Offshore Sailing - Ocean Navigator

02 Sep

Sloop

Ocean NavigatorGood Reads, Offshore Sailing, Racing News

What Daniel Robb’s new book Sloop is not is a guide to rebuilding his family’s 1939 Herreshoff 12 ½, Daphie. Yes, there are hints on moving an old boat, building a steam box to bend frames, constructing a temporary building shed that’s capable of withstanding a New England winter, chalking, talk of rivets and much more. The book’s real subject is an elegantly written meditation on the process. More than fastening plank to frame, it explores the deeper meaning he finds in restoring the old boat. Robb reflects on Thoreau, whose spirit seems to silently guide Daphie’s restoration. As he…

01 Jan

There's no place like Peter's in Azores

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

Mariners who have visited the Azores over the years have undoubt-edly stumbled into the islands' world-famous gathering place for travelers: Café Sport. Opened by Henrique Azevedo in 1918, this harbor-front café and bar has been welcoming tuna fishermen, whalers, boaters, and yachtsmen to Horta, on the island of Faial, for the past 80 years. Today it is run by the new patriarch, Henrique's 72-year-old son Jose Azevedo (called Peter by those who know him, a nickname apparently given by a passing Dutch seaman when Jose "was just a tadpole"). Peter celebrates his own milestone this year50 years of continuous service…

01 Jan

Iron Mike' coming to coastal forecasts

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

The familiar voices of local forecasters who announcecoastal weather conditions over VHF frequencies will soon be giving way to the droning synthesized voice normally associated with the Coast Guard's HF SSB high-seas forecastssometimes known as "Iron Mike." The monotone and often hard-to-follow voice, which can sound both male and female but lacks the natural timbre and cadence of a human voice, is being introduced as a cost-saving measure by the federal government. It is expected to free forecasters from the tedious job of speaking into a microphone several times a day, according to John Jensenius, spokesman and warning coordination meteorologist…

01 Jan

It doesn't happen very often…

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN, but, in this case, we agree with the Clinton administration: There is no compelling reason to ask U.S. taxpayers to continue paying the tuition of students at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. In preparing consecutive issues of this magazine and of our sister publication Professional Mariner, we routinely interact with graduates and students of all merchant marine academies in the U.S. It would be nice to say that USMMA grads seem to be brighter, better trained, more professional, or, in the words of one U.S. senator, "better prepared to interact with the military;" but that…

01 Jan

Newsletter tells of oceans'ills

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

Sailors with an environmental conscience would be well served to subscribe to a free newsletter that is intended to raise awareness about the growing threat to the ocean and its living resources. The Ocean Update is published by SeaWeb, which was founded by the Pew Charitable Trust in 1996 as a means to protect the world's oceans. The Update is a direct link to many universities and research developments around the world since it publishes academic studies in all areas of marine environmental issues. For example, a recent issue contained an article that described the ninth annual Coral Reef Symposium…

01 Jan

Ayesha's last cruise

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

In 1914, the German cruiser SMS Emden and Kapitanleutnant Helmuth Karl von Mucke found themselves in the South Pacific upholding the Imperial interests of Kaiser William. On Nov. 9, Emden disembarked 50 men, including von Mucke, at Direction Island in the Keeling group, to wreck its vital cable and radio station. The landing party quickly vandalized the facility, and the British operators were made "prisoners," although no one was actually constrained or locked up. In fact, the interaction of the two groups was so cordial that von Mucke agreed to a British request that the station's radio tower be felled…

01 Jan

How to get a ship's Inmarsat-C address

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

From Ocean Navigator #99 July/August 1999 Sailors interested in contacting merchant vessels via Inmarsat-C can now look up telex and email addresses by visiting a web site. The site, www.inmarsat.org/ships, provides addresses free of charge for all merchant ships with Inmarsat-C service. Imagine the possibilities: "Mind if we pop over for lunch?" "Could you spare your engineer for the afternoon? My generator is down and we haven't had ice for a week." "Could you spare 50 gallons of fuel from your 10-million-gallon supply?" or the civilized Mayday message, "Pardon me, but we are in a sinking condition and would be…

01 Jan

Vikings' succeed in epic crossing

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

The crew of modern-day Vikings who were attempting to recreate Leif Ericson's historic expedition from Greenland to mainland Canada this past summer successfully crossed the Davis and Hudson straits, effectively proving that the trip could have been accomplished in such a boat. Before the first big crossing, the crew of the open 54-foot wooden knarr Snorri had been holed up in a fjord, awaiting fine weather, before a weather-routing specialist spotted a break. "The weather windows are pretty darn short in this area of the world, so when I saw this scenario coming up I said, go, go, go!" explained…

01 Jan

Voyager's gold

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

Over the centuries, alchemists devoted their lives to converting lead into gold. Had they asked any sailor they would have been told that their fortunes would be better assured by finding a way to convert sea water into drinking water. An adequate supply of water is the most critical supply for any voyage lasting more than a few hours. The amount of water available often defines the difference between a pleasure cruise and a survival exercise. Most pleasure boats depend on periodic replenishment of water storage tanks. This process works well for voyages of short duration or, with stringent control…

01 Jan

CrossPac' to depart for Sydney in 2003

Ocean NavigatorOffshore Sailing

A new short-handed race that will run between San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, via Hawaii will be held in 2003. Appropriately called the CrossPac, the 6,500-nm race will depart the Golden Gate Yacht Club during the summer of 2003. Participants will be sailing either single- or double-handed in boats up to 60 feet in length. (The race committee is still considering allowing multihulls.) Organized by Californian Alan Hebert, the race is being coordinated and sponsored in San Francisco by the Golden Gate Yacht Club, in Hawaii by the Waikiki Yacht Club and the Hawaii Yacht Club, and in Sydney by…