-->
Saturday, April 27, 2024
spot_img
Home Blog Page 328

Polar Training Vessel was Sunk off the Antiguan Shelf

Callie_Frisell
-
0

During early August, an English Harbour story came to an end. After a life that resembled the nine lives of a cat, polar training vessel My Way was towed to sea and sunk off the Antiguan shelf.

The polar training vessel My Way began its life as an Artic training vessel. Used as a polar exploration ship, she had a solid steel hull with icebreaker construction.  My Way began her 15-year Antiguan story in 1989 as a charter yacht owned and captained by Dutchman Theo Legwater. During hurricane Hugo,  My Way dragged across Falmouth Harbour to Proctor Point where she went over the reef. Due to her hull construction, she was grounded completely upright. For years she remained on Proctor Point until Hurricane Luis hit Antigua in 1995. A post hurricane scavenge mission removed her winches and hatches and thus began the slide that led to her reputation as an eyesore. Unable to find Captain Legwater, John Bentley took action. For three months Bentley, Joe Hutchens and Captain Maurice undermined the vessel by digging a channel in front of it. They used a small tugboat to backwash and create a “bathtub”. When the day came to dislodge My Way, John Bentley and his boat Sea Pony pulled  My Way into the manmade tub at high tide and then towed her from Falmouth to English Harbour.

While not in good shape, polar training vessel My Way‘s hull was sound and Joe Hutchens took a liking to her. Hutchens received the salvage rights and started to refit the vessel with the idea of returning her to charter yacht glory. Years passed that were at times filled with work as well as rest. In 2001 she was hauled out at Antigua Slipway but, because of her solid steel hull, she was too heavy and crushed the rail car. She returned to the mangroves where yet another downhill slide began.

In August 2004, the Slipway is undergoing major renovations. A half million-dollar investment has been made by owner Enzo Addari to build a new and upgraded main slipway as well as four new chariots. Working in conjunction with the National Parks Authority, Antigua Slipway Ltd also thought it prudent to clear the deep-water hurricane shelter of several hazards, including My Way…but how to sink her? Her hull is dilapidated and her topside and masts are rotten to the point of being dangerous. Once again, enter John Bentley. Bentley devises a plan whereby two 18” wide holes will be cut into the stern, just above the water line. Two 2′ wood panels would then be placed over the holes on rings with ropes attached.

Learning from prior sink missions, the team made the decision to tow her off the shelf. With lines attached, wobbling, unstable masts, and two main stays already broken, the tow was a tension filled one. At the depth of 300′, the crew shortened the lines attached to My Way, pulled the plugs, and within five minutes she went down to her final resting place, stern first. The nine lives of My Way came to an end.

Special mention should be given to all folks involved in the sinking of the polar training vessel My Way. Their services were provided free of charge in order to make English Harbour safer for all. Their assistance continues to make English Harbor one of the safest natural anchorages in the Caribbean.

 

Mood Upbeat for St. Maarten Caribbean Boat Show

Nick_Marshall
-
0

In just over a month’s time, from December 7 to 11, St Maarten will be hosting its inaugural Charter Yacht Exhibition and Caribbean Boat Show. As All At Sea went to press, 45 yachts were registered, of which four were sailboats, as well as some 40 brokers and vendors.

Choosing to start the debut show on the day the 43rd Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting ends was a provocative gesture. To date, only one yacht was registered for both shows, although brokers were expected to spend three days at each. Was the intention to launch an ‘us or them’ custody battle with Antigua over the region’s charter market or the opposite – to allow brokers to view scores of yachts in two different islands with no time wasted in between?

Exhibition Chair Kass Johnson-Halliday talked to All At Sea to set the record straight.

“I’ve always stressed that it’s important to promote the Caribbean as a destination,” she says. The spirit, then, will be co-operation. The Antigua Marine Trades Association has accepted an invitation to take a booth at the St Maarten Exhibition, and will in turn host the St Maarten MTA in Antigua.

Where is the clear water, though, between the two shows?

“For the most part, it’s a chance to bring a lot of brokers here who’ve never been here before and they have a big influence on where their clients meet their charters,” she says. “The boats we have in St Maarten are large, important, high-end charter yachts, so the brokers are coming here to see them. Secondly, it’s an opportunity for the management companies to see how efficient we are here.”

St Maarten is a duty free island, meaning that if a boat needs parts or supplies, they can be on board within an hour of arriving at the airport.

Bringing the show to St Maarten has meant a lot of effort, by many people, over a considerable period: “We’ve been wanting to get it started for about three years,” says Johnson-Halliday. “We really started to move on it in January last year when the bridge was widened. There wasn’t any point in doing a boat show if you couldn’t get the boats in. 12 of the 42 yachts are over 150 feet. We’re really appealing to the really big boat class.” The show comes under the aegis of the Marine Trades Association, but an eight-strong operating committee has been working full-time to make the event a reality.

Caribbean Charter Yacht Show

I asked what would qualify as a success, once the show is over. According to Kass, “I think realistically for the first year we can’t base it on numbers. We have a very respectable number of boats registered already but we can’t expect 150 boats this year. But if everything goes to plan and all the captains are happy, that’s what we’ll call a success.”

Although the Exhibition is closed to the public, not least because of recent ISPS regulations, the show will benefit St Maarten as a whole. “There’s a huge trickledown effect to the island,” says Johnson-Halliday. “People don’t realize the amount of money that goes out of the marine sector to these islands. The private planes, the airport fees, the jet fuel, the taxi drivers, restaurants…”

In addition, a large proportion of the event profits will be allocated to apprentice programs and scholarships for St Maarten youngsters to receive training in the marine industry.

For a full program, list of attendees and breaking news, visit www.mybacaribbeanshow.com

St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition

 

Annual Red Stripe Surf Series Kicks Off

Andy_Morrell
-
0

The annual Red Stripe Surf Series kicks off on Sunday, December 19th at Josiah’s Bay. Top local and regional surfers will compete in Open and Longboard classes in Kids, Jr’s, Men’s, Master’s and Women’s divisions.

In its seventh year, the Red Stripe Surf Series comprises four daylong surfing events at either Apple or Josiah’s Bay, Tortola’s most
popular surf breaks.The Red Stripe Surf Series combines a participants top three results for the overall result.Trophies and prizes are awarded following the final event on March 13th.

Red Stripe Surf Series competitors may compete in two classes: Open and Longboard.Divisions are as follows:Open- Grommets, Kids, Jr, Men & women; Longboard- open.

Age breaks for divisions are as follows: Grommets (<8); Kids 9-12); Jr (13-16); Open (17+); women’s and Longboard divisions are open to all ages.

Contest dates and venues are as follows:
December 19th – Josiah’s Bay
Jan 2nd – Apple or Josiah’s Bay
Jan 30th – Apple or Josiah’s Bay
Feb 20th – Apple of Josiah’s Bay
Mar 13th – Apple or Josiah’s Bay (contest on this date if any previous contest is cancelled or abandoned)

Event organizers will select the location for the event at the last minute based on conditions.

Competitors and participants should call (284) 494-7694 to be told which beach will host the event.

British and US Virgin Islands surfers comprise the majority of the participants in the Red Stripe Surf Series.

Other competitors from the French West Indies and Puerto Rico often fly in to join the events, as do visiting mainland surfers.

The second event scheduled for January 2nd usually sees the biggest turnout with many Puerto Rican Surfers attending.

“The standout feature of the Red Stripe Surf Series is it’s a grass roots appeal,” explains organizer Andy Morrell.

“The events are both competitive and fun.We attract all kinds of surfers from beginners to pros.”

The Red Stripe Surf Series is sponsored by Red Stripe, Highland Spring, HIHO, Non Zipper, Sea Urchin, Trident Trust and Caribbean Surf Company.

For further information contact Ocean Promotions at 284-494-0337 or visit

www.go-hiho.com

HIHO Youth Surf Championships

 

HIHO Youth Surf Championships

Andy_Morrell
-
0

Ocean Promotions Ltd, organizers of the annual Red Stripe Surf Series, announces the HIHO Youth Surf Championships. Scheduled for Sunday, November 28th, the event will offer a chance for youth surfers to compete in three divisions: Grommets, Kids and Junior.

The event venue will be Josiah’s Bay on Tortola’s North Shore. Josiah’s is a big beach break offering good waves for surfers of all
ages. It’s also the islands most comfortable beach to sit back and enjoy a cold beer while watching surfing action.

Surfers may compete on any type of board, though all boards must have nose safety guards and leashes.

Annual Red Stripe Surf Series Kicks Off

Divisions in the HIHO Youth Surf Championships will bas as follows: Youth (13-16yrs); Kids (9-12yrs); and Grommets (<8yrs).

If he competes in the Junior division St Thomas surfer David Enloe will be the hands down favorite to win.Enloe is the top local surfer and was 2nd in the 2004 Red Stripe Surf Series.

Favored in the Grommets division will be 8-year old Cameron Walton from Tortola.

Other Tortola surfers including brothers Josh & Sam Morrell, James Nicholas and Mimi Walston are expected to fare well in the Grommet division

Surfers will compete in a single or double elimination format with the top competitors earning trophies.All participants will receive
prizes, plus a HIHO T-shirt and product from FCS, the leader in surfboard fin technology.

Entry fee is $20 and includes free drinks for participants. Phone 284-494-0337 for details & information.

Fourth Aruba Rembrandt Regatta a Success

 

Foxy Entertains at Stag Cruise in San Francisco

Nancy_Terrell
-
0

Yep! The GOBs are alive and well at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco and our very own Foxy is entertaining. The event is the infamous Tinsley Island Stag Cruise, which is exactly as it states – an all male cruise to Tinsley Island – following the famous St. Francis Perpetual Trophy Regatta sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A.

The regatta includes many awards – the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy, the City of San Francisco Trophy, the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, the Keefe-Kilborn Memorial Trophy, and the Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy – each winner receiving a Rolex.The entire weekend of September 24th thru 27th contained social events with live entertainment; however, it was Foxy that they took to Tinsley Island for the cruise at the end of the event.

Many of the participants party hearty when they cruise the BVI during the winter season and they all love Foxy.

While Foxy and Tessa were in the area they led the Fund Raising Events for the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society in the BVI, a US-based non-profit organization engaged in preserving the culture of Jost Van Dyke, BVI, as well as The Island Sloop Society. Each shares a common goal of the preservation of the Tortola Sloop by creating a program to build new sloops – Foxy is building one in The Outback of his Tamarind Bar.

The JVD Preservation Society has a wide ranging vision of the preservation of Jost van Dyke & its neighboring cays, recognized locally as a rare vestige of the Virgin Island’s ecology. Foxy led the fund raising at both the Point Richard Yacht Club and the Sweet Water Saloon in Mill Valley.Here he entertained with the Cow Bay Cruz Boys, most of whom have raced in Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regattas, and came to Jost Van Dyke for the 30th anniversary of the regatta this past Memorial Day.As always, Foxy is the best when it comes to international goodwill ambassadors.

 

Prior to Insurance – Hurricane Preparedness – Sink your Boat!

Nancy_Terrell
-
0

Peter Bailey shares his memories with AAS writer, Nancy Terrell

In 1956, Barbara and I sailed our 18′ Searbird, Moonraker, from Trinidad to Grenada. Bill (a BVI marine surveyor who has been in Grenada since Ivan) was about two. On the 27th of September, 1955, Hurricane Janet, battered Grenada. I think Janet is excluded from the names for hurricanes now, because of its effects.

I recall that the Mighty Sparrow made up a calypso about it;

Janet hiding in the mountains,
Janet licked down a million buildings,
Janet sister was Katie,
Janet licked down the whole of Miami

There were no pleasure craft in Grenada at the time, just fishing boats and Trading Schooners, most of which were built and manned from Bequia and Carriacou. The charter yachts did sail down there from Antigua, so Grenadians knew that some people were wealthy enough to “Sail for Pleasure”.

Boats were built of wood. The first GRP Yacht I saw was a Bounty Class 40 footer off Guadeloupe, when we cruised up there in 58/59 on our Brittany Class 40 footer designed by Laurent Giles.

Carriacou: Down Island Time Travel

At the time it was quite normal to sink any boat (which didn’t have an engine) when storms threatened, if there wasn’t time to haul ashore – provided you chose a soft muddy bottom to lie on in a place where there wasn’t much chance of a ground sea. The feeling was that boats were much safer under the water than afloat. Commercial craft were filled with stones and taken out to deep water for
sinking. This was considered good for the boats because salt water stops rot and kills all insects aboard. This was an excellent fumigator as vessels carried perishables as well as chickens, goats and other livestock. The people in Grenada lived off of the land, much as they are being forced to do now.

Casting Off With Kids

The HMS Ulster came in and restored the electricity in the city but there was no electricity on other parts of the island. It’s strange how history repeats itself.

Sir James McAlpine Brooks of Redonda – An Intrepid Aussie

Bob_Williamson
-
0

Well, they all are, aren’t they? Intrepid, I mean.

This one is special. His name is Sir James McAlpine Brooks of Redonda and he can’t even remember when he first became interested in sailing. He thinks about five. His dad was a founding member of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia so there were always many boats in the family. So far Jim has owned ten.

At sixteen he helped bring a boat back to Sydney from the Hobart Race.

His first job was as an apprentice shipwright and he moved on to work at Swanson’s. The two owners of this yard retired so Jim bought the mould for a particular boat called the Carmen (31′) and went into business for himself.

He then was foreman of the shipyard in Middle Harbour, staying twelve years. and during this time he built his own boat, a 32′ Albatross.

His dad retired so Jim bought his father’s share of “Charinga” (an Aborigine word meaning a vessel full of stories).

His own big sailing story began with this hardy steel boat. Off he went up the east coast of Australia, across the South Java Sea, on to Borneo and across to northern Indonesia and then to Singapore. From there he sailed up the Mallaca Straits to Penang and Thailand where he spent five months. On the passage to Sri Lanka he picked up a distress call from a sailing boat they could just see on the horizon so he and his crewman went to investigate. There was the boat with an injured skipper, his head a mess of cuts and bruises. They got him down below and then found a doctor on the SSB who helped them with treatment until they managed to deliver him to a Sri Lankan hospital.

On their way again they were hit by a typhoon and suffered through four days of high seas, the boat proving her worth once again. They met another yacht off Oman that had been damaged by machine gun fire from pirates so they stopped to help with repairs.

Off Sudan they were sheltering from bad winds when they spotted a Coca Cola sign on the opposite shore of the bay they’d anchored in. It was too tempting so they hopped in the dinghy. As they finished a meager lunch a group of guys stood up and motioned that the two go outside and into a truck. They were all B-movie villains so their captives did as they were told and arrived soon at a police station. Nobody spoke English and they were treated like bad guys themselves. After a whole day they began to concoct a whispered plan of escape which involved Jim throwing a plant pot full of gravel in the armed guard’s face, Jim would grab his rifle so at least it pointed up while his crewman laid out the other unarmed guard.

During the countdown to the dusk attack a truck drew up to the prison and a harassed bureaucrat came into the jail waving papers. In broken English he explained that all telephones were out so they’d tried to use their radio to try and release the two lads. The man, amazed and triumphant at finding Jim and his pal unharmed, drove them to their dinghy and happily waived goodbye.

Whew. The day of their arrival in Egypt Jim discovered that there was a Sting concert that night in the pyramid area. Tickets were $150 each so they hopped on a bus that was going to the ticket wicket five miles away (this was a pretty big concert).

The bus was full of Italians who all had tickets so when the bus went noisily through the gates Jim and his friend simply kept their seats while it was ushered through.

Jim stayed in Israel for a year working on several boats just north of Gaza. Then on to Cyprus, Turkey, the Corinth Canal, Corsica, Sardinia, Spain and Gibraltar.

He arrived in the Canaries, via a side-trip to Casablanca (Jim was a Bogart Fan and had to stop over). There he met the Lovely Elsa (not a Swedish beauty but a Welsh one) – they sailed across the Atlantic together and are still the best of friends. He arrived in Antigua with $20 and has been working for Woodstock Boatbuilding.

As you read this Jim is probably in the Southern Ocean or rounding the Horn delivering a three-masted schooner from New
Zealand to Maine.

Well, I told you he’s intrepid.

 

Caribbean Summer Memories: A Calm Before the Storms

Jolyon_Byerley
-
2
  • Summertime in Antigua invokes reflections on past sailing adventures, including charters on yachts like Ron of Argyll, Lord Jim, Mirage, and Etoile de Mer. The author reminisces about the relative absence of hurricane fears during these bygone summers.
  • A notable recollection surfaces about assisting a friend in delivering the ex-military Fairmile Warrior Gereant to Barbados. A sudden hurricane warning in St. Lucia triggered a quick anchoring maneuver in Marigot Harbour, followed by an amusing discovery of coconuts creating an onboard rhythmic rumbling.
  • The author conveys the Caribbean’s vulnerability to powerful tropical storms, highlighted by a severe storm a decade ago that left destruction in its wake. While some islanders occasionally escape the seasonal onslaughts, the sense of luck and vulnerability persist, making summer navigation an exercise in respect for nature’s power.

I am writing this at the tale end of August and so far Antigua slumbers fairly peacefully through the uncertain months of summer. But it brings back memories of days when, with virtually no weather forecasts, we chartered up and down the islands on my yachts Ron of Argyll and Lord Jim, then later with Mirage and Etoile de Mer. Perhaps we were lucky, but hardly ever did we even have a fright when it came to hurricanes.

Love Conquers All – Even the Atlantic

Once though, we were helping our old friend Tony Garton takes his 115ft ex-military Fairmile Warrior Gereant delivery to Barbados for a summer haul out. It was a leisurely sort of trip, and pulling into Castries, St Lucia one evening we spotted two unusual flags flying on the signal masts at the harbour entrance. Well, they turned out to be signifying a hurricane warning! So we soon slipped down to Marigot Harbour, which was still a deserted and lonely place, and went stern-to the sand spit behind three anchors.

OK! It did blow a bit that night and nobody slept much. But all seemed fine in the morning and by that evening we were underway again, rounding the south end of St Lucia and heading out to sea for the 90 miles of open sea to Barbados. It was then we heard a “strange rhythmical rumbling”. We searched everywhere for that noise, and came up with nothing until someone opened the door to the big false funnel amidships… to find half a dozen coconuts rolling back and forward every time the ship rose and fell and rolled in the swell. And in case you didn’t know, a Fairmile can really roll.

Boat Buying Guide: Tips and Tricks for Boat Delivery

There were also one or two occasions when, in English Harbour, our lovely schooner Lord Jim was wrapped up in the mangrove bushes like a kid’s Christmas present. On the whole, though, nothing too bad until 9 years ago when the mother of all tropical storms gave Antigua a 36-hour battering. There were trees and boats, houses and bushes on the roads and all over the place.

So we in Antigua, along with many other islanders all over the length and breadth of the Caribbean, feel lucky indeed if we can escape during the summer months from a mauling by Mother Nature.

Just the other night during a period when the moon seemed to be taking a break from her duties, I awoke and started thinking about the lucky people who are able to actually sail purely for fun. I don’t mean racing. I mean going to sea and making long or short trips on their boats and for most of the time being by themselves in the vastness of the Caribbean. Now that in itself, being alone, is not so easy in the season. By West Indian standards, it can get quite busy out here. But there are times, when the visiting boats have gone back to Europe or the States, when Judy and I have taken our 34ft Dehler Hightide down to the coast of South America or even just the islands which were once our playgrounds in the old charter days. And after a lifetime of racing, it is now the cruising that we really love. The excitement of the crowded starting line, the bloodthirsty battles and the super get-togethers after the race will never be matched, but now we can snorkel and swim, explore coves and bays which the racers never see, and sip a petit ponche at our favorite street side café in Marie Galante.

Water, Water, Everywhere – but we need a drop to drink!

Gwen_Cornfield
-
0

I think I can recall all the unlikely, hazardous and backbreaking ways we have filled our jerry jugs and our water tanks on Loreley.

The obvious thing to do was to build a water catcher.

Our first design was the one that needed to be erected as rain squalls approached and it was soon rejected. We would end up soaked to the skin, with only about half a cup to show for it, before the squall had passed.

The final prototype was our cockpit awning – almost always up, “gutters” down the sides, and PVC flexible pipes to slip into the nearest jerry jug. As long as you remembered to clean off the bird droppings, it was clean and safe to drink.

In a remote village in Vanuatu, we hauled up buckets of water from the depths of the well, poured it into 20 gal jerry jugs, and staggered with them to the beach, then across the coral to the waiting rubber dinghy. Then they were ferried to Loreley, hauled up on deck to be poured into the tanks. PHEW! Loreley carries 200 gallons. It was a backbreaking task.

On Rangiroa, we spent weeks enjoying the diving and the company of hospitable and friendly Polynesians. A month with no rain had our water tanks at an all-time low. We asked a friend, Nanua, if we could use some of the island’s rain catchment, stored in underground tanks. The island chief deliberated on our case. This was serious business but eventually we were granted 50 gallons. Nanua told us of a mighty cyclone that swept across the low-lying atoll, destroying most of the buildings and, more importantly, all the water tanks, which were built above ground in those days. They survived on coconut water and what little rainwater each family could catch, as the wells were brackish and fit only for laundry and bathing.

In Phuket, cruisers had to anchor in a bay with a small waterfall tumbling down the rocky shore.

We anchored the dinghies as near as we could. Then we climbed up the cliff face with a garden hose and funnel, which was jammed into place under the fall of water. The other end of the hose was placed in jerry jugs in the dinghy. This was the easiest and only cost free water source in Phuket.

From a steep hill above the lovely village of Charlottesville, on Tobago Island, a crystal clear spring of water gushes out of the rocks. I regularly joined the village folk who gathered there to wash, do laundry or fill bottles. I became addicted to this, the best water I have ever tasted, and willingly slogged up the steep hill to fill small containers to carry back to Loreley. The bulk of our water came from a convenient tap near the Charlottesville jetty.

In the Chagos archipelago, the now exiled population, which once numbered 1,500, had dug wells into the solid coral strata of the islands. Cruisers soon found the well on Boddom Atoll, kept clean of debris and maintained by the overseeing British military personnel, who ran monthly tests on the water and confirmed that, in spite of the off-putting sulphurous smell, it was free of harmful microorganisms and rich in calcium – very healthy. It was not too often we had access to water that was tested in
any way.

Our way of insuring bug free water when it was from a dubious source was to toss a little bleach into it. We had two methods of treatment:

  1. If the water was clear, we added about ½ teaspoon of bleach to each 5 gallons of water.
  2. If it was cloudy, we added one whole teaspoon. These days this drinking of chlorine is considered unwise – but we survived.

The horrible chlorine taste dissipates after a while and is worth putting up with, to know you will not suffer some water borne disease. I can’t help agreeing with those who like to “sterilize” their water with rum or scotch!

 

Where is all that CO2 Going?

Becky_Bauer
-
0

All of us have received emails that alarm, frighten, or inspire us. Some promise good luck if we forward them to family and friends. Some describe a dire situation and urge us to write to our government. Others scare us away from common household products. You know the ones I mean.

I have learned to be skeptical when I receive emails that make disturbing claims, since they are often misleading and sometimes downright false. So, whenever an intriguing story comes my way, the first thing I do is check facts. I generally start with the urban legend web site www.snopes.com. Usually I find the story, and usually it turns out to be untrue.

The email message I received the other day about CO2 and the oceans met all the criteria for an urban legend. It alarmed me, it stated frightening facts without being specific, and it urged me to forward the email to everyone I know.

Unfortunately, this one turns out to be true. I had to look beyond www.snopes.com to confirm its veracity, but what I found was indeed alarming and frightening. Here’s the situation.

Scientists have long been studying the impact of anthropogenic CO2 on the atmosphere. (Anthropogenic CO2 is a fancy term for the carbon dioxide that we humans emit through the burning of fossil fuels, etc.) They figured out early on that not all of this carbon dioxide was ending up in the upper atmosphere, but they didn’t quite know where the rest of it was going. Until now.

The July 16, 2004 issue of the journal Science reported on the most comprehensive study to date of carbon dioxide in the oceans. An international team of scientists from NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency), several US universities, and scientific organizations from Canada, Australia, South Korea, Germany, and Spain completed the study. They based their research on a 10-year survey that combined measurements of carbon dioxide with other factors like temperature, salinity, oxygen, etc., in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

The Common Cents of Key West

The survey determined that the oceans have taken up around 118 billion metric tons of anthropogenic carbon dioxide between 1800 and 1994. Basically, what this means is that the oceans have absorbed about 48 per cent of the carbon dioxide emitted into the air by humans over the last two centuries.

Since 1800, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 36%. However, since this number reflected only half of the CO2 that had been emitted during this period, there was room to doubt the urgent need for a reduction in CO2 emissions. There’s no room any more.

The study reported in Science shows that the “missing” CO2 is being absorbed into the oceans. Not surprisingly, scientists warn that biological systems in the upper oceans will be progressively impacted by this increasing uptake of CO2. Richard Feely, a marine chemist with NOAA, along with his colleagues, found that corals, free-swimming algae, and animals on which other marine life feed had more difficulty producing protective calcium carbonate shells at high levels of CO2.

This continually increasing CO2 level, combined with increased salinity and temperature, could substantially and irrevocably alter the oceanic habitat before the end of the century.

Alarming, huh? Frightening, too. We can all help by pushing for more stringent regulations, cleaner fuels, and alternative energies. You can also show your support by visiting www.thepetitionsite.com and searching for Petition number 556516773. Or write to your country’s Oceans and Fisheries Department and urge them to act boldly.

Sailing with Charlie: Tea Integrity

St. John’s Hurricane Hole

Tammy_Kramer
-
2
St. John’s Hurricane Hole

In the season of hurricanes and unpredictable tropical storms, history shows there’s more likely to be a miss than a hit. But if you’ve lived on an island for a while, you know that when the weather guy starts calling a storm by name, it’s time to think about stocking up on supplies, closing up your house and securing your boat, just in case.

In the past, boaters found refuge in Hurricane Hole on the northeast side of St. John. During the threat of a hurricane they would tie into the mangroves along the shore and broad cast anchors into the water. But the designation of the area as part of the Coral Reef National Monument in 2001 prohibits anchoring, leaving boaters with few options during storms.

An environmental assessment is due to be completed shortly for the creation of a hurricane mooring system in Hurricane Hole. In severe weather situations, it would provide a secure place for boats to moor without tying in to the mangroves.

“The primary reason for doing all this is to protect the mangrove shorelines. Hurricane Hole has the last pristine mangroves left in the Virgin Islands. They’re important as a nursery habitat for juvenile reef fish,” says Rafe Boulon, Chief of Resource Management for the Virgin Islands National Park and Coral Reef Monument. “It’s likely that most reefs on the south side of St. John are populated with fish that grew up in Hurricane Hole.”

Another reason for the mooring is to make it easier for boaters by giving them an attachment point. They’ll use their own anchoring gear out in the middle of the bay so it hits sand bottom.

Last-minute design details are still being worked out, but to get an idea of what the mooring will look like, picture a one-inch heavy chain lying along the bottom of the ocean. Every 30 feet there’s a large screw drilled 12 to15 feet into the sand. Each sand screw has three plates, an eight inch, ten inch and 12 inch, to resist the pullout of the sand screw. At boat attachment points, there are heavily
designed springs that act as shock absorbers for the system. They’re designed with minimum breaking strength of ten tons. But if the spring breaks, the one inch chain acts as a backup. Boats will be attaching at midpoint between sand screws, creating a 30-foot buffer between vessels.

“In the past, it’s been first come first serve, and a somewhat Wild West approach to finding a spot. You’d always get the rogue who comes in and secures haphazardly, putting other boats in danger,” says Joe Kessler, President of Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park.

At the beginning of hurricane season, boaters will register for a season long permit with the Virgin Islands National Park, and a guaranteed mooring spot. At the potential approach of the first named storm, boats can be moored and tackle put out. The new method will also relieve the environmental stress of setting up and tearing down.

“Once the storm is no longer a threat, you take your boat out but leave your tackle,” says Kessler. “I think the project is one of the most important we’ll do. What’s really important is to find a way for people to continue using those waters while protecting it.”

 

Hurricane Hole St. John
Peaceful picture of Hurricane Hole St. John

Your Boat is Sinking – VISAR Search and Rescue to the Rescue

Tammy_Kramer
-
0
Your Boat is Sinking – VISAR Search and Rescue to the Rescue

VISAR volunteers in action. Photo courtesy of VISAR
VISAR volunteers in action. Photo courtesy of VISAR

In July of this year, a Mayday was radioed from a catamaran 11 miles off the coast of Anegada. The boat was sinking, and the nine people on board needed help. Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR), with the assistance of a couple of other boats, got the passengers to dry land and then coordinated medical and crisis care for them. That’s just one example of what VISAR is called to do every week.

“The majority of the calls we go to these days are medically oriented, such as a heart attack, a jelly fish sting, or an accident where someone has sustained an injury,” says VISAR President, Phil Aspinall. “Fortunately, we get very few tragic accidents.”

When the pagers go off, VISAR volunteers are ready, knowing that the types of accidents will be as varied as the people who occupy the boats. Although they don’t get paid for their time and expertise, they are relied upon for their crucial role in keeping the waters safe around the BVI and the USVI. It can be a balancing act for the volunteers.

“We all have regular jobs. When someone is in danger we drop what we’re doing, go out on a call, and then get back to our lives.”

In 1988, the year VISAR was founded, volunteers went out on six calls. Over the years, the numbers have increased steadily, as has the volunteer staff. Now 50 people are on a rotating roster to respond to the two or three calls that come in each week. Nothing short of a hurricane will keep them from helping people. Efforts are often coordinated with the US Coast Guard, Royal BVI Police, the BVI Customs, the Crisis Intervention Team, BVI Medical Authorities, or even nearby boats.

One of the biggest things that sets VISAR apart from the other organizations listed is funding.

“Most people think that we are government funded. They are surprised to learn that we are a charitable organization and are totally funded from donations and fund raising events. We rely largely on the good will of people who sometimes contribute as a method of saying thanks.”

VISAR’s annual operating costs run about $100,000 a year. One of the largest income boosters comes from the ‘Dollar per Person’ campaign. Virtually all charter companies have agreed to contribute a dollar to the program for each of their guests. Aspinall says this method would fund VISAR completely if every chartering visitor to the BVI made a contribution, but revenue collected reflects the donations of only about a third of all guests.

Currently, VISAR is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise a million dollars over the next several years. “We have to raise that by banging on doors,” says Aspinall.

Part of the money will be used to add another boat to the two vessels already in operation. But a new, well-equipped boat alone will cost about $300,000 — three times the annual operating budget of the charity.

“It’s funny, but the focus of our volunteers is not fund raising, they would gladly put themselves in danger to help someone else but find it difficult to ask people for money,” says Aspinall. “Most of our volunteers just want to get out there and help people.”

To find out more about VISAR, log onto their website at www.visar.org

 

A Route du Rhum Tale

Nick_Marshall
-
0

This month is a crucial one for French sailor Jean Allaire. In the coming weeks, the St Martin-based sail maker will find out if his bid to compete in the 2006 Route du Rhum will go ahead or not.

Since May 2003, Allaire has been trying to gather backers and whip up support for a St Martin entry into the famous Transatlantic race from St Malo to Pointe a Pitre, held every four years. Should he succeed, Allaire’s would by no means be the first Caribbean entry – Guadeloupe’s Claude Thelier and Claude Bistoquet have both competed in previous years, but it would certainly be the most ambitious.

First, Allaire needs to secure the use of 60ft Rexona Men for the race, the top-end Trimaran that won the race in 1994 and 1998 as Laurent Bourgnon’sPrimagaz. The boat is currently in the North Sea and is being held for Allaire until this month. To buy her will cost 740,000 Euros, no small feat in itself. Even more surprising is the fact that Allaire, who will rename the boat Ile de Saint Martin, will be 60 years old in 2006.

“In all honesty, I’d have preferred to do it at 30 years old, but the way life turned out I either didn’t have the money or the desire to do it then,” Allaire told All At Sea, from his sail loft, Delta Voiles, that he runs in Saint Martin.

Allaire’s project has been met with considerable skepticism. “There are a lot of people who think I won’t get the money together,” he admits. But settling for a smaller, cheaper boat is not an option. “You have to recognize that the cameras only follow the big boats. When you see the reports, you only see the 60 footers,” he says. The 2006 race will be the 25th anniversary edition, meaning that, “it’s a good thing for the island to participate with lots of parties, lots of spectators, and lots of journalists.”

Using Rexona Men, the only 60ft tri capable of entering the lagoon, as a promotional tool, the plan is to bring the boat to St Maarten in time for December’s Charter Exhibition. This is to be followed by a few months with her on display, then race her in the 25th St Maarten Heineken Regatta in May, where Allaire’s priority is to bring the Round the Island record (currently held by Playstation) home.

He points to the progress the Dutch Side has made in turning sailing into a source of revenue for the island, and thinks it’s time for the French side to catch up. “We’re never going to have a car factory come here and employ 10,000 people, so we need to get round a project that can motivate people to turn their minds to the sea,” he comments. “Everything we’re doing here needs to come back to the marine industry in general.”

The Association Ile de St Martin aims to raise the money through loans, sponsorship and also selling products such as specially branded wine. The search for funds, he says, represents about 90 per cent of the whole project. The 15-day slog across the Atlantic will almost be the easy part, for a man who recently won the Multihull division of the Course de l’Alliance and once managed the world’s largest trimaran, 85’ Axial.

Despite the critics, there is still some high-profile support. “When I called [2002 Route du Rhum winner] Michel Desjoyeaux, who I’ve known since he was little, to tell him I was taking part, he said, “I knew it. I knew you would.”’

Most touching of all for Allaire was, “an old man, 91 years old, who’d done a lot of sailing on the traditional boats, who said to me, “I want to see this boat before I die. I’ll wait to get on it and after that…” He’s waiting for that. That moved me a lot.”

The Cost of Crossing the Atlantic with the Route du Rhum

Caribbean News – Johnson Bay is NOT a Designated Moorings Area

Nick_Marshall
-
0

Time to move on in St John

Johnson Bay is not a designated moorings area. This recent announcement by the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources comes as news to many local boaters who have been mooring there for over ten years. Some 40 boats were recently tagged by DPNR officers and ordered to relocate to any of the island’s designated mooring areas. These are Chocolate Hole, Great Cruz Bay, neighbouring Coral Harbor, and Cruz Bay.

The counter argument from many of those anchored in Johnson Bay is that the DPNR has failed to come up with guidelines for mooring in territory waters – something the authority is obliged to do by a 1992 law. In addition, mooring permits have up until now been granted by the DPNR, even though the Bay is not listed as a designated area.

According to one local resident, “They [the boats] will stay. The boats have invested in moorings and the people are permanent, voting, year-round residents here. The government is not reading its own carefully drafted laws correctly.”

Tragic Collision – man charged

BVI – the operator of a powerboat that hit a dinghy and killed two of its teenage occupants in early August is to be charged with manslaughter. The 36-year-old Dutch skipper of a 22ft Boston Whaler, who was vacationing in Eustatius Island, hit and overturned a dinghy carrying four people just before midnight in the Saba Rock area. Despite rescue attempts by VISAR and a US Coastguard helicopter, Luke Noble, 14 of the UK and Dennis Harty, 19, of the US drowned as a result of the accident. Police believe that the two boys, whose bodies were later recovered by divers, were knocked unconscious by the collision.

SCYE on the web

The inaugural St Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition is only three months away (Dec 7 to 11), but visitors can register of prepare for the event thanks to a smart website www.mybacaribbeanshow.com

Bitter End launches sailing festival

Bitter End Yacht Club has announced the programme for the popular Fall Sailing Festival, beginning this month on the 23rd. The 10-week festival gives a chance for guests to meet and learn from world-class sailors in one of the Caribbean’s top locations.

Events on the schedule include the JJ Isler’s Women on the Water Week (Oct 23-30), with instruction from JJ Isler, Pam Wall, Martha Parker and Joan Gilmore. The same week sees the Caribbean Hobie Wave Race Week.

The prestigious 18th annual Pro-Am Regatta will run from October 30 to November 6, where junior racers and world-famous skippers will battle it out on the club’s Hunter 216s and Freedom 30s. Skippers expected to attend include Russell Coutts, Peter Holmberg and Lowell North. For more information, go to www.beyc.com

Pitts looks solid in Athens

US Virgin Islander Tim Pitts gave a series of steadily improving performances in the Olympic Games. Although the 22-year-old from St Croix placed 41st out of 42 in the Laser Class, he finished as high as 34th on two occasions towards the end of the 11-race event. Brazil’s Robert Scheidt took the Gold Medal, but competition was intense throughout the class with no one person dominating.

Pitts, who confessed to being ‘locked up’ during the first few races, put aside the pressure of competing in the Olympics with some great starts in later races, hitting the first mark in the top 15 on some occasions.

The Crucian sailor now intends to study videotapes of every race, work on his start, and come back with greater ambition in time for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

New service for cruisers

Adding a little extra spice to the new season in St Maarten is the Amalgamated Yacht Services, situated in the Village Portofino on Simpson Bay Lagoon. Run by South African Mike Glatz and Sally-Anne Sear, the new development will offer a cruiser’s laundry, ‘Shrimpy’s’ Tapas Bar, Mike’s Hull cleaning service and a dinghy valet service, where you can have any vessel up to 15,000lbs cleaned in around 20 minutes. Also on offer will be a regular ‘Yotgrot’ marine mart, where cruisers can exchange anything from a Genoa to a Seacock. For more info call 523 9868 or email amalgamated_yachting@yahoo.com

The Horror of Designated Anchorages

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Caribbean Laser Team Racing Championship

The Antigua Yacht Club has good news and bad news. The Ladies Laser Open, scheduled for October 15, has been cancelled. But the 16th Caribbean Laser Team Racing Championships will take place over the weekend of October 16 & 17.

Competition will be limited to 12 teams and will take place around Falmouth Harbour in standard Lasers belonging to the AYC.

For more information contact Antigua Yacht Club on yachtclub@candw.ag or call (268) 460 1799.

Triskell Cup

The 4th Triskell Cup will take place over November 13 and 14. So far, 56 entries have been received from Guadeloupe, Antigua and Martinique. Racing is divided into Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker and Multihull and will take place off Gosier. Last year, class honours went to Bernie Wong’s Huey Too, Hans Lammers’ Trouble, Sylvain Homo’s EIB Marina Bas du Fort and Philippe Pollet’s Passager du Vent.

Email organisation@triskellcup.com

Southern Caribbean Invitational Regatta

The Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) will be holding the Southern Caribbean Invitational Regatta in Chaguaramas from December 27 to 30. Racing will take place in Optimist, Laser Standard, MR15 and SR Max categories. Registration is now open, with fees ranging from $100 for the Dinghies to $240 for the 3-man SR Max.

Contact TTSA, on (868) 634 1216 or email youthsailing@tstt.net.tt

Women’s Keelboat Championship

The Budget Nautique Women’s Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships will be taking place in St Maarten over the weekend of November 6 & 7. Organised by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, the event will be sailed in identical Jeanneau Sun Fast 20 boats.

The event is open to fourteen teams of 3 or 4 competitors, with 4 teams to come from St Maarten. The entry fee will be $200 per team with confirmation of overseas entries to be in by October 17.

Last year, local stars Random Winds, skippered by Stans Goedhart edged out Debbie Schreiber’s St Croix team to take the honours.

For more info, contact Cary on director@bigboatseries.com or call (599) 543 6469.

J Boats Introduces a new 65 Footer

J Boats has introduced a fast, new J/65 racing/cruising sloop. The latest flagship is hoping to be the ultimate sailing yacht for J followers. Some 11,000 sailors already own a J Boat.

The J/65 is sloop-rigged, with a large, protected cockpit. The sailplan can accommodate a cruising set-up or powered-up, push-button performance program with overlapping headsails and asymmetric spinnakers.

To take an in-depth look, visit www.jboats.com or contact Jeff Johnstone on jeffj@jboats.com

New build for sleeker racing

The Wylie Wildcat 43 is a new high performance offshore race boat from Tom Wylie and Schooner Creek Boat works, the team that produced 70’ Trans Pac Rage, 77’ Jelik and Open 60 Ocean Planet (5th in the last Around Alone).

The design includes an unstayed carbon fiber mast, resin-infused carbon fiber-foam laminate hull and 10ft draft, 4,800lbs keel. The $275,000 Wylie 43 comes equipped with 2-cylinder Yanmar Sail-drive diesel, Harken Deck Gear and full batten Doyle Main sail. For more information, visit www.schoonercreek.com

INTERNATIONAL

One out of two for Orange II

Bruno Peyron’s Orange II has beaten the world 24-hour sailing record. The maxi-Catamaran covered 703 miles in 24 hours, averaging 29.29 knots, beating the record (694 miles) set in 2002 by Brian Thompson on Maiden II.

But days later, Peyron just missed out on the Atlantic Crossing record, set at 4 days, 17 hours, 28 mins by Steve Fossett on PlayStation in 2001. Orange II reached the Lizard 31 minutes past the deadline. Peyron and his 10-man crew had paid the price of having to sail extra miles as a result of wind direction, but the overall performance puts and end to months of frustration for the French sailing legend.

Yacht Grounded

A skipper who called the rescue services out twice in three days has been told to stay put until his boat is seaworthy. 67-year-old Mike Thompson, sailing out of Fife, Scotland, first called the lifeboat to rescue him after his engines failed. Days later, he requested help again when the rudder aboard 23ft Lady Marion fell off.

The bungling Captain left Dalgety Bay Sailing Club in thick fog, navigating without instruments. But when his engine packed in and the outboard fell off, he radioed local rescue services with his co-ordinates – which were six miles off!

Days later, the rudder of Lady Marion fell off with the vessel in a busy shipping lane. Despite a calamitous few days, Thompson is an experienced sailor with a history of racing yachts for Great Britain.

Mutiny on Argo

A Captain’s disturbing behaviour forced his crew to take drastic action, off the coast of Spain in early August. When the skipper of 36ft Argo, Spike Sellers, threatened to sink his vessel, fellow crew members Ivan Holroyd and girlfriend Rachel Rosen, overpowered the Captain, tied him up, and launched an SOS.

The incident happened 90 miles off the coast of Northern Spain. Rescue services brought the boat to the nearest port, where a local judge has ruled that Captain Sellers must pay a 4,000 Euro deposit to have his boat released. One local official described it as the strangest incident he had yet to witness in the port.

Tosca III tycoon killed in helicopter crash

Just over a year ago, millionaire Christopher Matthews, 54, placed an advert looking for a jet-setting aide who needed to be “a highly intelligent workaholic with a skin like a rhinoceros” and warned “If you are married, get divorced now because you will never see your partner again.” Matthews, who made his fortune with an online dating business, had lived for the last four years on board 115ft, $9 million Tosca III, dividing his time between the Med and the Caribbean.

Sadly, Matthews and 28-year-old Jim Beauregard, the man who was eventually recruited to the $180,000 a year position, were both killed in a helicopter crash in Wisconsin, US in August.

Go Boldly. Go Power.

Stuck on You – What Happens When you Can’t Sell Your Boat

Nick_Marshall
-
0

Remember the excitement of spending the first night as a liveaboard? The water lapping at the hull, stars visible through the hatch and the prospect of a lifetime of freedom, mobility and variety. This is not one of those stories.

Imagine instead returning reluctantly each evening to a boat that you no longer want.

A change of circumstances means you need to cash in some of your investments, sell your boat which has been your home of the last few years and get back at least some of what you paid for it. But there’s a problem. The hull leaks, the air is dank and the engine temperamental, but to haul out and repair all the quirks you’ve been putting up with for years would now cost thousands. But without making those repairs, you literally can’t give your boat away.

Thankfully, the boat market is sufficiently healthy that this kind of scenario is rare.

According to Lindy Schweickert of St Thomas Yacht Sales, “We think there is a buyer somewhere out there for every boat, no matter how strange or unique”. However, much of the trading takes place at the top end of the market with the 45 to 55 footers, so what of the more battered boats in the under $25,000 bracket?

You would think these cheaper boats would sell themselves. Not so. Boats in this price range are typically around 30′ and old. Although brokers will take them on to their lists, the profit margin is so low that few tend to be sold this way. “A lot of boats in that price range tend to be sold by their owners,” confirms Schweickert. Which means more legwork on the seller’s part.

Dirk (name changed) is one such liveaboard who can attest to three years of legwork, trying to sell his 43′ trimaran.

“I bought the boat in 1992. I had an arrangement with the owner so I didn’t have to make any downpayment and I paid it off over the years. I was looking for a cheaper place to live, so in a way I’ve made the money back over the years in rent. In total, I paid $20,000.” So far, so good. While not suited to longer passage making, the 1970s, French-built trimaran was nevertheless what many cruisers are looking for – rent free, relatively comfortable and adaptable. Yet there were soon problems.

“I didn’t have money to work on the boat,” says Dirk, “but did what I could do to maintain it.” Eventually, he was able to rebuild the interior, purchase sails and enlarge the cockpit. Fine for a bolthole, but when the opportunity came to start his own business, a boat wasn’t what Dirk wanted. “I can’t get a computer on the boat, so I wanted to live on shore again and sell it to start the business.”

At $15,000, the price was not exorbitant, but by then the trimaran was in Trinidad, where, according to Dirk: “there are not a lot of yachties and those who are there want a nice boat, not one to live on.” He tried brokerages, but “found that they were not really interested.” That left selling it himself. Bay Island Yacht’s Heather Underwood has some tips on how to shift this kind of boat: “At least empty all your stuff out of it,” she stresses. “The biggest thing people don’t do with the lower end of boats is preparation.” After that, “the most important things are the rigging – if it’s towards the end of its 10-year life then you’re better off doing that. Then even simple things like the brightwork looking nice. It doesn’t matter how good your systems are if the boat doesn’t look well-maintained at first sight.”

Talking of systems and accessories, “for the cruising market, people are looking for the solar panels, the watermaker and the wind generator, so the extras are important. But you can’t expect to get back what you paid for them,” underlines Underwood.

Boat Buying Guide: Part 6 How to Find a Boat

Tips on selling your boat yourself

  1. Put your boat on sale at the beginning of the season.
  2. Get rid of any extras you’ve added that don’t increase the value. Buyer’s want to visualize their plans, not your DIY.

Get all the papers together into a seller’s pack, which should include a bill of sale, detailed service history, inventory of all equipment and fittings, receipts.

  1. Set a price. There are many websites aimed at private sales that will give you a fair valuation based on the information you supply.
  2. Spread the word – use free listings in this magazine and others, bulletin boards, yacht club and bars.

From Valencia – Alinghi’s Mast Designer Kirst Feddersen at the America’s Cup

Take Me to Cuba: Marinas and International Port Contact Information

Nick_Marshall
-
1

When it comes to the cruisers’ refrain that the Caribbean is ‘not like it used to be’, one destination surely stands as an exception to the rule – Cuba. Fidel Castro’s Republic is 744 miles long by some 60 miles wide and is almost as big as the other islands put together. When Columbus called it ‘the most beautiful land human eyes have seen’ he was no doubt referring in part to 3,735km of fantastic coastline and some of the best scuba diving in the Caribbean.

World news has tended to focus on the attempts by Cubans to get off the island by boat, but terrific developments have taken place in the Marine sector, drawing boats from the US and beyond. When the US-imposed embargo inevitably ends, change will hit the island like a hurricane, so now really is the time to visit.

The law: US Citizens may visit Cuba, but may not spend any money there. Previously, Marinas such as the Marina Hemingway would provide ‘Fully Hosted Status’, proving that visitors had apparently spent nothing. This provision was removed by Bush Administration legislation that went into effect on June 30.

Since 1996, Cruisers under any flag have been required to get permission to leave the Coast Guard Security Zone around Florida.

Ports of entry at Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, Cayo Largo and Maria La Gorda. You must clear out through these same ports. Officially, you may only go ashore where there is an international marina – these are Santiago de Cuba, Marea de Portillo, Casilda, Cienfuegos, Cayo Largo, Marina Siguanea on Isla Juventud and Maria La Gorda.

A North Caribbean Adventure for the 10th Transcaraibes

The Marinas

North Coast:

Havana

Marina Hemingway.
5ta Ave y 248 Santa Fe, Havana
Tel: (537) 204 6848

Founded in 1992 with a 400-boat capacity. Over 1,200 US boats visit each year out of a total of 2,000. This popular Marina, run by the enigmatic Commodore Escrich, has four anti-hurricane canals. 24-hr security, water, repairs. Depth 5.5m

Marina Puerto Sol Tarara
Vía Blanca km. 18, Playa Tarará. 15 minutes from Havana
Tel: (537) 971 462

Fuel, minor repairs, international diving center. 53 berths.

Varadero

Marina Puerto Sol Darsena de Varadero
Carretera de Vía Blanca, km. 31, Varadero.
Tel: (53 45) 66 8063

Services include water, fuel, electricity, chandlery, and some repair facilities. International diving center and ‘Gregoria Fuentes’ International Fishing Tournament. Berths: 116

Marina Gaviota Varadero
Carretera las Morlas Km. 21, Península de Hicacos, Varadero. Matanzas
Tel:( 53 45) 66-7755

Fuel, natural aquarium, scuba diving, Catamarans available for charter. 10 berths.

Marina Chapelin
Carretera de Las Morlas, km. 12,5, Varadero
Tel: (53 45) 66 7550

Berths: 20

Ciego de Avila

Marina Puerto Sol Cayo Coco-Guillermo
Cayo Guillermo, Archipiélago Jardines del Rey. Ciego de Ávila
Tel: (53 33) 30 1637.

Jardines del Rey International Diving Center. Berths: 6

Santiago de Cuba

Marina Santiago de Cuba.
Avenida 1A, Punta Gorda, Santiago de Cuba
Tel: 53 229 1446

15 minutes from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second largest city. Water, electricity, telephone, laundry, chandlery, 24 hour security.

Marina Gaviota Cayo Santa Maria
Cayo Las Brujas
Tel: (5342) 35 0213
brujagav@enet.cu

Dive Center.

South Coast:

Cienfuegos

Marina Puerto Sol Cienfuegos
8th Ave., Punta Gorda, Bahía de Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos.
Tel:(53 432) 55-1241

Whale Shark International Diving Center and world’s largest coral column. Berths: 28

Marina Cubanacan Cienfuegos
Calle 35, 6 y 8, Punta Gorda
Tel: (534 32) 55 1275

Marina Puerto Sol Cay Largo
Cayo Largo del Sur, Archipelago de los Canarreos , Isla de la Juventud
Tel:(53 45) 4-8213, 4-8133, Fax:(53 45) 4-8212

South West Coast:

Pinar del Rio

Maria La Gorda Centro Internacional de Buceo Puertosol
Pinar del Rio Province

Good anchorage for those coming from Western Caribbean and Yucatan Channel. Ship chandler, water, electricity and repair facilities available.

Marina Gaviota Cabo de San Antonio
Peninsula de Guanahacabibes, Pinar del Rio.
Tel: (53 33) 75 0118

Diving center. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

South Coast:

Trinidad

Marina Puerto Sol Trinidad at Jucaro
Carretera de María Aguilar, Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus
Tel: (53 419) 6205

Cayo Blanco International Diving Center.45 minutes from the superb Caya Blanco beaches. Berths: 6

Holguin

Marina Gaviota Internacional Puerto de Vita
Bahía de Vita, Holguín. Holguín
Tel: (5324) 3 0445.

Reached by an access canal. Chandlery. Berths: 38

40 Boats Enjoy Keen Competition At Discover the Caribbean

The Cost of Crossing the Atlantic with the Route du Rhum

Nick_Marshall
-
0

Allaire’s Route du Rhum attempt will cost over 200 Euros per nautical mile, or more than 50,000 Euros a day. That’s the tab for entering, equipping and insuring a record-breaking trimaran. It may seem extravagant, but is a steal compared to the estimated $100 million cost of putting together an America’s Cup challenge.

An abundance of transatlantic races suggests that public and commercial interest is undiminished. In the last year we’ve had the Mini Transat, Transat Jacques Vabre, Defi Atlantique, Le Transat, Quebec – St Malo (won by Guadeloupe-based Luc Cocquelin on Marina Fort Louis Ile de St Martin) and the ARC. Next May sees the glamorous 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge from New York to the Lizard for monohulls over 70ft.

For those without the cash to launch a challenge, the cost of participating is not necessarily out of reach. Pete Cumming of Pure Sailing (www.puresailing.co.uk), who run the Volvo 60 Spirit, explained to All At Sea that spots are regularly available in the Atlantic races for paying crew. The price range runs from 1,500 pounds for the recent Antigua to Falmouth UK Atlantic Challenge to 500 pounds to build up sea miles in preparation for the next ARC. These prices cover food and drink, sailing kit and equipment.

But if you really want to keep control of the bills, go back to 2003 and emulate the magnificent Berque twins. The French duo, Maximilien and Emmanuel, sailed from the Canary islands to Guadeloupe in 27 days on their self-built 21 ft Micromegas 3.

The outrigger had no compass, charts or autopilot and the pair lived on just 60 liters of water. And in a neat piece of symmetry, who was the inspiration for their feat? One Laurent Bourgnon, who, years before winning the Route du Rhum twice on Primagaz, famously crossed the Atlantic on a Hobie Cat 18.

 

Anything that Floats Race

Nancy_Terrell
-
0

Visitors to the BVI know how much these sailors love their games. Original party boy Dave Vincent started the “Anything that Floats” race in 1988 when he owned The Pub in Road Town. When Bonnie Gneiser bought it, she continued the tradition.

This year the Sinking Dinghy Race began festivities when 21 individual teams rowed the “sinking” Miss Bonnie (a hard-bottomed dinghy with holes drilled in the hull) out to a red buoy and then returned to the dock. This took over two hours with the fastest time at 1 min 5 secs.

Grenada Sailing Week

King Greenspon did a great job as registrar and MC along with Brian Gandey & the Conch Charters staff as Race Organizers. Yvonne Remington was timer and scorekeeper.

In the Anything that Floats Race, last year’s champion James Giller – a pilot for the Royal BVI Police Force racing Eat my Wake III, came 1st. Coming in 2nd was UBS69, an above-water submarine designed and built by shipwright Erik Groenenberg that moved into 2nd, gaining speed around the marks as it was pushed by a crew of underwater divers. The Nanny Cay Machine II, The Revenge, headed by Martin Van Houten, came in 3rd, suffering a setback when their Polynesian-style outrigger pontoon continually ran into the last mark. However, they rounded eventually, beating out five other entrees. Chris Brockbank won the 12-and-under division of the race in a Nanny Cay dock wheelbarrow with floats.

Winner Giller tells AAS, “I used a similar concept to my machine last year. I changed the drive system (peddles) from a chain system to a V belt, the same kind of thing that you have on a car. Next year, my plans are for something similar but even better,” he added with grin and a large gulp of Budweiser, sponsor of the event.

RUM REVIEW: Plantation Original Dark

 

Miss BVI Represents Tortolan Sloop Vigilant

Nancy_Terrell
-
0

What a thrill it was for those of us who love our Island sloops to discover Sharlita Millington, Miss BVI, dressed as the oldest Island Sloop in the Caribbean – Vigilant.

She tells All At Sea, “Celebrating our 50th Anniversary of Festival signifies the strong cultural heritage that we, British Virgin Islanders, value. Our emancipation from slavery is the foundation of our festival; but sloops such as Vigilant have been the foundation of what we call ‘Paradise – Nature’s Little Secrets.’ When I think of Vigilant, I think of my ancestors and life back in the 1800s. I chose Vigilant for my Cultural/Historical costume for the 2004 Miss BVI Pageant because I thought that it was time that we acknowledge the important role the sloops (better known as Tola Boats), have played in the history of the BVI. Most of a day’s work depended primarily on sailing the seas that surround these islands. These sloops were the main source of transportation as they took lumber, cattle and produce, as well as our forefathers, to islands like the Dominican Republic, where they worked to earn a living.”

Tortola Sloops – BVI Pride in Maritime History

Sharlita continues, “Boat racing has also been a long cultural tradition in the BVI and it all began with the sloops, such as Vigilant.
Presently in the BVI, we see the reflection of these sloops in our Marine Tourism Industry. Even though chartered yachts, power boats and cruise ships keep our seas busy, it is Vigilant, the oldest of them all, that carries a legacy all its own. It tells the whole story from emancipation to where we are at now. May this historic and cultural significance live on!”

It is comforting to know that Sharlita will represent not only the islands of the BVI, but our marine heritage in her travels. Good luck, Sharlita.

 

Naming a Boat… What’s in a Name? Asked Shakespeare

Eleanor_Tims
-
0
Naming a Boat… What’s in a Name? Asked Shakespeare

I was packing my duffel, about to fly out to Australia to sail for a few months.

“We’ve some relatives in New Zealand,” said my mother.

“You could look them up.”She paused. “They’ve got one of those embarrassing names, if only I could remember it.”

“Er, Philpott?” I suggested.

“No, I’ve think it’s Hogg.”I thought about Hogg. Didn’t seem much worse than Tims, to me.

Since then, I’ve always been interested in names. I’ve discovered it’s much easier to name a new-born babe, than naming a boat. That’s really very difficult. My various grand-children, all ten, had no sooner made their appearances than they had names.

“Yes, she definitely looks like a Susanna,” declared my daughter. In fact, she looked more like a squashed tomato. “She does,” I agreed. Sometimes I surprise myself and rise to the social occasion in an adequate manner. Births are one of those times. Deaths, they’re more difficult. You can hardly say, “Well, good riddance – you have to admit, she was an old curmudgeon.”Still, I’m straying from the subject; let’s get back.

Well, now – boat names. Trinidad is definitely the place to go to for boat names. I know. I’ve sailed European waters; Atlantic islands; ‘Down Under’ waters; I’ve spent months in Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas; I’ve sailed up the Intracoastal waterway, and off California; but Trinidad definitely gets my vote for the best (awful) names. Or, for speed boats, the worst ones.

The Perils of Boat Naming: A Cautionary Tale

I love the cruisers’ daily net; it’s a rich source of names.

First, there’s the Tweetie-pie group.

“Romance, Romance, this is Truelove.”

“”Can’t be true,” I think.

And how about:“Cherie, Cherie, this is Darling, Darling.”

Then there’s the slightly funny, but OK, group.

“August Moon, August Moon, Harvest Moon.”

“Apple pie, Apple Pie, this is Voracious.”

“Wander, Wander, this is Blue Yonder.”

“Autumn Days, this is Autumn Daze too, only it’s spelt differently from yours.”

“Wanderlust, Wanderlust, the American Wanderlust I mean, this is Wanderlust, the British one, I mean.”

There’s the unbelievable group.

Can you imagine trying to put out a Mayday with the name “Quack-quack”?

Or, hard to believe – but true – I saw a sail-boat actually named

“Mayday”.

The mind boggles.

  • There’s the financially orientated category, with names like
  • “Totally Mortgaged”,
  • “Broke but smiling”,
  • “Gone for bust”

The truly yukky category is to be found among speed-boats.How about “Hard on” and “Up your skirt”?“Devil spawn”?

Sailing with Charlie with The Itinerary

“Free times a night”?

“Effin proud”?

Just go and look for yourself.

If you ever had any doubts about your own boat’s name, I promise you you’ll just love it after you’ve looked around a speed-boat yard.

Your boat’s name – do you like it? Are you superstitious about changing it?

Previous boats of mine were called “Cavalcade” and “Ariadne”, both names I liked very much.

My last boat was“Therapist.”

One evening, I was sitting below reading, comfortable and happy, when I heard people pass by on the dock.

“Just look at that!” I heard. The group fell about laughing. “How could anybody name a boat “The Rapist”?

I cringed into a corner, trying to become invisible, feeling hurt and sad.

A friend mailed me a cassette tape; told me it was time I listened to some music other than classical. On it I heard the song “Moon River” and I fell in love with it. Just the most absolutely totally perfect name for my boat, especially as I was planning my solo trip from England to the Caribbean.

“Two drifters off to see the world ….”

The so-called Rapist was promptly renamed “Moon River.” I thought it a lovely name for a boat, and still do.

I now have bought a larger boat, a catamaran, called “Europa”.

Too political-sounding for me.

Sailing with Charlie – Life’s Choices

I have to change that.But what to?A catamaran has two hulls …. So, perhaps, “Two Drifters”?

No, I just don’t know.

I’ll leave you with two little tales. A friend of mine was going to buy a house in France. He produced a photo for me, beaming with pride. It was not a house; it showed a sail-boat. My eye-sight’s not good: I peered at it.

“Oh, her name?”

I’ve called her “The Mary Davidson.” He smirked.“Mary Davidson?”, I repeated, feeling a bit stupid. From his tone I felt I really ought to know the name.

“Yes, my mother-in-law’s name”, he answered

“A boat?” I asked.  “But what about the house in France?”

He looked a bit sheepish. “Well, no; that was my wife’s idea, actually. It was never my idea, I always wanted a boat.”

So the name was by way of appeasement. Not even his wife’s name! Poor trade for a house in France.

My other little story is of the time I saw a big cruiser approaching. Something long was painted along the bow. Couldn’t make it out, so I got out the binoculars. Words …. what were they? Her name?

Surely not! It was “Thank you, Aunt Dorothy.”

Well, if Aunt Dorothy is sitting up there on her little cloud, looking down, I’m sure Mary Davidson will one day be right next to her. They’ll be making comparisons.

“Mine’s definitely bigger than yours,” Dorothy will boast.

Which reminds me of one or two names I’ve seen on speed-boats, but which are much too naughty too print!

1...327328329Page 328 of 329

Subscribe to ALL AT SEA

Don't worry... We ain't getting hitched...

EDITOR PICKS

TALKATIVE POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

All At Sea - The Caribbean's Waterfront Community Caribbean Cruising, Sailing, Boating, Fishing and Yachting

Contact us: editor@allatsea.net

FOLLOW US

© Kennan Holdings LLC - All Rights Reserved