Good Old Boat – Newsletter August 2014 Page 1
One more good old boat joins the fleet
It really happened. The editors’ C&C Mega 30 hit the water. Umm, no. That’s not exactly right. It was dropped in . . . whoops! Not that either. What we really meant to say is that it was gently lowered into Lake Superior in late June. The launch was followed by the requisite christening and champagne bottle smashing to formally recognize her new name: Sunflower.
A weekend of celebration followed. Neptune and Poseidon got their share and so did “the rest of us.” There was a party and dinner for the good old crew on Saturday following the christening and an open house for subscribers on Sunday. Since both were gatherings of sailors — who of course had much in common — a good time was had by all.
After 11 years spent sitting on her trailer while Jerry Powlas first re-cored the deck and demolished the interior, and then added modifications, upgrades, and innovative touches, it was time to see whether a Mega 30 can sail as advertised.
A boat show in 1980 or so exposed Jerry to the siren call of the marketing experts. The short version: this is a 30-foot trailerable one-design with standing headroom. While this boat is fairly large for a trailerable, it is so light it can plane on occasion just like a much smaller racing boat. After that, he says, he always wanted one. He waited 23 years until the price was right, picked his up for $10,000, and put a whole lot of new parts, time, and energy into her refit.
So does she sail as promised? After only two test sails and with much more to learn, Jerry’s early pronouncement was that she sails very well indeed. And we are pleased to announce that a new member has joined the good old boat fleet.
(Read more on the early lessons Sunflowertaught these experienced sailors in the September issue of Good Old Boat.Hint: Karen uses the word “rehumbled.” – Eds.)
What’s coming in September?
For the love of sailboats
* Pearson 27 review
* Nimble Arctic 25 review
* International Folkboat refit
Speaking seriously
* Paper Charts 101
* Lightning protection?
* A leak-proof deck gland
* In search of solitude
* One brain, six hands
* The cruising-capable dinghy
* Trailer revival
* Ten-minute tethers
* A crane for tight places
What’s more
* Generation to generation
* Our readers’ boats
* New age of sail
* Reflections: Journeys with no end
* Simple solutions: Windlass pendant switch
* Quick and Easy: Delrin deck pads and A turnbuckle cover that breathes
* New product launchings
* The view from here: Learning the ropes 2.0
In the News
NAV 1000 turns 25
Magellan, a leader of innovative GPS devices for vehicles, fitness, outdoor, and mobile navigation, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its NAV 1000 handheld GPS. The NAV 1000 was the world’s first commercial handheld GPS receiver, which entered the market in 1989. Developed for the marine market, the NAV 1000 made the accuracy of GPS available to a large commercial and recreational boating community.
The handheld unit measured 8.75 inches by 3.5 inches by 2.25 inches, and weighed 1.5 pounds. In addition, the unit was waterproof, non-corrosive, buoyant, and constructed of a durable compound to withstand shock, vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes.
Named by Popular Mechanics as one of the “101 Gadgets That Changed the World” and by TIMEmagazine as one of its “All-TIME 100 Gadgets,” the NAV 1000 is on display in the “Time and Navigation” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
For more information, visit
Earthcam’s live webcams help celebrate 250th anniversary of Sandy Hook Lighthouse
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse was one of only eleven lighthouses built in the thirteen colonies during the colonial era. At 250 years old, it is now the oldest standing and oldest operating lighthouse in the country.
Inhonor of the 250th anniversary, EarthCam, the global leader in delivering world-class webcam content, technology, and services, and the National Park Service collaborated to set up four webcams to continually stream views of and from Sandy Hook. Threecameras present live views of the Gateway National Recreation Area, the New York Harbor, and the city skylinefrom the perspective of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. A fourth webcam provides a live look at the historiclighthouse. Watch what’s happening at Sandy Hook as it happens at
Calendar
PENOBSCOT BAY RENDEZVOUS
August 14 – 17
Camden, Maine
What a party! The Penobscot Bay Rendezvous is on the map as one of New England’s best regattas. Last year 55 sail- and powerboats gathered for the four-night/three-day event co-hosted by Wayfarer Marine and Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding. Momentum has been behind this event from the beginning and it is expected that this year’s event will draw even more boats to this all-out-fun regatta.It’s been recognized by Yachting Magazine as one of the best events! Mark your calendars and find out for yourself!More information can be found at
44TH ANNUAL NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
September 11 -14
Newport, Rhode Island
The Newport Exhibition Group has announced the 44th Annual Newport International Boat Show at the Newport waterfront along America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The premier boat show in New England will encompass 13 acres and will host hundreds of exhibitors from around the world with power and sailboats ranging from 15 to 85 feet, plus a wide variety of accessories, equipment, electronics, gear, and services for boaters. For more information or to purchase tickets go to
NORTHEAST C&C RENDEZVOUS
September 19-20
The Alofsin Piers at Fort Adams
Newport, Rhode Island
Enjoy a privateboat show of the New Redline 41 and the C&C 30.Weather permitting,there will be sailing demonstrations.Details can be found at
WOODEN BOAT SHOW
September 27
Southport, North Carolina
Southport’s fourth-annual Wooden Boat Show promotes interest in the craft and art of wooden boat construction, to support efforts to preserve wooden boat construction and skills, and to celebrate the region’s maritime and boatbuilding history. Held in the Old Yacht Basin, activities will include a seafood chowder cook-off. For more information, go to
TURKEY SHOOT REGATTA
October 3–5
Carter Creek/Rappahannock River
Irvington, Virginia
This year’s Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta, held annually on the Rappahannock River in Virginia, will take place on October 3 to October 5, a week earlier than the traditional Columbus Day weekend.John McConnico, the regatta committee chairman, says the change was made to accommodate sailors who wanted to participate but who had conflicting commitments over the Columbus Day weekend, notably the Annapolis Sailboat Show.
Last year, the venue was moved to Irvington on Carters Creek off the Rappahannock River. Rappahannock River Yacht Club and Yankee Point Racing and Cruising Club are hosting the regatta together with Rappahannock Yachts, which is providing the site for the waterside event tent at its recently expanded marina. The Tides Inn, a short dinghy hop away, is sponsoring a prize for the regatta’s overall winner that includes a complimentary room for two for two nights and a complimentary slip at the Tides Inn marina, both to be used in conjunction with the 2015 regatta.
To enter the regatta, boats must be of a design that is at least 25 years old. Registration and more details can be found on the regatta’s website,
45th ANNUAL UNITED STATES SAILBOAT SHOW
October 9–13
Annapolis, Maryland
The 45th Annual Sailboat Show is the oldest in-water sailboat show in the world. For more information and to buy tickets go to < and don't forget to stop by Good Old Boat's booth, to meet Jerry, Karen, and some of the crew.
Book reviews
The Little Blue Book of Sailing Wisdom edited by Stephen Brennan (Skyhorse Publishing, 2014, 214 pages, $16.95 hardcover; also available as an ebook)
Review by Karen Larson
Minneapolis, Minnesota
If you need a conversation starter aboard your boat or perhaps a thoughtful tidbit to share in the cockpit while waiting for the green flash, Stephen Brennan has put together a little book of sailing quotations by the likes of William Shakespeare, Beowulf, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Nathanael Herreshoff, Homer (in the Odyssey) and many more. He intersperses these with good sailing photos and organizes the content into vague categories such as Ship, Storm and Calm, the Philosophic Sailor, and so forth.
It’s not really possible to review a collection of quotations. Some are melancholy. Some are frightening. Some you’ve heard before. Many are enlightening. Many will touch you. I offer a few that touched me.
A small sailing craft is not only beautiful, it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble.
E.B. White
Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.
Brooks Atkinson
Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.
Robert N. Rose
Waves are not measured in feet or inches, they are measured in increments of fear.
Buzzy Trent
At sea, I learned how little a person needs — not how much.
Robin Lee Graham
Sailors, with their built-in sense of order, service, and discipline, should really be running the world.
Nicholas Monsarrat
Sea Trials: A Lone Sailor’s Race Toward Homeby Peter Bourke (International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 240 pages, $24.00, hardcover; also available as an ebook)
Review by Carolyn Corbett
Lake Shore, Minnesota
Peter Bourke’s book, Sea Trials, is a beguiling read. Short chapters detail each of the 40 days he spent sailing the 2009 OSTAR, the Original (or Oldest) Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race. Not only does he divulge the joys and demands of a solo race across the Atlantic, Bourke also reveals himself as a contemplative man, one with an outlook of peace and gratitude toward life, one who embraces the good fortune life and sailing have given him.
“As I sip my tea I consider how very lucky I am to have the freedom to be out here in this magnificent world of wind, waves, and wonder,” he writes.
Not only a nautical memoir, Bourke ruminates on the loss of his wife to an epileptic seizure, the challenges of single parenting, his experiences with ocean crossings as a young boy and again as a young man, and holding off on his dream of solo ocean sailing until his children reached maturity. As an armchair sailor, he read sagas of great sailors (Joshua Slocum, Bernard Moitessier, and many others) and “inhaled the spirituality of solo sailing.”
He writes, “Solo sailing is not better, or worse, than sailing with a crew. It is a singular experience in every sense. It is a total immersion in the life. It is the visit to a monastery, and it changes you.”
Bourke also notes, “There’s a lot of equipment to monitor and maintain on a boat, and I need to remind myself that I am on that list. I need to push myself or I won’t stay competitive, but I need to go the distance or I’ve lost completely. Striking that balance is one of the keys.”
Each chapter begins with a quotation applicable to the circumstances of that particular day at sea. The quotes are drawn from Freud, Henry Ford, Robert E. Lee, Louis Armstrong, Confucius, and a number of others. An epilogue answers questions that were addressed to him at the press conference in his mind. Rubicon’s layout and sail plan are included, as is information on each of the boats that took place in that year’s race.
Sea Trials: a Lone Sailor’s Race Toward Homeis recommended as a good story that will draw its readers in.
Life Boat: How a Century Old Boat and a New Dream Inspired an Adventure of a Lifetime by Mark Harwood (Lulu, 313 pages, 2014, $15.47 through Lulu; $2.99 as a Kindle ebook).
Review by David McDaniel
Redondo Beach, California
Life Boatis a wonderful account of a sailing adventure founded on do-it-yourself ingenuity and a shoestring budget. I mean, imagine finding a one-hundred-year-old traditional ocean-lifesaving vessel on the banks of the Thames River, originally designed to be rowed by a handful of trained rescuers. Then imagine, through passion and determination, driven by wanderlust, transforming her into a unique, junk-rigged sailboat — a magic carpet named Arab.
Mark recounts his adventure with his partner Karen as they set off for the warm climes of the Mediterranean Sea from Bristol, England, via the canals and river ways of France aboard Arab.With its junk rig, solid Lister inboard engine, and charming good looks, the ex-lifeboat carries them across the English Channel as the author and first mate gain their sea legs and experiment with sailing this ageless rig. Through mishaps and rewards that only travel by boat can afford, the couple arrive in France all the wiser. With the simplicity and economy of the junk rig, Mark handily lowers the mast on Arab, converting her back to a motor vessel for navigating the oftentimes narrow and congested locks and waterways of the French interior. Throughout this segment of their journey, Mark and Karen motor their way through the beautiful countryside and experience France from a perspective no tourist could ever imagine, and at a pace that puts them squarely in the hearts of the people they meet along the way. Ultimately, after a stint living in and working on a French farmhouse owned by a friend, they make their way south to their ultimate goal — the warmth of the Mediterranean Sea and the Balearic Islands. This is where they start sailing in earnest, doing mostly what all self-respecting sailing dreamers would do — hopping from port to port in this beautiful island paradise enjoying the warmth of the water and people they meet along the way.
Mark is a fine writer, chronicling in the beginning the steps he took to get Arab into shape for making a long coastal journey while simultaneously providing glimpses into his own personal story to give the reader an idea of who he is and what is driving him towards his dream of sailing free. He is a humorist as well as a philosopher, and weaves his talents into the story to create a rich account of their journey. His passion for his ship and respect for her rich history is made obvious through his romantic writing style, which serves the reader well in bringing Arab to life and reminding us that we are actually following three characters on this journey. Moreover, his relationship with his first mate, Karen, is one to be admired by all skippers and crew the sailing world over. Filled with an ease that only humor can create, they work as a team to drive Arab, accomplish goals, and run down dreams, all while learning to sail. That’s right! This is both sailors’ maiden voyage. Life Boat is our ticket to ride. And for someone still dreaming of his own “magic carpet,” I’m glad they had me along.
Cruising Life: The Best Stories from Caribbean Compass, compiled by Sally Erdie and Rona Beame (Compass Publishing, 2013, $8.95 Kindle Edition)
Review by Susan Lynn Kingsbury
Port Ludlow, Washington
From the Introduction of Cruising Life: “It’s a collection of stories by “cruisers” — those free spirits traveling independently under sail.”
Chosen from over 200 issues of Caribbean Compass magazine, the articles included in this collection are the shared adventures of those who are explorers of the Caribbean, not tourists.
Organized into six chapters, readers can choose to explore the best articles from Adventure, Humor, Travel, Poems, Book Reviews or Recipes — in the order they choose. The collection is diverse.
The Adventure chapter includes“Arriving Topless in Cartagena,”by Rosemarie Smart-Alecio. Rosemarie and Alfred did all their homework: they studied the area weather, checked for the best window of travel, found out the best areas of protection, and monitored all the forecasts. Still, their passage from Curaçao to Cartagena was more than they bargained for and the suspense just keeps building.
“The Great Banana Fiasco of 1993” by Thomas Warner is included in the Humor chapter. This is a story of bananas and politics. An 800-foot refrigerated ship full of bananas set out from Costa Rica. Because of engine trouble, they are towed for repair, but denied entry to port — and then the politics began. Two months later, the rotten bananas were still onboard and had turned into alcohol! Readers will never look at bananas the same again.
“Antigua’s Glorious Green Island” by Rosie Burr is found in the travel chapter and is a very descriptive piece on Antigua’s Green Island. Included is information on the public beaches, what to see and do, where to moor your boat, snorkeling spots, and enticing descriptions of the island and its wildlife.
The Poems chapter is a collection of Caribbean style prose and includes poems about Martinique, tourists, Anse La Roche, a Grenada morning, proper use of a VHF radio, a boat, Bequia, and Nicoya nights. Reading this section will leave readers feeling the warm moist breeze, smelling the tropical flowers, and hearing the Caribbean music in their heads.