Table of contents for May - June 2018 in PassageMaker

Tugboat doing its job in the early morning light. This photo was taken along the Great Loop looking east from the west bank of the Hudson River. And here’s the riddle to the exact location (see if you can figure it out): “It starts with tears in the cloud. Then as we approach wind at the gate, the world is about to end.” Louis Medina New Windsor, New York Love to shoot pictures? Want to share your adventures? Send us your favorite photos (in high resolution) with a description, and we’ll showcase our favorites in Viewfinder. For consideration, email: editor@passagemaker.com On Instagram: #viewfinder…

TROUBLESHOOTER COMMENT Thank you for yet another really good article (“The Fuel Burn,” PassageMaker, March 2018). May I be so bold as to add some factors to think about when running a twin-engine boat on just one engine? A twin-screw boat has one engine on either side of its centreline and is therefore driven in a straight line. Stopping one engine will introduce asymmetric thrust which in turn will want to turn the boat. To counter this, opposite wheel needs to be applied. So straightaway, we have additional drag caused by rudder deflection as well as the boat being forced to “crab.” Both increase the drag. And more drag = more fuel burn at the same speed through the water. Beyond this, you need to consider the additional force on…

One of the greatest challenges when you’re operating small watercraft in a navigable seaway is interacting with large commercial and military ships, especially when you’re trying to avoid collision. While there is no literal “law of gross tonnage” in either the International or Inland Rules of the Road, it serves as a pretty good rule of thumb. In nearly every instance in which you are likely to be interacting with large vessels, as a small-boat operator you are required to give way. The one exception, of course, is when you are being overtaken by the larger vessel. For our purposes here, we’ll define “small boat” as any vessel up to 66 feet in overall length (LOA) and also include in that category vessels of any size that are sailing or…

The poster art for the documentary film Under an Arctic Sky shimmers with a blurry green light on a jet black sky, the signature of the aurora borealis. A description follows: “A film project documenting the journey to the most remote corner of Iceland in the middle of winter in search of perfect surf.” I figure it will either be great or it will put me to sleep on this cross-country flight. A win either way. I watch the whole thing. And this is the gist: Professional-surfer-dudes-turned-filmmakers decide that filming the epic waves of Maui’s North Shore is tired material, so they reach out to their comrades around the globe in search of the next craziest place to surf. They settle on Iceland, in the dead of winter, and end…

If I have one gripe about the admittedly limited time I’ve spent flying our four-blade DJI Mavic drone, it’s about flying it with a small screen. I typically use the 4.5-inch display of my iPhone, and I can’t efficiently modify camera settings or the drone’s in-flight menu on the fly (pun intended). Add sunshine to the screen and it becomes nearly an impossible task. Raymarine’s solution, announced at this year’s Miami Boat Show, is to incorporate the drone’s menu and flight settings into your boat’s Axiom multifunction display—provided, at least for now, that you’re flying either a Mavic or DJI Spark drone. This integration allows you to access flight and record features from your pilothouse’s MFD, meaning that you can see, record, and stream whatever your drone sees in real…

Long before it was “discovered” by John Cabot in 1497, Newfoundland, with its vast quantities of oversize codfish and thousands of whales, was the well-kept secret of Basque fishermen. But there’s another secret about Newfoundland being kept from most modern-day mariners: It’s an ideal summer cruising ground. Boaters who have gone down east to Newfoundland typically downplay the ease of getting there, preferring to tell tales of lousy passages, fog-enshrouded waters, and dangerous ice. Yet Newfoundland’s impressive southern fjord coastline is just 65 miles, or a day’s hop, from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The crossing of Cabot Strait is within sight of land the entire way because both shores are mountainous. For those who know little of Newfoundland, the time has come to enlighten you about her wondrous sights and…

I am lucky to have spent years living in U.S./Canadian border cities—Buffalo, Detroit, and Seattle—all gateways to the stunning natural beauty of Canada’s waterways. And though Southern California is now home, come springtime we head north to British Columbia to cruise and absorb the beauty of our northern neighbor… and to indulge in some of Canada’s favorite foods. “PEI” MUSSELS SERVES: 4 Prince Edward Island (PEI) is one of three Canadian Maritime provinces. Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the coasts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, PEI is the smallest province in terms of land area and population. But what is not small about PEI is its reputation throughout North America for outstanding mussels. Its nutrient-rich waters, unique climate, and tidal patterns are chiefly responsible. 4 pounds…

Modern diesel engines rely on turbochargers to maximize performance and minimize environmental impact. While major internal engine breakdowns do happen, it’s far more likely you will face the failure of one of your peripherals, like a water pump or fuel pumps, and this includes turbochargers. In fact, turbos are especially prone to trouble, and the prudent cruiser should know where to look for signs of impending problems and how to minimize the risk of failure. Let’s begin by looking into the operation and composition of your turbo. COMPRESSED ENERGY A diesel engine compresses fuel and oxygen with enough pressure to create a controlled explosion. The more energy produced in this reaction, the more power that can be delivered to your propeller. The volume of fuel and oxygen is limited by…

You used to be able to tell where things were made. From Italian shoes to British cars, regional design influences were clearly visible. But those days are unfortunately over for many products. Global trade and international markets have created a uniformity of design that has all but erased regional uniqueness. Spanish builder Minorca Yachts, however, has found a way to blend the traditional with the contemporary, using historic regional influences to create a boat with modern international appeal. Many popular styles of recreational cruising boats draw inspiration from commercial fishing boat design. Aspects of West Coast trollers and East Coast shrimpers are clearly visible in modern trawler yachts, and the essence of the Downeast lobster boat shows up in many popular cruisers available today. Similarly, Minorca Yachts draws inspiration from…

Good & Bad The inline valves on this boat (top right in the photo) suffer from mismatched and poorly chosen alloys. In addition, using the thru-hull nut at the bottom does not provide adequate support. Just to the left, a new proper seacock is being installed. The wide flange base provides excellent support, and the fiberglass pad beneath it reinforces the hull and makes it possible to screw the base into the backing pad. In the process of installing the new fittings, the hose that provides seawater to the shaft seal flexed and the connecting nipple snapped off. The pink color indicates decomposition of a brass fitting. If you look closely you can see that the opening itself has become blocked, restricting the flow of water needed to cool and…