Uncategorized - Ocean Navigator

04 Feb

Keep Inflatable PFDs up to Date

Eric ColbyBluewater Gear, Boat & Gear News, Offshore Safety, Seamanship & Navigation, Uncategorized

In its January issue, our sister publication, Professional Mariner, reported that a crew member on a pilot boat perishing after falling overboard. Canadian authorities found that the crew member was wearing an inflatable life jacket but it didn’t inflate. Since we haven’t covered the topic of inflatable life jacket maintenance in a few years in Ocean Navigator, it’s worth revisiting. An auto-inflating lifejacket malfunctioning can most often be blamed on one of two things: the actuator doesn’t work right, doesn’t fully engage the CO2 cartridge or the actuator is out of date. If you have an inflatable life jacket, an…

18 Nov

AEON School Named Official US Sailing Educator

Eric ColbyOffshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing, Uncategorized, Voyaging Skills

US Sailing has named the AEON School its official school. The partnership will provide young sailors with an opportunity to pursue an academic education and follow their passion for the water. AEON School offers a digital learning platform designed to meet the needs of student-athletes, helping them balance schedules between sailing and an education. “AEON and US Sailing are committed to fostering the next generation of leaders, both on the water and in the classroom,” Eric Krasnoo, SVP of membership, partnerships and marketing at US Sailing, said in a statement. “This partnership ensures that sailors can continue that sailors can…

01 Nov

The New York Times Investigates the Bayesian Sinking

Eric ColbyUncategorized

The Bayesian, a $40 million superyacht owned by British tech mogul Michael Lynch, sank quickly after being hit by a storm off the Italian coast in late August. Seven people were killed in the sinking and 15 were injured while other vessels anchored nearby emerged from the storm basically unscathed. To answer the questions many people had about why the vessel went down, the New York Times conducted an extensive investigation. It turns out that the cause of the sinking centers on the vessel’s 237-foot mast, one of the tallest in the world. Similar models from Italian manufacturer Perini Navi,…

22 Oct

Ocean Navigator Contributor Alan Littell Dies

Eric ColbyUncategorized

Alan Littell, a longtime contributor to Ocean Navigator, died Oct. 12, at the age of 95. He was with his family and friends at Hart Comfort House in Wellsville, N.Y., and the cause of death was a stroke. For more than 40 years, Littell wrote for travel articles for publications ranging from The New York Times to Travel & Leisure magazine to Ocean Navigator. His work regularly appeared in The Buffalo News, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and the Olean Times Herald. For 10 years, Littell was travel editor of The Hornell Sunday Spectator. He also wrote essays and opinion…

16 Sep

Stolen sailboat sails into hurricane

Ocean NavigatorHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging, Uncategorized, Web Exclusive

In an unusual and apparently tragic case reported on Boatwatch.org , a boat was stolen from its mooring and was sailed into a hurricane where a distress signal was sent but the boat was never found. On Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 Graham Collins, the owner of a C&C 35 named Secret Plans, received a call at his work place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The U.S. Coast Guard had called to tell him that a personal locator beacon registered to Collins had been set off in the Atlantic 390 miles southeast of Halifax. The position of the PLB signal put it…

01 Sep

Ocean Navigator sponsors the Transpac

Story and photos by Craig SmithTranspac Race, Uncategorizednavigation, ocean racing, route planning, Seamanship, Transpac 2021, Transpac 2021 sponsors, watchstanding

This July is the 51st running of the Transpac Race, the signature west coast offshore race, 2,225 miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu. And for this running of the race, Ocean Navigator is an official race sponsor. The seamanship, navigation, route planning and watchstanding efforts exhibited by the race crews are the same skills that voyaging sailors undertake every day in their passages. This makes ON’s sponsorship of the Transpac an excellent match. The race, run every two years, began in 1906 and was hosted by the Los Angeles Yacht Club. The current host of the race is the…

01 Sep

Transatlantic partnership tackles online learning with BoatHowTo

Story and photos by Craig SmithUncategorizedABYC, boat systems, DC electrical systems, marine education, mechanical systems, Nigel Calder

Every voyager has a story of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their boating activities. For well-known boating author, systems expert and ON contributing editor Nigel Calder, the pandemic meant working with two colleagues on a new online learning platform called BoatHowTo (BoatHowTo.com). The website will offer courses for boaters to learn more about the technical aspects of boating. The first course offered is on DC electrical systems. Calder was approached by Dr. Jan C. Athenstädt, who runs KlabauterKiste, a German-language online magazine for boatowners, Klabauter-Shop, an online shop for boat electrics, and BootsBastler.org, a German online community, and by Michael Herrmann,…

23 Aug

Rudiger Celestial Nav Award Winner and ON Special Offer

Ocean NavigatorUncategorized

Posted August 21, 2021 Ocean Navigator Subscription August 20, 2021 - Honolulu, Hawaii - After careful review of the materials submitted to support his application, a review panel from the Transpacific Yacht Club have determined that Jesse Osborn wins the Mark S. Rudiger Celestial Navigation Trophy for the recently completed 2021 Transpac. Osborn was navigator aboard Justin Waite's Stevens 47 Mikmaks. The trophy is awarded to the navigator who submits celestial navigation worksheets or evidence of traditional navigation to the finish inspectors immediately after finishing, and whose work is selected as the "best" by an impartial panel of judges. First awarded in 2011, the trophy itself is an antique brass 1905 T. Hemsley…

20 Aug

SEAVIEW teams up with West Coast Sales

Ocean NavigatorUncategorized

SEAVIEW a leading manufacturer of marine mounting solutions teams up with West Coast Sales. SEAVIEW is pleased to announce the appointment of West Coast Sales to represent their products in the Western U.S. and Canada. SEAVIEW is a global leader in marine electronic mounting solutions as well as cable seal products. SEAVIEW offers hundreds of installation options for optimal positioning of radars, satellite, GPS, VHF, cameras, searchlights, and navigation lights. "We are excited to partner with West Coast Sales. Their proven track record, industry knowledge, and extensive relationships will be a critical component to the growth strategy for our marine…

20 Aug

NMEA Releases NEW Version of 0400 Installation Standard

Ocean NavigatorUncategorized

From the NMEA press release: The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) has released an extensively updated and expanded version of the NMEA 0400 Installation Standard. This standard is the basis for the popular day-long NMEA Marine Electronics Installer training certification courses that are taught virtually and in person. “Version 5.0, Edition 2021 is a major revision to the world’s most extensive Installation Standard for marine electronics,” said Mark Reedenauer, NMEA President & Executive Director. “The new 336-page document includes 30 sections, 13 appendices, 117 figures and 52 tables. The unique design of the Installation Standard allows it to either stand…