Tim Queeney - Ocean Navigator

23 Jan

Ken McKinley to lead half-day weather seminar

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Weather

ON contributing editor Ken McKinley, who not only writes about weather topics for Ocean Navigator, but is a professional weather router who owns Locus Weather service in Camden, Maine, will co-present a marine weather seminar on March 17 at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. The seminar is part of the Northeast Ocean Race Symposium, sponsored by the Marion Bermuda, Marblehead-Halifax and Bermuda 1-2 Races. This promises to be valuable session for ocean voyagers, who will get a solid grounding in weather at sea from McKinley, and fellow presenters Frank Bohlen and Joe Sienkiewicz. Essentials of Marine Weather, Ocean Currents and Sea…

13 Jan

A deep dive into boat electrical systems with Nigel Calder

Tim QueeneyBoat & Gear News, Home Page Hero

Ocean Navigator is co-sponsoring a new electrical systems seminar series from boat systems expert, Nigel Calder. The seminars will be in Portland, Maine. More info below. 2024 Seminar Dates: April 17th & 18th October 29th & 30th Portland, ME For Registration, CLICK HERE or go to oceanplanetenergy.com/seminars Electrical systems are the leading cause of problems on boats that have more than a rudimentary electrical system.Most of these problems are preventable; they arise from a failure to abide by core design and installation principles. To take a deep dive into both design and installation issues, OceanPlanet Energy (OPE), in collaboration with…

08 Dec

Orca Do’s and Don’ts

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

With all the reports of Orcas attacking boats in the vicinity of Gibraltar and the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, former sailor Runi Alves put together an orca information web site, with maps of where attacks have happened, press accounts and a member's messageboard for exchanging info. The site also has an orca "Do's and Don'ts" page. A best practices list based on previous orca attacks on boats. If you're headed or the Strait of Gibraltar or the Atlantic Iberian coast, might be a good idea to review the list. In a related orca note, sailor Florian Rutsch has been reported…

16 Sep

New trophy named for first (real) circumnavigator

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

The question of who was the first to sail around the world is usually answered: Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese captain and navigator who led a Spanish fleet west from Spain in 1519. The rub here, of course, is that while the Spanish effort Magellan commanded did complete the first circumnavigation of the earth, Magellan himself was not there for the awards ceremony. He was killed in the Philippines by local warriors led by Chief Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan. It was the Spanish captain Juan Sebastian Elcano who completed the first circumnavigation in September 1522 after taking command of…

16 Aug

What’s the share price on that sloop?

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Industry & Company News, Ocean Voyaging

The advantages of owning a yacht come with some obvious costs and responsibilities, too. When you're the sole owner, it's up to you to handle everything that comes your way. One solution to what can be a substantial burden for some people is co-own a vessel and spread the costs and responsibilities around. Sometimes, however, one member of the group takes on a larger share of the work. This inequality of effort can be okay for a time but sometimes it can raise its head as an issue in the partnership. A new product being offered by Dream Yachts Sales…

13 Jul

Transpac Ocean Navigator class winner

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean VoyagingJ 125, Ocean Navigator class, Transpac 2023

With only few boats still to finish, the results of the 2023 Transpac are largely set. This year's race had 52 entries in 9 divisions. As a co-sponsor of the race, Ocean Navigator magazine was honored to have our own named class. And the winner in the Ocean Navigator class was Nereid, a J 125 owned and skippered by Standish Fleming and based in San Diego (also the headquarters for Maritime Publishing, ON's parent company). Fleming and his crew of Bill Blazer, Damian Craig, Jeremy Davidson, Richard Graef and Charlie Jenkins not only finished first in class on corrected time…

07 Jul

Transpac racers close in on Hawaii

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

The Transpac race fleet (Ocean Navigator is a co-sponsor of the race) is hurtling downwind, closing in on Hawaii. As this is posted, according to YB tracking, one multihull, the Mod 70 trimaran Orion owned and skippered by Justin Shaffer, has finished. The bulk of the fleet is still on the ocean, though, doing their best to sail well and win or finish as high as they can in their class. Race tracking is a great way to see what's happening with boat position, boat speed, current rank in class, distance to finish and more. Also, the wind overlays from PredictWind…

07 Jun

Boat inspections for Transpac Race

Tim QueeneyTranspac 2023, Transpac Raceocean racing, offshore racing, offshore sailing, Transpac 2023

For any offshore voyage, making sure you have a seaworthy vessel and a safe crew before departure is paramount. The Transpac Race to Hawaii, a 2,225-mile ocean passage, is no different. The Transpac race committee takes this need for seaworthiness and safety seriously with a rigorous protocol to ensure boats and crews are ready. The race has a full complement of 21 inspectors on the west coast, from San Diego in the south to Seattle in the north, that conduct inspections to ensure that competing boats are in compliance with US Sailing’s Safety Equipment Requirements (SER) for ocean races. Though…

02 Jun

Ocean Navigator photo contest sponsored by Icom

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean VoyagingON

With high quality phone cameras in every pocket and on every boat, there’s no excuse for not taking some great photos. The ON Photo Contest will be awarding a handheld radio (provided by Icom) to each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, and will announce the winners in the Jan/Feb ’24 issue. Send your photo (high res and one entry only please) and a brief description to tim@maritimepublishing.com. To be considered for the photo contest your email must have the subject line “ON photo contest.” Get clicking! The Icom M94D DSC VHF has built-in GPS and AIS. …

30 May

Sailboat rescued by sailing ship

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean VoyagingGotheborg, offshore tow

Nothing like seeing a square-rigger hove over the horizon and ask if you'd like a tow! If you missed it, this is a great story about a sailboat given a tow off the French coast by Götheborg, a reproduction of an 18th century sailing ship. "Imagine losing your rudder out at sea and sending out a distress call. And then the largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship in the world comes to your rescue. Or in the words of the sailors on the sailing boat: "This moment was very strange, and we wondered if we were dreaming. Where were we? What time…