Next time you start to worry about your commute to work, remember this video of a Columbia River Bar pilot climbing down a pitching ladder from a large ship in a storm to get back to his own pilot boat. This is not for the faint of heart. Hang on to your chair; this is one of the most dramatic videos I’ve ever seen. All in a day’s work: http://www.opb.org/news/article/columbia-river-bar-pilot-weather-goes-wrong/
The former Presidential yacht Sequoia, a classic 104-foot, 1926 Trumpy, is being sold to a group of investors in India for zero dollars to settle a lawsuit filed in Delaware. First used by President Hoover, the yacht was sold in 1977 by President Carter and was last bought by a Washington lawyer who used it for private charters. He ultimately borrowed money from the Indian group for repairs, which resulted in the lawsuit. In his ruling, the Delaware judge said, “The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in…
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
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/
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
Here’s a group of cruisers who are living the dream. So far, ten Nordic Tug owners have joined Ben Wilde’s “ICW Nordic Tugfest,” cruising down the Waterway together, heading for Marathon in the Florida Keys. Wilde, who runs Wilde Yacht Sales, the largest Nordic Tugs dealer in the world, started out on his personal Nordic Tug 54, Nordic Lady, from his office in Essex, Connecticut. The cruise officially got underway from his other office in Rock Hall, Maryland, on the Chesapeake. The picture above is of the group leaving Spring Cove Marina on Solomons Island on the Chesapeake. The Nordic Tug…