Envirosax, the maker of lightweight yet strong bags to use in place of plastic bags, has come out with a new line of nautical themed bags called Marina by Envirosax. These bags roll up into a small packable tote to easily stow away or tuck into your larger purse or tote when heading out to provision or for a day of shopping onshore. They expand to a bag that can carry two plastic bags worth of groceries. And at $8.95 apiece, it’s worth having a few of these economical, eco-friendly, and stylish bags on board. To purchase, go to www.envirosax.com.
Envirosax Marine Totes
Posted in Website of the Week
Tagged Ervirosax, Marina Totes, Nautical Fashions, Reusable Bags
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Meet the Beneteau Sense 55
Introduced a year ago, the Sense range delivered a new direction for open concept living onboard. First a 50-foot model, followed by a 43-foot model and now a 55-foot model has been added. This new Sense exhibits all of the attributes of the previous models in the Sense range but adds some characteristics often only found on large luxury yachts. As a result, in the forward part of the Sense (55) you will recognize layouts similar to those of a 100’ CNB yacht. See the new SENSE (55’) at its American debut at Strictly Sail Miami February 17-21. www.beneteauusa.com
Cranberry Banana Bread
This recipe adds a little twist to classic banana bread.
Ingredients:
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla
lemon or orange zest Continue reading
Posted in For the Hungry Crew
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Mindbender
Where is this mystery cruising spot?
Hint: Check out the March issue of BWS on newsstands now.
Send your answers to cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com. A winner, who will receive a Blue Water Sailing hat, will be selected at random from the correct answers.
Congratulations to Henry Brawner of Venice, CA who correctly answered that you measure the mainsail twist by looking along the leech to see the relative angel between the battens and boom.
Cruising Shot of the Week
The s/v Pradel, a Sabre 402, is anchored at sunset in August of 2011 in The Cows
Yard in Downeast Maine. Submitted by Rick Kinder of Lancaster, PA.
Got a cool cruising shot to share? Send it to us at cruisingcompass@bwsailing.com.
Three Cruisers, Including 9-Year-Old, Saved in Dramatic Rescue
West James beamed as he showed off a new entry in his journal. “I survived a dangerous rescue.”
James, his father, and uncle were attempting their first voyage across the Pacific in a sailboat when rough seas damaged their boat hundreds of miles from land.
Some 30 hours earlier, the 9-year-old, along with his father and uncle, was plucked from the Pacific Ocean in a harrowing rescue made all the more difficult by a container ship that came to their aid — but capsized their disabled sailboat.
“It was scary. I thought we were going to die,” West said Thursday in Honolulu.
A series of mishaps over five days left West, his 32-year-old father Bradley James, and 29-year-old uncle Mitchell James drifting in their boat about 340 miles away from Oahu. It also was storming — one of several bursts of bad weather the three encountered since they’d set sail for Hawaii from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Jan. 11. Continue reading
Posted in Dock Talk
Tagged Bradley James, Hawaii, Mitchell James, Pacific Ocean, rescues, West James
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The Moorings to Open New Base in Corfu
The Moorings has announced that it will open a new base in Corfu, located just off Greece’s northwest coast. Corfu is the perfect starting point for a luxurious Moorings bareboat sailing or skippered charter through the region’s famous northern and southern Ionian Islands.
The flexible itineraries of a Corfu yacht charter offer a range of experiences to suit all tastes. Cheryl Powell, Chief Operating Officer of The Moorings, notes, “This destination is highly regarded by sailors for consistently superb weather, as well as its combination of open sea sailing through longer passages to the South Ionian, shorter island hops in between and even stops in scenic ports of call along the mainland.” Continue reading
Two Rescued in Hobie Cat Capsize Off Florida Coast
No matter how small your boat is, it’s always important to have the proper equipment on board.
The Coast Guard rescued two persons in the water in the vicinity of Pinellas Point, FL on Saturday. At 1:42 p.m., watch-standers at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a mayday call from a 24-year-old male and a 25-year-old male stating that their 16-foot Hobie Cat recreational craft had capsized and that they were in need of immediate assistance.
At 1:55 p.m., Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg launched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew to the scene. Once on scene at 2:07 p.m., the crew was able to safely recover both persons from the water. Crewmembers from Eckerd SAR responded, were able to re-right the Hobie Cat, and took it in tow.
Due to the shallow water depth, the two survivors were transferred to the Eckerd SAR vessel and taken back to shore. The two men were able to contact the Coast Guard due to the fact that they had brought hand-held radios on their trip. No injuries were reported. Continue reading
Cessna Citation Quickly Losing Lead in GOR
After 16 days and over 3,000 miles of racing in Leg 3 of the Global Ocean Race (GOR), the recent pain continues for Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel as Cessna Citation remains glued to the sea in dead calm conditions at 55S with Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon charging in from behind with Financial Crisis and getting ready for a close battle to the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate at the southern tip of South America. As the fleet leaders battle with light airs, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire have been heavily-reefed and hitting big speeds west of the bluQube Scoring Gate with Phesheya-Racing.
Having gained a further 140 miles in the past 24 hours, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon are closing in on the leading Class40 with Financial Crisis as Cessna Citation languishes in a high pressure ridge.
“We’ve been lucky with the wind as it has stayed with us far longer than was forecast,” confirmed Ramon on Tuesday morning as Financial Crisis rendezvoused with Cessna Citation at the southern end of the high pressure ridge stretching for 750 miles diagonally across the Southern Ocean. “It is incredible that although we’ve barely had 15-17 knots of breeze, the air is so cold and heavy that it weighs more and loads-up the boat.” Continue reading
State Deems Father and Son Boat Building Hobbyists as Boat Dealers
If you aren’t selling anything, how can you be a dealer? Have you ever heard of anything like happening where you live?
The Tennessee Department of Revenue is threatening court action against a Murfreesboro man who built a small wooden boat in his garage with his 7-year-old son. The state says that makes him a boat dealer and subject to paying extra taxes. The boat is 14 feet long and made of wood. The family ordered the plans over the Internet because 7-year-old Carter loves to fish with his dad. But when the Kings registered their boat and paid the boat registration fees, the nightmare started.
Letters from the Tennessee Department of Revenue say that because the Kings are boat dealers and manufacturers, they have to pay $539 dollars in taxes on the boat. Johnathan King thought there was a mistake, so he called the auditor assigned to his case.
“I explained to them that this is just a wooden craft built in the garage, and they indicated that they knew that that was what this was,” King says. Continue reading
Mine Found Floating Off Florida Coast
Yikes! This certainly isn’t something you anticipate running into while out on the water.
A large, round mine found floating a mile off Dania Beach last Thursday prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to close the beach and surrounding waters, authorities said.
Coast Guard crews from Station Fort Lauderdale and the Coast Guard Cutter Dolphin were enforcing a safety zone near the mine.
It all began around noon when a passing boater reported seeing what appeared to be a mine bobbing in the ocean waters about one mile offshore.
Later in the day, the Coast Guard confirmed the object was indeed a mine.
Crew members from the U.S. Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six Detachment are on the way from Mayport Station, near Jacksonville. The team is expected to positively identify and safely retrieve and dispose of the object, the Coast Guard said. Continue reading
Ondeck Comes to the Rescue of Stranded Sail Trainees
When Britain’s Royal Yachting Association (RYA) acted to remove the accreditation of Sail Training School Hot Liquid, it was not only the training school owners and employees who suffered. Sail trainees were also left in the lurch. Now another sail training company has stepped forward.
Following the removal of recognition for the delivery of RYA training from Hot Liquid Southampton last week, Ondeck Maritime Training has stepped forward to the rescue of stranded Hot Liquid customers. Ondeck Maritime Training has agreed to honor all bookings made with Hot Liquid Southampton. The agreement was reached following a detailed discussion between Hot Liquid and Ondeck’s management, and comes as welcome news to disappointed Hot Liquid clients. The courses will be delivered through Ondeck’s Gosport based training center. Continue reading
Coppercoat is the Leader in Effective and Eco-Friendly Anti-Fouling!
Coppercoat, the 2011 winner for Best Eco-Friendly Marine Business at the Asian Marine & Boating Awards, offers up to 10 years of continuous anti-fouling protection with just a single treatment. This hard-wearing, densely copper-filled, water-based, 2-part epoxy resin doesn’t slough off or ablate and is non-toxic during the application and subsequent years of hull cleaning. Coppercoat recently earned the coveted approval of the California Department of Pesticide Regulations to sell its anti-fouling epoxy in California, which has additional restrictions beyond the US-EPA. This ensures that you’re getting a product that is safe for the environment as well as effective! Make your boat one of the tens of thousands of boats the world over that is protected by Coppercoat. For more information, go to www.coppercoat.com.
Posted in Sponsored Posts
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Iridium Pilot Aims to be the Next Generation in Marine Communications
Iridium Communications Inc. has announced the launch of its second-generation maritime broadband platform, Iridium Pilot. Iridium Pilot will utilize the Iridium OpenPort service — the world’s first when it comes to fully global maritime broadband and is engineered for enhanced durability to withstand the harshest maritime conditions, all the while packaged in a small, lightweight antenna.
It has a fixed, electronically-steerable, phased-array antenna, designed to maintain connectivity in rough seas and offers broadband connectivity in addition to three independent phone lines, all of which work simultaneously, with data speeds up to 134 kbps. The platform offers a suite of new capabilities for vessel telecommunications optimization including a built-in firewall for traffic management and a bulk configuration capability to assist in efficiently managing large volumes of units. Its small form factor, enhanced capabilities and flexible service packages make Iridium Pilot an optimal solution for vessels large and small. In addition, Iridium Pilot maintains the Iridium Global Service Program and the industry’s only standard five-year limited warranty. Continue reading
Built for Strong Currents
Rolls Marine batteries are built tough, hassle-free and headache-free. With our all-new AGM line of batteries, now your voyage can be maintenance-free. Designed for unrivaled dependability and backed by our industry-leading warranties, you can be confident that a Rolls Marine battery will weather any storm. Contact your Rolls Marine Battery dealer or visit our website for more product information. www.rollsbattery.com
Should I Donate My Boat?
Sometimes there comes a time when you have to say good-bye to your good old boat. Charles Saylan, executive director of the Ocean Conservation Society, gives us the details on when it makes sense to donate your boat in this article from the February issue of BWS.
In recent years, vessel donation has gotten somewhat confusing. This is partially due to changes in the IRS tax laws governing charitable donations that were not well expressed or understood by donors. It was further confused by the recent economic downturn and its impacts on the boating market.
So, is donating your boat a good idea? The short answer is maybe. It can be a great way of turning your old boat into a gift that can help others, or it can turn into a huge headache and financial disappointment if you don’t do your homework before making the donation. Here are some basics to help clarify the situation.
The first order of business is to make sure the charity you have chosen is a qualified organization for the donation. Most charities will be able to answer this question, but in the event they do not, you can check IRS Publication 78, which is available online at www.irs.gov/app/pub-78. Continue reading
Blue Water Sailing Sponsors FREE Seminars at Strictly Sail Miami
Next week at the Strictly Sail Miami sailboat show (February 16 -20 at Miamarina at Bayside), Blue Water Sailing magazine and Cruising Compass are sponsoring four days of free seminars for sailors, cruisers and racers. The seminars are complimentary with the price of your show ticket. You will meet Blue Water Sailing Publisher George Day, Pam Wall from West Marine, Latitudes & Attitudes’ own Bob Bitchin and many more sailing authorities and personalities.
Plus there is an additional series of fee-based seminars which normally run a half day or full day. Noted authorities such as Jimmy Cornell and Lee Chesneau are running in depth programs and the American Sailing Association is running two new sessions – Advanced Cruising and Introduction to Catamarans.
For a complete list of free seminars, to buy advance tickets to the show, and to sign up for the fee-based seminars go to www.strictlysailmiami.com.
Charleston Race Week Registration Open; Drawing More Offshore Boats
Organizers of the upcoming Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week (April 19-22) are luring captains and crews from around the country to create a fabulous weekend of racing. What has become the country’s fastest growing regatta in recent years is on track for another year of record attendance. As of early February, 193 boats had registered from all over the U.S. and Canada, with 54 of those signing up during the final week of January.
Last year, 234 boats competed on Charleston Harbor, the largest fleet ever assembled in the 15-year history of this regatta. For 2012, organizers within Charleston Ocean Racing Association – the event’s organizing authority – are making plans to accommodate additional growth. In the thick of those plans is Brian Swan, a longtime Charleston racer who is co-coordinating logistics for the event’s steering committee.
“We’re not surprised to see such a big number of entries at this stage,” explained Swan. “Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week has become a bucket-list event for racers across the country, and we all know how popular Charleston is. Conde Nast Traveler magazine named it the No. 1 destination in the U.S. not long ago.” Continue reading
Japan Tsunami Flotsam Beginning to Strike West Coast of U.S.
There is no doubt that all boaters in the Pacific need to be very aware of this serious debris hazard and of course, the environmental impact that comes with it.
At this very moment, up to 25 million tons of debris–occupying an area roughly the size of California–is a on a collision course for the North American west coast.
The floating wreckage, often called flotsam, is a result of the massively destructive, 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck just off the coast of Japan last March.
Peninsula College oceanographers Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Jim Ingraham told the Huffington Post that the wreckage could include virtually anything that floats– portions of houses, boats, ships, furniture, cars and even human remains (athletic shoes can act as flotation devices). Continue reading
Posted in Cruising Green
Tagged Flotsam, Japan Tsunami, Pacific Ocean, Tsunami Debris
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Revolutionary Tank Monitors from Gobius
Do you know how full your holding tank is? Not knowing can be a problem and an embarrassment–just as bad or worse than not knowing how much water and fuel you have left. The all new Gobius Tank Level Indicator will measure the contents of all of your tanks cleanly and easily, no matter what material your tanks are made of–aluminum, fiberglass, plastic or stainless steel. Gobius measures your tank’s contents from the outside of the tank. There are no holes to drill at installation and no need to clean the inside of the tank. You calibrate the tank yourself. Only one button controls all features of the Gobius. It is easy to install and easier to use. For more information or to order call 800-801-8922 or visit us at www.AB-Marine.com.
