Three Years and Counting! Happy Anniversary!

Hard to believe that it has been three years since the first edition of Cruising Compass! Each week we have enjoyed your letters, photos and stories from around the world, and we look forward to providing the cruising community with news, notes and tips for years to come.

Missed an issue of the CC? Each one is listed in the Archives menu on the right side of the page.

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-Your Cruising Editor - Nancy Birnbaum

Cruising Shots of the Week

Sent in by Alain Remi. The Maltese Falcon and other boats in the 2009 Bucket Race from St-Barth. "Where I anchored my sailboat (Chance 33 Marie-Soleil)." Have a cool cruising shot to share? Send it to us at: comments@cruisingcompass.com.

Dock Talk

Cruising Rallies Buck the Economy

Big cruising rallies are continuing to do well despite — or perhaps because of — the poor global economy.

World Cruising Ltd. reports that their 2,700-mile Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia, has once again filled all 225 slots. Usually they sell out in May for the late November event, but this year it took them until June. A total of 28 countries will be represented in this granddaddy of all cruising rallies, including America.

Steve Black's Caribbean 1500, from Hampton, Virginia, to Tortola in the British Virgins, lists a total of 35 entries for their November event. This will be the 20th anniversary running of the cruising rally, and it appears likely it will reach its norm of about 50 entries.

On the Pacific coast, the Baja Ha-Ha numbers are looking good again this year. With seven weeks to go before the September 10 entry deadline for the late October event, 121 paid entries have been received. It's unclear if the organizers will break the 180 mark again this year, but it should be pretty close. From Latitude38.

New from Dufour – The 40E Performance



After the Dufour 34E and the Dufour 45 of the Performance range, the Dufour yard launches a new sailboat for fast cruising and regattas. The new Dufour has a new shape and hull lines and a deck layout that aim to increase performance with a maximum of comfort and volume on board. New hull, new design, new interior layout, everything has been improved for a maximum of performance, space and comfort on board. See the new Dufour at the autumn boat shows. www.dufour-yachts.com

Mini Minx Completes Test with Round Britain and Ireland

Ben Rogerson and his Mini-Transat 6.50m yacht Mini Minx successfully completed the 1,924 nm solo non-stop Round Britain and Ireland passage at 0625 hrs UTC Saturday, July 25 in a total of 15 days 3 hours and 8 minutes. Rogerson used this test as part of his build-up to the Mini Transat (solo transatlantic race in 2011), and was the first Mini-Transat 6.50m to achieve this feat and believed to be the first boat of this size of any design to do so. From SailingScuttlebutt.com.

Windquest first to finish in Pure Michigan Mac

The 86-foot Windquest owned by Doug DeVos prevailed in the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race as the first to finish Monday morning (34:39:50), about 90 minutes ahead of Ray Howe's 60-foot multihull Earth Voyager in the Cove Island Course to Mackinac. This was the first time since 2006 that a monohull outpaced a multihull to Mackinac Island. The Andrews 65 MicJay was the first finisher from the Thunder Bay course at 9:43 am. MORE: www.byc.com/mack.



Ida Lewis Distance Race – Newport, RI

Certain to make epic the fifth running of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, the captain of Irvine Laidlaw’s (Monaco) new 90-foot Wally boat Highland Fling XI has issued a challenge to Tom Hill’s (Puerto Rico) new 75-foot Reichel-Pugh designed Titan XV to show up and show its stuff at the event, set to begin off Newport, R.I., Friday, August 21. Hill, who took PHRF victory in the inaugural Ida Lewis Distance Race (2004) with one of his previous Titans, reportedly has accepted the challenge and will join Highland Fling XI and George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) 90-foot Rambler as the largest boats entered. The Ida Lewis Distance Race, which incorporates a 177 nm “Montauk” course and a 150 nm “Block Island” course for smaller boats, has won a reputation for being the perfectly “not so long” distance race that offers something for everyone, including classes for IRC, PHRF (including Cruising Spinnaker), One-Design (including NYYC Swan 42) and Double-Handed boats of 28 feet and longer. The event currently has 21 boats signed up, with on-line registration open through August 7. Hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club, it is a qualifier for the 2009 New England Lighthouse Series; Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies; and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series. Go to: www.ildistancerace.org for the Notice of Race and online entry (deadline is August 7, 2009).

See the Super Sailing Yachts in Italy



It is purported to be a record gathering of Perini Navi Yachts set to Race in Porto Cervo, Italy come September. Close to two dozen Perini Navi sailing yachts will grace the quays of Porto Cervo’s new marina for the third edition of the Perini Navi Cup scheduled to take place from September 3-5, 2009. The event, which combines a rendezvous for owners with spectacular racing aboard these technologically groundbreaking sailing giants, will be organized for the first time by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The fleet of superyachts will range from the 24.5 meter Elettra, launched in 1987, to the incomparable 88 meter Maltese Falcon, launched in 2006, with 20 of the participating yachts measuring more than 40 meters in length.



The striking Maltese Falcon boasts a revolutionary free-standing square rig that sees three 55-meter tall rotating masts carry the yacht’s 15 sails which can be independently furled and unfurled using computer-operated winches. The Maltese Falcon is the embodiment of the Perini Navi philosophy which marries cutting edge technology with superior standards in design and comfort, eliciting numerous international accolades for both her engineering and interior design. MORE: www.perininavicup.it.

Extreme 40s compete in the iShares Cup



Round 3 of the European circuit will take place during Cowes Week, from August 1-3, in the UK. Races last less than 15 minutes and come within yards of the shore, as the boats battle it out at speeds of up to 40 knots (46mph) on courses little bigger than a pair of football pitches.

Crashes are common: during last year’s Cowes leg, competitors chalked up a snapped hull, three broken masts and three “pitch-pole” capsizes — spectacular, end-over-end flips that occur when a bow gets buried beneath a wave at high speed.

As Mark Turner, the iShares Cup founder, says: “Racing Extreme 40s is about as far from gin-and-tonics on the back of a luxury yacht as you can get.” “We have a great spectator set-up, right in front of the race course, which is really the core of the iShares Cup concept to bring sailing as entertainment to the shore-side public,” explained Event Director Gilles Chiorri. Photo: "Racing on the Solent for the iShares Cup at Cowes Week 2008." OnEdition /OC Events. MORE: www.isharescup.com.



Savage Beauty on the rocks under the Golden Gate

Savage Beauty was competing in the YRA Second Half Opener, during which boats head out from the Golden Gate to Point Bonita and then downhill all the way back to the Oakland/Alameda Estuary and finish at the Encinal Yacht Club. Saturday, there was a very large flood tide, and many of the boats took well over an hour to get from the start area just to the Golden Gate Bridge. It is common for many boats to utilize the north side's rocky shoreline to seek relief from the current. It often puts these boats within inches of the massive basalt wall on the Marin (North) side. Savage Beauty was with a group of other boats, in a tacking duel, and got a tad closer than they should have. There was a large underlying 10ft south swell from an expired tropical storm near Tahiti a week or so ago, which was mostly hidden under its 18-20 interval length. "Savage Beauty may have bumped an underwater snag," writes Erik Simonson (who also shot the compelling photos), "lost momentum and was then picked up by the swell and placed closer to shore than they anticipated. Apparently they attempted to start the engine and rescue themselves, but the prop got fouled leaving them helpless."

See Eric's photos of the incident and read his account of what happened on BWS.com.

Tech Talk

Every Cruisers' "must-have" laptop accessory!



Ditch that black bag and protect your laptop in style with Decor Craft Inc.'s very cool Map Laptop Case. Hey, you could even chart your voyage with a Sharpie! Measures 12 in x 13 in. (877/947-1557; $36).



Navionics Launches Mobile 2.2 - Create a virtual travelogue

Navionics Mobile now has even more of the features. While the charts reside permanently on your iPhone, your adventures don’t have to! With version 2.2, you can create a virtual travelogue of your journey including geo-referenced photos, tracks, routes and markers and post them directly to your Facebook page. For those friends not on yet on Facebook, simply email them your adventure log and let them view it overlaid on Google Earth and Google Maps. MORE: www.navionics.com/Mobile.asp.

Cool Things To Do

NYYC Invitational Cup – Sept 15-19

Three of the UK’s most prestigious yacht clubs – The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC), and The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) – have confirmed their participation in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, which will pit 19 teams from 14 countries against each other in Corinthian competition reminiscent of the early days of the America’s Cup. The event, scheduled for September 15-19, 2009, will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club and held on the waters off the club’s Newport, R.I. clubhouse called Harbour Court. Sailing under their club burgees, each team will compete aboard a NYYC Swan 42, a unique one-design racer/cruiser created by the NYYC in partnership with Nautor’s Swan.

Established originally as the ORC in 1925 at a dinner following the finish of the first Fastnet Race, the club’s founding members were adamant about what the club’s stated goals should be: “to encourage long distance yacht racing and the design, building and navigation in which speed and seaworthiness are combined.” That is something that it has done with alacrity ever since.

To see the complete list of yacht clubs and sailing organizations competing in the NYYC Invitational Cup and to read the entire article, go to BWS.com.

Martin County Nautical Flea Market and Seafood Festival –Stuart, FL - Sept 18-20

A Massive Maritime Event with Nautical Bargains Galore! MORE: www.flnauticalfleamarket.com/.

Leukemia Cup Regatta – San Francisco, September 19

The San Francisco event is just one of 38 Leukemia Cup Regattas across the country — but it's the one that rakes in the most donations. Last year, more than $663,000 was raised, beating out the next closest event by $371,000. This year's event will feature a special keynote speaker – Al Gore, former Vice President, environmentalist, author and Nobel Peace Prize winner. "We're happy to re-announce that Gore will be speaking at a VIP reception and dinner at San Francisco YC," writes Latitude38. "The event is 'invitation only', with seats reserved for sponsors and top fundraisers who contribute or raise $1,000. Organizers are understandably expecting the talk to be a sell-out." From: Latitude38's 'Lectronic Latitude.

West Marine seeks new boating products

Attention companies looking to sell their boat-related products to a larger market: West Marine is hosting its sixth annual New Product Review Day on Friday at its Watsonville, Calif., location. The event is an opportunity for prospective sellers to pitch their new products for a chance to be sold in West Marine stores or online. West Marine is the country's largest retailer of boating supplies, with more than 340 retail stores nationally and internationally and 50,000-plus products.

West Marine spokeswoman Laurie Fried said the company is looking for new boating products that are ready to go. "We are looking for products that can be distributed to our stores," she said. "We are looking for someone to fill the needs of those 340 stores." The event is not a day to pitch inventions, she emphasized. "We're looking for products that we can buy and sell," she said.

New Product Review Day

WHEN: Friday, by appointment only

WHERE: 500 Westridge Drive, Watsonville

DETAILS: E-mail vendorinfo@westmarine.com or call Erayna Mickens at 761-4434. From: mercurynews.com.

Boat Rat's Tip of the Week

A Sail Repair Kit

To be as self sufficient as possible aboard a cruising boat, whether you are coastal sailing or venturing far afield, it is a good idea to carry a well stocked sail repair kit or Bosun's Bag. You need to be able to repair sewn seams that have come unstitched, cringles or grommets that have been bent or damaged, bolt ropes that come unsewn and tears from sharp objects. To put together a proper kit, consult your sailmaker for advice.

Sail cloth: Carry lengths of sail cloth in the weights of your various sails, i.e., heavy cloth for the mainsail, staysail and storm sails, lighter cloth for downwind sails. For spinnakers, sticky-back tape works as a temporary repair. Sticky-back Dacron sail cloth works well but the adhesive does not hold the cloth in place; a patch still needs to be sewn all the way around.

Adhesives: For Dacron sails and modern laminated sails, you will need adhesives to attach patches over tears. Plain rubber cement works fine but your sailmaker may suggest more space-age brands.

Basic tools: For cutting you will need sharp scissors and a hot knife, which can either be Butane or electric heated (with a powerful inverter aboard). A small roller helps affix glued patches. Double stick tape is useful for positioning basic patches that are going to be sewn. Duct tape will stop a tear for a while (in a pinch.) Also: a grommet kit with assorted grommets; a spare batten as long as the longest in the mainsail; lengths of light and medium weight webbing in half and one inch widths; and a reference book such as Brian Toss's The Sailmaker's Apprentice.

Sewing tools: With modern laminated sails you won't be sewing patches but will instead be gluing them. For Dacron sails, you will need to carry sewing tools including: a selection of needles, a sailmaker's palm, an awl, vice grips, and various weights of thread.

Sewing machines: If you are sailing as simply as possible and don't want to have to power an electric machine, then look around on Ebay and elsewhere for an old hand-cranking Singer that can perform straight and zig-zag stitches (requires two people to operate effectively). If you have the electric power to run a real sewing machine we suggest you look into the Sailrite machines which are sturdy, powerful and have been carried on many a circumnavigation. This is not an ad for Sailrite, but the company is a great one-stop source of sailmaking and repair supplies. Check out their website at www.sailrite.com.

Cruising Community

What I learned from sailing without ever going to sea

"Over the past 32 years as a paraplegic and wheelchair user, I have had many fantasies about things I’d like to, but can’t do, from my wheelchair. Through it all, I have learned to live successfully by concentrating on what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. In 1996, I became attracted to sailing. I read everything I could about solo circumnavigation, which I found particularly compelling. The idea of sailing a small sailboat alone around the world, as many have now done, was totally intriguing to me. I threw myself into the study of sailing as if I were leaving for a solo circumnavigation at a set date. I figured I had all the necessary characteristics to make a good solo circumnavigator..." Excerpted from "More with Les" – a blog by Les Potter.

All sailors will relate to this wise, profound and eloquent blog on lessons learned. Read it on BWS.com.

Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge Update



July 26, 2009: Positions have changed yet again as all the vessels have now passed the waypoint and are now heading directly for Belfast. In the lead on corrected time, both overall and in Class B is Jolie Brise (UK) once again, with Tecla (Netherlands) now in second place overall and in Class B. Third overall on corrected time is now Capitan Miranda (Uruguay), who also leads the Class As. A high pressure is building in the area where the fleet are currently located as they cross the Atlantic towards Belfast. Winds have now settled to south westerlies of around 15 knots and the sun has come out to help dry out all the ships which have taken a battering with so much wind and rain over the past few days.



The fleet’s progress on the race can be seen via the fleet tracking: www.tallshipsraces.com/mapping/. Photos: Picton Castle and Europa in the fog in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Jolie Brise at race start, Bermuda/Courtesy of SailTrainingIntermational.org. Watch the Tall Ships Races Video on BWS.com.

New Liveaboard Insurance Option for Boaters

Maritime General Agency of Westbrook, Conn., launched a new program for liveaboard boats and yachts. MGA's Liveaboard Yacht Coverage Endorsement will be attached to the firm's New Hampshire Insurance Company Yacht Policy. The endorsement adds coverage for personal property, personal liability and additional medical payments, while retaining the coverage already afforded by the yacht policy. "This product responds to the demand of our brokers for a solution to this difficult-to-place segment of the yacht market," said Chris Pesce, president of Maritime General Agency, in a statement. Maritime General Agency is the program administrator for recreational marine risks written through New Hampshire Insurance Company. MGA insures marinas, boat dealers, yacht clubs, boats, yachts and charter vessels. From: tradeonlytoday.com.

Off the Cruising Forums this week



Tuesday, July 28, 2009 -- Puerto Barrios. Two brothers were sentenced yesterday to 60 years in prison for the death of Daniel Perry Dryden of the United States and attempted murder of his wife, Nancy on their boat, s/v Sunday’s Child, according to Prensa Libre writer Sandra Osorio. The sentence was handed down by Court of Criminal Judgments Judge Jose Rodriguez Pazos, who sentenced them to 30 years for murder, 20 for attempted murder and aggravated robbery by 10. During the trial, the prosecution evidence showed the ice pick and a pair of binoculars found in a search that took place in the house of the two brothers. Two other persons believed to have been involved in the attack were reported killed after the incident. On August 9, 2008, Dryden and his wife Nancy were in a boat anchored in Rio Dulce when they were assaulted by the group of pirates. Posted by S/V Caribbean Soul, Brewer 42. Photo: s/v Sunday's Child / Don Gato. From: Cruisers_Network_Online.

Green Cruising

Green Product of the Year Contest

West Marine, the nation's largest retailer of boating supplies and accessories, is pleased to announce its first annual “Green Product of the Year” contest. As part of West Marine's mission to improve and protect marine habitats and reduce its impact on the environment, West Marine will award one prize of $10,000 to the designated Official Winner. For information about the Green Product of the Year contest, visit www.westmarine.com/green.

Green Circumnavigation

Eschewing earth, wind and fire, an intrepid sailor plans to circumnavigate the world in a 60 foot solar-powered boat. Backed by the Peoples Projects Foundation, Anthony Howarth is building the Solar Circumnavigator to raise awareness about environmental issues and give the world a “solar power wake-up call.” According to Howarth, the boat will have “no internal combustion engines, no sails, no wind generators and no fuels of any kind onboard,” a restriction that includes cooking fuel.

Howarth expects to begin building the boat later this year, with the voyage taking place in 2010 or 2011. Should the Circumnavigator get in the water before Planet Solar, he even has a chance at being the first to accomplish a round-the-world journey powered only by the sun.

Howarth told Wired.com the Circumnavigator would feature cells with 30 percent efficiency that self-orient towards the sun — allowing for output 50 percent greater than a fixed solar array. The cells will power a DC motor driving six fixed-speed propellers that will be activated in pairs as needed. More power? More propellers. According to Howarth, the multi-propeller setup is more efficient than variable-speed propulsion. When the boat arrives at a port of call, Howarth plans to use an existing solar dinghy to reach shore and one of two existing solar runabouts to travel on land. From: wired.com, full story: www.wired.com/autopia/2009/07/solar-boat/.



Floating Urban Beach Barge Sets Sail on the Danube River



Hungary-based design team Urban Landscape Group recently completed an extraordinary summer project that allows visitors to float down the Danube in a portable pool! Dubbed Barge Beach Budapest, the sandy sailing island acts as a contemporary Turkish bath and open-air pool situated in the waterways between the river’s edges. The pop up beach is constructed from three recycled barges and provides residents with a brand new public space to bask in the sun. The barges at one time carried shipments of coal and stone up and down the river. The 2,100 square-meter platform comes complete with a 16-meter pool surrounded by lounge chairs, outdoor showers, a cafe and bar, as well as sand pits and a paddling pool for kids. From: inhabitat.com.

Website of the Week

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/06/12/yachting.quiz/index.html

Do you have what it takes to sail around the world?

Take CNN MainSail's personality test and find out if you have what it takes to survive a round-the-world voyage.

For the Hungry Crew...

Summer Time and it is HOT, from Portland, OR to the Caribbean! What could be better than a bowl of nice cold gazpacho? No cooking required and oh, so refreshing!

Gazpacho soup

• 4 cups cold tomato juice
• 1 small, well minced onion
• 2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
• 1 cup minced green pepper
• 1 diced cucumber
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon each tarragon and basil
• Dash of ground cumin
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours. Puree if desired.

Mindbender

Name That Bridge!



Send your answers to comments@cruisingcompass.com. A winner—who will receive a Blue Water Sailing hat—will be selected at random from all of the correct answers.

• Can a mast serve as a lightning rod? Being caught in a storm at sea is a terrifying experience. Especially at night. Even more so if one thinks that the mast, like a lightning rod, just seems to be designed to attract lightning. And the risk is real. Along the coast of Florida, for example, where storms are particularly numerous and violent, lightning strikes 5% of the boats annually (at sea or in marinas), and it is estimated that every boat there will be hit at least once during its lifetime.
  
  
  
  It is true that a metallic mast "attracts" lightning. Like a lightning rod atop a building, it is tall and thin and a good conductor of the positive electric charges that accumulate at the surface of the earth. Some people think that insulating the mast from the rest of the boat and from the water will minimize this attraction. Not so. Even insulated, the electrical resistance between the base of the mast and the water is not enough to block the upward flow of positive charges at the water's surface and avoid a strike. It is better to channel lightning along a predetermined path so that it does not choose its own path through the hull and the crew, in essence by installing a lightning rod. To accomplish this, all one has to do is ground the mast (and if possible, the stays and shrouds) by attaching it to a large metallic mass in contact with the water, such as the propeller or the keel. From Do Dolphins Ever Sleep by Pierre-Yves and Sally Bely.
  
  No one had the correct answer to this Mindbender, but we thought you should have the information!