100 Years of the Marblehead-to-Halifax

The 100th Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race will begin this weekend from Marblehead, MA - a gorgeous sea-faring town on the North Shore of Boston. According to this article from the Lynn Daily Item, when the race began in 1905 it was an informal competition among several East Coast yacht clubs. Since 1939, the Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, which is the oldest yacht club in North America, and the Boston Yacht Club, have held the race biannually while establishing it as a staple of North Atlantic ocean racing. The sailing grounds of Nova Scotia and the port town of Halifax deserve a seperate post - tidal swings aside this is a region of pure sailing delight.

And the living is easy...

North Sails Race Week '04, Long Beach, CA: June 25-27

Now try that at home. Don't you fucking love summertime.

Photo by Jack Hardway

Sakae Hatashita Reported Dead

It’s with great sadness that I report news of the death of the ocean voyager Sakae Hatashita. I wrote about Hatashita back in March after learning of him from a story in The Wall Street Journal…

Hatashita was well into his 80's and lived a long and full life. I am glad he died on the ocean. Any sailor would welcome such an end over the many other, significantly less appealing possibilities.

a sailors song

Came across a new sailing weblog authored from one of my favorite places on earth, the British Virgin Islands. "Hold Fast," a shipwright and sailor by trade has posted some fine writing on a sailors song - the site offers local perspective on life in West End, Tortolla. Many readers have been to the BVI and many have probably enjoyed anchoring in the West End...I reluctantly left the Caribbean boat bum life behind years ago and have not been back since...but I remember boozy crew dinners at the Jolly Roger...after work some days drinking at Pussers West End, telling lies and amusing ourselves by placing bets on bare boaters trying to make the fuel dock without loosing their deposit - star strewn, hazy memories of rafting up and rocking out in Sopers Hole. We had a charter guest on one run who was stung by jelly fish diving on the anchor and insisted her husband piss on her leg. I've heard that the BVI are crowded and overrun all year round now. I left in '99 and it was crazy on season but we all expected and made our living off the rush. It slowed up considerably after the BVI Spring Regatta, a welcome break before hurricane season. I can't imagine it's that much different now...

Seeking a Hall Pass

I've been invited to sail the Newport Bucket Regatta over the weekend of July 15 - 17. The event is hosted by the Newport Shipyard in RI - at the moment details are scarce but I'll update as I know more. In the meanwhile any idea of what I can suggest my wife do with our three month old and three year old while I'm off for a weekend of sailing? Initial ideas are 1) have her visit friends on the Cape 2) hire a nanny to help her for the weekend ($$) 3) leave without tellling her and phone her from the race course...

Suggestions/comments are very welcome... Sorry for the slow start after the holiday weekend but we'll be back up to speed shortly.

Happy (belated) 4th of July - flag flying at dock in Sausalito, CA

Sailing the Inland Seas

The Great Lakes don’t get enough chops as a sailor’s haven – at least not from me and so I’m going to remedy this. I’ve never sailed on a Great Lake so I’m not speaking from personal experience but I’ve always wanted to cruise Mackinac, a pine covered resort island of 2,200 acres located between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas - as well as generally explore the vast inland ocean that, despite my ignorance, has a very well-storied sailing tradition. There’s a recent press release here detailing the summer races that the Mackinac Island Yacht Club sponsors…of these I think that the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is the most renown. The Great Lakes even have their own singlehand society, which, according to local legend began appropriately after the mass consumption of alcohol. So those who crap on lake sailors – recognize that pond, lake, bay or sea we are all one in booze-fueled nautical bonding. Seriously, sailing the Great Lakes has long been considered as hazardous as sailing the ocean - or even more so. As a site on Wisconsin's shipwrecks notes, the ever-present nearby shores leave little room to "run" before a storm. Waves tend to be be closer together, making them steeper on the lakes than on the ocean. And storms on the lake are renowned for their seemingly instantaneous development.

Sea Wolf

The answer to yesterday’s literary quiz is “Sea Wolf” by Jack London (kudos to Tillerman for guessing correctly) – a tremendous tale of adventure that is more than worth the read. Sea Wolf spawned one of the entertaining characters in seafaring lore, the dread Wolf Larsen. For those not familiar…”The story starts with a gentleman, a Mr. Humphrey Van Weyden taking a nice cruise on San Francisco Bay. All of but a moment, a simple twist of fate changes his life forever. The large ferry-boat he was on, the Martinez was suddenly struck by a steamboat in the dense and sometimes deadly San Francisco fog. As he was floating through the water he is picked up by the schooner Ghost whose captain is known infamously for his cruelty, Wolf Larsen. Soon he is thrust into a world of hard labor and death waiting around the corner always…”

Jack London made his home in Glen Ellen, CA (Sonoma County) for many years on the 1,500-acre Beauty Ranch.

What do Pussers Rum & Self Tailing Winches Have in Common?

Dodging Freighters & a Literary Quiz

The San Francisco Chronicle, online at www.sfgate.com, has moved some good sailing coverage in the last few months. In today's paper there's a story about two people (Nick Patz and his fiancée) who capsized in area of the SF Bay called the Carquinez Straits while day sailing their 14-foot boat to a bar in the town of Port Costa Saturday afternoon. According to the article they landed the boat on the beach and proceeded to the bar where they partied until 1:00 AM. On the return sail the boat began to fill with water, soon swamped and sank under the Carquinez Bridge. About 5 miles east in Martinez, a Greek-owned tanker called the Bow Prima had just picked up 100,000 barrels of diesel fuel from the Tesoro refinery and was outbound with two tugs, heading straight for the Patz and his unfortunate wife-to-be. Read on for the rest of the tale – as they say the truth can be stranger than fiction. And speaking of fiction, here’s a test of the sea going literary sort. What famous novel of the sea began with the hero in similar “straits” in the SF Bay? A hint, the equally famous author made his home in wine country...

A Southern Sailing Hootenanny (with wind)

On a visit down to Charleston this past spring I wrote about the Rockville Regatta – one of the preeminent lowcountry sailing fests of the year. The Rockville Regatta (NASCAR meets Wimbledon) is still forthcoming but here’s an article on last weekends “Lowcountry Regatta” sponsored by the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club. According to the article it was a resounding success - over 95 boats in the Beaufort River “…looping around markers and fighting for the coveted silver cups, while food, clothing and Bluegrass entertained the landlocked spectators.” Most surprisingly they had 15 to 20 knots of breeze Saturday. I sail as far south as the Chesapeake and, through this experience, have realized that summer in these parts is not the time to expect a blow…so I’m pleasantly surprised and gladdened to read that our lowcountry sailing brethren had such a solid breeze. Regatta aside, you can tell from clicking through their home page that the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club has little in common with, say, the Larchmont Yacht Club. From a cultural view Yankees can be ridiculously buttoned up about yacht clubs though I’m sure that they're places in Charleston (see this post) that would one up their eastern cousins. But generally sailing is a more “hoe down” hootenanny-type activity down south – an excuse to BarBQ along the riverbank, banjos picking while the sailors vie for the trophy. Contrast that with the crowd of smirking, farmer-tanned, Long Island Sound-sailing yuppies I threw elbows with at the NOODS after-party tent last September…I pick the hootenanny.

Oracle Challenge Needs a Tune Up

I haven’t been following the America’s Cup trials closely but it’s nice to know that even billionaire bad boys have a rough day on the course once in a while. The San Francisco Chronicle moved a story today about Larry Ellison’s kite mishap during a tune-up regatta in the Med on Sunday. Larry’s BMW Oracle Racing was in 4^th place out of the twelve or so competitors on the course when, on a downwind set, their spinnaker was snagged on a spreader pole and tore in half. It took them a minute and a half to get the replacement up – too late to hold their position. It’s too early to be making sideline calls but worth noting that Larry’s challenge is the only American entry to date. The ongoing fleet matches, billed as Luis Vuitton “Acts” count towards initial points needed to win the Louis Vuitton Cup - which determines the team that will challenge America's Cup defender Alinghi in Valencia, Spain in 2007. I hardly need to point out the importance of the 150 plus years of the America’s Cup to sailing culture – but for those who want a review you can find one here and here.

Tred Avon Yacht Club Friday Series - Oxford, MD (6/24/05)

Friday Pass

On the NJ Turnpike (not a pretty sight) today down to Maryland for a Saturday sail out of Oxford. Apologies for taking a pass but I'll post over the weekend.

Blue Angels run the Golden Gate in formation - Fleet Week '04

Dreaming of the Big Blue

It’s long been a dream of mine to sail the Med. If you are on the Caribbean circuit in the spring there is usually the chance to crew on a delivery across the pond right after Antigua Race Week. Unfortunately I didn’t take that opportunity when I had it, but it’s on my short list of sailing destinations to hit before they plant me. Meanwhile I’m armchair cruising – tremendous two page article on Italy’s “big blue” here. According to the article the Ligurian coast in the north of Italy is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Mediterranean Sea…the view from the water of the cliffs and craggy coves with the immense outline of the Alps is “breathtaking.” Top ports-of-call from the many coastal towns and fishing villages include Ventimiglia, San Remo, Bordighera, Santo Stefano al Mare, Imperia, Diano Marina, San Bartolomeo al Mare and Genoa. One of my favorite things about our sailing culture is that so many cruising sailors are happy to share their insight on destinations like the Ligurian coast. We're lucky to have literate voyagers relaying their experiences for the benefit of both dreamers and doers. I’m planning to move back from the former camp to the latter one day - but in the meanwhile I’ve also posted on Dalmatia and, on a less idyllic note, the Red Sea. Anyone out there have favorite armchair cruising grounds (or stories) to share?

Sailing to the Stars

By now many of you have probably heard of the Cosmos-1 solar sail space craft. It’s made press all over the world and the apparent failure of the project was reported today in the U.P.I. The Cosmos 1 solar sail spacecraft is a ship without an engine pushed along directly by light particles from the Sun, reflecting off giant mirror-like sails. According to the Cosmos 1 website, because it carries no fuel and keeps accelerating over almost unlimited distances, it is the only technology now in existence that can one day take us to the stars.

Obviously the solar sail engineers have tweaking to do - but the concept must resonate with sailors, long proponents of harnessing the force of nature to propel craft. All sorts of fantastic future scenarios coem to mind, but my take-away is, power-by-sail is the fundamental driver of exploration. When the planet was as mysterious and uncharted as space is to us today, sailors explored, recorded and mapped the unknown. Of course we developed smelly fossil fueled engines that provided more reliable and speedier ways to explore, but it was the science of seafaring and the technology of ocean passage making that enabled the successful exploration (not the discovery) of new continents and civilizations. Be sure to check out the Wired story here - they report that theoretically within three years a solar sail could be traveling faster than 100,000 mph without a drop of onboard fuel.

2005 Laser and Laser Radial North Americans: June 17-20 in Seattle (Photo Credit: Cliff Estes)

Block Island Race Week Begins

What kind of Long Island Sound sailor would I be if I didn’t mention Block Island Race Week? Of course there is no way that someone with a corporate 9-5 job, a three year old and a three month old is going to have a chance in hell of participating in a week-long racing endeavor but that’s what makes the Web so wonderful…here I am in air conditioned anonymity reading an interview with Storm Trysail Club commodore, Richard du Moulin in Seahorse Magazine – STC is the traditional sponsor of the BI Race Week, a major IRC event in the U.S.. In the interview Richard addresses the resurgence of big boat racing and the nuances of an IRC rating. As well check out this BI Race Week overview article from The Block Island Times and stay tuned to the official web site through the week for scratch sheet updates, the latest race news, etc. Race weeks play an important part in the competitive subset of sailing culture. I’ve done Antigua a few times…there’s nothing quite like a week long sailing festival to focus the mind, tire the body and work the liver. For those of you who have never been to (or heard of) Block Island it’s a tremendous little island just past the mouth of LI Sound lying off the coast of Rhode Island. In some ways it is what the Vineyard and Nantucket used to be like before the new money millionaire swarm redecorated with McMansions and smelly power yachts.

An Original of the Species

Voyagers have been in the press lately – let’s kick off the week with a great Q&A here in the New Yorker about “Poppa Neutrino,” an American adventurer planning to raft across the Pacific Ocean. Not your typical yachtsman, Neutrino was the first man to build a raft out of garbage and sail it across the ocean. In the article, author Alec Wilkinson answers questions about the origin and make-up of this itinerant voyager…addressing, among other things, the composition of his newest raft built for the Pacific crossing. Neutrino’s rafts are like sailboats with hulls and cabins and decks a foot or so above the water line. According to Wilkinson, the most important feature of Neutrino’s rafts is that he designs them so that they will right themselves if a wave were to knock them over. His current raft is thirty-two feet long with a small deck in the back, a transom for the outboard motor, two cabins, and a deck in the front. The mast is in front of the second cabin, which is larger. The raft is made of plywood and foam. The best thing about Poppa Neutirno is that you couldn’t make this guy up – he’s an original of the species.