Elcie, a 62′ aluminum catamaran by designer David DeVilliers of Auckland, New Zealand sits outside of Rachel’s Bubble Bath at the north end of Compass Cay in the Exumas on Mother’s Day. Photo taken by Jeff Adelman and submitted by Jessica Rice Johnson.
Got a cool cruising shot to share? Send it to cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com.
This is a great example of the maritime community coming together to help another vessel in distress.
At around 22:30UT on Friday, approximately 330 nautical miles northeast of Bermuda, the yacht Outer Limits struck a submerged object, believed to be a whale, and sustained damage to the hull causing significant water ingress. While the yacht’s emergency pumps were able to contain the leaks, skipper Joost Gehrels of the Netherlands, doubted that the boat could safely return to Bermuda and issued a Mayday to request immediate assistance. Using the yacht’s satellite telephone he also contacted RCC Bermuda.
The Netherlands flagged Hanse 370e, was taking part in the ARC Europe rally and en route from Bermuda to Horta, Azores when the incident occurred. RCC Bermuda contacted vessels in the area and diverted the merchant ship E R Melbourne, and the ARC Europe rally yacht Halo, which was 15 nautical miles away to assist. The E R Melbourne, a 36,000 ton container ship, reached Outer Limits’ position at approximately 00:10UT May 19, and commenced evacuation of the crew. Within an hour, the four crew members of Outer Limits were safety aboard the merchant ship and the yacht Halo was then asked to stand down. Outer Limits was abandoned, at approximate position 34 19N 59 04W. The German flagged E R Melbourne has now resumed course for Cagliari, Italy. Continue reading
The ASV Roboat, a robotic sailboat is once again setting sail. From July 9-17, the fully autonomous, unmanned sailing boat will be used within the framework of a long-term mission for the first time, and is set to break the current robotic sailing world record.
As part of a multi-day research project in the Baltic Sea, the sailboat will cover 150 nautical miles and remain on the high seas for up to 100 hours without interruption. The sailboat will have to deal with any unforeseen situations and master the complex processes of sailing – from route planning to maneuvering – without human input. The developers of the ASV Roboat, a research team of the Austrian Society for Innovative Computer Sciences (INNOC) intends to break the current world record of 78.9 nautical miles, held by a research group from ENSTA Brest, France since March 2012. Continue reading
The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing completed its second and final leg of offshore racing with #118 Bodacious Dream, skippered by Dave Rearick and Matt Scharl, crossing the finish line first with an elapsed time of 38:06:34 early Monday morning to complete the 231 nautical mile leg from New York Harbor to Newport, RI. The race, featuring an unprecedented international fleet of 14 Class 40s competing in the first carbon neutral sailing event ever held in the United States, saw Bodacious Dream beat out #115 Mare (38:39:41), followed by #101 Campagne De France (38:44:22) and #116 Icarus (39:04:33), with #30 Initiatives (39:36:00) finishing fifth. Continue reading
Loïck Peyron continued to demonstrate the form he had shown all week, leading his Energy Team to a spectacular win on the final day of America’s Cup World Series racing in Venice. Peyron and his French crew have been perched atop the leaderboard all four days of racing, demonstrating an impressive command of the Grand Canal race area.
“I think the lighter conditions were good for us,” Peyron, the veteran multihull sailor, said. “I’m used to this kind of tricky game, trying to be as cool as possible. The pressure was in the red zone, but it made for an exciting race for sure. This was a big victory for us. We are a small team, and hopefully this is just the beginning.”
Winds were exceptionally light on Sunday, turning the San Marco race course into perhaps the most challenging one the teams have faced in the World Series to date. The smallest puffs of wind were rewarded with dramatic bursts of speed, leading to teams quickly moving up and down the race leaderboard on the first lap of the course, the positions changing from minute to minute. Continue reading
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet found themselves in survival mode battling their way out of the eye of a violent tropical storm Monday night, suddenly caught in lightning and gale force headwinds.
They thought they were lining up for a quick, relatively easy first stage of Leg 7 – but Tropical Storm Alberto had other ideas, quickly changing direction and turning the downwind sailing of Day 1 into a survival situation sailing straight into 35 knots of gale-force winds.
Only leg leaders Groupama escaped, benefiting from an early gybe east, but for the five chasers it was a different matter altogether as Tropical Storm Alberto swallowed them up, raining down lightning bolts all round the fleet. Continue reading
While we don’t think they’re actually extending the length of their boats, these guys certainly seem to be in competition.
If they were children they’d probably be told to grow up, but no one tells billionaires what to do.
That’s why two of the world’s wealthiest men are refusing to back down in their on-going ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ battle to be the owner of the world’s largest yacht.
Mega-rich Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, who currently owns the world’s biggest private superyacht, appears to have been forced to carry out some urgent extensions after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid launched a bid to regain the title.
It was only two years ago that Abramovich bought his 557-foot long vessel and stole the crown from the Sheikh 532-foot yacht called Dubai. Continue reading
You can bet this guy’s friends aren’t going to let this mistake go.
A Coast Guard crew from Station Buffalo, N.Y., rescued a boater Sunday afternoon after the man’s vessel began taking on water in the Niagara River near North Tonawanda, N.Y.
The boater called 911 emergency dispatchers when he noticed his boat was flooding. The emergency dispatchers passed the boater’s information to Coast Guard Sector Buffalo at 12:13 p.m., and watchstanders there directed a boat crew to launch from Station Buffalo.
The boat crew, aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small, arrived on scene in the Niagara River near Niawanda Park in North Tonawanda, N.Y., shortly after and saw that the vessel’s pumps were keeping up with the flooding, and the man was not injured. Continue reading
For those of you who also like to get a little competition in between your cruising trips, this new championship series looks like fun.
The Offshore Racing Rule Owners Association (ORROA) has announced the new East Coast Championship Series. The series consists of five events bringing the best of East Coast racers together to be scored in a single series using the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR). The top three finishers of the series will receive award flags and trophy plates and be eligible for the National Championship ranking.
The East Coast Championship will be based on the results of a minimum of two of the following races, and each yacht must compete in one distance race in order to qualify. The 2012 East Coast Championship Series includes: Continue reading
The FilterBOSS COMMANDER system is designed to provide complete fuel protection. Much more than a simple set of dual filters, FilterBOSS is also a complete fuel polishing system that removes contaminates and moisture. It includes what you need to analyze and correct fuel problems at sea, in a compact package. FilterBOSS is the only fuel system to incorporate a helm mounted Early Warning Panel which warns you when your filter starts to clog. With our optional “Electric Filter Switch” you can change filters from the helm. Your engine is the most important piece of equipment on your boat, so it’s important to protect it with FilterBOSS. www.ktisystems.com
As a follow-up to his April BWS article, “Essential Offshore Gear: Why SSB?,” Daniel Collins demystifies the SSB radio in this June BWS story.
Heard the SSB is too complicated to install or learn to use? Think again. Modern SSB radios are no harder to learn than your TV set, and new gear allows them to be installed far easier than before, at lower cost to you. Read on to discover ways to radically simplify and improve a new installation, as well as get the most out of an SSB you already have.
The high frequency, single sideband radio—commonly nicknamed “the SSB”—is one of the most useful, yet most misunderstood pieces of electronic equipment aboard a modern blue water vessel. In April, we covered the many benefits of an SSB installation and why it’s considered one of the most fundamental, important marine electronics on board. Now, let’s dig deeper into recent innovations in installation as well as some new technology that can help you get even more out of an SSB you already own. Continue reading
It is well known that a f
ixed 3-blade propeller generates huge amounts of drag when sailing, but there is an option that reduces drag, gives you up to an extra knot when sailing and improves your efficiency under power — the unique 3-blade Gori propeller! Not all sailboat propellers are alike. Only one 3-blade sailboat propeller gives you the advantage of full thrust in both forward and reverse (it is actually better than a fixed propeller in reverse). Plus, the “overdrive” function in forward for motoring in calm waters gives you improved fuel economy and a greater cruising range, typically up to 20 percent. The Gori prop also has the lowest drag of all types of 3-blade propellers — fixed, feathering or folding. This has been well documented by the German magazine Die Yacht. Available from 15” through 30”, for shafts and sail drives. Find out more and calculate your new Gori propeller size at www.gori-propeller.com.
BWS Publisher George Day takes a look at how to avoid bulking up the boat when multihull cruising in this editorial from the May issue of Multihulls Quarterly.
As North Americans, most of us have one thing in common—we have to watch what we eat to control our weight. It’s just the healthy thing to do. And anyone who has flown coach lately can attest that the battle is often a losing one.
It’s the same thing with our multihulls, particularly the cruising variety. While there are plenty of reasons to sail a multihull, one of the biggest attractions is that multihulls can and often do sail faster than their cruising monohull cousins. Speed is a big part of the deal, or at least it can and should be.
But therein lies the doughnut. Cruisers like stuff—watermakers, gensets, battery banks, kayaks, wine cellars, and so on. We all want to carry a lot of fuel and water and know it is prudent to have spare anchors and rodes. We consume marine electronics, hardware and gear as though they were bacon-wrapped scallops at an all-you-can-eat buffet. And every spring and fall we go back for more.
The upshot is that a cruising cat can get a bit overweight. As it sinks lower in the water, its ability to sprint past monohulls wanes a bit until the inherent multihull design advantage is lost. The sailing performance from staying trim and fit has been lost to belt-loosening binges at the chandlery. Continue reading
It was a lovely summer afternoon when we set off from Falmouth, Massachusetts in the company of three Bruckmann 50s to see if we could get some photos of the big motorsailers engaged in “synchronized sailing” on Nantucket Sound.
The breeze was light and there was a little chop, but the boats were able to fill their sails and gathered speed to about 4 knots in the 8 knots of wind. The boats were sailed by their owners—Dan Betty from Andover, MA, Keith and Diana Anderson from Montgomery, TX, and John Cryer and Edna Ramos from Houston, TX—so they were somewhat shorthanded for close maneuvers. Still, one by one, the 50s formed up on Dan Betty’s 50 and we were able to more or less get them sailing in formation through all angles of sail. You wouldn’t normally think of displacement motorsailers as nimble, but the 50s were fully capable of sailing close and turning smartly when called upon to do so. Continue reading
If you want to see a collection of historic ships all gathered in one harbor, this is the summer to do it. The Ocean State Tall Ships Festival 2012 is scheduled for July 6 – 9 in Newport, RI’s downtown waterfront and is set to feature 12 ships and draw thousands of spectators and visitors.
“We are so excited that many of the nation’s premier vessels have signed on to attend the festival this summer,” said Erin Donovan, Executive Director of Ocean State Tall Ships Festival 2012. ”
This event will be enjoyed by people of all ages, and will provide a much needed economic boost to Newport and the state,” she concluded.
The immensely popular HMS Bounty, built for the 1962 movie, “Mutiny on the Bounty”, and most recently featured in the film “Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest”, will take part in the festival. Additionally, the Picton Castle, Mystic Whaler, the Pride of Baltimore II, the Tree of Life, Unicorn, Lynx, Providence, Gazela, the Spirit of Massachusetts, Summerwind and The Sir Martin II are certain to bring inspiration and educational experiences for all ages.
Courtesy of www.riyachting.com.
We know that we should be most excited about the boat part of this boat show, but as dog lovers, we think the canine competition may be the highlight of the event.
The entry deadline for the 10th Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials are just around the corner and organizers have some serious questions for the canine community: Does your tail wag faster when you dream of the roar of the crowd? Does the breeze off the bay entice you to strut your stuff? In short, are you dog enough to compete in the World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials? If the answers are yes, then please cast your paw into the ring for a chance to stand up, sit down, and roll over before an adoring crowd.
A few choice slots are available for prospective contenders in the trials, which are to be held Sunday, August 12, at 10:30 a.m. as part of the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show. Any well-behaved dog is eligible, but preference will be given to dogs that work in a boatyard, crew on a boat, or direct operations of any kind on the waterfront (or think they do). Dogs and their handlers who are chosen for the quirky competition will navigate a tippy dock, fetch objects from the water, and participate in a “freestyle” event of their own creation that must incorporate a hula hoop. Continue reading
Whether you’re a history buff or have kids who love pirates, this is sure to be a fun event. On June 1 Blackbeard and his crew will invade downtown Hampton, VA during the 13th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival! Interact with Blackbeard (personified by first-person interpreter Ben Cherry) and more than 100 other authentically costumed pirate re-enactors as they run rampant on the streets of America’s oldest continuous English-speaking settlement. Living history and family fun go hand-in-hand as Hampton reenacts and celebrates the demise of Blackbeard, one of the fiercest pirates ever known while enjoying live entertainment, pirate encampments, children’s activities, sea battles, fireworks, and more. Continue reading
The new Navi Light 360˚ is a cost-effective, super bright LED light that is visible in darkness up to 5nm. Its high burn time, small size, waterproof qualities and ability to float make it a convenient and cost-effective addition to any cruiser’s arsenal! Visit www.ab-marine.com for more information.
Consider this the ironic moment of the week!
A sailing ship delayed by headwinds while on a transatlantic voyage to promote sustainable transport lost her berth to a gas-guzzling motor-yacht owned by the former NCP Car Parks tycoon!
The horrible irony dawned on the frustrated crew of Tres Hombres, a 103-foot engineless brigantine, as they entered the British port of Portsmouth Harbor two and a half weeks out from the Azores.
Their easily accessible berth at the show harbor Gunwharf Quays was already taken by the 246-foot super motor-yacht Leander G, owned by Sir Donald Gosling, former chairman of NCP.
Instead the engineless square-rigger had to be towed into an unsuitable berth wedged between the Spinnaker Tower and the overhanging bow of the motor-yacht. Continue reading
While we wouldn’t want to have one in our harbor due to its sheer size, we think The Flying Yacht is pretty cool and we’re curious to see if they take off (pun intended). The Flying Yacht appears to be more blimp than boat, but it is technically considered a boat and would operate under maritime law. While this yacht (available as both a monohull and multihull) can cruise the seas like a typical yacht, it also can combine ground effect lift with partial aerostatic lift to cruise at 100 to 300 feet above the water. It operates on customized turbo diesel engines with large propellers with a low RPM to reduce noise and fuel consumption. But if the flying option wasn’t enough to impress you, then check out the interiors. With 12,000 square feet of living space on two levels that can be custom configured to suit your needs (including with a partial glass floor so that you can enjoy the sea life below) you could set up quite a pad for entertaining hundreds of your closest friends. Large external decks and balconies just add to the entertaining space, and if you choose the multihull option, you’ll enjoy and additional 11,000-square foot upper deck. Can you say superyacht? While it’s likely that The Flying Yacht will be put to use more for sightseeing operations than private use, we’re interested in seeing what happens with it. For all the details, go to www.theflyingyacht.com.
