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-Your Cruising Editor - Nancy Birnbaum

Cruising Shot of the Week

"What-a-Waterspout!"

Terrific shot taken by Charmaine Smith Ladd aboard her s/v September Sea on July 26, 2009 looking west from Sombrero Resort in Marathon, FL Keys.

Got a great weather shot? Or one of your boat undersail? Send it to us at: comments@cruisingcompass.com.

Dock Talk

Caribbean 1500 Rally Attracts an International Fleet

The Cruising Rally Association announced today that the 20th Annual Caribbean 1500 fleet will sport an international flair. In addition, to the usual contingents from the US and Canada, sailors from Germany, Japan, the UK, and Ireland will join the fleet. This year, America’s oldest and largest offshore cruising rally will depart from Hampton, Virginia on November 2nd and arrive in Tortola, British Virgin Islands 7-12 days later.

“The 20th Anniversary fleet is shaping up to be an interesting group,” explained Founder and President Steve Black, “We have veterans of past rallies including several who participated in the first Caribbean 1500 in 1990. The first-time participants include four families with children. And it is always fun to have sailors from other countries involved.”

"The Caribbean 1500 retains some of the competitive elements of traditional sailboat races," says Black, "but offers social, educational and technological enhancements that broaden the appeal of the event to couples and families, as well as racers – both experienced and first-timers." Prior to the start, the participating sailboats will gather in Hampton for several days of safety inspections, workshops and weather briefings before embarking on the passage to the Caribbean. Our new BVI host marina, Nanny Cay, will help make this the most festive arrival so far, with a hospitality center, daily parties, live bands playing island music, and a beach barbecue following the awards presentation. MORE: www.carib1500.com.

Nanny Cay Expands Chandlery

Nanny Cay, the largest full-service marina and boatyard in the Tortola, is expanding its chandlery operation. The 1800 square foot shop is going to be enlarged to 2800 square feet, an increase of just under 60 percent. The expansion will enable Nanny Cay to stock and display more products including inflatable dinghies and outboard engines and is stocked with over 5000 marine-related products from a range of manufacturers including Seahawk, Pettit, Mirka, Jabsco, Starbrite, West Systems, Eno, Leatherman, Rule, International Paints, Magma, Redtree, Anchor, Wichard, Shurflo and 3M. It also carries a wide selection of both metric and standard fittings and fasteners. Nanny Cay also offers a special order service.

Nanny Cay is the host and presenting sponsor of the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival and host for international cruising rallies ARC Europe, the Caribbean 1500 and the Atlantic Cup. MORE: www.nannycay.com.

IOC Confirms 10 Sailing Events For London 2012 Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed this week that there will be just 10 sailing events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The IOC has not saved ISAF Council from the consequences of its unpopular and clearly political Cascais 2007 decision to cut the multihulls from the Olympic program ahead of one of the dinghy classes. The IOC President Jacques Rogge, the former Olympic Finn sailor wrote today to ISAF: 'Whilst the IOC Executive Board fully recognizes the value that Sailing brings to the Olympic Games, it decided to maintain its decision of 2005 regarding the overall quota of sailors and medals. As a consequence, Tornado Multihull shall not be on the programme of the Games of the XXXth Olympiad in London."

The Executive Board of the IOC confirmed the line up of events and disciplines for the 26 sports on the Program for the London 2012 Olympic Games at their meeting in Berlin, Germany today. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) had made a request to keep the number of sailing events at 11, maintaining the Open Multihull event. MORE: www.sailing.org/29214.php .



Arabian 100 makes her first splash

It's a proud day for Oman as the Arabian 100 trimaran touches water for the very first time in Port Salalah this past week. She has been under construction since 2008 - her large components molded in Australia and then shipped to and assembled in Salalah in the south of the Sultanate. A team of up to 30 international and Omani boat builders and specialists have worked on her at any one time and the result is this phenomenal racing craft which is sure to be making headlines soon. From: valenciasailing.blogspot.com. Photo: 'Arabian 100 hits the water for the first time.' Lloyd Images / Oman Sail.

Rolex Middle Sea Race – Top boats to compete in Malta

Two months out from the start of an event the stature and complexity of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, most yacht clubs would be happy to be entering the home straight of processing competitor registrations. Not the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Not only are they organizing this 606 nautical mile offshore race, they are preparing to start it from a new line and with the new yacht club premises still being built. Only in Malta! On the plus side this is the thirtieth time the race has been held and this year's fleet looks no less exciting than any of the past decade; a period which has seen the race return to the world stage of competitive offshore sailing. Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard is the headline act at this year's Rolex Middle Sea Race. Bursting with satisfaction having taken back-to-back line honors at the Rolex Fastnet, the crew of this 100-foot ocean-eater will be looking to add part-two of an offshore racing trifecta that Slade hopes will culminate in December with the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The only other yacht to take consecutive Line Honors at all three of these 600-plus mile races is Neville Crichton's first Alfa Romeo, which some years later in the hands of George David and under the name Rambler, scorched to a new course record in 2007. And, that will be another of Slade's objectives when he hits the line on Saturday, 17 October. From: Sailnet.com. MORE: www.rolexmiddlesearace.com.

Beer Can races with Beer Can Boats!



May the best 12-ounce boat win! This past week the Chesapeake Outdoor Group hosted the Annual 12-ounce Regatta. Nautical contraptions of beer cans - root beer cans for the kids - electrical tape and a hodgepodge of other household items raced along a specially designed course yesterday afternoon to capture victory and raise money for a local charity. Over the past six years, the 12-ounce Regatta has raised around $18,000 for the Annapolis Maritime Museum. The group also holds brew tours, ski trips, an annual crab feast plus monthly charity-drive/happy-hour events that have raised money for everything from school supplies to a nature preserve. For more information on either organization, visit www.chesapeakeoutdoor.org or www.cogkids.org.

Kids today, all they want to do is sail around the world – alone

Now that Zac Sunderland, is the youngest person to have sailed around the world alone, (with stops) and the first person to have accomplished that feat before turning 18, he'd best enjoy the minor celebrity status while he can. In about a week, England's Mike Perham, who is a few months younger than Zac, is closing in on his globe-girdling end point at Gunwharf Quays. Mike's scheduled arrival date is Aug. 29. How long Mike will hold the distinction as the youngest to solo-circumnavigate the planet in a sailboat, however, remains to be seen. Australia's Jessica Watson, 16, is planning a September departure for a nonstop journey aboard a 34-foot yacht that she hopes to complete within eight months. Abby Sunderland, who will turn 16 in October, is hoping for a November departure for a nonstop trip aboard a 40-foot yacht. She plans to complete her trip in about six months. If they both succeed within their time frames, Abby would become the youngest. However, Dutch sailor Laura Dekker reportedly is still planning to depart Sept. 1 on what she hopes will be a more leisurely two-year adventure, but she's running into opposition from civil authorities, who refuse to give her permission to skip school.



That's understandable because Dekker, who says she's going anyway and has the support of her parents, is only 13! Judges at Utrecht District Court will announce Friday whether they will scrap Laura's record-breaking plans. In the meantime, the legal battle has ignited a wide-ranging debate in this traditionally seafaring nation about the role that parents should play in their children's risky adventures. Laura was born in New Zealand while her parents were on a round-the-world sailing trip and spent the first four years of her life on the ocean. Speaking recently to a Dutch children's news show, Laura said she had been sailing solo since she was six and began dreaming of sailing around the world when she was 10. Her boat – Guppy, can be seen on her website www.lauradekker.nl/. From, in part: LATimes.com and sfexaminer.com. Photo courtesy of www.lauradekker.nl.

Ida Lewis Distance Race – Newport, RI



Tom Hill's (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Titan 15, a new 75-foot Reichel-Pugh design that was launched this year at New England Boatworks in Rhode Island, handily won the IRC Division at this weekend's fifth Ida Lewis Distance Race, which started and ended off Newport, R.I., where host Ida Lewis Yacht Club makes its home. Starting last Friday with a fleet of 39 others, Titan 15 finished its 150-mile course at 4:42 AM on Saturday, covering the distance in just over 13 hours and 42 minutes. “It was a hell of a race,” said Hill, explaining that Titan was “screaming” both upwind and downwind in the predominately 16-20 knots of wind. “The conditions made for the best sailing we’ve had since putting the boat in the water.” Photo: 'Titan Winner' / Robbie Benjamin – Ida Lewis Distance Race. More: www.ildistancerace.org/2009/.



Another sailor in need of sailing lessons

A sailboat ran aground after the captain said he experienced some rough weather at sea for several days. Ariel Morales said he was en route to Marathon in the Florida Keys when a storm pulled him out to sea. "The storm get me and take me out, and later I can't find the coastline," he said. For five days Morales said he was drifting at sea, trying to find the coastline. Tuesday morning, his sailboat ran aground on the beach near Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Sea Tow was on the scene willing to tow the boat but Morales said he cannot afford the cost to tow it. Morales is not sure what he is going to do with his beached sailboat. Any ideas? Doh! From: wsvn.com.

Tech Talk

Protect your gadgets from getting wet



The most essential iPhone accessory for cruisers isn’t a silicone case, extra battery, or Bluetooth headset. This “necessory” costs just six bucks for a three-pack and it is a hyper-strong, waterproof, ziplock "uber"-baggie called aLoksak. Nothing will protect your precious hunk of gizmolove better than the aLoksak–made of recycled polyethylene and treated with medical-grade protective film, it’s the cheapest, lightest, strongest iPhone insurance you can buy. Ask the Navy Experimental Diving Unit: They’ve certified it waterproof to 200 feet. Now there's no excuse for dunking your favorite gadget when you flip the dinghy on that next tough beach landing. The aLoksak comes in a variety of shapes and sizes–whether stashing maps, food, or any other phone or electronics. Available at REI or online: www.loksak.com/.

Fugawi X-Traverse Announces New Release for MacENC and iPhone

Fugawi X-Traverse online map collection now supports award-winning Navionics marine charts for use with MacENC version 7 software for Apple Mac OS X version 10.4 or later. This marks the first-ever compatibility of Navionics charts for use with Mac OS-based systems. Fugawi X-Traverse continues to expand its collection of online charts for use with iNavX App for iPhone 3GS, 3G, the original iPhone or iPod touch.

Recent additions include Navionics HotMaps North (USA) and two NV.Digital Regions (Europe) - Inland Waters 2 Berlin - Mecklenburger Gewässer and Mediterranean 1 Balearic Islands. This adds to the existing wide variety of maps and charts available for iNavX including Navionics charts (worldwide), CHS charts (Canada), NV. Digital charts (Caribbean and Europe), Swedish Marine Charts (Sweden) and TRAK Maps (Canada). For a complete list of charts supported by iNavX, Fugawi Global Navigator, Fugawi Marine ENC, GPSNavX or MacENC. Best of all, with a Fugawi X-Traverse account, waypoints are easily transferred between iNavX, Fugawi and GPSNAvX or MacENC. Plot waypoints on your PC or Mac and upload to your iPhone, or vice versa. MORE: www.X-Traverse.com.

Cool Things To Do

Mexico-Only Crew List Party and Baja Ha-Ha Reunion – Sept 9 in Alameda, CA

This is the final opportunity to find a boat to crew on for this year's Ha Ha. The fleet is BIG! There are currently 152 boats registered. Entry to the Party is free for current paid entries (Captain and First Mate), $7 for everyone else. There will be a no-host bar, door prizes, and some free munchies. Mexico cruising experts will also be on hand. MORE: www.baja-haha.com/.

Southampton (UK) Boat Show – Sept 11-20

The Southampton Boat Show is celebrating its 40th year and is one of the largest shows anywhere. Sail and power boats, gear and load of activities for the whole family. Thursday is Ladies Day! Proceeds go to supporting Action Medical Research charity ‘Touching Tiny Lives’. www.southamptonboatshow.com.

SSCA Hosts 7th Annual Florida West Coast Rendezvous – Oct 16-17

The 7th Annual Florida West Coast Rendezvous will be held on Saturday October 17, 2009 at the Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda, Florida. On Friday October 16th there will be a happy hour at the Isles Yacht Club followed by small group dinners at several local restaurants. After the seminars on Saturday there will also be a happy hour followed by dinner at the Isles Yacht Club.

The Seven Seas Cruising Association is a 10,000-member association that is the oldest and largest worldwide organization supporting the liveaboard and long distance cruising lifestyle. All SSCA events are open to both members and non-members alike. The Rendezvous consistently draws its limit of 200 people. Some local clubs arrange a cruise to Charlotte Harbor and either anchor or stay at the public marina.

Go to www.ssca.org and click on the "SSCA Events" tab for program details, cost, pre-registration information, directions and anchoring information. Pre-registration is required by Oct. 1. The event fills up quickly, so please sign up early.

Boat Rat's Tip of the Week

Twings 'n things

Most cruising sailors don't worry too much about sail trim. But if you want to get the best out of your headsails you need to be thinking of trim every time you let the sail in or out.

For genoas, the normal trim adjustment will be moving the genoa lead car forward and back as you change sailing angles and as you roll up some sail in a rising breeze. The idea is to keep the leech tight enough to prevent the top of the sail from twisting off but not so tight that it curls or chokes the flow of air over the genoa. The same is true for a loose luff down wind sails like Gennikers and asymmetrical spinnakers.

A good trick for controlling the sheet angle and thus the tension on a headsail's leech and foot is to rig twings for the sheets. A twing is nothing more than a small block that fits over the sheet between the sail's clew and the sheet block. The little block is attached to a line that runs through a fairlead on the side deck and back to the cockpit. By pulling in on the twing you pull the angle of the sheet down which tightens the leech. Release the twing and you ease off on the leech and tighten the foot. If you don't want to bother with a little block on the end of the twing, you can rig it by tying a bowline around the sheet.

Gaining better control of your headsails will really help you with sail shape and with the overall performance of your boat. And, the better you sail your boat the more fun you will have sailing.

Cruising Community

Cruising the D.R. – New rules for pleasure yachts

The President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, signed a new decree in early May amending already existing laws regarding pleasure yachts. The decree has been a result of an almost year-long effort of privately owned marinas in the D.R., Ocean World Marina, among others, to overcome existing challenges that many vessels' owners, and crew had experienced in Dominican ports. The new decree stated, in laymen's terms, that any private yacht coming into a private marina in the D.R. from a foreign port will not be boarded by all the different governmental officials, but only one Navy representative with one other official who can search the vessel if there has been a report of suspicious activity on the vessel. All other Governmental forms are to be filled out in the marina offices by the captain of the vessel. There were also changes in payments to marinas and the Dominican Port Authority was going to charge two percent on all fuel invoices, but this is being put on hold until further notice due to its unpopularity with all the marinas.

The direct affect for cruisers is specifically in monetary payments, which are to be made to the marinas directly and will show on the receipt given to the yacht when they leave the particular marina. The fees that will be charged are:

• Five percent of the vessel's dockage before tax charged by the Port Authority;
• Ten USD ($10) or equivalent in Dominican Pesos to the Dominican Navy for the Dispatch Letter only when departing to a foreign port; vessels traveling in Dominican waters from one marina to another do not pay any Dispatch Letter fees;
• Ten USD ($10) for each passenger on the vessel (excluding the crew of the Vessel) paid to immigration;
• Sixteen USD ($16 or DOP 500) for each crew or passenger that leaves the D.R. or arrives to the country by plane and is leaving or joining a vessel.

From: AllAtSea Magazine and www.oceanworldmarina.com.

Port Lucaya Resort and Yacht Club in Grand Bahama to Close After 16 Years



The Miami Herald is reporting that two hotel closures, one permanent and the other temporary, were announced in The Bahamas. In May, the Four Seasons in Exuma closed. Then this week, just as Sandals International Resort announced that it had purchased The Four Seasons, the general manager of the Port Lucaya Resort and Yacht Club in Grand Bahama announced that it was permanently shutting its doors on August 31 after nearly 16 years. Speaking to The Freeport News yesterday about the situation, General Manager Glyine Delancy said the closure comes as a result of the aged and declining condition of the resort as well as the protracted decreases in occupancy levels. From: Freeport News. Photo courtesy of portlucayaresort.com.



New Marina opens in Italy, closest to Croatia

Italian port Rodi Garganico Marina opened last month, achieving 'considerable success' with more than 180 enquiries already registered from across Italy and Northern Europe regarding the purchase of berths.

Financed by Pietro Cidonio SpA Enterprise in cooperation with the municipality of Rodi Garganico, Rodi Marina will offer services in the form of the first IBS Yachting Point in the Adriatic Sea and the recently opened Rodi Marina Yacht Club.

Rodi is one of Italy's marinas nearest to Croatia and is positioned on a main route to the southern Mediterranean, near the Gargano National Park and Tremiti Island. From: ibinews.com.

Cruising Green

Plans to Restore the Natural Integrity of the Galapagos Islands

Though it deals mostly with Immigration issues, the report from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Immigration Issues in the Galapagos Islands, was published August 11, 2009.

Not only is it a very interesting read if you are planning on visiting the Galapagos, it also signals changes ahead for all visiting tourists.

For example: (We are) proposing a new “tourism model” which, alongside migration control, should counteract overcrowding, by using various strategies that target both financial and institutional aspects of the industry. By substantially raising the costs of entrance fees (a few hundred dollars), the government hopes to immediately curtail the amount of vacationers. For those who can afford the cost of the trip, visitor identification cards will become mandatory. Every traveler must purchase a $10 transit control card (Tarjeta de Control de Tránsito), which contains basic information about the individual, an identifying photograph, a chip, and a bar code. This card will grant access to the Galapagos National Park and is an additional method that can be used to track the number of people visiting the islands at any given period of time."

At this time it is unclear as to what extent the new measures will affect visiting yachts however it is likely in the near future it will be more expensive and problematic to call at the Galapagos Islands, bearing in mind past and current experiences with the Authorities. From: Noonsite.com.

Website of the Week

http://www.getlostonpurpose.com/

Get Lost On Purpose! Drew and Margie, on Dosia, a 1980 Pearson 365 ketch, are self-taught and another couple of young cruisers who aren't waiting until they retire to get out there and enjoy voyaging. They are currently located in French Polynesia.

"I didn’t come from a long line of bluewater sailors and there’s no pirate in my ancestry," writes Drew. "To tell you the truth, I don’t know when all this sailing, crossing oceans thing started or where it even came from. Although I didn’t grow up on the water, I spent most of my summer weekends as a kid on the North Carolina coast and much of that time I was in the water. Somewhere along the way I became infatuated with oceanography and marine biology so the day I turned twelve, having already taken the course and passed the test, we sent off for my PADI dive certification. I spent a few summers mating on boats and diving the Graveyard of the Atlantic in my teens. Maybe I went wrong one day at the magazine rack. . ." "People ask how I learned to sail or how I know about fixin' boats, I tell ‘em 'the Internet.'” Read their entertaining Blog and see their lovely photos and videos.

For the Hungry Crew...

The Best Thai Peanut Sauce

"This easy no-cook peanut sauce has a terrific authentic Thai taste. It is spicy and peanutty, and is perfect as a dipping sauce for chicken, shrimp, and beef... or even to use tossed with warm cooked noodles for a quick pasta dish." From: allrecipes.com.

• 1 and 1 / 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 / 2 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 / 4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, water, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.

Mindbender

A Groovy Year – 1969

The year was 1969 and while music history was being made at Woodstock, and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, there was another important event taking place in the rough waters of the largest ocean. What was it?

Courtesy of SailingScuttlebutt.com.

• What differentiates a clipper from a yacht? The length of the vessel and the number of masts it has. Ships with a length of over 60 feet (about 18.3 meters) and more than two masts are considered clippers. Because clippers are expensive to maintain and a large crew is needed to raise and drop the anchor, they are generally considered to be a ship for the wealthy. Congrats to the winner -- Jim Chapman, s/v Shadowfax (1972 Coronado 35' Ketch), Key Largo, FL and Royal Oak, MI.

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