This pretty much qualifies as every boat owner’s nightmare. The mooring line breaks after a heavy rain and your boat heads out to sea, all on its own. There is a happy ending here, but it’s not easy getting there. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0oZADZxKkY&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs
Here’s a new video of the Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats rendezvous this summer in Roche Harbor, in the San Juan Islands above Seattle. With 158 boats, this probably was the largest owners’ rendezvous ever. And it was really fun, as you can see. But then, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself at Roche, one of the most beautiful cruising destinations on either coast. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG0Pmw4y9DE
Now that the largest show in the U.S. (with 1,500 boats worth $4 billion) has ended, it’s time for a recap. Was it fun? Yes, definitely. Over-the-top? Yes, definitely. Crowded? At times, but not all the time. Was it good for people who are buying and selling boats? Yes, no, and maybe. One thing was certain. The overwhelming optimism that grew out of the Newport and Annapolis shows earlier in the fall was not repeated, at least not across the board. The good news first. At Grand Banks and Palm Beach Yachts, Dave Northrop, VP of marketing, said it was…
Two men died after their 21-foot Mako center console capsized going out of Jupiter Inlet near Palm Beach, Florida. The men were heading east about 7 a.m., when the boat hit several heavy waves head-on and turned over. Both men were rescued from the water but died later in the hospital. The boat washed up on the beach. A beautiful inlet, Jupiter also has a reputation for being potentially dangerous with strong currents, a narrow entrance and a shifting sandbar. Here’s the full story. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/local/fwc-okeechobee-men-ages-killed-boat-wreck-off-jupiter-inlet/BGAHcIj9dPqatLZPvb1mpO/
Why didn’t somebody think of this before? In a high-tech, digital world, the newest answer to a man overboard emergency is the BottleBuoy, a definitely low-tech invention consisting of three empty plastic bottles screwed into a central core. The Royal Navy has already tested the BottleBuoy off the coast of Bangladesh and now will test it off Norfolk, England. The trapped air in the three bottles seems to offer enough floatation to keep an adult afloat, while the entire contraption is easy for anyone to throw accurately. Stay tuned. http://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachting-boating-world/rnli-trials-ingenious-bottlebuoy-flotation-device-44251
If you want to cruise the Maine coast in style next summer, take a look at Jericho, a classic 42-foot wooden Bunker & Ellis beauty that you can charter bareboat out of Southwest Harbor. Built in the mid-1900s, Jericho will turn heads whether you cruise along Eggemoggin Reach or just travel across Somes Sound to Northeast Harbor. I personally would be happy just sitting on Jericho at a mooring, enjoying my morning coffee or evening glass of wine, knowing I was on one of the most beautiful boats around. Take a look at the pictures: https://ellisboatbrokerage.com/2016/11/10/available-for-bareboat-chartering-bunker-ellis-42-jericho/
Ron and Nancy Goldberg are experienced cruisers from San Diego. Their Nordhavn 50, Duet, is their third cruising boat, and they plan to take it across the Pacific at some point. But in this story, Baja Bash, they tell about their recent 950-nm trip north from the tip of the Baja Peninsula up to Ensenada, and not all of it was fun. Here’s a great story that will take you along for the ride. http://seamagazine.com/this-too-shall-pass/
Over the years, I’ve cruised through this area near Bella Bella, B.C., many times. It has some of the most beautiful scenery on the entire Inside Passage. But now there have been two accidents in the past month involving a barge that turned over and sank in heavy weather and a tug that ran aground, sank and released large quantities of diesel fuel that have raised questions about marine safety in the area. The Heiltsuk First Nation is seeking a moratorium on oil tankers all along the northern British Columbia coast, plus improvements in boating safety. The life ring pictured…
Manatees are back in Florida; the manatee slow-speed restricted zones go into effect this Sunday, Nov. 13. These smile-producing creatures grow to 9-10 feet and weigh about 1,000 pounds, and they’re totally harmless. Every year this time they head south as the water cools; they can’t tolerate water colder than 68 degrees, and they tend to congregate near power plants. Unfortunately, they also swim where boats cruise; last year 80 were killed by boats in Florida alone. Here’s a good story about what you can do to keep them alive and well: https://southernboating.com/manatees-return/?utm_source=SE+non-spon+manatees+20161108&utm_campaign=SE+%28manatee%29+11%2F9%2F16&utm_medium=email
Alex Benson has been cruising up and down the West Coast, from Alaska to Mexico, on his Selene 53 Wild Blue ever since he retired from his real estate business many years ago. Here he is in Alaska: Benson, the past commodore of the California Yacht Club in Los Angeles, most recently cruised from Anacortes, Washington, to San Francisco.. Here’s his blog about that trip, including a fun video about entering San Francisco Bay (this definitely made me homesick). Take a look: http://mvwildblue.blogspot.com