Sailboat Cruisers s/v 'Bear' Family Update

Our good friends Mark and Yvette along with their daughters Jenefer and Maya are making good time along the English coast in 'Bear' on their voyage home to Florida. Here I reproduce the latest newsletter of their escapades this summer so far:

Hello again. It has been a time since I last posted so there is a lot of catching up to do. Cruising life is by no means just lying around in a hammock!

I left off leaving the storage yard of Weilandt in Fehrman, Germany. We were extremely relieved to be back in the water safely as the shear mass of Bear taxed both the trailer she sat on all winter and the crane that lifted her. She managed the quarter mile roll with one flat tire,
producing a rather precarious starboard lean. Backstay removed to make way for the lifting bridle, the massively overburdened crane lifted her over the seawall and into the water she went. It still boggles my mind to think that thirty tons of steel can float so nicely, even through the air on a twenty- seven and one half ton rated crane. All involved were, needless to say, greatly relieved!

Bear going splash 

Our first stop was the British Kiel Yacht Club, a send from a fellow cruiser from the Cruising Association and not on the general cruising book's radar. It was a well-appointed club with a mess hall, full bar, proper bathtub, as well as full of British soldiers transiting to and from Afghanistan. The club also had a fleet of Halberg Rassey sailing yachts that they used for "R and R". 

The place was a bustle with preparations for the upcoming Kiel Week, the largest sailing regatta, both classic and modern in the area. The club was not foreign to the hubbub of yacht regalia as evident on their walls. There were many photos of peaceful events and from the war, their most famous/infamous visitor, Hitler and his entourage, partaking in the fleet. 

One of the classic yachts remaining at the club was Flamingo, a beautiful 60-ish foot sloop that we were berthed next to. Her sister ship was scuttled at the end of WW II but she was spared and lay pristine next to us, awaiting the Kiel Week festivities.

Classic Yacht Flamingo

We stayed a full week to finish commissioning Bear for the season, putting sails on and delving into repair lists that are perpetual on any boat, let alone one built in 1981 and its third time around the world. Maya and Jenefer helped as well as occupying themselves.

Provisioning was done in our usual fashion; backpack and a dolly with loads of bags strapped on. Bus fare in hand, I performed my societal test on the local culture which consisted of laboriously negotiating my payload to the entrance of the bus. It never fails to bring out the best as I always receive a helping hand both on and off. Conclusion: Courtesy is trans-cultural. 

Jenefer guarding ships stores

Side trips included the City of Kiel to check out the locks that we were heading towards and to Laboe, at the mouth of the Kiel Firth. In Laboe, we toured the U boat 995 which served in WW II and featured in Wolfgang Petersen's seminal film, Das Boot. Mark was tickled because he is quite the WW II history buff. We parted ways and I enjoyed the beach with the girls plus ice cream as he ferreted about the Marine Ehrenmal, which is the War Memorial Museum. It was very worth the time, in his opinion. 

U995

Mark between the torpedo tubes of U995

Maya and Jenefer on a "social" swing set on Laboe beach. The 
kids swing to the center so they can better socialize. 

Classics getting ready for Kiel Week

On July 20th, we motored into the Kiel Canal, our exit point from the Baltic. The Kiel Canal was open in 1895 and extends for 54 miles from Kiel, where the entrance lock is on the east end, to Brunsbuttel, where you exit into the North Sea to the west. Ships up to 235 meters long pass through this "Northsea Canal" regularly to avoid having to transit the hundreds of miles over the top of Denmark. Yachties like us, enjoy the shortcut as well, albeit it a bit intimidating being packed into the locks with these huge walls of metal! 

Maya scoping out the 'Big Boys'

The locks are so massive that there are tiny little floating pontoons that we have to tie up to instead of hooking to the walls themselves. The connection rings where so rusty, they camouflaged into the wet wood, making it challenging for us to locate them until directly underfoot. Ouch! Contrarily, it did make for an easier locking procedure as once attached, there were no lines to move or tend to as we locked through. 

Bear tied up to floating pontoon in Kiel Locks

It is impossible to complete the entire canal in one day so we stopped in the Obereidersee at a town call Budelsdorf. Instead of going to the suggested marina in the town center, we laid up on the long dock of the local yacht club, the BYC. It turned out to be a lovely, inexpensive three-day stopover. The club had loaner bikes so as to stretch our legs, always a plus, and a great BBQ set-up, which we enjoyed. The wind had kicked up and the Soccer World Cup was on in which Germany was performing quite well, two other contributing factors. 

High wind day....hazardous to small children

On the 23rd of June, we cast off and apart from encountering an unusual people mover; a carriage suspended under a bridge, we made our way uneventfully to Brunsbuttel where we locked out to meet the North Sea. 

Locking out at Brunsbuttal into the North Sea

Bear with her family of 'bears' has made it across the Channel and worked her way down the English coast to Dartmouth in Devon. They plan on making it to Falmouth late August for the Falmouth tall ships regatta.

Happy cruising Bears Yvette and Mark

We wish them all the best in their 'adventure of a lifetime' and look forward to the next instalment of their voyage.

You can read much more about the cruising lifestyle in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com/

Sail-World.com Changing of the Guard

Sailing industry luminary and personality Nancy Knudson, editor of the online sailing news website Sail-World.com these last eight years or so, is moving on to greener pastures. We here at Sailboat2adventure have had an amicable relationship with her from time to time and she has always been most helpful and friendly, and in my experience always over delivered. 

Nancy and I have a connection in that we have both published books about our cruising life exploits and I would have to recommend her book 'Shooting Stars and Flying  Fish' as an essential and thoroughly enjoyable read for all sailors. It is available as an ebook on Kindle or in paperback edition.

Nancy's book 'Shooting Stars and Flying Fish'

Whatever horizons Nancy is sailing toward and over, we wish her and husband Ted all the best for their future.

Life goes on of course and up steps Sail-World's new editor in the form of another very experienced sailor, David Schmidt, who is their current USA editor, hails from Connecticut and currently resides in Seattle. 

By way of introduction we reproduce here in his own words, of his early introduction to sailing and his first post about his new job with Sail-World:

Mike Schmidt

'The mind has a funny way of distorting time. Take, for example, my first big offshore cruise. It was the summer of 1987, I was 11 years old, and my Dad and his buddies had sailed our newly acquired C&C 37 from our home in Connecticut up to Maine's lovely Penobscot Bay, where my Mother, my younger brother and I joined my Dad for a few weeks of cruising. Since my Mom (wisely) doesn't sail offshore, the task of delivering 'Windancer' down south fell to my Dad, two of his buddies and myself.

The years may have slipped astern more rapidly than I'd like to admit, but I can still remember watching my Mom and brother walking up the dock, and the flash feeling of pure child-like excitement and wonder instantly stir-in the pit of my stomach-with pure terror. Sure, I'd sailed outside of the sight of land before, but never at night, with a boatload of relative strangers, or far from my Mother's always-understanding embrace.

In short, I was entering the world of adults, of sailing offshore and of the unknown. And I was ready...at least so I thought. I must have already settled into my bunk for the night when the winds picked up, progressing quickly from the mid-teens to the upper twenties. Soon, 'Windancer's' IOR-optimized hull shape was bashing and slamming through some nasty square waves and green water started occasionally running down the decks. But just as I got used to the motion, it was time to visit the leeward rail...quickly. 

Lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and a small, scared little boy dealt with his first real bout of seasickness. I can still remember my Dad's hand on the back of my harness, holding me safe, and the fact that Mike and Richard were both kind enough not to point out that accuracy was also not a strong suit in my first-time dance with seasickness (fortunately, I improved my aim over the years!). Once I had 'recovered' in the cockpit, my Dad handed me a plastic yellow boat mug that was stained with long-forgotten caffeine, piping hot with fresh-brewed coffee. I had my first sip of 'black magic', and the world of offshore cruising immediately seemed a bit less terrifying.

We made landfall the next day in Nantucket via the outside of Cape Cod (and a foggy passage through the Pollock Rip Channel), and I can still remember being plenty excited to find a stationary horizon and a pay phone (remember those?) to call my Mom. But when I got her on the line-oddly enough-I found myself reliving the glories of sailing offshore with the big boys and not the living-color terror of watching lightning illuminate the sail numbers in staccato bursts.
More importantly, Mike, Richard and my Dad chipped in and bought me my first watch cap and my first pair of sailing gloves-proof that I had joined a hard-won club of cruising sailors. [And yes, I still have the now-war-torn gloves and battered watch cap in my closet, proud souvenirs of an important coming-of-age.]

Flash forward several decades and many cruising miles, and I still love sailing at night, a hot drink in hand, watching the stars flicker in the heavens. Experience has taught me how to deal with wind, salt and waves, and I have fortunately learned how to quell my propensity towards mal de mer, but I still get a serious flash of excitement each time the dock lines are slipped and the sight of land fades astern.

These days, the waters of the Pacific Northwest are my home cruising grounds, but I'm careful to make it back to Connecticut a few times a year to go sailing/cruising with my parents. Some family traditions are simply too important to let slip!

As I step into my new role as Sail-World's Cruising editor, I look forward to creating many new great cruising memories, to meeting new friends and to hopefully sharing new adventures with old friends. Mostly, however, I'm acutely aware of the fantastic work that my predecessor (and Sail-World Cruising's founding editor), Nancy Knudsen, put into this position for many years, and of the massive seaboots she's leaving behind for me to fill.

The task is huge, and-much like my first offshore cruise-I'm excited about the experiences that lay over the next horizon.'

We also wish David all the best in his new position and look forward with relish to continue receiving the weekly stream of cruising news we have come to expect. 

Article and images courtesy Sail-World.com 

You can read much more about the cruising lifestyle in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com/

  

Sailboat Denaming Ceremony for Cruising Sailors

You have just taken delivery of your new ( to you ) sailboat and you have it in the water in preparation of sailing off over the horizon on your adventure of a lifetime. You still have much work to do before you can set sail, but it is time to carry out a certain ceremony to set things right with the sea gods.

For whatever reason, you have to change the name of your new soon to be home. It could be that the law of that country decrees it ( some nations state the name has to be changed if you are registering her in another country ). It could be a name in a foreign language that means nothing to you ( Carpe Diem, how many boats have we seen with that name?), your partner says it has a silly name, or you could just plain not like it. 

Whatever the reason, the name changing ceremony has to be carried out in the traditional fashion to avoid the ire and fury of the sea gods.

Doing it the right way staves off the possibility of bad luck. Superstition still plays a significant role in boaters’ lives. The sea, hardly changed in all the eons since its creation, is still a source of mystery and wonderment. Half of the Earth’s surface is covered by abyssal seas where light never penetrates, but where life nevertheless exists—sometimes in outlandish forms—in conditions of unimaginable pressure and Stygian darkness.

Little wonder, then, that frail human beings plying the interface between the unruly atmosphere and the fearsome oceans should seek help by performing certain rituals known to their ancestors, and turning to their ancient gods for protection.One superstition still widely held concerns the renaming of a boat, which, in the United States at least, is held to be unlucky. The answer is to hold a denaming ceremony before you rename your boat. You can make up your own ceremony, or you are welcome to use this one, which has been used with every appearance of success. It is now widely distributed on the Internet, but it is repeated here for your convenience.

Before you hold the denaming ceremony, you must remove all physical traces of the boat’s old name. Take the logbook ashore, along with any other charts, books, or papers that bear the old name. Be ruthless: sand away the old name from the lifebuoys, transom, topsides, dinghy, and oars; painting over is not good enough. We’re dealing with gods here, you understand, not mere mortals. If the old name is carved or etched, try to remove it. At the very minimum, fill it with putty and paint over it. And don’t place the new name anywhere on the boat before the denaming ceremony is completed—that’s just tempting fate.

Generous pouring of bubbly

You can read the ceremony with flair on the foredeck before a gathering of distinguished guests or, if you find this whole business embarrassing and go along with it only because you’re scared of what might happen if you don’t, you can skulk down below and mumble it in solitude. But the words must be spoken.The last part of the ceremony, the libation, should be performed at the bow. Use good champagne and spray all of it on the bow—do not presume to save some for yourself.

The gods despise cheapskates: buy another bottle for your own consumption.

Here is Vigor’s Famous Inter-denominational Denaming Ceremony:
“In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessings today.“Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the waves;“And mighty Aeolus, guardian of the winds and all that blows before them:“We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm, and found safe harbor.“Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known, ‘[———],’ be struck and removed from your records.

“Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with a new name, she shall be recognized and accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed.“In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in the full knowledge that she shall be subject, as always, to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea.“In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea.”There. Now you are free to christen your boat with a new name. It doesn’t pay to be too quick, though. Most of us like to wait at least 24 hours to give any lingering demons time to pack their duffel bags and clear out.

How not to do it

All that needs to be said in the new naming ceremony is: 'I name this ship '..........' and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her'. This second ceremony can also be carried out with a liberal pouring of said bubbly over the bow or into the water at the bow, but is not absolutely necessary. One could argue though that a double libation to appease the sea gods would not do any harm?

On completion of this deeply significant ceremony you can happily feel that you, your ship, your crew and the sea gods are all at one and therefore can set off on your voyage full of confidence. 

You can read much more about the cruising lifestyle and life at sea passagemaking, in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com/

El Nino 2014 Extreme Conditions NOAA Notification for Cruising Sailors

This report has just been released from the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) concerning the current El Nino cycle event is having on water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific ocean:

 Water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean rose drastically last week, prompting expectations of an upward warming trend that would confirm the development of El Nino. 

Sea surface temperature (STT) anomalies in the Nino 3.4 region (see image below) showed the highest value of the year at +0.9ºC on June 20, according to data from NOAA seen by Undercurrent News. 

This is important to define the event as El Nino since scientists classify the intensity of the weather phenomenon based on STT anomalies exceeding a pre-selected threshold in a certain region of the equatorial Pacific. 

Warm water incursion east to west

The most commonly used region is the Nino 3.4, and the most commonly used threshold is a positive STT departure from normal, greater than, or equal to +0.5°C. 

Thus, NOAA defines El Nino as five consecutive overlapping 3-month periods at or above the +0.5°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region. 

The growth of temperature anomalies from +0.4°C in mid-April to +0.9°C now has encouraged projections of an upward warming trend confirming the development of El Nino. 

'This is a big jump in temperature, from now on waters will hardly be cooled, the event is irreversible,' oceanic scientist Luis Icochea told Undercurrent. 

Icochea, who in April said that abnormally high temperatures were reminiscent of 1997-98 – when took place one of the strongest El Nino’s ever – is confident El Nino will develop this year. 

Note the cooler water to the east in normal years

'Everything suggests El Nino will be very strong, without ruling out the possibility of an extraordinary event,' Icochea said. 

Abnormalities of sea surface temperature in Peru have been noticed already in May, as anchovy has moved to the south, near the shore, where industrial fleet is not allowed to operate. 

In the north-center area — with a first anchovy season’s TAC of 2.53 millon metric tons — industrial fleet is seen poor catches so far. 

By June 11, industry players said only 36% of the anchovy’s total allowable catch had been caught. 

'Fishmeal players in Peru will be the most harmed by El Nino, as anchovy is the resource most affected by the weather event,' Icochea said. 

To avoid the increased temperatures, pelagic fish such as anchovy will have to move to cooler, deeper waters where feed is available and there are suitable oceanographic conditions. 

On the other hand, the phenomenon could mean higher catches of other species for human consumption such as hake — which is showing already a biomass improvement — tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish or shark, Icochea said.

by Alicia Villegas

Report and images courtesy NOAA and Alicia Villegas

I sailed from Panama to the Galapagos Islands and on to The Marquesas Group in September 1997, the last time the currents were exceptionally warm and as illustrated in the lower chart.

In the upper image white area you can see a black dot. That is the Galapagos Islands which are smack in the centre of the warm waters. The Marquesas Group is 3200 nautical miles to the west but only seven degrees south, so you can see how El Nino affects the sea temperatures more than half way across the Pacific.

We experienced the South East Trades a few points further to the south than normal which gave us quite lumpy cross seas for the 3200 nautical mile passage to the Marquesas. This was offset by the wind being steady and no squalls, so we averaged 7 - 9 knots, reeling off 180 nautical miles per day and making landfall at Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva eighteen days out of Puerto Ayora, Galapagos.

The most notable events or lack of was the almost total absence of bird and sea life. Not one whale was spotted, very few dolphins and from memory we caught only three fish ( Tuna or Mahi Mahi ) for our dinner. Under normal conditions one of these species would jump onto our trailing lures most evenings.

This phenomena we put down to the El Nino conditions prevailing that year, the fish perhaps moving off to cooler waters, taking the bird life with them.

Cruisers contemplating this passage in 2014 should make note of the conditions they are likely to encounter enroute. Good luck, fair winds and kindly seas.

You can read much more about the cruising lifestyle on passage in my book 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com/