Southwindsoctober2003

October 2003For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless

Boat Reviews: Colgate 26, Rivolta 90

E-mailing Photos from your Boat

Salvage vs. Towing

http://www.southwindssailing.com

http://www.beneteauusa.com

2 October 2003 Southwinds www.southwindssailing.com

SPECIAL OFFERS ON SPOTLIGHTS, WIND METERS & FURLING SYSTEMS

COUPON SAVINGS ON FOUL WEATHER GEAR, GLOVES & BOOTS

EXCLUSIVE DEALS ON HARNESSES, MAINSAIL COVERS & BOSUN’S CHAIRS

MORE THAN 270 STORES • 1-800-BOATING • westmarine.comHURRY! PRICES GOOD SEPTEMBER 30TH THROUGH NOVEMBER 2ND, 2003 Selection varies by store.

SAVE $50GPSmap 176C

Land & Sea Package

Model 3858883Reg. 899.99 SALE 849.99with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE $30Meridian Marine

Blue Water Package

Model 4919007Reg. 489.99SALE 459.99 with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE $112 Million

Candlepower Spotlight


SAVE $10Kestrel 1000

Pocket Wind Meter


Nielsen-Kellerman

SAVE 10%

UP TO A $320 VALUESchaefer Furling Systems

Ref. Model 289670From Reg. 1199.99 FROM SALE 1079.99with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE $25 OFF SETExplorer Breathable Foul Weather Gear

Jacket–Model 1223643SReg. 189.99 Bib–Model 1188853SReg. 159.99 SALE 324.99 FOR SETwith couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE 25%

Explorer Cold Weather Gloves

Model 2845170SReg. 54.99SALE 41.24with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE 25%

16" Offshore Boots

Model 1960970SReg. 44.99SALE 33.74with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE $20Trapeze Harness

Ref. Model 108947Reg. 184.99SALE 164.99with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE 20%

UP TO A $4799 VALUEMainsail Covers

Ref. Model 114175From Reg. 184.99FROM SALE 149.99with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

SAVE $30Professional Bosun’s Chair

Model 504969Reg. 149.99SALE 119.99with couponOffer valid only with coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Offer valid through 11/2/03.

http://www.westmarine.com

S I N C E 1 9 7 7

FLORIDA’S LARGEST HUNTER, CATALINA, MORGAN, MAINSHIP & CALIBER DEALERSHIP

YOUR SATISFACTION IS OUR MEASURE OF SUCCESSwww.masseyyacht.com • E-mail: [email protected]

TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU ON FLORIDA’S WEST COAST – IN THE HEART OF AMERICA’S FINEST CRUISING AREA.

The Massey Team of Yachting Specialists – experienced sailors one and all – are dedicated to helping other sailors make sound, knowledgeable decisions relative to yacht selection, ownership and custom outfitting.

We have a large assortment of Sunsail, Sun Yachtand Stardust phased-out charter yachts availableat favorable prices. Call for details.

2003 Jeanneau SO 37 – Newin the water and ready to sail away.Loaded with factory and dealeroptions, hard dodger/bimini combo,electronics, autopilot and much more.Regular Sailaway Price $155,047.Call Massey and save over $10,000.

Clearance Price-Save over $10,000

2003 Catalina 400 MKII – Inmast furling main, electric sail handlingwinch, ST6001 A/P, and Lippencott hard dodger. Regular Sailaway Price$224,203. Call Massey today for special Model Year-End Price.

MONOHULLS45 ft. to 65 ft.

48 Tayana ‘00 . . . . . . . . . $449,00048 Soverel ‘75 . . . . . . . . . . $75,000470 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote47 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote47 CaliberLRC ‘97 . . . . . . . $279,500466 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote46 Beneteau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $260,00046 Beneteau ‘97 . . . . . . . . $199,00046 Bavaria ‘99 . . . . . . . . . $199,000456CC Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote45 Morgan ‘95 . . . . . . . . . $239,500

40 ft. to 44 ft.

44 Morgan ‘90 . . . . . . . . . $174,90044DS Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote44 Hunter ‘04. . . . Call for TurboQuote44 Beneteau ‘95 . . . . . . . . $178,00043 Endeavour ‘81 . . . . . . . $139,00042s7 Beneteau ‘96 . . . . . . . $179,000

42 Hunter Passage CC ‘92. . . $144,90042CC Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote42 Endeavour ‘85 . . . . . . . $137,00042 Catalina ‘02 . . . Clearance Price-Call42 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $189,50042 Catalina ‘96 . . . . . . . . $119,00042 Catalina ‘89 . . . . . . . . $109,00042 Beneteau ‘83. . . . . . . . . $89,50041 Morgan ‘89 . . . . . . . . . $124,90041 Morgan ‘87. . . . . . . . . . $89,50041 Morgan ‘73. . . . . . . . . . $58,50040 Jeanneau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $175,50040 Jeanneau ‘00 . . . . . . . . $155,000400 Catalina ‘03 . . Clearance Price-Call400 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $194,900400 Catalina ‘95 . . . . . . . . $149,00040 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote40 CaliberLRC ‘97 . . . . . . . $244,900400 Beneteau ‘97 . . . . . . . $134,90040 Beneteau CC ‘97 . . . . . . $120,00040 Beneteau ‘96. . . . . . . . . $98,900

35 ft. to 39 ft.

39 O’Day ‘84 . . . . . . . . . . $83,700387 Catalina ‘04 . . . . . New Model-Call386 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote383 Morgan ‘82 . . . . . . . . . $69,500380 Hunter ‘00 . . . . . . . . $125,00038 Morgan CC ‘93 . . . . . . . $137,50038 Island Packet ‘99. . . . . . $245,00038 Hans Christian ‘83 . . . . . $139,00038 Catalina ‘98 . . . . . . . . . $45,00038 Beneteau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $147,000376 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . . . $121,00037 Jeanneau ‘03. . . Clearance Price-Call37 Hunter ‘98 . . . . . . . . . . $95,00037 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . . . . . $95,00037 Gulfstar ‘76 . . . . . . . . . $49,90037 Endeavour ‘83. . . . . . . . . $58,00

37 Endeavour ‘82 . . . . . . . . $65,00037 Endeavour ‘80 . . . . . . . . $44,900365 Pearson ‘80. . . . . . . . . $56,00036 Westerly Corsair ‘86 . . . . . $79,00036 Tashiba ‘87 . . . . . . . . . $135,00036 Hunter ‘04. . . . Call for TurboQuote36 Catalina ‘03 . . . Clearance Price-Call36MKII Catalina ‘99 . . . . . . $125,00036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $85,00036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $84,50036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $82,500351 Beneteau ‘96 . . . . . . . . $77,500350 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote35 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote

30 ft. to 34 ft.

34 Ericson ‘87. . . . . . . . . . $59,90034 Catalina ‘03 . . . Clearance Price-Call

34 Catalina ‘98 . . . . . . . . . $89,50034 Catalina ‘87 . . . . . . . . . $49,50033 Hunter ‘95 . . . . (2) from $64,90033 Hallberg Mistral ‘72 . . . . . $55,000326 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote320 Catalina ‘00 . . . . . . . . $89,500320 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote320 Catalina’99 . . . . . . . . . $97,500310 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote310 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $89,900306 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote30 Hunter ‘88 . . . . . . . . . . $38,500

CATAMARANS44 Dean Catamaran ‘99 . . . . $285,00037 Prout Snow Goose ‘84 . . . $115,00035 Prout-Catamaran ‘72 . . . . $59,00034 Prout Catamaran ‘90. . . . $110,000

Palmetto, FL 941-723-1610 • TOLL-FREE 800-375-0130 St. Pete, FL 727-828-0090 • TOLL-FREE 877-552-0525

Edward MasseyBrad Crabtree Scott Pursell Frank Hamilton Mike Fauser Bill Wiard Mary Beth Singh Jack Burke Al Pollak

Massey Yacht Sales & Service is Now the Exclusive Florida Gulf Coast Dealership

Representing New 30 to 46' Hunter and Mainship Yachts!


Call for boat show special pricing and information:•Tampa Boat Show, Oct. 2 - 5

• SAIL EXPO St. Pete, Nov. 6 - 9,• Fort Myers Boat Show, Nov. 13 - 16 • St. Pete Boat Show, Nov. 20 - 23

S I N C E 1 9 7 7

FLORIDA’S LARGEST HUNTER, CATALINA, MORGAN, MAINSHIP & CALIBER DEALERSHIP

YOUR SATISFACTION IS OUR MEASURE OF SUCCESSwww.masseyyacht.com • E-mail: [email protected]

TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU ON FLORIDA’S WEST COAST – IN THE HEART OF AMERICA’S FINEST CRUISING AREA.

The Massey Team of Yachting Specialists – experienced sailors one and all – are dedicated to helping other sailors make sound, knowledgeable decisions relative to yacht selection, ownership and custom outfitting.

We have a large assortment of Sunsail, Sun Yachtand Stardust phased-out charter yachts availableat favorable prices. Call for details.

2003 Jeanneau SO 37 – Newin the water and ready to sail away.Loaded with factory and dealeroptions, hard dodger/bimini combo,electronics, autopilot and much more.Regular Sailaway Price $155,047.Call Massey and save over $10,000.


2003 Catalina 400 MKII – Inmast furling main, electric sail handlingwinch, ST6001 A/P, and Lippencott hard dodger. Regular Sailaway Price$224,203. Call Massey today for special Model Year-End Price.

MONOHULLS45 ft. to 65 ft.

48 Tayana ‘00 . . . . . . . . . $449,00048 Soverel ‘75 . . . . . . . . . . $75,000470 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote47 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote47 CaliberLRC ‘97 . . . . . . . $279,500466 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote46 Beneteau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $260,00046 Beneteau ‘97 . . . . . . . . $199,00046 Bavaria ‘99 . . . . . . . . . $199,000456CC Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote45 Morgan ‘95 . . . . . . . . . $239,500

40 ft. to 44 ft.

44 Morgan ‘90 . . . . . . . . . $174,90044DS Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote44 Hunter ‘04. . . . Call for TurboQuote44 Beneteau ‘95 . . . . . . . . $178,00043 Endeavour ‘81 . . . . . . . $139,00042s7 Beneteau ‘96 . . . . . . . $179,000

42 Hunter Passage CC ‘92. . . $144,90042CC Hunter ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote42 Endeavour ‘85 . . . . . . . $137,00042 Catalina ‘02 . . . Clearance Price-Call42 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $189,50042 Catalina ‘96 . . . . . . . . $119,00042 Catalina ‘89 . . . . . . . . $109,00042 Beneteau ‘83. . . . . . . . . $89,50041 Morgan ‘89 . . . . . . . . . $124,90041 Morgan ‘87. . . . . . . . . . $89,50041 Morgan ‘73. . . . . . . . . . $58,50040 Jeanneau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $175,50040 Jeanneau ‘00 . . . . . . . . $155,000400 Catalina ‘03 . . Clearance Price-Call400 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $194,900400 Catalina ‘95 . . . . . . . . $149,00040 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote40 CaliberLRC ‘97 . . . . . . . $244,900400 Beneteau ‘97 . . . . . . . $134,90040 Beneteau CC ‘97 . . . . . . $120,00040 Beneteau ‘96. . . . . . . . . $98,900

35 ft. to 39 ft.

39 O’Day ‘84 . . . . . . . . . . $83,700387 Catalina ‘04 . . . . . New Model-Call386 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote383 Morgan ‘82 . . . . . . . . . $69,500380 Hunter ‘00 . . . . . . . . $125,00038 Morgan CC ‘93 . . . . . . . $137,50038 Island Packet ‘99. . . . . . $245,00038 Hans Christian ‘83 . . . . . $139,00038 Catalina ‘98 . . . . . . . . . $45,00038 Beneteau ‘01 . . . . . . . . $147,000376 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . . . $121,00037 Jeanneau ‘03. . . Clearance Price-Call37 Hunter ‘98 . . . . . . . . . . $95,00037 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . . . . . $95,00037 Gulfstar ‘76 . . . . . . . . . $49,90037 Endeavour ‘83. . . . . . . . . $58,00

37 Endeavour ‘82 . . . . . . . . $65,00037 Endeavour ‘80 . . . . . . . . $44,900365 Pearson ‘80. . . . . . . . . $56,00036 Westerly Corsair ‘86 . . . . . $79,00036 Tashiba ‘87 . . . . . . . . . $135,00036 Hunter ‘04. . . . Call for TurboQuote36 Catalina ‘03 . . . Clearance Price-Call36MKII Catalina ‘99 . . . . . . $125,00036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $85,00036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $84,50036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . . . $82,500351 Beneteau ‘96 . . . . . . . . $77,500350 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote35 CaliberLRC ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote

30 ft. to 34 ft.

34 Ericson ‘87. . . . . . . . . . $59,90034 Catalina ‘03 . . . Clearance Price-Call

34 Catalina ‘98 . . . . . . . . . $89,50034 Catalina ‘87 . . . . . . . . . $49,50033 Hunter ‘95 . . . . (2) from $64,90033 Hallberg Mistral ‘72 . . . . . $55,000326 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote320 Catalina ‘00 . . . . . . . . $89,500320 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote320 Catalina’99 . . . . . . . . . $97,500310 Catalina ‘04 . . Call for TurboQuote310 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . . . $89,900306 Hunter ‘04 . . . Call for TurboQuote30 Hunter ‘88 . . . . . . . . . . $38,500

CATAMARANS44 Dean Catamaran ‘99 . . . . $285,00037 Prout Snow Goose ‘84 . . . $115,00035 Prout-Catamaran ‘72 . . . . $59,00034 Prout Catamaran ‘90. . . . $110,000



Massey Yacht Sales & Service is Now the Exclusive Florida Gulf Coast Dealership

Representing New 30 to 46' Hunter and Mainship Yachts!


Call for boat show special pricing and information:•Tampa Boat Show, Oct. 2 - 5

• SAIL EXPO St. Pete, Nov. 6 - 9,• Fort Myers Boat Show, Nov. 13 - 16 • St. Pete Boat Show, Nov. 20 - 23

http://www.masseyyacht.com

mailto:[email protected]

LOCAL NEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS Southwinds October 2003 3

http://www.sailamerica.com

October 2003 Southwinds www.southwindssailing.com4

SAILBOATS – NEW AND BROKERAGEBeneteau Sailboats Back CoverBoaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats 33Carson Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverCortez Yacht Sales 64Charleston Boat Works J/Boats 10Eastern Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverFinish Line Multihulls/ F-Boats & Used Multihulls 38Flying Scot Sailboats 67Hunter Sailboats 19Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina/Jeanneau/Hunter/Mainship

9,20,16,27,31,53,54,IBCMasthead Yacht Sales/Catalina 17,33Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverPerformance Sail & Sport/Hunter/Hobie/Windrider 14Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District/St. Pete. 14Sarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats 64Snug Harbor Boats/Compac/Elliot 44St. Barts/Beneteau Back CoverSuncoast Inflatables/ West Florida 29Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 22Ullman Sails/Hunter Sailboats, West Florida 6Whitney’s Marine 41Windcraft, Trimarans and Catamarans, Sail or Power 43Weathermark Sailing/Catalina/Vanguard/Hobie 23

GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIESBluewater Sailing Supply, 33Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL 33BoatUS Marine Stores 37Bo’sun Supplies/Hrdwre/Rigging—buy online 62CDI Propellers/Perfect pitch props 59Defender Industries, www.defender.com 68Fujinon binoculars 43Garhauer Hardware 11Glacier Bay Refrigeration/buy online 46Grin Designs/Scully/Dinghy sail & More 24Harken Gear 17Hotwire/Fans & other products 47Island Marine Products/Davits,motorlocks,etc. 34JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 44,58Martek Dinghy Davits 66Masthead Ent. 17,33Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign 57Performance Sail & Sport, 14Quantum Pure-Aire Filters for Boats 38Rparts Refrigeration, buy online 46Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District, St. Pete 3Sailor’s Soap 42,45,63Rolls Batteries/Surrette, 22Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 22Tartan, C&C of Florida 12Weathermark Sailing/Catalina/Vanguard/Hobie 23West Marine IFC

SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICESAtlantic Sails/new, used, repair West Florida 61Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida 66Bluewater Sailing Supply 33Bo’sun Supplies/Hrdwre/Rigging, buy online 62Cruising Direct/sails online by North 24Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging 68Hong Kong Sailmakers 47Masthead/Used Sails and Service 17,33National Sail Supply, new&used online 59North Sails 12Sabre Sails/ Ft. Walton Beach, FL, & Mandeville, LA 43Sail Exchange/ buy online 57Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District, St. Pete. 14Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL 55Snoop Sails & Canvas, Sarasota, FL 48SSMR Rigging & Chandlery 54UK Sails, 25Ullman Sails/West Florida 6US Spars 17Weathermark Sailing/Catalina/Vanguard/Hobie 23

CANVASBanks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida 66Sail Covers & More, buy online, buy online 69Shade Tree 38Snoop Sails & Canvas, Sarasota FL 48

USED SAILING/BOATING SUPPLIESDon’s Salvage, Clearwater FL 28Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign, West Florida 57Scurvy Dog Marine/Used, Consign, Pensacola FL 49

SSMR Rigging/Consignment/St. Pete 54

SAILING SCHOOLSSailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District/ St. Pete. 14Sea School/Captain’s License 28Smooooth Sailing, private instruction, Tampa Bay area 40Capt. Josie Sailing School for Women 65Yachting Vacations/Sailing School 10

MARINE ENGINESBeta Marine 40Fleetside Marine Service 69RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 38Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District, St. Pete. 14

RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDSBitter End Yacht Club, British Virgin Islands 6Bob and Annie’s Boatyard 30Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina 43Daufuskie Island Resort, South Carolina 21Isla Del Sol Resort & Marina 22Pasadena Marina, on the ICW, St. Petersburg FL 35Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District/Tampa Bay FL 14

CHARTER COMPANIESFlagship Sailing, Tampa Bay Area 21Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District, Sunsail 14Sailtime, Time-Share ownership 66Yachting Vacations/Sailing School 10

MARINE SERVICES,MARINE SURVEYORS, MARINE INSURANCE, MISC.Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online 65Bluewater Insurance/ West Florida 13Davis Maritime Surveying 55First Patriot Inc, Insurance Agency, Paul Phaneuf 51Weathermark Sailing/Catalina/Vanguard/Hobie 23

MARINE ELECTRONICSDockside Radio 26JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 44,58Rolls Batteries/Surrette 22Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication, buy online 50

BOOKSBubba Stories Book 45

YACHT CLUBSFt. Pierce YC 16,67

REGATTA ADVERTISEMENTS, BOAT SHOWSBitter End Yacht Club Regattas 6Ft. Pierce YC Fall Regatta 16,67Melbourne YC Fall Regatta 7Sail Expo St. Pete/Sail America 3St. Petersburg YC Fall Races 25Terra Nova Trading Key West Race 15

Subscription Information This Page

Alphabetical Advertisers’ List 69

ADVERTISER INDEX BY CATEGORY (See page 61 for alphabetical list)

SUBSCRIBE TO Southwinds1 YEAR/$12 $20/2 YEARS (3RD CLASS)

(941) 795-8704 • www.southwindssailing.comP.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175

New — Subscribe On-line on our Web site — a secure site— using your credit card: www.southwindssailing.com

Name _________________________________________

Address ________________________________________

City/St./ZIP ____________________________________

ENCLOSED $ ________ Check ___ Money Order ___

Visa/MC #__________________________________

Name on Card __________________________________

Ex. Date _______ Signature ______________________


SouthwindsNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

8 From the Helm

10 Letters

18 Bubba Meets Carmen ElectraBy Morgan Stinemetz

24 Racing Calendar

26 Boatek: Are There Grounds for Electrocution?By Stephen Sommer

28 Three Days in Havana and One in Pinar del Rio: Part IIIBy Elena Pimiento

32 A Preview of Sail Expo St. Pete Nov. 6-9

34 Nassau by SailboatBy Colin Ward

39 Colgate 26 Boat ReviewBy Dave Ellis

40 Hunter Factory TourBy Morgan Stinemetz

44 Rivolta 90 Boat ReviewBy Bill Ando

46 Cooking: A Mackerel With a Silver SpoonBy Celeste Dorage

48 Towing Vs Salvage = PiratesBy Capt. J. Michael Shea, JD

50 E-mailing from Your BoatBy Bill Jensen

52 Southern Sailing: Kinetics: Choose your Sailing GameBy Dave Ellis

54 Racing & Regattas

62 Short Tacks

65 Classifieds

72 View From the Other Side of the Boat: The Fender/Dockline ShuffleBy Mary Reid

61 Alphabetical Index of Advertisers

4 Advertisers’ List by Category

4 Subscription Form

COVERKestrel, an Ericson 38,sails in the Cortez YachtClub’s First Annual LaborDay Race. Photo by BillHoffman.

From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…Southwinds Covers Southern Sailing

Hunter Factory Tour. Morgan Stinemetz photo. Page 40

Nassau by Sailboat. Colin Ward photo. Page 34


SouthwindsNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS

Southwinds Media, Inc.P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida, 34218-1175

(941) 795-8704(877) 372-7245

(941) 795-8705 Faxwww.southwindssailing.com

e-mail: [email protected]

VOLUME 11 NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2003

Copyright 2003, Southwinds Media, Inc.

Publisher/EditorSteve Morrell

[email protected]

Advertising Sales RepresentativesGary Hufford (727) [email protected]

Steve Morrell (941) [email protected]

Design/Graphics ProductionHeather Nicoll, io Graphics

ProofreadingKathy Elliott

Contributing WritersBill Ando Rob Brits Dan DickisonCeleste Dorage Dave Ellis Rona GarmBill Jensen Kim Kaminski Jim KransbergerE. Pimiento Mary Reid Michael SheaStephen Sommer Morgan Stinemetz Colin Ward

Contributing PhotographersErik den Burger David Grossman Bill HoffmanKim Kaminski Jim Kransberger Morgan StinemetzColin Ward

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY:Southwinds encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoon-ists, jokers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there,including sailors, to send in their material. Just make it about thewater world and generally about sailing and about sailing in theSouth, the Bahamas or the Caribbean, or general sailing interest,or sailboats, or sailing in some far-off and far-out place.

Southwinds welcomes contributions in writing and photography. Sto-ries about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technicalarticles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles elec-tronically by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photo-graphs, if possible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots,racing, cruising and just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at ahigh resolution if digital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to usfor scanning. Contact the editor with questions.

Subscriptions to Southwinds are available at $12/year, or $20/2 yearsfor third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit card num-bers may be mailed with name and address to Southwinds Subscrip-tions, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941) 795-8704. Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through a se-cure server on our Web site, www.southwindssailing.com.

Southwinds is distributed to over 500 locations throughout 10 South-ern states. If you would like to distribute Southwinds at your loca-tion, please contact the editor.

Read Southwinds magazine on our Web site,www.southwindssailing.com.

http://www.beyc.com



http://www.sail-race.com/myc/fall


[email protected]

October 2003 Southwinds www.southwindssailing.com

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTEDStories and photographs wanted in the following areas:

Contact [email protected] for more information and questions.

Southwinds Raffle and Prizes at Sail Expo St. Pete, Nov. 6-9

8

FROM THE HELM

On November 6-9, Sail Expo St. Pete marks the beginningof several changes that occur in the fall in the southern

sailing waters. The largest all sailboat show in the South, it oc-curs at a time when the winds pick up for better sailing, racingand cooler temperatures. As these cooler temperatures headsouth, so do many Northerners, seeking warmer temperatures.We Floridians, however, enjoy the cooler weather that fall brings.

For sailors, the boat show is a great opportunity to see prod-ucts and sailboats. For those of you who like to browse throughall the gear and other sailing and boating miscellany, there willbe hundreds of suppliers, manufacturers, sailmakers, and oth-ers at the show with their products, many of them new. Forthose of you who like to tour the new sailboats on the market,this is your opportunity: Boatbuilders and dealers will have sev-eral larger sailboats in the water for your viewing. There willalso be a great variety of day sailers, many of which will be avail-able for sailing in the waters at the show. Discover Sailing will

also give opportunities for first-time sailors to try the sport.We invite all those who visit the show to stop at the

Southwinds booth and enter our raffle. The drawing will beheld Sunday afternoon, the last day of the show, and topwinners will receive a lazy jack system and boom vang. Thenext ten names drawn will receive Southwinds subscrip-tions. So the chances of winning something are pretty good.The cost of entering this raffle will be to fill out our readersurvey. We would like to know a little about our readers’sailing interests: the kind of boat you sail, whether you liketo race, cruise, day sail, etc., or maybe you are looking tobuy a boat. We would also like to know what are your read-ing interests. What kind of stories and reporting would youlike us to cover. How about Cuba? Tell us what you thinkabout your right to sail to Cuba.

See page 32 for more information on Sail Expo St. Peteor visit the Web site, www.sailamerica.com.

Sailing ExperiencesStories and photos about experiences in placesyou’ve cruised, anchorages, marinas, or pas-sages made throughout the Southern cruis-ing waters, including the Caribbean and theBahamas.

Individuals in sailing industryInteresting stories about the world of sailorsout there, young, old, and some that are nolonger with us but have contributed to thesport or were just true lovers of sailing.

The CaribbeanStories about the warm tropical waters far-ther south of us.

Race reportingWe are always looking to give race coveragethroughout the Southern states, Bahamas,and the Caribbean.

Miscellaneous PhotosPhotographs are always enjoyable, whetherfor their beauty, their humor, or for manyother reasons, and we take them alone.

Cover PhotosSouthwinds is always looking for nice covershots, which are always paid for. They gener-ally need to be a vertical shot, but we cansometimes crop horizontal photos for a nicecover picture. They need to be of a goodresolution. If digital, they need to be takenat a very high resolution (and many smallerdigital cameras are not capable of taking alarge high resolution photo as is on a cover).If a photograph, then we need it scanned athigh resolution. You may send it to us andwe can do so.

Letters to the EditorFor those of you who are not as ambitious towrite stories, we always want to hear fromyou about your experiences and opinions.

BahamasTrips, experiences, passages, anchorages, pro-visioning and other stories that are of interest.

Charter StoriesHave an interesting Charter story? In ourSouthern waters, or perhaps in the Bahamas,the Caribbean, or points beyond in some far-off and far-out exotic place?

CubaOf course, there is always Cuba, and regard-less of how our country’s elected officials tryto keep Americans out of the largest island inthe Caribbean, it will one day be open as acruising ground. Today American sailors canlegally go to Cuba and cruise if they followthe proper procedures. If you have a storyabout such a trip, let us look at it.

Maintenance and Technical ArticlesHow you maintain your boat, or rebuilt a boat,technical articles on electronics, repairs, etc.

Hurricane Isabel Comes Ashore:Boat Owners: let us Know how your boats weathered the storm.

As Southwinds goes to press, Hurricane Isabel is comingashore in North Carolina. We hope all the sailors and boat

owners prepared their boats for the storm surge and high winds.We know there will be some damage and boats lost and manylessons learned. For the last two hurricane seasons, Southwindshas published articles on how to prepare boats for the storms.One of our goals is to establish a forum on hurricane prepared-ness so boat owners can exchange ideas on how to protect theirboats. Insurance companies have a real interest in this also. We

are inviting our readers to give us your ideas and send themto [email protected]. We will eventually createa Web page compiling all these ideas and stories dedicatedto this goal of hurricane preparedness. With enough effortand planning, we can all learn to protect sailboats by ex-changing our ideas and experiences. Photographs are wel-come, too. We’ll take success stories along with those whoseboats didn’t do so well, but they will all help us learn for thenext one.




Hunter Yacht Models306, 326, 36, 386, 41, 42CC,44, 44DS, 456CC, 466

S I N C E 1 9 7 7

Catalina Yacht Models 310, 320,34MKII, 350, 36MKII,387, 400, 42MKII,470, 50

Caliber Yacht Models35LRC, 40LRC, 47LRC

Mainship Yacht ModelsTrawler: 39, 40, 43 Pilot: 30, 34 (Express & Sedan)

One Call Starts a Team Reaction!

Call for boat show special pricing and delivery information:•Tampa Boat Show, Oct. 2 - 5 • SAIL EXPO St. Pete, Nov. 6 - 9

• Fort Myers Boat Show, Nov. 13 - 16 • St. Pete Boat Show, Nov. 20 - 23

Hunter. Catalina. Caliber. Mainship. Four of America’sfavorite yachts, built right here in Florida, have earned wideacceptance amongst yachtsmen everywhere. You’ll find animpressive selection of the newest sailboats and power yachtsfrom 30 to 50’ at Massey’s two Gulf Coast locations. Factorytours are a snap for Florida residents and visitors.

Your Home Team Advantage:

• Millions of dollars worth of new yachts available for inspection

• Eight-person sales team at your service seven days a week

• Massey’s Mobile Marine Service provides warranty claims solutions and repairs on-site at your slip

• Each new yacht purchase includes up to four days of orientation

www.masseyyacht.com



LETTERS

“Freedom of the press is limited to thosewho own one.” H.L. MenckenIn its continuing endeavor to share its press, Southwinds invitesreaders to write in with experiences & opinions.

COMMENTS ON ANCHORING RESTRICTIONSIN STUART, FLAs a sailor for over twenty years and having had boats in Bos-ton, San Diego, La Paz, México and now in Delray Beach, Ihave seen many changes in boaters’ rights. In my mind, thereis only one problem…and it is not going away. The world isoverpopulated. Experts predict that by 2050 the world popula-tion will balloon to 10 billion, nearly double what it is today.That is only 47 years from now. Many of those who have thewherewithal to do so will leave their country and come to theUnited States. Those that have the financial resources to do itwill buy up property on or along the shore. Nearly 50 percentof the world’s population lives along the coast now. (I don’tthink Montana and Wyoming will see a large influx of foreigninvestors.) What this means is that the new “citizens” withmoney, and the resulting power it comes with, will influencethe rules and regulations of the towns and cities they live in.With the increase of boaters will come restrictions on naviga-tion, mooring, live-aboards, docking fees, etc. It is a fact of lifewe will have to adjust according to our own financial means.As we all know, we can’t stop an incoming tide. For Tom I wishhim well; however, the “fight” has been over for some time.

Jim VozekasDelray Beach FL

BOAT PICTURE IN Southwinds WANTEDHello! Great magazine, I read it every month! I was readingthis month’s article on the Gulfport to Pensacola race, and thereis a great picture of our boat, Java, featured on page 35. Thecaption under the picture says photo by Kim Kaminski. I guessmy question is, can I get a copy of this picture from your maga-zine? I would really appreciate a response at your convenience.Thanks very much from a loyal reader.

Fair sailing!Riess Livaudais

Java USA46J/130 #42

Riess – We are glad to get our published pictures to you of your boat(and others out there who request it), as long as the photographerallows it, and no other real hassles keep us from doing so. I will putyou in touch with the photographer.

Editor

THE GREEN FLASHI enjoyed the articles in your June issue and was drawn to “TheGreen Flash...” That magic green flash is called a parhelion(helios – sun) and they permeate ancient literature and evenmusic! Franz Schubert composed a lovely piece called DieNebensonnen (The Parhelions) in his leider The Winter Journey.

I have seen parhelia many times on the east coast of Florida,in Italy and they are particularly evident in the eastern part ofCuba. It is always a very special moment that merits some aweand indeed a toast!

Harder to see is the parhelic circle or ring and just as exciting! “Sole” McIntire,

St. Augustine, FL

http://www.yachtingvacation.com

http://www.jboatssouth.com



http://www.garhauermarine.com


LETTERS Continued from page 10

THE GREEN FLASH PAINTEDHere is the more profound truth about the green flash seen atsunset. There is an archangel of summer called Uri-el, who over-sees men’s lives and thoughts to bring understanding to ourhearts and minds. His cape is the color of the sunset. Each morn-ing he sets an anchor, more an anchor sword, beneath the seaand into the earth. At sunset as he reaches for the anchor swordwithin the blue crystalline earth, you see the inside of his cape,which is green and opens as he reaches for the anchor. How doI know this? I painted him, not on purpose but only whenthrough the use of the colors of sunset over the sea did he emergeand make himself known. I can send you a color photocopy ofmy painting and what I perceive as the true, ancient, and wisertruth of the famous green flash.

Smooth sailing,Allie Marroquin

We received a copy of the painting from Allie, but felt printing it wouldhardly do it justice. Anyone interested please contact Southwinds.

Editor

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BUBBA WHARTZBeen reading, enjoying and learning from Southwinds ever sinceI moved to Florida in 1993 and started sailing my Flying Scotout of the Rudder Club.

The trials and tribulations of Bubba Whartz is one of thebest humor series I’ve ever come across, regardless of subject. Iplace it on a level with the work of the former TV comedian,Benny Hill. The latest, “Hot Stuff on Right Guard,” is tops! Ittotally cracked me up. I gave it to my wife to read (she’s not asailor), and she broke up reading it. She gave it back to me andI’m still laughing aloud while re-reading it. I don’t have anyidea how old Morgan Stinemetz is, but I sure hope he outlivesme and continues his investigative reporting on the doings ofBubba.

Best wishes for continued success with Southwinds.Warren Keene,

Jacksonville, FlWarren – No one really knows how old Morgan Stinemetz is, althoughI am pretty certain he is over 21 and under 100.

Editor

SPEAKING OF BUBBAI am not an exotic dancer, have problems with law enforcement,don’t know where Iowa is, must get paid to cook and clean,don’t know what Cribari is, have a few roaches as friends al-ready and I don’t fish.

However, I am foxy and have lots of money for me andhave my favorite recipes in the SAMI sailing cook book. (Youwill need to buy it.) I drink wine by the gallon and have plentyto share, and then you can tell me what you know about wine.

Now if your boat is seaworthy, and I don’t HAVE to be crew,let’s hear from you.

An interested ladyMa’am – If you were to give us your contact information and if wecould locate Bubba, we would be glad to have him get in touch withyou, as this seems like a potential successful match.

Editor

HELP NEEDED IDENTIFIYING UNIDENTIFIEDSAILING OBJECT (USO)We recently purchased a used fiberglass sailboat on AnnaMaria. It is an 18-foot hull design with a very small cuddy

http://www.ccflorida.com


http://www.northsails.com

LOCAL NEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS Southwinds October 2003

13

cabin. We can find noidentifiers anywhere onthe boat. We were toldthat it is a Play Five, butcannot find any informa-tion on the Internetabout this model. Wewould like to sail thiscraft but have no ideahow it is supposed to berigged or what the sailconfiguration is. Do youknow anything aboutthis boat? Any help would be appreciated.

Keith GrayCortez, FL

Keith – We have printed the photos and hopefully someone can helpyou. Readers who can, please contact [email protected]

Editor

BRIDGE HOURS RESTRICTED IN NEW ORLEANSIn case you have not heard about this, I thought boaters/cruis-ers going through the New Orleans area should hear about this.The info is on the Port of New Orleans Web site(www.portno.com), but folks may still not be aware of this. TheAlmonaster (L&N) Bridge, which is a zero-clearance bridgeacross the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal that runs from theMississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain, was seriously damagedduring Tropical Storm Bill. For at least the next four months, itwill open only three times per day for one hour each time. Theopening schedule went into effect 7/3/2003 and is as follows:

9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m.2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.These hours of operation may change when there is a change

to/from Daylight Savings Time.Boaters should also check the Web site for info about clo-

sures of the Florida Avenue Bridge from time to time, due toconstruction activity. For instance, on 8/5/2003 there may belengthy delays for openings in the evening.

Charlotte LiptakM/V SarahSong

MORE ON CUBA & THE CONCH REPUBLIC CUP RACEI am delighted to see a spokesperson for the sailing communityspeaking out strongly against the absurd treatment of thosepatriotic, honest Americans of us who wish to sail to Cuba.

As a past contestant, and cup winner I might add, of theConch Republic Cup, I would say that it is one of the most pleas-ant memories of my sailing career.

Peter did a masterful job of organizing everything and en-suring that everyone had fun. The competition was keen, butnot cutthroat. The Varadero Club Nautico was a gracious hostwith a first-class awards ceremony; the Cuban people were kindand helpful, even the customs officials were patient and courteous.

Peter was a consummate goodwill ambassador. They lovehim over there.

Our own government, on the other hand, continues to be acolossal embarrassment.

According to my Cuban friends, they send up to $300 amonth to friends and relatives in Cuba. Their aunties are al-ways visiting the United States and returning home with arm-

Anyone know this design?

http://www.bluewaterins.com



fuls of Mixmasters, transistor radios, Nintendos and other as-sorted Americana.

If I relax with a single Cohib in Cuba, I risk being slapped inirons. Do I smell Cuban American votes?

The Iron Curtain was not torn down by America. It wastorn down when those behind it decided that they wanted whatthe free world had. The French philosopher Alexis de Tocquevilletaught us long ago that ultimately government is only by con-sent of the governed. We will not hasten the demise of Castro byalienating the Cuban people.

So why doesn’t Washington return to its original policy ofexploding cigars and poisoned wetsuits to deal with Castro andleave us adventuresome sailors alone?

Name withheldWasn’t it poisoned cigars and exploding wetsuits? Maybe I have themmixed up here, or maybe they were trying all four. All I want to do issend down some shoe salesmen (shoes for lobster? or cigars maybe?)and the like-maybe even a couple of auto parts salespeople for those oldAmerican cars in Cuba. That would create some interesting exchanges,both verbal and economic.

Editor

CUBA – ANOTHER SIDE OF THE STORYFirst I would like to state that I am writing this anonymouslybecause I want to be very truthful, and I do not trust the U.S.government.

Why race to Cuba? I have done a lot of sailboat racing, fromlocal club races to yacht club regattas and even Key West RaceWeek. These are all very good in their own right, but I thinkthere comes a time when a sailor longs for more than the Olym-pic triangle or the windward/ leeward race format. You want tostretch your own and your boat’s abilities and have new chal-lenges to face. Sailboat racing to Cuba is just such a venue forthat. Not only do you have to deal with true off-shore weatherand seas, but we also get to race against new competitors andthe international competition as well.

I was very fortunate and will be eternally grateful to PeterGoldsmith to have participated in the first Varadero Race. I haveparticipated in each race every year since. When you set sailfrom Key West, you never know exactly what is ahead of youand your crew. I have done this race in 8 to 10-foot seas and alsohave seen totally flat seas. The wind has ranged from 20 knotson the beam to 30 knots on your stern, and another time it waszero knots and a long motor leg.

The most outstanding item from that very first visit to Cubawas how warmly we were received by all the Cuban peoplewho we came in contact with, not only the people involved inthe racing, but people we met on the street. The one questionthat I asked was, “You are so friendly towards Americans; areyou not angry over the embargo?” Without exception every per-son responded with, “That is your government, not you as anindividual.” I dare say if the countries were reversed, I don’tthink there is one American including myself who would re-spond that way.

I have many Cuban friends who live in the United States. Ihave read many books on Cuba/U.S. relations and have formedmy own interpretations of what has and is happening in regardto the U.S. embargo against Cuba. To put it very plainly andsimply, I do believe most sincerely that Fidel Castro has donemore good for Cuba than bad. He saw that his country underthe leadership of Batista was corrupt. The American Mafia, withthe Cuban Mafia, had total control of Cuba. This in itself wasn’t

14

http://perfsail.com



fuls of Mixmasters, transistor radios, Nintendos and other as-sorted Americana.

If I relax with a single Cohib in Cuba, I risk being slapped inirons. Do I smell Cuban American votes?

The Iron Curtain was not torn down by America. It wastorn down when those behind it decided that they wanted whatthe free world had. The French philosopher Alexis de Tocquevilletaught us long ago that ultimately government is only by con-sent of the governed. We will not hasten the demise of Castro byalienating the Cuban people.

So why doesn’t Washington return to its original policy ofexploding cigars and poisoned wetsuits to deal with Castro andleave us adventuresome sailors alone?

Name withheldWasn’t it poisoned cigars and exploding wetsuits? Maybe I have themmixed up here, or maybe they were trying all four. All I want to do issend down some shoe salesmen (shoes for lobster? or cigars maybe?)and the like-maybe even a couple of auto parts salespeople for those oldAmerican cars in Cuba. That would create some interesting exchanges,both verbal and economic.

Editor

CUBA – ANOTHER SIDE OF THE STORYFirst I would like to state that I am writing this anonymouslybecause I want to be very truthful, and I do not trust the U.S.government.

Why race to Cuba? I have done a lot of sailboat racing, fromlocal club races to yacht club regattas and even Key West RaceWeek. These are all very good in their own right, but I thinkthere comes a time when a sailor longs for more than the Olym-pic triangle or the windward/ leeward race format. You want tostretch your own and your boat’s abilities and have new chal-lenges to face. Sailboat racing to Cuba is just such a venue forthat. Not only do you have to deal with true off-shore weatherand seas, but we also get to race against new competitors andthe international competition as well.

I was very fortunate and will be eternally grateful to PeterGoldsmith to have participated in the first Varadero Race. I haveparticipated in each race every year since. When you set sailfrom Key West, you never know exactly what is ahead of youand your crew. I have done this race in 8 to 10-foot seas and alsohave seen totally flat seas. The wind has ranged from 20 knotson the beam to 30 knots on your stern, and another time it waszero knots and a long motor leg.

The most outstanding item from that very first visit to Cubawas how warmly we were received by all the Cuban peoplewho we came in contact with, not only the people involved inthe racing, but people we met on the street. The one questionthat I asked was, “You are so friendly towards Americans; areyou not angry over the embargo?” Without exception every per-son responded with, “That is your government, not you as anindividual.” I dare say if the countries were reversed, I don’tthink there is one American including myself who would re-spond that way.

I have many Cuban friends who live in the United States. Ihave read many books on Cuba/U.S. relations and have formedmy own interpretations of what has and is happening in regardto the U.S. embargo against Cuba. To put it very plainly andsimply, I do believe most sincerely that Fidel Castro has donemore good for Cuba than bad. He saw that his country underthe leadership of Batista was corrupt. The American Mafia, withthe Cuban Mafia, had total control of Cuba. This in itself wasn’t

14

http://www.perfsail.com



bad except that the people of Cuba were not sharing in the pros-perity of the island. They were actually being hurt. Fidel Castro’srevolution of 1959 was mainly brought about to right the wrongsthat were being inflicted upon the general population of Cuba.

Some factual history. In 1925, the Cuban Communist Partywas founded. In 1952, Batista seized power through a militarycoup. In 1958, the United States gradually withdrew support ofthe Batista regime. Batista fled to the Dominican Republic. In1960, Cuba and the Soviet Union formed an alliance. In 1961,the U.S.-sponsored Bay of Pigs Invasion occurred. In 1962, wehad the Cuban Missile Crisis.

What many Americans have forgotten or were never awareof is that after the revolution, Castro looked toward the UnitedStates for help. President Eisenhower (the same president thatgot us involved in Vietnam) would not deal with a dictator.Batista was a dictator, and we had no problems with him. Couldit be that the Miami Cubans who fled Cuba at the time of theRevolution, to be referred to from this point on as the MiamiCuban Mafia (MCM), had left Cuba with enough ill-gotten gainsand direct connections with the American Mafia that they hadall the political clout in the United States to dictate the U.S. policytoward Cuba?

Check back. Castro did not form the Communist Party inCuba in 1925. Batista was a dictator. What if PresidentEisenhower was not owned by the MCM and the United Stateshad maintained trade relations with Cuba instead of turning itsback on the people of Cuba? They might be a democracy today.

Let us look at some comparisons between the United Statesand Cuba since the Revolution:•Cuba does not have a drug problem; the United States does.•Cuba streets are safe day or night; the U.S. streets are not. (I

have walked wherever I wanted to and never felt concern.)•Cuba does not have racial discrimination; the United States

does.•Cuba has a strong free educational system through college;

the United States does not.•Cuba has a free medical system for all people; the United States

does not.•Cuba has a food rationing system, people are not starving;

there are some in the United States who are.•Cuban women retire at the age of 55; men at the age of 60; the

United States is making it longer each year.•Cuba does not have opportunity for the people, the United

States does have great opportunities.Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that the United

States is not the best place in the world to live. The main reasonfor which is our freedoms. However, we are slowly allowingour freedoms to be taken away from us, when our governmentis controlled by MCM and other special interest groups. Cubahas accomplished all of the above in spite of the 40-plus-yearU.S. embargo.

At a time when it is harder and harder to get more sailboatsout racing, the Conch Republic Cup is just what is needed to getsome old salts re-stimulated about sailboat racing. This is reallywhat sailboat racing is all about. We have no political objective;we are just sailors that happen to live in different countries. Butthe U.S. government does have an unjustified political (finan-cially sponsored and motivated by the MCM) agenda to hasslepeople who only want new sailing experiences.

Name WithheldMr. Withheld – You have made some good points here about Cuba, butI believe that it is unnecessary to say “that Fidel Castro has done moregood for Cuba than bad.” Another good question is, “Was he an im-



http://www.mastheadsailinggear.com

http://www.usspars.com



LOCAL NEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS Southwinds September 2003 49

800.771.5556Visit us at www.huntermarine.com

*Price is good until November 15, 2003 only and includes galvanized trailer, freight and commissioning. Pricedoes not include options, state and local taxes. Price is in U.S Dollars and offer is available only in the 48

contiguous states. Hunter Marine reserves the right to modify or change, without notice, any prices, materials,specifications, equipment and/or accessories. See your dealer for details.

Family Fun — No matter what your sailing expertise is, the new

216 can be the boat for you and your family. Withfeatures like a patented Advanced Composite Process

hull for unsinkability, total ease of rigging, and a standardgalvanized trailer, your family will be having the time of their

life in no time! Come discover for yourself why Hunter isleading the way to family fun on the water. Come aboard and

Discover the Difference as We Go the Distance!

Ullman Sails – Sarasota, FL (941) 951-0189Lake Fairview Marina – Orlando, FL (407) 295-0117

Performance Sail & Sport – Melbourne, FL (321) 253-3737Select Yachts – Lake Lanier, GA (770) 965-4720Sayre Sailing – Charleston, SC (843) 534-0560

Sail Gulf Coast – Fort Walton Beach, FL (850) 225-7245

http://www.huntermarine.com



S I N C E 1 9 7 7

Thinking about hanging up your halyards or simply want toexpand your yachting experience to include power? Then thinkMainship, it’s the sailor’s motor yacht. The Pilot and Trawlerseries provide downeaster good looks, modern constructionand comfortable, fuel efficient cruising speeds. The new RumRunner II outfitting package includes exciting amenities with allthe comforts of home. Choose from single diesel engine withbow thruster or twin diesel engine configurations. Come toMassey to inspect our new Mainships today. Sailboat tradescheerfully considered. Expand your Florida Gulf Coast cruisinghorizons with Mainship.

Trawlers: 34, 39, 40 and 43 ft.Pilot Express: 30 and 34 ft.Pilot Sedan: 30 and 34 ft.

400 Trawler

Pilot 30 Rum Runner II Pilot 34 Rum Runner II Sedan

One Call Starts a Team Reaction! www.masseyyacht.com

Call for boat show special pricing and delivery information:•Tampa Boat Show, Oct. 2 - 5 • SAIL EXPO St. Pete, Nov. 6 - 9

• Fort Myers Boat Show, Nov. 13 - 16 • St. Pete Boat Show, Nov. 20 - 23




provement over Batista?” Many will say yes without hesitation. Butsuch comparisons don’t get us anywhere. What he has done that isgood or done that is bad is just what it is. We can only look at wheredo we go from here. Will the next step in our relations result in goodor bad? And can we learn from the past to help us in future actions?

By the way, I would respond like this, “That is your govern-ment, not you as an individual.”

Editor

BOOT KEY HARBOR ANCHORAGECONTROVERSY HEATS UPBoaters beware!!!

In the past several days, city of Marathon Marina employ-ees have been boarding and entering the cabins of vessels inBoot Key Harbor when the owner is not on board.

The purpose of their boarding is not to inspect the vesselor because they believe any illegal activities are going on. No,the purpose of these unauthorized boardings is to placea letter (a notice) in the cabin, telling the owner the vessel willhave to move by Aug 25th because of the new mooring field tobe put into place.

Maybe someone should enter the city employees’ homeand place a note on their dining room table, letting them knowthey (the city of Marathon) are breaking the law.

Harbor management is now totally out of control.Below you will find the e-mail response from the city man-

ager of Marathon, Scott Janke, and the response of Marathon’sharbor manager, Harry Delashmutt, regarding illegal boardingsby the city of Marathon in Boot Key Harbor. You will see ourcomments in italics, and below Harry Delashmutt’s statement.

Copy of e-mail to Scott Janke from Harry Delashmutt:Scott – I have looked into the allegations. The facts of the mat-ter are as follows:

There are 27 boats that needed to be noticed with a letterfrom the ports manager explaining the necessity to move outof the proposed mooring fields by August 25. The majority ofboats anchored in the fields are with absentee owners. No studyhas ever confirmed this. In fact, most are live-aboards who work inMarathon.

To prevent damage to the brightwork and topsides fromadhesives in tape, the notices were placed in the cockpits andcompanionway hatches out of the weather and visible. To placethese notices on companionway hatches out of the weather, one mustboard the vessel.

The location varied for each type of boat; however, para-mount to placement was consideration of weather damage tothe notice and owner attention to the notice. So this gives themthe right to board vessels. No, it does not.

On some boats, this noticing required placing a foot on thegunwale area in order to lean in far enough to place the noticein a conspicuous location. Maybe the city of Marathon does notunderstand the meaning of boarding.

On one boat, because of threatening rain, the notice wastossed inside the open companionway hatch and onto the floorof the main salon. An occupant was aboard at the time, hasdiscussed the notice with staff and understands the action taken.We hope this flat piece of paper (the notice) was not attached to abrick.

At no time was marina staff totally in a cockpit or salon/cabin area of a boat being noticed for moving. Yes, and men don’t“totally” beat their wives; the law wasn’t “totally broken.”

http://www.tiburonresorts.com

http://www.daufuskieresort.com

http://www.flagshipsailing.com


http://www.tshack.com

http://www.isladelsolycc.com

http://www.rollsbattery.com




SHARE YOUR OPINIONS WITH THE EDITOR:PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL 34218 Fax: (941) 795-8705

E-mail: [email protected] site: southwindssailing.com

In addition to the physical noticing of the boats in the fields, wehave sent the notice via certified return receipt requested in or-der to satisfy due diligence. Then it was really dumb to break thelaw by illegally boarding the vessels.

Emotions are running high with this noticing and embel-lishment of misinformation being spread by hearsay. The ac-tions taken to notice these boat owners has and will be accom-plished with the utmost sensitivity to good will and an abun-dance of information. The current staff does not present them-selves officious or cold in their dealings with the Harbor boat-ers. They are empathetic since all are boaters themselves withtwo who are live-aboards.

Harry Delashmutt

It is hard to embellish, when the city’s harbormaster’s e-mailstates they did break the law. He makes statements such as; plac-ing a foot on the gunwale; was not totally in a cockpit. Whatpart of the law does Marathon’s harbormaster not understand?

This is why the citizens of Marathon are outraged. City em-ployees violate their rights and try to minimize the fact. Thetruth is, management of Boot Key Harbor is out of control. Nowthe question is, will the city of Marathon take any action to in-stall a new harbor manager to show their credibility? Or willthe city of Marathon allow the harbor manager to keep his job,even though it appears by his own e-mail he has violated citi-zens’ rights and then tried to minimize the fact. Just how longwill the city of Marathon allow this to go on?

For more information: http://www.marathonflorida.netJim Lowry

35 Sombrero Blvd.Marathon, Florida 33050

(305) 849-1283Jim – Thank you for your letters concerning this situation. I went tothe Web site mentioned and invite our readers to do the same to moni-tor the ongoing problem and learn more about it. I am not sure whatthe legalities are about boarding specifically and hope that others outthere might shed more light on that aspect. One thing I can definitelysee is that the situation has deteriorated to one of antagonism betweenthe parties concerned. Please keep us informed as the situation devel-ops. We also recommend readers visit the site www.bootkeyharbor.com.We asked Scott Janke to reply to the above letter. His reply follows.

Editor

REPLY FROM SCOTT JANKE:CHANGES IN POLICY ALREADY MADEThat is very old news and has already been addressed. I havediscussed this with Jim and his group. I also held a meetingwith all marina employees. It comes down to poor judgementregarding the method of message delivery. Although every boatowner was mailed a letter, the staff felt it would be good to alsoprovide messages to each boat. I’ve told them to respect theboat owners’ rights to private property. In the future, our em-ployees will not leave messages on board, but will use the mailand also post notices in gathering places.

Anyway, this issue was put to bed long ago.Scott Janke

Marathon City Manager

http://www.weathermarksailing.com



RACING CALENDAR

We’d like to encourage all sailing associations, yacht clubs and regatta sponsors to notify us of upcoming events in your area.Simply fax or e-mail us by the 10th of each month to ensure that your racing and regatta schedule will be included.

Send to [email protected] or fax to 941-795-8704Southwinds Magazine also offers reduced advertising rates for regattas.

Yacht Clubs and Sailing Associations: Please update your phone numbers by e-mailing [email protected] and give us your Web site address also.

SAILING CLUB DIRECTORY IS NOW ON THE INTERNETFor a list of yacht clubs and sailing associations in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippiand Tennessee, visit our Web site southwindssailing.com. Their addresses and Web sites will also be listed. We are asking allthese organizations to e-mail us your Web site address and we will put a link to it.

FLORIDA EAST COAST

OCTOBER 4 - 5Annual One Design RegattaCoconut Grove Sailing Clubcgsc.org

OCTOBER 11 - 1249th Columbus Day Regatta

and raft-up partyMiamicolumbusdayregatta.net

OCTOBER 19 - 20Annual PHRF RegattaCoconut Grove Sailing Clubcgsc.org

OCTOBER 18 - 19Melbourne Fall Small Boatmelbourneyachtclub.com

OCTOBER 25 - 26Melbourne Fall PHRFmelbourneyachtclub.com

OCTOBER 25 - 26Fall Harvest RegattaMiami Yacht Club\miamiyachtclub.net

NOVEMBER 1 - 2Coral Reef YC Annual RegattaPHRFCoralreefyachtclub.org

NOVEMBER 8Hughs CupWomen’s YRACoralreefyachtclub.org

NOVEMBER 15 - 16SE Florida PHRF ChampionshipCoral Reef Yacht ClubCoralreefyachtclub.org

NOVEMBER 22 - 23J-FestLauderdale Yacht ClubLyc.org

FLORIDA WEST COAST& INLAND

OCTOBER 4Annual Morgan InvasionFor Charles Morgan designsTreasure Island Yacht Club(727) 367-4511

OCTOBER 4 - 5Clearwater ChampionshipClearwater Yacht Clubcyc.org

OCTOBER 4 - 527th Annual Crow’s NestVenice Yacht ClubSteve Harner (941) 484-9551

OCTOBER 4 - 11Sonar World ChampionshipSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

OCTOBER 17 - 18SPYC Distance ClassicSt. Pete to Venice PHRFspyc.org

OCTOBER 18 - 19River Romp Regatta

& Sunfish Florida StatesFort MyersEdison Sailing CenterEdisonsailingcenter.org

OCTOBER 18 - 19Fall One DesignMelges 24, J24, J105Davis Island Yacht Clubdiyc.org

OCTOBER 24 - 25Tampa to Clearwater PHRFDavis Island Yacht Clubdiyc.org

OCTOBER 25 - 26Commodore’s CupPHRF buoy racingNaples Sailing & Yacht [email protected]

OCTOBER 25Great Pumpkin RegattaSarasota Sailing Squadron(914) 388-2355

OCTOBER 25 - 26Bikini CupSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

OCTOBER 26Lars Bergstrom RegattaSarasota Sailing Squadron(914) 388-2355

OCTOBER 29 - 11/2Rolex Osprey CupSt. Petersburg yacht Clubspyc.org

NOVEMBER 1Clearwater Challengecyc.org

NOVEMBER 1 - 2PHRF Festival of the IslandsCMCSswfloridaphrf@yahoogroups

NOVEMBER 5 - 14USA Paralympic TrialsSonar and 2.4 MeterSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

NOVEMBER 8PHRF Transbay RaceSt. Petersburg S. A.Spsa.us

NOVEMBER 9SPSA - TBYRAWomen’s RaceSpsa.us

NOVEMBER 15Fall Bay Race PHRFSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

NOVEMBER 15 - 16Flying Scot RegattaSarasota Sailing SquadronSarasotasailingsquad.com

NOVEMBER 15 - 16PHRF Marco Fall RegattaMIYCswfloridaphrf@yahoogroups

NOVEMBER 22 - 23Alter Cup Area DFlorida Multihull ChampClearwater Community SAUssailing.org

NOVEMBER 22 - 23Snipe State ChampionshipSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

NOVEMBER 28Old Shoe RegattaDavis Island Yacht Clubdiyc.org

NOVEMBER 29 - 30Thanksgiving Day RegattaAll classsDavis Island Yacht Clubdiyc.org

NORTHERN GULF(AL, FL,LA,MS,TX)

OCTOBER 9 - 1217 Annual Harvest Moon150 miles Galveston to

Port Aransas.Lakewood Yacht ClubSeabrook, TXharvestmoonregatta.com

NOVEMBER 8 - 9Flying Scot GYA ChampsPensacola Yacht Club(850) 433-8804

NOVEMBER 9 - 16US Women’s Match Racecompeted on J-22syc.org

NOVEMBER 22 - 23Cold Turkey RegattaVanguard 15 & Lasersyc.org

SOUTHERN STATES(AK, GA, NC, SC,TN)

OCTOBER 12 - 13SailboardAtlanta Fall ClassicLake Lanier Sailing Clubllsc.com

OCTObER 17 - 19Hots’Yachts Hospice RegattaWestern Carolina SailingAnderson, South Carolinawcsc-sailing.org

OCTOBER 18 - 19Laser Georgia StateLake Lanier Sailing Clubllsc.com

OCTOBER 25 - 26Captain Morgan FallScow FestJames Island Yacht Clubjiyc.org

OCTOBER 25 - 27Halloween Snipe RegattaAtlanta Yacht [email protected]

OCTOBER 26 - 27Open Halloween RegattaLake Lanier Sailing Clubllsc.com

NOVEMBER 2 - 3J22/J24 MelgesMiss Piggy RegattaLake Lanier Sailing Clubllsc.com

NOVEMBER 16GT Frigid DigitLake Lanier Sailing Clubllsc.com

EXOTIC PLACES

OCTOBER 25 - 11/1Dry Creek Vinyard

Women’s Sailors weekBitter End Yacht ClubVirgin Gorda, [email protected]

JUNIOR REGATTAS

OCTOBER 4 - 5Tennessee Optimist DinghyClinic and RegattaConcord Yacht Clubkorrnet.org

OCTOBER 11 - 12Bruce Watters RegattaGreen Fleet OptisSt. Petersburg Yacht Clubspyc.org

OCTOBER 11 - 12Green Fleet Mega Clinicby Tim ColemanLake Eustis Sailing [email protected]

OCTOBER 25 - 26Lagniappe RegattaClub 420s and OptimistsSouthern Yacht Clubsyc.org

NOVEMBER 8 - 9Great Oaks InvitationalHigh School 420 Regattasyc.org

NOVEMBER 15 - 16Allison Jolly Regattaspyc.org

NOVEMBER 28 - 29Optimist MidwintersSouthern Yacht Clubsyc.org

Sail ExpoSt. Pete

—November 6-9

2003


http://www.cgsc.org

http://www.columbusdayregatta.net

http://www.cgsc.org

http://www.melbourneyachtclub.com

http://www.melbourneyachtclub.com

http://www.miamiyachtclub.net

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.edisonsailingcenter.org

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.spsa.us

http://www.spsa.us

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com

mailto:swfloridaphrf@yahoogroups

http://www.coralreefyachtclub.org



http://www.lyc.org


http://www.ussailing.org

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.cyc.org

http://www.cyc.org


http://www.harvestmoonregatta.com


http://www.syc.org

http://www.syc.org

http://www.llsc.com


http://www.kormet.org

http://www.spyc.org


http://www.syc.org

http://www.syc.org

http://www.syc.org

http://www.llsc.com

http://www.llsc.com

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.jiyc.org


http://www.wcsc-sailing.org

http://www.llsc.com

http://www.llsc.com

http://www.cruisingdirect.com


http://www.uksailmakers.com

http://www.spyc.org



Stephen Sommer is a degreed electrical engineer with extensiveexperience in electrical, mechanical, refrigeration and air-condi-tioning systems and holds a USCG Masters license. He consultsin all areas of yacht systems, which include all the equipment onboard yachts beyond a basic hull and motor or sails. Have a sys-tems problem or question? Ask Stephen Sommer. E-mail:[email protected].

BOATEK By Stephen Sommer

SOLUTIONS TO ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, AIR CONDITIONING, REFRIGERATION AND OTHER YACHT SYSTEMS

26

Yes, the two problems are probably related. As a general rule,it’s likely that two related symptoms are caused by the same

root problem.Your diver is getting shocked from current flowing from

your underwater gear (propeller, through-hulls, etc.) into thewater. Your underwater gear is normally connected together bya “bonding” system, which is just a group of green wires or cop-per straps that connects all the underwater gear and your zincstogether. This allows the zincs to apply a small voltage to yourexpensive gear to protect it from electrolysis corrosion. For safetyreasons, the bonding system is also connected to all metallic chas-sis and structures and to your power source’s neutral wire atone point. This point should be as close as possible to the near-est isolated source. An “isolated” source is a transformer, gensetor inverter.

Here’s the safety plan with respect to the grounds: If a liveconductor comes in contact with a chassis or metallic struc-ture, the current will travel through the bonding wires andreturn to the power source’s neutral allowing enough currentto flow to “pop” a breaker and stop the power. This is a lotbetter than allowing a metallic object to become electrified andshocking someone. Your boat has two problems: Something iscausing current to flow to the bonding system, and your bond-ing system is not carrying the current back to the power source.

A side note: I would be willing to bet that your boat doesn’thave an isolation transformer, because this is one of many prob-lems that isolation transformers solve very well.

Before we try to solve the problem without all the facts, let’sconsider the other problem, the erratic interaction of appliances.With long and heavily loaded shore power cords, most of us areused to lights dimming when an air conditioner comes on, so Iwill assume that you have more problems than that. If you findthat some appliances appear to get an increase in voltage whensomething is turned on, then you probably have a neutral con-

ductor problem with a 120/240-volt system.A 120/240-volt power source is made up of three current-

carrying wires, plus a safety ground. Each of two “hot” wirescarries 120 volts; a third white wire called the “neutral” or“common” is very much like the ground in a 12-volt systemin that it doesn’t normally have much voltage on it, but it doesconduct current back to the power source. The fourth wire,the green safety ground, is there for emergencies only. It onlycarries current when there is a problem. Equipment can beconnected across the two “hot” wires and when it receives240 volts from the same wires. The “neutral” is only neededfor the 120-volt loads to divide the 240 volts into two equal120-volt sources. If the neutral is disconnected, the division ofthe 240 volts between the two lines will be out of control. Youcould turn on a air conditioner, which might get only 40 volts,and the 120-volt appliance on the other line could be dam-aged by the remaining 200 volts.

Considering both your problems at the same time, I sus-pect that your neutral and safety ground are inappropriatelyconnected together. This is a common design problem thathas probably been present for a long time, but you haven’tnoticed. The single event that happened recently, causing bothsymptoms, is a bad connection of your common wire, prob-ably in a shore power cord.

Post Script: This problem was investigated, and the ac-tual cause of the lost neutral was far from the boat in theshoreside power wiring. The inappropriate connection be-tween the neutral and safety ground was caused by the shore/genset transfer switch, which did not switch the neutral wires.The power panel wiring simply connected the shore neutral,the load’s neutrals and the genset neutral together. Generatorsets usually connect their output neutral and the chassisground together, which, of course, is connected to the boat’sbonding system. This caused a continuous tie of the shorepower neutral to the boat’s grounding system.

This shock hazard was caused by two problems with twotypes of grounds, the neutral and the safety ground. So, it ispossible to cause an electrocution with grounds only and nofaults in the “hot” side wiring!

A three-pole transfer switch was installed, which solvedthe problem with the inappropriate neutral/safety ground tie.The power company fixed a broken neutral wire ashore.

Are There Grounds for Electrocution?Steve – I arranged to have a diver scrape the hull of my boat, and was surprised when the diver gota severe electrical shock when getting close to the boat. I also have some problems with the electricalsystem on board, where some 120-volt appliances behave erratically when other 120-volt equipmentis turned off and on. Could these problems be related?



YOUR SATISFACTION IS OUR MEASURE OF SUCCESS

SERVING CATALINA OWNERS, BUYERS AND SELLERS FROM MARCO ISLAND TO TARPON SPRINGS

www.masseyyacht.com • E-mail: [email protected]

Purchase your new 2003 in stock Catalina yacht from Massey and save thousands and thousands of dollars.Full factory and dealer warranties, free sailing lessons, trades considered. Call today for details and an inspection appointment.

S I N C E 1 9 7 7

Save Over $25,000



2002 Catalina 42 MKII New 2cabin centerline owners stateroom model,VHF/ram mic, ST6001 A/P, ST60 Tridatadepth, knot/log, wind, Ultra Leather interior cushions, full batten mainsail w/Dutchman,factory hard dodger w/hard windows,Lippincott bimini w/connector, TV/VCR, Alpinestereo and CD, and much more. RegularSailaway Price $226,559. Call Masseytoday for special Model Year-End Price.

Save Over $10,0002003 Catalina 42 MKII New 3cabin Pullman berth owners stateroommodel, VHF w/ram mic, Ultra leather interiorcushions, cockpit teak grate, varnished teakcockpit table leaves, ST60 depth, knot/log,wind, choose from full batten or inmastfurling main sail plan, and much more.Regular Sailaway Price $213,884 (withfull batten mainsail). Call Massey today for special Model Year-End Price.

Save Over $10,0002003 Catalina 400 MKII Inmastfurling main, electric sail handling winch,ST6001 A/P, VHF w/ram mic, ST60 depth,knot/log, wind, nav station repeater, TV/VCR,Alpine stereo w/CD, Lippencott hard dodgerw/hard windows and bimini, Ultraleatherinterior upholstery and much more.Regular Sailaway Price $224,203.Call Massey today for special Model Year-End Price.

Save Over $7,0002003 Catalina 36 MKII New 2cabin model, VHF/ram mic, ST60 depth,knot/log, wind, TV/VCR, Stereo radio w/cassette, microwave, bimini/dodger combo,fiberglass cockpit table, Evening Blue interior fabrics, inmast furling main, andmuch more. Regular Sailaway Price$142,930. Call Massey today for specialModel Year-End Price.

Save Over $10,000 2003 Catalina 42 MKII Centerline

berth, single lever shifter, inmast furling

main, basic equipment, Regular Sailaway

Price $209,019. Call Massey today for

special Model Year-End Price.

Save Over $7,000 2003 Catalina 34 MKIIInmast furling main, ST4000 autopilot, ST60Tridate depth & knot, ST60 wind, navstationrepeater, microwave, single lever shifter, VHFw/ram mic, Ultra leather interior cushionsand much more. Regular Sailaway Price$127,058. Call Massey today for specialModel Year-End Price.

Save Thousands 2004 Catalina 504

Custom order a new 2004 Catalina 504

and take advantage of very special pricing.

Call Massey for full details.

SOLD

SOLD

SOLDMORE AVAILABLE




SUBSCRIBE TO Southwinds

$12/YR $20/2 YRS See Page 4

Visit the magazine on-line: www.southwindssailing.com

CUBA

By Elena Pimiento, s/v Habanero III

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10 —PINAR DEL RIOTony has arranged for Jorge, one of theboat maintenance workers, to pick us upin his Peugeot and drive us on a tour to-day. He is a little late and says he will beback in a few minutes. He shows up anddrives us west from the marina to his vil-lage of Santa Fe, where he has to make astop. Santa Fe is a village of small houses,many with red tile roofs, on the northcoast, situated between two rivers. Ahouse on the water can be purchased for$15,000 US, Jorge tells us, but few Cubanshave that kind of money. However, onecan buy 10 lobsters for $25 here. Manypost-revolutionary rafts were launchedfrom the beach here and never came back.

The next town is Baracoa, a farmingarea of red earth and the entrance to theautopista, the east-west freeway built andlargely completed in 1979. We pass a tur-key farm with no turkeys and a half-fullchicken farm. Driving west behind a 1958Buick with tons of chrome and a Russian-built diesel engine, we see water buffaloand oxen pulling plows in the fields andcarts on the highway shoulder. Horsespull large wagons filled with passengers

Three Days in Havana& One in Pinar del Rio:Part III

from villages on either side of theautopista. The animals work hard andconsume no petroleum, a scarce com-modity. Most of Cuba’s oil is exportedand sold for hard currency. People con-gregate under trees or the unfinishedRussian-built bridges to wait for a rideto Havana or elsewhere. There is noscheduled bus service, but several bus-ses and large open trucks stop to pickup riders. As we peer into the over-loaded vehicles, Jorge comments, maspeligrosso, very dangerous. Governmentvehicles are required to pick up hitch-hikers, and this is the most popularmethod of getting from one town toanother. Hitchhikers frequently stand inthe middle of the road, flagging downanything that moves, yet sometimes aperson can stand in the hot sun forhours before getting a ride. If the heat isnot bad enough, the huge trucks burn alow-grade Cuban fuel, covering everyonewith noxious black smoke, clogging thelungs and sinuses, and assaulting the ears.

Living fences, with fence postsmade from sticks which have taken rootand sprouted leaves, eventually dis-guising the barbed wire, mark the

boundary between highway and farm.Many fields are beautifully bright greenwith tobacco or sugar cane; the harvesthas recently started. Orange, banana andmango groves are government-owned;when the fruit is ripe, it is available toanyone for picking. Filling a truck or twoand taking fruit to market privately isdone but quite illegal. When someone isarrested, the fruit is seized and the po-lice take it to market themselves.

Tobacco-drying sheds and small,clean houses dot the fields. Many of theplants have leaves on only the top halfof the stem, as the bottom leaves havebeen picked already. The lower leavesare used as cigar wrappers if they are ofgood quality, and as fillers and cigarettesif they are of inferior quality. Sugar caneis harvested primarily by machete, al-though in one field we see a tractor-drawnharvester. Trucks, ox carts or even bicyclescarry the cane to refineries, ever-present inthe distance belching black smoke.

The roadside is remarkably clean,as we soon find out when Jorge’s caroverheats. The 1991 Peugeot is consid-ered “new” by Cuban standards, andruns on either gasoline or propane. Jorge

http://www.seaschool.com


pays $20 US to fill the propane tank inthe trunk, which lasts 125 km. Switch-ing between fuels takes only a push of adashboard button, but if the engine isturned off when using propane, the carmust be pushed to start again, as it hasno electric fuel pump. Jorge puts ourdrinking water in the radiator; the en-gine cools enough to proceed a bit fur-ther. Jorge coasts the engine periodicallyto cool down several more times, switch-ing from gas to propane to gas, until weget to a gas station at the Soroa exit, theonly one we’ve seen on the highway.There is no mechanic there, but Tonyand Jorge fiddle with the overflow tankand some wiring and refill the waterbottles. We take off again. The engineoverheats once more, and we are con-cerned about not just the day trip, butabout getting home at all. The wiring forthe fan and the horn, it seems, have beendisconnected, and once they are reat-tached, the car carries us into the moun-tains with only a few cool-down stops.Mechanical knowledge is essential tokeep a vehicle moving in Cuba.

The landscape is reminiscent ofMexico’s Gulf Coast or St. Croix, withmountains in the background, fields inthe foreground. One difference is thesize, number and beauty of the royalpalm trees that appear in groups or singlyeverywhere. The tree is native to Cuba andis appropriately named. Its less-than-royalcousin is called a barrigona palm, andgrows in the region near Soroa. Tall baretrunks have only a few spiky, fan-shaped leaves at the top; its fruit is usedto feed pigs. The major distinguishingfeature is the barriga, or belly, a notice-able swelling about a third or more upthe trunk. The trees look rather comical,reminding me of Homer Simpson.

Stopping occasionally to cool theengine and to take pictures, we rise intothe mountains, admiring the scenery ofthe Pinar del Rio province, westernmostin Cuba. Jorge takes us through the townof Vinales, and up a narrow dirt road tothe home of a friend who will make

lunch for us: $8 US per plate, plus drinks.We enter a small wooden house, paintedbright “Cuban” blue and white, deco-rated with gaudy pictures, family pho-tos, knickknacks, a purple electric fan.Curtains hang in each doorless doorway.Everyone is introduced, including 3-year old Danielle, a blond-braidedcharmer. The square wooden, cane-seatchairs in the living room are rustic butlook new. Everything is very clean. Tonyorders lobster, I order langostino, andLinda and Jorge order pork. Soon, thetable is filled with dishes of rice andblack beans, yucca, thinly sliced andfried taro chips, sliced fresh tomatoes,pineapple and oranges. The fruit is di-vine in its sweetness. It would have beenenough, but the entrees soon come, and

they are also sweet and succulent. Thereare no napkins; the tableware is poorand mismatched; the beer is not cold (nopower overnight), but it doesn’t matter.For $46 US, we eat an excellent meal ina real home in the real Cuba. Throughthe open window, the view of the moun-tains is worth a fortune. Jorge brings thecar to the side yard, careful not to hitthe pig or duck. The car radio is on;Danielle starts to shake her hips to theboom-boom music, adding coy facial ex-pressions to mimic a woman manytimes her age.

The mountains of western Cuba,known as the Cordillera de Guani-guanico, stretch 175 kilometers east towest and rise to 692 meters in places.The Valle de Vinales, is a classic karst

Valle de Vinales

http://www.suncoastinflatables.com


CUBA

SUBSCRIBE TOSouthwinds

$12/YEAR $20/2 YEARS

SEE PAGE 4

landscape of mogotes, limestone mono-liths which rise abruptly from the ll-anos, or plains.

We drive south to the Cuevas delIndios, or Indian Caves, a major touristattraction. For a small fee, we enter agrotto in the mogote, walk 300 metersadmiring the formations in the rock, thenboard a wide wooden boat for a shortride to the other side of an undergroundlake. Electric lights make the formationsvisible and dramatically shadowed. Inplaces, the ceiling is 135 meters high. Theboatman runs the outboard and pointsout fancifully named descriptive shapes:crocodiles, seahorses, Columbus’ threecaravels. In the boat, Russian touristssurround us, their guide translating ev-erything the boatman says. The Russiansare dressed in clothing ablaze withAmerican logos, mostly Nike. The manwho scrambles to the bow for a seatwears a small beret like Che Guevara’s,decorated with one gold star. He sits upand salutes whenever the woman sittingbehind me points her camera at him. Shecalls him commandante.

At the base of the mogote, we alightfrom the boat to a patio where the sou-venir vendors have set up shop and asmall bar offers pineapple juice, with orwithout rum. Across a field where thetour busses wait, is a restaurant callingitself a finca, or farm. It has long family-style tables, and a small band plays forthe diners. Linda and I use the restroom(no seat, no paper) then rejoin Tony andJorge at the car.

Passing again through the village,we pause at the church in the square for

photos. The town’s main street is linedon either side with brightly painted col-onnades. As we pass a side street, wehear screaming and look around the cor-ner to see two women fighting, yellingand throwing punches at each other likeboxers. A man breaks in to separate them,pushing them away from each other. Onewoman turns away and crashes into alow-hanging tree branch. Jorge drivesaway quickly, saying that if someonewere injured, any available vehiclewould be required to take the victim to ahospital. Failure to help would result in jail.

Jorge takes us to a valley, where theside of a high mogote has been painted

with a mural depicting the theory ofevolution: snails, dinosaurs, sea mon-sters and Indians in a strange palette ofcolors. Leovigildo Gonaz†lez Morillo, inthe manner of Diego Rivera, created theMural De la Prehistoria in 1961. Themural, 65 meters high and 100 meterslong, was painted by 25 campesinos di-rected from below by the artist with amegaphone. The painting is berated inour guidebooks as gaudy graffiti and inbad taste. It’s hard to disagree. However,turning our backs on it gives us a farmore pleasant vista. We are in a trulybeautiful valley.

The Hotel Las Jazmines is just southof Vinales. It is an attractive restoredSpanish hacienda-style building with alarge pool and an excellent view of theValle de Vinales. The souvenir vendorshave postcards with the exact view, andit is a beautiful one. Rounded dark greenmogotes form the backdrop for brightgreen tobacco farms and red-roofed out-buildings, silver-gray wooden dryingsheds and whitewashed houses. Tallroyal palms with contrasting graytrunks stick up randomly and towerabove shorter fruit-bearing trees and thered earth of newly harvested fields inthe lush valley. The scenery has beenaptly compared to ancient Japanesepaintings, and it is delicious eye candy.

Back on the autopista, Jorge tells usmore about the cultural changes sincethe revolution. The government ownsnearly everything, and nearly everyoneworks for the government. Everyone isprovided medical care, education, hous-ing and other services. Workers are paid

Cave boating

Evolution mural

http://www.bobandannies.com


an average of $10 and up to $60 US permonth, at 22 salary levels. Highlytrained professionals, doctors, lawyers,engineers, etc., are paid only slightlymore than the average skilled worker.Unemployment is low, but many workonly a few days per week, yet we do notsee abject poverty anywhere. Enterpris-ing Cubans may now work for them-selves on their days off, and most do soin order to survive. During the 1990s,the service sector and agriculture wasopened to private enterprise. Manytradesmen were permitted self-employ-ment; state-owned farms were con-verted to private cooperatives, and prof-itability became important. The self-employed may not hire others, however,and goods may not be sold privatelynear established stores. Taxation hasbeen revived; much of it is punitive tothe self-employed.

Cubans may not work for dollarsfrom foreign entities. A foreign companymight pay $450 US per month to thegovernment agency for a worker, butthat worker receives only a small frac-tion of that amount in pesos. Jorge, forexample, will make more today from

our tour than he would earn in 10 weeksat his marina job. The marina charges aforeign boat owner $100 US per weekfor Jorge’s services but pays Jorge only$5 US. He “bought” his car from a manwho purchased it new in 1991, and whostill legally owns it. The owner may notsell it to anyone but the government,which will pay only a few pesos for it.Speeding is illegal, but the police do notcatch many lawbreakers because theyare given only a few liters of fuel for theirvehicles. If they were given full tanks ofgasoline, they would be tempted to sellsome of it. We see people on the high-way selling entire stalks of bananas,guava, garlic, cheese. This is also illegal,

but the vendors cooperate with eachother to keep a lookout for the police,who would confiscate the goods and useor sell them themselves. Jorge stops thecar and instructs us not to speak in En-glish. He and Tony purchase a stalk ofabout 70 small sugar bananas for about$2 US. The are ripe and sweet; it’s tempt-ing to eat several at a time.

Also tempting, at least to Jorge, arethe women who ply their trade along theautopista. He calls them chupa chupas,from the verb chupar, to suck. A womanrides with a driver from one bridge tothe next performing the service, collectsher $3 US, then rides with another driverin the opposite direction back to the firstbridge. A complete service runs to $5 US,but I am unclear on the mechanics ofdriving and receiving service. Sexualmorality in Cuba is quite different fromthat to which I am accustomed, but thereis an equality mandate: A husband or awife may go outside the marriage for sex,but not love.Any comments or thoughts about this article,or the subject matter? Southwinds wouldlike to hear from you. E-mail letters to theeditor: [email protected]

Royal Palms




SAIL EXPO ST. PETE

SAIL EXPO ST. PETERSBURG SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Seminars on a variety of sailing topics are being held continuously during theshow. For more information and updated schedules and titles of these seminarsgo to www.sailamerica.com

OTHER EVENTS

Discover SailingWhen: All days of the showWhere: To be AnnouncedDiscover Sailing, a national introduction-to-sailing program will be going on eachday at SAIL EXPO to help non-sailors take their first sail. Show-goers can go onfree, 30-minute sailing trips and collect free, learn-to-sail materials and names ofsailing schools where they can further their education.

Free SeminarsWhen: All days of the showWhere: To be AnnouncedExtensive seminar program that is broken into levels geared for all types of sailors- from sailors just starting out to the more experienced, advanced sailor. Log onto www.sailamerica.com for the latest seminar schedule.

Author’s CornerWhen: All days of the showWhere: Author’s Corner BoothCome meet some of your favorite sailing authors and pick up all of the mostcurrent sailing books!

Kids AboardFuture boatbuilders? This free boatbuilding workshop for children ages 4 andolder, teaches them to design and build their vessels. To find out more about thisprogram, visit www.kidsaboard.com.

Latitudes & Attitudes Cruiser’s Bash - Saturday night 7PMEveryone at the show Saturday evening is invited to this notorious party. Enter towin a free Sunsail week in the Caribbean and a Hunter Liberty sailing skiff.

WEST MARINE SAVINGSSave your wristband & receive $10 offyour next purchase at West Marine.

November 6-9Thursday-Saturday

10am-6 pmSunday – 10 am-5 pm

Vinoy Park & MarinaDowntown St. Petersburg FL

on the water

TICKETS:$10 for adults Thursday & Friday.

$12 on Saturday & Sunday.$4 for kids 6-12 (under 6 free).Reduced rate tickets are available

in advance on the Sail AmericaWeb site www.sailamerica.com.

DIRECTIONS:From Tampa Airport or I-275 southinto St. Pete: Follow signs to Inter-state 375 South exit to St. Petersburg(LEFT LANE exit). Follow exit untilend, which merges into downtownSt. Petersburg and becomes FourthAve N. Stay on Fourth St. N. in theLEFT LANE until the end. Turn leftonto BEACH DRIVE. Take next RIGHTon FIFTH AVENUE

Sail Expo St. Pete, originally begunin 1992, has grown to be, not

only one of the most popular boatshows in the country, but also thelargest in-water sailboat show in theSoutheast. Hundreds of sailboats willbe on display in the water. Its loca-tion in Vinoy Park, located on beau-tiful Tampa Bay in downtown St. Pe-tersburg, is spectacular.

Besides a large array of exhibi-tors displaying almost every piece ofboat hardware and equipment imag-inable, there will also be in-water op-portunities, through the DiscoverSailing program, for visitors to easilyexperience their first sail.

A series of seminars and specialevents are scheduled on many var-ied subjects including chartering inthe Bahamas, cruising the Caribbean,navigation, maintenance, catamarancruising, to name just several of thedozens offered.

For more boat show informationand updated schedules, log on towww.sailamerica.com

http://www.sailamerica.com



http://www.bluewaterss.com


http://www.nuclearsailmakers.com



BAHAMAS

S ailors visiting the Bahamas are very likely to passthrough Nassau on the way south. The majority of cruis-ers heading to the Exumas for the winter season stop

there, and for those heading to Eleuthera, Cat Island or LongIsland, a stop in Nassau makes sense. It is also a good desti-nation for a vacation cruise from Florida. There are plenty ofopportunities in the Bahamas to find lonely beaches and won-derful snorkeling, so enjoy the contrast. Nassau is cosmopoli-tan, exciting, bustling, exotic, colorful, and fun. It is a goodplace to make new cruising friends. The cruising guides men-tion that Nassau is a place you will either love or hate. Hope-fully, our story will help you to become a Nassau lover.

GETTING TO NASSAUNassau is actually a city on the island of New Providence.The harbor is between the north shore of New Providenceand the south shore of Paradise Island. There is an entrance ateach end of the harbor, but large ships are limited to the westentrance. After crossing the Gulf Stream and the BahamaBanks, you can continue straight to Nassau or stop at ChubbCay, Frazer’s Hog Cay or Morgan’s Bluff, leaving yourself anice daysail to Nassau. Likewise, if you enter the Bahamasfarther north, you can stop in the Berry Islands and again makeNassau in a day. Plan to arrive in daylight.

Note that the sail to Nassau can be a rough one if thewind pipes up, especially if you leave the Banks when thecurrent is opposing a stiff breeze. Entering the harbor isstraightforward as long as you have the invaluable ExplorerChart of the Near Bahamas. Head to the west entrance ofNassau harbor and use the channel markers following the redright returning rule. The entrance is busy with ship traffic,and the markers are well-maintained. As you enter the har-bor, you will turn to port and notice the cruise ship dock tostarboard of the channel.

Nassau bySailboatBy Colin Ward

http://www.scully-fin.com

http://www.islandmarineproducts.com


LEGALITIESBefore you arrive, callNassau Harbor Control onchannel 16. Wait until youare within a mile or so ofNassau, or you will not heartheir reply. Harbor Controlwill ask you to switch tochannel nine. Request per-mission to enter the harborthrough the west entrance.Harbor Control will ask foryour boat name and docu-mentation number andwhere you plan to dock oranchor. They will normallyrespond by giving permis-sion and possibly warning you of ship traffic.

If you have not cleared into the Bahamas yet, you must tieup to a dock. This can be done at any marina or at the customsdock, which is near the control tower just beyond the cruiseship dock. Clearing in is easy in Nassau, and you can get up to6 months clearance for the crew, which is not always the case atother ports of entry. You can wait until Nassau to clear in bystaying on your boat and flying your Q (quarantine) flag (evenif you anchor for the night). Let your marina dockmaster knowyou need to clear in, and he will call for customs and immigra-tion to visit your boat. Sometimes, the officers will come aboard;other times you will meet with them somewhere in the marina.They will appreciate a cold beverage if they visit your boat. Staynear your boat until you have cleared in. We recently heard thatthe Bahamas will soon be charging $300 for a cruising permitrather than the current $100.

NAVIGATION IN THE HARBOROnce you are in the harbor, you simply stay to port of the cruiseship docks and follow the channel toward the two high bridges.The water is deep as long as you stay in the center of the harbor.Bridge clearance exceeds 65 feet, but check your chart and the

tide boards if they are there.As you head to the bridges,you will see anchored boatson both sides. The BahamasAir Sea Rescue Association(BASRA) anchorage is tostarboard as you head east.The entrance to the AtlantisMarina is to port just beforethe first bridge.

As you pass under thebridges, you will see freight-ers and mail boats to star-board tied up at Potter’s Cay.If you plan to enter the YachtHaven or Harbor Club ma-rinas, they will be to the

south beyond Potter’s Cay. Note the shoal on the chart and turnsouth of the shoal before the charted light to follow the southchannel to the marinas. If you are not heading to those marinas,favor the north side of the harbor to stay in deeper water. Theentrance to the Hurricane Hole Marina is just to the east of thebridges on the north side of the harbor.

Be advised that Nassau Harbor is full of tour boats, cruiseships, freighters, pilot boats, fishing boats, seaplanes, megayachtsand engineless Haitian sailing workboats, and there are No Rules,Mate. You will be awakened up all day long as the Booze ‘NCruise tours pass by. This is not the ICW, and you will not get aslow pass. Everyone is having a good time though, and the wakesgo away by nightfall.

MARINAS AND ANCHORINGEntering a marina is not a bad idea for the first visit. Wait untilyou are less than 5 miles away before you call for a reservationon channel 16. The marinas will not answer you when you are 12miles out. Dockage is usually available unless bad weather hasprevented boats from departing. We stop at the Nassau YachtHaven while others prefer the Nassau Harbor Club. Both were$1.30 per foot per night in 2003 with a daily charge for water of

Nassau Bridges, Anchorage and Potter’s Cay

http://www.pasadenamarina.com


BAHAMAS

about $8, plus metered electric-ity. There are a couple of othermarinas on the Nassau (south)side of the harbor, but they areless suitable for transient sail-boats. On the Paradise Island(north) side of the harbor, theupscale Hurricane Hole Marinacharges $2.50 per foot per night,and the Atlantis Marina is morethan $3.00 but offers access to thespectacular Atlantis resort. Thelatter is powerboat-oriented, andyou will be sharing the docks with megayachts. Beware of strongcurrent when you dock your boat. When the tide is ebbing, thecurrent is flowing to the west and vice versa.

Anchoring in Nassau is possible in several spots. The mostpopular anchorage is in front of the BASRA headquarters andCrocodiles restaurant. The current reverses directions twice aday, and two anchors are advised. The holding is not the bestdue to the grassy bottom, but in moderate conditions, it is cer-tainly possible to stay put. Our Delta and Claw anchors set andhold well, but I would not use a Danforth-type due to the grassand the reversing current. Depths vary from very shallow tomore than 15 feet so choose your spot carefully. Another spot toanchor is on the north side of the harbor by Club Med acrossfrom the BASRA anchorage. The holding is again not the best sobe sure your anchor is properly set before leaving the boat. Youmay also see boats anchored in front of the Nassau Harbor Clubon both the north and south side of the harbor. Again, in moder-ate conditions, the holding is adequate given proper care whileanchoring. If you are expecting a cold front packing a 40-knotsquall line, assume that someone will drag anchor.

Dinghy landing is welcomed at Crocodiles restaurant.Crocodiles is the sailors’ friend and provides a dinghy dock atno charge as well as good food and an Internet station. Duringthe winter season, a fun yachtsman’s lunch is hosted by Nickand Carolyn Wardle every Thursday at Crocodiles. Nick andCarolyn work with BASRA and provide daily weather reportsand other services for cruisers. Dinghy landing is also possibleat the Texaco station just west of the Nassau Harbor Club aswell as at some marinas.

WHAT TO DO IN NASSAUNow that you have arrived in Nassau, what is there to do? Quitea lot, actually. We usually walk west along East Bay Street fromCrocodiles or the Yacht Haven downtown. We check out thelandmarks (Parliament Building and Court House, GovernmentHouse and Christ Church Cathedral), stores, the straw marketand the Internet cafes. It is very tourist-oriented since it is lo-cated next to the cruise ship docks but is fun nevertheless. Thereare restaurants of all types and prices. We prefer inexpensivebut once went to La Matisse, a fantastic European restaurant. Ifyou do not feel like walking, you can take one of the ubiquitousjitney buses for $1.25 per ride. The driver will tell you whetherhe is going to your destination or not.

At the southern foot of the east high bridge are many stallsselling fish, conch and other seafood. The stalls draw some in-teresting characters, few of whom are tourists. Pick one that ispreparing conch salad from fresh ingredients and try a bowlwith a local beer called a Kalik. I recommend going easy on thehot pepper!

Good restaurants near the footof the bridge include the DoubleDragon for inexpensive Chineseand the Poop Deck at the YachtHaven for Bahamian-style sea-food and a popular happy hour.

You can walk over the highbridges to Paradise Island andwalk around the Atlantis resort.The aquarium is well worth see-ing. Some of it can be seen for free,but there is a charge to see themost exotic section. Restaurants at

the Atlantis are not for most cruising budgets unless you aresuccessful at the slot machines.

Across the street from the Nassau Harbor Club is a stripmall featuring a very good grocery store, as well as hardware,liquor and drugstores. There is a Radio Shack and a Mailboxes,Etc. where you can ship or receive packages. Between the Har-bor Club and the Yacht Haven are several marine chandleries, aboatyard and a dive shop. There are several fuel docks, one ofwhich is at the Yacht Haven. If you need a physician, try Dr.Bartlett just west of the Yacht Haven or head downtown to theU.S.-style Walk-In Clinic.

For the adventurous, you can head out into the country tothe Bacardi Rum Factory for a tour (call for schedule). A jitneybus will get you within a mile or two, or you can get a grouptogether and hire a cab (preferred). Liquor in the Bahamas isreasonably priced, especially at the factory. Beer on the otherhand is best purchased in the United States.

SECURITYUnlike the rest of the Bahamas, security is an important issue inNassau. Walking off the beaten path is not recommended forvisitors. Most troubles occur between Bahamians, but thefts ofdinghies and outboards occasionally occur, as do boat break-ins. Being street smart and taking precautions such as raisingyour dinghy at night, locking it whenever you leave it anywhere,and locking your boat should be adequate to discourage thieves.

As in most large cities, the vast majority of people are hon-est and friendly, but a few create problems for all. We feel se-cure near the marinas, in downtown Nassau, and on Para-dise Island. We do not venture inland very far on New Provi-dence, however.

DEPARTING NASSAUWhen you are ready to leave Nassau, contact Harbor Control toobtain permission to depart. If your next stop is in the Exumas,head east from the bridges, favoring the north shore and expect8-foot depths when you pass the cut between Athol and Para-dise Islands. Otherwise, you should see 10- to12-foot-depthsuntil you reach Porgy Rock. If you depart from the Yacht Ha-ven, remember to pass between Potter’s Cay and the shoal be-fore turning east. We have found the Explorer Charts to be es-sential and accurate. Other chart kits leave a lot to be desired.

Nassau is an interesting and fun destination in the Baha-mas. It is far different from the sparsely inhabited Exumas andOut Islands. We enjoy the culture, the availability of suppliesand the change of pace. We hope you do, too.Any comments or thoughts about this article, or the subject matter?Southwinds would like to hear from you. E-mail letters to the edi-tor: [email protected]

Schooner anchored in front of Atlantis Resort



SUBSCRIBE TO Southwinds$12/YEAR $20/2 YEARS SEE PAGE 4


http://www.quantumpureaire.com


http://www.rbgrove.com


http://www.intheshd.com


Colgate 26By Dave Ellis

39

BOAT REVIEW

The Colgate 26 is the result of 35years of planning and experiencegained by instructors and adult stu-

dents at Offshore Sailing School. FounderSteve Colgate knows his way aroundsailing craft, having sailed in the Olym-pics, the America’s Cup and numerousbig-boat events worldwide. He is re-garded as a practical, no-nonsense fellowwith the skill and experience to back uphis opinions.

What resulted was an adult learn-to-sail boat that appeals to a wide rangeof sailing interests. It took five years toget to the first 100 boats produced andonly half of that time to get to the sec-ond hundred. Around twenty boats areused by Offshore Sailing School opera-tions, so there are a lot of C-26 sailorscruising and racing.

What is it like to sail? Three sailorsused the St. Petersburg-based Offshoreboat #80 on a light-air day in mid-Sep-tember.

“Whoa, it turns quick.” was the first response while we wereleaving the Harborage Marina floating dock. The inboard rud-der is balanced and a little larger than most boats of this size.When a student oversteers this boat, it shows. The rudderstockis very much overbuilt to take the rigors of six days a week sail-ing at Offshore.

A neat feature is the ability to turn the tiller 360 degrees. Notonly does this clear weeds from the rudder, but also the ruddercan be turned around and the boat sculled backwards!

It was demonstrated that if the tiller is suddenly and force-fully pushed perpendicular to the hull, the boat will stop in itstracks and slowly turn around, completely stalled. No runninginto manatees with this boat.

With the little 3-HP Nissan outboard on the stern mount,the boat made six knots on the GPS. With large waves and heavywinds, crew must stay aft to keep the prop in the water, but in-structors have successfully stemmed these conditions with thatlittle kicker.

Our sail was in smooth seas and less than five knots of breeze.We averaged 4.2 knots upwind and about the same under spin-naker. Hull speed of just under seven knots comes quickly andeasily, and the boat surfs readily on decent waves. I have taughta class in a steady 30 knots, using a double-reefed main and thejib furled. The PHRF handicap in Florida is 162 for the standardjib, making it faster than the J-24’s 174.

Don’t mistake the Colgate 26 with an ultralight sport boat.At 2600 pounds it is 200 pounds more than designer Jim Taylorsuggested. Colgate opted for more strength in the hull, account-ing for the extra weight. It has paid off. The sailing school putsthese boats through most boats’ lifetime of use every year. The

LOA 25’8"LWL 20’0"Beam 8’6"Sail Area 283 sq. ft.Draft standard keel 4’6"Draft shoal keel 3’6"Displacement Standard keel 2600 lbs.Displacement shoal keel 2800 lbs.Ballast standard keel 1050 lbs.Ballast shoal keel 1240 lbs.

boats do not break.Who would be interested in looking at a Colgate 26? Sev-

eral Sonar owners who want to have a little more substantialboat that they could weekend in with their family have tradedup to the C-26. The cockpit will easily hold six people. Thosewho want to comfortably sail together appreciate the inside seat-ing and roominess. Below, four could sleep. But we all knowthat in a boat of this size we sail it, not sleep on it.

The stern is open. For ease of getting a swimmer backaboard, this is a big help. But many are uncomfortable with aboat that looks as if you could be swept right out the back. Sothe C-26 has a bulkhead at the rudderpost that allows for theopen transom configuration while still having the enclosed cock-pit. Scuppers let water out of the cockpit, but when backing intowaves, your feet won’t get wet forward of that bulkhead.

The mast is deck-stepped. Two people can rig the boat with-out hiring special equipment.

The shoal draft version at 3-1/2 feet can be ramp-launched.This version has an additional 200 pounds in the keel to keepthe stability the same. It is not quite as quick as the standardversion, but you get to run aground in skinnier water. Inciden-tally, Colgate made sure the design did not have a wing or largebulb on the keel. Have you ever tried to get off grounding withthose boats? No “kedge anchor effect” with this boat.

The jib is barely overlapping-a 100 percent jib. The main isample and relatively high aspect ratio. A goal for students whentacking the boat, even in significant wind, is to never have touse the winch handle for the jib. With proper timing, the jib is easyto handle. But if they miss, the twin self-tailing winches do the job.

The class has a Web site at colgate26.com andcolgate26class.com with lots of good information on the boat.

http://www.colgate26.com

http://www.colgate26class.com


BOAT BUILDING

When Hunter Marine, the sail-boat builder in Alachua, FL,opened its plant 30 years ago,

the owner, president and CEO, WarrenLuhrs, set out to make a sailboat thatwould sell to what haughty peoplemight call “the masses.” The boats werenot particularly elegant, but they wereaffordable, and they put people whowanted to sail on the water in a boatthat would bring them joy without cast-ing a dark shadow over their financialaspirations for years to come.

Since that time, Hunter has uppedits corporate image and its market sharean astronomical amount. If, in the be-ginning, it was the 90-pound weaklingof the sailboat industry, it is now TheHulk. But far more attractive.

It is hard to say exactly what pro-vided the catalyst for Hunter ’s emer-gence from a builder of solid but pe-destrian boats into an innovativecompany, whose technology could ar-guably be called the sharpest edge insailboat design and construction to-day. Part of it may have come fromthe meshing of intellect and abundantcuriosity between Warren Luhrs andLars Bergstrom. Luhrs had the intel-lect to understand some of Berg-strom’s ideas, which were light yearsahead of their time.

Synergy in the Form ofInnovation at Hunter:The Sum is Bigger than the PartsBy Morgan Stinemetz

Bergstrom, who was originallyfrom Sweden but lived in Sarasota,died in a powered glider plane wreckin Wauchula a number of years back,but he contributed a number of novelinventions to sailing because he wasnever constrained by conventional

wisdom.Luhrs and Bergstrom clicked when

Luhrs was outfitting several BOCAround Alone world-girdling sail-boats. In successive order, they wereTuesday’s Child, Thursday’s Child andHunter’s Child. The latter boat, sailed by

The interior being dropped into the hull.

http://www.smoothsailingschool.com


Steve Pettingill, placed second in the 1991-1992 edition of the race.As Bergstrom and Luhrs solved engineering conundrums,

which evolved in preparing a one-off sailboat to be sailed soloaround the world, many of those ideas found their way into theHunter production lines of boats in Alachua. More recently,Hunter has brought boat designer Glenn Henderson on board.Henderson’s previous quest for speed resulted in the SR Maxline of competition boats and the Henderson 30 sport boats, sail-powered rocket ships. The most obvious results of Henderson’stenure at Hunter are more efficient hull and keel designs.

On its larger boats, Hunter has moved to a modular assem-bly system, now in its third permutation, that allows the com-pany to more efficiently put its boats together for less cost. Thesavings in labor result in upgraded extras with no increase inprice. Harken blocks and traveler systems, Lewmar winches andhatches, and Corian counters are three that come to mind. Inaddition, the interior woodwork comes out of the factory witha finer finish of sprayed-on varnish, and the rub rails have astainless steel insert where the boat meets the pilings.

Eric Macklin of Hunter, who was my guide for a factory

Hunter’s stainless steel rub rail

Vanity for forward stateroom

http://www.whitneysmarine.com


BOAT BUILDING


$12/YEAR $20/2 YEARS

SEE PAGE 4

Now subscribe online at

www.southwindssailing.comat a secure site using your credit card.

tour, put it this way: “All this allows usto save money and build a better boat.These are not the same boats that wewere building three to five years back.We are offering a better value.”

There are 75-100 boats under con-struction in Alachua at any given time.

The interior of a Hunter boat is builton a separate assembly line, in a specialjig. All the components-wiring, appli-ances, cabinets, and joinery work-are as-sembled on that line. The jig has holescut into it so that workers can easily ac-cess what they need to be working on.Later, when the interior is complete, itis hoisted in total and lowered into amatching hull, which has been making itsway along another production line. Anadhesive called Plexus aids the mating ofthe interior assembly pan and the exte-rior of the boat. Plexus is strong, will notabsorb moisture and stays slightly flex-ible when cured. Before the mating of theinterior, it is applied to the inside of thehull floor with a $35,000 pressurized gunthat looks like a weapon from Star Wars.

The masts on all the Hunter sail-boats are B&R rigs. Lars Bergstrom andhis partner, Sven Ridder, invented theB&R rig in the 1970s. Hunter is the firstproduction sailboat company to use therig exclusively. The B&R rig is most eas-ily identified by its swept-back spread-ers and lack of a backstay. With nobackstay, the main can be larger and thejib can be made smaller. There are ad-vantages to this fractional rig system, themost obvious of which is that it takes lesseffort to trim a smaller jib.

“It sets us apart from the competi-tion,” Macklin emphasized. He also saidthat a sailboat’s least efficient point of sailis directly downwind, and the B&R rigwill allow an owner to use an asymmetri-cal spinnaker to better advantage when

sailing off the wind. “You’ll sail a higherangle and cover more distance, but you’lldo it at a greater rate of speed,” he added.

The rudder shaft in the Hunters pro-duced in Alachua is made out of com-posite material. Stainless steel ruddershafts, Hunter discovered, are heavierand, if bent, make the rudder inoperable.The lighter composite will flex slightlyand return to its original shape, shouldthe boat’s rudder hit something.

Steering is done by a rack and pin-ion system that is directly attached to therudder shaft, thereby eliminating cablesthat can go snap in the night.

Hunter includes a Kevlar laminatereinforced hull on many of its largerboats. A flat panel TV screen and Boseaudio systems can be factory-installed.Instrumentation for speed, depth andwind speed can also be wired in at thefactory. And in a move that is so simpleit makes you wonder why it hasn’t beendone before, all of the thru-hulls are clus-tered in a single area, making findingand shutting off the valves a lot less likea treasure hunt and much faster.

As a result of the myriad tooling anddesign improvements throughout itsplant, Hunter sailboats end up beingwell-engineered, handier to sail and lessexpensive to maintain. Flexibility on theproduction line has resulted in Hunter’sbeing able to offer virtually a customboat, with more options that you’d beable to recall, right out of the box.

Customer service manager EddieBreeden put it this way, “Regardless ofwhat people say, people are brand-ori-ented. If you take care of them, they’lltake care of you.”Any comments or thoughts about this article,or the subject matter? Southwinds wouldlike to hear from you. E-mail letters to theeditor: [email protected]

Thru-bolting deck to hull. Note 5200 seal.

Unique stanchion base, which allows for easystanchion replacement.

Composite rudder shaft before being glassed inmold.

http://ww.sailorsoap.com

http://www.crownest-venice.com


http://www.corsairtri.com

http://www.sabresails.com


44

BOAT REVIEW

B road-reaching at 12 knots under a reefed main andstaysail in a fresh breeze, Piero Rivolta is smiling. He’sat the helm of his 90-foot sloop that perfectly fulfilled

his brief for a family cruising boat. “I wanted the boat to besimple, easy to sail and fast,” Rivolta says.

An automobile designer and Sarasota real estate devel-oper, with design and engineering centers in Milan, Italy, andSarasota, FL, Rivolta wanted to take his family cruising onsomething bigger than Rachele, his custom 61-footer that hesailed from Italy in 1989.

He chose Hakan Södergren, a Swedish designer whoseportfolio includes successful half-ton, 3/4-ton and one-tonracers and an America’s Cup campaign, to provide the navalarchitecture; the design would be Rivolta’s.

A launch date was scheduled for 1999, and constructionbegan at Rivolta Marine’s yard in Port Manatee, FL. How-ever, a few outside projects and a decision to build and mar-ket a Södergren-designed 38- foot Jet Coupe, delayed comple-tion of the 90-footer until 2002.

There are no teak-covered decks; stainless steel handrailsand fittings contrast with the white gel coat and provide aneasily maintained topside. Even the traffic pattern is simple,with a direct path from the dual-station steering cockpit pastthe centerline drop-leaf table in the lounging cockpit into theraised salon.

Rivolta’s desire for simplicity continues below. Sliding-top tables port and starboard serve also as the dinette. Hav-ing made a few stormy passages, Rivolta put the wet lockersimmediately inside the companionway. The large aft state-rooms enter from here. The port cabin features two singleberths, and the other has a double; both feature large in-suiteheads with showers. A cherry sole is surrounded with birchtrim and painted surfaces throughout. There is enough woodto warm the spaces yet not intrude on the simplicity.

Three steps down to port is the fully equipped galley withthe owner’s L-shaped lounge just forward. A beach-scene muraldisguises the keel-trunk. The stateroom entrance is through asliding door forward of the trunk. Just inside is an oval dress-ing table with a book-matched burled top and a mirror flankedby concave cabinet doors. The doors in the owner’s areas arefaced with woven, wide leather strips and stained cherry trim.A large mural of tropical flowers graces the trunk and contin-ues around to the aft bulkhead to surround the queen-size berth.

Crew quarters sleep two in twin bunks forward with acrew lounge to port and a head and shower.

Rivolta wanted the boat to be easily sailed by two people,so all sail-handling gear is hydraulically operated. The asym-metrical spinnaker tacks on the small bowsprit that also holdsthe anchor roller. The main traveler is on an arch that spans thecabin top. The mast is a carbon-fiber B&R-engineered rig with

A Long StoryAlthough a long time coming, Piero Rivolta’s90-foot speedster was worth the wait.By Bill Ando

http://snugharborboats.com


http://www.jroverseas.com


swept-back spreaders,eliminating the needfor running backs. Allsheets lead to the cock-pit and are convenientto both steering sta-tions.

Although outfit-ted with electronicnavigation, the needfor paper charts wasnot overlooked.

Charts store flat indrawers that slide outfrom a raised sole un-der the tables. Two recessed Plexiglas panels keep the work-

ing charts in place andhandy to the inside helm.

Transferable water bal-last tanks located amid-ships port and starboardprovide trim weight from8,000 pounds of water. “Atsea it makes for a niceride,” Rivolta says.

Dual rudders drawtwo inches less than the re-tracted keel and extendfrom the hull at the turn ofthe bilge. When the boatheels, the leeward rudder,

forced deeper into clean water, delivers a noticeably balancedhelm and an easily steered boat in virtually all conditions.

The retracting stainless steel strut and lead bulb accountfor 30,870 pounds of the light weight displacement of 103,617pounds. A composite of PVC core, E-glass, carbon fiber andKevlar keeps the weight down. With the keel up the boat draws5.85 feet; fully extended it draws 12.9 feet.

Two Yanmar 315-hp diesels power the yacht to a top speedof 12.8 knots. On one engine it cruises at eight knots and has arange of 1,300 miles.

As much as Rivolta likes his new boat, his cruising planshave changed. He’s planning to build a catamaran, thoughabout half the size of his monohull. Only the design willchange. The criteria — simple, easy to sail and fast — re-main the same.

Any comments or thoughts about this article, or the subject matter?Southwinds would like to hear from you. E-mail letters to theeditor: [email protected]

http://www.sailorsoap.com


A Mackerel witha Silver Spoon!by Celeste Dorage

46

COOKING ON BOARD

You and your three buddies arecruising down the westcoast of Florida. You’re on your

way to Key West. You’ve been sail-ing a good part of the day and de-cide to toss out the old trolling rig.It’s set up with a medium, shiny sil-ver spoon and a good length of wireleader. You’ve heard that the mack-

erel are running, and before long you’ve got somebodychomping and thrashing at the end of your line.

Isn’t sailing grand?After a satisfying struggle to land the sucker, you find your-

self and this 22-inch mackerel dancing in the cockpit. One ofyour buddies manages to get the fish face down in a pail andyou…RUN FOR THE BOTTLE OF RUM!!!!…Not the good stuff— that’s for later. Grab the cheap stuff. It’s not for you — it’s forthe fish. Chug a shot right down one of its gills! After a reallyshort drunk and an even shorter hangover, that fish is dead andthe four of you are looking at dinner.

Grab a cutting board and a sharp knife. Head back out tothe cockpit (cleaning up the cockpit is a whole lot easier thancleaning the galley) and set to work filleting this little baby.

I’m sure you all have some degree of knowledge on how tofillet a fish. But, I know for myself, having worked in the foodservice industry for the better part of 29 years, that I’ve beentold at least 29 times or so how I am doing it wrong!

The moral of this short story is: There’s more than one wayto skin a fish, or, everybody has their own way of doing things.But, as a credit to my good friend Espin “Bubba” Bullock Jr.,long time sailor/cracker boy (I use both those terms affectionately),I must say, his version has proved to be the most expedient andefficient way to fillet a fish while under way. Let me explain.

The concept here is to get the project done with as littlemess as possible and as quickly as possible so you can get backto the joys of sailing…or drinking…or more fishing…or whatever!

So here it is: Make two cuts on either side of the fish justbehind the fins that are just behind the gills. Cut on a bias backtoward the head until you’ve reached the bone, but do not cut

through it, and be very careful not to cut into the intestinal sack(or abdomen), as cutting into that sack will cause all the bloodymess that you are trying to avoid and it will release the oil thatgives mackerel the bad reputation of being a smelly, oily fish.

Now make two more cuts, just through the skin. Starting atthe head, as if you’re cutting a bagel on its side, all the waydown to the tail. Next, with the fish laying on its side, start work-ing your sharp knife tip gently along the bones, lifting the fleshwith the fingers of your other hand. Work in short swipes backtoward yourself from one end of the fish to the other until youreach the vertebrae. At this point you can almost pull the fleshfrom the rest of the bone, but keep swiping until you reach thefatty part of the belly. Cut your fillet away from the carcass atthat point. Don’t cut that sack! You are very close here. Doing itthis way will leave the head and tail completely intact with thecarcass, and you simply throw it away or save it for stock.

Now that you’ve pulled both fillets, it’s time to skin thefish. You don’t have to skin a fish. For grilling, you might wantto leave it on, but for this little ditty coming up, skin it!

Lay the fillet skin side down on the board. Use a sharp chef’sknife for this part (I always keep one on board, wouldn’t thinkof leaving home without it). From the tail end, with your knifeparallel to the board, make a cut between the flesh and skin asbest you can, about one inch long. Now, lift the flesh and makea cut through the skin long enough to slip your index fingerthrough. Now you have something to hold onto. With your fin-ger in the hole, and your knife almost parallel to the board (sharpedge away from you), again, start working the blade in a gentlesawing motion between the skin and flesh. Don’t force the bladeforward. Feel the edge of the blade along the skin. You’ll findthe correct angle. If you’re too perpendicular, you’ll cut throughthe skin; too parallel and you will gouge the flesh.

There you have it, two nice boneless, skinless fillets. Onelast thing: You will notice a dark line of flesh down near the tailon both fillets. To be safe, cut these out. They can also hold someoil that could tarnish the flavor of the fish.

Rinse the fillets in saltwater first and then quickly in drink-ing water (saves on freshwater use). Put them in a Ziploc bag(another thing I like to keep on board), press all the air out and

Aldebaran, the 36 foot Is-lander owned by CelesteDorage and Diane parker.Bill Hoffman photo.


http://www.glacierbay.com


http://www.rparts.com


GOT A RECIPE? SEND IT IN ALONG WITH A PHOTO OF YOU & YOUR BOAT: [email protected]

chuck ‘em in the reefer.Okay. It’s time to cook!Did I mention, you’ve all started drinking the “good” rum

by now?Get the salsa fresca (in English, that’s fresh sauce) out of

the refrigerator. It’s also in a Ziploc. You made a batch up aspart of your provisioning list the night before you left the dock.

SALSA FRESCA3 medium ripe tomatoes (diced small)1 medium, sweet onion (diced small)2 tablespoons fresh garlic paste (rounded tsp. of salt included)*1/2 cup finely chopped parsley1/2 cup basil3/4 tsp. black pepper3/4 shot glass of olive oil (Eyeball this and keep the shot glassclean for the rum.)The juice (4ounces) of one ripe Florida citrus fruit. You choose.They all work well. Lemon, lime, orange, even grapefruit-par-ticularly ruby red. Have some fun changing the flavor of yoursalsa right here. You might even try a combination of two or more.Toss all the ingredients together in a clean bowl. Transfer to anair-tight Ziploc and you have a neatly packed, well-preservedsauce/condiment on hand. Kept cold, it will last 10 days easily.* To make the garlic paste, pull off three nice big cloves from a bulb.With the palm of your hand, press and crack the skin. It should peel offeasily if you are assertive enough. Then with the garlic peeled, hold thechef’s knife with the flat of the blade over one clove and smack it withyour fist (not so hard that it splatters all over, but hard enough that it

crushes it flat). Do this to all three cloves. Pull the garlic meat togetheron the board and cover with the salt. With the sharp edge away fromyou, use the flat of your blade again. Start scraping (toward you) thesalt into the meat of the garlic. Alternate chopping, scraping and pull-ing together until you have a smooth paste. When you get the hang ofthis, it goes really fast.

NOW FOR THE ENTREE!Get a saute pan (big enough to hold the fillets — cut them inhalf if you need to) ripping hot on your stove top. Add threecups of salsa fresca to the pan. It should dance and bubble andspit and make all kinds of noise. In other words, sear the sauce.Let it bubble until it starts to get out of control. This is your cueto add the fish. Lay them on top of the sauce.

If you have these on hand, toss in a handful each of choppedItalian or Greek olives and marinated artichoke hearts. I like tokeep marinated veggies on hand. It’s the easiest way to haveaccess to vegetables while cruising. A lot of companies are pack-aging them in plastic now, and that makes it easy to store onboard, or you can make your own ahead of time, like the salsa.I’ll write more about that in a future article.

Add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine (serve the rest with din-ner), give the pan a shake or two, cover it tightly, and turn theheat down to simmer for five minutes.

Meantime, you have a quart of water boiling with a tea-spoon of olive oil and a shake of salt in a pot on the other burner.We’ve got a two-burner alcohol stove on our boat and nothingelse. It hasn’t stopped us from having a good meal yet.You’ve also added three handfuls or so of dry orzo (tiny rice-shaped pasta) to that water, and you’ve been stirring it occa-sionally until it is al dente.

While the fish is simmering, you can drain the pasta (re-serve the liquid if you want to make that fish stock). Keep the orzoin the pot and add a 1/4 stick of soft butter. Coat it nice and even.

By now, you’ve talked one of the crew into making the salad,and it’s on the table, which is set. It’s time to plate up. Use adinner plate with a bit of a lip or a shallow soup bowl. Spoonthe orzo into the center of the plate. Then place a nice hunk offish on top. At last, spoon the sauce over the top of everythingand serve!

Catching, cooking and sharing a good meal with goodfriends and great laughs while sailing on the west coast ofFlorida. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Celeste Dorage and partner Diane Parker keep their Islander36-foot sailing sloop on the Intracoastal Waterway in Cortez,FL. They are presently offering sailing charter/cooking excur-sions on and around the Gulf Coast of Florida. For more infor-mation on cooking/sailing packages call: (941) 795-2338 or e-mail at [email protected]

Celeste and Diane are also the owners of Anchovies inBoston, MA. They have owned and operated this bustling hotlittle neighborhood spot for over 13 years. Between them theycan boast over 50 years’ experience in the food and beverageindustry. Their resume includes awards and critical acclaimfrom well known publications — Bon Appetite, Gourmet, TheBoston Globe, Boston, Rolling Stone and a spotlight on the t vFood Network. Anchovies is located at: 433 Columbus Ave.Boston, MA. (617) 266-5088.

Any comments or thoughts about this article, or the subject matter?Southwinds would like to hear from you. E-mail letters to the edi-tor: [email protected]

http://www.svhotwire.com



SALVAGE

Agentleman recently called me and explained that whilehe was off getting some ice for his boat, a local salvorsalvaged his boat. He was on a sailing vacation in the

Florida Keys. He anchored outside a local marina and took hisdinghy to the marina to purchase ice. A short time later he re-turned to find some guy towing his boat. On stopping the towerhe was informed that his boat was in “peril” as it was drag-ging anchor and that the salvor was only helping out by pull-ing the vessel to safety. The “Good Samaritan” had the nameof one of the well-known towing companies painted on theside of his boat.

On returning to his homeport, the sailor was appalled tofind a bill for $5,000 waiting for him from the salvor. The sailorwas even more upset when I suggested that he turn the matterover to his insurance company for payment. The long and shortof it is that his boat was valued in the range of $80,000, and thesalvage laws would allow a claim up to one-third the value ofa salvaged vessel.

The key here is the word “peril.” The sailor said it waspossible that his boat was dragging anchor and may have beenheading for the shoal area. That coupled with the fact that therewas no one on board the vessel gave rise to the opportunity forthe salvager to jump in and “help” and make a claim for a sal-vage fee. They will and do.

To understand this totally unfair situation, we must lookto maritime law of the past. In the days of old sailing cargoships, the salvage lien was established to encourage other pass-ing ships to help a vessel in “peril” (damage). The vessel thatrendered help (salvor) would be entitled to a maritime lien up

to one-third the value of the salvaged vessel and her cargo.This principle is still good law today. There are salvage com-panies with large ocean-going tugs stationed around theworld in heavily traveled sea lanes, waiting for the opportu-nity to “help” a ship that develops a problem.

The other side of the same coin is “towing,” which is aservice contract as opposed to salvage, that is a voluntary help-ing of a vessel which is in peril. The recreational sailor of to-day needs to understand the difference between the two. Eventhough you may have a contract for towing services with oneof the well-known and reputable towing services, you canstill get taken and have a salvage lien placed on your vessel.It is a close line between towing a boat and salvaging a vesselthat is in peril. In the recreational towing business there are anumber of independents or franchisees, who work under thename of one of the national companies. They are often march-ing to a different drummer than their parent company. Whatcan start out a tow can end up a salvage if the situation changesso that the vessel is in “peril.” Say the vessel “looks” like it isgoing to sink; now the tow has changed into salvage, or sothey argue. It can become a salvage if the salvor believes thevessel is in peril when he gets to you, or after he gets underway with the tow. You are maybe only out of gas and stuckon a sand bar, but if you are in danger of losing your vessel tothe sea, the situation may change from tow to salvage.

I once had a case where a diving charter company’s boatcoming back from the Dry Tortugas lost a raw water hoseand was taking on water some sixty miles off the coast ofFlorida. The owner of the vessel was called two or three timesby the local towing companies, who were fighting for theanticipated towing contract. They assumed he had insuranceand that they would be paid by the insurance and that it wouldbe a handsome fee for the job. A passing shrimp boat pickedup the crew, passengers and the vessel. The owner of the ves-sel took another boat and arrived on-site off-shore in a fewhours, only to find a towing company had already arrived.They begged him to let them have the towing job and said,“After all, it is your insurance company that will be payingus.” Reluctantly he agreed to let them tow the vessel. Thetowing company asked to take the vessel to Key West. Theowner declined and directed them to take the boat to hishomeport. After the owner left the site with the passengersand crew, the towing company took the vessel to Key West.Once there, a salvage lien was placed on the vessel, claimingthe tow became salvage because the vessel almost sank on

Towing + Salvage = PiratesOr, “I went to get ice andthey salvaged my boat”By Capt. J. Michael Shea, JD

http://www.snoopsails.com


the way into port. When a complaint was registered with thenational towing company whose name was painted on theside of the towing vessel, they refused to get involved, sayingthe drive boat was not one of their customers, and the towingcompany was free to operate as an independent contractor.The owner’s insurance company refused to pay the salvagebill, which was in the thousands. The salvor arrested the ves-sel for the salvage lien and storage. In the end the insurancecompany paid the owner the total loss amount under thepolicy, which was not enough to release the vessel, and eventhough the owner wanted the boat back, he lost his boat.

Still another case was the old gentleman who had a tow-boat operator knock on his back door and inform him that hisboat had come off one of the davits holding it up. They of-fered to help the old gentleman get the boat back on the davit.A few days later he got a bill for $ 4,000 for salvaging his boat.His insurance company reluctantly paid.

I should say something regarding whom you call whenyou are out there, out of gas, or with a dead battery. If youhave a contract for emergency coverage, call them and followthe advice at the end of this article. If you have no contract foremergency coverage, call the Coast Guard. If there is no onein danger and no one injured, they are required to make abroadcast for commercial assistance or to anyone who wantsto render assistance. You can get the commercial guys to giveyou a quote over the radio or by cell phone. Get two or threequotes before you engage someone. Some times there is aGood Samaritan in the area who will hear the broadcast andcome to your aid. There are also volunteer organizations in alot of areas. In my area there is an excellent one run by EckerdCollege, who will tow you back to a “safe haven” for a vol-untary donation. There is also the Coast Guard Auxiliary inmany areas, who may be able to tow you to a “safe haven.” Ifyou do not take commercial assistance and the passengersand property will eventually be in danger, the Coast Guardwill come to your aid. But this is only after you have rejectedcommercial assistance and there is a possible danger (night-fall is coming, changing weather, etc.). None of these groupsare required to tow you to your homeport, only the nearest“safe haven.”

So how do you protect yourself from the modern daytowboat/salvors?• Keep your vessel and equipment in good working

order.• Carry spare parts.• Know your boating area and the shallow areas.• Have a checklist for your boat and use it each time

you go out — check the fuel and batteries.• Have a towing/emergency contract for your vessel-

research what it covers and does not cover-find outwho the local towboat operator is for your towingcontract-and then check them out.

• If you use a towing company, get a clear understand-ing that it is a towing contract and not a salvageoperation. Remember they can still get you if a perildevelops after the towing starts.

• Try to raise one of the volunteer organizations thatmay be in your area.

• If all else fails, and if there is a danger developing,the Coast Guard will come out.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and notthose of the U.S. Coast Guard or any other entity.

If you have a boating legal (sailing) question, please dropme a note care of Southwinds or e-mail me at [email protected]

Capt. J. Michael Shea is a maritime attorney in Tampa andholds a master’s and harbor pilot’s license. He has co-authored law books in the maritime field, and teaches andwrites articles on maritime law. He has served as a marineinvestigator for the United States Coast Guard.

Southwinds will be publishing an article by Michael Sheain the November issue about the rights of boats that are an-choring. Any other topics that readers would like to see cov-ered please contact [email protected].

Any comments or thoughts about this article, or the subject mat-ter? Southwinds would like to hear from you. E-mail letters to theeditor: [email protected]


$12/YEAR $20/2 YEARS SEE PAGE 4

Morgan Stinemetz photo



E-MAIL

Imagine yourself under a palm tree enjoying a cool, refresh-ing beverage in some tropical anchorage during the heartof winter. Now imagine how pleased your friends and fam-

ily back home will be when they receive an hour-old pictureof you luxuriating in this tropical environment. Finally, imag-ine how convenient it is to be able to send these pictures fromthe comfort of your own boat while at anchor or under way,using an SSB-based e-mail system like Sailmail or Winlink2000(WL2K). All we have to do is snap a shot or two with oursnazzy new digital camera, download the pictures, attach themto an e-mail, push “send” and we’re done. Right? Well, notquite. Like everything else in life, things are a bit more com-plicated than they first appear. The complication is that photofiles generated by digital cameras are too large to be sent overSSB-based e-mail systems, and must first be “scrunched” be-fore sending.

THE PROBLEMA typical color photo taken at medium resolution with a digi-tal camera generates a 200K to 300K bytes (KB) .jpg file. Thenominal throughput speed of the Pactor technology used bySailmail and WL2K is about 0.5KB per minute for Pactor-I,2KB for Pactor-II, and 5-6KB for Pactor-III. While this is ad-equate for text-based e-mail, if you do the math, you’ll quicklysee that it takes a long time to send a 200-300KB photo.

E-mail systems transfer data in little chunks called pack-ets. Each packet that’s sent/received comprises the data wewant to transfer, plus additional controlling data like start bits,stop bits, error correction info, etc. This controlling data, called“overhead,” accompanies each data packet sent, adds to thetotal amount of information being transferred, and further in-creases the length of time needed to send your picture.

Weak signals, signal fading, and interference further de-grade system performance making it necessary to repeat pack-ets several times before they are successfully received. Thisslows throughput even further.* As a result of these factors,the folks at Winlink recommend that WL2K users limit fileattachments to no more than 10KB for Pactor-I users, 45KB forPactor-II users, and 80KB for Pactor-III users. Sailmail usersget one-third the daily connection time that WL2K users get(10 minutes versus 30 minutes), making the maximum practi-cal file attachment size for Sailmail users one-third or less theWL2K maximum.

THE SOLUTIONMost digital photographs are viewed on a computer monitor;they are not printed. A monitor has a display resolution ofonly 72 pixels per inch (ppi)1, while digital cameras take pic-tures at much higher resolutions. Since the computer monitorcan only display 72 ppi, any data in excess of 72 ppi is wasted.Therefore, the first step in scrunching photo files is to reducethe resolution to 72 to 96 ppi.

Digital photos when displayed as they come from the cam-

Scrunch-a-Bunch:E-mailing Pictures from Your BoatBy Gary Jensen

era appear large and fill the monitor screen. Most of us, how-ever, are accustomed to viewing photographs in a smaller 3-inch x 5-inch format. Since a large photo contains more datathan a small photo, the next step in scrunching photo files isto make the physical size of the displayed photo smaller.

The final step is to save the .jpg file in the smallest sizepossible while maintaining acceptable picture quality. This isfrequently referred to as Image File Optimization. Graphicediting programs like Adobe Photoshop LE, Microsoft PhotoEditor, and Ulead Photo Impact, ** have an adjustable file-saving utility that permits choosing between maximum filecompression at the expense of picture quality and the bestpicture quality with less file compression. Figure 1 shows theimage optimization screen integrated into Photo Impact. Theleft-hand photo is the original 283.4KB photo. The right-handphoto is a real-time display of the picture as file compressionis adjusted by the slider. In this example the file was compressedto 11.8KB while maintaining acceptable picture quality.

SENDING PRINT QUALITY PHOTOS:What if we’re writing an article for a publication likeSouthwinds and want to include printable quality pictures?How can we send these pictures? The short answer is to go toan Internet café. Here’s why:

Visualize the Sailmail/WL2K system as a half-inch wa-ter hose. Think of the water that flows through the hose asyour picture data, and think of an empty 11,000-gallon swim-ming pool as where the data needs to go for publication. Withour half-inch hose it’s going to take about a day and a half tofill the pool. If time isn’t a problem, we turn on the water, letit run, and we go away for a day. If, on the other hand, it’s hotout and we’re anxious to go swimming, we look for more orbigger hoses. Adding a second hose effectively doubles theflow rate, and the pool fills in half the time.

The same situation exists with sending a 300-KB pictureof printable quality. Regulations limit the bandwidth of thee-mail signal to 2.4 kHz. Think of this as defining the size of


http://www.sea-tech.com


the datahose. Our options then are tofigure out how to either shove datadown the datahose faster or how to stayconnected longer. The Sailmail/WL2Ksystems are shared systems with manyusers, so the length of time we can stayconnected to the system is necessarilylimited. Therefore, neither of these con-straints is likely to change. A lot of en-gineering by some pretty smart folkshas gone into figuring out how to stuffmore data down the datahose, and overa relatively few years they have givenus technology that is about 10 timesfaster than the original Pactor-I; fantas-tic for sending/receiving e-mail (the task for which the sys-tem was originally designed), but still not fast enough forlarge file transfers. Consequently, if we want to attach largefiles to an e-mail, we’ve still got to either connect to theInternet through a hardwired modem, or go to an Internetcafé.

SUMMARY:SSB-based e-mail systems are designed to give cruising sail-ors the ability to send/receive e-mail from their boats whenat sea and at anchor, and Sailmail/WL2K meet this designobjective admirably. These systems are, however, slow bytoday’s standards, and the relatively slow throughput placeslimitations on the size of file attachments that we can send.Armed with an understanding of some of the basic relation-ships between image resolutions, monitor display capabili-ties, camera resolutions, and file sizes, we can make intelli-gent decisions on how to best work within the system limita-tions. Since we users can’t increase Sailmail/WL2K systemthroughput, and we can’t extend our allowed connection time,the remaining variable under our control is file size. There-fore, to make the system work for us we need to reduce thesize of the files we are attaching.

Figure 1: PhotoImpact 8 Image Optimization Screen

The three steps to reducing the sizeof a photo file are:

1. Reduce the resolution of the pic-ture to between 72 and 96 dpi.

2. Shrink the picture to 3 x 5 or smaller.3. Use the Image Optimization file-

saving utility that came with yourgraphics editing program tochoose the best compromise be-tween picture quality and file sizewhen saving.

WL2K users wanting to read moreon the subject can access the article

“How to create smaller picture files with Microsoft Photo Edi-tor,” by Jim Corenman, through the WL2K catalog sheets (WIN-DOW, CATALOGS, WL2K_HELP, PHOTO.REDUCE).

FOOTNOTES:

* This is also true for line-based packet-based systems like telephonemodems, cable modems, DSL, computer networks, etc.** Some of the more common Imaging Editing Programs containingImage Compression Utilities are: Adobe Photoshop LE & AdobePhotoshop (www.adobe.com); Advanced JPEG Compressor(www.minsoftmagic.com); Image Optimizer (www.xat.com); MicrosoftPhoto Editor (www.microsoft.com); Ulead PhotoImpact(www.ulead.com); 1 Source: http://graphicdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa070998.htm

Gary Jensen owns and operates DockSide Radio(www.docksideradio.com), and specializes in Sailmail & WinLink e-mail systems. Gary and his wife Peggy lived aboard their Hans Chris-tian 38T for three years cruising the West Coast of the United States,Mexico, and the Sea of Cortez, and now live in Punta Gorda, FL.Gary can be reached at (941) 661-4498, or by e-mail [email protected].

http://www.firstpatriotic.com


SOUTHERN SAILING

Kinetics: Choose Your Sailing GameBy Dave Ellis

they cannot yet anticipate situations, or we might as wellwatch our own boat on a video screen. Electronic aids areaccepted in some sailing circles and prohibited in others.Choose your game.

The Laser class does not allow even a simple electroniccompass. That’s their game.

What about kinetics? Again, choose your class well. It isan ongoing discussion in the Laser class. Some want to beallowed to work the boat more. Some are adamant that theygo too far. Judges are being trained to try to get some consis-tency to racing.

I once sailed a race with a former top European 470 raceras crew. At the start he said, “Go, come on, let’s go!” in a heavyFrench accent. Well, I was going and with a good start. Whatdid he mean? He revealed that in Europe they sculled straightupwind for the first hundred meters or so, then everybodysettled down and sailed the boat. It was accepted.

In the heyday of the huge Red Lobster Cup, I arrived inmy Laser at the first windward mark in light air with thelikes of Ed Baird in a bunch in the lead. Just before themark, another competitor “fell” to the low side of his boat,jumped back to the windward side and propelled himselfahead of us around the mark. A voice came from the JY-15fleet just ahead of us on the course saying, “That’s why Idon’t sail Lasers anymore.” It was Peter Commette, per-haps the most extreme kinetics sailor of all. He had won theLaser Worlds. Yet he had decided that this was no longerhis game.

After going around that mark, I heard a familiar voicebehind me say, “Hey, Ellis, let’s see how we can do withoutcheating.” Well, I ended up in mid-fleet with Dick Tillmanjust ahead of me.

In the Laser, the use of body movements is accepted bythe sailors in the class. If you don’t like that kind of sailing,you may be happier sailing another kind of boat.

Catamarans are faster and don’t respond well to kinet-ics. Boats with lead in the keel are less responsive. Thosesmaller keelboats, such as the J-22 that can be “manipulated,”are controlled by their peers. Hanging on the shrouds to ac-centuate a roll tack, for example, was disallowed. Crews werepulling the shroud out of the end of the spreader, with pre-dictable expensive results.

Perhaps the college sailing teams have made kineticsmore of a problem to mainstream sailors because much moreaggressive kinetics are taught, used and accepted at collegeevents. That’s their game. These sailors enjoy lots of coachedpractice and exceptional competition. When they get out ofcollege and go on to the Snipe or other small boat, they oftenwin. But it is difficult for them to lose the kinetics to do so.

So, hard feelings are expressed, judges get in the act, rulesare again re-written and much ink is placed on paper.

Other than the perennial complaint about handicap ratingsystems, the complaint du jour in sailboat racing is the useof kinetics in smaller craft.

Anyone who ice-skates or Roller Blades is familiar with kinet-ics. They use their body movements to propel themselves. A kidcan sit in a chair and, by jerking forward and making a suddenstop, make the chair scoot forward with dispatch.

If you want to get your boat from the hoist to the dock, simplyrock it back and forth, even if there are no sails hoisted, and sur-prising speed can be attained. Simply rocking the boat rhythmi-cally propels it forward. With sails set for a close reach and thevang loose, the effect is even more pronounced

We are not talking about sculling the rudder. (One recent Learnto Sail student wrote in her US SAILING test answer sheet thatsculling was the act of hitting one’s husband over the head with amarlinespike.) .

Today, “ooching,” lunging forward and stopping suddenly, isillegal under the rules. Rocking the boat is illegal. Sculling is notallowed.

But depressing the bow with body weight when a wave makesthis the thing to do is okay. How fast and energetically can you do that?

Turning the boat by heeling to weather when falling off and toleeward when heading up is legal. How often can you do that?Can you “torque” your body forward and out to help the turn offthe wind or back quickly to help the bow turn up? How energeti-cally? At what point does a fast stop of the torque make it ooching?

Trimming the sails is certainly legal. How often can you do sowhile reaching along in very light air? Every three seconds? Moreoften? Less? Judges look for the “flicking” of the leach of the sail.

An extreme example of kinetics is used, legally, on sailboards.Their free-standing sail can be “rowed” in the wind. Push the rigforward while it is aligned with the hull, then square the wishboneand pull back. Do this repeatedly and an energetic “sailor” can getto near-planing speeds. Off the starting line the windsurfer com-petitors jerk their sails maniacally, taking advantage of the “doublethe windspeed, four times the power” principle to go faster. Thehot boardboaters pump the sails all around the course. It certainlyworks. The windsurfing-boardsailing group have decided that itis part of their game.

“Working the boat” through body movements is nothing new.My dad would holler out to me in my pram in the early 1950s,“Don’t sit there like a bump on a log. OOOCH down those waves!”

Years ago a letter to the editor of what was known then as OneDesign Yachtsman magazine complained about the maxi boats ofthe day using electronic aids such as loran and radar and elec-tronic compasses. “This is not true sailing,” they exclaimed.

An answer was offered by a still-active big-boat sailor. Heopined, “That’s our game. If you would like to buy a 72-foot racingsailboat and play our game, you are welcomed.”

Today we have electronic indicators and autopilots that cansail a boat more accurately than the most skilled sailor. Happily

New Hunter 44 Deck Saloon

Mid-Size Cruisers 30'-35'

Center Cockpit Cruisers 42'-45'

Aft Cockpit Cruisers 38'-46'

When it comes to owning a yacht, pre-owned is good. New is better.• New model design and sailing performance• New construction techniques• New electronics, a/c systems and gensets• New flat screen TV’s and DVD’s• Customize your yacht the way you want it• Peace of mind of factory/dealer warranties• On-site and mobile dealer support• Free extensive systems/yacht handling orientation

When you purchase your new Hunter from Massey you get free yachtdécor dollars to finish off your new interior. But the best part of purchasing a new yacht is that it really costs about the same as buying a late model pre-owned yacht.

Call or come by and discover the dollars and sense of owning a new yacht. New is better.

www.masseyyacht.comPalmetto, FL 941-723-1610 • TOLL-FREE 800-375-0130 St. Pete, FL 727-828-0090 • TOLL-FREE 877-552-0525


S I N C E 1 9 7 7

See the Hunter line at SAIL EXPO St. Pete, Nov 6 - 9and Fort Myers Boat Show, Nov 13 - 16

One Call Starts a Team Reaction!

New is Better



RACING & REGATTAS

WEST FLORIDASARASOTA SAILING SQUADRONLABOR DAY REGATTABy Morgan StinemetzThe 57th Annual Labor Day Regatta at the Sarasota SailingSquadron brought the 288 racing sailboats two perfect days oflate summer weather and great competition for two straightdays. Winds on Sunday, the second day of competition, werestill from the southeast, but had more punch than the previousday. Whitecaps speckled the surface of Sarasota Bay all day, andsome of the more exciting gusts had 18 knots in them, up 10knots from Saturday.

On the bigger boats, it was a “waterline” kind of day. Steadywinds of more than 15 knots favor larger sailboats, just as lighterwinds favor smaller boats. The even bigger winds that arrivedin squalls, after the sailing was over, turned out to be a minordistraction only.

Bob Armstrong of Bradenton was unable to hold onto hisPHRF spinnaker class lead from Saturday. Armstrong posted afifth-place finish on Sunday in class. Bill and Doug Fisher, fa-ther and son, sailing the new-to-them XS managed to pull out aclass win by winning the tie breaker over Richard Gress. Gressof Sarasota, sailing his J/29, Fat Bottomed Girl, had the samenumber of points (6) to tie for first place, but XS won the lastrace to pull victory out of the fire.

In PHRF non-spinnaker, it was Bob and Cathy Willard ofPalmetto winning in their vintage Morgan 22, Flash. The boat isboth quick and well-sailed. The Willards posted a line score of1-2-1. The closest boat in class had double the number of points.

The tiny — three boats — true cruising class went to BobMiller of Bradenton in Miller Time, a Catalina 36. Miller had aline score of 2-1-1, pulling ahead when it counted. Miller’s boatwas very fast in the last race on Saturday and in Sunday’s race.The second-place boat in class was at least three minutes be-hind Miller on handicap on Sunday.

Results: PHRF Spinnaker: 1. XS, Custom 41, Bill Fisher, Bradenton; 2. Fat Bottomed Girl, J/29, Richard Gress, Sarasota 3. Tripp Tease, Tripp 33, Bob Armstrong, Bradenton.PHRF non-spinnaker: 1. Flash, Morgan 22, Cathy and Bob Willard, Palmetto; 2. Xcitor, Lindenberg 22,Ed Luscinskas, St. Lucie; 3. Shear Water, C&C 38, Bob Johnson, Sarasota.PHRF true cruising:1. Miller Time, Catalina 36, Bob Miller, Bradenton; 2. Reefer, Ericson 27, Morgan Stinemetz,Bradenton; 3. Pelican, Cal 25, Terry Zimmerly, Sarasota.Opti Green Fleet: 1. Graham Muzra,Ft. Myers; 2. Michael Popp, Tampa; 3. Parker Polgar, Clearwater.Opti Combined Red, Whiteand Blue Fleets: 1. Ian Heausler, Tampa; 2. Courtney Kuebel, Clearwater,\; 3. Tommy Fink,Miami.420: 1. Andrew Vann & Seth Vander Stelldt, Tampa; 2. Shannon Heausler & BetsyBryant, Tampa; 3. Stepehen Lue & Katie Gallagher, Tampa.Laser Radial: 1. Chris Alexander,

Ft. Myers; 2. Christopher Enger; Sarasota; 3. David Hernandez, Miami.Laser: 1. Jeff Olson,Sarasota; 2. Kyle Shattuck, St. Petersburg; 3. Robby Brown, Jacksonville.Flying Scot: 1. MichaelRoberts, Largo; 2. Chuck Leib, Sarasota; 3. Charles Flowler, Miami.SR Max: 1. Charlie Clifton,Sarasota; 2. Dave Olson, Sarasota; 3. Tim Miller, Sarasota, Sunfish: 1. Paul Strauley, Casselberry;2. Tony Elliot, Ft. Lauderdale; 3. Dave Kaighin, Sarasota.Inter 20s: 1. John Casey; 2. Jay Roth;3.David Ingram (home towns not available) Multihulls: 1. Tony Vandenoeve, Sarasota; 2.Jennifer Lindsay, Gulfport; 3. Chuck Pickering, Orlando.

CORTEZ YACHT CLUB 1ST ANNUAL LABOR DAY RACESEPTEMBER 7

Cortez Yacht Club 1st Annual Labor Day Race. Bill Hoffman photo.

The newly formed Cortez Yacht Club, located in beautifulCortez, FL, held its 1st Annual Labor Day Race on September 7.Departing from the famous Seafood Shack Marina located nearthe Cortez Bridge, participants headed north for the race heldin Tampa Bay near the mouth of the Manatee River. Followingseveral days of rain brought on by Tropical Storm Henri, racers

Race Reporting & Photographs Wanted: Southwinds magazine is always looking for writers and photographsfor sailboat races in the Southern Sailing Community. Contact [email protected]



faced a beautiful day with winds in the 12-15 knot range. First tocross the line was Danjo, a Morgan 35 skippered by Joe Hunter.Corrected time gave him a fourth place. Espin Bullock broughtComet, a Morgan 22, to first place in corrected time. (For moreinformation see Short Tacks article on the Cortez Yacht Club.)Results with corrected time: 1; Comet,Morgan 22, 1:10:00, 2; Borax, Tanzer 22, 1:11:00, 3;Spring Fever, Endeavour 34, 1:18:10, 4; Danjo, Hunter 355, 1:20:00, 5; Remedy, O’Day 37,1:20:10, 6; Windig, Irwin 43, 1:21:49, 7; Windfall, Seafarer,Allied Seawind II, 1:24:30, 8;Kestrel, Ericson 38, 1:25:30, 9; Aldebaran, Islander 36, 1:27:45, 10; Once Around, IslandPacket 31, 1:31:10, 11; Lisuamo, Albin 34, 1:35:00, 12; Adeline, Bayfield 40, 1:36:20.

THISTLE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, FORT WALTONBEACH YACHT CLUB, FLORIDA, AUGUST 2-8By Jim KransbergerAttendance was record-setting at this year’s Thistle NationalChampionship. Ninety-four competitors from 21 states met andraced at the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Club, proving that bothdemographers and weathermen can be wrong about anything.The non-central location of the event in Florida’s Panhandle couldhave been a limitation, and wasn’t. The seasonal weather pat-tern, little wind and afternoon showers, only condensed theweeklong regatta into several very active days, some not so active.

Give credit to George Goodall, principal race officer, for man-aging the offshore successes. Goodall, former military test pilotand engineer, pushed hard to get the starts going in uncertain,shifting first leg wind conditions, showing his understandingthat all had come to compete, not drift about in the bay. After abig front canceled all races on Monday’s schedule and with thecontinuing storm pattern hanging over the area, it was not im-possible that this could be an actual one-race regatta. Goodall

(not one to stand, wring hands, waiting) got in all seven races.Almost everybody who has any interest in the regatta alreadymust know that Brent Barbehenn strolled away with the majorsilverware. The more important fact is, perhaps, how and why.Unable to reach Barbehenn (his Thistle site phone number is in-correct), Blair Dryden, the fourth place finisher, offered his insight.

“Basically, Brent was the guy who made the fewest mistakesof anyone the whole week. He got prior experience for the eventsof this week,” offered Dryden. “He spent, with his crew, moretime in preparation.”

Dryden, a perpetual top finisher, offered that the top severalpositions were decided by the “one bad race” syndrome. Secondplace finisher, Michael Ingham, went right in the sixth race. Inthe first five races, right was the preferred side, but not in thesixth race. He finished 21st in that race. Dryden’s bad race wasan “OCS” last place finish for being over early and not restarting.

Perhaps these mistakes were made by the best fleet sailorsbecause the pace of the event was so unusual. No racing the firstday, one race the second, two the morning of the third, no racingthat afternoon. As the probability of the regatta being alreadyover increased as races were postponed, races that presentedthemselves were made more important. Whatever points wereavailable to score had to be scored in what might be the immedi-ate race at hand.

Once the pressure of the competition of winning the regattawas eliminated from Dryden’s score card (the impossible lastplace finish), he promptly sailed to two first-place finishes. Heattributed these two wins to the fact that he “...no longer had tosail...” against any other particular boat.

Championship Fleet Finishes: 1- Brent Barbehenn, Chris Murphy, Scott Lennox, (NJ) 2-2-4-1-2-3-4 (18); 2- Michael Ingham, John Baker, Joy Martin, (NY) 1-1-1-2-7-21-3 (36); 3- EricGesner, Judy Gesner, Dan Fien (NY) 9-4-7-10-8-6-4 (58); 4- Blair Dryden, Barret Rhoads, LaurenO’Hara, (IN) 6-5-5-3-41/OCS-1-1 (62); 5- Craig Koschalk, Karl Bradley, Nick Turney (OH) 10-11-10-16-1-9-7 (64)President Fleet Finishes 1- Loren Hoffman, Chris Granger, Richard Thoma, (MI) 9-3-1-9-22(22); 2- David Hudson, John Hudson, Sara Cooper, (NY) 1-12-9-1 (23); 3- Sam Brauer, JudyHanlon, Tom Lawton, (CT) 10-18-6-2 (36); 4- Craig Smith, Nark Snyder, Alicia Smith, (PA) 21-5-5-6 (37); 5- Charlie Murphy, Bernie Zabek, (NY) 5-9-8-16 (38)

Thislte National Championship. Jim Kransberger photo.

http://schurrsails.com




RACING & REGATTAS

56

CAROLINASREPEAT VICTORY FOR NORTH CAROLINATANZER 16 CHAMPIONSBy Rona GarmWaccamaw Sailing Club Commodore Butch Blanchard and PastCommodore Debra Walters make quite a team. At the Tanzer 16National Championships, Blanchard and Walters successfullydefended their 2002 Championship victory. Racing in conditionsthat varied from 8 mph to 28 mph, Blanchard and Walters wonthis five-race regatta with finishes of 1,1,3,1,1.

In addition, the team has participated in three US SailingChampionship of Champions Regattas. This is an annual event spon-sored by US Sailing in which 20 National Class Champions com-pete in provided boats of a determined class in a round-robin series.

Blanchard, a Tanzer 16 racer for 30 years, stated that Waltershas been regular crew and is superb, knowing and anticipatinghis actions and able to compensate for his lapses.

A high-performance daysailer, the Tanzer 16 is usually racedwith two people. What is unusual for a two-person boat is thatthe Tanzer is sailed with a spinnaker. The Tanzer 16 Class Asso-ciation is based in the Raleigh area and State, District, and Na-tional Championships are held each year in North Carolina. Ofthe approximately 2,000 boats built, the majority are found infleets along the East Coast from Canada to the Southeast.

NORTH CAROLINA SAILORS: LIGHTNING LEADER TRAV-ELS TO CHAMPIONSHIPS AUGUST 15-22By Rona GarmRepresenting the Southeastern Lightning District (SELD) andFleet 511 (Wrightsville Beach, NC), Skipper Pierce Barden withcrew Paul Whitesides and Gib Gibson traveled to the Cedar PointYacht Club in Westport, CT, for the Charles Schwab LightningNorth Americans 2003.

Held August 15-22, the event attracted top names fromwithin the class and the sailing industry. Lightning boat build-ers and sailmakers were heavily represented in the 67-boat fleetas both helmsmen and crew. Two days of qualifying races di-vided the fleet — a Championship Series for the top half and thePresident’s Series for the bottom half.

Sailing off Saugatuck Island, Lightning 14941 and her skip-per and crew performed well during the qualifying days, bothin breezy conditions and then again in lighter air. With one firstand two fifths, they were well placed to advance to the Champi-

onship Series. Competing against the boatbuilders, sailmakers,and professional sailors, the Wrightsville Beach boys showedtheir competitive spirit and took home another fifth as theirbest finish. With most finishes well above mid-fleet, a dead lastfinish (awarded on a penalty) hurt their overall standings, yetthey still left with a very respectable 27 at the end of the week.

Barden, Whitesides, and Gibson were also on hand for thegifting of Lightning #1 to the Mystic Seaport Museum. Over 60years old and the original boat of designer Olin Stephens, theboat was presented to the museum as a gift from the Interna-tional Lightning Class Association.

Barden and crew were the only Lightning from the South-east Lightning District (North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor-gia) to qualify to compete in the event.

MELGES 24 — CHARLESTON HARBOR CHALLENGEBy Dan DickisonNow in its fourth year, the Charleston Harbor Challenge drew21 boats to the Charleston Yacht Club this weekend for a livelyseven-race series that witnessed winds ranging from six to 20knots and a few knock-down puffs well in excess of that. Fortwo days boats from as far away as Tennessee, Florida, Georgiaand Virginia joined eight local boats to compete around thebuoys in the Holy City’s tide-strewn harbor. When the sprayfinally settled, local sailors Ross Griffith, Miles Martschink, BillHanckel, and Bill Milling sailing aboard Moving Target emergedas the winners, the benefactors of superbly consistent tacticsand boat-handling.

Saturday’s initial contest got under way in a waning ebbtide and southwest winds that rarely surpassed eight knots. Asthe top three boats converged on the weather mark, the windgods took a powder, and what was also the Atlantic CoastChampionship momentarily became a driftathon, with the fleetenduring a nearly complete inversion. Almost as quickly as thewind had gone limp, a marginal breeze reappeared, and therace committee was able to score the first of five races that day,giving Charleston’s Omalley Avant on USA 98 the first victory.Throughout the day the breeze direction remained relativelystable as the winds built toward 15 knots. After one generalrecall, Race 2 got under way in roughly 12 knots of wind. TravisWeisleder’s crew on Carloan.com out of Virginia started cleanand hit what few shifts there were to round the top mark witha comfortable lead. They managed to hold off the Gregory, Hill,Scholtz team on Satisfaction (out of Atlanta) and grab a bullet inthat contest, and then duplicated that feat in Race 3.

For Race 4, the winds intensified to the point that some

Lightning sailors Pierce Barden, Gib Gibson, Paul Whitesides IIIPhoto by David Grossman, Gurnet Road Photography, www.gurnetroad.com

http://www.hksailmakers.com


boats were able to plane on the leeward legs, if only for a fewseconds at a time. In that contest, Griffith and his team on Mov-ing Target finished first.

A slight moderation in the wind strength developed forRace 5, though there were still a few puffs that could promoteplaning. After a dismal 15th in Race 4, the Pitt-Shafer syndicateon board the Florida-based Tommy Bahama redeemed themselvesby grabbing a hard-won bullet in this contest. Tight on theirtransom Satisfaction and Carloan.com, each inched closer to theregatta leader Moving Target (sixth place in that race) as the dayclosed out.

After a treat of limitless shrimp and draft beer on Saturdaynight at the yacht club, the competitors suffered through a hot,windless morning on Sunday, but were ultimately treated to 12to 15 knots out of the southeast, setting the stage for two con-tests that featured the most stable winds of the entire event.Doug Kessler and his Atlanta-based team on board Liberty tookthe first race.

In the final contest, Moving Target worked out to a nominallead by the first weather mark, with Liberty and When Pigs Fly round-ing in hot pursuit. Griffith and his team aggressively protected theirturf throughout the ensuing three legs to cross the finish line andtake the gun, solidifying their claim to the overall win.

The Charleston Harbor Challenge was scored with a throw-out factored in, leaving Moving Target with 15 points, followedby Satisfaction with 23, and Tommy Bahama with 24. Fourth placeoverall went to Mark Marenakas of Charleston and his crew onboard Paddlefoot with 30 points. A three-way tie for fifth involvedCarloan.com, Liberty, and When Pigs Fly, and the existing provi-sion for breaking ties finished the boats in that order. Log on towww.charlestonyachtclub.com for more info.

UPPER GULF COAST2003 BIKINI REGATTA, NAVY YACHT CLUB,PENSACOLA, FLORIDABy Kim KaminskiWomen sailors battled the elements during the 2003 Bikini Re-gatta. This female sailing event was held in Pensacola, FL, bythe Navy Yacht Club on the Pensacola Naval Air Station.Twenty-five sailboats made their way around the waters ofPensacola Bay while the wild, savage winds increased through-out the day from 13 to 15 knots up to 21 to 22 knots out of thewest. This unique competition allows each boat in the contest

to be manned by only a female skipper, and at least 50 percentof her crew must also be female. Navy Yacht Club Fleet CaptainDick Piatt sent the competitors on three different race courses(one for each racing class) to make this sailing competition achallenging one. The Spinnaker Class (12 boats) was sent on a 21/2 times windward/leeward course of 10.26 miles while theNon-Spinnaker Class (eight boats) sailed a 9.54-mile course andthe Cruiser Class (five boats) sailed 7.07 miles.

These lady sailors had to deal with many challengesthroughout the race day: the increasingly strong west winds,the threatening skies that lingered around the race area in addi-tion to a large cargo-carrying barge which made its way acrossthe bay and in the middle of the race course. Although the rainsdid not become a factor until after the racing was over, the bargedid make its presence known to a large number of the race com-petitors.

Race Results: SPINNAKER A - 10.26 miles, 1st - Phaedra - Kadie Schuster, 1:29:14 (activeduty female, sailor); 2nd - Atlantic Union - Rachael Gillette, 1:37:38 (All-Female) - 3rd PlaceAll-Female 3rd - Awesome - Linda Thompson 1:39:11 (All-Female); 4th - Forerunner - ChrisRidgeway1:49:27; 5th - Turkey Wings - Paula Leffmann DNF (All-Female); SPINNAKER B -10.26 miles - 1st - Jackpot - Grimm/Casanova, 1:29:30 (All-Female) - 1st Place All Female;2nd - Gotcha - Louise Bienvenu,1:30:54; 3rd - Forever Mind - Suzanne Riddle, 1:31:44, 4th- Jazz Nancy Marshall, 1:36:01; 5th - Applejack - Kim Kaminski, 1:36:06 (All-Female, activeduty female sailor) -2nd place All-Female; 6th - Achusi - Glenda Mayo, 1:37:01 (All-Female)7th - Cuda Been Paris - Molly Klaas 1:40:40 (All-Female);1st in Spinnaker Fleet - Phaedra BestFinish Spinnaker - Active Duty Female Sailor - Phaedra Best Fleet Finish Spinnaker - All FemaleCrew - Jackpot Honorable Mention - 2nd Place All Female - Applejack , 3rd Place All Female -Atlantic Union NON-SPINNAKER A - 9.54 miles 1st - White Lightning - Wolfe/Agnew1:47:03(active duty female sailor) 2nd - Sundance - Sharon Kearley, 1:47:45 (active duty femalesailor) 3rd - Delphina - Denise Hair, 1:51:58 (All-Female) 4th - Intrepid - Shannon Jennings,2:18:28, NON-SPINNAKER B - 9.54 miles, 1st - Ez-Duz-It - Julie Connerley, 1:53:46 (All-Female) 2nd - Jes-Be-Me - Be Gobeli, 1:56:05 (All-Female) 3rd - Dame - Carol Dueker, 1:58:03(active duty female sailor),4th - Go Bananas - Deborah Davidson, 2:08:20, 1st in Non-Spin-

2003 GYA Women’s PHRF Champions – the sailing team from AtlanticUnion. Kim Kaminski photo.

http://www.nauticaltrader.net

http://www.sailexchange.com


RACING & REGATTAS

58

naker Fleet - White Lightning Best Finish Non-Spinnaker - Active Duty Female Sailor - WhiteLightning Best Finish Non-Spinnaker - All Female Crew - Delphina Honorable Mention - 2ndPlace All-Female - Ez-Duz-It , 3rd Place All-Female - Jes-Be-Me CRUISER CLASS - 7.07 miles, 1st- Don’t Worry - Jessica Collins, 1:19:19; 2nd - Frolic II - Joyce MacMillan, 1:25:27; 3rd - Kellie -Suzie Page, 1:31:03, 4th - La Bodega - Sue Schumann, 1:34:31 (active duty female sailor), 5th - TwoLa Dums - Edna Ball, 1:35:19 (All Female, active duty female sailor), Best Finish Cruiser - All FemaleCrew - Two La Dums Best Finish Cruiser - Active Duty Female Sailor - La Bodega

16TH ANNUAL RACE FOR THE ROSES —GYA WOMEN’S PHRF CHAMPIONSHIP,PENSACOLA BEACH YACHT CLUB, JULY 26-27By Kim KaminskiThe Gulf Yachting Association’s Women’s PHRF Sailboat Cham-pionship was held by the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club inPensacola, FL, on July 26-27. This all-female sailing event knownas the Race for the Roses enticed 12 Spinnaker boats and fourNon-Spinnaker boat competitors into testing their skills duringthis year’s competition in the PHRF. (Performance Handicap Rac-ing Formula) class. The competition weekend also included rac-ing contests in three different one-design fleets - Sunfish, Zumaand the Flying Scot for a total of 33 boats filled with women skip-pers and their crews.

The weather conditions these lady athletes endured over thetwo-day regatta included warm temperatures ranging in the low90s, high humidity with heat indices up to 100 degrees alongwith the usual afternoon rain showers. The threatening skies andpotentially rainy weather (which never materialized over the race-course area) would build throughout the day affecting the con-ditions seen on the racecourse. The winds varied in strengththroughout the weekend, and the strong tidal currents added tothe challenges for the competitors.

Roses and hand-made pottery plates were given to the win-ners. This year’s first place winners are Rachael Gillette/LeeNewkirk, Debby Grimm/Holly Casanova and Vivian Weaver inthe Spinnaker Class, Julie Connerley in the Non-Spinnaker Class,Courtney Whitehurst in Sunfish Division, Skyler Kurpuis andAllison Cooley in Novice Sunfish Division and Elizabeth Gunnelin Zuma Division. The team of Laura Hanna, Jennifer Trollingerand Lisa Blewer are the first-place winners in the One-DesignFlying Scot Division. The Spinnaker Overall Fleet Winner was:Atlantic Union, Non-Spinnaker Overall Fleet Winner: Ez-Duz-It.The 2003 G.Y.A. Women’s PHRF. Champion Trophy goes toAltantic Union, with skipper Rachel Gillette and helmsperson LeeNewkirk. Congratulations to all these women on earning a greataccomplishment.

Race Results - Race for the Roses 2003 (G.Y.A. - Women’s Championship) Overall

Spinnaker A - 1st - Atlantic Union, 2nd - Awesome 3rd - Forerunner 4th - Turkey Wings;Spinnaker B - 1st - Jackpot 2nd - Jazz 3rd - Lightning Rod 4th - Applejack; Spinnaker C - 1st- My Baby 2nd - Cuda Been Paris 3rd - Gotcha 14th - Achusi; First in Fleet - Atlantic Union,Amanda Werner, Spirit of Roses - Achusi; Women Series Trilogy Trophy - Jackpot ; Non-Spinnaker Class, 1stEz-Duz-It, 2nd - Delphina, 3rd - Jes-Be-N-Me, 4th - Dame; One DesignClasses; Sunfish - 1st - Courtney Whitehurst, 2nd - Lauren Whitehurst, 3rd - Betsy Whitehurst,4th - Susan McKinnonNovice Sunfish - 1st - Skyler Kurpuis/Allison Cooley, Spirit Award,2nd - Meghan Kirby/Katelyn Kitzel, 3rd - Casey Ondis/Presley Dixon, Zuma, 1st - ElizabethGunnel, 2nd - Erica Lundegren, 3rd - Andrea Byrne, 4th - Mary Andrews, 5th - ColleenSharp, 6th - Caitlin Laird, 7th - Heather Graham, Flying Scot, 1st - Laura Hanna, JenniferTrollinger, Lisa Blewer; 2nd - Tracy Greer/Stacy Randall, Myra Cox, Emily Sowers, 3rd -Stacy Perry, Sasha Perry, Gracie Stewart / Jennifer Greer

66TH ANNUAL BERNARD L. KNOST REGATTA,PASS CHRISTIAN YACHT CLUB, MS, AUGUST 9-10By Kim KaminskiLady sailors ventured to the coastal waters of Pass Christian,MS, to compete in the all female Flying Scot championshipknown as the Knost Regatta. Bernard L. Knost, commodoreof the Pass Christian Yacht Club came up with the idea ofhaving a ladies championship in the club’s one-design rac-ing class boat over 66 years ago, and this fun competition isstill going strong today.

Sailing teams from the 32 G.Y.A.(Gulf Yachting Associa-tion) member yacht clubs were invited to sail in the eventheld at the Pass Christian Yacht Club (noted as the birthplaceof sailing in the South) on August 9-10. Seventeen out of the32 yacht clubs answered the call, a record attendance accord-ing to the race organizers. Sailing teams from Louisiana, Mis-sissippi, Alabama and Florida came together in the historiccoastal town of Pass Christian, MS, to represent their homeyacht club. Pensacola Yacht Club, St. Andrew’s Bay YachtClub, Ft. Walton Yacht Club along with newcomer Navy YachtClub represented the state of Florida.

The weather conditions during the weekend providedthe sailors with some challenges. Prior to the weekend, thesouthern coast had been deluged with rain. However, MotherNature provided the ladies with a bright and sunny week-end to play on the water. The winds were light and shiftyand created some delays on both days of the event. The high

Pictured top to bottom: Bev Stagg, Cissy Martin and Belinda Godwinprepare their Flying Scot for racing in the all female one design champi-onship in the Knost Regatta.Kim Kaminski photo.

http://www.jroverseas.com



temperatures added to the challenges making the competitor’sday on the water more taxing than usual. Two races were heldon the first day of the event with the competition endingaround 6:30 p.m. The Pass Christian Yacht Club provided aparty for the competitors following the day’s competition. Anall-you-can-eat seafood buffet (complete with pink flamingodecorations) and live music provided by the Broadmoors gavethe lady sailors an opportunity to relax after the long day onthe water. On Sunday morning, the racers gathered once more,ready to wrap up the sailing event with one more race out onthe Mississippi Sound.

Results: 1st - Pass Christian Yacht Club; 2nd - Southern Yacht Club; 3rd - PontchartrainYacht Club; 4th - Bay-Waveland Yacht Club; 5th - Buccaneer Yacht Club; 6th - GulfportYacht Club; 7th - Pensacola Yacht Club (Florida Team); 8th - Fairhope Yacht Club; 9th - NewOrleans Yacht Club; 10th - Jackson Yacht Club; 11th - Biloxi Yacht Club; 12th - St. AndrewsBay Yacht Club (Florida Team); 13th - Mobile Yacht Club; 14th - Ft. Walton Yacht Club(Florida Team); 15th - Ocean Springs Yacht Club; 16th - Navy Yacht Club (Florida Team);17th - Long Beach Yacht Club

2003 BIG MOUTH REGATTA, PENSACOLA BEACHYACHT CLUB, AUGUST 16By Kim KaminskiThe Pensacola Beach Yacht Club (PBYC) had a battle of theirown out on the waters of Pensacola Bay on Saturday, August16, the 2003 Big Mouth Regatta where sailors earn the braggingrights for having the fastest boat in the local area. All boats en-tered into a simple race course that took them out of PensacolaBay through the Pensacola Pass to the #1 sea buoy (the firstchannel marker in the Gulf of Mexico that marks the entrance tothe Pensacola Pass) and back again to the same starting mark.The Big Mouth Award — a flag to be hoisted up the rigging andflown from the mast of the winning boat for the next year.

This popular race had 28 sailboats (five catamarans, onemultihull and 22 monohull sailboats) prepared to sail. Severalyears ago, on the docks behind the old Marina Restaurant, whichuse to stand on the present location of Sabine Marina, home ofthe PBYC, a few yacht club members were standing around brag-ging about their sailboats. It was decided among this boastfulgroup that a race should be established to determine who hadthe fastest boat, and the winner of the race could have braggingrights for the year. Thus, the Big Mouth Regatta was created. Inan effort to make it a fair competition, specific rules were formed.All opponents had to sail the race using just their main andheadsails. No spinnakers, bloopers, gennakers or even cruisingspinnakers were allowed. You could, however, fly a secondheadsail (up to 156 percent) that did not have to be attached(staysails were permitted.) The first boat (uncorrected time) tosail out to the #1 sea buoy and back was the winner. These rulesstill hold true today.

Mother Nature assisted the sailors in their quest to find thefastest boat by providing a sunny morning with light and vari-able breezes (seven to nine knots) out of the southeast. The tidalcurrents were light and assisted the sailors as they journeyedtoward the Pass. Twenty-three boats elected to sail the originalcourse to the #1 sea buoy, a distance of 21.68 miles. (Five boatselected to sail the short course of 16.76 miles to the #8 sea buoyand back.) While some of the sailing competitors were makingtheir way back through the pass on their return from the Gulf ofMexico, Mother Nature decided to stir up the weather a bit bybuilding up some thunderstorms just east of the racing area.These storms played with the winds, which varied for each sailoron the course, thus aiding in spreading out the competition alongthe waterway.

Results (elapsed time followed by corrected time): NON-SPINNAKER Class A - 21.68 miles;

Big Mouth Racers started out in light winds on their race to see who hasthe fastest boat. Photo by Kim Kaminski

http://www.perfectpitchprops.com

http://www.nationalsails.com



RACING & REGATTAS

1ST - Phaedra - Bob Patroni, 4:03:38, 3:25:42; 2ND - Awesome - David Dunbar, 3:57:43,3:27:22; 3RD - Sirocco - Bobby Khan, 4:07:49, 3:28:48; NON-SPINNAKER Class B - 21.68miles; 1ST - Applejack - Kaminsk/Owczarczak, 4:30:45, 3:33:18; 2ND - Delphina - JimPantano, 4:39:20, 3:36:28; 3RD - Antares - Dave Hoffman, 4:32:02, 3:37:50; NON-SPIN-NAKER Class C - 16.76 miles, 1ST - Ez-Duz-It - Kim/Julie Connerley, 3:39:40, 2:30:57, 2ND- ThreeCan - Joe Stanley, 3:54:33, 2:52:32, 3RD - Vendetta - Charlie Brooks , 3:49:31,2:54:13;1ST - Nami Whammy - Warren Anderson; CATAMARAN - 21.68 miles (Resultsunavailable)Big Mouth Winner (Monohull) - Mark Taylor, PatriotBig Mouth Winner (Multihull) - Glen Marsh and Steve RobbAmanda Werner Spirit of Sailing Winner - Dick Dunbar, AuroraSkunk Flag Winner - Bob Wofe, White Lightning

84TH SIR THOMAS LIPTON CUP REGATTA,PASS CHRISTIAN, MSBy Kim Kaminski

Tropical Storm Grace definitely was not very gracious to thesailors who participated in the 84th Annual Sir Thomas LiptonCup Regatta in Pass Christian, MS, over the Labor Day week-end. Over 300 sailors journeyed to the Gulf Coast town ofPass Christian, to race in this annual one-design event, whichutilizes the competitive and easily trailered sailboat, the Fly-ing Scot.

The rain squalls from the outer bands of the tropical stormmade their way into the race area throughout the weekend,making the race conditions quite challenging for the sailors aswell as the race committee. Twenty-six yacht clubs out of the32 member clubs in the Gulf Yachting Association sent theirteams to compete for the 84th running of this prestigious sail-ing event. Yacht clubs from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala-bama and Florida were well represented. During this three-day competition a total of four individual races were sched-uled to be held. Race number 1 was completed on Saturday,August 30, after a short delay due to Mother Nature and Tropi-cal Storm Grace.

Two races were scheduled for Sunday, but due to stormdelay after storm delay (along with some overturned boats dur-ing one attempted race start) only one race was finished. Dueto the results of the past two days, the final day of racing onMonday was filled with a flurry of activity. Not only did therace committee need to complete two races for the day, but ithad to get all of the racing action completed in a timely mannerto allow the out-of-town competitors enough time to get theirboats out of the water, broken down and ready for their return

travel home. Plus, there was the added factor of being able togive the racers enough opportunity to be competitive (in otherwords make the races long enough for a fair competition.)

Tropical Storm Grace did not want to leave the competi-tion. For the first race on Monday morning, she elegantly movedinto the race area and proceeded to pound the race competitors.Finally, on the last race of the event, everyone was able to say aprayer of thanks as she gracefully moved out of the area andleft the sailors with plenty of sunshine, moderate breezes and amild chop.

The battle for first place was separated by four points, andthe even closer battle for second was separated by three points.Who won the Lipton Cup? The sailing teams from SouthernYacht Club ended up being triumphant and earned the rights tohost next year’s 85th annual event.

Results; 1st Place - Southern Yacht Club (Total of 7 points); 2nd Place - Bay-Waveland YachtClub (Total of 11 points); 3rd Place - Pass Christian Yacht Club (Total of 13 points); 4th Place- Houston Yacht Club (Total of 14 points)Pensacola Local Team Standings, 9th Place - Pensacola Yacht Club - (Total of 32 points);16th Place - Navy Yacht Club - (Total of 65 points); 19th Place - Pensacola Beach YC -(Totalof 79 points)

Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s event. Theconditions were tough, the competition challenging and the rac-ing exciting. Next year, the fun will begin once again as the sail-ors prepare to wage battle on the waters of Lake Pontchartrain.For more information about the Lipton Cup, check the GulfYachting Association’s Web site at www.gya.com

MULTIHULLS MEET AT CATFEST, LAKE NORMAN, NCAUGUST 6-7By Jim Kransberger

Thirty-seven multihull sailors and crew met and raced at theLake Norman Yacht Club over the August 6-7 weekend. Thisregatta was the 13th Annual Catfest and Lake Norman MutihullChampionship and was hosted by the LNYC multihull fleet.Boats competed from up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coast.Virginia Beach, VA, to Pensacola, FL, to somewhere in Tennes-see, are marks describing attendance.

The amazing difference between multihull and monohullboats may well be found in the laid-back attitude of both therace committee and the racers themselves. Like, “We’re going

Chip MacMillan and Carol Piatt of the Navy Yacht CLub Lipton teamprepare to drop the spinnaker during race number 3 of the 84th AnnualSir Thomas Lipton Cup Regatta in Pass Christian, MS.Kim Kaminski photo.

Nigel and Tammy Pitt (Pensacola, FL) lead their fleet upwind after thestart of the third race. Their boat is the farthest upwind and carries theTommy Bahama palm tree logo. Photo by Jim Kransberger.


to have some FOOTBALL!” The catamaran (might be an ageddescription) types might well say, “We’re going to have someRACING!” And off they go.

Principal race officer Jeff Price told the area committee vol-unteers that it was his intention to get as many races in as pos-sible over the weekend,and the squareness of the starting line,or the exact placement of buoys, was not a science that theseparticular sailors cared much for. Close was good enough. Hedidn’t think the moving of marks in wind shifts was of muchimportance either. He was right and they got in a lot of racing!The nine different classes were divided into three different starts.The fastest boats were in the first start, etc. In order to get themaximum number of races in, the faster two divisions were giventwice-round-course directions, the slowest third division once.

Results: H16A;1: Loyd & Suzanne Graves; 2 Garland & Brenda Ayscue; 3: Ike Murphy &Billy Smith; H16B; 1: Jim & Carolyn Green;2:Dale Hangland & Bob Boyle;3:Harry Hermance& Jerry Tate; H17;1 Lynn Olsen;2: Pat Murphy;3: Reggie Poplin; 4: Sam Evans;5: FredJohnson;H-18;1: Paul & Kevin Dingman; 2: Tommy & Carolyn Craft: 3: David & RobynStrickland;4:Kyle & Haley Harrison;5: Billy & Ted Cook;6: John Suprenant ;7:Richard & DeannaSowers;Tiger;1:Nigel & Tammy Pitt: 2: Fritz & Heidi Klocke;3: Dennis Hawks & TracieVanHouten;4: Rick Harper & Gardner;5:Davie & Renee Lennard;6: Jack & Becky Wise; H20;1:Chris Zander; 18 Square Meter;1: Randy Hord; 2:Scott Hill;3: Steve Weatherford;4: ClauseSummers;5:Doug Collings;6: Richard Grayson; 7: Scott Smith;Open-A Fleet;1:Mike Krantz& Jenny Tudd (I-20);2: David Mosley & Nathan Palmer (I-20); 3: Jake Kohl & Tracie Phillips(N-6.0);4: Gary & Jeri Palmer; Open-B Fleet; 1:Dale Martin (N-4.5T)

OTHER AREASFLORIDA SAILORS COMPETE INTHE 2003 J/24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP,MEDEMBLIK, NETHERLANDS AUGUST 16-22By Rob BrittsFor nearly nine months, five sailors have been looking forwardto competing in the J/24 World Championship held inMedemblik, Netherlands, August 16 - 22. It all started in Octo-ber 2002 when the team comprising Daniel Borrer (skipper),Nathan Vilardebo (trimmer), Rob Britts (tactician), Jason Decker(mast), and William Morris (bow) qualified by winning theSoutheast regional J/24 qualifier held at Davis Island Yacht Club.With months of preparation behind them, the team and groundsupport of girlfriends and wives made the trek to Holland,spending a few days in Amsterdam and finally arriving inMedemblik.

This year’s Worlds were attended by 66 competitors repre-senting 15 countries. The event was hosted at the Dutch Inter-national Sailing Center, which is the same site many Olympic-class sailors visit each year for the famous International SpaRegatta. Opening ceremonies for the event were held at theKasteel Radboud on Saturday night. On Sunday, the practicerace was held in light, variable conditions.

Monday morning marked the end of a heat spell, whichhad plagued most of Europe for the month of August. After amorning (and almost five-hour) postponement for lack of wind,the heat wave moved far enough away, and the wind condi-tions returned to normal, bringing predominately strong west-erly breezes of 15 - 25+ knots, and lots of incredible chop!During the five days of racing, nine races were held. It took theteam a few days to adjust to these tough sailing conditions, asthey are used to sailing in the relatively flat and calm waters ofTampa Bay and the St. John’s River.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the team found their “fifth gear”says Borrer, and the team came out strong on Thursday round-

The team gets delivery of their Italian charter boat.Photo by Erik den Burger

ing the weather mark in fourth place in the first race of theday, finishing in the top 15 overall for race number seven. Theteam followed up with two more strong races (Thursday andFriday’s finale) to finish out the regatta in 30th place out of 66competitors. The 2003 Worlds were won by the Italian teamof Lorenzo Bressani, followed in second by the American teamof Andy Horton and Rudy Wolfs.

This represents the second World Championship for Dan,Nate and Will. They all competed together in the 2000 J/24Worlds in Newport, RI. For Rob and Jason, this representstheir first international J/24 regatta.

However, these sailors are looking forward to the upcom-ing winter circuit, with their first stop in Charleston, SC, onSeptember 19 - 20, for this year’s Southeast regional qualifierhosted by Carolina Yacht Club. This year the J/24 WorldChampionship regatta will return to the United States, andwill be held in Norton, CT.

We would like to give a special thanks to our sponsors-Nexx and First Street Live Productions for their support inour campaign. For further information and stories on theteam’s visit to Holland, please visit the team’s Web site atwww.j24.us, and also be sure to visit the J/24 District 10 Webpage at www.j24d10.org for upcoming races in the Southeast.

http://www.usedsails.com


SHORT TACKS

62

CORTEZ YACHT CLUB HOLDS FIRST MEETINGFor many years the Cortez Yacht Club has lived in the mindsand hearts of sailors in Cortez, Fl. On September 9, at the first“official” meeting, the dream of forming the club became re-ality. This first meeting was held at the Seafood Shack, wheremany of the new members keep their boats.Over the years informal races (and some informal partying)have been held periodically. George Carter, owner of CortezYacht Sales, was one of the main organizers instrumental intaking this group to the next level and creating the club. Fu-ture events and races are being planned. A permanent club-house is being discussed, although no plans have been for-malized at this point. For more information, contact Georgeat Cortez Yacht Sales at (941) 792-9100.

BRUCE SCHWAB ENTERS2004/2005 VENDEE GLOBE RACE

Bruce Schwab, the only American sailor in the “Open 60” oceanracing circuit, has officially announced his entry in the 2004/2005 Vendee Globe Race. “No American has ever officially fin-ished this event. Not only do I want to be the first Americanto finish it, the goal is to be on the podium.”

The Vendee Globe is a non-stop round the world race thatstarts on November 7th 2004 from Les Sables d’Olonne on thesouthwest coast of France. The sailors head into the waters ofthe Atlantic on a southerly course leading past South Africa’sCape of Good Hope before entering the perilous SouthernOcean. They then circumnavigate the Antarctic continent,rounding infamous Cape Horn before heading north for thefinish back where it started, in Les Sable d’Olonne.

Bruce’s boat, Ocean Planet, is the only American Open 60

and a departure from the other Open 60 designs in severalways. One example of his design team’s innovations is theboat’s rotating unstayed mast. Bruce points out, “Ocean Planetis already the first racing sailboat, single-handed or crewed,to complete an around the world race with an unstayed mast.Frankly, many thought it wouldn’t survive the race. But weproved them wrong. Our unstayed mast is nearly as light as aconventional one, and has a significantly lower center of grav-ity. It may seem radical, but it’s just one of the reasons she’sextremely reliable, durable and easy to handle which, as youcan magine, is a very big deal in a solo around the world race.”

Ocean Planet will be in Portland, Maine, over the winterto finish the upgrades for next fall’s race. “Some of our devel-opments will be hidden, but for the most part the project willbe open for public viewing. We’ll be indoors at our new baseat Portland Yacht Service all winter and will be launching oureducation program there.” http://www.everyocean.com/oceanplanet/

BRUCE KENDELL, 56, DIES IN PLANE CRASH,CLEARWATER, FL, AUG 21Bruce Kendell, well-known world class sailor who lived in theTampa Bay area, was killed recently in a small plane crashwhile on approach at Clearwater airport. A close friend andfellow sailor died in the crash. His 22-year old son was seri-ously injured.

Kendell was well-known as one of the pioneering giantsof the maxi class and was caption of three Kialoas in theSydney-Hobart Races in ’72, ’75 and ’77.

“Every now and then someone comes along and raisesthe bar. Bruce was one of those guys. He took the big boatscene to a new plateau. In the early glory days of the IOR hestarted preparing the boat in the most exquisite fashion. Inovernight racing he changed the way that the night fighterswere trained to get the most out of their boats 24 hours a day,”said David “Fang” Kilponen, who sailed with him.

Dick Neville, who crewed for 15 years aboard Kialoas forKendell commented, “He was a gifted seaman. He was only ayear older than us, but he seemed to have 20 years more expe-rience. He could do it all. During those years the three Ks -Kilroy, Kialoa and Kendell - were a devastating combination.With Jim and Ruce as watch captains we won a lot of racesand broke a lot of records in races all over the world.”

AMERICA’S CUP JUNKIES ALERT!: 2007 AMERICA’SCUP SHORT LIST NOW DOWN TO FOUR CITIESThe short list of four venues for the 32nd America’s Cup wasannounced recently. The 2007 race will be held in one of thefollowing four cities: Lisbon, Portugal, Marseille, France,Naples Italy, Valencia Spain. Palma de Mallorca in Spain wasrecently dropped from the list. The final decision on the loca-tion will be made by December 15.

BUSINESS BRIEFSSAILING LESSONS FOR WOMEN ONLY (COUPLES,TOO): NEW SAILING INSTRUCTION PROGRAMOPENS IN ST. PETERSBURGCapt. Josie Longo, who teaches ASA classes for Flagship Sail-ing in Clearwater, is now offering private classes for womenwho desire to learn on their own boat. Instruction is offered in

Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet. Rob Riley, Marine Pics.

http://www.bosunsupplies.com


the Tampa Bay area.Capt. Josie, who comes from a family of sailors, spent

five months cruising in the Bahamas. Most of this time wasspend singlehanding. She has also crewed in boats crossingthe Atlantic and into the South Pacific. She started sailing inSeattle and has cruised many of the waters of the PugetSound. In 1996, she moved to Florida and has been living onher sailboat for the last five years.

For more information call (727) 204-8850 or e-mail [email protected]. She will also be at the ASA booth at SailExpo St. Pete Nov. 6-9.

MASSEY ENTERPRISES, INC. BECOMESMAINSHIP DEALERMassey Enterprises, Inc. doing business as Massey Yacht Sales& Service has been named the full line Mainship Pilot andTrawler dealer for Florida’s West Coast. Massey is one of theoldest and most established full service yacht dealerships inthe Southeastern U.S. Massey has recently become a dealerfor the Hunter line of sailing yachts. They are a Caliber dealerand have been a major Catalina dealership for the past 18years. The Catalina, Hunter, Caliber and Mainship yachts arebuilt in Florida with a Mainship plant in Georgia and aCatalina plant in California as well. The Mainship Pilot se-ries ranges from 30' to 34’and includes Express and Sedanmodels. The Pilot downeaster-style picnic boats offer severalpackages including the new Rum Runner II, Luxury andSports series in single and twin diesels. The Mainship trawlerline includes a new 34, a popular 39, a new 40 and a proven43. All trawler models are offered in both single and twindiesel engine configurations. There are several more trawlermodels on the drawing board scheduled for introduction inthe near future.

Massey has been searching the pilot boat and trawlermarket for several years in an effort to find a power line com-patible with their large sailing customer base. As sailors reachan age that prompt them to contemplate power or those thatsimply desire to expand their yachting horizons need a trusteddealership to take care of their needs. “We are very excited aboutthe opportunity to be able to offer our 30,000 plus customerbase a yacht with so much proven success and value”, statesEdward Massey, President and CEO of Massey Enterprises,Inc. He went on to state that, “some of our yacht owners havedecided to explore trawler or picnic yachts and now we cancontinue our long term relationships”. Massey generates over15 million dollars in annual sales volume and should continueto grow with the addition of the Mainship line.

Mainship has become the largest American made trawlerand pilot boat manufacturer. They are part of the Luhrs group,which also include Hunter, Silverton and Luhrs yachts. TheMainship line is a leader in modern construction, downeastergood looks, and fuel-efficient cruising speeds. They offer theindustries best value for dollar.

Those searching for trawler or picnic yachts can inspectthe Mainships at the Regatta Pointe, Palmetto and the SaltCreek, St. Petersburg, Massey locations. The Massey servicedepartment is headquartered at their Palmetto location. TheMassey Mobile Marine team is available to extend warrantyand after sale service solutions at the yacht owners dock.

For more information, contact Edward Massey [email protected] or visit the website atwww.masseyyacht.com or call 941-723-1610.

OFFSHORE SAILING SCHOOL SCHEDULE OF CLASSES.CALL (888) 567-2211Oct. 19-25: Advanced Live Aboard Cruising Courses WestFlorida and The Keys. Sail from Captiva Island to Duck Key.

Oct. 26-Nov. 1: Advanced Live Aboard Cruising Courses WestFlorida and The Keys. Sail from Duck Key to St. Petersburg.

Nov. 6-9: Women’s You Can Sail Escape Week, South Seas Re-sort, Captiva. Learn to Sail, Performance Sailing, or Bareboat Cruis-ing Prep. A special weekend of non-stop learning for women.

Nov. 28-Dec. 7: Club Cruise British Virgin Islands for OffshoreGraduates.

18TH ANNUAL MORGAN RENDEZVOUSOCTOBER 4-5Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club will again be host for the18th Annual Morgan “Invasion” of sailboats designed by well-known designer and boatbuilder Charley Morgan. For more in-formation, call (727) 367-4511 or go to www.tityc.com/morgangreeting.htm.

WEST MARINE SEMINARS

St. Petersburg Store North, 2000 34th St. North; (727) 327-0072

What: GENERAL BOATING SEMINAR SERIESWhen: Every Thursday 7-9 PM Call the store for topics

Fort Lauderdale Store, 2300 So. Federal Highway (954) 527-5540

What: All Wednesday night seminars are FREE & beginpromptly at 7:00pm at our FlagShip Store - 2300 South FederalHighway in Fort Lauderdale. Please feel welcome to call us formore information anytime at 954-527-5540.

Tues. Oct. 1: To Be Announced. Please Call.Tues. Oct. 8: To Be Announced. Please Call.Tues. Oct. 15: To Be Announced. Please Call.Tues. Oct. 22: To Be Announced. Please Call.Tues. Oct. 29: Boat Refrigeration

(what works & what doesn’t) w/noted authorRichard Kollman

http://www.sailorsoap.com


VIEWS Continued from page 70

“Whoa! Perfect!” he exclaims.Finally, the catastrophe is over and the boat is miraculouslytied up safely for the night. The captain and you are settled inthe cockpit with potent sundowners. Suddenly a hapless sail-boat comes rushing in on the current. The panicked expres-sion on the first mate’s face is easily recognizable. Your headswivels and you spot the same dockhand sauntering towardthe last empty slip, which just happens to be right next door.The captain and you look at each other. You know what youhave to do. You jump off the boat and race to the empty slip,ready to do what you can to save your comrades from theevil grip of the dockhand, or at least minimize the damage toyour boat.

Of course, the whole time I’m thinking...“Please, please, please don’t throw the dock line to me!!”P.S. To all dockhands everywhere, I have realized that

the “evil dockhand” is a psychotic hallucination brought aboutby a fear of docking. The perceived evilness rapidly disap-pears the minute we are safely secured at the dock. Past andfuture muchas gracias to those who prevent imminent peril tolife, limb, and boat if left to their own devices.

Mary and Jeff Reid are currently on Agur’s Wish, their 40 footTashiba, in St. Augustine, FL, and plan on exploring more ofFlorida’s east coast before heading to the Bahamas for the winter.


http://www.cortezyachts.com


FREE CLASSIFIED ADSFREE CLASSIFIED ADS UNDER 30 WORDS FOR ALL PRIVATELY-OWNED BOATS,

GEAR AND PRIVATELY-OWNED DOCK/SLIPS FOR RENT.

Photos on free ads add $5. All photos must be sent electronically or the actual photo — no photocopies.Photos must be horizontal, not vertical, otherwise add $10. All ad text e-mailed must be in upper and lower case, not caps.

Every ad w/photo goes on the Web. Ad is cancelled after 3 months unless renewed.The last month your ad runs is in parentheses at the end of the ad. You must call by the 15th of that month to renew for another 3

months. Call (941) 795-8704, e-mail to [email protected], or mail to PO Box 1175 Holmes Beach FL 34218-1175.

YOU MUST MENTION THIS OFFER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE ADS.

All other classified ads are $20 for up to 20 words and $5 for each additional 10 words, $5 for a photo.All ads go on the Internet, and your Web site or e-mail address in the ad will be linked by clicking on it.

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

DISPLAYCLASSIFIEDS

Advertise your businessin a display ad in

the classifieds section.Sold by the column inch.

2 inches minimum.(3 column inches is 1/8 page)

Monthly Cost Minimum TotalAds Per Inch Inches Cost

12 $17 2" $346 $20 2" $403 $23 2" $461 $27 2" $54

Hunter 260 – New. Take the helm and plan yourcruise. This boat is ready to GO! Enclosed fullhead, complete galley, 2 double berths. Ownyour second home on the water. Ullman Sails/Sarasota Sailboats (941) 951-0189 [email protected]

Hunter 240 – New. EZ mast-raising system anda shallow draft make this centerboard boat simpleto trailer and rig. Daysail or cruise. Large cockpitfor entertaining and sleeping space for six. See itat Ullman Sails/Sarasota Sailboats (941) 951-0189 or [email protected]

’80 Buccaneer 22’ 4hp outboard, main, work-ing jib, 150% Genny. Chemical toilet. Very clean.Comes with slip. (727) 638-2339 (11/03)

29' Norwalk Island Sharpie Ketch, 1994Luzier Custom- built , Kirby Design, shown inApril 1998 Southwinds, Excellent Thin Water Per-formance, Bronze Ports, A/C, Many Extras, Re-duced $29,900 Call (941) 764 8904 (11/03)

Hunter 31 1986, Shoal Draft, secondowner,great Bahamas cruiser, ready to go again,lots of recent work, includes dinghy and out-board, $26,500. Located Melbourne, FL (404)236-0511 (11/03)

C&C 24 Built 1975. New Main, Old Main, 4 jibs& one Spinnaker. 5hp Mercury OB. $6000 OBO.Located near Gulfport MS (228) 452-7380 (11/03)

35' Island Packet 350 1997 Proven liveaboardcruiser. Well maintained. Setup for extended

cruising. More info and photos at:: http://home.mindspring.com/~pehler or (252) 671-0358 [email protected] (11/03)

Wavelength 24. Very good condition. Dry sailed.North main, 155, 3/4 spin, float-on trailer. Out-board. Near Atlanta. $7500. (404) 872-1934 (9/03)

’98 Hobie 13 Wave Excellent condition. $2,700includes trailer, beach wheels, and extras. (941)758-7276 Bradenton,FL (11/03)

79 Irwin 21' (Mini-Ton) Racer/Cruiser 2001 sails& trailer, lots of extras, great rating $5744.00Sanford, FL (407) 474-9336 (10/03)

38’ Island Packet 1990 Turn key, ready to cruiseanywhere. One of the best equipped cruisingboats you’ll find. Beautiful condition. Call fordetails. By Owner. Ft. Lauderdale. $155,000.(251) 458-9109. (10/03)

973 Albin Vega 27, 3’ 10” draft. Volvo 10 hpdiesel. R.F. Jib, full batten main w/lazy jacks.dodger, UHF, GPS, DF, knotmeter, excellent con-dition. Great sailer. $10,500, (239) 337-4977 (10/03)

Tayana 37 1986, Superb Condition, 106K USD,New rig, sails, furler, etc. Checkwww.camirand.net (10/03)

Brewer 12.8 1986.Excellent cruiser/live-aboard yacht. A TedBrewer design tocruise around theworld, fast. Has beenwell maintained and isin impressive condi-tion. Gen set, reefer/freezer, 4 1/2' draft,recent bottom job.

More photos atseacoastcharters.com.(727) [email protected]. (9/03

1

“In August, you began running an advertisement to sell my diesel engine in your classifieds section. I am pleased to advise you thatI have a buyer as a result of the advertisement. Please discontinue it. FYI, I have also had inquiries from West Africa and France asa result of the Internet ad you made available. I’m MAJOR impressed!! Thank you very much.” Capt C.T., St. Petersburg, FL




http://home.mindspring.com/~pehler



http://www.camirand.net

http://www.boatnames.net


$49,500. Private sale. Andrew (954) 524-4765,e-mail [email protected] (11/03)

FLYING SCOT Very attractively priced new boatsused only for the Adams Cup finals. Race-riggedand professionally tuned. Includes North Sailsmain, jib,spinnaker, and galvanized trailer Avail-able in late October at Lake Norman, NC. Fordetails Call (800)-864-7208 (12/03)

20’ Montego, sleeps 4, sink, bimini, roller furl-ing 155% Genny, 110% Jib, main, and 6hpYamaha, swing keel (weight 470 lead), trailer,depthfinder, compass, battery, “This boat sailslike a 30-foot boat.” $2850. (727) 784-5482. (10/03)

1986 Ranger 22, completely refurbished, wewmast and standing/running rigging, custom keel,custom interior, port-a-potty, new instruments,6 excellent sails, new spinnaker, fresh bottompaint, new hull paint, pocket cruiser/racer. CallMatt – Day (813) 988-6870, Ext. 213, or Eve-nings (813) 645-4423. (10/03)

US 21 1983Excellent asracer (PHRF194) ordaysailer withtrailer, main,working jib,150 genoa.Fresh-watersailed inGeorgia. (770)377-5141(10/03)

8’ Wooden Dinghy Excellent Condition. Oars &Oarlocks included. Sail, Tow or Row. $425 Tampa(813) 251 –5328 (10/03)

Soverel 33 1985 Excellent condition, Dry stored& sailed since 1986. Totally upgraded & refur-bished inside and out. Extremely fast race win-ner. w/ trailer. $46,000 invested asking $36,000(704) 489-0596 (10/03)

Farr 30 Updated & Harkenized. New Paint,Graphs, Rigging, Sails, Bottom. Includes Trailer.Pictures: www.rushteam.com. $17,000. 615-371-4700 (11/03)

Avon 10.1 Rib lite, 2002 with 2002 8hp Yamaha.Avong folds and bags for transport and storage.Both 40 hours use. $2100. St. Augustine, FL (904)471-8036 (11/03)

40' Tartan 1986, Electra, Excellent condition.

$200K firm. No Broker/Dealers. Leave Message(813) 932-3720 (11/03)

Gemini 3200 - 1993 32' catamaran. 14' beam,18"/5' draft, New Honda 25, 4 stroke, new 110/propane refrigerator, queen-size master berth,depth/knot/autopilot. North Carolina. Bruce(602) 826-6957. (11/03)

37' Morgan O.I. 1976, 4' draft.Excellent condi-tion and perfect for cruising/live-aboard! 50hpPerkins 401-8 diesel engine. 2001 electronicoverhaul. www.geocities.com/morgantampa/1$32,000. 813-758-2222. (11/03)

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

Beneteau 38 1990 model new genoa, Icom SSB,compass, inverter and more. Laying Tortola, BVI.$62,000. (305)-310-4653 [email protected] (10/03)

Catalina 36 1987 Freshwater til fall ’02. All newequipment to include A/P, wind, speed,wind,VHF, NEW batten main & 155 RF genoa,Electric windlass, dodger & bimini,[email protected], (850) 785-9211 (10/03)

2000 Elliott 770, 25' Excellent condition.Sportboat with little use and an interior forweekending. Full Race equipped. Triad trailer.Bottom by Waterline Systems. VC Offshore bot-tom. Sobstad mainsail, non-overlapping jib.Assymetrical spinnaker. $27,900. (678) 947-8875or email: [email protected] (11/03)

Ericson 38 1981 Good condition. Recently sur-veyed. Autohelm, refrigeration, dinghy w/ob,dodger, bimini, gps, 2 VHFs, roller furling justrebuilt, Nice interior, very fast comfortable cruiser/racer. West Florida, $55,900/OBO Cortez YachtSales (941) 792-9100 (10/03)

Ericson 39 1978 rebuilt 2002, surveyed. Allnew38 hp diesel, electrics, plumbing, windlass, au-topilot, canvas. Plus dinghy, o/board, etc

66



http://www.martekdavits.com

http://www.sailtime.com





67

1987 Nonsuch 22 6' standing headroom. Sleeps2 on wide double berth. Enclosed Head. One saildoes it all. Easy, easy, easy to sail! Simple andfast! The best single-hander ever made! $19,750.St. Pete Beach. Call Dave (727) 363-0858 (11/03)

1973 Oday 23 - Excellent condition, all sails,swing keel, new port-a-potty, sleeps 6, good sailor,8hp Yachtwin. $2800. 727 398-1664 (11/03)

Pearson 33 1986 hull #16 Draft 3’10' w/cb, per-fect for racing or cruising the shallow waters ofBahamas & Florida. a/c, davits, refrigerator, manyextras; documented, asking $41,[email protected]; [239] 549 2849 (11/03)

Compac Suncat New – huge cockpit with cabinfor 2. Shallow draft, rigs in minutes, a breeze to sail.A hassle-free adventure! We pay sales tax this month!Call Paul, Masthead Enterprises 727-327-5361.

1987 S2 9.1 30' Race/Cruise, 18 hp Yanmar, 650hrs, Bimini, Autohelm, 110V refrigerator, Harkenfurler, 150 and main are Dacron. 155, 95, andmain UK tape drive 2001, New Bottom $25,500.East Florida (321) 779-4464 (11/03)

Catalina 22 10hp, autohelm, gps, ladder, ff, com-pass, kt meter,vhf, am/fm, potty, bilge pump,solar, boom kicker, vang, trailer, new main,bimini, covers, hull paint, companionway, $4500850-678-4478 (11/03)

Avon Inflatable dinghy - 9ft. - 4 person - Oars,anchor, pump and accessories ....always storedinside. Very good condition - $600 call 813-817-0104 (12/03)

27 foot Catalina, roller furling jib, 8hp Honda,newer interior, new Bimini, depth/fish finder, VHFRadio, auto and manual bilge pumps, dinettemodel, in water, $6500 Call Ken 727-327-1813(12/03)

Glass Bottom Boat-25ft tour vessel. Built 1997in Nova Scotia. ’99 Honda 130hp OB. Eight 2'X 2' glass windows w/steel safety hatches. Shal-low draft. Pristine condition. $45,000 USD.(902) 354-3610 (12/03)

41' Gulfstar ketch 1973 cruising equipped, readyto go. 2002 - 10 barrier coats and Strataglassenclosed bimini, lived aboard 14 years, sellingmedical reasons, photos, details: $55,000www.shevard.com (904)284-9986 X2040 (12/03)

1986 ENDEAVOUR 33ft, Yanmar, R/F, A/P, GPS,VFH, Propane, SSB, Davits, Dodger, AC, RIB w/OB, asking $47,300 OBO,see at www.geocities.com/captaincarrier/ourboat.html

e-mail [email protected], orcall 727-821-3922. (12/03)

27' Hunter, Yanmar diesel runs well, shore power,aircond, bow & stern pulpits, dbl lifelines, $5,900Miss. Coast [email protected] (12/03)

1984 Hunter 27 well maintained sailboat, wheelsteering, roller furling and inboard diesel engine.9’3' beam and 6’1' headroom. Second ownerfrom new. Moored at St. Pete Marina. Asking$12,950 - call 813-817-0104 (12/03)

Hunter 33 1980,4' draft,sleeps 6,roller furling,diesel, electronics, A/C. New:refrigeration,Autohelm, 100 amp alternator, charger, freshpaint.Coast Guard inspected.Pristine! $25,000.(941)235-1890 (12/03)

1984 J29 Masthead/Inboard diesel. New bottom,new sails plus delivery sails. VHF, CD, Auto pilot,battery charger, knotmeter, depth, sailcomp, allsafety gear and much more.$24,500 call Jeff (251) 533-7906. (12/03)

1976 Ranger 23', tall mast model, 5HP mercury,nice sail selection. Boat is in excellent shape. Lo-cated in Houston Clear Lake area. Price $4500!Call Jim at 713-301-0838. (12/03)


http://[email protected]

http://www.shevard.com

http://www.geocities.com/captaincarrier/ourboat.html



http://www.flyingscot.com


Best Prices – Solar panels,wind generators, chargecontrollers, deep cyclebatteries, solar panel and windgenerator mounting hardware.Authorized dealer for Siemens, Kyocera,Solarex, and Uni-Solar solar panels, Air Marinewind generator, Deka, Trojan, and Surrette deepcycle batteries.™ Toll free (877) 432-2221www.e-marine-inc.com

IN-VEST

Responsible, honest, licensed contractor, well-ex-perienced in high-quality homes, seeks like-minded investor to finance and partake in build/remodel projects in Manatee County or nearby .Must be interested in doing something for fun,interesting projects & making money. (941)795-8711 (12/03)

Steve Smith Marine Rigging Services Used gearand chandlery. See display ad in Index of Adver-tisers. (727) 823-4800

Marine Electrical Service, Chartering & Deliv-eries 50 ton master, Gulf of Mexico, located Ala-bama, References, Captain Larry Dorich (251)605-6612 (10/03)

Marine Electrical: Thomas Marine Engineer-ing Electrical systems analysis & repair, electron-ics installations, galvanic & stray current corro-sion surveys, complete vessel rewire specialists,all work done to A.B.Y.C. standards, St. Peters-burg, (727) 480-8519, E-mail: [email protected](10/03)

(Largo)

NEW & USED

SSMR INC., Our Rigging Shop introduces thenew State-of-the-Art HOOD 808 Furler! Fits5/16”-3/8” dia.headstay wire up to 56’. Hun-dreds le$$ than the competition for comparableunits, only $1650! Including free sail installation!We are the standing and running rigging spe-cialists for all your cruising and racing needs.Licensed and insured. Call (727) 823-4800 orfax (727) 823-3270 “a cruiser friendly shop”[email protected] (12/03)

68

dwyermast.com • Masts • Booms • Hardware • Rigging

DWYERAluminum Mast Co.203-484-0419

CLASSIFIEDS

28' Lindenberg, 1983. Excellent all around raceboat. Refurbished in 2000. New mast, rigging,main & #2. 5 Sails, Tuff Luff, Cushions, Potti. AllRace Equipment Included. Faired bottom. Drysailed. Trailer included. $13,500. Call Paul (727)327-5361 or (727) 576-2424 (12/03)

Newport 27 Sailboat - 1976 Great Condition.Sail the Coast and the Caribbean in style. NewSails, Radar, DGPS, Autohelm, Windpilot, ColorSounder, Atomic 4. Pensacola, FL 850 393-7009http://www.net5.com/newport27 (12/03)

38' ALUMINUM S&S Design SloopBuilt 1972, by Minnefords. Owned/raced by TedTurner in 1973 Admirals Cup. Converted toliveaboard. [email protected], for pictures, info. (12/03)

Tartan 34 1971 Very good condition. Wellequipped for cruising or racing. New inflatable.All included. $14,000. Ken (239) [email protected] (12/03)

Davis Maritime - Professional Accredited Sur-veys– see display ad in the index of advertisers.(727) 323-9788; e-mail:[email protected]

Looking for a Mark I or Mark II Hirondelle cata-maran in good condition.Please [email protected]

Colorful Books About Sailing the Bahamas andCaribbean. The Virgin islands Illustrated; SailingThrough Paradise (covering the Bahamas thru theVirgins); Wreck and Resurrection (sailboat repair);Alphabet Sea (ages 3-8). Package deals. TortugaBooks. (800) 345-6665.

Ocean Routing – Jenifer Clark’s Gulf Stream BoatRouting/Ocean Charts by the “best in the busi-ness.” (301) 952-0930, fax (301) 574-0289 or www.erols.com/gulfstrm

Pier 17 Charts & PublicationsDMA-NOAA-TOPOS-NTM-Textbooks. South’slargest nautical store at 4619 Roosevelt Blvd.,Jacksonville, FL 32210. (904) 387-4669 (800)332-1072 Fax (904) 389-1161

Sabre Sails is expanding its dealer network. Ifyou are interested in a rewarding business with afun side, call (850) 244-0001 or [email protected]

Visit Southwinds new boat and crewlisting ser-vice at southwindssailing.com

Visit Southwinds new boat and crewlisting ser-vice at southwindssailing.com

SeaTech Systems – Computerized navigation &communication. Call for free Cruiser’s Guide tothe Digital Nav Station and CAPN demo disk.(800) 444-2581 or (281) 334-1174,[email protected], www.sea-tech.com

Dinghy davits, OB motor lock, and other gear.Island Marine Products. See display ad in Indexof Advertisers (727) 698-3938


http://[email protected]


http://www.erols.com/gulfstrm

http://www.e-marine-inc.som






http://www.sea-tech.com

http://www.dwyermast.com




http://www.net5.com/newport27

http://www.defender.com



Sail Covers & More!Best Prices Ever

for Custom-Made CanvasBuy Online or by Phone & Save $$

Highest Quality & Satisfaction GuaranteedFamily Owned & Operated

For more information and to seeour products & pricing go to

www.sailcovers.net(800) 213-5167

69

Wheels CustomLeathered –Satisfactionguaranteed, 1 yearwarranty. Free turkshead. Over 100satisfied customerslast year. ContactRay Glover atSunrise Sails Plus(941) 721-4471 [email protected]

Dripless PackingProven high-techpropeller and rudderpacking that outlasts allother packings and isvirtually dripless. Easy toinstall. Bilges stay dry.Won’t damage shafts.Economical. Dealerinquiries welcome. TollFree (877) 432-2221 orwww.e-marine-inc.com

Whisker Pole. AMOC Marine.15' extends to 25'.3" tube,2 1/2" line control inner tube.For up to40' boats. $500 OBO. L.Miniati (813) [email protected] (10/03)

TIRALO floating deck chair - a beach chair thatfloats in water and rolls easily on the sand. Looksgreat. Folds and fits on your boat or inside yourcar. More info: www.oasisllc.com [email protected]

NissanOutboard

Motor shortshaft. Two

cylinder, worksperfectly!

Asking $500,call (813)817-0104

Two Maxwell winches, 3 1/4H by 2 1/4D. Bothfor $100. New heavy duty spinnaker car withtrack. $100. (850) 932-6742 (12/03)

Office and warehouse space available for leaseto marine related businesses. Great for boat bro-kers or sales representatives. High speed internetaccess. JSI (727) 577-3220

Will the woman who got my name off a restroomwall in Panama City please stop calling me on mycell phone. While I like all the things that you havesuggested that we do together – maybe withoutthe handcuffs – I do not have the money rightnow to sail my boat up to meet you. Neither do Ihave the time. It would take a month, anyway.The things that you say to me on the phone, how-ever, are keeping me up all night. The fact thatyou used to work as a nude stunt motorcycle riderin carnival sideshows does carry a certain cachet,I will admit. But the super glue and lottery ticketidea sounds a little weird. I mean, what if one ofthe tickets was a winner? How would I redeemit? If any girls have cool ideas, send pictures andfinancial statement to:[email protected].

USED SAILS SAVE $$$1000s of headsails, mains & spinnakers. We shipeverywhere, satisfaction guaranteed. We also buysails. Sail Exchange. (800) 628-8152. 407 Fuller-ton Ave. Newport Beach CA 92663www.sailexchange.com See Display ad in Indexof Advertisers

Hong Kong Sail MakersCruising Sail Specialists TopQuality, Best Price Delivery2 - 3 Weeks (852) 2789 1938(852) 2789 3155 (FAX)E-mail: [email protected]

Ponce de Leon HotelHistoric downtownhotel at the bay,across from St.Petersburg YC.95 Central Ave.St. Petersburg, FL33701(727) 550-9300

FAX (727) 826-1774 www.poncedeleonhotel.com

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Aqua Graphics 65Atlantic Sails 61Banks Sails 66Beneteau Sailboats BCBeta Marine 40Bitter End YC Regattas 6Bluewater Insurance 13Bluewater Sailing Supply 33Boaters Exchange 33BoatUS Marine Stores 37Bob and Annie’s Boatyard 30Bo’sun Supplies 62Bubba Book 45Capt. Josie Sailing School 65Carson/Beneteau BCCDI/Perfect Pitch 59Charleston Boat Works J/Boats 10Cortez Yacht Sales 64Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina 43Cruising Direct Sails 24Daufuskie Island Resort 21Davis Maritime Surveying 55Defender Industries 68Dockside Radio 26Don’s Salvage 28Dwyer mast 68Eastern/Beneteau BCFinish Line Multihulls 38First Patriot Insurance 51Flagship Sailing Charters 21Flying Scot Sailboats 67Ft. Pierce Yacht Club 16,54,67Fujinon 43Garhauer Hardware 11Glacier Bay Refrigeration 46Grin Designs/Scully 34Harken Gear 17Hong Kong Sailmakers 56Hotwire/Fans and other products 47Hunter Sailboats 19Isla Del Sol Resort & Marina 22Island Marine Products 34J/Boats, Charleston Boat Works 10JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 44, 58Martek Davits 66Massey Yacht Sales 9,16,20,27,31,53,54,IBCMasthead Enterprises 33Melbourne YC Fall Regatta 7Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau BCNational Sail Supply 59Nautical Trader 57North Sails 12Pasadena Marina 35Performance Sail & Sport 14Quantum Pure-Aire 38RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 38Rparts Refrigeration 46Sabre Sails 43Sail Covers & More 69Sail Exchange/Used Sails 57Sail Expo St. Pete/Sail America 3Sailboat Row/Salt Creek Marine District 14Sailor’s Soap 42,45,63Sarasota Youth Sailing Program 64Sailtime 66Schurr Sails 55Scurvy Dog Marine 49Sea School 28Sea Tech 50ShadeTree 38Smooooth Sailing School 40Snoop Sails & Canvas 48Snug Harbor Boats 44SSMR 54St. Barts/Beneteau BCSt. Petersburg YC Fall Races 25Suncoast Inflatables 29Surrette (Rolls) Batteries 22Tackle Shack 22Tartan, C&C of Florida 12Terra Nova Trading Key West Race 15UK Sails 25Ullman Sails 6US Spars 17Weathermark Sailing 23West Marine IFCWhitney’s Marine 41Windcraft Catamarans 43Yachting Vacations 10

http://www.sailcovers.net


http://www.e-marine-inc.com



http://www.sailexchange.com

http://www.oasisllc.com



http://www.poncedeleonhotel.com

70 September 2003 Southwinds www.southwindssailing.com

VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Nobody told me that when we bought a boat, I wassupposed to magically transform into some kind ofsuperwoman. You know, the “able to leap tall build-

ings in a single bound and stop runaway freight trains” kindof gal. Except in my case, I was expected to spring onto arickety old dock from a moving boat and stop our 15-tonboat from crashing into said dock with its attending fleet ofshiny boats and their very interested crews. This is a prettytall order for a girl whose adolescent athletic prowess con-sisted of a fervently whispered, “Please don’t let the ball cometo me. Please! Please! Please!” In fact, the only thing I likeabout long trips is the fact we don’t have to dock. If the cap’ndidn’t insist on docking every now and then to get fuel, weprobably would have already completed a couple of circum-navigations.

Before we bought our boat, we had never had the op-portunity to practice docking. We had taken several char-ters, and while they never explicitly said we couldn’t docktheir boats, the fact that they drove their boats out of the dockat the beginning of the charter and then came out in a launchand brought the boats back in at the end of the charter was abig hint. We didn’t mind; we liked it that way. Now if wecould just get somebody to do that with our own boat.

It doesn’t help that my docking history has a rather aus-picious beginning. It should have been simple! It was slacktide and we were told to tie up at the end of a T-dock. It waseven slack water. Perfect for a first-timer. I was nervous buteager as I stood at midships with bowline in hand. I kept myeyes trained on the dock of which we were slowly comingalongside.

“Closer.”“Closer.”“Not yet, just a little bit closer”“NOW!!”I took the leap. Gracefully (I’m sure), I arced to the dock.

Softly, I landed on the balls of my feet. I wobbled. I steppedback with my left foot. (We’ll have to take points off for that.)The right foot soon followed and found nothing but air.

“Too much momentum,” I muttered as I dangled fromthe bowline on the other side of the dock. Although I de-spaired of ever winning the gold medal in the dockingolympics, the ever-present observers of all things asinine be-stowed upon me the honorary title of “Lady GoDiving.” Iwould like to clarify that I was wearing clothes that day.

Early on in our sailing days we were assured by old saltsthat docking would be no problem because of those “omni-present” dockhands. We soon found out that their presenceis only felt between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and itseems they are bestowed with the same passive-aggressivesense of humor that you usually find in bridge tenders, butthat’s another story. You know the routine. It goes somethinglike this:

About an hour away from docking...“Marina Anywhere, Marina Anywhere. Agur’s Wish...”

The answer comes quickly and clearly.“Vessel calling Marina Anywhere, this is Marina Anywhere.How can I help you, Cap?”After you state your desire for a prestigious spot at their

beautiful marina, you are soothingly assured that your requestwill be granted if you just call back when you get a little closer.

Fifteen minutes away from the marina...“Marina Anywhere, Marina Anywhere. Agur’s Wish...”Dead silence...You repeat, “Marina Anywhere, Marina Anywhere. Agur’s

Wish...”Faintly you hear, “Vessel ‘crackle, crackle.’ This is ‘static,

static, garble, garble’.”“Marina Anywhere, this is Agur’s Wish. We have reserva-

tions tonight at your marina. Can you give us directions to thedock?”

With handheld plastered to your ear you can barely hear.“Keep going on your current heading until you reach

‘crackle snap pop’ dock. Your slip is the ‘static, static’ dock onthe ‘crackle, buzz’ side.”

“I’m sorry; I can’t hear you. Could you repeat what yousaid?” you implore, a little desperately.

“You’ll need a ‘crackle, crackle, snap’ side tie-up.”“Will there be somebody there to help us with our lines?”

The response is clear this time.“Oh, yeah. There’ll be somebody there to, ‘snicker, snicker’

help you, all right.”Now the real fun begins. You dash for the binoculars and

frantically begin searching for either a sign from God or a guyin khaki shorts and Ray Bans nonchalantly waving his handheldat you.

Finally, you spot him (not God, the guy in the Ray Bans).He summons you forward, casually indicating your intendeddock. He watches coolly as you race to tie dock lines and attachfenders. Just as you finish securing the last fender, his lips curlin a cruel little smile.

“Oh, by the way, this is a stern-in-only dock,” he says.As the captain tries to explain to the unconcerned dockhand

that your boat doesn’t drive well in reverse, you frantically raceto untie and retie dock lines and detach and reattach fenders.Meanwhile the captain is busy trying to convince the butt endof your boat that it’s supposed to go into the slip, and as usualit’s acting like the stubborn ass it is and is instead heading forthe bowsprit of the boat in the next slip.

All the while, the evil guardian angel dockhand is keepingwatch with his benevolent smile. Finally, much like a cat with adead mouse, he tires of playing with you.

“Oh, all right, I guess you can come in bow first,” he re-lents.

Once more you do the fender/dockline shuffle while heguides the captain to bring the bow in closer....closer...keepcoming...Crash!

The Fender/Dockline ShuffleBy Mary Reid

Please see VIEW on page 64

Southwindsoctober2003

Documents

setwith couponoffer

yacht selection

c land sea packagemodel

prices good

floridas west coast

floridas largest hunter

pocket wind metermodel

professional bosuns