Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:25
Written by Charles Doane
My annual pilgrimage to the Miami International Boat Show is underway. Unfortunately, I made it to the Miamarina at Bayside just a few hours before the Strictly Sail side of the show closed yesterday, so I didn't have much time to explore in between setting up dates to test-sail boats after the show. But I did get a peek at some interesting stuff, most particularly this stunning command chair, which dominates the saloon of the new Seaward 46RK from Hake Yachts.
This is just the thing for sailors who like to indulge in Capt. Kirk fantasies while sailing where no sailor has gone before. Sitting in the chair you have a clear view through the raised saloon windows forward and can't help but utter the sacred command--Engage!--while gazing through them.
Saturday, 18 February 2012 13:04
Written by Charles Doane
Yesterday was the second anniversary of the sinking of the Canadian school ship Concordia, a tragedy I will always relate to the controversial sinking just over 50 years ago of Chris Sheldon's school ship Albatross. This is a story that ties into a strong tide that has long flowed through my mind. It in fact first started flowing about 40 years ago when, at age 13, I found a paperback copy of Ernest K. Gann's Song of the Sirens stashed on the shelves of a lending library in a U.S. Army hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The cover of the book (seen above) was so attractive I at once swiped it and quickly devoured it whole. On finishing it I swore to myself I would one day sail across an ocean. Fortunately (or not), I eventually kept that promise, and this had all sorts of consequences, one of which is the blog you are now reading.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 10:30
Written by Charles Doane
This French-built cruiser-racer, designed by Holman & Pye, a British firm, first appeared on the market in 1979, just as the IOR rule was peaking in popularity. The Pretorien 35 thus exhibits features common to many boats of this era: it is beamy amidships with somewhat pinched ends and has a smallish high-aspect mainsail and a large foretriangle. It is not, however, an extreme example of its type. Nearly half the boat's design weight is contained in its lead ballast keel, which makes it rather stiff and stable (its AVS is a very respectable 124 degrees), it does not have pronounced tumblehome along its flanks, and its rakish "wedge-deck" profile, similar to that seen on Swans and Baltics built around the same time, give it a distinctive look many sailors find highly attractive.
The Pretorien as a result is valued as both a bluewater and coastal cruiser and is considered by many to be an excellent value despite its relatively high price. A total of 212 hulls were built before production ended in 1986, and many of these were exported to the United States, so good examples are not too hard to find on this side of the Atlantic.
Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:36
Written by Charles Doane
If you've been following the unfolding Jarle Andhoey psycho-drama, you'll know that the Wild Viking and his crew aboard the steel sloop Nilaya are now officially in Antarctic waters south of 60 degrees and should be appearing in McMurdo Sound any day now. You may also have learned that the engimatic Kiwi crew member who "inadvertently" joined the expedition when Nilaya suddenly departed Auckland is in fact some Maori guy who weighs upwards of 300 pounds and sports copious facial tattoos. According to published reports, this Maori fellow, who worked on Andhoey's ill-fated Berserk when she was in New Zealand last year, was a genuine stowaway who hid himself in the boat's forepeak so he could join this year's expedition.
Since learning these things myself, I've discovered a website maintained by Charlene Banks, twin sister of Leonard Banks, one of the three crew who were aboard Berserk when she was lost outside McMurdo Sound last February. Charlene recently has published an e-mail from Jarle that her brother received in Decemeber 2010 describing preparations for Berserk's voyage south. In this e-mail Jarle asks Leonard to "Find a boat we can sail and sink - cheap." He also asks him to "find Maori mechanic or seaman with facetattoo."
