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

Talking Turkey

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)

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

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.

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

Carleton Mitchell Dies at 96

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.”

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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:

“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.”

A Real Life Offshore Primer

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

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.

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

Setting Sail on a Sea of Sales

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

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!!!

Oh, How Times Have Changed

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."

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

WATCH RACE 3!!

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

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

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

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

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

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).