on and easy…