Ocean Navigator ON 191 Jan/Feb 2011

www.OceanNavigator.com

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR 1www.oceannavigator.com

DepartmentsChartroom Chatter 4 KendallcompletesfirstsoloofNorthwest

Passage 5 GiroirecompetesinRouteduRhumrace 6 AnewfusionschoonerfromCoveyIsland 7 SchoolshipOliver Hazard Perry

receivesgrant 8 Boatsandbombers 9 NotableNewTitles 10 ProductNews

Marine Tech Notes 12 Electricandhybriddrivesbecomeanoption

by Tim Queeney

Power Voyaging 14 Servicingyourelectricanchorwindlass by Harry Hungate

Correspondence 18 TransitingtheKielCanal 20Survivalsuitsversusaliferaft? 22 DynexDuxriggingontheyawlArcturus

26 Adefenseoftherunningfix

Voyaging Tips 51 Powdercoatingtamesthehead

by Peter Stoops

Nav Problem 56 TaniaAebicircumnavigates

by David Berson

ContentsIssue #191 January/February 2011

On the cover: JohnSteeleandAlanHutchinsonaboardthenewCoveyIslandBoatworksschoonerFarfarerduringseatrialsintheLeHaveRiver,NovaScotia.PhotobyCoveyIslandBoatworks.

FeaturesOcean Voyaging28 The dictates of weather

UsinglocalknowledgeforasuccessfulupwindpassagetoArubaby Carolyn and Bob Mehaffy

Special Section35 World wide weather

Frommetricunitstoisobarfrequency:differencesinweatherproductsandhowtointerpretthemby Ken McKinley

42 Dealing with the ITCZAcasestudyonapassagefromPanamatotheGalápagosby Jeff Williams

For more on voyaging, follow us on:

www.facebook.com/oceannavigatorwww.twitter.com/oceannavmag

9

4

35

22

28

2 OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 www.oceannavigator.com

contributors

BUSINESS / CIRCULATION

All DepArtments: 207-772-2466fAx: 207-772-2879

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EDITORIAL

WEBSITE

ADVERTISING/MARKETING

[email protected]

EDiTOr Tim Queeney

COPY EDiTOr Larissa Dillman

ArT DirECTOr Kim Goulet Norton

CONTriBuTiNg EDiTOrS Scott Bannerot

Twain Braden

John Snyder

Nigel Calder

Steve C. D’Antonio

Eric Forsyth

Chuck Husick

Jeff & Raine Williams

David Berson

[email protected]

WEST COAST/CANADA

iNTErNATiONAl Susan W. Hadlock

MiDWEST / gulF / FlOriDA Bruce Cole

EAST COAST Charlie Humphries

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ADVErTiSiNg DirECTOr Alex Agnew

BuSiNESS MANAgEr Doreen Parlin

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FiNANCE/PArTNEr Michael Payson

PuBliSHEr iNTErACTiVE MEDiA Tony Napolitano

WEBMASTEr David Brunt

ISSN 0886-0149Ocean Navigator is published in January, March, May, July, September, October and November, with an annual special issue of Ocean Voyager in April, for $27.95 per year by Navigator Publishing LLC, 58 Fore St., Portland, ME 04101.Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Maine, and additional mailing offices.

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Andy Schell (Correspondence, “Dynex Dux rigging on the yawl Arcturus,” page 22) is a USCG Master Mariner, holds a RYA Yachtmaster Oceans certification and has worked as a yacht rigger at Southbound Cruis-ing Services in Annapolis. Schell and his fiancé Mia Karlsson purchased Arcturus, their 35-foot yawl, in the spring of 2008 and intend to sail her towards Stockholm, Mia’s home city, via the northern route from Nova Scotia to Ireland, after their wedding in July 2011. Andy and Mia work as a team delivering yachts and teaching sailing, and also work for the World Cruising Club for their ARC rally and other events. Andy’s writing appears regularly in several sail-ing publications. Follow their progress and contact them at fathersonsailing.com.

Ned Cabot (Correspondence, “Transiting the Kiel Canal,” page 18) is a retired surgeon from Boston who voy-ages extensively aboard his J46 Cielita. He has taken Cielita to Greenland and endured a storm in the Denmark Strait before sailing on to Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. He has also crossed the North Sea and explored Norway, ventured up to Spitsbergen, inves-tigated the shores of the Baltic and passed through the Kiel Canal. Cabot is on the board of directors of Sailors for the Sea, an ocean environmental group composed of recreational mariners.

Jeff Williams (Special Section,”Dealing with the ITCZ,” page 42) and his wife Raine completed a six-year circumnavigation aboard their J/40 Gryphon (www.j40.org). Starting in 1998, they sailed 40,000 miles, visiting more than 25 countries along the way. After returning from their globe-circling voyage, Jeff was involved in oceanographic research while Raine managed a marina. They refitted Gryphon in North Carolina and Tortola, departed once again and after going through the canal are currently en route to New Zealand.


BY JOHn snYDer

Home in new Zealand after an epic journey, Graeme Ken-dall returned to Auckland after 28,000 nm of solo sailing. Most notable about the Kiwi sailor’s circum-navigation was his history-making first solo voyage through the Arctic’s North-west Passage and non-stop route from Nuuk, Green-land, to New Zealand.

Kendall’s voyage through the passage was the second stage of his journey following a first leg that covered nearly 18,000 nm of ocean over a period of four months.

Kendall completes first solo of Northwest Passage

ChatterChartroom

Kendall’s 28,000-nm east

to west circumnavigation

is a course that has never

been sailed solo before.

Despite the mostly ice-free

waters of the Northwest

Passage, bergs like these

present a very real hazard

to navigation.

A successful voyage, this is

Kendall’s second attempt

at the Northwest Passage.

in 2005 he was thwarted

by ice.

<<

His voyage through the North-west Passage began in Lancaster Sound on August 27 ended 12 days later when he exited at Point Barrow, Alaska, on Sep-tember 9. The trip covered 2,300 nm — a shortened version of the passage through Victoria Strait was feasible only because of the lack of ice and the accurate forecasting of ice move-

ment thanks to GPS satel-lite technology. From Point Barrow Kendall headed south through the Bering Strait bound non-stop for his home in Auckland. On October 27, he was greeted by family, friends and sup-porters to celebrate his record-setting journey.

After Kendall’s 2005 effort to sail the passage

was thwarted by ice he sold his 41-foot boat, Astral Express, in Nuuk with the understanding that if he ever wanted to try the passage again the new owner would make the boat available to him for a second try. The sec-ond time certainly proved to be the charm.

Co

urt

esy

Joel

Ken

dal

l


2010, roughly 900 miles from the Azores. He was picked up by the merchant ship CMA CGM. Giroire qualified for the prestigious race after completing 1,000 nm of single-handed sailing aboard ATNinc.

The race began on Oct. 31 in Saint Malo, France, and finished in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles.

Sailing a Walter Greene-designed trimaran, Giroire was one of 85 sailors com-peting in the 9th Route du Rhum which featured two multi-hull classes and three single-hull classes.

One of the world’s most challenging single-handed ocean races, the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale 2010, put this group of some of today’s most expe-rienced sailors to the test as they single-handed the 3,543-nm ocean course.

etienne Giroire, president of sailinG equipment manufac-turer ATN, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and an OSTAR veteran was the only American compet-ing in the 2010 Route du Rhum race. Unfortunately, Giroire was forced to retire from the race when his 40-foot trimaran ATNinc.com capsized on Nov. 13,

giroire competes in route du rhum race

Franco-American skip-

per Etienne giroire was

uninjured when his 42-foot

trimaran capsized in a

squall 1,500 miles from

guadeloupe. giroire was

able to deploy his life raft

and stayed alongside his

boat until he was rescued

by a cargo ship.

<<

Co

urtesy A

tnin

c.

6 OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

feet, four inches long with a much simpler rig, but when compared to Maggie B no power or speed were sacrificed in the trade.

The hull profile is similar to Maggie B. It has a relatively shallow full keel and hydrauli-cally controlled center-board. Above the water-line, the hull is every bit an ocean racer with a fine bow entry, full stern and straight and power-ful run aft. Unlike Mag-gie B, the boat has an outboard rudder.

The rig has changed dramatically. While a schooner rig, Farfarer’s two carbon fiber masts

followinG tHe loss of franK Blair’s scHooner Maggie B in the tragic Covey Island boatyard fire in August 2008, the yacht’s replace-ment, the so called “fusion schooner” named Farfarer, had its first sail

on Oct. 14, 2010.Blair’s new boat,

built at Covey Island’s new facility in Nova Scotia, Canada, and designed by Nigel Irens, who also designed Mag-gie B, is named for

A new fusion schooner from Covey island

are free standing and feature modern racing style square headed, full battened sails by North Sails that rotate on bear-ings fabricated by Ted Van Dusen of Composite Engineering — the same bearings used in Boeing 747 tail sections.

Like Maggie B, Farfarer is built from mostly sal-vaged Douglas Fir. The hull is strip-built compos-ite sheathed in glass and epoxy.

It is unclear what Blair’s plans are once work has been completed on Farfarer, but one thing is for sure — they will be

ambitious. A cat schoo-ner, fusion schooner, call it what you will, but Blair’s new boat will be setting a new standard for design and performance and turning heads wher-ever Farfarer takes him.

Frank Blair’s new “fusion”

schooner Farfarer on sea

trials in Nova Scotia.

Although a bit smaller

than Maggie B, Farfarer is

just as powerful. The new

schooner features a mas-

sive outboard rudder and

modern square headed

sail on rotating carbon

fiber masts.

<<

Co

urtesy m

ark Do

ucette/C

ovey Islan

d

Farley Mowat’s book chronicling the Norse exploration of North America. This is Covey Island Boatworks’ first new build since the fire and has been a techni-cally challenging and exciting project.

After a successful circumnavigation with the 62-foot Maggie B, Blair, always the vision-ary, returned with many new ideas, many of which have now been realized in Farfarer. The new boat is slightly smaller at 57

ChatterChartroom

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR 7

BanKnewport Has contriB-uted $10,000 to oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) in sup-port of the organization’s new headquarters at the historic Buliod-Perry House on Washington Square, in Newport, R.I. In 2008, the bank granted the non-profit organiza-tion $25,000 to help with the acquisition and design planning for the school ship, Oliver Hazard Perry.

“BankNewport is proud to help our new neighbor establish a presence on his-toric Washington Square,” said BankNewport Presi-dent & CEO Thomas W. Kelly. Kelly recently joined OHPRI Chair Bart Dun-bar and Vice-Chair Perry Lewis for a tour of the new office, which occupies the Newport Restora-tion Foundation building (circa 1750) and has ties to the ship’s namesake Oliver Hazard Perry. “It is our hope that the Bank’s support will inspire other

contributions of support for OHPRI,” continued Kelly. “We commend their dedication to commission-ing the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry to teach education-at-sea programs to Rhode Island area youth.”

The steel hull of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, which was acquired by OHPRI in 2008, is currently at Promet Marine Services in Providence, R.I. Once com-pleted, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will sail as a 207-foot three-masted, square rig-ger. Perry will be the largest privately owned, active tall ship in America.

The ship is named for Newport’s War of 1812 naval hero Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and will be owned and operat-ed for the people of Rhode Island by OHPRI. She will be based in Newport, serve America and sail the world as an ambassador of Rhode Island.

For more information visit www.OHPRI.org.

School ship Oliver Hazard Perry receives grant

OHPri Chair Bart Dunbar,

BankNewport President &

CEO Thomas W. Kelly and

OHPri Vice-Chair Perry lewis

celebrate the organization’s

new home on Newport’s

Washington Square.

<<

lifeline25v 11/8/10 8:50 AM Page 1


ChatterChartroom

every otHer octoBer tHe naval air station in Jack-sonville, Fla., opens its cloistered gates to the public for a free air show. This year a record 277,000 people crowded onto the base to get a close look at various 20th century aircraft and to witness spectacular aerobatic demonstrations by military and civilian

Boats and bombersperformers, and a truck that goes 300-miles per hour. It is always a very good week-end for the city.

But thousands of attend-ees chose to ditch their cars and sailed their boats to the show, dropping anchor at the end of the main runway and enjoying the show from their cockpit or fore-deck. For two days planes

www.oceannavigator.com

roared past at just over mast height, with a grand finale by the Blue Angels and their heart-pounding, bone-shaking display of precision flying (note to self: next year bring earplugs). This year the weather was perfect and what had to be the largest flotilla ever on the St. Johns River — everything from luxury yachts to kay-aks — was in attendance. n

Robert Beringer

OCEAN AVIGATORN BLOG

Running Fixthe safety gear works and the racer is plucked from danger. Sidney Gavig-net, a racer in the recent Route de Rhum yacht race, was forced to call for

help using his Iridium sat phone. He was picked up by a commercial ship.” Visit the blog at: www.oceannavigator.com/running_fix.

FrOM Running Fix, THE On BlOg

Notable New Titles

My Yacht Designs and the lessons They Have Taught MeBy Chuck Paine2010, ChuckPaine.com LLCHardcover, 272 pages Available from www.chuckpaine.com

There are few modern designers that have influenced the American yacht the way Chuck Paine has. Power or sail, his hand has come to define a proper yacht and has set the standard for off-shore passagemakers.

His new, self-published book is part autobiography and part

treatise on yacht design — but it is mostly an oppor-tunity to visit with Paine as he shares his philosophy of what makes a good yacht and the lessons that he learned throughout his extraordinary career.

The book is filled with personal yarns, self-depre-

cating humor, spectacular photography and common-sense advice for anyone with a pas-sion for yachts and yachting. Whether you

never met Paine or know him well, My Yacht Designs is an opportunity to get to know him and his iconic designs even better.

From Algiers to New Eng-land to the coast of France, William Hammond’s new novel, For Love of Country, is a fast-moving work of meticulously researched maritime historical fiction. The novel chronicles three years in the life of Rich-ard Cutler, a charismatic young American privateer as he is challenged by Barbary Coast pirates, the French Revolution and the British Admiralty in the late 18th century.

Cutler crisscrosses the Atlantic while a young nation begins to find its

For love of Country By William C. Hammond2010, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MDHardcover, 239 pages

way in the world as old Euro-pean mon-archies begin to waver and lose control over the seas. Hammond weaves John Paul Jones, Horatio Nel-son and Thomas Jefferson into the narrative with tireless attention to detail and striking character development.

The result is a real page-turner that holds its own with the best of maritime literature.


Stop by our blog, Run-ning Fix. Here’s an excerpt: “An ocean racer needing rescue in mid-ocean is always bad news. But if there is a bright side, it’s that

10 OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 www.oceannavigator.com www.oceannavigator.com

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videocaptureinMPEG4format.An

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recordselevation,location,route,

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Tacktick,thewirelesselectronics

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mentsystem,theT038,comprisedof

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TheT038displayshavelarge

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New wireless performance instruments package

AutoAnchor can display on Garmin GMI 10AccordingtoAutoAnchor,itslatest

versionofAutoAnchorcanfreeup

valuableconsolespace.TheAutoAn-

chorblackboxsystemprovidesthe

anchoringinformationdirectlytothe

GarminGMI10multi-instrumentdis-

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unit.Theblackboxisinstalledclose

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sensorsononescreen,theGMI10

improvesupontraditionalinstallations

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NewZealandformorethan10years,

AutoAnchormakeschaincounters

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releasedin2010includecableremote

controlsforwindlasses,davits,thrust-

ersandothermarineequipmentplus

theAA730,acableremotewithchain

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visibilityisnotclearfromthehelm

andthechaincountinginformation

isrequiredduringwindlassopera-

tion.Itcanbepluggedinrightnext

tothewindlassforeaseofoperation.

Ifhookedintotheblackboxsystem

withaGarminGMI10thentheinfor-

mationwillbedisplayedatthehelm

also.Formoreinformation:www.

autoanchor.co.nz.

DigitalYachthassignedanagreement

touseNavionics’cartographyasthe

chartingdataforitsnewnavigation

system,BOATraNET.Thedealwas

announcedatthisweek’sMarine

EquipmentTradeShow(METS)inthe

Netherlands.

BOATraNETisanonboardwire-

lesswebserverthattakesdatafrom

existingnavigationsystemsviaNMEA

andmakesitavailabletoanydevice

thatincorporatesawebserver—for

instance,iPad,PC,Mac,Androidor

smartphone.Theproductistomake

itsofficiallaunchattheLondonInter-

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ment.Formoreinformation:www.

digitalyacht.co.uk.

Digital Yacht to use Navionics cartography

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As electric and hybrid cars gain wider acceptance on

the road, electric and hybrid drives are also gaining a foot-hold in the boating world. At the recent Annapolis Sailboat Show this past October, for example, Hunter Marine introduced an all-electric aux-iliary sailboat, the Hunter 27e, while Beta Marine displayed a diesel-electric hybrid engine designed to be plug compatible with a standard small diesel. These are just two examples of what seems to be an increas-ing acceptance of electric and

hybrid power systems.The Hunter 27e looks like

any other 27-foot

auxil-iary sailboat, except for the “e” and

the green leaf painted on the hull.

Those telltale signs indicate an electric motor perched where ordinarily you’d find the stan-dard small diesel engine. The 27e comes equipped with an EP-1000 electric motor from Elco Electric Propulsion Sys-

tems. The EP-1000 is a 10-hp AC motor with a maximum operating RPM of 2,100. It can accept DC voltages up to 72 VDC. The motor is fully enclosed, is splashproof and will continue to operate for a short time even when fully submerged (a reassuring thought about an unpleasant situation). The Elco unit takes DC power from the batteries and inverts it to AC within a motor controller unit. Because of this, a separate inverter is not required. According to Elco, the AC motor is better suited to the saltwater environ-ment than a DC motor. “Not only is the AC motor more efficient, about 93 percent, but it is easier to make the AC motor waterproof,” said Peter Houghton, operations manager for Elco. “We can use epoxy to seal the interior parts and there are just two mov-ing parts, the two bearings, so it works better when sealed up compared to a DC motor which has a fan and brushes that can get wet and corrode.”

As for batteries, standard equipment on the Hunter 27e is six 12-volt AGM bat-teries for a total of 214 amp hours. The batteries have to

Electric and hybrid drives become an option

MARINE TECH NOTES

Courtesy Beta Marine

Beta Marine,

partnering with

Hybrid Marine

in the U.K.

is offering a

parallel hybrid

engine with a

10 kW motor/

generator.

be charged to run the motor, so Hunter offers an optional package that includes solar panels and a wind generator. The Hunter 27e shows a com-mitment from a major boat-builder to offer an alternative to the standard diesel auxiliary package. Will other boatbuild-ers follow suit?

Hybrid drives are also being offered by marine equipment suppliers. One diesel engine supplier, Beta Marine of Min-nesott Beach, N.C., has part-nered with a company called Hybrid Marine of Sandown on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. to produce a hybrid diesel solu-tion. The Beta Marine Hybrid System uses a diesel engine connected to a 10-kW genera-tor/motor.

When it comes to hybrid drives, there are basically three ways to set up a system: 1) diesel/electric, 2) a serial hybrid and 3) a parallel hybrid.

The diesel/electric approach uses a diesel generator that is electrically connected to the electric motor that drives the prop. But there is no direct mechanical link to the prop.

A serial hybrid also has the diesel disconnected from the prop, but the difference from

BY TIM QUEENEY


a diesel/electric setup is that batteries are used for power when appropriate.

A parallel hybrid, however, is the most flexible of the three. It can either use the diesel to drive the prop directly or be disconnected from the prop shaft and use batteries to run the electric motor to spin the prop. Or, oddly enough, both the diesel and the electric motor can be used together to turn the propeller.

Parallel hybrids also allow you to disengage the prop while at anchor and mechanically spin the electric generator/motor, thus producing power like a genset.

Then there is the European research and development effort

headed by marine writer and engi-neer Nigel Calder. A consortium of companies are investigating hybrid power systems for boats. Members of the consortium include Malö Yachts in Sweden, Steyr Motors of Austria, Mastervolt of the Netherlands, Ener-Sys of Switzerlan, Bruntons Propellers of the U.K. and INSEAN of Italy.

Even though we tend to think of hybrid setups primarily for mov-ing the boat around, Calder says, “the benefit of these systems is not so much for propulsion but the real gains are for boats with high house loads.” A well-designed hybrid sys-tem provides you with considerable electrical power when you need it for

things other than propulsion. “In a hybrid system you have a lot more electrical power readily available,” Calder said. “And you’re making electricity more efficiently than a con-ventional system.”

When you look at hybrid drives in terms of propulsion, according to Calder, one of the interesting aspects is getting a prop’s performance curve and an electric motor’s output curve to match up. In many cases, props and electric motors haven’t been well matched in the past. “There is an enormous amount of improvement to be made at the prop,” said Calder. “In matching the motor to the prop, you see real gains [in efficiency].” n

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An electric anchor wind-lass is a standard piece

of gear on a power voyaging yacht. One of its great advan-tages — other than pulling up the anchor for you — is that it requires practically no periodic

maintenance other than an occasional fresh water rinse, and in the longer term, an oil change. But even though it is likely one of the more reliable machines on your power voyag-ing boat, you should still know how to perform basic winch maintenance. After all, when you need to reset your anchor at oh-dark thirty when the wind is howling, you certainly want it to work properly.

But before you tear into your windlass, do yourself a big favor and order a replacement seal

kit for your particular windlass. The Internet will provide sourc-es of parts, and also drawings or diagrams of your windlass. While this article is specific to the Lofrans Tigres windlass we own, it is of general use, as most electric windlasses follow the same general construction.

Lofrans recommends that the lubricating oil be changed every four years, and that’s where the fun begins. There’s no drain plug, only a filler hole and a sight glass for the oil level. To remove the old oil, the wind-lass must be unbolted from its mounting on the foredeck and physically inverted to pour out the oil through the fill hole. While going to that amount of effort, removing the electric motor to inspect the brushes and drive gear is relatively easy, and also a wise thing to do. Be sure to pour out the oil before unbolting the motor, lest the oil come out with the motor! Collect the old oil and inspect it carefully for metal particles or water. If the oil is cloudy,

Above: Harry

Hungate’s

freshly refur-

bished electric

windlass.

Right: With

housing

removed, the

motor brushes

and commuta-

tor are visible.

then you have a water problem.

Label the wiresThree bolts hold the motor to the windlass housing, and the three electric cables are eas-ily removed from the motor. You will wisely label the wires before removing them. Inspect the brushes and commutator for excess wear, and clean out the carbon dust as best you can. Gently pull each brush lead to ensure that the brush moves easily in its holder. The spring tension should be uni-form on all four brushes. Treat any corrosion noted. Check the motor shaft for excessive play indicating worn out bear-ings. Inspect the gear on the end of the shaft for excessive wear or chipped teeth.

Remove the chain gypsy and set it aside for a good cleaning.

BY HARRY HUNGATE

Harry H

un

gate p

ho

tos

Servicing your electric anchor windlass

POWER VOYAGING


It’s probably held on with a circlip (snap ring) or two. If these are rusty or damaged, replace them with stainless steel circlips. Look for replacements at auto part stores or stores that spe-cialize in bearings and seals — they probably can supply your seals and O-rings, also. Buy an extra set for spares.

The first time that I serviced our windlass, I found that the shaft key that fits in the chain gypsy drive cones had almost torn out of the keyway in the relatively soft stainless steel shaft. (I admit to overloading the anchor windlass when we fouled our anchor in coral in the Tuamotus in the South Pacific.) The local machine shop agreed to machine the shaft for the next largest key, and also to cut a second keyway in the shaft and gypsy drive cones on the opposite side of the shaft from the original keyway. This modification has proved to be trou-ble-free for 10 years, and is certainly worth considering for your windlass.

Ball bearing supportsThe shaft is supported by two ball bearings that should last forever, unless salt water has reached them. Gently clean them with a solvent such as WD-40 or clean diesel fuel, and rotate them slowly while feeling and listening for rough spots. NEVER spin a ball bearing with compressed air! You may as well drop it in the sand — the long term effects are about the same.

• Replace the oil seals, even if they do not show signs of leaking. They are not expensive and should be replaced if at all possible.

• Inspect the shaft gear for signs of excessive wear, chipped teeth, etc.

• Remove the rope capstan and

inspect it for wear as you did the chain gypsy.

• Inspect the windlass housing for signs of cracks, and for corrosion es-pecially around the bolts on the chain stripper and on the pawl bolt. These

two areas are problematic as the hous-ing is aluminum, the bolts are stainless steel, and they are regularly saturated with saltwater. If the corrosion is not too severe, it can be repaired with J-B Weld or Marine-Tex or an equivalent

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Above: The motor housing,

O-ring and mounting bolts.

Left: The windlass unit’s stain-

less steel shaft and gypsy

drive cones with two keyways

and keys.

POWER VOYAGING

Lubricate the new O-ringsReassemble the windlass in the reverse order of disassembly, carefully replac-ing the various O-rings and oil seals. Lubricate the new O-rings and oil seals with oil prior to assembly. Place the ball bearings in a plastic bag in your freezer for a half hour to shrink them a bit and thus make them easier to install.

Clean the threads of all of the bolts before reas-

two-part epoxy material. The original chain stripper on our windlass tends to bend, requiring occasional adjust-ment. I ordered a new one, with the idea to install it next to the original one to obtain double thickness and hopefully double strength. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new chain stripper was almost twice as thick as the original. Our windlass had a white powder coating when purchased. Starting anew, a better choice would have been the clear an-odized finish as it is much more du-rable and thus less prone to chipping and corrosion. We had our windlass housing treated for corrosion and re-painted during this last service.

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sembling the windlass. Replace any rusted or damaged fasteners. Use an anti-corrosive treatment such as Duralac on all mating surfaces of dissimilar metals. The mount-ing bolts for the windlass should be isolated from the windlass with insulating bushings.

When we replaced our previous windlass, we found the right rear mounting bolt on the new windlass was directly over the chain pipe — definitely a big problem. An elegant solution to this serious installation problem was to fabricate a mounting plate of 10mm thick aluminum. The mounting bolt was inserted from below the plate and a dab of epoxy

kept it from turning, as it was then beyond the reach of a wrench. The other three mounting bolts were installed from above and terminated in backing plates under the fore-deck. This idea, or some variation of it, may serve you well on your next windlass installation.

After reconnecting the power cables, coat the terminals with sili-cone grease to prevent corrosion. Seal the power cable opening in the windlass housing with RTV silicone sealant. Pay particular attention to the bolts that hold the motor hous-ing in place, as they are prone to leak. Self-amalgamating electrical tape wrapped around the bolts at

the point of contact with the interior of the housing, followed by a dab of RTV silicone sealant over the nuts and washers on the outside should prove to be watertight.

Check the windlass control box and remote control for signs of corro-sion before returning the windlass to service. Oh, and don’t forget to fill the windlass with lubricating oil. Most windlasses use heavy gear oil, SAE 80 or SAE 90. Mark your calendar to do all of this again in four years. n

Harry Hungate and his wife Jane Lothrop are long-time liveaboards hav-ing voyaged since 1997. They are cur-rently cruising in the Mediterranean.


correspondencecorrespondence

To the editor: When passing from southern Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, the shortest route is via the Kiel Canal. To do so is also quite scenic and good fun. In July of 2010, we had occasion to sail from Svend-borg in southern Denmark to Scotland and took advantage of the opportunity to transit this historic passage from east to west in our J46 Cielita.

After a fine sail across the Kieler Bucht, we entered the Kiel Fjord and made our way into a small marina adjacent to the east end of the canal where we tied up for dinner ashore and a quite night. The city of Kiel is a major German yachting center, as well as a large industrial port. There is undoubtedly plenty to see and do there

for those who wish to linger. But we were in a hurry to be on our way to Scotland. So the next morning, we joined several other yachts entering the lock, and after paying the lock master, we were locked through and on our way for the 53-mile passage across the base of the Jutland Peninsula.

The canal is properly known as the Nord-Ostsee Kanal and was originally con-structed between 1887 and 1895 by Kaiser Wilhelm II to facilitate the transit of the German naval fleet from the Baltic to the North Sea. It is a remarkable feat of engineer-ing. It is amply wide enough to accommodate large freight-ers passing in both directions. It has since been modified to include additional larger locks at both ends in order to accommodate more modern shipping, but the original locks are still in use for smaller

Transiting the Kiel Canal

vessels such as yachts. It is dredged to a minimum depth of 36 feet throughout and has a minimum height under the bridges and power lines of 118 feet.

After a short wait, we entered the eastern locks in mid-morning with sev-eral other yachts via the old, smaller locks and tied up to a string of very old, heavy wooden floats along one side, where we climbed the ladder up to the central section and proceeded on to the control tower to pay the fare for tran-siting the entire canal, includ-ing the lock at the western end (about $56 in our case). When the lock gates opened, we entered the canal itself and began the long motor through the German country-side, passing huge freighters, tankers, and ferries and enjoy-ing the flat, bucolic scenery, punctuated by the occasional

Top right:

Ned Cabot’s

J46 Cielita in

the lock at the

eastern,

Baltic Sea

side of

the canal.

Bottom left:

Cielita passes

under Kiel

Canal bridges.

Ned

Cab

ot p

ho

tos


Staying alert is a

good idea, given

the heavy com-

mercial traffic on

the canal.

village and the odd bridge or power line. The canal is well marked, and no chart is necessary. About half way along is one of the world’s last remaining “transporter bridges” that carries cars across the canal on a platform suspended under a rail-road bridge, which is a remarkable sight to behold.

Since one is not allowed to be under way after sunset, after about 20 miles along the canal from Kiel, we pulled over to starboard and

At the western end of the canal, we again had a brief wait to enter the older lock that would take us into the Elbe River and our subse-quent exit down river to the North Sea. This was followed by a brief passage out to Helgoland for an evening in its protected harbor. We also went ashore for a visit to this German resort town with all its advantages as a duty-free port.

For the typical yacht, a transit of the Kiel Canal is a two-day affair.

The only locks are at either end, and they are relatively easy to nego-tiate. Despite the heavy traffic, this passage is remarkably hassle free and well worth it for those traveling between the Baltic and the North Sea who are not inclined to take the longer route over the top of the Jut-land Peninsula.

—Ned Cabot is a retired surgeon from

Boston who is an avid voyager aboard his

J46 Cielita, having recently sailed to the Arctic

and crossed the North and Baltic seas.

entered a side channel leading up to the town of Rendsburg, where we tied up in a marina at the head of the harbor. We were joined there by an additional crewmember who had come on from Hamburg by train and taxi; and we enjoyed a walk about the town, showers for all hands, and dinner ashore. The next morning we were off again to re-enter the canal proper and motor on to the west for more of the same pleasant scenery and heavy shipping.


correspondencecorrespondencecorrespondence

Wings. In preparation for a recent crossing of the Gulf of Alaska from our home port of Seward to Elfin Cove, we debated the respective merits of a life raft versus survival suits, and elected to purchase a life raft. Here’s why:

We met when I taught moun-taineering courses for adults at a community college. Beginning mountaineers always purchase “shiny gear” first — carabiners, ice tools and such — prior to purchasing important safety gear such as helmets and avalanche beacons. While we have (and use)

To the editor: As is usually the case, I received my November/December issue of Ocean Navigator and read it cover to cover. I always learn a lot and am entertained for many hours. I just finished reading Ralph Naranjo’s excellent article con-cerning survival suits (Last line of defense? Issue #190). As an Alaskan cruiser, I thought I’d share some of my observations on survival suits versus life rafts.

My wife and I have cruised Alaskan waters for more than 20 years in various sailboats, the last 10 years in our 1984 Passport 40,

Survival suits versus a life raft? life jackets, float coats, harnesses, tethers and jack lines, we had neither immersion suits nor a life raft. My wife made the excellent comment that crossing the Gulf of Alaska and not having a “plan B” in case of catastrophic misad-venture was foolish.

We have each tested “Gumby suits” to see what they are like in cold water. Realistically speaking, any event serious enough to require us to abandon ship carries a high likelihood that at least one of us is injured. A seriously injured person would not be able to don a survival suit. Imagine sustaining a broken leg and then being faced with push-

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ing it into a survival suit!Naranjo correctly mentions the

loss of personal mobility in a sur-vival suit. Rendering first aid to my partner would be virtually impos-sible. The possibility of the crew becoming separated is a real danger with survival suits. In the event of catastrophic loss of our boat, we feel that we need to remain together to assure survival. It’s not just the “husband and wife thing,” although that’s important. It’s having two brains to solve problems.

In the vastness of Alaskan waters, rescue can be many hours, if not days, away. Even our hard working Coast Guard can’t

always find shipwrecked people, and finding them is often not the same as reaching them. Issues like food and water become more important, to say nothing of first-aid supplies. A properly-equipped rescue raft buys considerable time under these circumstances.

Our decision to choose a raft over suits was also influenced by the greater visibility of a four-person raft compared to two survival suits — even when tethered together. In stormy conditions, there is no ques-tion that the larger visible footprint of a raft could be an important factor in a rescue. And amazingly, our packed raft is actually no larger

than two survival suits.In the end, we purchased a four-

person, offshore survival raft from a well-respected manufacturer. Obviously, we don’t want to test our theories, but I do think some of these ideas might be useful to oth-ers when making a similar decision about what gear to purchase.

—William Ennis taught physics at an

Anchorage, Alaska, high school for 27 years

and mountaineering for the University of

Alaska, Anchorage for 22 years. He and his

attorney wife, Conni, retired in 2008 and

are sailing their 1984 Passport 40, Wings,

south toward warmer climes. Their website

is http://svwings.com.


correspondence

in fact quite high-tech. The commercial fishing and log-ging industries began using the stuff in the late 1990s, replacing the wire on their winches and making fishing nets from it. Jack Molan, an Alaskan fisherman himself, explained to me firsthand how it has revolutionized the industry, replacing heavy wire with super-light, non-stretch, highly durable rope. John (an engineer by trade) and Jack, each multi-hull sailors, got the idea to adapt it for sailboat rigging — and they’ve had it rigged on their boats, which they keep in the Sea of Cortez, for nearly a decade.

What intrigued me was the notion that a sailboat could be rigged in the tra-ditional way, yet be done so by using cutting-edge technology and modern materials. Sailboat rig-ging, over the course of history, had truly come full circle.

John and Mike were clever enough to recruit Brion Toss, author

To the editor: Aided by my fiancé Mia Karlsson, I am in the process of making our 35-foot yawl Arcturus seaworthy enough to tackle

the North Atlan-tic. We originally intended to re-rig with wire and STA-LOKs, pretty much standard fare for cruising boats, but at last year’s U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis,

Md., I met John Franta of Colligo Marine, and he con-vinced me otherwise.

John, in conjunction with Mike Meer of Southbound Cruising Services (a local yacht rigger in Annapolis for whom I would serendipi-tously later work), was exhib-iting a 1970s-era Westsail 32 cutter, and she was rigged in the traditional way. Spliced rope hung from her spars, tensioned with deadeyes and lashings and served partway up with tarred marline.

John explained that the rope, called Dynex Dux, was

Dynex Dux rigging on the yawl Arcturusof The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice, and the accept-ed guru of yacht rigging, to come speak during last year’s show. He was an ear-ly-adopter of Dux, and said simply, “Dux will change sailing — wire rigging will be a 150-year anomaly in the history of yacht rig-ging.” I was convinced.

Dynex Dux starts as the more commonly known Dyneema, a super-strong, low-stretch braided synthetic rope, used mostly as high-tech running rigging on rac-ing boats and performance cruisers. The Icelandic com-pany Hampidjan then treats the Dyneema in a special steam oven, simultaneously heating and stretching the rope. What results is Dux — the treatment work hardens

the fibers, increasing its abrasion resistance, reducing stretch to virtually zero (less than wire, incred-ibly), and making for a smooth yet extremely strong braid-ed rope.

After get-ting to know John at Col-

An

dy Sch

ell ph

oto

s

Above: Andy

Schell in a

bosun’s chair

working on

installing

Dynex Dux

rigging on his

yawl Arcturus.

Right: Dux

rigging is

Dyneema that

has been heat

treated and

pre-stretched.


ligo, who designs and makes all of the fittings for rigging a boat with Dux (deadeyes, thimbles, lashing blocks, etc., all made from light-weight aluminum), we ordered a spool for Arcturus and got to work learning how to splice. Dynex Dux marks a paradigm shift in rig design — where wire size is designed around breaking strength, Dux is designed around creep. Unlike stretch, which is elastic and reversible — like a rubber band — creep is perma-nent and irreversible — it’s the fibers themselves literally getting longer over time while under a static load. Taking this into account, we sized the Dux based on the boat’s righting moment, which when expressed as foot-pounds, represents the strain the rig will incur, plus a safety factor. With this number in mind, we consulted Colligo’s data charts and determined that 9mm was an appropriate size, and would not, in fact, creep under our rig-ging loads. The slightly larger diameter (we would have used 7mm or 9/32-inch wire) results in an inherently stronger shroud, between two to five times that of wire depending on the boat.

Cost was certainly a consider-ation, given the fact that Mia and I do all our own work and are operating on a minuscule budget. And yet where super hi-tech fiber rigging such as PBO and carbon systems can cost many times that of wire, Dux comes in at +/- 10 percent, depending on the boat.

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correspondencecorrespondence

The line itself is more expensive per foot, but as a complete system, including end fittings, the cost of a re-rig is remarkably in line with that of wire. Which was ultimately the catalyst that allowed us to con-

sider it in the first place. Splicing the line is child’s play,

making Dux an ideal material for do-it-yourself refits (and, more important, emergency repairs offshore). We used what’s called

a ‘modified brummel eye-splice,’ inserting a Colligo end fitting on both the upper and lower ends of each shroud. These end fittings are one-piece, solid anodized alumi-num, and have a pre-drilled hole for attachment to clevis tangs on the mast, plus four radiused lash-ing holes for the deadeyes at deck level. I did all the work on the boat, going aloft to remove one shroud at a time, measuring each as we went.

The most challenging aspect of the re-rig was measuring the Dux. After its steam treatment, the 12-strand braid becomes very stiff, and must be worked open with a fid in order to splice it. This creates the slightest slack in the line at the splice, which must be re-tensioned on a winch prior to fitting aloft. By burying the tail during the splice, the line also shrinks slightly. The shrinking (we lost four inches per splice…) and resetting of the braid (…and then got two inches back) results in a net two-inch loss for each splice, for the 9mm line we used. By using deadeyes, any mis-measurement can be hidden by adjusting the length of the lashing line (one-quarter-inch standard Dyneema), but the relatively small travel on most turnbuckles requires very careful measuring indeed, if turnbuckles will be used to tension the rig.

Once setup, tuning the rig was very straightforward. The idea was first to get the mast in column — by sighting up the sail track — and then to tighten everything down symmetrically. We tied each

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lashing off to a halyard and used the winch to get enough tension. After a static tune at the dock, we went sailing in a moderate breeze, tacking back and forth upwind and sail-tuning the rig once underway, again making sure to keep the mast straight and in col-umn. We then tightened the lee shrouds just enough to keep them from going slack.

Though the process was tedious at times (being a yawl, we had a total of 14 shrouds to replace — removing, measuring, splicing and re-stretching each), it was easy and enjoyable. I did most of the work in Arcturus’ cockpit, using only a sharp knife, two fids, a magic marker, a stout bosun’s chair and Mia’s help to go aloft.

Arcturus’ 30-year-old wire rig is now at the bottom of a recycling center in Florida, and we are $6.00 the richer for it. We managed to reduce the weight off the rig by more than 50 pounds, making Arcturus noticeably stiffer when heeled and easier on the helm. She is and always will be a tender boat, designed to heel quickly to lengthen her waterline, yet she’ll stand up in the puffs much more readily than she would before. It’s rare that we’ll put the rail under anymore with the proper sail com-bination. We chose Dux not for its light weight or performance gains (which are measurable), but because it was simple, tradi-tional and easily repaired at sea. It’s definitely higher maintenance than wire — we had to apply tarred nylon service where it bends around the spreader tips, and we

are always on the lookout for chafe — but to quote Toss again, “with the privilege of having rigging back in the hands of the sailor, comes the responsibility of understanding how it works.”

—Andy Schell is a professional captain and

freelance writer. He and Mia live aboard

Arcturus, a 1966 Allied Seabreeze, which

they are currently fitting out to sail trans-

Atlantic to Sweden. Contact them at andy@

fathersonsailing.com.


correspondence

To the editor: I was intrigued by the recent article by Prof. John Karl (The non-sensical running fix, Issue #190) on running fixes in celestial navigation.

In the 1960s — long before GPS — I was a navigation offi-cer on tramp ships. We must have made thousands of celes-tial observations to find our

position at sea. All we had was a sextant, time piece, nautical almanac and sight reduction tables. Most of the time, multiple LOPs went through the same posi-tion; giving us an accuracy of half a mile.

The first thing I noticed

in the article was the distinc-tion made between the dead reckoning (DR) position and the estimated position (EP). Some people believe that dead reckoning was derived from deduced reckoning, whereby you use all the information at hand to arrive at a conclusion. Mr. Karl uses only part of the available information to come up with a DR position and then upgrades this by using lee-way, currents, etc., to arrive at an EP. Common sense dictates to use all the available informa-

A defense of the running fixtion right away.

Then Mr. Karl goes on: “Short-run fixes, such as in a round of star shots taken over a relatively short time from a slow vessel may well have better DR accuracy than LOP accuracy...”

In case of a bad horizon, I would agree. However, if your celestial navigation skills are so inept and you put more faith in the DR position than in your fix, you may want to con-sider hanging up your sextant.

I have trouble following the professor’s reasoning, as I am not sure what’s wrong with advancing an old LOP to a new one. When I was 3rd officer I stood the 0800 to 1200 watch and used to shoot the morning sun with an azi-muth (Z) of less 150° when we were north of the sun’s declination, or more than 30° if the sun passed north of our position. In either case, the morning LOP would form an angle of at least 30° with the 90°-270° noon sight. When the sun is close to your zenith, Z changes very fast from east to west and the time between sun shot and noon sight can be short, so errors in advance-ment remain small.

When I was 2nd officer and stood the 1200 to 1600 watch, I used to shoot the afternoon sun when Z was about 30° different from the noon sight and advanced the latter. When

I felt really ambitious and the moon and Venus were above the horizon and the LOPs made good cuts, I shot those in addition to the sun to make brownie points with the Old Man (the Captain). At dawn or dusk we shot a number of stars.

With reference to the article’s last paragraph in the second column on page 52, I still have trouble understand-ing how the EP or DR position can be better than the RFIX. The problem of LOPs crossing at narrow angles is very easy to solve. Don’t use them; wait for a better opportunity! When you miss the noon sight, due to let’s say clouds obscuring the sun, or fog at the horizon, but are able to take a sun shot within a few minutes before or after meridian passage, there is a simplified calculation to con-vert the LOP into a noon sight.

—Don Dykstra is a former merchant

mariner who lives and works in

Houston, Texas.

John Karl responds: Dead reckoning usually means determining a ship’s posi-tion by advancing a previous position using courses and distances. The EP is the most probable position of a craft, determined from incomplete data or data of questionable accuracy (Bowditch, 1962). In this spirit, as I described in the article, I used DR to mean a position that was degraded by using any information of lesser


quality, and the EP to be the position whose accuracy was upgraded by the addition of better information, such as by the acquisition of an LOP.

In the case of a round of star shots, the dead reckoning referenced is between LOPs within this round. Because of the relatively short time between these LOPs, the DR accura-cy is usually better than celestial LOP accuracy, particularly in slow moving vessels. This is an example where the traditional running fix (TRF) is, indeed, appropriate. And as the arti-cle said, we’re addressing the opposite case, where the DR accuracy is worse than the LOP accuracy.

As can be seen in the article’s Fig-

ure 3, the trouble with the TRF is that it assumes the DR track perpen-dicular to LOP1 is perfectly accurate, while the DR track parallel to LOP1 can have an unlimited error. This is never true, in fact, it’s nonsensi-cal. This is equivalent to saying we had no idea whatsoever of the ship’s position along LOP1 when it was acquired — again, never true.

In contrast to the TRF, the EPRF assumes only that (1) DR2 is the best estimate of the ship’s position, given all the information used in the DR, and (2) that LOP2 is appreciably more accurate. Thus any such newly-acquired LOP must improve the DR position, even one parallel to LOP1,

as shown in the nearby figure. To not use the information from these new LOPs would be nonsensical.

In the old days when longitude was determined solely by dead reck-oning, noon sun shots taken on suc-cessive days determined the latitude. Then just before a noon shot, the ship’s current position was the pre-vious day’s noon position updated by DR. This current DR position was then improved to an EP by the addition of a new east-west sun line. In plotting terms, this is drawing a line from the current DR position perpendicular to the new sun LOP — that’s an EPRF that even the old man accepted. n

The dictates of weatherUsing local knowledge for a successful upwind passage to Aruba

Alfred

Wo

od

/Ocean

Navig

ator illu

stration

Story and photos by Carolyn and Bob Mehaffy

OCEAN VOYAGING


We were on deck of our Hardin 45 ketch Car-ricklee at first light,

eager to get an early start on our passage from Cartagena, Colombia, to Aruba, one of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles. The passage we were about to undertake was well known as a challenging upwind passage. Although we had secured everything aboard Car-ricklee the night before, we had learned from past experience that getting the seemingly end-less accumulation of the gray mud of Bahía de Cartagena off the anchor chain as it came

Though many

voyagers consid-

ered the waters

along the Colom-

bian coast dan-

gerous, Bob and

Carolyn Mehaffy

learned from the

Colombian Coast

Guard that the

coast had been

cleaned up. The

inshore route

they followed

helped them to

avoid unfavor-

able wind and

current.

aboard would inevitably slow our departure. After only 15 minutes of work with the wash-down hose and brush, however, we had the freshly-washed chain in the locker and the anchor secured on the bow.

By the time we had motored the half-mile to round the Virgen del Carmen, a statue erected atop a reef in the middle of the harbor, the sprin-kling of rain on the decks as we had weighed anchor had steadily increased to a deluge. Yet, remaining confident the weather gurus had it right with their predictions of light south-

west winds and partly cloudy skies for the day, we continued another half-mile farther to Punta Castillo Grande, the point at the southwest end of Península de Boca Grande.

We had been patiently waiting for another favorable weather prediction since we’d attempted this voyage exactly a week earlier, getting only 15 miles from Bahía de Cartagena before steadily building easterly winds and seas had forced us to turn back. During the several weeks we had been planning, we had learned one axiom for making this voyage against prevailing winds and seas: Take advantage of every forecast calling for anything other than east-northeast winds.

Based on our experience of squalls in this region, we also had every reason to anticipate this one would be brief in pass-ing over the bay and coastline. However, we couldn’t afford the time to return to the anchorage and wait the storm out if we were to arrive before dark at the first anchorage, and

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR 29

The

Mehaffy’s

Hardin 45

ketch Carrick-

lee underway

in Fuik Bay,

Curaçao, in

the Nether-

lands Antilles.


we also couldn’t be confident that the favorable weather, if it indeed came, would last even until the next day.

At Punta Castillo Grande in torrential rain, we saw the point and the lighthouse atop it a scant 100 yards off to starboard only on the radar screen. A few minutes later, when the radar and the electronic charts indi-cated we were clear of Castillo Grande, we turned to starboard and into the wide channel between the peninsula and Isla de Tierra Bomba.

While the clear image of the shoreline on the radar reassured us of our safe position vis-à-vis the point, we had no such reas-surance about the exact location of the two small buoys marking the narrow passage through the artificial reef 1.6 miles seaward from Punta Castillo Grande. These two buoys, recently set by the Colombia Navy, mark the only sufficiently deep water where small vessels can cross this reef that otherwise has depths of only 0 to 1.2 meters. Though we had waypoints from our paper charts locating these buoys, we had learned from our sailing in this part of the world that the charts are not always spot on.

However, despite the low vis-ibility, we were relatively certain we would see the buoys in plen-ty of time to pass safely between them. We were less certain about the extent of the “rock barrier” indicated on our charts

OCEAN VOYAGING

Bob Mehaffy

watches for

hazards in

the outflow

of Río Mag-

dalena, near

Barranquilla,

Colombia.

www.oceannavigator.com 30 OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

— a kilometer-long barrier of rocks stacked across the Boca Grande channel in the mid-1700s by the Spanish to protect Cartagena from sea attacks.

About a half-mile from the buoys, according to the paper charts, our confidence ebbed. No matter how hard we strained and squinted, we could see nothing beyond the bow pulpit of our boat. Slow-ing to idle ahead, we continued to stare into the sheets of water surrounding us, looking for the buoys as well as any other traffic on the water.

We were especially con-cerned as we approached the channel through the reef

because other mariners had reported seeing as little as nine feet of water in the channel. In calm water that depth could easily accommodate the six-foot draft of our ketch. However, we were now near the waters of the open Caribbean, and a large swell could reduce the three-foot margin enough to cause us to bounce on the bottom.

Relying primarily on our electronic charts to keep us in the middle of the channel, through the slackening rain we finally spotted the buoys when they were 100 feet off our bow. As we passed slowly over the barrier, the depth sounder reg-istered a minimum of 11 feet of water despite the three-foot swell as we had lined up Car-ricklee with the channel. And then we breathed freely again.

Minutes after we had crossed over the reef, the rain decreased enough for us to observe the sea conditions ahead — and they were not a pretty sight. The passing squall that had blanketed us in the bay had transformed the seas into a con-fusion of five-foot seas on three-second intervals, conditions we knew could worsen as we neared Punta Canoas (“Canoes Point”), 13 miles ahead. Never-theless, we decided to continue on as long as the conditions were merely uncomfortable rather than threatening, as they had become only the week before on our first attempt at this voyage.

After having spent two years

cruising the Caribbean coast and islands of Panamá and Colom-bia as far as Cartagena, we had been eager to move on to new environs and had settled on the ABC islands in the Netherlands Antilles as our next destination.

On paper the passage from Cartagena to Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, appears to be a typical 400-mile bluewater voyage. However, other sailors, as well as the literature we had read, warned us to think seri-ously about the sea and weather conditions before undertaking this upwind passage. Again and again we had heard author and voyager Jimmy Cornell cited as labeling this passage along the northeastern coastline of Colombia as one of the five worst passages of his voyages around the world.

All the evidence had served to alert us to the possibility of some special challenges on this voyage. In order to minimize the risks, we studied the wind patterns for each month, the typical currents in that region of the Caribbean, and the advan-tages of the possible routes between Cartagena and Aruba.

Routes of choiceGenerally, other voyaging sailors recommend two routes between Cartagena and Aruba: an offshore route taking more or less a straight line between the Bahía de Cartagena to the island or a coastal route for 249 miles to Cabo de la Vela, the easternmost point in Colom-

Carricklee

approaches

the rope of

debris defin-

ing the out-

flow of Río

Magdalena.


bia, then heading offshore to cross the 146 miles of the open Caribbean to Aruba.

Personal safety Some of those who recommend an offshore route are primarily concerned with possible crimi-nal activity along the Colombia coast. When we began discuss-ing the possibility of voyaging from Cartagena to the ABC islands, the safety advice we heard repeatedly was to stay at least 100 miles offshore to avoid encounters with thieves and pirates that prey on boats along that coast.

Our further research revealed this advice to be based on out-of-date information. Nowhere did we learn of boats recently having been boarded or of cruisers personally threat-ened in any of the Colombian anchorages recommended by the Guardacostas de Colom-bia. (We had, however, already written off any of the other-wise appealing destinations along the increasingly troubled Venezuela coast near the bor-der with Colombia.)

In our conversations with sailors who recently had voy-aged along this coast east of Cartagena and with person-nel of the Guardacostas de Colombia, we were convinced the local coast guard is com-mitted to keeping the waters along the northern coastline safe for sailors. In fact, as we had explored the coast between the Panamá border

and Cartagena the previous two years, we had seen crews on coast guard boats patrolling virtually every anchorage, tak-ing down the names of boats anchored there. In addition to keeping track of boats in Colombia waters, the consis-tent presence of the Guarda-costas clearly serves as a warn-ing to those who might have intentions of boarding visiting boats as well as an assurance to voyaging sailors of their safety.

As we prepared for the voy-age to the ABCs, we attended a briefing at Club Naútico in Cartagena to listen to two members of the Guardacostas discuss and answer questions about the safety of visiting sail-ors. Their answer to a question about whether or not visitors could safely cruise along the coastline between Cartagena and the ABCs was a qualified affirmative, followed by their recommendations about those anchorages they did not con-sider completely safe for one reason or another.

They advised voyagers not

to enter the Río Magdalena at Barranquilla because of the extreme currents in the conver-gence of the outflow and the sea and the often treacherous amount of debris in the water. These Guardacostas members also recommended visitors avoid the anchorage at Rodade-ro in Santa Marta because of reported petty thefts of boats there. Although no boats had been boarded nor had those aboard been threatened, unse-cured items abovedecks had gone missing overnight. At the time the Guardacostas was attempting to rid the anchorage of this theft, but these members weren’t sure it had been com-pletely successful yet.

Similarly, they asked those at the seminar with plans to sail east along the coast to anchor at only one of the Five Bays near Santa Marta, Guayraca. They recommended visiting sailors not anchor in any of the other four bays for various reasons: indifferent protection from the prevail-

OCEAN VOYAGING

www.oceannavigator.com 32 OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

ing winds, poor holding, environmental concerns, or petty theft.

Despite our eliminating these potential anchorages — Barranquilla, Rodadero, and four of the Five Bays — on the recommendations of the Guardacostas de Colombia, we could nevertheless explore four anchorages (or five if we counted the southern island of the Archipiélago de los Monjes en route 50 miles off-shore of Aruba).

Current considerationsAs we continued our research, we could clearly see one good reason to choose a route closer to shore. While the charts show a 1- to 2-knot westerly current flowing along the Colombian coastline, voyagers who had followed the coastal route westward from Aruba to Cartagena complained of their frequent encounters with a noticeable adverse — that is, easterly flowing — current. Although not noted on the pilot charts, a significant counter cur-rent seems to flow along the Colombia coastline much of the time. This counter cur-rent could give us a push as we sailed eastward.

Wind and sea considerationsMore than any other factor, the winds and accompanying seas give the voyage along the Colombia coastline its wretched reputation. Though these weather conditions change from season to season, they are only rarely ideal for an easterly voyage anywhere in the south-ern Caribbean. For much of the year fresh or strong east and northeast winds blow regularly, and weather forecasters for the southeast Caribbean routinely note the predicted winds and seas will be the greatest along the north coast of Colombia.

A typical weather predic-tion for the southwestern Caribbean for a day in May 2009 reads, “Fresh trades con-tinue over the Caribbean Sea with strongest winds along the coast of N Colombia...” Per-haps this NOAA prediction suggests reasonable sailing con-ditions for sailors making pas-sages downwind or in protect-ed waters. On the same day the report on “meteo.an,” the local weather service for the ABC islands, is more specific: “... northeast to east winds 20 to 25 knots. Seas five to seven feet on five second intervals.”

And, of course, this forecaster, too, noted these winds and seas would be greater along the north coast of Colombia.

The variable most intimi-dating for those making upwind voyages in the Carib-bean is neither the velocity of the wind nor the height of the seas but it is that height coupled with short intervals between waves. A few of our cruising friends do have boats that handle conditions like these somewhat gracefully. One such boat, Jedi, a 64-foot Dashew, has an extremely long waterline and a very fine bow for cutting into short, steep five- to seven-foot waves with a five second interval. But our boat, a beamy, 45-foot Hardin ketch, meets these seas with little or no grace.

Those intermittent periods when the winds are southerly or westerly along the route between Cartagena and Aruba occur pri-marily in the tropical hurricane season, from June to Decem-ber. These hurricanes pose a significant risk for most of the Caribbean, but such is not the case in Colombia and the ABCs, though these months do bring an increased chance of strong winds associated with passing hurricanes. Nevertheless, as we

A calm eve-

ning in the

protected

waters at

Punta Morro

Hermoso, east

of Cartagena,

Colombia.


examined the records of hur-ricanes in recent years, we noted almost no damages reported to Colombia or to the islands of Aruba and Curaçao. In addi-tion, this region of the Carib-bean experiences frequent light and variable weather windows during October and November.

After considering the weather patterns for this region, we scheduled our pas-sage from Cartagena to Aruba for early November.

Voyage to ArubaWhile we had heard compel-ling arguments for both favored routes, we concluded we could follow the inshore route along the coast of Colombia to the anchorage immediately west of Cabo de la Vela and the Venezuela border without sub-jecting ourselves to intolerable risks if we followed the safety advice of the Guardacostas de Colombia and if we monitored the weather closely.

To us, the appeal of this route from the outset had been the opportunity we’d have to explore the Colombia coastline between Cartagena and Vene-zuela. The likelihood of gaining from an inshore counter cur-rent and from a heading slightly off the wind rather than straight

into it added immensely to that initial appeal.

As Carricklee slogged and rolled, with sails slatting, through those short, steep waves seaward of the old barrier reef at Cartagena, we wondered if all our research had been wasted. The condi-tions were clearly not what we had been expecting, based on the forecasts. Neverthe-less, we persevered. Within two hours the seas smoothed out, and a light and variable wind filled in, so light we had a pleasant motorsail on to Punta Morro Hermoso, our first projected anchorage.

Well before night we dropped anchor at Morro Her-moso, an anchorage well pro-tected from the prevailing winds by the point extending westward for about half of a mile. That evening we checked the weather prediction for the following day: light and variable southwest winds with one- to two-foot seas. Although we had planned to stay a few days to explore Hermoso, we heeded the advice of Mauricio LeMaitre, a Carta-gena sailor, for making the pas-sage to Aruba: “Whenever good weather is predicted along this coastline, keep going.”

We hoisted anchor early the

following day for the passage to the Five Bays near Santa Marta.

Between Hermoso and Santa Marta lies the most chal-lenging stretch of water along the entire coast — the outflow of the Río Magdalena at Bar-ranquilla. All the sailors with whom we spoke or who spoke to us through their writings warned of the dangers from the debris spewed out by the often roiling river, from clumps of weeds to huge trees. For the navigator of a small pleasure craft, even more challenging than this debris is the conver-gence of the river outflow with the ocean. One source warned that the turbidity currents on the ocean bed offshore of the mouth of the Río Magdalena have on 17 occasions been strong enough to break the seabed communication cable about 15 miles out to sea and two miles below the surface of the water.

If the currents and turbu-lence so far out to sea and below the surface can do that much damage, we could only image how our small 45-foot sailboat could be bounced around on the surface.

Our course had taken us to the western edge of the Magdalena outflow about 1.5


OCEAN VOYAGINGOCEAN VOYAGING


miles from the breakwater where the river enters the Caribbean. Here, a woven green and brown rope of debris marked the boundary between the brilliant sapphire of the Caribbean and the tranquil milk chocolate water of the Magdalena. This rope between the two colors of water extended as far off the bow as we could see in either direction.

As amazing as this distinct line and contrast in water colors, were the large pieces of debris intertwined in the rope: clumps of water hyacinths, tree limbs and palm fronds, entire uprooted trees, and household trash including the usual plastic bags and containers as well as chairs and toys. This floating rope appeared to be impassably dense and thick.

Altering course toward the open water of the Caribbean, we searched for a safe path through the debris, knowing our alternative would be to continue out to sea, perhaps as much as 10 miles, to circumvent the out-flow. Within 20 minutes, however, we found a stretch of only small and loosely woven debris that appeared passable. Trusting this appearance wasn’t as misleading as the tip of an iceberg, we slowed the boat down to idle ahead and crossed without inci-dent into the muddy water of the Río Magdalena outflow.

As we proceeded across the out-flow of the river, the conditions were quite different from those our imaginations had conjured. Still no more than two miles offshore, we motorsailed smoothly over flat water interrupted only by scattered debris — dislodged water hyacinth with accompanying small bushes and even trees — all easy for us to avoid. Two

hours later we crossed easily back into the blue Caribbean, relieved at the contrast between the benign condi-tions we’d seen in the outflow and those figuring in other sailors’ night-marish tales.

Late that afternoon we anchored in Guayraca, the center of the Five Bays near Santa Marta and enjoyed a night marked by neither waves nor strong winds. Again the next morn-ing, we downloaded weather reports before going ashore. The forecasters unanimously called for light south winds and seas, dictating once again we should forego the opportunity to explore the bay and leave early that afternoon to take advantage of anoth-er good weather window. So far, we were getting to enjoy the coastline only in passing, which, under the circumstances, we thought better than not enjoying it all.

The overnight passage from Guayraca to Cabo de la Vela was pleasurable for the most part. We did encounter a few squalls during the night — one lasting well over 30 minutes and including strong winds and heavy rain — the weather predic-tions had been essentially accurate. Thus, for these first three legs of the voyage from Cartagena to Aruba, we had avoided the dreaded headwinds for which this area is infamous.

Arriving early in the morning at Cabo de la Vela, we anchored off the village and turned in for a rest. When we were up and about that afternoon, we checked the weather again and learned strong east winds were predicted for the following day. While the east winds blew con-sistently for the next three days, we remained comfortably at anchor here,

snorkeling on the reefs, walking on the beaches, meeting colombianos, and sampling the local cuisine.

On our fourth day in the anchor-age at Cabo de la Vela, with a forecast for lighter east winds, we set out on the last leg of the voyage to Aruba. Despite the east and northeast head winds, we motorsailed the final 142 miles in 25 hours. We did have occa-sional winds as high as 18 knots and intermittent squalls, one lasting an hour with winds gusting up to 30 knots; but we had small seas for the entire passage. Those small seas and a counter current contributed to an average well above 5 knots.

Our safe and comfortable voyage was far different from what we had anticipated. The sea conditions had been remarkably favorable, primarily, we think, the result of our making the voyage in November, by all accounts one of the two best months for sail-ing east in the southern Caribbean. Perhaps equally fortunate was the fact that our voyage was relatively rain-free, this lack of consistent rain no doubt contributing to the benign conditions we encountered at the out-flow of the Río Magdalena.

The only real disappointment was the weather dictated when we needed to keep moving so that we missed tantalizing explorations ashore. Because we’d chosen to stay along the coast, however, we remained in harbor in adverse weather and got to know the village and environs of Cabo de la Vela. Ultimately, the greatest joy resulted from our suc-cessful upwind voyage, with harm to neither boat nor crew, through this reputedly “one of the five worst pas-sages in the world.” n


World wide weatherBY KEN MCKINLEY

Most voyagers

are happy when

they’re prepared

for the weather

like Raine Wil-

liams is here. The

key is to know

what products

are available in

foreign waters.

Many voyagers are quite familiar with the marine weather

products available from U.S. sources. These include text weather summaries, analysis charts showing the current weather pattern, text forecasts, and forecast charts showing the expected weather pattern at a future time.

What happens, though, when as a voyager you move beyond these areas — say into the Mediterranean, the North Sea, or the Baltic Sea; perhaps you are heading through the South Pacific toward New Zealand or Australia, maybe even sailing around the south-ern portions of Africa or South America. In all of these cases, it will be necessary to use weather resources from other countries, and this means that

35

in addition to learning about different cultures and customs in these areas, and the differ-ent weather patterns that may prevail, you will also need to use weather products that don’t look quite the same as the ones you are used to from U.S. sources. The good news is that there are many reliable products available from other nations — the bad news is that sometimes they are a bit difficult to locate, and the for-mats will be different than the familiar U.S. versions.

There are some aspects of the products that are similar from nation to nation, and we will start by focusing on those. First, when dealing with fore-casts of wind speed, the values that are given will always be those for sustained winds, that is average wind speeds

that persist for at least several minutes, and often longer. Sustained wind speeds do not include wind gusts, which are very short-term (usually less than a minute) increases in wind speed. In text forecasts, sustained wind speeds are usu-ally given as a range (e.g. 15 to 20 knots) and sometimes a separate value is provided for gusts. If a gust value is not given, then mariners need to assume that higher gusts than the sustained values will be experienced at times. For chart products where wind speed and direction is shown graphically using wind barbs, gusts are not indicated, just sustained winds, and again, mariners must infer higher gusts.

Second, when information is given about wave heights,

Jeff Williams

From

metric units

to isobar

frequency:

differences

in weather

products and

how to

interpret

them

www.oceannavigator.com 36OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011

the northern hemisphere (or to the right in the southern hemisphere). To employ this rule with a surface pres-sure chart, choose a point anywhere on the chart, and imagine that you are standing at that point with your left hand extended out from your body and pointing toward the adjacent isobar with the lower pressure value. The wind direction will then be com-ing approximately from your

An excerpt

from a text

forecast

released by

the British Met

Office.

either in text forecasts, or in graphic form on charts, the values given are for significant wave height, which is defined

may arise is the units in which barometric pressure are pre-sented, particularly on charts. The two major units here are

WEATHER

as the average of the highest one third of all the waves pres-ent. This means that higher (and lower) waves will be experienced at times, and gen-erally the extreme wave height (approximately 1 in every 100 waves) will be twice the sig-nificant wave height.

Units of differenceWith these definitions in mind, we need to look at the differences that will arise between countries, and the first of these is the units that are used to measure winds and seas. Different countries use different units, and it is essen-tial that mariners are aware of which units are being used for the products they are consult-ing. As an example, five-foot seas are a lot different than five-meter seas!

Another difference that

millibars (mb) and hecto-pascals (hPa). Happily, even though these two units have very different names, their numeric values are identical. That means that 996 mb is the same as 996 hPa. Occa-sionally in text products, other units of barometric pressure may show up, such is inches of Mercury (inHg), or millime-ters of Mercury (mmHg), but these are rarely used on charts.

Speaking of surface pressure charts, one of the main uses of these charts by mariners is to determine wind speed and direction (or forecast wind speed and direction) for a given location. This can be done by examining the pattern of the isobars and using Buys Ballot’s law, which states that if one stands with one’s back to the wind, lower pressure will be located to one’s left in

Weather products for U.S. watersFor local voyages in U.S. waters,

text products for near-shore waters

are available from local forecast

offices of the National Weather

Service that are located in most

states (some smaller states rely on

an office in an adjacent state, and

some larger states have more than

one forecast office).

For longer voyages, products

covering large portions of the North

Atlantic and North Pacific oceans

are available from the Ocean Predic-

tion Center and the Tropical Predic-

tion Center of the National Weather

Service. These products include the

analysis and forecast charts that are

familiar to those who voyage along

both the east and west coasts of the

U.S. in the Gulf of Mexico, and to

and from Alaska, Hawaii, and the

Caribbean. Indeed, even for making

trans-oceanic passages of the North

Atlantic and the North Pacific, these

products are of great value.

Ken McKinley

JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR37www.oceannavigator.com

A text forecast

issued by the

Japanese weather

service in Tokyo.

back. Figuring the wind direction this way will yield a direction paral-lel to the isobars, but due to surface friction, the wind will typically not be exactly parallel, but rather will be across the isobars at an angle of any-where from about 25° to 45°, so a slight modification of Buys Ballot’s law is needed.

The determination of wind speed can be done using the spac-ing between adjacent isobars. The closer the isobars are to one another, the stronger the wind speed will be, and, conversely, the farther apart they are, the lighter the winds will be. Some surface charts have a scale on them to convert this distance

between isobars directly to a wind speed, but on most charts (includ-ing all U.S. charts) there is no scale,

and mariners must either use a more complicated external scale, or make an estimate based on actual wind

38OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011 www.oceannavigator.com

spEciAl sEcTion


information shown elsewhere on the chart, at about the same latitude as the point of interest.

An important aspect of sur-face pressure charts is the contour interval between isobars. For most U.S.-based charts, this contour interval is 4 mb. This means that isobars are drawn every 4 mb (e.g. 996 mb, 1,000 mb, 1,004 mb, etc).

WEATHER

Table 1. Units for wind speed

compared. Note that the

values for knots are approxi-

mately twice those for meters

per second, a good rule of

thumb when forecast infor-

mation is available in meters

per second. Yellow shading

indicates gale warning crite-

ria, orange shading indicates

storm warning criteria, red

shading indicates hurricane

force warning criteria. A weather

chart from

the Mauri-

tius Meteo-

rological

Services.

Occasionally, especially in tropi-cal areas, intervening 2-mb isobars are included on U.S. charts, but when this occurs, they are drawn as

dashed lines rather than solid lines so it is easy to tell them apart.

In other parts of the world, though, charts are produced with

Communications expert Gordon West reports

GAM Electronics, Inc.191 Varney StreetManchester, NH 03102Phone: (603) 627-1010Fax: (603) 622-4738

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“I have donenumerous SSB hamand marine radiochecks with this sys-tem and have foundno discernible signallosses, even whenused with a well-grounded backstayaboard a steel-hulled vessel. Theantenna...can bangout a signal just asthough it were sus-pended in mid-air.”

– Sail MagazineOctober 2005

M No need for backstay insulators

M Easy installationM No swaging, no

cuttingM Tough, water-

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gam_17v 1/9/07 9:30 AM Page 1

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ocean_train_17v 7/30/10 2:51 PM Page 1

JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR39www.oceannavigator.com www.oceannavigator.com

ered, the two charts will indicate the same wind speed.

Charts available outside U.S.Now that we have gone through some of the basics of how to use text forecast and charts, let’s see what can be found around the world. Even though many products from

Table 2. Units for significant

wave height compared. The

values for feet are approxi-

mate. Descriptive terms used

in some forecasts are also

shown.

foreign countries are available through weatherfax and/or voice broadcasts, I am going to focus on what can be found on the Inter-

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ON1_2page.indd 1 11/3/2010 12:41:08 PM

contour intervals of 2, 3, 4, or even 5 mb. The use of these charts is basically the same as the U.S. charts, but the mariner needs to be aware of what the contour interval is so that a proper determination of wind speed can be made. For example, if one was comparing surface pres-sure charts from nearby countries, and one had a contour interval of 4 mb, and the other 2 mb, the chart with the 2-mb contour interval will have twice as many isobars, meaning that the isobar spacing will be only half as much. At first glance, such a chart might appear to be indicating much stronger wind speeds due to the closer spacing of the isobars, but when the contour interval is consid-

www.oceannavigator.com 40OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011 www.oceannavigator.com

WEATHER

net, since most high-seas voyag-ers now have Internet connec-tivity on board. One of the best tools to find weather infor-mation through the Internet is a search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.), and the best parameters

to search with are “coun-try meteorological service” where one inserts the name of a country adjacent to the waters of interest in place of the italicized word. This will usually produce the offi-cial website of the national meteorological service of the country (if one exists) within the top few results. If this does not produce the

UTC (Universal Time, also known as GMT, or Zulu time) or in the local time of the country. It is a good idea to be familiar with the time zone of the area of interest.

It is also important to realize that the national meteorological services of most countries will concen-trate on land-based weather information, and this is what will be featured most prominently. For maritime nations, there will usually be a link to weather informa-tion tailored toward those at sea, but sometimes it is not obvious. Also, not all countries provide all of the information at no cost. Some countries provide basic information for free, but also offer a more com-prehensive service available by paying a fee of some sort. This value-added informa-tion may be similar to that available from the private meteorological industry in the U.S., and may include additional forecasts and/or charts, and sometimes custom forecast services are available. An accompanying table provides web addresses for several national services

desired results, try a neigh-boring country.

Once you have reached the website of a national meteorological service of your area of interest, you will need to determine if the website produces informa-tion in a language you can understand. Some websites offer their content in both the native language of the country and in English, so look for a link to an English version. If there is not a link, it may still be possible to get some understand-able information, especially charts which rely less on text information. Look for the valid time(s) of any forecasts or charts to make sure you are accessing the appropriate information. It is important to keep in mind that these times may be given in either

Table 3. Web addresses for

selected national meteo-

rological sites around the

world. Addresses given will

take the user most directly

to marine information.

These two

color charts

from Meteo

France and the

British Met

Office show the

type of detail

one would

expect from

these excellent

weather ser-

vices.


around the world that provide marine weather information, but the list is not exhaustive, so use your search engine to look for exactly what might be needed.

Many foreign governments utilize some of the same computer model data used in the U.S., and some websites will provide this data in graphic form. This is basically GRIB data, which has become widely available in many different forms on the Internet and through software packages. With all of this data, it is very important to realize what it offers, and what it does not offer. This type of data is pure computer model output from one model, and has not been reviewed or altered by a meteorologist. It will not take into account other com-puter models, and more impor-tantly, will not factor in any local effects which may prevail in cer-tain parts of the world. In general, mariners are better off using prod-ucts which have been prepared by a professional meteorologist and therefore incorporate more comprehensive data, as well as the knowledge and experience of the meteorologist.

If you are planning a voyage far from U.S. waters, do some research ahead of time to locate the web-based products that will meet your needs. It is much easier to do this searching with a fast connection and in the comfort of your home so that when you are underway on board, perhaps in a less than perfectly-comfortable sit-uation and with a slower connec-tion, you will be able to use book-

marks to your pre-determined webpages to get the needed prod-ucts more easily and quickly. Also, by researching available products online ahead of time, you will be familiar with products which may

be available through radiofax or other means. n

Ken McKinley is a trained mete-orologist and the owner of Locus Weather in Camden, Maine.


A case

study on

a passage

from

Panama to

the

Galápagos

Dealing with the ITCZBY JEFF WILLIAMS

The

Intertropical

Convergence

Zone is an

area of

unpredictable

clouds

and squalls.

There’s a dirty secret about the Coconut Milk Run. Oh, all the hype is true:

day after day of downwind run-ning, pristine lagoons encircled by palm-strewn motus, the fas-cinating history of Polynesian culture, and beautiful, welcom-ing peoples. Yes, it’s just like in the guide books.

But first you have to get there. Coming from the Carib-bean, via the Panama Canal, there’s the small matter of 1,000 miles or so of uphill work to be done getting to the Galá-pagos Islands.

If it was simply a matter of close reaching for a week or 10 days, it would be one thing (and a short article). But the reality is much more complicat-ed than that and as a result each

voyager’s experience tends to be unique. An informal survey of the dozen or so boats here in Wreck Bay, San Cristóbal, indicates passage times from less than eight days to more than twice that, maximum winds from 25 knots to 50 knots, from 12 to 72 hours of motor-ing, and emergency stops along the Colombian or Ecuadorian coasts.

The big pictureThe Pacific side of the Panama Canal at Balboa, Panama, lies at about 8° N, 79° W; the Galápa-gos, at 1° S, 90° W — a rhumb line distance of about 850 nm (ignoring inconvenient shoals and capes).

The Intertropical Conver-gence Zone (ITCZ) with its

attendant squalls and convec-tion must generally be crossed somewhere between Balboa and 3° N. Tropical waves that sur-vive crossing the mainland also bring unsettled weather and gusty winds as they traverse the area east to west. Convection rises from the land most days and storm cells drift out to sea all along the coast.

SSB Radio NetThe Pan-Pacific net meets

daily at 1400 UTC on 8143

kHz. Boats underway along

the coast of Central America

and west to the Galápagos

are welcome to check in.

Raine Williams

42


North of the ITCZ, north or northwest winds may be enjoyed in the gulf and slightly south. Once out of the ITCZ on the south side, trade winds from the Southern Hemi-sphere begin to be felt. Although originating as southeasterly winds, the trades bend to the right as they cross the equator becoming southerly, then southwesterly, and even west-south-westerly farther to the north.

A south-setting current is felt in the Gulf of Panama and to the south to about 6° N where it becomes inter-mittent. Offshore, at about 2° N, the beginnings of the South Equatorial Current are felt, setting to the west or west-northwest.

First stepUpon leaving Balboa, many boats stop for a night or two at Taboga Island, eight miles to the southwest. The anchorage there offers good hold-ing though only moderate protection from the daily northerly winds. Nev-ertheless, there’s fresh air and clean water away from the canal traffic. Voyagers weaned in the Caribbean especially will appreciate the tall sea-walls fronting the town and the huge rocky foreshore. No eight-inch tides here; 15 feet is more the norm.

Lying about 45 nm to the south-east, the Las Perlas island group is a great place to do final preparation for the crossing to the Galápagos while

The Tropical Surface Analysis is broad-

cast from NMG in New Orleans. Issued

every six hours, this shows the position

of the ITCZ and any tropical waves.

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WEATHER

waiting for the opportune weather window. The islands are a cruising ground in their own right with quiet anchorages, white sand beaches, and sparsely populated islands. Don’t plan on refueling or reprovisioning here, however.

Still, the islands are attractive and interesting. Our favorite anchorage was a small beach near Don Bernardo on Isla Pedro González. The holding was excellent in sand and there was great protection from the southerly swells and the southeasterlies that

developed most days. There would also have been good protection from northerlies, though at the time of year we were there (May) the northerlies did not reach the Las Perlas as strongly as they might earlier in the year. Ripe, fresh mangoes dropped from the trees just behind the beach and we wandered the

jungle along dirt tracks portending future development.

The great thing about hanging in the Las Perlas is that you can enjoy cruising while simultaneously waiting for your weather window to go south. When conditions are right, heave up the anchor and you’re off.

Choosing the weatherTo my mind, there are two important weather features to consider in timing your Panama departure: the position of the ITCZ and the forecast of tropi-cal waves.

The ITCZ is a permanent feature of the eastern Pacific, though it is anything but stationary. In the north-ern winter and spring — when most voyaging boats will make this passage — the ITCZ is usually present in these latitudes. In the northern sum-

mer and fall, it is likely to be north of the area.

Even when the ITCZ is present, however, it is constantly moving and changing in intensity. During the 10 days we tracked it, it varied from 3° N to 10° N and was on occasion completely absent from our area of interest. It can be anywhere from 50 to 300 miles wide, though 150 miles is typical.

North of the ITCZ, the prevailing winds are generally northerly; south of it, southerly. Obviously if it is to the south when you leave Panama, you’ll have northerly winds for the first peri-od of time. Tempting as this sounds, the cost you pay is in having to cross the ITCZ. In the ITCZ itself, you are likely to find light and variable winds interspersed with moderate to strong cells of convection. Wind shifts of 180 are common and rain can be so thick as to make the bow disap-pear. Although you can often thread your way around scattered moderate convection, encountering a pocket of strong convection can be a harrowing experience. Still, if the ITCZ activ-ity is light and not too wide, you can motor through it in a day or less.

Alternatively, if the ITCZ is north of the area or absent altogether from this longitude, you can avoid encoun-tering the worst of the convection and squall activity completely. This is what we found on our recent crossing and it was a delight to enjoy moon-light instead of lightning.

Tropical waves are north-south running lines of low pressure that move from east to west across the area. Anyone who has cruised in the Caribbean in the summer will rec-ognize them. Tropical waves bring

In order to get a better idea of the

location of the ITCZ and other features,

Jeff Williams listened to daily forecasts,

checked weather charts and made his

own chart for planning purposes.

Strong tidal currents sweep between the islands here. The waters are rich in nutrients, bringing diverse animal life. In our short stay we saw dolphins, whales, flying spotted eagle rays, and cruising manta rays.

The waters are also rich in flotsam — natural and man-made. Just south of the Perlas on our first circumnavi-gation, Gryphon encountered a tree as big as she, damaging our speed log and rudder in the event. Man-made trash floats in large current-driven lines and the islands’ beaches often end up being huge filters for this unfortunate feature.


A chart from the Tropical Prediction Center

shows the 24-hour forecast. Used along

with the 48-hour and 72-hour forecasts,

these charts show the progression of tropi-

cal waves over the area. These charts are

very uncluttered, making them valuable

when weatherfax reception is poor.

unsettled weather, heavy overcast, and squally convection. The effects of a strong wave can be felt up to 300 miles to the east and/or west of the feature.

Depending on the season, waves may be encountered with some regu-larity every few days, irregularly, or not at all. It is necessary to watch the

forecasts to determine what (if any) pattern is present.

Opening the weather windowThere are several good weather products available from the National

Weather Service’s Tropical Prediction Center that can be used to track the ITCZ and to predict and track tropi-cal waves.

High seas forecast for the East-ern Pacific from the equator to

30° N: Broadcast by NMC (Pt. Reyes, Calif.) or available for download from saildocs.com. Issued every six hours, this text forecast cov-ers a vast area but, more importantly, it describes the posi-tion of the ITCZ and any areas of


WEATHER

moderate to strong convection associ-ated with it. It also describes the posi-tion of any tropical waves and their associated convection.

CONVECTION VALID AS OF 0115 UTC THU JUN 03...TROUGH 12N116W TO 1012 MB LOW PRES NEAR 10N118W TO 08N122W. SCATTERED MODERATE WITHIN 90 NM N AND 75 NM S OF TROUGH AND BETWEEN 150 NM AND 240 NM SE QUADRANT OF LOW.TROPICAL WAVE FROM 03N84W TO 09N82W. SCAT-TERED MODERATE ISOLAT-

ED STRONG WITHIN 300 NM W OF WAVE N OF 08N. SCATTERED MODERATE WITHIN 180 NM E OF WAVE N OF 06N. INTERTROPICAL CONVER-GENCE ZONE...09N94W TO 11N94W TO 09N109W TO 10N120W TO 06N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE BETWEEN 75 NM AND 210 NM S OF AXIS BETWEEN 87W AND 95W...WITHIN 90 NM S AND 45 NM N OF AXIS W OF 136W...AND WITHIN 150 NM N OF AXIS BETWEEN 114W AND 116W.- Excerpted from FZPN03, 0430

UTC THU June 3, 2010

Tropical surface analysis — western half: Weatherfax broad-cast by NMG (New Orleans, La.), 0005/0605/1205/1805 UTC. Also issued every six hours, this analysis graphically shows the position of the ITCZ and any tropical waves or other features. From this graphic you can see the presence of any tropical waves over the continent.

24-hour, 48-hour, 72-hour sur-face forecasts: Weatherfax broadcast by NMG (New Orleans, La.), starting 0105/0705/1305/1905 UTC. Issued every 12 hours, these weather charts show the progression of tropical waves

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over the area. They do not indicate the strength of the waves nor any pre-diction for the ITCZ. Nevertheless, they are useful in timing the passage of tropical waves. The charts are very uncluttered making them valuable when weatherfax reception is poor.

Sea state analysis and wind/wave forecasts: Weatherfax broad-cast by NMG (New Orleans, La.), starting 0035/0635/1235/1835 UTC. These charts are of less use within the area of interest. Since the synoptic winds are generally light with widely spaced isobars (see above), there is little information to be gained from them. The one useful feature of these charts is to give advance warn-

ing of a large southerly swell; apropos for selecting anchorages in Las Perlas, though in truth of little consequence on passage.

While the weather charts and fore-casts listed above indicate the day-to-day position of the ITCZ and tropical waves, they do little for tracking the movements of these features. For this, we use a simple sheet of graph paper, marking the latitudes from 0° to 9° N and the longitudes from 77° W to 86° W, and roughly sketching the posi-tion of the coasts of Panama, Colom-bia, and Ecuador. Then with the receipt of each day’s forecast, we mark (in different colors daily) the location of the axis of the ITCZ and any tropi-

cal waves, along with any associated convection activity.

The simple chart we make, coupled with the current suite of surface forecasts, enables us to see the daily movement of the ITCZ and waves along with the expected loca-tion of the waves. Based primarily on this information — and looking out the galley port each morning — we chose our departure to coincide with a strong northerly shift in the ITCZ and the absence of predicted waves.

Underway routingOne’s choice of route is generally dominated by trying to find favorable winds for laying the Galápagos. Once

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south of the ITCZ, WSW winds — generally light — will be found. The farther south one goes, the more these winds will back and settle into a moderate breeze. Eventually, by the time the equator is reached, the wind will be southerly. The farther you are from the coast, the truer this generalization becomes. GRIB files containing data from the most recent run of the Global Forecast System (GFS) model are the best source of local wind forecasts and route plan-ning. (The GFS model is good for predicting the general state and trend of the winds in this area, although it is not particularly good at predicting the conditions associated with tropi-cal features since the coarse nature of the model fails to correctly ‘see’ small features.)

The general consensus (Jimmy Cornell, Royal Cruising Club Pilot-age Foundation, and others) is that considerable southing should be made before turning west towards the Galápagos. There is agreement that one should stand well off Cabo Mala upon leaving the Gulf of Panama, and to continue working south keeping to the east of Isla Mal-pelo. In this way, one spends the least amount of time in the area domi-nated by the ITCZ and one gains a southerly boost from the eastern extreme of the Equatorial Counter Current as it encounters the coast and bends south. (The middle track on the earlier chartlet shows the route recommended by the RCC Pilotage Foundation’s Pacific Crossing Guide.)

Just how close to the coast and how far south to sail before turning west becomes the strategic decision of the trip.

Some weather routers have sug-

gested staying closer to the coast and carrying south as far as 1° N or 2° N before turning. For the voyagers here in Wreck Bay who chose that path, it seems that they encountered con-siderably more areas of heavy rain, squally conditions, and strong con-

vection. In part this may have been due to simple timing, but a perusal of the forecasts shows that convec-tion is often found close to the coast of Colombia even when the offshore areas are clear. (The eastern track on the chartlet shows a coastal route as

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WEATHER

favored by some.)For us, we chose to make as much

southing as possible, but without giving up any westing; drawing an imaginary line straight south from the Las Perlas, we would not cross to the east of that line. Since we were already south of the ITCZ, we started with WSW winds; winds that would occasionally back to SW or even S in showers. We would sail south whenever possible, tacking to avoid more than just a few degrees of easting. By sailing close to the wind or motoring when it was exception-ally light, we were able to make about 120-140 nm per day, almost due south.

We slowed down a trifle our last night out, timing our landfall at San Cristóbal to coincide with the sun-rise. It was almost impossible to go slower than 4 knots, but in the end the wind failed completely and we motored in to Wreck Bay on a glassy sea, seven days and 21 hours anchor-to-anchor from Isla Pedro González — an improvement of more than 24 hours over our previous trip. n

Raine & Jeff Williams regurgitated the anchor five years after their first circumnavigation ended. They are cur-rently headed west aboard their J/40 Gryphon. Their website is at www.sailblogs.com/member/j40gryphon.

In day four at about 2.5° N lati-tude, the wind finally backed suffi-ciently for us to tack onto port — the tack that we carried for the next three-and-a-half days. Starting from about 2.5° N, 80° W, we tried to lay the Galápagos as best we could. At first we headed west, but as the wind slowly, slowly backed we were able to point directly at the islands.

Around 1.5° N, the South Equa-torial Current started to be felt and we watched our speed over ground jump from 6 knots to an average of 8.5 knots. At times we were doing 11 knots according to the GPS — in about 12 knots of wind and with very kind seas. Magic.

Don’t miss OceanNavigator’s emailnewsletters packedwith original articlesabout marine elec-tronics, engines &systems, rules ofthe road, offshore safe-ty & medicine, weather and more.

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Essential tips for serious sailors

on_house_50h 9/25/09 4:20 PM Page 1


I’m probably like a lot of do-it-yourself sailors

when it comes to painting techniques: I’ve tried them all. And I’ve had varying degrees of success — from awful to “not bad” — with each. I think it’s the very nature of paint — i.e. the fact that it just doesn’t seem to like to stick to anything — that makes using it such a battle. Not to mention that even if it does stick, and even if you do get a good finish, it still doesn’t last very long.

But there’s hope: I’ve recently experienced a paint alternative called powder coating. I like it for two important reasons:

• The final finish is thick, durable, shiny, with an even distribution.

• It actually partners better with my tendencies to focus on mechanical things, and my general desire to avoid doing purely cosmetic things. With powder coating, all I have to do is take the pieces apart and get them off the boat (my mechanical side), after which I dump them in a box and drive them to the powder-coater (my lazy side). In a few days: magic. A whole new unit of whatever, ready for reassembly.

I most recently experi

Even after a

recent paint-

ing, the head’s

plumbing

elements were

peeling and

corroded. The

first step was

to sandblast

the pieces to

prepare them

for powder

coating.

The head has been painted many times, the last instance being five years ago when I coated it with a nice white lacquer finish that started to go green in just about a month, despite what I thought was adequate prep work and quality paint. No doubt this was exacerbated because the head is an oft-missed target while sailing offshore, but I’ve always thought that if you could tame the head, you could tame any-thing. So, I attacked the dragon in its lair, dragged it into the light of day, dis-membered it, and brought its pieces to Dave Hoar, Port-land, Maine’s local powder coating pro, at New England Fiberglass.

Technically, both painting and powder are “coatings,” the difference being that the former comes in liquid form (a solvent that contains the pigments and fillers in suspension), while the latter is applied as a dried powder that, once heated, allows the

powder to flow out/together to create a (relatively thick) skin on the surface. Interest-ingly the basic materials are the same — powder coatings can be made of epoxy, polyure-thanes, polyester — they are just mixed and produced dif-ferently; i.e., “dry,” without solvents.

Powder coating also has a couple of environmental

advantages that paint doesn’t: it emits no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and produces no hazardous waste — mainly because any over-spray of the powder can be captured and reused.

As with any coating, the surface prep for powder coating is critical. Surface contaminants will affect how well the coating adheres, and how the final finish appears.

Powder coating tames the headBY PETER STOOPS

VoYAGinG Tips

Pete

r St

oo

ps

www.oceannavigator.com 52OCEAN NAVIGATOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY2011

VoYAGinG Tips

More often than not, this is accomplished by some sort of abrasive blasting — sand, shot, plastic, etc. It can also be done with chemicals.

that almost look as if they’ve been “dipped” in an epoxy coating. It is a tangibly thick, uniform finish that seems less prone to chipping — and certainly is far more attractive than any liquid coating I’ve ever applied.

I’m sure the environment in which the head lives will eventually take its toll on any kind of coating. None-theless, I’m feeling like I’ve postponed this bit of nasty, ongoing maintenance much further into the future than I was ever able to before — long live powder coating! n

Once it is clean, places that should not be coated (i.e. threads, intake/exhaust ports, etc.) are carefully taped or plugged with foam. The powder is then sprayed on the material with an elec-trostatic gun; the positively-charged powder is shot through compressed air at the grounded object, which causes the powder to “stick” to the object. The next step is for all parts to go into the kiln for baking, after which they are removed, and hung up to cool and cure.

The results reveal parts

After powder

coating the

head elements

are ready for

reassembly.

Peter Stoo

ps

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www.nmea.org

For your nearest NMEA dealer, use our dealer locator at:

National Marine Electronics Association800.808.6632 • 410.975.9425 • www.nmea.org

Classifieds


Classifieds

Generators

classifiedadvertising

Text-only classifieds are priced at $1.40 per word. Include name, address and number of words. E-mail/Web site addresses count as two (2) words. $56/40-word minimum. Black & white photos, line drawings or display classifieds are $76/per inch billed in 1/2-inch increments. Add 50% for color artwork. Check or money order (US funds only) payable to Ocean Navigator must accompany order except if using Master- Card or Visa (please include name, card number and expiration date). Eight-time 20% discount if contract is paid in full in advance. Deadline is the 7th of the month, 2 months preced-ing cover date. Copy received after deadline will be inserted on a space-available basis or held for next issue. Send copy, photo and payment to:

Ocean Navigator ClassifiedsPO Box 569 Portland, ME 04112-0569207-236-7014 207-772-2466 or Fax 207-772-2879

Charts

“high definition prints”256 shades of gray

chart savings up to 76% worldwide

Current edition charts reproduced on heavy-weight bond paper as low as $4.95. USA, Caribbean, Med, South Pacific, Mexico, Asia, Worldwide. Free Index. Sample Chart $5.95. Affordable E-chart back-ups.

33 years quality serviceBellingham chart printersDivision Tides End Ltd.,PO Box 397N

Shaw Island, WA 98286 800-643-3900 • 360-468-3900

Fax: 360-468-3939 Web: www.tidesend.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Insurance

Boats for Sale

12’ Beetle catSimplicity was fastened with bronze fasteners, indicating that she was built in 1978 or later. She had just been completely refinished with the hull painted, in and out; spars also were refinished and varnished - all work by Artisan Boat Works. Cedar plank hull on oak frames, exterior is painted white, tan canvas non-skid, gray interior ceilings, varnish oak coaming. White sail in good serviceable condi-tion. Snap on cockpit cover, recent EZ loader trailer. Price $12,000.

Rocknak’s Yacht Sales, Inc.10 Camden Street, P.O. Box 339

Rockport, ME 04856 USATel (207) 236-3149Fax (207) 236-9641

www.bwss.com

Blue Water Sailing School

REALLY LEARNASA BAreBoAt CertifiCAtionS

• Basic Sailing • Basic and Advanced Cruising• Coastal & Celestial Navigation• Offshore Passagemaking• Custom & Private Instruction• Four great locations: Ft. Lauderdale, FL St. Thomas, USVI Newport, RI Abacos, Bahamas• Multihull certifications

Ft. Lauderdale - Bermuda passages

800-255-1840

Instructions/Schools

Marine Electrical

Royal Blue cotton caps with Ocean Navigator logo embroidered in white. Fully adjustable. $18 + $4 S&HSend check to: NavigatoR PuBliSHiNg, Po Box 569 Portland, ME 04112OR call/fax MC/Visa # and expira-tion date to: 207-772-2466

BASEBALLCAPS

Mail Services

st Brendan’s isle, inc. — view and read

your mail online!!Serving cruisers since 1988 —

No Annual Fees — Tax Free Florida Discount Marine Supplies/

Lavac Toilets411 Walnut Street

Green Cove Spring, FL 32043 800-544-2132

[email protected]

offshore emergency medicine™

renaissance denver hoteldenver, colorado:

april 7 – 9, 2011

The popular and successful Ocean Navigator seminar certified by Wilderness Medical Associates, offering practical and expert training for the cruising sailor and professional mariner. We go well beyond first aid to emphasize the understanding of body systems and principles to best prepare the medical officer for remote and challenging situations. Classroom instruction is tied to the student’s own experience through the liberal use of case studies, scenarios and hands-on assessment problems. The curriculum includes 10 hours of assigned pre-course reading and testing followed by three days of on-site training. Certification is awarded by The Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship and Wilderness Medical Associates. For more information and registration please visit www.medofficer.net or contact:Jeff Isaac, PA-C, Medical Officer, Ltd., 970-275-4999, [email protected]. Dave Jackson, Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship, 207-236-7014, [email protected].

Solarfor boatsonly...

Superior powerGood looking

LightweightUltrathinWalk-on

www.aurinco.com

Classifieds


for complete info, visit us atwww.macksails.com

stuart • florida • ft. lauderdale

772-283-2306fax: 772-283-2433

800-428-1384

Sails

WebSmartSelf-Steering

Weather Services

ocean voyage weather forecasts

Custom forecasts address your specific needs, taking into account your boat’s characteristics and your voyaging phi-losophy. A professional meteorologist will work personally with you to help make good safe decisions.

locus weather 207-236-3935www.locusweather.com

Delicate. Defenseless. Endangered.

Rescue the Reef ®

Throughout the tropics, coral reefs protect countless marine species and provide food and livelihoods for 500 million people, but who protects the reefs? Assaulted by pollution, overfi shing and climate change, coral reefs are being destroyed so quickly that 70% of the world’s reefs may disappear within 50 years.

Who can Rescue the Reef? You!

Act now at nature.org/rescue

Photo: © Jeff Yonover

ClassifiedsMarine Gear

small ad, small pricesStanding and running rigging, lifelines, furling gear, winches, line, windlasses, travelers, wire and ter minals, blocks, vangs, clutches, etc. Problem solving is our specialty. We are a rigging shop special-izing in discount mail order. Free catalog. Rigging Only 508-992-0434, E-mail: [email protected].

web: riggingonly.com

Boaters resale shop of texas

We Buy-Sell-Consign & ebay used boat equipment and small boats. Radar-SSB-GPS-EPIRB-life rafts-dinghys-port a boats-outboards-Sat Phones-Navigation Software-Sextants-drogues-harnesses-sails-props-water makers-refrigeration-cabin heaters-stoves-tanks-books and charts. www.boatersresaleshopoftexas.com 713-614-8884.

Medical Services

protex plan internationalmedical insurance for

cruisersDirect Billing Hospitals in 120 countries

info: www.protexplan.com800-507-0545

Classifieds WebSmartBeta Marine is the leading manufacturer of refined diesel propulsion engines from 10 to 90 HP all based on Kubota diesels. Offering user friendly service and maintenance and the latest spec EPA and CE certified engines and world wide service. www.betamarine.net

Cape GeorGe Marine Works, inC The hull form of the Cape George Cutter is based on time-tested principles, inspired by the work of the late William Atkin. The long keel/short overhang concept results in a protect-ed rudder and long waterline for high average speeds and self-steering ability. The deep cross-section gives excellent load carrying and an easy motion. Our yachts are noted for their strength and sea kindliness with excellent perfor-mance under sail even when heavily laden. www.capegeorgecutters.com

CeLestaire World’s largest selection of marine sextants, navigation com-puters, compasses, books, videos and software for traditional navigation. www.celestaire.com

DiGitaL WaVe Visual Passage Planner 2 (VPP2) was designed to bring the power of the computer to the passage planning process. VPP2 automates the tedious, time consuming task of evaluating passage conditions and then estimating passage elapsed times with pen and paper. Using VPP2, many “what-if” scenarios can be played out in the time it would take to manually calculate one route using traditional methods, allowing selection of the best route. www.digwave.com

epiFanes The Worlds finest Yacht Coatings for over 100 years: varnishes and Clear finishes, one component topside finishes, primer systems, thinners and additives, specialty finishes, brushes and accessories. www.epifanes.com

FUJinon Fujinon Mariner II Binoculars–100% waterproof. Heavy Duty. For over 50 years Fujinon has offered the largest variety of quality optics at a great price. That is why the US Army, Navy, the FBI and NASA have ordered over a quarter million units from Fujinon. www.fujinonbinocular.com

FUrUno Manufactures more than 200 marine electronic products for both recreational and commercial vessels, including state-of-the-art radar, GPS, depth sounder, sonar, chart plotter, charting software, weatherfax, satellite communications, VHF, SSB radio, AIS system, GMDSS and nav instrument systems. www.Furuno.com

Hansen Marine is dedicated to customer service. We are a major distributor for Westerbeke, Universal, Aquadrive, and Reverso. We also have developed the XRT power system. Please visit www.xrtcombi.com for more information. www.hansenmarine.com

Harken, inC. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sail-boat hardware and accessories. Our gear has dominated such events as the America’s Cup and Olympics. Our blocks, travelers, furling systems and winches can be found aboard the smallest dinghies to the largest megayachts and cruisers. www.harken.com

iCoM MA-500TR new Class B AIS Transponder offers the safety and convenience of Class B AIS. The MA-500 TR automatically shares info with other AIS transponders. If you want to contact another vessel, you no longer need to locate and punch in its 9-digit MMSI number. The MA-500TR does it automatically. For free literature call 425-450-6088 or visit. www.icomamerica.com

kato Marine Stainless Steel sailboat and powerboat davits, outboard lifts, radar and wind generator poles, radar mounts for mast, mini backstay mounts and sail –boatarches. www.katomarine.com

LonseaL FLoorinG: Matte and varnished Teak andHolly sheet flooring products. High performance and slip retardant safety flooring. Flooring for exterior and/or interior installations. Call today for complimentary samples: 800-832-7111 www.lonsealspecialty.com

Maine Yacht Center was built for one purpose: to perfectly care for both our customers and their boats, year ‘round. That means a whole lot more than a slip for the summer and a set of boat stands for the winter. You’ll get an experienced, professional staff dedicated to caring for your boat as if it was their own. Welcome to Maine Yacht Center, Casco Bay, Portland, Maine www.maineyacht.com

noBeLteC - Nobeltec is a leading developer of PC-based marine navigation software programs and supplier of electronic charts, hard-ware, and accessories. Admiral 10.7 and Visual Navigation Suite 10.7, setting the standards for powerful software, are both now available. The Nobeltec hardware and accessory line includes radars, transducers, GPS equipment and more to make your integrated navigation system reli-able and stable. www.nobeltec.com

norDHaVn Nordhavns have remained a leader in the boating industry thanks to consistently staying on top of the latest technology and maintaining the utmost in safety, comfort, luxury and reliability. Whether cruising around the world or day-tripping to a nearby harbor, a Nordhavn will get you there. www.nordhavn.com

nortH saiLs produces more cruising sails to higher standards of perfor-mance and durability than any other sailmaker in the world. All are manufac-tured using premium fabrics from North Cloth as well as other quality sup-pliers. All North cruising products are built to give you years of trouble-free sailing. www.northsails.com

portLanD YaCHt serViCes is a full service Boatyard and Marina, providing customers with a full spectrum of services for outfit-ting and maintaining a motor or sailing vessel. Our dedicated staff handles all types of storage, maintenance, refits, and restorations on any type of boat or yacht. www.portlandyacht.com

proFUrL The PROFURL Classic reefing system with its unique appearance is unlike any other furling system. Only the finest materials are chosen to meet PROFURL’s strict technical specifications. The result is PROFURL’s legendary reputation. www.profurlamerica.com

QUiCkLine provides the highest quality 316L stainless steel anchoring gear that’s effective and easy to use. Best of all, it delivers peace of mind. • Highly polished 316L stainless steel • Self-aligning http://quickline.us/ultraanchor.asp

seaFrost Manufacturers of a broad line of marine refrigeration and freezer systems including Engine Drive 110/220 volt and D.C. units. Used by the finest charter fleets worldwide. www.seafrost.com

star CLippers Welcome to Star Clippers. Discover a new age of sail, where the traditions of the past are combined with the modern comforts and amenities of the present. Perfect for cruising in casual elegance. Our itineraries range from the sun-kissed Mediterranean to the exotic Far East and the Caribbean. www.starclippers.com

steiner For more than 25 years, Steiner’s Commander Series has been set-ting standards worldwide for marine binoculars with unrivaled reliability and innova tion. www.steiner-binoculars.com

VaripropeLLer Usa The best feathering and folding propellers!www.varipropusa.com


SEA FROST®

Retail PartnersMaineHamilton Marine 100 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 774-1772 / 800-548-6352 www.hamiltonmarine.com

Hamilton Marine 20 Park Drive Rockland, ME 04841 (207) 594-8181 www.hamiltonmarine.com

Hamilton Marine 155 E Main St, Seaport, ME 04974 800-639-2715 / 800-548-6352 www.hamiltonmarine.com

Landing Boat Supply106 Lafayette St.Yarmouth, ME 04096

CaliforniaSeabreeze LTD 1254 Scott St., San Diego, CA 92106 888-449-7011 / 888-449-7012 www.seabreezebooks.com

ColoradoGeoMart516 Villanova Ct, Ft. Collins, CO 80527P: 800-248-6277 / F: 800-321-6277www.geomart.com

ConnecticutRex Marine Center144 Water Street, South Norwalk, CT 06854(203) 831-5234 / (203) [email protected]

(207) 846-3777 / (207) [email protected]

Portland Yacht Services58 Fore Street Portland, ME 04107(207) 774-1067 / (207) 774-7035www.portlandyacht.com [email protected]

MarylandFawcett Boat Supplies110 Compromise St. Annapolis, MD 21401(410) 267-8681 / (410) 268-6528www.fawcettboat.com [email protected]

Massachusetts Lynn Marine Supply65 Front St., Tucker’s Wharf Marblehead, MA 01945P: (781) [email protected]

North Carolina Marine Electronics of the Outer Banks4711 Croaton Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959P: (252) 441-1360 / F: [email protected]

PennsylvaniaPilot House Tupper Barrett 1600 South Columbus, Philadelphia, PA 19148 (215) 336-6414 / (215) 336-6415

Cape GeorGe Marine Works, inC.Cape GeorGe Marine Works, inC.

Delicate. Defenseless. Endangered.

Rescue the Reef ®

Throughout the tropics, coral reefs protect countless marine species and provide food and livelihoods for 500 million people, but who protects the reefs? Assaulted by pollution, overfi shing and climate change, coral reefs are being destroyed so quickly that 70% of the world’s reefs may disappear within 50 years.

Who can Rescue the Reef? You!

Act now at nature.org/rescue

Photo: © Jeff Yonover


Nav Problem

Maiden Voyage, the book that Tania Aebi wrote

about her 1985-87 circumnavi-gation, should be read by any-one who has ever faced chal-lenges armed with only bravery, fortitude and chutzpah. It is a Dickensian tale: the loving, but unwell mother, the demanding father, the anarchy of the streets of Manhattan, the rebellious teenaged protagonist. Fearing for his daughter’s future, the father made young Aebi an of-fer she couldn’t refuse. Instead of going to college, he proposes buying a boat so she can do a circumnavigation. Aebi jumped at the chance and at the age of 18 departed New York aboard a 26-foot Contessa sailboat.

The fact that Aebi had never had any solo time aboard a sailboat adds to the surreal aspect of the story. A second reading, more than 20 years after the release of Maiden Voyage, still leaves the reader dumbfounded at the nerve this 18-year-old had. And also a great deal of respect for what she accomplished aboard her boat Varuna.

In her telling, in May 1985, when she sailed from New York Harbor she was so inex-perienced that when anchoring for the first night off Sandy Hook, she didn’t even know how to give the anchor enough scope so that it could reach

the bottom. Yet she carried on and by the time she arrived back in New York, two and a half years later, she was the youngest American girl to have successfully circumnavigated single-handed. Along the way, she met the man who would later become her husband and the father of her two children, was capsized, almost run down, suffered through her mothers death and began a 20-year rela-tionship with her cat Tarzoon.

At the time of her voyage, Aebi was an accomplished bi-cycle messenger in New York City. But she was determined, and, as it turned out, very lucky. Understanding only ba-sic seamanship and little about weather, she had virtually no navigation skills. Though she had taken a celestial navigation class, she hadn’t passed.

It seems almost impossible to imagine, but in the 1980s almost all long-distance sailors relied on a sextant and sight re-duction tables to find their way. Realizing that she needed to get to work, on her second day at sea bound for Bermuda, she cracked her navigation books. “I sat on the deck with the sex-tant, pointing it into the sun, burning my pupils through the two mirrors, aligning the sun with the horizon to determine the exact angle between the two. I tried and retried; but the

Tania Aebi circumnavigates BY DAVID BERSON

fixes just didn’t seem right.” Aebi finally found the

problem with her sights wasn’t the math. It was her sextant. She discovered this on her way to the Marquesas. The frame of her plastic sextant was so warped that her sights were always off. Fortunately she had a Freiberger aluminum sextant and even though it was more difficult to use, it measured the angle of the sun perfectly.

Aebi primarily did sun sights, advancing LOPs over the course of the day. Let’s join her on Varuna on the way to the Marquesas. We have her doing a meridian passage sight of the lower limb of the sun on Oct. 16 (we’ll use the 2010 Nautical Almanac). The DR at the time of the sight is 19° 50’S by 136° 27’W, the height of eye is eight feet. The Hs of the lower limb of the sun is 79° 02.8’. n

A. Calculate the time in GMT of meridian passage. B. Find the Ho. C. Calculate latitude.

For a complete solution, visit www.OceanNavigator.com.

A: Time in GMT meridian passage 20:51:48B: Ho 79° 16’C: Latitude 19° 49.1’

Answers

Co

urtesy Tan

ia Aeb

i

Tania Aebi

uses her

Frieberger

sextant

while circum-

navigating.

M604The ultimate VHF

• Submersible IPX7 construction; military rugged• Full key pad for fast access to all functions• Built-in 30 W hailer and 4 pattern foghorn

• Accepts up to two COMMANDMICIII™ remots• Available in black or gray

M504Award-winning VHF

• Super-submersible IPX8 construction• Built-in 25 W hailer and foghorn

• Accepts optional COMMANDMICIII™ remote• Optional rear-mounted hand mic version

• Available in black or gray

DSC is for more than emergency use. It’s a conve-

nience. You can use it to identify friends in a group,

and transmit so that only your friend may hear.

Or chart your friend’s location in real-time on a map

(you’ll need third-party mapping equipment for that.)

Or alert you when a friend leaves radio range, or

comes in to it.

Class D DSC is the new standard that all radio

manufacturers must meet in 2011. Icom has it, today!

www.icomamerica.com©2010 Icom America Inc. The Icom logo is a registered trademark of Icom Inc.

COMMANDMICII and COMMANDMICIII are trademarks of Icom Inc. 20332

Digital Selective Calling (DSC)

is changing the way people

use their VHF radios.

And it’s saving lives.

Icom Class D DSC VHF Radios

C L E A R A N C ECall your authorized Icom dealer today for pricing on non-Class D DSC radios

M304Economical marine VHF• Submersible IPX7 construction• Smaller size, yet every inch an Icom• Available in black, white or gray

M422Durable, IPX7 submersible• NMEA In: easy 3rd party GPS connection• Accepts COMMANDMICII™ option• Available in black or white

20332_OceanNav_DSC_1110.indd 1 9/23/10 12:43 PM

Documents

Ocean Navigator ON 191 Jan/Feb 2011