Zephyr (sail)

Zephyr Tabled in 2008

2008-01-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

As anyone who has read this blog regularly may have guessed...I am going to table it for the moment as I turn my focus to other writing projects in the New Year. I've had a great run over the past 30 or so months writing about sailing culture and - save for the very end - maintained a firm posting discipline that generated interest and attracted sailing readers from all corners of the globe. It's been my pleasure to be part of your world in this way. Good luck and best wishes for 2008!

WBM

“Men go back to the mountains, as they go back to sailing ships at sea, because in the mountains and on the sea they must face up.” - Henry David Thoreau

Mitchell Chance Gibbons-Neff

2007-12-04T13:02:00.000-05:00

Recently came across the below tribute...I never knew Mitch but of course, like many life-long sailors from the Northeast U.S. (and beyond) certainly knew of him. This was penned by his brother Peter, the father of an old friend of mine. Mitch passed on February of this year. We are the poorer for it.

--------------------------------
Mitchell Chance Gibbons-Neff
1941- 2007

My brother, Mitch wouldn’t want me writing about the quick onset of his cancer or how soon after the diagnosis he left his family, friends and colleagues. But, on February 4, 2007 Mitch finished his race and we are all short a phenomenal member of the crew.

Sailing was in Mitch’s blood. Both parents were avid sailors, so it was appropriate for him to be in a dinghy cockpit at a very tender age. Mitch had a Sneakbox, named Odd Socks, in his youth. One afternoon, he let me take her out on Barnegat Bay. I landed her downwind and smashed the bow. Not only did he not tell our folks (‘tho he did holler at me for a moment), he didn’t begrudge my tactical error. That is an attribute Mitch displayed again and again throughout his life. His character was strengthened by the will to “move on”. Perhaps that’s what got him through swift boat duty off Viet Nam, Harvard Business School, and then the hard sell of yacht design and brokerage for over 30 years at Sparkman & Stephens under the tutelage of Rod and Olin Stephens.

Mitch loved just about every type of boat. Sailing with Mom and Dad (Sunny & Flossie) on the family boat Prim was an important part of Mitch’s life. He was Dad’s right hand man on Souther, Blue Star, and Serenade, as well. Mitch taught his sons T.M. and Paul the characteristics of a proper yacht by the time they were in elementary school. He was a member of the Cruising Club of America, New York Yacht Club, and Noroton Yacht Club. Although Mitch’s offshore miles are too extensive to count, he logged enough to complete 20 Bermuda Races and two trans-Atlantic races. His first Bermuda Race was on Prim in 1958, and the last was on a NY32, Siren, in 2006. His membership with CCA began in 1966 and as a member he set a fine example of excellent yachtsmanship and good seamanship. Mitch was a corporate member with Sea Education Association.

This year a trophy was donated in his name in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta for NY32 class by his friend, Bob Scott.

If you knew Mitch, you knew he cared about you and cared about what was important to you. If you knew Mitch, you also knew all phone calls never lasted more than two minutes! Who can blame a fellow who’s set to meet a client in Europe on Saturday, help his father fix a boat in Maryland on Sunday, attend an S&S meeting in Manhattan on Monday and make Key West Race Week on Tuesday? The man loved his boats and got a kick out of all the people who went with them.

In the physical sense, Mitch has “moved on” again; but his close friend Dr. Fred Callahan coined it all best by saying; “For the wind still blows, the water still beckons and Mitch sails with us in our hearts – then, now and forever.”

~ Peter Gibbons-Neff

2007-11-30T12:18:00.000-05:00

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Champs - Nov, 14-17, 2007
Shoreacres, Texas (Photo credit: Rolex/Dan Nerney)

Just An Average Joe

2007-11-29T10:06:00.001-05:00

I'm honored to have been included in a roundup of six favorite "yacht blogs" by the writers and editors of The Helium Report. I love their description of Zephyr...though at first I was a bit put off to be cited as an "average Joe" on reflection I decided that, while it might not be sexy, it's more than accurate. As much as I might have rubbed elbows with a few sailing rock stars at one time I surely don't any longer. And I never was a rock star myself...a fair sailor, yes and reliable in a blow but I'm in good company there. Now I'm the father of two young children, happily married and report to work for a major corporation nearly every day of the week. I may choose Dogfish Head Pale Ale over Budweiser when it comes to suds and you won't see me sporting a "wife beater" undershirt. But average Joe I am and damn proud of it, in fact. Not to mention very pleased to have been called out at all! Thank you Sue Pierce...

From The Helium Report: Zephyr (sail) is the personal blog of a regular joe who used to crew racing yachts. This New England sailor writes about “sailing culture” and uses poems, song lyrics and pictures of his 5-year-old son’s first overnight sailing trip to remind his readers of the magic of boating. The site also provides news of the sailing world, great shots from major regattas and the blogger’s two cents on media coverage of sailing topics.

Do Wear a Helmet

2007-11-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

As the winter season comes on it's time to think of alternatives to sitting by the fire thumbing old copies of SAIL Magazine (or surfing the many enlightening sailing blogs). There is always the West Indies...at least if you live in the Northeast U.S. Florida. The South Pacific. San Diego. There are die hards who tout frostbiting. And...as the UK Telegraph points out...there is always ice sailing. Do: Wear a helmet. Don't: Sail over thin ice.

Here's a website for European oriented crazies...errrr I mean ice sailors. But I'm quite certain that the good ol U.S. has its fair share of nut cases...or ice sailing enthusiasts. And I'm willing to bet they gather on lakes throughout the midwest. Seriously...I have the balls to take a 77' yacht offshore (though it's been awhile) but could I tackle screaming across the ice on a modified sailboat? It takes a special person.

Happy Thanksgiving 2007!

2007-11-24T17:22:00.000-05:00

Chill Winds on the Chesapeake

2007-11-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

I know that there are a few die-hard "frostbiters" out there but most of us along the Northeastern U.S. seaboard have turned to our fireplaces and armchair sea tales about now... soon it will be time for turkey and pumpkin pie. Other, more fortunate voyagers, have turned their bows south for warmer climes. Once upon a time I participated in this migration and still feel the pull of sparkling blue turquoise water and steady Christmas winds on the beam.

But we take what we can get...which is why it was my pleasure to join my father and brother last weekend as we accompanied my five year old son on his first sailboat overnight. Admittedly not a lot of sailing was accomplished. Even on the Chesapeake the chill winds can blow in November. But we found a nice, albeit unpopulated, anchorage off the Tred Avon River and proceeded to indoctrinate the boy into life aboard. We were lucky on two counts...one my Father has DVD capability which, after we'd explored the 46's Morris sloop stem to stern, was a blessing. The other was that the boy sleeps soundly which, after we'd run through the available single malt scotch, was as well a blessing.

Have a great weekend!

Slackwater Marine

2007-11-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

Some great feedback on the "Yacht Monkeys" post (just two back) - now that the writers are on strike maybe there is an opening for someone to bang out a pilot.

Pat points out that I failed to mention the movie "Dead Calm." One of my favorites (love Nicole) but still, it's a movie not a serial TV show. He also cites Quincy. Did that take place on a boat?

Tillerman swung in with "Yachtrock." Ol man Proper Course knows his stuff so I guess I betray my ignorance here...but I've never heard of it.

Finally in the "take your real life and make it a TV show" category we had the below post on "Slackwater Marine" from Yuri. If I was a producer I'd be intrigued, no doubt...

FROM YURI: Ooh! Ooh! (Raising arm at the back of the classroom) How about "Slackwater Marine"? All of the above, plus misc. drug-running, crazed alcoholism, blatant racism, and a dead-hatred of all South Africans? Of course, there will be the standard glorious Caribbean backdrop. Oh. Yeah. I already work there.

2007-10-30T15:16:00.001-04:00

Rolex TP 52 Global Championship - September 21-29, 2007
Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy (Photo credit Carlo Borlenghi)

Catching Up

2007-10-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy month what with the trip to Spain and work-related projects coming on big time. Not as much opportunity for sailing or writing but don't give up...Zephyr Sail will see 2007 through in good form.

Heading to the Chesapeake...where warm weather lingers...for a Fall sailing weekend on November 10. My Dad and I are going to take my five-year old son on his first overnight sail. A brief sojourn up the Tred Avon to drop the hook up some deserted creek. Nothing fancy but I always welcome the opportunity to be on the water with these two people and the fall season on the Chesapeake can be breathtaking.

I took a look through my archives, which stretch back a few years now, and noted that October has always been a big month for coverage of the Annapolis Sailboat Show. I missed it this year but be certain to read Herb's blog post over on Cruising World - he details the annual changing of the guard that marks the division between the Powerboat and Sailboat shows along the Annapolis waterfront...a drunkenly, gleefully observed occasion I'd completely forgotten about until now...appropriately known as Breakdown Day!

Yacht Monkeys...previewing soon

2007-10-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

I've wondered at the dearth of sailing-oriented plot lines on the telly. Not that I watch all that much TV one way or another but it's interesting that, in the long history of television drama and sitcom, there has never been - as far as I know - a show set on a yacht, in a marina or a boatyard. I kind of like the boatyard backdrop idea...a mash-up of (dating myself here) Sanford & Son, Hill Street Blues and, say, Cheers. A little bit of Six Feet Under too. There are plenty of real life stories out there that could be picked up for example this sordid tale out of the LA Times. If we wrote and cast a pilot what would we call it?

Some ideas:

* The Yard (Short and sweet...more of a crime oriented drama)
* Gully (Gully would be the cantankerous boatyard owner with a heart)
* Yacht Monkeys (a comedy with an Al Bundy type lead...his hot wife is banging the artistic varnish worker)
* Essex Junction (angst filled 20 somethings suffer boatyard intrigue in Connecticut)

2007-10-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

Hyères Trophy - September 10-15, 2007
Hyères, France (Photo credit: ThMartinez/Medcup)

Sailing Abroad

2007-10-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

We realized during our trip to Spain just how myopic and "blanketed" the generic U.S. media are - reflecting, no doubt, their readers preferences for American-centric claptrap such as the fiasco of OJ Simpson and whether or not Hillary C can best that guy from Law & Order. Sure, you can read about what's happening in the rest of the world but you'll have to really want to.

Sailing demands, in many ways, a more international perspective...particularly as it applies to the racing circuit. That being said - the U.S. Sailing media does cater to the U.S. audience in much the same way. Point being that at any given moment exciting, eventful and well attended sailing occasions are happening all over the world...occasions that most sailors in the U.S. are only dimly aware of. Take the glamorous Voiles de Saint-Tropez. A total of 3,500 sailors, 304 modern and classic yachts took part in last week's 9th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez.
U.S. based veterans of the Rockville Regatta and Block Island Race Week and Key West and...going pretty far afield here...Antigua Race Week. Ever heard of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez? If the answer is "yes" then congrats...you're in a minority!

Moorings Outpost in the Balearic Islands

2007-10-12T11:44:00.000-04:00

Our trip to Spain - while not as sailing oriented as Tillerman's - was significant in so much as it was the first time we'd been away alone together without the two children (2 and 5 years) for a long, long time. Though we were only in Spain for five days...we very much enjoyed a brief stop in Barcelona and an extended weekend on the island of Mallorca for a friends wedding. I made a note to return for a Moorings bareboat charter out of Palma when time and finances permit...the Balearic Islands seem very much an ideal Mediterranean cruising destination.

The time on Mallorca was mostly spent in the seaside mountain town of Deia...the final resting spot of the renowned British poet, Robert Graves and home to one of the most exquisite hotels I've ever had the pleasure to visit, La Residencia. We stayed across the street in a less glamorous "pensione" - much easier on the wallet but just as centrally located. The wedding reception was at the restaurant El Olivio on La Residencia grounds...a four hour multi course, wine flowing feast that left us cross eyed and ready for bed ;-)

Back to writing about sailing next week!

Back from Spain!

2007-10-10T14:02:00.001-04:00

On Holiday in Spain - back October 8

2007-10-01T15:44:00.000-04:00

"Got no place to go
But there's a girl waiting for me down in Mexico
She got a bottle of tequila, a bottle of gin
And if I bring a little music I could fit right in

We got airplane rides
We got California drowning out the window side
We've got big black cars
And we got stories how we slept with all the
Movie stars

I may take a holiday in Spain
Leave my wings behind me
Drink my worries down the drain
And fly away to somewhere new..."
Counting Crows

That's Larry!

2007-09-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

In a modern day twist on the "Prince and the Pauper" the Marin Independent Journal ran a story recently on..."the gold collar-blue collar partnership of Larry Ellison and Norbert Bajurin - the billionaire and the mechanic..."

Says the journalist...." At first glance, the two men seem to have little in common."

Um, well yes. How many of us truly have something in common with the fourth-richest person in 2007, a man who Forbes reports as having a net worth of $26 billion? Well there is the "common" interest in sailing...only with Larry its not so common.

Reminds me of my Ellison sighting story. I was crewing for John Sweeney in a vintage America's Cup regatta on the SF Bay circa 2003. I had the mast position on US-11 Stars & Stripes. At first I was taken with the glamor of it all but I have to say, honestly, that vintage AC boats not only require a lot of $$ to keep up but they also begin to make scary noises in wind above 15 knots. Luckily during my brief tenure only one block blew up with no lasting harm done.

Anywhoo...we were reliving the race at the yacht club bar in Sausalito. I was on the deck overlooking the harbor and glanced over to the bar to see if the time was right for another drink run...people three deep stood chattering around a skinny man obscured save for his pale, hairless legs shod in old school topsiders, black dress socks pulled to mid-calf. He may have been out of sight but his voice wasn't. We could clearly hear him bellowing at his entourage, all of them to a one wagging their heads in unison.

"Who in the hell is that?" I asked, guessing at some local dignitary or sailing legend gone to seed.

"Ah c'mon dude," my new found mate sneered in disgust at my lack of savvy. "That's Larry."

A Caucus on the Potomac

2007-09-28T13:30:00.000-04:00

We all know that marinas are where the action is...the flotsam and jetsam of the boating life mingling with shore side nonsense - and if folks want to call them "floating trailer parks" well that's just fine. A good marina is an appropriate mix of seamy, comforting, exclusive (even if it's not gated), gossipy and glamorous. Some lean heavier on certain aspect of the mix than others but they all are, for the most part, interesting places. And unlike a trailer park, all one has to do is cast off the dock lines to be free of one. Much more appealing.

There's a terrific story in the New York Times today about a Washington DC marina that is, as you might imagine, a political place chock a block with political people and their (well paid) flunkies. It's a good reminder that even in a less than ordinary place like the nations capital, a marina is just a marina after all...with all the accompanying features any experienced marina-dweller would certainly recognize.

Late Summer on the Eastern Shore

2007-09-26T13:30:00.001-04:00

Sea-Fever

2007-09-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Sea-Fever

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

By John Masefield (1878-1967).
(English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967.)

2007-09-17T21:57:00.001-04:00

Rolex Big Boat Series - September 12-16, 2007
San Francisco, CA (Photo credit Rolex/Daniel Forster)

The Original "Slogger"

2007-09-17T14:47:00.000-04:00

WIRED Magazine is really on a roll lately in regard to the intersection of sailing & Blogging (with a capital "B"). Only now there's a new term for us folk (who blog about sailing or blog while sailing or...) - get this we're "sloggers." Love it!

Read about slogger Peter Jensen (and wife Sally) who have lived on a 39-foot sailboat (a Freedom cat-rigged ketch) for nine years in Mexico. They sold their house in Sacramento, California, along with her florist shop, her white 1990 Toyota 4-Runner and his yellow 1974 VW Thing. They abandoned the dirt life (life on land) and moved onto Hopalong, named after Sally's childhood TV hero, Hopalong Cassidy.

Chief among his complaints? Unreliable wireless access ;-)

"Writing and reporting the blog has been wrapped around maritime matters, such as rebuilding the devilishly unreliable marine toilet on our boat (call me the "prince of potties") and climbing the five-story mast to replace light bulbs. But like some cyber dope fiend, making my connection to the internet consumes me. When you move from place to place in a foreign land, the ease of fast broadband connections found in the Old Country (the U.S.) begins to appear a fantasy."

2007-09-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - September 2-8, 2007
Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy (Photo credit Carlo Borlenghi)

1,000 Days

2007-09-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

There is a small contingent of hardcore offshore sailors always willing to endure the latest and greatest extreme sailing challenge...but 55-year-old Reid Stowe is breaking new ground by taking on a voyage with a commitment to stay out of sight of land for one thousand days. It's a challenge so extreme that he plans to use the results of the journey - should he survive - to prepare astronauts for the grueling trip to Mars...a space flight that would, given current technologies, take two to three years. The "1000 days at sea" project has its own blog...where you can get daily updates on Reid and his girlfriends most recent oceangoing deprivations. And if you want to go in-depth then have a look at the recent WIRED Magazine feature. It will make you mighty glad for an anchorage.

From the WIRED story...Stowe has made a number of long, grueling sails, including a trip to Antarctica in 1986. But if he succeeds in this mission, it will not only be the longest trip of his career, he'll also shatter the 1988 record world record for the longest continuous sail -- held by Australian Jon Sanders, who was at sea for 657 days.

It Helps to be Able to Visualize

2007-09-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

If you've scoffed at my posts on Second Life & sailing I don't blame you...after all the idea of sailing in a virtual world seems to defeat many of the things we love about the experience. Namely being out-of-doors and enjoying the wind in our hair (and sails) the sun on our face, etc. But if you have to be on a computer...then why not participate in an extension of your passion. Not perfect by any means but, as I've attested to in previous posts, certainly intriguing. Have a glance at this video, footage of a Second Life Sailing Regatta in the Hollywood region. It helps to be able to visualize.

Back from Boothbay, Maine

2007-09-04T15:20:00.000-04:00

Back in the office after a few glorious late summer days up in East Boothbay, Maine. The weather in the Northeast U.S. could not be more perfect...though the strong breeze on Saturday necessitated a double reef due to a number of two, four and five-year old crew members!

2007-08-30T10:51:00.001-04:00

Shields US Nationals - August 15-18, 2007
Newport, RI - Photo credit: Amory Ross

Headed Down East

2007-08-30T10:04:00.001-04:00

I have the pleasure of leaving for coastal Maine after work today...we'll spend the holiday weekend in Boothbay Harbor (Hahhhbahh) with a close friend and his family. Labor Day marks the beginning of my favorite sailing season in the Northeast U.S. If you're lucky you're still day sailing well into October until, at some inevitable point, the chill winds blow you back down the hatch for another long winter. I know, I know Tillerman...there is always frostbiting but not all of us are cut from that cloth.

But the cold dark winter seems a way off on this bright, late summer morning...with the promise of Maine just past a few more emails in my inbox. Maine and I have a history. It will be, for example, nearly 20 years this August since I participated in a 26-day Outward Bound course out of Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay. We - the young men and woman of HIOBS August 1988 - didn't spend a whole lot of time on Hurricane...encouraged instead by our instructors to plan and provision several lengthy cruising excursions in classic, Pete Willauer-designed open wooden pulling boats. I grew up sailing on Lasers and the like but I trace the genesis of my passion for cruising and living aboard sailing boats to that challenging, invigorating, Maine-soaked summer month when I was lad of 18...so many years ago.

If you have a few minutes click on the Outward Bound link and read about the Hurricane Island program. It's a gem. Have a tremendous holiday all!

Ah yes, The Hedge Fund Regatta

2007-08-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

How about that late Saturday night post below...a vintage poster from a far away time when our government took it upon itself to warn its sailors to beware the clap (with which you can't beat the Axis). Ah, those innocent days. And yes Carole Ann...she does look somewhat like the Mona Lisa...which raises all sorts of other questions.

The New Yorker - ever erudite - rarely covers sailing. But in the September 3 issue under the "Capitalism Department" there's a write-up on the "Hedge Fund Regatta." Hedge funds seem to be suffering by the hour these days...at least in the press. But their managers have still found time to show off yacht-style at their own little sailing get together based out of a marina in Battery Park City..convenient, of course, to Wall Street. As for rational...look no further than the below quote. In fact, you may want to look no further than the end of this sentence if you sicken easily.

Dalton, who learned to sail as a boy at the Jersey Shore, said that many of his hedge-fund clients were handy with a mainsheet. “Sailing a boat is very competitive, and obviously managing money is all about competition and performance,” he said. “And it takes a lot of money to have a big boat.”

2007-08-25T23:12:00.001-04:00

The Rich, Revving Rednecker & Other Stinkpot Dangers

2007-08-21T14:10:00.000-04:00

Lonnie has a heeeeeelarious post up on his blog RE the species of boater affectionately known as the "stinkpotter." He lists several sub-species with a fine degree of accuracy...and even includes "how to deal" guidelines. Kudos Bruner...you made my day!

An Excerpt....
Nothing spoils your day like having one of these fuckbags anchor within 200 yards. The Rich, Revving Rednecker and his loud fiberglass dick will deafen you and your crew and choke your guts out with black exhaust. It's so loud I can almost hear the noise coming out of the above image.

The Rich, Revving Rednecker must have a penis that's so small that it inverts back into itself.

How to Deal with Them: Never wave. Brace yourself because they think the fastest boat has right-of-way (one of them actually told me that once). A middle finger may be necessary during daytime; if at night, consider pooping on their deck.

Way Out of the Mainstream

2007-08-17T15:04:00.000-04:00

Naturally I could close out the week with a post about the Fastnet...or any number of stories percolating in the sailing world. But one of the things I really enjoy doing with this space is finding unusual bits that might not make it to mainstream sailing press. True to form I've uncovered such a story (in the Scotsman) but before elaborating...a word about an upcoming story in the very traditional mainstream sailing press, SAIL Magazine. In the October issue SAIL will be covering the sailing scene in Second Life...SL being the three -dimensional online virtual world that - while still in technology infancy - is making a very big impression. No specifics on the October story but I am very excited to see what SAIL does with the topic. There's a large community of sailors from all over the world who congregate, visit with one another and virtually race sailing dinghy's and yachts in the Second Life world..while that may indeed sound strange to many of you...it's my fervent belief that virtual communities will play a very large role in how we connect with one another in the times to come. The sailing enthusiasts who are taking part through the early iterations of the technology are true pioneers...and the editors of SAIL Magazine are smart enough to see the implications.

Anyway...

The Scotsman carries news of a voyage designed to recreate the harsh conditions aboard the marauding Viking ships in the North Sea. The crew set sail from Roskilde on July 1 using oar and sail power, journeying more than 1,000 nautical miles and aiming to shed light on Viking ship-building and travel. Crafted from the wood of 300 oak trees, the 100ft long Sea Stallion is the world's largest reconstructed Viking vessel, its builders say.

A Digression

2007-08-14T11:57:00.000-04:00

They say that you are all alone in this world, truly. That before you die images of your life blink past your eyes until there is nothing. Or there is God. Or there is whatever you believe in.

They say that there is someone for everyone. Never go to bed angry. You reap what you sow. We only have one life to live. Rainy days are good for love. There is safety in numbers.

No word on how to learn to smile again. Or how to throw out her toothbrush. What cliché instructs on how not to wake trembling in a cold sweat at 3:00 AM with the sheets in a pile on the floor? Or how to stop at one drink? Nothing about chasing the dog’s ball under the bed and there is her slipper, nested with dust alongside a wadded up ball of tissue paper. He lay for a long time staring and breathing in dust and coughing until his eyes ran. Left the ball and took the slipper. The dog seemed to understand.

They did say that life is for the living. But Keane wondered if that was always so.

Their garden overlooked the Pacific Ocean, a tangled mass of vines and blooms choking and spilling over the cliff, the steady sound of waves breaking on the rocks below. In the center was three hundred square feet of well-trimmed lawn with two weathered Adirondack chairs facing the water. He favored the Alexander Girault ramblers, dark pink ruffled blossoms and a white center. Blush Noisette’s grew unchecked along the border and over the fences, their dusky scent mixing companionably with the ocean air. Shrub-like Rambling Rector’s with semi-double blooms, the apricot and copper blossoms of the Leontine Grevais, the climbing Lemarques wafted tea-lemon when warmed, large, pale clusters of yellow Emily Gray’s, robust La Perle’s, sun-faded Gardenia roses. A few bushes had come with the house but Aimee planted most when they’d first moved in and he kept them up now, not orderly but well tended. She’d carefully taught him their names and peculiarities and how they liked to be cared for.

When the fog came in they often sat for hours in the Adirondack chairs. They liked it when the vast ocean panorama was reduced to the small, windswept rose garden, blossoms flashing and disappearing as mist spun through the bushes like cotton candy. The rhythmic moan of a foghorn.

He was standing along the slatted wooden fence that separated the garden from the cliff and trimming the Alexander Girault when the sprinklers came on with a whir and began the steady whap tack whap tack, spurting water across the garden. He stood as a jet stitched across his chest. It was windy and bright and as the stream swept off the garden to the ocean, the breeze blew back a mist that sparkled in the sun. Moving to avoid the next jet, he tripped over the dog. As he fell he threw his hands up and the right one met the grass first. The weight of his body followed and his left arm hit the rake solidly, driving two of the five spikes deep into his forearm. He yelped and grabbing the handle with his free right hand, wrenched his arm from the rake and swung to his feet almost in one, continuous motion. Without thinking he aimed a kick at the dog’s head and missed, caught him square in the hip. The dog sang out, one hard bark and scrambled away and he lost his footing again and fell, blood from his arm laying a perfect crimson trail across a bed of white Penelope roses.

The sprinkler sent a stream tapping across his face and despite the pain it was good, refreshing and down low on the grass the wind wasn’t blowing but he still felt the heat of the sun. The earth smelled of moisture and rich soil and something flat that must have been the fertilizer. For a moment he felt nothing then his arm began to throb. Stripping off his t-shirt, he wrapped it around the wounds and sat up. He was dizzy from the way it had happened so fast. The ache from his arm shot up through his chest and made him feel a little queasy in his stomach. He used his good arm to pull himself up on his feet and kicking the rake aside, began to walk towards the house to wash and dress the wounds. The sprinkler marched steadily across his bare back and just as he elbowed open the gate he heard far off barking trailing to a whimper.

The dog had gone through the gate that faced the ocean. The gate opened to a narrow strip of land that formed the cliff and gave way to a steep slope that ended in rocks and ocean below. There was no sign of the dog. He heard him barking again and then the roar of a wave sweeping in against the rocks.

“Ah hell,” he said, and walked back across the lawn through the sprinkler and peered over the cliff. The dog had gone over, sure enough. Keane could see him down on the ledge, maybe 60 feet below, body pressed against the rock slope in anticipation of another wave. He appeared unharmed though his situation was precarious.

2007-08-10T15:58:00.001-04:00

TP 52 26th Copa del Rey - July 30-August 4, 2007
Palma de Mallorca, Spain (Photo credit: Max Ranchi)

183 Slabs of Cocaine in the Bilge

2007-08-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

Whoaaa you think you have troubles when the Coast Guard boards and fines you for pumping your poop into the drink. Get a load of this poor chap!

Take one down...pass it around...182 slabs of cocaine in the bilge!

Forget the house -- you can live on your boat

2007-08-07T17:13:00.000-04:00

Baby boomers in a market for a second vacation home or considering downsizing...take a read here in Sunday's Maine Telegram. "Betsy and Nat Warren-White, both 57, are living a life most of us only dream of or read about in the pages of a glossy travel magazine."

Only it's a lot safer and drier in the pages of a glossy travel magazine. Never mind. Here we have a boomer couple eschewing the golf course in favor of 20-foot swells offshore (and wicked ocean sunsets). Next time you slip off the sail cover for a weekend jaunt consider this itinerary...

"OUR VISION for the 'Voyage of Bahati' is to spend the next three years winding our way from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, down to the Galapagos Islands, across the Pacific to the Marquesas, Cook, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Tuamotu and other South Sea islands, then crossing down to New Zealand, Australia and up along the Great Barrier Reef and into Southeast Asia, including Bali and Thailand.

FROM THERE we plan to find our way west and south again across the Indian Ocean and on down to the Cape of Good Hope with a visit to Bahati's port-of-birth in Durban, South Africa. We'll then head for home again, crossing the Atlantic and touching in along the eastern shores of South America, back up through the Caribbean, and, eventually, with an additional measure of luck and good fortune find our way home to Maine again."

Rockville Regatta Redux ( a pending disaster?)

2007-08-01T14:31:00.000-04:00

After more than two years of writing this blog I've noticed that certain posts get picked up nearly on a daily basis. And many of these "repeat offenders" get comented upon months (even years) later. One of the most prominent of these is a series of posts I've done on the annual "Rockville Regatta" held in low country coastal South Carolina. You can go back and read the posts for more detail on the event - billed as NASCAR meets Wimbledon - but the topic of today is not so much the regatta as the tenor of the comment that came in yesterday. Here it is below in light blue pen...in this case "Emily" is a woman who commented previously discussing how much she enjoyed the Rockville event and what a fine tradition it was in low country sailing.

I've known Emily since she was a sprout and where ever she would be there would be fun. She is just one of those wonderful, good people. But the Regatta is known also as one of the greatest disasters waiting to happen on the water. The amount of booze consumed is staggering. The number of total idiots, drunk ones, on anything that floats is frightening. The overloaded water craft some with mere inches of free board abound. Amid this flotilla of madness a boat race is attempted. It will all come to an end one day when there is a large disaster and young people are drowned. Perhaps one day it will return to a series of boat races rather than a floating drunk-fest. Its no safer ashore. The small road to Rockville is a death trap on that weekend.
Like so many things that once, when life was simpler, the Regatta was great fun. Now its an excuse for bad behavior, dangerous behavior, drunken behavior buy hoards of people who wouldn't know a Sea Island Scow from the Queen Mary. I won't take my boat near the place.

I have to give this reader credit. Given that many people view this event as a throw down, party to hell and back kind of occasion the note of caution is refreshing...and potentially prescient. It certainly sounds as if there is ample reason to be concerned.

From a larger perspective it's an interesting topic. The number of sailing events that have cascaded in a possibly dangerous way past their original intent are legion, I can think of three or four just off the top of my head!

2007-07-31T17:00:00.001-04:00

Swan American Regatta - July 15-20, 2007
Newport, RI (Photo credit Daniel Forster)

Talking Turkey

2007-07-31T13:47:00.000-04:00

We all have dream sailing destinations that we know deep down, were we to have the pleasure of experiencing them, would meet our every expectation without fail. Of course one sailing ground is more or less like another in so much as elements of risk and challenge remain a part of the sailing environment no matter where you are. Sure the shoals are not as rocky in the B.V.I. compared to Down East Maine. Certainly the Chesapeake Bay in the summertime sees decidedly less steady wind than Rhode Island's Narragansett. But we all know that an anchor can drag no matter where you are... Regardless, I'm dedicated to my dream of one day sailing the Turkish coastline. Any of you who may share this fantasy than here's a story that will send you. Enjoy!

Up the Tred Avon River (a lesson)

2007-07-27T13:52:00.001-04:00

We had an amazing summer sail on the Chesapeake Bay this past Saturday - we being my father, myself and my five year old son (above). We were on Dad's 46' Morris sloop, which was being hauled the following Monday for maintenance, and exceedingly blessed with wind, blue skies and moderate, humidity-free temperatures. Not a typical mid-summer day on the Bay. Beyond the delight I had in the all too rare experience of being under sail on a perfect day...I came off the water profoundly grateful to have been able to share such a pleasant time with two of the most important people in my life. Our family is not given to platitudes, but for a few short hours the world was my father and my son and a steady breeze. Three generations of us short tacking together up the Tred Avon River.

I know that my son fathomed - in his own way - the special quality of our time together that afternoon because of something that happened later, after the sail. When we picked the mooring back up I let him know that I'd take him to the dock and then come back in the dinghy for "Big Dad" as he calls his Grandfather, who was busily putting the yacht to right. I dropped the boy off and told him to go find his Mother then joined Dad back on the boat to help as I could. Back at the house the boy asked why we'd taken so long to come off the boat.

"I was helping your Granddad put the Red Admiral to bed," I said. Instantly his jaw set and he angrily stomped into the other room. I followed. "What's wrong?"

"Dad," he said, trying to hold the anger but now on the edge of tears. "That's not fair. I wanted to help too. Why did you drop me off and go back without me?"

"I'm sorry," I said, understanding. It had been the three of us together on the water and it should have been the three of us coming off of it. He knew, perhaps instinctively, that you don't give something like that up before you absolutely have to.

And I knew, with the perspective of accumulated years, that when we were no longer able to spend time together in this way, I'd be thankful my son had taught me this lesson.

Inside the High-Tech Hunt for a Missing Silicon Valley Legend

2007-07-25T13:06:00.000-04:00

You may remember the tale of Microsoft researcher & computing legend Jim Gray...whose MIA status after leaving for a day sail off San Francisco in his red 40-foot sloop Tenacious spurred Silicon Valley luminaries and fellow techies to mount an inexhaustible search. Theories abounded. He split for old Mexico. A rogue wave swamped the boat and took it down. He had a heart attack and drifted unconscious or dead into the fierce currents that sweep the often treacherous Pacific Ocean. No matter the speculation or the swelling cast of high-tech elite scouring the waters...Gray was gone and not a trace could anyone find.

If you have twenty or so minutes, WIRED Magazine has published an in-depth look at the incident and it's a great read from the perspective of how high technology can be applied to an ocean search that, despite it's breadth and assistance from..."some of the best minds in science and technology, among them Amazon.com chief technologist Werner Vogels and top executives at Microsoft and Oracle, including Bill Gates and Larry Ellison..." has been utterly fruitless to date.

2007-07-23T13:17:00.001-04:00

A blustery day in Oxford Harbor
Saturday, July 21, Oxford, MD

Carleton Mitchell Dies at 96

2007-07-23T13:11:00.000-04:00

Carleton Mitchell died last Monday at the ripe old age of 96 - below is the NYT obit in its entirety. Those of you who are offshore sailors and have not read Mitchell order a copy of "Passage East" and give it a read...

In “Passage East,” Mr. Mitchell wrote about the mind-set of ocean racers:

“Here we are, nine men, driving a fragile complex of wood, metal and cloth through driving rain and building sea, a thousand miles from the nearest harbor; no one to see or admire or applaud; no one to help if our temerity ends in disaster. We are driven by our own compulsions, each personal and secret, so nebulous we probably could not express them to our mates if we tried. But in our own way, we are about as dedicated as it is possible for men to be.”

------------------------------------------------------

Carleton Mitchell, 96, Sailor Who Wrote About Yachting, Is Dead

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Carleton Mitchell, who won the prestigious Newport Bermuda Race a record three consecutive times, and chronicled the joys and challenges of sailing in his books, magazine articles and photographs, died Monday at his home in Key Biscayne, Fla. He was 96.

His death was announced by John Rousmaniere, a family friend and a writer on sailing.

In the early Depression years, Mr. Mitchell was working at Macy’s in Manhattan, a dropout from Miami University of Ohio who was collecting rejection slips for Western novels. He had sailed as a youngster on Lake Pontchartrain, and he vowed to pursue his dream to be a sailor.

With a $500 stake from his mother, he got a job as a stevedore in Miami. He later worked as a photographer in the Bahamas, taught combat photography in the Navy during World War II, then turned to sailing and writing.

Mr. Mitchell sailed through the Caribbean in 1946, and, at a time when it was only lightly visited, wrote of his experiences in “Islands to Windward” (1948). After competing in a trans-Atlantic race, he wrote on ocean racing in “Passage East” (1953). C. B. Palmer wrote in The New York Times Book Review that Mr. Mitchell’s photographs in that book were “among the most moving ever made of that beautiful object, a vessel under sail.”

Mr. Mitchell reveled in the approach to life that sailing provided.

“No 20th-century man can really escape, but a boat gives a man the opportunity to get away from the turmoil and into direct contact with nature,” he told Gay Talese of The New York Times in 1958, after he won the Miami-to-Nassau yacht race. “Somehow the detached life on the sea gives me the ability to think. It’s a life of action, yet contemplation.”

Mr. Mitchell was best known as a competitor for his victories in 1956, ’58 and ’60 in the 635-mile race from Newport to Bermuda, winning in his 38-foot yawl Finisterre.

“His innovation, with the assistance of yacht designers, was to be able to make a wide boat competitive in racing as well as roomy for cruising; that was the real insight,” said Mr. Rousmaniere, the author of “A Berth to Bermuda” (2006), a history of the Newport Bermuda Race.

Between the 1950s and 1970s, one of the most popular and successful boat models was known as the Finisterre-type yawl, Mr. Rousmaniere said. Mr. Mitchell’s 1960 victory in the Newport Bermuda Race was his last major competition.

He is survived by his second wife, Ruth. His first wife, Elizabeth, predeceased him.

In “Passage East,” Mr. Mitchell wrote about the mind-set of ocean racers:

A Real Life Offshore Primer

2007-07-18T15:38:00.000-04:00

This past spring saw several rescues and disasters-at-sea off this coast of North Carolina...for a refresher you can read in the Zephyr archive here and here. If you have a few minutes take a close look at this posting in the Kittyhawk Free Press - it recounts in detail the blow-by-blow of experienced transatlantic sailor Jean Pierre DeLutz's struggle to weather high seas and a sustained 75 knot wind about 200 nautical miles off the coast. He and his two crew were rescued by the Coast Guard. His beloved yacht, the Sean Seamour II, sunk.

The account should be a must read primer for any sailor making an offshore or coastal passage...whether an old or new salt. Though Jean Pierre did all he could to deal with the situation in a measured and deliberate way...a series of unlucky events combined with exhaustion and the unrelenting weather resulted in the decision to abandon ship. Kudos to Jean Pierre for sharing his ordeal with the sailing community in such excruciating detail.

Heads Up: CBS AC Special Airing Tommorow

2007-07-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

CBS will broadcast a one hour highlight show of the America’s Cup on CBS Sports Spectacular called, America’s Cup, A Sailor’s Story. The show will air this Saturday, July 14th, 2007, from 2-3:00 PM.

2007-07-10T17:42:00.001-04:00

Swan 45 Gold Cup - July 2-8, 2007
Cowes, England (Photo credit: Ingrid Abery)

Setting Sail on a Sea of Sales

2007-07-10T17:30:00.000-04:00

Anyone in the market for a sailboat would do well to review Eric Sorensen's' article published this past June, "Setting Sail on a Sea of Sales." Eric reads Zephyr once in awhile and drew my attention to his article in a comment...he ended up with a Yankee Dolphin 24, "...small but fit for travel, with a great four-stroke engine, teak trim and a seaworthy Sparkman & Stephens design." And he learned a few things along the way that will stand any yacht shopper in good stead.

On another note sorry for the dearth of posts lately. I'm on a summer schedule which means more time outside (on the water) and less in front of the computer. Hopefully you will relate and stick with me ;-)

Back on Board

2007-07-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've been on a bit of a summer holiday break from the blog...spent some time down on the Chesapeake with the family (see below pictures) and enjoyed some terrific cool and sunny weather that reminded me more of New England than Maryland in July. We managed to get some sailing on the Laser in under a gorgeous 15 knots (yeah Tillerman) and as well attended the Friday night "Sails and Ales" at the T.A.Y.C. where we had the pleasure of watching a number of Shields Class one design sloops move about the buoys....see a shot of one in the photo group below. The boats are absolutely breathtaking under sail!

As per WikiPedia...In 1963 Cornelius Shields, one of the foremost proponents of one-design sailing in the U.S. conceived of a modern follow up to the International One Design. The new boat would have the balance and beauty of the IOD while incorporating modern trends such as fiberglass construction. Shields commissioned none other than Olin Stephens for the design. Over 250 have been built and many are actively raced in fleets around the U.S. Shields are sloop-rigged and usually sailed by a crew of three to five. No hiking straps are allowed, keeping athletic demands on the crew to a minimum.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2007-07-03T11:15:00.001-04:00

Oh, How Times Have Changed

2007-06-27T15:55:00.000-04:00

Continuing in the AC vein - if not this week then when? - here is a link to a terrific June 23 NYT article about the Cup in historical context. The story notes quite accurately that the battle being fought in Spain this week bears little resemblance to the inaugural race contested off the Isle of Wight in 1851...the "America" he refers to was the Schooner America, the campaign yacht for a syndicate headed by American John Cox Stevens...and the winner of the One Hundred Guinea Cup, August 22nd 1851, defeating 14 British yachts in a fleet race organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron.

"That regatta, known as the Hundred Guinea Cup, was a fleet race around the island in sturdy yachts made of hardwoods, iron and copper that often featured staterooms below decks and carried plenty of wine and provisions. It took nearly 11 hours for America to complete the 50-mile journey and win. Other yachts in the fleet did not finish until the next morning or did not finish at all."

After all this was well over a 100 years ago and the AC ain't the only victim of the times. In the next graph the journalist gives us the modern day synopsis.

"The America’s Cup in Valencia is a best-of-nine match-racing series around buoys in carbon-fiber yachts where lightness is king everywhere except for the bottom of the keel and where the wine remains on shore unless it is being poured on someone’s head in celebration. Winning a race can take less than two hours, but winning the Cup has become a four-year process or more, complete with regattas, sponsorship obligations and television cameras on board."

2007-06-26T14:58:00.001-04:00

Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week XXII
June 17-22, 2007 - Block Island, RI
(Photo credit Amory Ross)

WATCH RACE 3!!

2007-06-26T14:54:00.000-04:00

I haven't written much about the AC...having decided to leave that to more luminous pundits. But I do recommend that you follow the advice posted below...courtesy of Scuttlebutt.

WATCH RACE 3
(Valencia, Spain) Race 3 on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 of the 32nd America’s Cup
between defender Alinghi and challenger Emirates Team New Zealand will be
much discussed for years, and was one heck of a ride to watch. We won’t say
who won, but we strongly suggest you find a way to watch either the Versus
replay (in the US at 6-8pm ET), or access some of the online options. Here
are your choices:

Typed play-by-play (free): http://www.tackbytack.com
Animation (subscription): http://www.americascupanywhere.com/us/
Television (Versus): http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/shows/#6

Complete story distributed tonight in the Wednesday issue of Scuttlebutt.

Ocean Wanderers

2007-06-20T17:26:00.001-04:00

Sailing and the broadcast medium haven't had the best track record - not to say that big events like the America's Cup aren't covered...they are. And not to say there haven’t been movies about sailing (Captain Ron). There have. But there is dearth of good, solid broadcast programming…and I’m not talking about the fringe element of the sport but about general public access. If you agree with me then take note of this program on the “Fine Living” television network – an example of an exception to the general rule. Called “Ocean Wanderers” it documents Tony and Arien Knight who kick off the eight episode series by selling all their belongings, buying a boat (the Ocean Wanderer), grabbing their two young children and spending the next five years circumnavigating the globe.

Unfortunately the series ran in 2006 and has not been re-aired…proving my original point (also Fine Living TV isn’t exactly mainstream).

Ocean Wanderers
Ocean Wanderer on FINE LIVING is the chronicle of the Knight family's amazing voyage of exploration of the planet and themselves. Come along for the journey of a lifetime as Tony, Arien and their two children set out to realize a rare personal dream by taking five years out of their lives to sail around the world. Watch as the Knight family grows, both in size and in spirit, and weathers self-doubt, squalls, storms, pirates, injury, and everything else the Seven Seas can throw at them.

A Morning Light Update

2007-06-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

I wrote about Roy Disney's Tranpac program Morning Light some time ago - but to recap it's an effort to field "the youngest crew ever to sail the Transpac..." with plans to chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 throughout the 2007 race for the eventual release of a full-length feature documentary film.

The SoCal Boating Log ran an article the other day on the teams practice run at the Hoag Regatta - held at the Balboa Yacht Club in Newport, CA. The Transpac begins shortly (July 9) and the Morning Light crew, coming off many months of hardcore training, are airing race their youthful moves around the buoys.

Morning Light's Transpac crewmembers are: Wilmot; Van Os; Chris Branning, 21, Saratosa, FL; Graham Brant-Zawadzki, 22, Newport Beach, CA; Charlie Enright, 22, Bristol, RI; Jesse Fielding, 20, North Kingston, RI; Robbie Kane, 22, Fairfield, CT; Chris Schubert, 22, Rye, NY; Mark Towill, 18, Kahalu'u, HI; Genny Tulloch, 22, Houston TX; and Chris Welch, 19, Grosse Pointe, MI.

South

2007-06-16T15:48:00.001-04:00

News on the Zephyr family front...as soon as we can sell our house we're moving south to Richmond, VA from the NYC tristate area. A number of reasons, including being closer to extended family, the reduced cost of living and the opportunity to work "remotely" for the same NY salary...have made the timing right. The question is, where to sail? Richmond is a lovely town and blessed with many beautiful neighborhoods of distinction and grace. But it's on a "rivah" not an ocean or a bay. Luckily a sixty minute drive to the west takes you to the "Tidewater" and access to the Virginia side of the Chesapeake Bay. Clubs like the Fishing Bay YC in Deltaville and assorted outposts in Urbanna (home of Virginia's official oyster festival) run active fleets. Zephyr...which is less a regional blog and more a catch all for sailing culture will continue true to this focus...albeit authored from more southern latitudes.

If Wanderlust Strikes, Their House Goes, Too

2007-06-13T16:44:00.000-04:00

If you didn't pick this up there was a very interesting article in the New York Times that ran in the "Habitats" section a few weeks back about a young 20-something couple and their experiences living aboard a 44-foot sloop, the Sarabande, docked at a marina in New Jersey. They both commute to jobs in Manhattan, crossing the river by PATH train or water taxi.

It has to mark a milestone of sorts...the NYT Real Estate section is mostly concerned with the ever rising cost of homes in the area, neighborhood profiling and general housing trends. I've never seen coverage of something as esoteric as boaties...but the price of shelter is very dear here. I suppose it was just a matter of time before the paper recognized that live aboard communities are a part of the landscape. Most New Yorkers who might occasionally find themselves near a marina might be peripherally aware of a sort of an upscale floating mobile home park...populated by would be voyagers and dreamers. But Brian Nisbett and Alicia Collins of the good yacht Sarabande are decidedly in the minority. Good for them and kudos to the Times for uncovering and giving strong treatment to a terrific story.

Good Sleeping Weather

2007-06-11T16:34:00.001-04:00

We had a solid camping trip this past weekend in Rhode Island...arriving on Conanicut Island after a two and a half hour drive up 95 through dismal rain storms we found the camp site damp and cloudy...but the showers passing to the north. We pitched the tents and the kids had a blast exploring the rocky beaches, uncovering starfish and crabs while the grown-ups caught up over fireside Dark n Stormy's. By the time we turned in around midnight, stars were peeking through the clouds and a cool, steady easterly had developed. Good sleeping weather!

The following morning (Sunday) we struck camp and took the bridge into Newport. Attractions included taking the kids to see one of my favorite places, the I.Y.R.S., and then a romp around Ft. Adams with a stop at the Museum of Yachting and a scenic drive for good measure (my five year-old, "...what's scenic mean Dad?" me, "look out the window, kid") around Brenton Point.

Unfortunately the NYYC moved the Sunday start way out to the ocean for the race so we didn't get the chance to view up close but thank you Tillerman, we pointed the kids to the Optis battling under the Pell Bridge (see above photos).

Conanicut Bound...

2007-06-08T16:02:00.000-04:00

I'm taking my five-year-old son up to Newport, RI tomorrow for an early summer camping trip...we'll set the tent up on nearby Conanicut island at Fort Getty - overlooking the West Passage of Narragansett Bay. On Sunday we'll be at Fort Adams early to watch the day three start of the annual Rolex-sponsored NYYC Regatta. I'll bring my camera so stay tuned for the shots. Have a great weekend!

The Star of India

2007-06-06T15:26:00.000-04:00

I spent about an hour the other day wandering above and below decks on the Star of India - the world's oldest active ship docked in downtown San Diego at the San Diego Maritime Museum. It was a near religious experience...the weight of her history whispered to me from every corner and I came away deeply gratified that the Museum and its generous benefactors had seen fit to restore and maintain such a seafaring legend.

A bit of her background below...you can find much more here.

She began her life on the stocks at Ramsey Shipyard in the Isle of Man in 1863. Iron ships were experiments of sorts then, with most vessels still being built of wood. Within five months of laying her keel, the ship was launched into her element. She bore the name Euterpe - after the Greek goddess of music - and was renamed the Star of India by her owners int he early 1900's.

Euterpe was a full-rigged ship and would remain so until 1901, when the Alaska Packers Association rigged her down to a barque, her present rig. She began her sailing life with two near-disastrous voyages to India. On her first trip she suffered a collision and a mutiny. On her second trip, a cyclone caught Euterpe in the Bay of Bengal, and with her topmasts cut away, she barely made port. Shortly afterward, her first captain died on board and was buried at sea.

Maritime Museum of San Diego (Week)

2007-06-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

I am declaring annual Maritime Museum of San Diego week on Zephyr (Sail). I never made it to the world famous SDYC but I did spend two hours this afternoon wandering over the five or so classic yachts that comprise the museum...and I'll be writing about them all through the week. First on the list is the (above photo) Californian...built from the ground up in 1984 at Spanish Landing in San Diego Bay. She was launched with great fanfare for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In July 2003, the governor signed a bill into law designating the Californian as the official tall ship of the State of California. She is the only ship to carry this title.

The Californian is a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence, that patrolled the coast of California enforcing federal law during the gold rush. The Revenue Cutter Service, along with four other federal maritime agencies, was consolidated into the United States
Coast Guard in 1915.

Designed for speed, Californian has nine sails, carries 7,000 square feet of canvas, measures 145 feet in length, weighs 130 tons and is armed with four six-pound deck guns. She casts a distinctive and instantly recognizable silhouette and has become one of the most well known tall ships in America.

San Diego

2007-06-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

Heading out to San Diego for business tomorrow Let's see if I can get the chance to slip away to the SDYC.

The Royal Yacht

2007-05-31T14:53:00.000-04:00

Continuing in the classic yacht vein - here is a story in the Daily Mail about the restoration of Bloodhound, a famous 63' Camper and Nicholson yacht built in 1936 for American Ike Bell, who won several important races in her, including the 1939 Fastnet race.

She became Prince Phillip's yacht in the 1960's (above photo Prince Philip and Princess Anne with a crew member aboard Bloodhound in 1964) and he campaigned her successfully for many years until selling her in 1969. According to the article the yacht is legendary in sailing circles because of her speed...and was the most successful in her class right up until the late 1960s because of the number of races she won.

She's been restored to her former glamor and up on the block for roughly $3 million. God Bless the Queen!

Launching a Chesapeake Classic

2007-05-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

I've been absent for several days - time off over the holiday weekend to visit my parents down on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The wind was light so not much sailing to speak of but I did attend the momentous launching of a classic Chesapeake Bugeye on Saturday at the waterfront estate of one Sydney Dixon. Built by Dixon and John Hawkinson using traditional tools and craftsmanship from native white oak and Osage orange wood stock - the boat is 44 feet on deck with an additional 15 feet of bowsprit. Dixon has christened her the "Katherine M. Edwards" after his Aunt May...reportedly a woman of strong character with a love for classic sailing craft.

If you're wondering a "Bugeye" is a two masted working sailing vessel once used for dredging oysters...they owe their ancestry to the classic Chesapeake Bay log canoe.

Finally...we were treated to a brief Civil War reenactment as part of the launch. Mr. Dixon certainly knows how to launch a classic sailing boat in style.

The America's Cup Goes Virtual in Second Life

2007-05-23T10:57:00.001-04:00

I haven't written about sailing and the virtual world Second Life much lately but I still go on (as avatar Lex Lian) and take the occasional virtual sail in the always perfectly placid waterways of SL. But recent news of the America's Cup being extended into Second Life prompted today's post...the photos above are of the not yet released ACA32 Racer. The dots in the cockpit are "poseballs" that allow the crew to get into position (mast, trim, grinding, bow, etc) and in the first shot you can see me posing up the mast. Needless to say the design and script work (code that makes the boats sail) have been developed by some of Second Life's preeminent sailors and virtual yacht architects. There is a virtual regatta planned using widely available dinghy's (called Takos) and the final eight winners of this regatta will match race the ACA32 Racers.

But that's not all! Alcatel-Lucent, the official new media provider for the 32nd America's Cup, has extended its new media coverage of the event to the virtual world. As part of its America's Cup Anywhere program a "New Media Agency" called 9th.com has been contracted to build a virtual presence named Port AmericasCupAnywhere in order to bring the 32nd America's Cup to Second Life.

I'll venture to say that despite the fact that virtual worlds are far from mainstream, we are seeing history made here...and the advent of a whole new way for fans to learn, experience and even virtually participate in a major international sports event.

Port AmericasCupAnywhere launches in Second Life this Friday, May 25. Some of the highlights available in-world to Second Life residents and sailing fans are listed below.

· 3D animation of live races with audio commentaries
· Video highlights at the end of each race day
· America's Cup Anywhere (ACA) videos presenting the Alcatel-Lucent products developed for the 32nd America's Cup, within the Alcatel-Lucent Executive Briefing Centre
· VIP Parties with renowned DJ
· Aquatic sports and ACA-SL Cup with a lot of prizes to win

Back On the Horse

2007-05-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

In the last post I wrote about a longtime voyager who is hanging up his "solo" hat...and no one would argue that he hasn't earned the right to do so. In a similar vein here is a piece that appeared recently out of South Africa about a couple of sailors who, despite getting fairly well beat up in the Southern Ocean, seem eager to get back in the mix. It brings to mind the old adage of,"...get right back on the horse" though given their experience one could certainly understand if they'd opted not to.

I'm intrigued by how people overcome and deal with the element of fear that ocean going in small sailing craft involves. There is the fear of the unknown, of course. Anything could happen. There is the fear of losing control. Certainly if you need a lesson on not being in control go sailing on the ocean. And then there is the pure adrenaline-charged fear that the immensity and power of the environment will often deliver directly. I'd put the guys in the story squarely in this camp...they were apparently battered by immense rogue waves.

But despite it all many of us get right back on the horse. Are we crazy or just looking for something that we can't get in our ordinary lives? Maybe a bit of both.

I would not have missed it but...

2007-05-18T21:59:00.000-04:00

The BBC ran a story last Saturday on the "hero's return" of Sir Robin Knox Johnston - he finished the Velux 5 Oceans solo race in 4th place...at the tender age of 68. Sir Robin has a long history of ocean voyaging so he must have known intimately what he was signing on for. But I truly appreciate his reaction captured in the quote, "I would not have missed it, but I will not do it solo again." How many of us have felt that way after a tough offshore passage or a hiking trip gone bad or even a trip to the local West Marine to snare a part for the dinghy?

According to the BBC an 11-gun salute from Royal Yacht Squadron greeted him as he sailed past Cowes on the Isle of Wight on Saturday. His daughter Sara and five grandchildren were among those who welcomed him home.

Hell breaks loose on the Atlantic

2007-05-16T14:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a terrific story in Soundings Magazine about events surrounding the recent (May 5) storm off of North Carolina that I referenced in my Monday post. Lt. Cdr. Daniel Molthen was the pilot of the USCG helicopter launched a little after 6:30 Monday morning to rescue the crew of one of the distressed yachts, Seaker - which was being battered in shoal waters close to the coast. Sounding provides a link to video (Quicktime plug in needed) testimonials from Molthen and other rescuers...with actual footage from the event!

“We finally found them, and they were pretty much … getting pummeled by these 30- to 40-foot waves,” Molthen says. The three sailors were inside the boat — a 70-year-old couple and their 45-year-old daughter, he says. “I got right on top of them, and finally the guy poked his head out, and we finally got radio contact with them again. We told them to wait for [the] swimmer to get near.”

Apologies for posting on two similar topics in a row but this was just too good to pass us. Besides, anything for a break from the relentless AC coverage.

2007-05-14T13:34:00.000-04:00

Fullpower Melges 24 World Championship
May 8-12, 2007 - Santa Cruz, CA
(Photo credit: Sharon Green)

Bad Weather off Hatteras

2007-05-14T13:19:00.000-04:00

A reader wrote in last week commenting on my parents arriving safely home from their voyage down south and mentioned the sad tale of Jason Franks & crew aboard the S/V Flying Colours. If you're on the east coast U.S. and keep up on sailing news you may have heard that last week saw a horrific storm off Cape Hatteras...with reported seas up to and above 40 feet and winds gusting above 40 mph. There were several rescues by the Coast Guard of cruising sailors on voyages back north from the Caribbean...but Franks and his crew have gone completely missing after issuing a distress call last Monday.

Cape Hatteras - widely known as the graveyard of the Atlantic - has been for centuries one of the most treacherous areas to safely navigate off the northeast coast. I pray that Jason Franks and his crew are found and returned home safely.

The Back Ashore Blues

2007-05-10T15:32:00.000-04:00

My folks have returned to the Chesapeake Bay from an extended sailing trip "down island" aboard their 46' Morris sloop. Though we've not had the chance to visit yet I've had several conversations with them since their return and, while they are generally glad to be home and greatly enjoyed the sail back (barring a day of 50 knots plus in the Gulfstream), there is a note of wistfulness in their voices that I recognize well from my days as a sailing bum. Let's call it the "back ashore blues" - a feeling that can only be well understood by people who have spent a good slice of time aboard a sailing vessel. There's an intensity to living aboard and being at sea...not in the sense that every waking moment is adrenaline charged - though in a blow it may well be - but rather in terms of a dissolution of the layers that typically separate us from the natural element of the world when we live ashore. I'm talking not just about shelter as in office buildings, homes, restaurants, the gym and the like...but as well about Blackberry's, television, cell phones, automobiles, airports, etc.

When you live and sail aboard a boat the natural world is predominant and the feeling of living so close to it - some would say as we were truly meant to live - heightens the senses and lifts the spirit in the way, perhaps, that a lunchtime break taken from the office and spent in the park during springtime might. But when you're aboard there's no returning to the air-conditioned cubicle...

Given this my parents case of the "back ashore blues" makes all the sense in the world. Lucky that they had a reason to catch them at all!

2007-05-08T15:37:00.000-04:00

2007 Louis Vuitton Cup - Round Robin One
Valencia, Spain (Photo credit: Daniel Forster)

Tillerman's Writing Project

2007-05-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

I don't usually write about other bloggers - which would in part explain my painfully low "authority" rating on technorati - but Tillerman over at Proper Course is off on a tangent and, as a fellow sailing blogger, I feel compelled to direct your attention to his shift in format...a writing contest of sorts designed to bring us sailors together to relate variations on a common thread, namely, "...the worst mistake or most embarrassing moment you had while sailing."

Now most of us don't make mistakes (sarcasm implied) but if you can bear to own up then submit your story to Tillerman and look forward to the results ;-) Should be an entertaining collection of anecdotes...

The Rosenfeld Collection

2007-05-06T21:09:00.000-04:00

We took our son to the Maritime Aquarium today in Norwalk, CT for a fellow five-year olds birthday party. It was a sunny day with a nice breeze - pleasant for early May but might have been a bit chilly out sailing on Long Island Sound. Keeping warm to windward was not our problem today, however. Dodging kids to get a look at the seals, marveling at the playful otters and zoning out to the Jellyfish tank was more our speed. Down past the seal tank, past the Cow Nosed Rays that you could "pet" as the skimmed by in their tank was a boat building workshop. And on the wall across from the boat building workshop were a number of gorgeous black and white prints of yachts under sail from The Rosenfeld Collection. The Rosenfeld Collection - purchased in 1984 by Mystic Seaport Museum - is one of the largest archives of maritime photography in the United States. A collection of nearly one million pieces documents the period from 1881 to the present representing the evolution of photographic technology and development in the maritime industry over the last one hundred years. The collection is built on the inventory of the Morris Rosenfeld & Sons' photographic business, located in New York City from 1910 until the late 1970's.

Light Week

2007-05-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the light week...been in San Francisco on business & flying back to NYC today. I'll catch up tomorrow.

2007-05-01T18:41:00.000-04:00

An example of Nat Herreshoff 's "New York" series of boats designed for the New York Yacht Club - Digital artwork by Bob Bausch

The other finish line in Spain...

2007-05-01T18:30:00.000-04:00

Cheminees Poujoulat has crossed the finish line of the Velux 5 Oceans in Bilbao, Spain - offering us all a welcome break from the flood of news from Valencia - to complete the third and final leg of the race from Norfolk (USA) in 11 days, 23 hours and 53 minutes ago.

After 103 days, 22 hours and 10 minutes at sea, Bernard Stamm of Cheminees Poujoulat won every leg of the race and finished with a lead of more than 14 days on the overall ranking over second place Kojiro Shiraishi. Shiraishi finished the final leg 43 minutes behind Stamm.

Here's a link to the image gallery from the line crossing.

Top Dog

2007-04-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had 1001 visits to my humble blog...upwards of a 70% increase in the daily tally. To what do I owe this sudden popularity? I'd like to say it's because of my brilliant writing but somehow I don't think so. It has everything to do with the last post on Rule 69. Seems my new "pal" Magnus Wheatley is somewhat controversial (see comments). I can't vouch for his character but the heated response and the spike in Zephyr visits attests to the competitive energy around the AC - and the sport of sailing in general. It may be the "modern" era of sailing but the desire to be the top dog is as old as we are...and it ain't going away. Just take a gander at the Sailing Anarchy forums for more of the same.

Rule 69 Blog

2007-04-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

A friend a work tipped me off to a sailing blog called "Rule 69." Its editor, Magnus Wheatley, is posting some terrific coverage of the AC with photos (and advertisements) galore. It's a slick job, no doubt, but someone has to make money from this blogging thing...and given the Magnus bio (see below) we can trust that the commentary is solid. Thank God the wind came up in Valencia!

Magnus Wheatley has been a yachting commentator for the last decade having spent the first ten years of his career in a soul-less office in the City of London as a currency trader. Since jacking in the day job back in 1999 in he has covered two America's Cups, the Athens Olympic Games, multiple Cowes Weeks, numerous World, European and National championships and is one of the most recognized voices in the yachting community.

2007-04-24T22:12:00.000-04:00

S/Y Red Admiral - a 46' Morris - cruising the B.V.I.

Don't Forget Antigua...

2007-04-24T16:42:00.000-04:00

In the sailing news world it's all America's Cup all the time - the hype meter is most assuredly ramped up. But let's not loose sight of the Caribbean spring racing season. Antigua Classic Race Week is in full roar as I write this entry. Follow this link to some spectacular shots from last years competition...it's easy to see why this event is so revered in the sailing world.

Just in the way the mellower (and classier) Jazz Fest follows Mardi Gras - Antigua Classics Week is preceded by the rowdy Antigua Sailing Week - which took place earlier in the month.

S/Y Red Admiral - Homeward Bound

2007-04-20T23:15:00.000-04:00

After six months of cruising in the Caribbean Islands my parents are homeward bound for the Northeast U.S. from the Virgins. As is typical for deliveries this time of year, they've identified a weather window and are enjoying smooth sailing as they make their way north. And, it seems, they are eating well. An update via satellite email follows...

Position: 20/40 N 64/69 W
Course & Speed: 11M 6Kts, Sailing
Progress: Distance traveled since departure: 141NM
Last 24 Hr.: 141NM
Distance to Chesapeake: 1103 NM

WEATHER: Sunny, mild, winds avg 15 Kts from SSW

COMMENTS: Sailing with jib winged out since leaving the Virgins at 1200 Hrs. yesterday. Boat and crew in good spirits! Glad to be underway. Margot served fillet, salad, bread & butter & coffee ice cream for dinner last night, leaving the crew with high expectations for the future! Weather advice indicates we will encounter a mild cold front Saturday AM and may have to sail more westerly until the winds clock to the NE, E. By Tuesday we should be in a position to sail a rumb line course to the Chesapeake. Winds are forecast to remain moderate, i.e. under 25 knots true.

The People's Republic Quests for Cup

2007-04-18T13:02:00.000-04:00

Great article here in The Australian about China's entry into the America's Cup...a historic first in the competition. The challenge is being backed by the People's Party - nah just kidding - actually a Chinese venture capitalist named Wang Chaoyong is syndicate head of the Chinese team. Ah sweet irony...a Chinese capitalist mounts a challenge for the ultimate prize in a sport that has resounded through the decades as the provenance of wealth, privilege & elitism. Eat your heart out Mao Zedong!

"...the extensive experience required to sail an America's Cup boat means China has only procured five mainland crew for the team -- all cup novices. The rest of the 16 crew are French, Polish and Singaporean."

2007-04-17T00:41:00.000-04:00

2007 St Barths Bucket - March 29-April 1, 2007
St. Barthélemy, FWI (Photo credit: Cory Silken)

"It's a cross between football, ballet and chess."

2007-04-16T22:32:00.000-04:00

I just returned to the NYC area after a weekend in Los Angeles...greeted by the fading Nor'easter and the chaos left in it's path. Scanning the news for something to write about tonight I came across this article in the Monterey County Herald concerning competitive collegiate sailing. Monterey is somewhat is north of LA so no direct connection there...though being in California always makes me envious of their year-round boating season. A lot of the article concerns the local scene but there were a few good quotes in there...the best being the title of this post.

"I've played a number of sports but I can honestly say this: Sailing is the most difficult one I've participated in," said Herring. "It's a cross between football, ballet and chess."

America's Cup 1851-2007 - ESPN Classic, 7:00 PM EDT

2007-04-12T11:29:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to Jarrett who sent me notice of the following not-to-be-missed ESPN segment.

Airing this Friday (4/13 @ 7:00 PM) on ESPN Classic, a new one hour special narrated by Walter Cronkite featuring a detailed look at the America's Cup, including interviews with many of the regatta's most notable and accomplished figures. See newly discovered historic footage and hear the personal experiences of winning sailors and top designers.

Today's key players such as Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison are there, of course, as well as past America's Cup champions who know exactly what it takes to win, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Bill Koch, Halsey Herreshoff, Gary Jobson, Tom Whidden, David Elwell, and designer Olin Stephens II. Also featured are leading Cup journalists John Rousmaniere and Peter Montgomery, along with artist John Mecray.

This is a Gary Jobson production - more info here.

2007 Annapolis - Newport

2007-04-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite Northeast U.S. distance races is scheduled for June 1 of this year...the Annapolis to Newport. The race was officially established in 1947 to be on a continuing basis in alternate years with the Newport-Bermuda Race. Until the mid-50s, it was the Newport-Annapolis race, but after much complaining by the competitors about slow trips up the Chesapeake after a long ocean race, the course was reversed in 1957. The race is organized by the Annapolis Yacht Club, with assistance from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, New York Yacht Club and Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

The course heads south for 120 miles from Annapolis to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, then to the Chesapeake Light and then northeast to Newport. After navigating the shallows and currents of the Bay, navigators have to decide if they want to sail the run line to Newport, go in to the beach or head further offshore.

I last participated as crew aboard a 46' Sloop in the 2003 race during which Donnybrook, a Custom 72 owned by Jim Muldoon of the Annapolis Yacht Club, captured line honors.

Out of Pocket (but back now)

2007-04-09T22:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have been out of pocket lately...we made the trip down to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for Easter weekend. Sunday was the annual egg hunt at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD (see below photos) and though the Easter Bunny dutifully arrived by boat...it had to be the chilliest damn Easter Sunday I've seen in years.

That's the Robert Morris Inn behind the sailboats in the second shot...the home of James A. Michener's favorite crab cake!

Easter 2007 at the TAYC

2007-04-09T22:37:00.000-04:00

New Jobson Bermuda Video Premieres

2007-04-05T11:39:00.000-04:00

Gary Jobson's film, "Racing to Bermuda: A Century on the Ocean" is now available on DVD. This magnificent movie captures the essence of the Newport Bermuda Race through footage taken aboard yachts competing in the Centennial Race in 2006 as well as historic views of past races, yachts and sailors.

The 1-hour movie is the perfect way to relive the race of a century for crew, family and friends. Follow eight of the boats from 38 to 98 feet as they chase the magnificent lighthouse trophies and make tactical decisions about how to play the weather and Gulf Stream in a light air race that tested skill and patience in a record size fleet of 265 boats.

From the start in Newport, Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, to the fast-flowing meanders of the Gulf Stream, to the finish off Bermuda's St. David's Lighthouse, and the magnificent Prizegiving ceremony at Government House, the DVD shows the strategy, tactics, yachts and victory in modern offshore racing. The DVD is available here for a small shipping and handling charge of $10.00.

Homeward Bound by way of the Virgins

2007-04-03T15:17:00.000-04:00

My folks are taking aboard crew in the U.S.V.I. next week and pointing their bow north for the return passage to the Chesapeake Bay after an extended season of cruising in the Caribbean Islands. Recently they joined the spectator crowd at the Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas and have been hitting all the B.V.I. hot spots including Sopers Hole, Foxy's Bar on Jost Van Dyke and even a visit to the Full Moon Party at the Bomba Shack on the shores of Tortola. Beware the punch! The above is a gorgeous shot of their 46' Morris Sloop, Red Admiral, under sail off Virgin Gorda...somewhere around the Bitter End Yacht Club. If I close my eyes and shut out the hum of canned office air and the fan on my laptop I can just...barely...imagine myself on the bow seat.

Fog Lifting

2007-04-02T11:07:00.000-04:00

Watercolor - Chuck Clevenger
FROM THE ARTIST: Eggemoggin Reach on East Penobscot Bay, Maine, is guarded by Pumpkin Island Light on its tiny islet. The low tide and sun angle show that the persistent fog is late burning off on a late May afternoon.

AC 2007 & the New Media Explosion

2007-03-30T16:02:00.000-04:00

The America's Cup hype is getting hard to ignore...already! One thing that has surely changed since the 2003 AC Race is how, where and why people get their news and information. From YouTube to RSS feeds, it's a whole new media world out there and we can expect that coverage of the cup will reflect this emerging landscape. This means more bloggers, video podcasters, etc feeding the channel and - for junkies like me who are unable to take the trip to sunny Spain this summer - more choices, richer content and a better opportunity to get close to the action from afar.

Go John Gage Go

2007-03-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

Cruising World ran a story yesterday about John Gage, 74, who is anticipated to be one of the oldest people to have circumnavigated the globe when he sails into Raritan Bay on the New Jersey coast in early May.

Now we all agree that age is generally no barrier to sailing as long as one remains in good form...just ask Tillerman a top notch sailing blogger (and Laser cowboy) up in years who flogs the motto, "Cheat the nursing home. Die on your Laser." But sailing round the world is no mean feat for even the fittest and most stolid of sailors. John Gage may still have a few miles to cover...but I'm paying my respects in advance.

2007-03-27T14:58:00.000-04:00

International Rolex Regatta 2007 - St. Thomas YC
Sunday, March 25 (Photo Credit: Dan Nerney)

Sailing Podcasts

2007-03-26T15:37:00.000-04:00

This morning on the way to work I listened to a sailing podcast via an iPod wired into the car stereo. What the hell am I babbling about, you may wonder. The "podcast" continues in the vein of new media channels with very odd names (blog, wiki, etc) but don't be deterred...it's cooler than it sounds. Essentially an audio segment (thought they can be video) of a specific topic or set of topics, podcasts are downloadable clips that can be replayed on your computer or your iPod-type music player. I use iTunes and a 30 GB 5th gen video iPod but you can pretty much work with any combo of computer/listening device. If you go to iTunes, search the term "sailing" through the podcast channel and it will return about a dozen or so options you can then "subscribe" to. I've listed the best ones I've heard to date. Remember that this technology is just beginning to catch on to the broader masses so expect new channels to come on line...particularly as the AC ramps up in Spain this summer.

1) Full Sail Radio (audio/good tactics)
2) furledsails.com (audio/great interviews)
3) sailingnews.tv (video but in French)
4) good old boat newsletter (audio/great content but not updated frequently)
5) PodCastAway: Liveaboard Cruising (audio/terrific cruising podcast)

Two Years Old

2007-03-23T11:39:00.000-04:00

My daughter is turning two today and, as I've mentioned before, I began Zephyr while waiting for my wife and our new little girl to come home from the hospital...so happy birthday to the blog as well!

I'm going to pass on the introspection and navel gazing I'd usually indulge in...in favor of a look to the future. The other day we received a packet from the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD. My parents have a house there and we've talked about putting the kids through the TAYC sailing program - which is known to be very good. Our son is five and has recently learned to swim so I thought maybe this was his summer to brave the Opti's, but the TAYC program begins them at six...so he'll wait another year.

One of the things that I enjoy about being a parent is being able to pass along experiences and opportunities that are close to my heart. Sailing is one such activity. Our boy has been aboard his Granddad's sloop and, though we don't currently own a sailboat, he is well aware of my passion. I should mention that our little girl - talker that she is - can readily identify a "tailboat."

As our children grow I'm looking forward to the moments we'll have on the water. It will be very nice to have this touchstone...a way to spend time together that transcends the hue and cry of this busy world.

2007-03-21T21:08:00.000-04:00

Acura Miami Grand Prix - March 8-11, 2007
Miami, FL (Photo credit: Amory Ross & Walter Cooper)

Springtime Sock Burning

2007-03-21T20:58:00.000-04:00

It's a welcome sign of spring...sort of a sailing Groundhog Day for east coast boaties...the annual Annapolis Sock Burning which took place tonight in the nearby Republic of Eastport. Thanks go to the Annapolis Maritime Museum for hosting this bit of ritual "Ode to the Equinox" pageantry. If the wind is right and they can smell fragrance de burnt sock across the water on the dock of the AYC then the racing season begins two weeks earlier...according to local lore ;-)

A Love Affair

2007-03-19T15:39:00.000-04:00

You're likely not in my demographic if you're on the hunt for a classic yacht to restore - it's not so much a questions of money (though I have none) - as it is one of the luxury of free time (I have none) and a patience and purpose (again, none) to labor at the service of a dream that may never come to pass. Such is the standard formula for a classic yacht love affair, in many ways not all that different from the human variety. But what do I know? I'm only a married-with-two-little-kids and a dream sucking corporate-desk-job slob. I'm not the throw-it-all-away to render beauty and classicism real type yachtsman.

Problem is that I actually am. But I'm way, way undercover. Shhhhhhhh...

Take a look here at the 72' Rhodes-designed "Escapade." She's ripe for a lover with grand vision and deep pockets. Perhaps one of you will woo her?

There's something ineffable about watching a classic yacht under sail. It scratches a place deep down in me that nothing else can seem to reach. That's a love affair, truly. Hurts so good.

Take the Corporate Stiffs Sailing

2007-03-16T15:36:00.000-04:00

I completed management training today despite the spring snowstorm that's whacked the Northeast U.S. and though I learned a great deal through the week and appreciate the opportunity, I'll be glad to be back to my regular program. Sitting in a class eight hours a day is no fun at all if you're not accessing the pressure relieving "extracurricular" activities we enjoyed as college students. Which brings me to the topic of this post...earlier in the week I had written about the unsung role of the grinder in the context of the larger team on a racing yacht. I noted at the time that the lessons one learns as part of the crew on a big sailboat have more than a few similarities with the things I was being taught during the management courses.

The post spurred a lively conversation between Tillerman and Carol Anne, the gist of which you can read here. They both make good points and I have to agree that if I was learning these management lessons aboard a sailboat - as opposed to spending eight hours in the classroom - not only would I be personally thrilled...but I think that my fellow students (once past their fear of tipping over on heel) might actually get more from the material. Does anyone know of organizations that do this sort of corporate training? Sounds like a tremendous business opportunity.