Composting Heads pg28 | Exploring Lasqueti Island pg36 | Review: pg8 GOOD OLD BOAT Inspiring hands-on sailors

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GOOD OLD BOAT Issue 132: May/June 2020

FEATURES Design Comparison 14 Watkins 27 and Two More Staying Power Spunky, Popular Little Big Boats 16 Adding an inner expands by Rob Mazza plan options and can make for better boathandling. Simple Solutions by Ed Zacko 21 Need emergency running lights? Try soda caps, PVC, and a little Reality Check ingenuity. 26 Ready to buy a boat and sail by Jim Shell away? Try this first. by Ken Ferrari Tales 22 A love of sailing was inspired by a 35 28 Ahead of the Game most inauspicious early voyage. Replacing a traditional marine by D.B. Davies with a composting system is clean and green. 25 Simple Solutions By Jerry Thompson Eight-track audio tape makes 46 for perfect telltales. Thinking Ahead by Allen Penticoff 32 With three brands on the market, marine composting heads are Short Voyages gaining acceptance. 36 by Jim Shell Off the grid and off most sailors’ itineraries, Lasqueti Island is a community unto itself. Bucket Brigade by Michael Robertson 35 Buckets, sawdust, and a seat make a functional dry marine toilet. by Jim Shell Learning Experience 42 A night passage in familiar waters nearly ends in disaster. Change of Pace by Michael Robertson 46 A new puts a spring in a good old boat’s step. Refit Boat by Jon Keller 50 During a running refit, a boat imparts life and sailing lessons. DEPARTMENTS by Emily Greenberg Review Boat 61 Reflections 8 Watkins 27: A Beamy, Obliging Fresh sailing grounds of the Pocket Cruiser Salish Sea offer perspective on Lake Superior. by Allen Penticoff by Thomas Misa 8

On the Cover Elena Pauling tends to Mariolina, her 1981 Tartan 37, while on a 50 summer sail on Upper New York Bay, just above Staten Island. Elena and her husband, Jeffrey, are Hudson River liveaboards who work in New York City. Tom Skogstrom was sailing with the couple and captured the photo.

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photo by @mikeydetemple Mail Buoy The View from Here The Case for Paperless BY MICHAEL ROBERTSON

’ve heard the refrain, over and over: betting this isn’t likely either, but I’m And what about solar flares or ground- “I would never leave the dock without not qualified to say, so let’s go with it based jamming of GNSS signals? Both do Ipaper charts aboard!” It rubs me the and assume the risk is real. So what? It’s happen—the latter happens consistently wrong way. not a threat. GPS has largely given way in some parts of the world. Benjamin at I think it’s often used as a declaration of to a global navigation satellite system Garmin said that in both cases, the signals one’s superior saltiness and seamanship. (GNSS). In other words, most equipment from all types of GNSS systems are likely It’s a judgment that the world is now filled aboard boats today use signals from to be affected equally. In the case of solar with gadget buyers who are too reliant on American GPS satellites and Russian flares, the satellites are not affected, only their devices and who are disconnected GLONASS satellites. the ability of the signal to travel, thus from the basics, the fundamental naviga- I talked to Benjamin, a technician at making the position inaccurate (in terms tion arts. “These poor saps are going to be Garmin, about this. I sought confirmation of meters) or impossible to determine. in a sorry state when the Iranians hack our that should the GPS system go down, Regardless, solar flares do not occur GPS constellation and they’re lost some- Garmin’s units would continue to work often, and they are temporary (typically where under sail, no idea what to do next. without interruption, pulling signals from lasting minutes to hours) and mostly While these technophiles sail in hopeless the GLONASS system. He said they’ve affect only the higher latitudes (in terms of circles, not a self-sufficient bone in their never been able to test whether their GPS reception). Ground-based jamming bodies—reaching for their EPIRBs—I’ll devices would work if the GPS system happens but is localized and in known sail past on my rhumb line, plotting points was down and the GLONASS system was areas, like piracy. on my paper chart…” up, but that their hardware will deliver a Which brings us to the primary fallibilities That’s what I hear when the paper- position fix so long as any three satellites of electronic navigation tools: loss of power, chart declarations are made, and I don’t are received. damage, and failure because, well, complex buy it. I asked the question of readers Consider too that several more systems electrical things break—especially aboard in February’s The Dogwatch. The over- are recently online, and that device boats. I have a one-word answer to them whelming majority of responders echoed manufacturers will likely begin to use all: redundancy. Vulnerable stuff aboard a the feeling that paper charts are necessary, these signals as well. These are Galileo boat isn’t limited to electronics. Lines break, that sailing without them is foolish. I may (the European Union system), BeiDou steering systems fail, and pawls and be in the minority. (the Chinese system), and Quasi-Zenith springs are susceptible. We anticipate these Respectfully, let’s look at the oft-cited (the Japanese system of four satellites that failures and we carry tools and parts to risks, starting with lightning. Consider the augments GPS in the Asia-Oceania region). effect repairs. We carry spares or back-up odds. First, the odds are systems to get us home. low that your boat will It’s no different with our be struck by lightning. If navigation tools, no matter it does happen, for paper what they’re made of. charts to be the lifesaver For some, redundancy some claim, all of the means carrying paper following must happen as charts in addition to elec- well: The lightning kills tronic navigation devices. all your electrics, you’re For me, redundancy underway and cannot means carrying several reach port without your independent electronic electronic navigation means of navigation and systems, and the having access to separate lightning doesn’t cause power supplies. To each other damage that is so his own, but there should significant that navigation be no shame in going becomes irrelevant. This paperless. I celebrate the is not a realistic concern. self-sufficient ethos of Next, consider the sailing, and I wouldn’t oft-cited threat that hesitate to leave the dock hackers take down the without paper charts GPS constellation. I’m aboard.

May/June 2020 5 Mail Buoy A Charged Debate, Rebellious Curmudgeons, and What’s Truly Apparent

I was quite offended by Michael Robertson's (and confident) they would be well received. lightly. But change is nonetheless necessary. It's trite dismissal of Peter Nesbett’s comments Peter's letter gave me an opportunity to assure my job to shepherd Good Old Boat through about the magazine’s new format. any readers who shared his understandable inevitable change and make sure it remains the Has it occurred to you that Good Old concerns that our hand on the helm is steady, no sailing magazine for the rest of us. (And that Boat also implies good old boaters? The editorial changes forecast, no bathwater thrown tagline is still in the magazine, every issue this generation that makes up the bulk of your out with the baby. Three issues later, I hope year, have you spotted it?) readership does not take lightly to change. that's evident. And the phrase “The Sailing Magazine for In addition to being editor, I'm part owner The Right Stuff the Rest of Us,” fit perfectly with our slightly of this magazine. I've said to others that taking I read the article by Alan Culpepper (“Gated rebellious and curmudgeonly natures! I can this on after Karen and Jerry retired is both a Access,” January 2020) and I agree with the only urge you to repent, apologize for your blessing and curse. It's a blessing because this is editor’s sidebar about using marine fittings. hasty arrogance, and change it back before literally my dream job and I feel like the luckiest Years ago, I did a similar modification to the too many readers notice! in the world. It's a curse because Karen and stern pushpit rail on my Ericson 27 (below). Although Peter’s second point does not Jerry dropped everything in their late 40s and I used two stainless steel bimini fittings, resonate as strongly with me, I do not like put their life savings into starting Good Old hinged fittings the same 1-inch diameter your response, especially your auto industry Boat. Then they spent 20 years nurturing and as the rail. I spent more than the $20 Alan analogy. Boats and cars do not offer any growing Good Old Boat; it's still their baby spent. I cut the rail, inserted a hinged fitting, useful comparisons. I think you must have and it's beloved by readers. It's my job, working and orientated the fitting so that the cut been having a bad day because this response in the most challenging of industries, to not end could rotate up. I modified the other is, I am sure, offensive to not just a few of fail their vision, to not disappoint readers. You hinged fitting by removing the hinge pin your loyal readers. said that your generation does not take lightly and replacing it with a removable pin. The —Andy Vine, Cortes Island, BC to change. Based on the responsibility I have, strength of the rail was retained and easy you can appreciate that I do not make changes access was created. Michael Robertson —John Askitis, Parksville, BC responds: Thanks for your feedback, Lithium Lover Andy, and I'm sorry you took Thanks for giving lithium offense. I assure you that no iron phosphate (LiFePO4) offense was intended, but batteries their due (“Taking re-reading my response to Charge,” March 2020). Peter, there's no way I could However, I believe you call it a trite dismissal. overstated the complexity Peter wrote about why of a lithium-ion battery bank he loves the magazine and and missed a key benefit. expressed his hope that, "in A $1,000+ battery making the changes you need management system to make, you don't throw the (BMS) is only required for baby out with the bathwater." large, multibank systems I was happy he wrote that with multiple charging because the changes were sources, such as alternator, necessary and we were careful wind, solar, and shore- in making them, excited to power. For a single bank share them, and hopeful that charges only from

6 GoodOldBoat.com solar, the BMS built into the battery and Apparently Not a properly set charge As with many controller is sufficient. reviews, your Farrier A key benefit of F-33 review (January lithium-ion batteries 2020) describes is their ability to upwind performance charge much more in terms of apparent quickly than lead acid wind, "...I was able to batteries. Accordingly, pinch to 25 degrees they’re always able apparent." Apparent to make use of all the wind angle should solar and wind power not be used as an generated to recharge indicator of a boat's them. pointing ability. Only Consider a “I’m pretty sure this green buoy is off station!” wrote Steve Christensen when he sent this photo taken from the true wind angle 100-amp-hour lithi- the banks of the Mississippi River, near Hastings, Minnesota, just south of St. Paul. tells the story. (And um-ion battery bank an expensive set of Do you have your own interesting photo of an aid to navigation? Send it to [email protected] and and a 200-amp-hour if we use it here, we’ll send you a Good Old Boat hat or shirt! instruments calibrated lead acid bank. Both to correctly display start fully charged, true wind angle is not and both receive a needed.) An easy way 100-amp-hour overnight draw, the most The charging profiles of the two chemistries to determine pointing ability begins with each bank could provide without damage. are very different, and a lithium-ion battery sailing close-hauled. When the boat is Both are recharged from a 300-watt solar should not be subjected to the float phase. trimmed up and in the groove, record the panel (according to the “one-third” rule of I agree with you that there should be a compass heading. and get trimmed thumb, this panel should make available middle ground, something between relying on an up on the new tack. Subtract the port and 100 amp-hour on a typical tropical existing charger to charge lithium-ion batteries starboard tack headings and divide by two. day). Ignoring daytime loads, this 100 and an expensive, complex, lithium-ion-specific The number will be the true wind angle amp-hours is sufficient to fully recharge BMS. But I’m not aware of anything to fill the your boat sailed on the beat. Even easier, the lithium battery, as it can absorb the gap. And, I do know of two people who tried to record your over ground (COG) entire panel output. However, despite the use lithium-ion batteries as drop-in replace- from your GPS on both tacks and then same 100 amp-hours having been available ments, connected to the same charge controller subtract and divide by two. This number to the lead acid battery, as the sun sets, that they used with their lead acid batteries, and tells the true progress you are making to that bank will be only partially charged. neither of them realized a lifespan longer than weather. Of course, this approach nicely This is because the lead acid battery is only they’d realized with the AGMs they’d replaced— factors in leeway, such as from current, about 85 percent efficient when accepting but they did pay a lot more. In my opinion, if but if there is a current, this result is then a charge, and as the battery becomes a battery bank is not large, cycled hard (deep inaccurate with respect to pointing ability. charged, its ability to accept current discharge), and cycled often, lead acid batteries With composite and an 8-foot decreases in proportion. The effect is remain the better value. , we can sail our Beneteau a little that the charge controller will reduce the closer than 45 degrees to the true wind. current to the battery. O-no! Some of our catamaran friends boast —Ed Davis, Spring City, Pennsylvania I just received the January 2020 issue and that they can point 30 degrees apparent. I love it. But I began my working life many Drew Frye responds: years ago as a printer and I can’t help Thank you, Ed. I agree with most of what you myself: in “A Hidden Gem,” in the first continued on page 60 wrote. Charging efficiency, as you explained paragraph of the article, “Grampian” is it, is a big advantage of LiFePO4 batteries. misspelled with an “o” at the end, instead Because there is less internal resistance, they of an “a.” I own a and before We Want to Hear from You continue to accept full current throughout the that a . Good old boats! charging cycle. However, the problem with —James R. Donovan, Braintree, Send your letters to michael_r@ simply charging LiFePO4 batteries with a Massachusetts goodoldboat.com. If we can't run your charger intended for lead acid batteries, even letter in this space, we'll try and get it if the output voltage of the charger is adjusted Doh! Begun in 1962, Grampian Marine was into The Dogwatch. Speaking of which, to be appropriate for lithium-ion batteries, is one of the first manufacturers of fiberglass are you getting The Dogwatch in your that today’s smart chargers are set to charge in Canada. How we (writer Lee email inbox? It's free and the content according to the needs of lead acid battery Brubacher shares no blame) made and missed is original. If you're missing it, email chemistry, such that the charger will taper this spelling error is beyond us. Thanks, James. [email protected]. the output as the battery voltage increases. —Editors

May/June 2020 7 Review Boat

8 GoodOldBoat.com Watkins 27 A Beamy, Obliging Pocket Cruiser BY ALLEN PENTICOFF

sailor’s reasons for buying a boat are continue until 1989, building 1,280 myriad and often mysterious; in the sailboats from 17 to 36 feet. A case of James and Barb Shroeger of Other than the muddy lineage of the Traverse City, Michigan, James admits to W23 (reportedly designed by Jopie Helsen being “possessed by demons” when he came and modified by Watkins), the Watkins 27 across a Watkins 27 that had fallen on hard (W27) was the only sailboat not designed times and had been donated to a nonprofit. in-house. Walter Scott, who also designed Boats have been part of James’ life the Allmand 31, drew the 27. Production since his grandfather built a Windmill. began in 1977. At that time the Watkins Among them was a Clipper 26, then a 27 was considered a better value than the Cal 28 on which the family made several , featuring better hardware and three-month cruises of the North Channel construction for the same price. The boats of Lake Huron with two children and a were sold ready-to-sail, including life jack- poodle. A derelict 24-foot Paceship they ets, dock lines, and fenders, and at one time restored became a Good Old Boat story there were more than 20 dealers. (“Renewed Serendipity” Jan. 2006). Watkins offered the boat with a center- After Serendipity, along came the board/stub keel, shoal fixed keel, or deep Watkins 27. Named Sundew, its long fixed keel, but of the 514 W27s built, nearly restoration has inspired many projects all feature the shoal fixed keel. The com- reported in Good Old Boat, including lovely pany also built seven pilothouse (W27P) double companionway doors as well as versions in 1981. an oak-and-mahogany cabin sole. While In 1979, after building 600 boats, the they’ve cruised Sundew some, mostly James Watkins brothers sold the business to a and Barb have daysailed her in the crys- private individual. At about the same time, tal-clear waters of Traverse Bay. Al G. Larson of Auroraglas had bought the When I visited Sundew for this review, Columbia molds and built the Coronado 35 the Shroegers were selling their boat of as the Portman 36. Larson merged the last 14 years to a young local couple, Auroraglas with the new Watkins owner fledgling sailors Bill and Lisa Westling, in 1979, and the Portman 36 became the so they could move on to a Catalina 36. I Watkins 36. To promote a big-boat feel with sailed with both couples out of a marina in features of the 36, Larson redesigned the picturesque Northport, Michigan. W27 as the W27 Mk II, with an outward flange hull-to-deck joint, new keel, all open- History ing portlights, and new interior design. Four Watkins brothers formed Watkins In 1984, the W29 replaced the W27 Yacht and Marine of Clearwater, Florida, with major modifications, yet retained the in the early 1970s. In 1973, they produced same interior as the W27 Mk II. their first sailboat, the Watkins 23, which Watkins Yachts was sold to McLaughlin was modeled after the then-popular Body in 1986. A year later, when Larson Venture 22/23. Altogether the company left the company, it was mostly building would, in its various ownership iterations, powerboats, though the sailboat line was

Not known as a speed demon, the Watkins 27 is a stable, forgiving boat that's great for sailors new to the game.

May/June 2020 9 Review Boat

The Watkins 27 features a jaunty sheer that rises subtly aft, at right. The foredeck is clean with only a single and chain pipe to get in the way. With the headsail, there’s plenty of room for hanging out up here, at middle right. The boat’s wide beam allows for adequate space to walk past the outboard upper and lower shrouds. The cabin trunk features a tinted hatch forward and four teak handrails, at bottom right.

kept alive with limited produc- Fiberglass construction tion. In a further modification, was woven roving and mat. the W29 (formerly the W27) The deck and hatches are gained a reverse to reinforced with encapsulated become the W30. After build- plywood. Generally, W27s ing one last W30 in late 1989, were equipped with a variety McLaughlin ended production. of Yanmar diesels of 8, 12, or 22 Except for the W25 mold, horsepower. However, a few which was sold and reused to had gas engines, both inboard produce the popular Com-Pac and outboard. 25, the remaining molds were The long fin keel is encap- abandoned. sulated lead, and the is attached to a partial . Design With a 10-foot beam, the Deck and W27 has a somewhat stubby The W27 features stainless look, particularly with its steel bow and stern pulpits blunt bow and inward-angled with single lifelines between topsides above the rubrail. them. The foredeck is quite This generous beam, however, wide but lacks an makes for good form stability locker. I noted a very sturdy and a nice stiff ride that can cast stemhead fitting and stand up to strong winds. The substantial cleats. popular shoal is 3 feet 8 The cockpit is roomy but inches with 3,500 pounds of rather shallow. The seats are ballast against a total displace- set quite far apart and garner ment of 7,500 pounds. If you a Penticoff Napability Index come upon a centerboard (1-5 scale) rating of only a 3 due version, you’ll find its board-up to being long but narrow. It’s draft is 3 feet even and board not possible to against down draft is 7 feet. the opposite seat while heeled With a displacement/length underway, and the coaming waterline ratio of 252 and a sail hits one in the back. It seems area/displacement ratio of 14.8, the designer could have eas- both conservative numbers, ily made the seats wider and the boat isn’t fast, but the rela- pushed them together a bit tively long waterline increases to fix both issues. That said, hull speed. Most fleets have Sundew is socially spacious for PHRF ratings of 234 seconds a 27-foot boat. per mile; for comparison, a The starboard cockpit lock- Catalina 27 rates 204 and the er is deep while the port locker cabintop winch to port. The Accommodations performance-oriented J/27 is shallow, and the emergency mainsheet is led to the end of If you like wood, you will love around 123. is handy to the helm. the where it would ben- this boat. There is plenty, The vertical transom is a great efit from the addition of a trav- particularly in the cabin. But Construction place to mount a swim ladder. eler; as it is, the mainsheet can your first encounter is in the The hull-to-deck joint on Two cockpit drains keep the interfere with the helm. Sundew wide companionway before models before 1979 is a footwell dry. is equipped with lazy jacks, a heading down the wood three- shoebox arrangement (prone The W27 has a masthead 150 percent on a furler, step ladder. Sundew has a to leaking); post-1979 boats rig with double inboard lower and new self-tailing on lovely oak-and-mahogany sole. have an outward flange. shrouds. Lines are led aft to a the cockpit coamings. James glued up two boards

10 GoodOldBoat.com Watkins 27 Builder Watkins Yacht and Marine Designer Walter Scott LOA 27’0” LWL 23’8” Beam 10’0” Draft 3’ 8” Displ. 7,500 lb Ballast: 3,500 lb Bal/Displ. 46.67 Displ./LWL 252 Sail Area 353 sq. ft. SA/Displ. 14.8 Comfort ratio 21.9 ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROB MAZZA

Some folks like large diameter steering wheels, but they often interfere with one’s passage to the helm—not a problem on Sundew, at top left The cockpit seats are long enough to lie down on, and seatbacks are high but not angled for comfort. The port locker, while shallow due to the quarter berth below, has good room for stowing cleaners, rags, parts, and lines, at left middle. The Shroegers installed custom swinging companionway doors to make entry easier and provide more light below, at bottom left. One owner says, “Engine access was OK from the front, but access to the rear of the engine and the stuffing box was through a cockpit locker and was a tight fit,” above.

settees are long and wide Under Sail at a time with 3M 5200 so fiberglass liner with teak accent enough to use as berths; the Motoring out, the W27 has there are no screws. Beneath ribs. The W27 really needs downside is that they’re rather typical inboard diesel handling, the sole is a deep bilge. The overhead grab rails due to the high off the cabin sole, so your with little prop-wash vibration traditional saloon is quite wide wide saloon. Port aft is a tight legs tend to be impinged at the felt in the wheel. It turns quite with a teak-veneer bulkhead quarter berth (thus the shallow knee by the cushion fiddles smartly under power. James forward where there is storage locker above). (mostly due to the present claims the 8-horsepower and a large fold-down table Both galley countertops softness of the cushions). single-cylinder Yanmar diesel sips with fiddles. Solid teak is feature granite that James Plentiful storage above the a half-gallon per hour at 6 knots. copious throughout. installed, and the galley itself seatbacks is enclosed by slid- The steering felt a bit stiff, The overhead is a textured is small but functional. The ing acrylic panels. as James had the friction knob

May/June 2020 11 Review Boat

cranked down hard. He prefers tor—point it in a direction and make a compact home in a slip models, and it would be best it on the stiff side to help with watch. The helm was not telling as well as an obliging sailing to consult the excellent owner tracking. He says with loose me what was happening. platform. Watkins boats were website, watkinsowners.com, friction, it does not track well: While one can steer from sold to novices, and this very before proceeding to inspect a “It has a mind of its own.” either seat, it isn’t fun. Visi- stable boat remains a good place potential purchase. Standing at the wheel was bility was good at all times. to learn—just ask Bill and Lisa, comfortable with the main- Standing to steer felt natural. who are now becoming sailors. Allen Penticoff, aGood Old Boat off to one side; it is easy I did not note any significant At sailboatlistings.com I contributing editor, is a freelance to reach from behind the helm. weather helm. Tacking was found 16 Watkins 27s listed for writer, sailor, and longtime avia- Sail work is very easy with the quick enough, and although sale, ranging from 1978 to 1989. tor. He has trailer-sailed on every huge flat cabintop. it’s no sport boat, it’s fine The highest price was for a 1981 Great Lake and on many inland While under sail the boat for cruising. Downwind was at $15,000, and someone was waters and has had keelboat tracked decently but needed a no-brainer sailing. While asking $14,500 for a 1978. Low adventures on fresh and saltwater. fair amount of attention to keep our test sail was under ideal end was a couple of 1979 boats He owns an American 14.5, a it on heading. Due to the helm conditions, the Watkins 27 going for $4,000 with plenty MacGregor 26D, and a 1955 stiffness and design I could not performed quite well. of other boats priced between. Beister 42-foot steel that he feel through the wheel what the Equipment and condition stores as a “someday project." boat was doing. With the stiff Conclusion will be everything in pricing steering, the helm felt mechan- The W27 is a remarkably wide these boats. There are a few Visit our YouTube channel ical, like steering a lawn trac- boat for its length and may condition problems on some for more on this boat review.

Comments from Owners of the Watkins 27 I owned a 1978 Watkins for to the wood core. Repair of soft trimming. Calypso sailed the best and I planned cruises to years. She was a great boat. core is expensive. when the wind was on or aft of the Keys and Bahamas. Her I cruised and lived aboard —Jim Brewer the beam, although it tended to 8-horsepower diesel was for 18 months. Best thing Yorktown, Virginia corkscrew with a following sea. both blessing and curse, for about her was she was small The boat didn’t point very well, although reliable, against a and easy to singlehand. My first “big boat” was a 1984 probably due to its beamy nature strong tidal flow and adverse Being small she had a ten- Watkins 27 that I purchased in and shallow keel. wind at Jekyll island I found dency to rock ’n’ roll and be 1994 and sailed for 10 years in Two major issues I had were us making .5 knots into a a bit uncomfortable in high the mostly protected waters some large blisters on the keel 4-foot chop. The boat was seas or extreme chop, how- of the Indian River Lagoon on and a leaking inspection port sound, and I stayed dry in ever she handled them like a Florida’s east coast. With its (fuel tank gauge below) in the the 25-mph wind. trouper and never faltered. shallow draft of 3 feet 8 inches, cockpit sole that rotted out Sailing characteristics On the Intracoastal she was roomy interior and simple the core and corroded the fuel were as to be expected—ba- a joy. The Yanmar diesel setup, it was a great gunkholer. tank bottom. Other than that, sically a lifeboat with a sail. ran great and sipped fuel. The overall fit and finish was I didn’t see any issues that were She pointed reasonably well I would buy another one decent considering it was a design or build flaws. at 38 degrees and stayed any time. A solid well-made low-cost production boat. The The Watkins 27 is a comfort- dry in puffs. She was also boat with lots of room and interior had a good amount able pocket cruiser and not too very well balanced with less plenty of heart and spunk. of elbow room, a comfortable bad looking when viewed at the weather helm than expected —Ken Arscott V-berth, and adequate storage right angle. with her shallow draft. Alexandria, Virginia for short cruises. The galley —Joe Cloidt My favorite things were was small but functional. Indialantic, Florida the large cockpit and afford- I have a ’78 that I have owned Calypso had a Yanmar ability. What I liked least was for over 30 years. They are 13-horsepower raw-water- I owned my Watkins 27, Iphige- deck drainage, as we always great little cruising boats. cooled diesel. The boat felt nia, for two years. I bought her had two pools of water They have more room than underpowered when driving in Annapolis, Maryland, and between scuppers with the any 27 I’ve seen. They handle into a strong wind and chop cruised her to Titusville, Flor- associated algae. I would rough weather well and are so I had the prop re-pitched, ida, as our maiden voyage. She highly recommend this boat very forgiving. They are built which helped get some power was in fixer-upper condition to anyone from a beginning heavy and rigged heavy. My back. and I worked on her en route. sailor to old salt like me for only complaint is the deck The boat had a three-point The features I sought were fun coastal cruising. hardware wasn’t mounted to mainsheet setup instead of a strength, standing headroom, —George Herman prevent water from getting traveler, which limited mainsail and shallow draft, as my wife Winter Springs, Florida

12 GoodOldBoat.com The compact galley incorporates an alcohol stove, small sink, and ice box, with some stowage behind and below, at top left. Jim describes the V-berth as “cozy” for two. The fiberglass pan or liner is evident here; it’s easy to clean but rather harsh and cold looking, at bottom left. The layout below is straightforward with port and starboard settees, a drop-leaf table mounted on the bulkhead, and a wide sole, at top right. The head door and cabin storage doors are louvered for ventilation. The head has a wood grate floor and 1970s-vintage paneling ventilated by an opening portlight and cowl vent, at middle right. For a 27-foot boat, the Watkins offers room and accommodations ample enough even to allow for living aboard, at bottom right.

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May/June 2020 13 Design Comparison Watkins 27 …and Two More Spunky, Popular Little Big Boats

STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROB MAZZA

wenty-seven-footers Cherubini-designed Hunter Though the also the boat was readily available should have a special 27, rather than the C&C 27, stayed in continuous produc- on the used market. Also, it Tplace in the history of to introduce another Flor- tion for many years, by the was no longer a profitable boat fiberglass yacht design. At 27 ida-built boat as well as to time I arrived at Hunter in the to build. At less than 30 feet feet you could incorporate all include another builder with early ’90s, the company was you were lucky to cover your the features of a true “yacht” whom I was once involved. no longer building the 27, since costs, and for larger builders as opposed to a daysailer or weekender—that is, standing headroom, full galley, enclosed head, inboard engine, usually an inboard rudder, wheel steering (standard or optional), and enough accommodations for a small family to take a couple weeks’ vacation, or even embark on longer voyages. In retirement, my father- in-law would take his C&C 27 from Lake Ontario to More- head City, North Carolina, every fall and return in the Watkins 27 Catalina 27 Hunter 27 spring. These boats sold well, LOA 27'0" 26'10" 27'2" and while they weren’t consid- ered entry level, per se, they LWL 23'8" 21'9" 22'0" did entice a lot of families into Beam 10'0" 8'10" 9'3" sailing. Indeed, the C&C 27 stayed in production longer Draft 3'8" 4'0" 4'3" than any other C&C model, Displacement 7,500 6,850 7,000 going through five iterations and selling more units than Ballast 3,500 2,700 3,000 any other model. So, it’s more LOA/LWL 1.14 1.23 1.24 than appropriate to examine Beam/LWL .42 0.41 0.42 three 27-footers from this period. Displ./LWL 252 297 293 In his review, Allen men- Bal./Displ. 47% 39% 43% tions that in her day the Wat- kins 27 was considered a better Sail Area (100%) 353 342 343 value than the Catalina 27, so SA/Displ. 14.8 15.15 14.97 it seemed logical to include the Catalina 27 as one of our Capsize No. 2.0 1.9 1.9 comparison boats. It is also Comfort Ratio 21.9 25.0 23.7 worth noting that the Catalina 27, like the C&C 27, stayed in Year Introduced 1977 1971 1974 production for many years. Designer Walter Scott Frank Butler/Bob FInch John Cherubini As the third boat I’ve paradoxically picked the John Builder Watkins Yachts Catalina Yachts Hunter Marine

14 GoodOldBoat.com Total SeaView Shade

such as C&C, smaller boats displacement ratio of 14.8. The were often considered loss Catalina, with a sail area of leaders, justified only as a 342 square feet on the lightest A NEW CHOICE IN MARINE way to bring owners into the displacement, has the highest corporate family and trade up sail area/displacement ratio of WINDOW COVERINGS eventually to a larger boat. The 15.15, compared to the Hunter Introducing two products that are custom built to tongue-in-cheek philosophy with essentially the same sail fit your boat’s hatches and ports: at the time was you would area, but on a slightly heavier lose money on every unit, but displacement, resulting in a Total SeaView Shade (solar screen) you hoped to make it up in sail area/displacement ratio in Total Privacy Shade (100% light blocking) volume. Of course, that never the middle at a still-respect- happened. able 14.97. • Features a sleek, low-profile design The oldest of these three The wider beam, despite • Easy installation 27-footers is the 1971 Catalina. the heavier displacement, • Washable material She reflects that era of yacht pushes the Watkins capsize • Mold and mildew resistant design in her moderately number to 2, while the nar- • Affordable pricing swept keel and rudder. By rower beams despite lighter 1974, the 27 Hunter reflected displacement result in slightly the influence of the more more conservative 1.9 values upright Peterson keel, and the for each of the others. Watkins, launched in 1977, The configurations has a more cruising-oriented, are almost identical with all Total Privacy Shades longer keel with the slightly three incorporating masthead shallower draft. The Catalina single- rigs with dou- Designed by boaters for boaters. and the Hunter were obviously ble lower shrouds, overlapping Proudly made in the USA. aimed at the yacht club racing 150 percent headsails, and totalshading.com | 281.241.9447 market, while the Watkins, not moderately high aspect ratio so much. mains, with only the Hunter It is also interesting to look approaching anything that at the increase in beam from could be called “ribbon.” the older Catalina at 8 feet 10 Performance around a inches, to the Hunter at 9 feet 3 racecourse would very much inches, to the Watkins at a full be a function of wind speed Portlights 10 feet. So, while the keel con- and point of sail. The heavier figuration of the Watkins does Watkins with the substantially not point to a performance longer would heritage, her increased beam, certainly have an advantage in heavier displacement, heavier higher wind strengths upwind ballast, and higher ballast/ and while reaching at speed. displacement ratio all indicate However, the lighter Catali- a boat that can certainly stand na with her higher sail area/ on her feet in a breeze. displacement ratio and lower The Watkins also has the wetted surface might well hold edge in waterline length, being her own in lighter air despite 1 over 1 ⁄2 feet longer than the her shorter waterline length. Hunter and close to 2 feet lon- On the whole, all three are ger than the Catalina. Despite excellent examples of this very her heavier displacement, popular size range from the that longer waterline results 1970s. in the lowest displacement/ length waterline ratio of 252 Rob Mazza is a Good Old Boat compared to 297 and 293 for contributing editor. He set out on the Catalina and the Hunter, his career as a naval architect in respectively. the late 60s, when he began work- The Watkins also has the ing for Cuthbertson & Cassian. largest sail plan at 353 square He’s been familiar with good old feet. However, because of boats from the time they were her heavier displacement she new and had a hand in designing also has the lowest sail area/ a good many of them.

May/June 2020 15 Staying Power Adding an inner forestay expands sail plan options and can make for better boathandling.

BY ED ZACKO

hen my wife, Ellen, and security when going to windward and Entr’acte flies along with the cruising chute’s tack strap I began our search for an makes for easy short tacking in harbors attached to the new inner forestay, above. Wocean-going cruising boat, under alone. high on our list of requirements was that it Unfortunately, we never found a cutter be a cutter—a simple, single-mast rig with that satisfied our other requirements. And, and building a cutter rig would result in a one mainsail and two headsails and a mast when we fell in love with the Lyle Hess- domino effect of additional changes that set further aft than on a . designed Nor’Sea 27, we bought a bare just weren’t worth it. The cutter has several benefits. The hull and deck to complete in our backyard, So, we went sailing on Entr’acte larger foretriangle allows the total sail area figuring we could fairly easily build a cutter the sloop, and four years later, found to be proportioned more equally between rig for it. Our ideas were quickly dashed by ourselves in Portugal anchored next to the three sails. Two ready headsails offer Lyle himself. He pointed out that designing world-cruising veterans Hal and Margret flexibility and efficiency, precluding the hassle of swapping a large genoa for a smaller when conditions warrant. The dedicated intermediate stay set aft and “Our inner forestay has been a closer to the mast permits a staysail in strong winds, and pairing it with a deeply rousing success with results far reefed main (or ) better balances the helm. And the added forestay offers better than we had imagined.”

16 GoodOldBoat.com Roth. Their sloop, imparting needless Whisper, proudly wear on furling sported an interme- gear bearings for diate forestay they thousands of miles had added, which when not in use. Hal said provided Far better to have nearly all of the that tack strap ride advantages of a on its own forestay full-fledged cutter. to save the wear I wondered about and tear. doing the same The second aboard Entr’acte. “It position was 3 won’t be a cutter,” feet back from the Hal said, “but it primary forestay. will be pretty close. From this position You just have to we could set our be very clever storm jib as a about how you do staysail for short it—and keep things Below, Ed added a robust deck plate under the foredeck with an eye to accept a turnbuckle and wire (at left) that tacking into an simple!” transfers the load to the foremost interior bulkhead, which is glassed to the hull. (at right). anchorage. It would That meeting also improve the and conversation boat’s handling in came full circle heavy winds. As a as Ellen and I prepared Entr’acte for our Forestay Positions mainsail is reefed, the length of the foot second voyage and debated adding roller Our inner forestay would have three decreases and moves forward, shifting that furling. An intermediate stay like the positions. The first would attach immedi- sail’s center of effort toward the mast. But Roth’s, we reasoned, would offer redun- ately to the main stemhead fitting just aft when a headsail is furled under the same dancy if the headsail furler broke, and it of the roller furling drum. In this position conditions, its center of effort remains would let us set a smaller headsail in windy we could hank on the 110 percent working unchanged, so the net movement of the conditions, taking the burden off that jib or a large nylon drifter. This would also center of effort is forward, which tends to single headstay. be a better location to attach the sliding unbalance the helm. Setting a headsail 3 Attaching an inner forestay between the tack strap of our new asymmetric cruising feet further aft brings that sail’s center of mast and deck would be easy. Our challenge chute. This strap is designed to wrap effort aft, helping to balance the helm in was to position it correctly to gain the best around a furled genoa and slide up and heavier winds. possible sail plan options and to make it down to adjust the shape of the cruising The third position would be stowed for easy to stow when not in use. chute’s luff, which might be all right for a when this stay is not needed. In our case, Sunday afternoon. the wire, detached from its turnbuckle, But for long was just the right length to clip onto a 1 Fortuitously, measurements landed the aft attachment point for the new headstay passages we did ⁄4-inch turnbuckle attached to a bail on between the two large cleats at the narrowest clear point on the foredeck. This is where not like the idea of the starboard middle stanchion. The the deck is least likely to flex under load, and the foredeck remains clear, below. that strap chafing turnbuckle would provide just enough 1 The mast band is attached with ⁄4 x 20 machine screws drilled and tapped. It’s further mile after mile on tension to keep it from slopping around, 1 secured through a ⁄2-inch stainless steel stud that passes completely through the mast a furled, expen- allowing the stowed stay to serve also as a and compression tube. The stud also provides an attachment for tangs for running sive genoa and stable handhold when needed. Attached backstays, at right.

May/June 2020 17 Staying Power

tension the new stay took our breath away. bed wood to fiberglass or wood to metal We opted instead for a spare turnbuckle because, unlike other compounds, it soaks with toggle and quick release pins. Simple, into the wood to best seal out water. It yet effective.) also boasts anti-fungicidal properties that The running rig was simply a prevent rot. Dolphinite never gets hard and two jib sheets. We didn’t add addi- and has always proved easy to disassemble, tional winches or lead blocks, figuring that even after many years in place. both headsails would never be used on the same tack at the same time. When we Putting it to Work wanted to hoist a staysail, we employed the Over time we have experimented with the unused genoa winch. inner forestay and have learned a lot. We Below decks, we installed a 1 x 6-inch discovered an especially interesting setup white oak plank which completely on our 2003 Atlantic crossing. The wind traversed the deck. This one large beam was in just the wrong place, not quite dead effectively increased our deck thickness astern but far enough on the quarter so the and served as a substantial backing plate mainsail completely blanketed the genoa, not only for the forestay but for the deck rendering it quite useless. Poling out the cleats as well. This was a distinct improve- genoa on the other side for a dead run ment from the two smaller individual would require a course change 15 degrees backing blocks we had before. to port of our rhumb line. To get the genoa To prevent leaks and mold, we thor- to draw properly would likewise mean a oughly bedded the oak beam and both 15- or 20-degree alteration to starboard. deck plates with Dolphinite compound. Because of the relatively light wind and We always use Dolphinite whenever we pronounced cross swell, the large cruising In the forward position, the stay is attached to a permanent toggle installed in the stemhead fitting’s aft-most opening. The stay is just clear of the furling drum and allows for easy hoisting and lowering of sails. Storing the Stay—EZ When it came to storing our inner stay stay is too long to stow in a straight line, it when not in use, we got lucky and were must be led around a large, smooth radius in a straight line to the stanchion, the new able, by removing its turnbuckle, to before it is put under tension for stowage. stay would be out of the way until needed attach it to a stanchion with a shorter A stowage clip, also known as an inner with no bends or hardware. turnbuckle and provide enough tension forestay clip or inner stay storage bridle, to keep it safely snug. solves the problem. This simple piece of Stay Installation But, storing the inner forestay is usually gear clips onto the stay and features an eye Deciding where exactly to mount the stay easier said than done. Once disconnected for a strop that can be used to draw the was a product of trial and error with cheap at the deck fitting, the stay is too long stay away from the mast. With the strop line. We finally determined it was best to to stow in a straight line from the mast leading forward to one anchor point on mount the deck attachment 3 feet aft of the fitting. Bending the stiff and inflexible 1 x 19 deck, the stay can be tensioned with its main stemhead fitting and the mast band 3 rigging wire causes work hardening, which turnbuckle to a second attachment point feet below the masthead. This positioning dangerously weakens the wire. If your wire slightly aft. would keep the new stay parallel to, and far enough away from, the main forestay to prevent the two from tangling with each other, a common problem with double forestays. With the judicious use of extra Turnbuckle or quick- Inner forestay toggles, we could easily move the lower release lever for tensioning attachment point from the fore to aft Stowage clip positions, ensuring it fit perfectly in either Attachment point aft location. and to one side Strop The standing rig consisted only of the 7 Attachment point forward forestay and a ⁄16-inch bronze turnbuckle. and to one side (The price of a proper “highfield lever” to

Resources Metal fabrication: stainlessoutfitters.com Inner forestay stowage clip: rigrite.com ILLUSTRATION BY FRITZ SEEGERS

18 GoodOldBoat.com chute was not a viable option. We certainly comfortably on our way for the next five When not needed, the inner stay is attached to the starboard center stanchion, held securely by a small could have sailed a day at a time gybing days. 1 ⁄4-inch turnbuckle. This allows enough tension to remove onto alternating tacks, but there had to be Our inner forestay has been a rousing the slack so the stay does not flop around and can be a better solution. Finally, we came onto our success with results far better than we had reasonably secure if grabbed in a pinch, above left. desired course, trimmed the mainsail and imagined. It’s a simple and economical genoa on starboard tack, hoisted our 110 addition to our cruising rig and gives us most Because this project was in preparation for a transpacific percent working jib as a staysail with the of the advantages of a proper cutter. After crossing, Ed added tangs to the mast band for temporary running backstays. He made the backstays by splicing inner forestay in aft position, and poled it sailing thousands of miles with this system, thimbles into lengths of Amsteel line. Simple -and- out to starboard. Because the jib was small the only improvement we might make would tackle setups supply tension, above middle. and sailing by the lee, it did not drive us be to add a dedicated halyard winch. very well, but it did funnel the wind quite When Ed and Ellen built Entr’acte they installed Schaffer nicely into the large genoa, tricking it into Ed Zacko is a Good Old Boat contributing genoa cars, which have large, wide blocks to allow drawing properly. Once set, we continued editor. Ed, the drummer, and Ellen, the violinist, multiple sheets. This meant they didn’t need to add more blocks to accommodate the additional sheets, above. met in the orchestra pit of a Broadway musical. They built their Nor’Sea 27, ple of summers in southern Spain, Ed and Ellen Entr’acte, from a shipped themselves and Entr’acte to Phoenix, bare hull, and since where they have refitted Entr’acte while keeping 1980 have made four up a busy concert schedule in the Southwest U.S. transatlantic and one They recently completed their latest project, a transpacific crossing. children’s book, The Adventures of Mike the After spending a cou- Moose: The Boys Find the World.

The staysail rigged, with the inner stay set in the aft position. To use this, Ed rolls in the genoa and stows the sheets forward, out of the way, at left. A 1 x 6-inch oak plank added beneath the foredeck replaced two smaller backing blocks and beefed up the entire area where two bow cleats and the forestay are attached, below.

May/June 2020 19 Staying Power Wireless Options—Jamie Gifford

An inner forestay adds options for sail and sail surfaces. These high-tech lines gated on, the removeable inner forestay plan and mast control. But the location have good UV resistance, with tests reveal- is made from Dyneema SK75. Three of an inner forestay can mean that it’s ing that 10 years of exposure degrades the grades of Dyneema have appropriate sometimes an inconvenience when material by about 50 percent. This isn’t in- strength and stretch characteristics for not in use. It can interfere with tacking significant, but stainless steel also degrades this application: SK75, SK78, and SK90. or prohibit dinghy storage on the (from corrosion and work hardening), and One-quarter-inch-diameter SK75 has a foredeck. Making the inner forestay the line is easier to inspect. breaking strength of 8,600 pounds. removeable alleviates some of these All materials have their Achilles' heel. Totem also has a removable Solent drawbacks but creates new challenges. For these lines, it’s chafe. Though very stay, set parallel and close to the forestay Stowing the detached forestay can slippery and chafe resistant, an edgy object and made from Dynex Dux. This is be difficult if long length requires pressed against a loaded low-stretch line Dyneema line put through additional deflecting wire around to its anchor will damage it quickly. These same lines treatment that makes it even stronger point. And once stowed, the stay may are available as double-braided and with and with lower constructional stretch. bang into the mast and spreaders or a polyester cover, but while these features In sizing Dyneema or Dynex Dux, chafe against a tightly sheeted genoa. offer some chafe protection and UV block- I recommend increasing the diameter Using high-strength, low-stretch ing, they also are harder to splice and to account for the inevitable UV dam- line instead of traditional wire miti- less slippery (important when hoisting/ age. And splice the ends around a thim- gates these problems. dropping sails). In my opinion, the gains ble. No knots! Thimble-less or knotted Dyneema or Spectra line (same don’t warrant the compromises. It’s best ends result in tight bend radiuses that fiber, different manufacturers) offers to minimize chafe by attaching sails using significantly weaken the line. several excellent characteristics for soft hanks of either webbing loops or soft High-tech line is a nice solution for this application. Single-braid con- shackles (made from Dyneema or Spectra) a removable inner forestay and has struction is very easy to splice. It has a and to keep running gear from wearing many other applications onboard. And soft hand and is so lightweight that it against a low-stretch line stay. besides, who doesn’t like to show off floats. This makes for easier stowing On Totem, the Stevens 47 that my wife, a little DIY traditional ropework in than wire and less chafing against rig Behan, and our three children circumnavi- techy materials?

20 GoodOldBoat.com Simple Solutions The Light(s) Fantastic Need emergency running lights? Try soda caps, PVC, and a little ingenuity. BY JIM SHELL

n a recent sail aboard Phantom that we use approaching our often. Making a PVC pipe clamp Oanchorage at dusk, to mount one of these bright I switched on the running lights flashlights would do the trick. and saw the starboard light was As the rail and the flashlights out. We’d checked the lights are both about 1-inch diameter, before leaving, and they were I cut 1½- and 1-inch-long working. We didn’t encounter pieces from a length of any issues because of the bad 1-inch PVC pipe. Then I cut light and soon anchored safely. a 1-inch-wide section from But that was luck, and relying the side of each piece. A hand on luck is poor seamanship. saw or Dremel would work; I realized that having a PVC is easy to cut. I then used battery-powered running light PVC cement to attach the The emergency running light in place on the bow rail. that I could deploy quickly in cut-out sections to the backs this scenario would be a good of the pieces to increase the thing. A light that clamped thickness of the open pipes. securely to the pulpit or pushpit Next, I had to make the pipes of each double-thick section red and green light emitted rail—without the need for tight enough to serve as clamps. flat and then cemented them was bright enough to do the tools—would be ideal. For this step, I put each section together, flat surface to flat job—they’re just as bright as my A while back I’d used 1-inch of pipe into a vise, tightened the surface. I fixed them at a built-in factory nav lights. For PVC pipe to make a stanchion vise a bit to compress the tube, 90-degree angle, but that angle a dimmer flashlight, it might clamp for the VHF remote and softened the PVC with a could be adjusted to accommo- make sense to sand the outside microphone and decided to heat gun. Using trial and error, date rail angles. of the cap until the material is use the same approach for an I’d let the pipes cool, test to Now came the actual emer- thin enough allow enough light emergency, temporary nav see if they were tight enough, gency running lights. I needed to penetrate. light. PVC is easily worked, heat and if not, I increased the vise’s some red or green translucent During our cruises, we keep moldable, and cements strongly tension and heated them again. material to color the lights for these lights snapped on to the to itself. We keep several Once I knew the clamps use on the bow. I found that dodger supports for occasional identical 9-bulb LED flashlights worked, I sanded the back colored soda bottle caps worked cockpit illumination. If we find very well. I wrapped electrical we need one, it’s easy to relocate tape around the outside of the to the appropriate spot, and the (Left to right) First, Jim cut the PVC longitudinally; the larger section will be the clamp flashlight lens so that the caps red and green caps are just a while the smaller cut-out piece will help form the base. would fit snugly. cold soda away. My flashlights are bright Gluing the smaller cut-outs onto the pipe made for a sturdier clamp. PVC bonds wells to enough that with an unaltered Jim Shell and his wife, Barbara, itself with PVC cement. Coca-Cola or Canada Dry sail their Pearson 365 ketch off the After sanding the backs flat, Jim glued two pipe pieces together at 90 degrees, one to Ginger Ale cap affixed, the coast of Texas. hold the rail, the other to hold the light.

May/June 2020 21 Sailing Tales Old Salts A lifetime’s love of sailing was inspired by a most inauspicious early voyage. BY D.B. DAVIES

he curious thing is the assumed I knew how to sail. D.B. Davies at the helm of way it creeps up on Because he owned a boat, Centaur, a 31-foot Contest, crossing Georgian Bay on a Tyou. One day you’re I assumed he knew how to blustery fall day. asking the old salts at the club sail. We were both mistaken. about replacing shaft bearings, Neither of us knew much dealing with loose-footed main beyond the basics. And we had sails, or installing lazy jacks, no idea of the perils of sailing hanking on sails and suddenly, young sailors are on Georgian Bay in October. and trimming the asking you about these things, The boat, a 31-foot Contest jib sheets. With and you realize that somehow, from Denmark, had been laid a brisk 20-knot without even noticing the up for seven years. When the breeze out of the passage of time, you’ve become producer, whose name was west and a crisp, one of them. An old salt. Bill, and I arrived in Killarney, clear sunny day I came to sailing by pure Ontario, to start our adventure, before us, we set serendipity in about 1984, neither of us had ever seen the out for Lonely in the days before furling boat nor had any idea about Island, where headsails, GPS, and self-tailing its condition. The in we planned winches. A film producer Killarney had rigged the mast to moor that asked me to help him sail and bent on the sails. A contin- evening before his new used boat some 100 gent of headsails waited in the pointing the miles across Georgian Bay V-berth. There was a marine bow for Meaford the next day. sent sheets in October to a winter yard. radio that neither of us knew On the chart, I noted that Bill of spray everywhere. Bill Because I’d written a script how to use, dilapidated life had drawn an impressively clung to the cockpit coaming about a sailing adventure, he jackets, expired flares, and a straight line from Killarney and I continued my desperate cantankerous Volvo to Lonely Island, and the bear hug of the mast. diesel that didn’t like compass confirmed we were “Get that thing down!” the chill in the air on on the right heading. Both of Bill yelled, and I uncleated that October day. In us found navigating easy and the halyard. But the wind had retrospect, things sailing hadn’t proved difficult it now, and as soon as the could have gone much to master either. boat started to right herself, worse than they did. Around noon, the wind it would fill again and toss The batteries were eased and shifted to the south. us back to the precarious dead, so we hand- I went below to find a bigger heel, and the water would cranked the Volvo for sail. I hauled a bag labeled again wash over us in sheets. half an hour before it “Drifter” topsides. After I crawled hand-over-hand to sputtered to life. Then dropping the genoa, I began the bow and began pulling the we motored, oblivious, hanking on Drifter, having sail down the forestay. With out of the harbor and already cleated the starboard the boat pitching and jumping into the vastness of sheet in the cockpit to keep it in protest, and me straining Georgian Bay. from flapping around. With and clinging to the pulpit, it Without any Bill at the helm, I started was slow going. When I finally discussion, Bill and hauling on the halyard. Yard had Drifter down and back I assumed roles. after yard of sail streamed from in the bag, I crawled to the I raised the main the sail bag. When the head of cockpit. The gauge said we and Bill handled the the sail finally reached the top were doing 6.5 knots under just Centaur taking a breather at Lonely Island, the single mainsheet. He also of the mast, the wind picked the main. stop Bill and D.B. made while on their 100-mile took charge of navi- up. The sail filled and the boat As I lay recuperating and passage from Killarney to Meaford, Ontario. gation and helming. lurched, burying her lee rail. contemplating putting up I worked the foredeck, Chop that was now building a smaller headsail, I sensed

22 GoodOldBoat.com concern in Bill’s eyes. “What’s current course for the past jib and full main the problem?” 3.5 miles, which puts us here. she was leaping Bill’s voice was flat. “The If we tack and go 7 miles the along at 7 knots and good news is that with this other way, and keep repeating riding as smooth as wind we’re going faster than that pattern, we should still a Mercedes on the I thought we would.” reach Lonely Island some time Autobahn. “And…” tonight.” Bill came up “The bad news is we’re I looked at him. “Do you from below and going in the wrong direction. really believe that?” worked his way The boat won’t keep on course He smiled. “I will if you will.” forward. He held for Lonely Island.” It was a magnificent plan, onto the forestay We both looked at the chart but once on the opposite tack, and scanned the and its straight line to Lonely we found ourselves still sailing horizon. The sun Island. If we missed Lonely away from our destination. was low and in his Island, we’d be sailing all night I put up a number three jib and eyes. He looked and come morning have no took over the helm. Bill went back at me on the idea where we were. With a below to work on the charting. helm and shrugged. determination that belied the At intervals he’d emerge and We were lost. Bill, the navigator for the voyage, hunches over the chart. terror he was feeling, Bill took have me alter course or tack After a while pencil, protractor, and compass again. Then he’d disappear he made his way to the soaking wet chart. below and calculate some back to the cockpit and took berm at the western side of the “We maintained our more. The afternoon light was the wheel. He had a new plan. bay and dropped the anchor. It original course for 6 nautical fading. The only encouraging We’d keep sailing until we sank was about 10 p.m. and we could miles, which put us here. Then thing was the way the boat or hit something. Under the hear the wind howling outside, we got knocked down to our was handling. With the small circumstances, his approach but it was calm and safe in our seemed practical. little cove. Neither of us had Day gave way to dusk, and eaten all day, and the steak and a full moon rose above the beer dinner we made remains horizon. We’d tacked twice one of the most delicious meals and Bill thought we should I’ve ever enjoyed. be close, even if we couldn’t We went to sleep well see anything. I went forward before midnight, under and peered across the water, brilliant stars and a full moon. and then for just a moment, But at 5 a.m., I was up at the when the boat sank into a bow answering nature’s call deep trough, I saw it: a sliver and thinking, “I could walk of light between a speck in the down that anchor rode, it’s like water and the southern tip of a tightrope.” Looking astern, what we knew was Manitoulin I realized we’d dragged our Island. That speck was it: our anchor across the cove and destination. were about 20 feet from shore. MADE IN U.S.A. “There…there it is dead I roused Bill and we anxiously ahead…Lonely Island!” cranked the Volvo to life as the Lifeline, a pioneer in AGM technology, was developed in I shrieked, “Bill, you’re a boat edged ever closer to the 1985 for military aircraft. Lifeline’s series of maintenance friggin’ genius!” pebbled shore. We sailed to within a quarter Just as the sun peeked over free deep cycle batteries has been the leading AGM mile of the island and dropped the horizon, we bounced out of battery in the Marine and Motor Coach industry for the sail. Even though it was colder the cove and raised the main. past 15 years. To learn more about Lifeline Batteries, now than the morning, the With the wind still howling, contact us or visit LifelineBatteries.com Volvo started after only a few that was all the sail we needed minutes of hand cranking. The to maintain 6 knots. Far off in LIFELINE BATTERIES, INC. chart showed shallow water at the distance we could make out the mouth of the small cove on a vast coastline, but just where 292 E. Arrow Hwy the island. I took bow watch, Meaford was on that coastline, San Dimas, CA 91773 yelling instructions aft over we weren’t sure. 800-527-3224 the howling wind. The keel hit We motorsailed because www.lifelinebatteries.com bottom once, bounced, and the engine was helping us to then we were into the sheltered stay on our straight-line course cove. We motored to the lee of a to Meaford, and we hoped it

May/June 2020 23 Lifeline Batteries SAIL BOAT AD 3.312x4.875.indd 1 2/24/15 11:36 AM Sailing Tales

would charge the batteries so in my hand. She’d gradually firing artillery shells we wouldn’t have to hand crank creep up toward the wind at us! Isn’t that great?” again. Of course, this meant that after cresting a wave, and I’d The markers in the at the helm, dutifully staring make a slight correction. She’d water told us we were down at the compass, I was respond and then try to go a bit about 500 yards beyond engulfed in a cloud of diesel more into the wind at the next the range of the guns, fumes. Within the first hour wave. I’d correct again. The theoretically. I lost the steak, beer, and my boat and I were getting along By early evening, morning coffee over the rail to wonderfully. If only we knew we were within a mile the choppy sea. Mid-morning, where we were. of our destination. I hollered below to Bill, “What Bill brought the chart into Following the shoreline are all these islands?” the cockpit. “Have you noticed for an hour, we’d lost our He came up immediately. something?” sense of fear and dread. “There are no islands.” “What’s that?” We were close to land, I pointed across the “We haven’t seen one other but still we couldn’t see starboard bow. He looked boat. We’re the only ones out the harbor at Meaford. worried and scrambled back here.” The entire shoreline was below. Then he resurfaced, I thought about that for a nothing but trees and D.B. Davies enjoying a brisk, sunny day on glancing between a chart and moment, feeling my gloved rocks. Then I spotted Georgian Bay. the islands. hands numb on the wheel, a thin clear-cut against “Must be Christian Island, my down jacket a weak shield the background of dark it’s not supposed to be there,” against the stiff, cold wind. green hills. Through binoculars, grabbed me and haven’t let go. he stuttered, “we must be too “I think their boats are in Bill saw cars driving. To this day, every time I slip far south.” harbor and they’re sitting “That’s it. That’s got to be the lines and leave the dock, “There’s more than one before a warm fire.” the road into Meaford.” I am never really sure what’s island, it looks like a chain,” Bill nodded. We dropped sail and going to happen. Weather I corrected him. At that moment, I looked motored closer. Soon, at just changes, equipment fails, and Bill studied some more. to starboard and realized the the right angle, we could see a unexpected circumstances “That can’t be right. Maybe islands had disappeared. What few masts sticking up against arise. These mostly never come they’re the Strawberry Islands, we’d taken for islands were just the trees in the background. to pass, but there is always that but they’re way to the north, the heavily forested heights Then the lighthouse and the tension of possibility that lies and we’re north of them, and of land between the low-lying harbor mouth. We’d made it. just beneath the serene quiet we just left Lonely Island.” pasturelands along the coast- Under a softly rising moon, of the wind powering me to I held the helm steady and line that ran from Meaford to we motored up the narrow whatever adventure awaits. spoke softly. “And that is a Tobermory. From a distance, channel and into the harbor Many boats, and trips, and chart for Georgian Bay?” the low areas were sunk below at Meaford. At Richardson’s ports, and storms, and calms, “Of course it’s for Georgian the horizon, appearing as water Marina, the attendant emerged. and sailing friends later, I’m Bay!” between the hills. There were “Where’d you guys come from?” suddenly an old salt, walking We both stared at the no islands! We were on course! “Killarney,” Bill answered. down the dock past a kid islands in silence. Maybe we’d Then the thundering booms “We sailed down here to put proudly swabbing his decks. sailed into the Twilight Zone, sounded. her up for the winter.” I stop, smile, and quietly say, “Welcome,” he “You might want to put a figure said, shaking his eight knot in the ends of those head. “Tie her up and jib sheets, just so they don’t slip “The boat and I were getting come on in. You guys through the blocks in heavy must sure know what weather.” along wonderfully. If only we you’re doing to make a sail like that this late D.B. Davies is a sailor and writer knew where we were.” in the season.” who is a frequent contributor to It took a long Good Old Boat. He sails Affini- or the Georgian Bay Triangle. “Rain coming?” I asked, while for Bill and me to stop ty, his 1974 Grampian 30, around Bill took a deep breath, “Just looking around. laughing. Lake Ontario. After extensively stay on course and let’s see Still focused on the chart, Several times on that first researching the men and sailing what happens.” Bill was jubilant. sail I swore that if we ever schooners of Canada’s Maritime Soon the wind shifted “Wait, no…that’s the found Meaford, I’d never leave provinces, he wrote a dramatic to northeast and we cut the Canadian Forces artillery dry land again. But the bug had screenplay about the famous engine and raised the jib. The range!” He looked up and bitten. It was the terror and Bluenose and her skipper, Angus boat sailed beautifully, and the pointed. “It’s supposed to be uncertainty of that voyage; Walters. You can find out more at wheel became a magic wand right there, and it is! They’re those were the hooks that thebluenosemovie.com.

24 GoodOldBoat.com Simple Solutions Tale of the Tape Eight-track audio tape makes for perfect telltales. BY ALLEN PENTICOFF

hen I first began provides days of enlightened sailing my own sailing. On our American 14-6, Wboats, I tied yarn to I use the same telltale material, the shrouds to use as telltales. but I attach the tape to alligator This common, quick-and-easy clips for quick set-up and method makes it simple to see removal. the apparent wind direction On both boats, the tape may and provides a clear visual to occasionally slide up or down help keep sails well-trimmed. the and wrap around it, Then somewhere along but fixing it is easy and worth the line, after we’d started the bother, given that these sailing our MacGregor 26D, telltales provide excellent I switched to using audio reports on wind state, accu- cassette tape, specifically tape rately indicating the slightest from a dead cassette of Simon movement of air. In strong and Garfunkel’s fifth and final winds, they stand straight out, studio album, “Bridge Over indicating direction to the Troubled Water.” The tape degree. flew a bit more true than the To make the alligator clip yarn, which sometimes had a version for the American, tendency to stick to itself and I simply buy a pack of small was little help when damp. clips at the home center, cut Some years later I read The case may be well-worn, but the 8-track tape inside is the source of the tape to length with scissors, someplace that 8-track audio terrific telltales. Fastening them to alligator clips makes it easy for Allen to insert the tape through the tape, being a larger format, attach or remove them, above. wire clamp barrel, and bend the made even better telltales than tape over it. Then I use a piece cassette tape. At the same of adhesive tape to hold time, a friend offered that Allen’s wife, Ruth Penticoff, and new sailor Rick Josephson enjoy a chilly sail aboard the Chrysler it in place. Alternatively, he possessed a broken Mutineer 13 Ha Ha with the 8-track telltales flying, below. I could tie the 8-track tape 8-track tape of the album to the clip. Tied directly to that had served me so well, the shroud, the tape tends “Bridge Over Troubled to stretch over time and Water.” He gladly gave it eventually breaks at the to me. knot. The orange cartridge But there is always has occupied our toolbox more to be had. This ever since, a near-unlim- single cartridge is enough ited supply of the best for a lifetime’s worth of telltale material I’ve yet to sailing, so long as I always find. On our MacGregor, remember to tape the I tie about a foot of tape bitter end to the outside of to each shroud with a the cartridge. I don’t know clove hitch. I remove it what I’d do if it disap- each time we prepare to peared inside; my waters trailer her someplace, would then be troubled because highway speeds indeed. are too much for Simon and Garfunkel. Otherwise, Allen’s bio can be found on each 12-inch length page 12.

May/June 2020 25 Reality Check Ready to buy a boat and sail away? Try this first.

BY KEN FERRARI

blame YouTube. I blame those sailing Preparation channels filled with bikini-clad Good preparation is the key to success. Isailors living carefree lives in tropical You wouldn’t just throw paradises. They so blithely fail to show the a whole loaf of realistic, day-to-day maintenance chores scrumptious that are part and parcel of sailing and Spam sailboat ownership. I can’t imagine the right into shocking reality that awaits the audience a scalding of landlubbers who buy boats so they can hot pan, follow in the naked, sun-kissed footsteps of right? their YouTube heroes. You’d first Every one of them would be purged of prepare. their starry-eyed misperceptions if they You’d get a could spend just a week aboard one of knife and these YouTube boats to experience the slice the behind-the-scenes reality. Maybe after they loaf. You’d unclog the head, clean up the exploded make sure can of tuna in the food locker, service the spatula the winch (while dropping a critical part was clean and handy. So overboard), clean the bottom, and fix the it goes with my Boat Buyer deck leak (after spending two years just Oil-Change Litmus Test; there are a few finding it) will they be of right mind to things you’ll need to do to prepare. because you’re afloat in a tropical paradise, decide if they still want to buy a boat and remember? sail away. Step 1: Make room for your car in the Of course, that’s not going to happen, garage. No need to clear it out completely, Step 3: Drag the bed from the guest but I have a more realistic litmus test just enough room for the car is fine—in bedroom into the garage and jam it against for the prospective sailboat purchaser: fact, the more cluttered and crowded the the passenger side wheel well. Slide your Change the oil in your car, at home, but garage, the better. Pull the car in until chest freezer to the identical location on follow my instructions so that you get a the front bumper is touching the back the driver’s side. sense of what it can be like to do the same wall and then turn it off (making sure the chore aboard. engine is warm) and shut the garage door. Step 4: Move the recliner from your living room to the garage and dump the contents Step 2: If it’s not already of your toolbox underneath the cushion. very hot and humid in your garage, you’re going Step 5: Remove the hood from your car to need to make it so. and lay it across the top of the recliner Maybe bring in some space (this step simulates the removal of the heaters and humidifiers. companionway steps). When you can’t spend 10 minutes in your garage Step 6: Now do the reverse of the previous without dripping in sweat step so you can get to the tools you need and feeling a bad case underneath the cushion, the cushion you of heat rash coming on, covered with the hood (it’s okay to swear you’re almost ready. Now loudly at this point). Carry the needed strip down to your swim tools across the garage and set them on the trunks or skivvies and bare clean sheets of the guest bed. feet. That’s how you’re ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRITZ SEEGERS going to change the oil, Step 7: Stub your toe on something.

26 GoodOldBoat.com Step 8: Get in your car and crawl from the Step 17: Crawl across guest bed back seat to the front seat. with the full oil filter and again reach around the front tire and through the The Oil Change suspension. Blindly search for where Step 9: Reach forward out the passen- the oil filter is mounted. When found, ger-side window and strain to remove the carefully cross-thread the new oil filter dipstick from the engine. As you pull it out, to ensure future leaks. note the drops of dirty oil you’re hopeless at preventing from flicking all over the Step 18: Laying across the windshield, guest bed. pour the rest of the gallon of new oil into the engine (do not use a funnel). Step 10: Crawl out of the car, balance As soon as you realize that a gallon yourself on the front bumper, and insert your equals four quarts and that your engine longest drinking straw into the dipstick hole. takes five quarts, swear loudly before returning to the kitchen for more. Step 11: Suck hard. Spit the mouthful of dirty oil into your mother-in-law’s Step 19: Clean up. heirloom iced tea pitcher. If this doesn’t Ken Ferrari and his wife, Vicky, are full-time prime the oil-extraction pump, repeat. I’m confident that having followed the cruisers living aboard their 1981 Morgan 382, Drain the oil into an empty gallon milk above steps, you—YouTube viewer—are HuskaBean. In addition to a -to-stern re- jug, whose lid you will conveniently forget far more informed about the boat owner’s fit of their boat, they have logged over 20,000 you failed to install until you later tip the life and ready to make that boat-buying nautical miles while cruising the U.S. East jug—which you left on the front seat of decision with a clear head. At the very Coast, the Bahamas, and the eastern Caribbe- the car—to complete the oil removal. least, you’re ready to shut off that an, and have recently completed a west-to-east computer and go sailing. crossing of the north Atlantic Ocean. Step 12: Once the oil is removed, climb onto the guest bed. While lying on your back with a flashlight in your teeth, reach behind the passenger side front tire and remove the wheel well guard. Force your arm through the maze of suspension components and feel around blindly for the oil filter. When you find it, remove your bloody arm, climb off the guest bed, and retrieve the oil filter wrench that you forgot beneath the recliner cushion.

Step 13: Repeat Step 12 with oil filter wrench in hand.

Step 14: Loosen the filter with the wrench. Continue unscrewing the filter with your bare hand until your hand is covered in scalding hot oil. Don’t drop the filter. As you try to remove the filter by pulling your arm back through the fender well, drop the filter (it’s okay to swear loudly at this point). PACIFIC SALT TM 2 Step 15: Being careful not to leave any oily footprints, trudge into your house and • UPDATED HANDLE ERGONOMICS retrieve a new oil filter from under the • BLACK-COATED HARDWARE dining room table and a gallon of oil from a • CORROSION-RESISTANT H-1® STEEL BLADE kitchen cabinet. • LIGHTWEIGHT FRN SCALES • STURDY BACK LOCK MECHANISM Step 16: Open the new oil and pour some • MULTIPLE EDGE CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE into the new oil filter until it overflows and spills onto the garage floor. Check the oil’s spyderco.com 800 525 7770 lubricity by stepping in the spill.

May/June 2020 27 Ahead of the Game Replacing a traditional marine head with a composting system is clean and green.

BY JERRY THOMPSON

love my new-to-me 1999 Beneteau The smell and the corresponding a pleasant task. While the cost of this 311, but the boat came with a very problems, including blockages, leaks, and sanitation solution was low, and the whole Ipronounced smell in the head, which seeping joker valves, meant that the whole system was small and self-contained, I had persisted despite my best efforts to clean system was in need of replumbing. But no desire to revisit the chemical smell and and sanitize. The 19-year-old marine sani- replumbing wouldn’t relieve me of the the dumping process aboard my Beneteau. tation hoses were permeating black water unpleasant notion that I would often be Next, I considered a Type I MSD, that odors. An interesting if flawed design by sailing around with a tank of raw sewage. is, one that includes an on-board treatment Beneteau resulted in effluent sitting in 8 All of this motivated me to consider system. This solution treats waste down- feet of sanitation hose that connected the alternatives to the conventional marine stream from a conventional marine toilet, holding tank to the through-hull discharge head/holding tank solution. and that treated waste is deemed safe for valve, as there was no shut-off valve at the legal discharge, eliminating the need for bottom of the elevated holding tank. Options a holding tank. Raritan’s Electro Scan is a The system provided two options I started researching the possibilities: popular example and the one I considered. to move the waste, one directly into the cassette toilets, the Electro Scan system, Using the Electro Scan, after each flush holding tank and the other overboard. But and composting toilets. the waste (black water) enters the first of the Y-valve configuration meant that to use A cassette toilet—the Thetford Porta two chambers. Here, a macerator turns the overboard option, the entire contents Potti, for instance— is a Type III marine the waste into a liquid with suspended fine of the holding tank went with it. It would sanitation device (MSD) that’s portable and particles. Then electrodes in the chamber have been handy to have a valve on the incorporates a holding tank. Typically, the send electricity through the liquid. The holding tank discharge to prevent the tank holding tank section of a cassette head sepa- current reacts with the saltwater to from emptying but still be able to discharge rates from the seat and freshwater reservoir neutralize and disinfect the waste. When overboard where that option was available. to facilitate disposal into a shoreside toilet. the head is next flushed, the treated waste The system requires using strong chemicals liquid moves into the second compartment in the portable holding tank to break down solids and control odors. The marine toilet system Jerry inherited with his I’d used a cassette toilet in my Seaward Beneteau 311 included a holding tank mounted nearly 24 and it worked fine. But dumping and Cleared of all parts of the previous system, the head at deck level with hoses in which effluent would washing out the holding tank was never compartment is clean and ready for the installation of inevitably sit and cause odor over time. the C-Head.

28 GoodOldBoat.com A Misnomer—Editors

According to composting expert and author of The Humanure Handbook, Joe Jenkins, there is no such thing as a composting toilet. According to information on his website, huma- nurehandbook.com, “Toilets don't compost, people do. A ‘compost BY JERRY THOMPSON toilet’ collects organic material for composting elsewhere.” The site goes on to say, “Com- posting, by definition, has three requirements: 1) human management; 2) aerobic conditions; and 3) the generation of internal biological heat. If these three requirements are not met, composting is not taking place and the end result should not be called compost. Most devices referred to as To ensure the optimum placement for the C-Head, Jerry Finally, I took a good look at a ‘composting toilets’ do not produce first made and installed a cardboard mock-up. composting toilet. I learned that the compost and should be referred to as secret of composting toilets is that they dry toilets or biological toilets, any- are designed to keep liquids and solids thing but composting toilets.” where the process is repeated. But this separate. The liquid is emptied at regular Composting takes a lot of time, time, before it’s electrified, the liquid is intervals depending on usage, but much and aboard a boat the organic, com- mixed rather than macerated. The next more often than the solids/compost postable waste is intended to be emp- time the toilet is used, the first batch storage area. Solids are mixed with a tied and discarded before it’s actually of twice-treated sewage is discharged composting medium such as peat moss, composted. Of course, this doesn’t overboard from the second compartment. coconut coir (husk), or a material such negate any of the very real benefits; we The cycle repeats with every flush, and the as aspen bedding used for keeping small just want to be precise. system’s capacity is huge; over 500 gallons animals. All absorb moisture, which is key. can be treated per day. I spent several days reading reviews of As fantastic as the Electro Scan composting toilets written by real people, the marine and RV market: Nature’s Head, sounds, there are issues to consider. The both boaters and recreational vehicle (RV) Air Head, and C-Head. All boast excellent Electro Scan system requires saltwater for owners. I didn’t come across anyone who reviews, but my overriding consideration was flushing. Brackish or freshwater doesn’t regretted trading a holding-tank system for size. The cockpit protrudes about 8 inches permit the necessary conductivity. I could a composting system. into the top back wall of the head compart- install an optional salt-feed system, but Encouraged, I focused on learning ment aboard my Beneteau, making sitting up this would increase the complexity and more about the three brands competing in straight on a taller head impossible. add points of failure. Also, the system cannot be used in a no discharge zone (NDZ), of which there are many; the Environmental Protection Agency Custom Sailboat Fabrications maintains a list of all NDZs in the United States. I called the Coast Guard and asked Stainless steel chainplates, if, when they boarded a boat in an NDZ, stem plates, anchor rollers, they checked for proof that a Type I MSD stanchion bases, and more to replace worn out or damaged was not in use; they confirmed they did. deck hardware Another issue with this system is its demand for electricity. The 12-volt system’s Davit systems and stainless macerator is rated at 20 amps, the electrodes swim platforms with precision 25 amps, and the mixer 5 amps. Raritan waterjet cut starboard decking available for most sailboats reports consumption of 1.2 amp-hour per flush. The cost is less than I expected, with We take pride in using only North American raw materials. units starting at around $1,200. But given that We ship anywhere in the US and Canada. I often sail in brackish water and in NDZs, the 800-268-0395 Electro Scan wouldn’t work for me. www.stainlessoutfitters.com

May/June 2020 29 Ahead of the Game

I quickly determined that the Nature’s it was available at the local Tractor Supply some men find it awkward). The urine 1 Head and Air Head were too tall, at 21 store. Next, I filled and stowed 2 ⁄2-gallon enters a reservoir under the seat, which inches and 19.75 inches, respectively. Only sealable plastic bags with pre-measured is nothing more than a gallon milk jug to 15 inches tall, the C-Head’s Shorty model amounts of bedding for future use. which I add a 50-50 solution of vinegar and would fit better. Using the head is simple. Unlike a water to control odor. traditional toilet bowl, the composting Although the C-Head can compost Installation head bowl is divided and shaped to move toilet paper, I have tried it with and To make sure the unit would fit, I created liquids and solids into separate areas. without, and I believe it works better when a cardboard mock-up using instructions After depositing solids, which fall to that there’s no paper in the mix. It doesn’t seem from the C-Head website. But to test the compartment, you simply close the lid, to break down as well as the solids. Rather mock-up, I’d be going all in anyway; the insert a handle into the socket at the top, than depositing toilet paper into the head, entire system already in my boat would and turn the handle to stir the deposited I keep sealable plastic bags under the sink have to go. solids with the bedding. for used paper, which then go into the To prepare for removing the system, Number one requires a little more trash. (I know this is a common practice I pumped out the holding tank, ran about precision, since the primary goal is to never 3 gallons of bleach water (5 parts water let liquids and solids mix. This means that to 1 part bleach) through the head and men have to sit down to urinate (some- The business end of the C-Head shows how solids, into the holding tank, and then pumped thing women have no issue with, though which land in the bedding material, remain separated out again. Finally, I opened the discharge from liquids, which go into the gallon jug. seacock and pumped fresh water through the system. My careful prep meant no nasty surprises when I removed the marine head, holding tank, and sanitation hoses. As soon as they were out, I could see the first benefit of not having a holding tank—a new large storage area. Before proceeding, I thoroughly cleaned the compartment. Next, I posi- tioned the C-Head mock-up where the real one would live. Satisfied it would work, I mixed thickened epoxy to fill the holes in the shelf where the old toilet had been mounted. Next, I positioned the new C-Head and sat on it to determine the perfect spot. I marked the locations of the mounting bolts and drilled four 3 ⁄16-inch pilot holes into the shelf. Then I fixed the C-Head to the shelf using four 1 ⁄4 x 1-inch galvanized screws with washers, first wrapping the washers in butyl tape. Installation done! I’d read about ventilation requirements for composting toilets and called the C-Head distributor to ask about this. He told me that in heavy-use installations, such as multiple liveaboards, a 12-volt fan helps prevent condensation that would impede the composting process. This is important because moisture is the enemy and the cause of foul odors. He advised me to first give my composting head a try without any active or passive ventilation; as it turns out, I’ve not needed ventilation with my system.

Operation To prepare the head for use I added composting medium to the solids container. I chose aspen bedding because

30 GoodOldBoat.com among people who use traditional marine As for capacity, I generally singlehand, entered via a hole in the handle socket. toilets anyway, since paper can easily clog and I haven’t come close to capacity using Now when I leave the boat for an extended those systems if overused.) the boat for 20 days. I will empty after period, I empty the solids reservoir and Emptying the solids is easy. I bring a around 20 “deposits” just because it is easy I leave the handle in place to close the trash bag into the head, remove the solids to do. socket. bucket, place the trash bag over the top Emptying liquids is a matter of sealing I have been using the C-head and turn the bucket over. I refill with the milk jug and dumping the contents in a composting toilet for over two years, and fresh aspen bedding material and I’m shoreside toilet or, if offshore beyond three I am very pleased with it. I still appreciate done. The whole process takes about five miles, overboard. For longer trips, I bring opening the door to the head and not minutes. I can legally place the trash bag extra jugs with lids so I can cap and store being assaulted by stinky smells. And, of composting waste in a dumpster—far them until I can properly dispose of them. I was able to permanently eliminate two better and more sanitary than the millions I’ve had no odor issues with this head. below-the-waterline holes in my boat that of Pampers that are tossed daily. One problem I did have, briefly, was of served the old marine toilet, one for the my own doing: I left the boat for a month saltwater intake for flushing and one for and failed to empty the solids container the waste discharge. Installed, the C-Head has a clean, simple design with a before leaving. When I returned there was What do I miss about my old conven- removable handle for stirring the compostables. With no odor, but there were fruit flies (lots tional marine head? Not one thing. nothing going overboard or into a holding tank, there’s of them) in the head. Apparently, they no need for hoses or through-hulls. Jerry Thompson lives and sails in eastern North Carolina. He learned to sail more than 25 years ago at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Lake Chiemsee, Germany. North Carolina’s milder winters keep Jerry on the water year-round.

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May/June 2020 31 Thinking Ahead With three brands on the market, marine composting heads are gaining acceptance.

BY JIM SHELL

everal marine-suited composting toilets have been on the market for Smany years, and each has earned a devoted following. All are Coast Guard- approved marine sanitation devices (MSDs) that employ organic materials to compost waste. All are self-contained units with no sanitation hoses, through-hull Flap or opening fittings, or holding tanks. All require the owner to handle human waste to some extent. All separate urine from feces and produce no objectionable odors when Liquids Solids managed properly. The three commercially available units are Nature’s Head, Air Head, and C-Head. The Nature’s Head and Air Head toilets are probably the most common and are Vent somewhat similar in design and operation. Each is approximately 20 inches high, 19 inches wide, and 19 inches deep—about 4 cubic feet in volume (a standard marine toilet is about 2 cubic feet in volume). The Nature’s Head also requires a 2-inch clearance behind Mixer the unit for the top to be tipped back to remove the urine tank as well as to unhinge the upper unit from the lower unit. Composting medium For both brands, space requirements are often a factor when considering them ILLUSTRATION BY FRITZ SEEGERS to replace a conventional marine toilet. The toilet bowl is designed to direct urine into a jug and feces into a solids tank that contains organic material. Each toilet has a handle on the side that’s used to turn a stirring rod in the solids tank to mix fecal material with the composting medium. Both manufacturers call for forced-air ventilation of the solids tank with a 12-volt fan and hose connected to the outside. These toilets get good reviews, and those who learn to operate them love them, though they are tall and somewhat bulky with levers, cranks, and brackets on the outside below the seat level. The C-Head is similar but differs in its form. It is about 40 percent smaller,

32 GoodOldBoat.com and a few different models are available. one has a socket mounted on top into which For all of these toilets, the medium It's worth noting that C-Head is the you insert a handle when the time comes to recommended for the solids tanks is only manufacturer that builds models stir the pot (so to speak). The result is that sphagnum peat moss, coconut coir, or specific to boats. Called the Wedged Back the C-Head is a “cleaner” design. sawdust. Peat moss and coconut coir are C-Head, it has a cutaway, tapered back All of these units operate similarly, available inexpensively at garden supply to accommodate the curve of the hull but they differ in how the solids tanks are stores and online. The coir comes in against which it may sit. For comparison’s emptied. For the Nature’s Head and Air compacted brick form that needs to sake, the C-Head is about 2.5 cubic feet in Head models, you remove the top of the be reconstituted with a little water to volume. Of course, the downside of this toilet and set it aside—finding a sanitary create a mulch consistency. You can smaller unit is that the liquid and solid way to do this is important—take out the get sawdust as pine pellet horse stall BY JIM SHELL reservoirs are smaller, thus requiring urine receptacle, then detach the base bedding from supply stores. The pellets more frequent emptying—though these and either carry it elsewhere for disposal must also be reconstituted with a little models are a little easier to empty than or invert it into a garbage bag to dump water to make a very pleasant pine- the other two. the contents. For the C-Head, you lift scented sawdust. Other organic media, Operation is similar to the Nature’s Head the hinged top—rather than removing such as planer shavings or paper shreds, and Air Head, but forced-air ventilation is it entirely—and remove the collection will also work. only required in heavy usage, and rather bucket itself from the base to dump it into than a side-mounted handle for stirring, this a composting area or bag. Jim Shell's bio can be found on page 21.

Air Head Nature’s Head C-Head Sawdust Toilet

Estimated Cost $1,029.00 $925.00 $600.00 $20.00 to $50.00 Dimensions 18.7" wide 19" wide* 11" wide** 13" wide 19.75" tall 20" tall 15" tall 15" tall 17.5" deep 19" deep 18" deep 13" deep Separation Yes Yes Yes No Ventilation Forced air required Forced air required High use only No Paper Bowl Liner Recommended No No No Urine Tank 2 gal 2 gal 1 gal No Cycle To Emptying 20-30 days per couple 20-30 days per couple 7-10 days per couple 3-4 days per couple Composting Medium Peat moss, coconut coir, and other Peat moss, coconut coir, and other Peat moss, coconut coir, and other Peat moss, coconut coir, and other Type*** options options options options Composting Medium Use 2 gallons per cycle 2 gallons per cycle 1 gallon per cycle 3 gallons per cycle Composting Medium Cost Estimated $10 per year Estimated $10 per year Estimated $20 per year Estimated $90 per year Website Airheadtoilet.com Natureshead.net C-head.com Search "sawdust toilet" onlline

*Different handle options may change the width. **The C-Head comes in multiple sizes and cut-out-back models for vessels with sloping hull sides. The specifications in this table are for the Shorty model. ***Other options include any small-textured, mulch-type of debris such as wood planer shavings and wood sawdust (never treated lumber), paper shreds, cedar pet bedding, and pine pellet horse bedding.

May/June 2020 33 Thinking Ahead

Dumping It—JS

With the use of composting toilets landfills so long as they are contained. Composting toilets operate in a aboard boats increasing, questions In the same way that a soiled disposable similar manner to the WAG bag. The arise about proper disposal of diaper (folded up tightly on itself and organic bedding mixed with the solid collected human waste. What is legal sealed using its own tabs) or dog feces waste absorbs moisture (promoting and right? (collected in a tied-up plastic bag) are retention of the waste as a solid), From the moment human waste contained and legally dumped, so too can covers, deodorizes, and introduces is deposited in a composting toilet, solid waste mixed with organic bedding composting enzymes. The commonly pathogens present in the waste begin from a composting toilet be bagged and used organic media are coconut coir, to die off. But until the waste is fully dumped. It’s interesting to note that if sphagnum peat moss, pine sawdust, composted, some level of pathogens waste in a composting toilet were treated and other organic bedding materials. remains. And waste from compost- as it often is in a marine holding tank, It’s important to note that unlike ing toilets is always dumped before with formaldehyde and other chemicals, the commercial composting toilets, complete composting, which can take it would not be classified as solid waste the DIY sawdust toilet (“Bucket many months. suitable for landfill, but rather as hazard- Brigade,” p. 35) is not designed so Even in toilets in which the liquid ous waste. that liquid and solid waste are sep- waste is separated, the collected urine Back country hikers and campers who arated. Instead, this toilet depends cannot be (should not be) legally capture and pack out their own waste on periodic additions of sawdust for dumped into no-discharge waters. In have long set a precedent for contained sufficient absorption. When these no-discharge waters, these contain- solid human waste disposal: the waste contents are dumped, they are a ers need to be hauled ashore to be elimination and gelling bag concept, slightly moist, semi-solid clump of dumped into toilets or other appro- commonly referred to as a WAG bag. sawdust mixed with waste. While the priate areas. But let’s focus on solid WAG bags (sold under various brand gelling powder found in WAG bags waste, because its disposal is more of a names) are used to collect and store cannot be used with commercial concern for most. human waste for later disposal. composting toilets, it could be added Ideally, organic solid waste collect- Once human waste is deposited in to the DIY sawdust toilet to further ed in these toilets would be deposited a WAG bag, it is mixed with a powder enhance containment and the solid into a compost pile where the biolog- that gels the liquid urine, covers and nature of the waste. This powder is ical composting process begun in the adds composting enzymes to the solid sodium polyacrylate, and it is sold toilet can continue until completed. waste, and deodorizes the contents. The widely in hardware stores as an Especially for waste created aboard a bags may then be disposed of in a waste additive intended to solidify leftover boat, this is not always realistic. But stream headed for a solid waste landfill. paint in cans for disposal. that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. There are no sterilizing or disinfecting The solid contents of all compost- Human waste solids may be legally agents present in the gelling powder; the ing toilets should be bagged before disposed of in municipal solid waste overall effect is strictly containment. disposal into the solid waste stream.

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34 GoodOldBoat.com Bucket Brigade Buckets, sawdust, and a clever seat make a functional dry marine toilet.

BY JIM SHELL

hen our son, John, moved seated in the base, the handle of the second For the two years that John lived aboard aboard his Baba 30, the marine bucket snaps into this rim section to hold it the Baba full time, he emptied the toilet Whead was inoperable and unre- securely in place. every six to seven days. That’s more often pairable. He saw this as an opportunity to To make the toilet look more attractive, than commercial composting toilets, but switch to an odor-free and more environ- I built a seat to replace the purpose-made the process is so much easier and cheaper, mentally sound marine sanitation solution: Luggable Loo seat. I attached a recycled John had no complaints. the composting toilet. But he took it a step Bemis marine toilet seat to the snap rim of further; after finding the commercially a contractor’s bucket lid, adding a plywood Jim Shell’s bio appears on page 21. manufactured toilets too large to fit in his shim between the two. boat’s head, he went the DIY route. Managing the toilet is In his 1995 cult classic The Humanure easy, and a bit different than Handbook, Joe Jenkins includes information the commercial units. After for building the sawdust toilet he designed lining the bucket with a plastic over 30 years ago. His design has been used bag and adding 3 to 4 inches throughout the world, including aboard of bedding material to the boats. It differs from the commercial units bottom, the toilet is ready. in that there is no separation of liquids and After each use, cover the waste solids, and it can be built to be smaller. with a couple of scoops of The sawdust toilet is very simple and additional bedding material. has no moving parts. It’s simply a bucket If the bedding material in lined with a plastic bag and topped with the bucket ever looks wet or a toilet seat. The bucket is affixed to the smells, add more sawdust. 3 boat to meet U.S. Coast Guard marine When the bucket is ⁄4 full, sanitation device regulations. remove the bag and dispose of To build the toilet, John started with the contents in a composting two 5-gallon contractor’s buckets and a site or dumpster. Luggable Loo snap-on toilet seat; the total Sawdust is the proscribed cost was about $25. He cut the bottom cover material, but as with 6 inches off one bucket and bolted this the other toilets, wood planer shortened section to the shelf where the shavings, coconut coir, or original toilet was mounted. This created a sphagnum peat moss will base into which the second bucket—which also work. John found that a serves as the collection tank with the toilet 40-pound bag of compressed seat attached—would fit. pine pellets (which have to be To secure the second bucket to the reconstituted before use) is base, John cut from the discarded scrap of enough for 8 to 10 toilet-emp- the first bucket a 5-inch-wide piece that tying cycles, or about 45 to 60 included a portion of the rim. He attached days of one sailor’s full-time this section to the base with rivets. Once use.

(top to bottom) The base of the sawdust toilet is a portion of a contractor’s bucket bolted onto the shelf that held the old head. The tab on the back—cut from the rim of this same bucket—provides a notch for the bail of the bucket that serves as the collection tank to hook into, making it secure. Jim improved the design by employing an old marine head toilet seat and attaching it to the outer ring of a bucket lid, with plywood acting as a shim between. The finished sawdust toilet fits perfectly in the head compartment of the Baba.

May/June 2020 35 Short Voyages

Del Viento threads her way through Little Bull Passage after leaving Lasqueti Island.

36 GoodOldBoat.com Free Spirit Off the grid and off most sailors’ itineraries, Lasqueti Island is a community unto itself. BY MICHAEL ROBERTSON

ou should stop recommendations. A week here,” said our later, from Nanaimo, we “Ynew friend, Kevin, pointed our bow northwest tapping his finger on our route and headed for False Bay, planning chart taped to the on the northwestern end of main bulkhead in our cabin. Lasqueti Island. “Lasqueti Island is not like the According to the Waggoner rest of the Gulf Islands.” Guide, Lasqueti Island is, “often I leaned in for a better look. overlooked by pleasure craft.” This was not part of the plan. This isn’t surprising. The We’d already mapped out our island is away from the route Salish Sea sailing trip, winding usually taken by northbound through Canada’s Gulf Islands boats on the way to Jervis Inlet and bouncing between ports or Desolation Sound. The on Vancouver Island and resorts, farmer’s markets, and mainland British Columbia. artist communities that appear From Ganges we were headed regularly in the top 10 lists of to up the coast to Nanaimo, glossy travel magazines are a the second-largest population world away in the Southern center on Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands. The big ferries then due north across the don’t call here. Strait of Georgia and up the We rounded Prowse Point Malaspina Strait on our way to into False Bay late in the Chatterbox Falls, at the end of afternoon. To starboard, a pier the Princess Louisa Inlet, about extended from the shore in 40 miles inland from the British front of the blue-roofed Hotel Columbia coastline. A visit to Lasqueti. We motored about, Lasqueti would mean a detour looking for a spot to drop the up the southwest side of giant hook that wouldn’t impede Texada Island. ferry or seaplane traffic in and “There’s a community there, out of the small bay. In the end, totally off the grid.,” he added. we followed the lead of half- “I’ve heard they make their dozen boats anchored around own money.” the corner in Mud Bay, in about Their own money? We 35 feet. Here, the holding and learned long ago to give the protection from southeast- great weight to locals’ erlies is excellent.

May/June 2020 37 Short Voyages

The morning broke clear, dream,” wrote Charlie Walters warm, and sunny and we in his book, Island Dreams. hopped in the dink. We found a And it was more than a dream. small dock on the north side of They came, they staked their the pier and tied up. claims, and they formed what In terms of a population is today the predominant center on Lasqueti, False Bay is culture of Lasqueti. it. It’s where the 60-passenger, At the top of the pier, we walk-on ferry berths. The post walked up the steep road, office, school, a tiny grocery continuing past the Hotel store, and the hotel are all here. Lasqueti, the largest establish- This is where the 400-plus ment on the island, its restau- residents of this Manhattan- rant/pub balcony perched over sized island gather for their the shore and crowded with farmer’s market and community tables and umbrellas. A sign events. outside advertised public It wasn’t always so. showers, but my daughters ran The island was home to the ahead to La Cookie Shack, a Pentlatch people when it was self-serve stand along the road visited by Spanish sailing ships in 1791 (Juan Maria Lasqueti was a prominent officer on The honor system at work at La Cookie one of these ships). By the Shack, at right. time sheep farmers arrived From the pier at False Bay, the Hotel on Lasqueti in 1860, only a Lasqueti and the island’s population few Pentlatch survived, a First center is just a short walk, below. Nations people destroyed by smallpox and northern tribes. Subsequent settlements on Lasqueti were centered around Tucker Bay, on the northeast side of the island, facing the Sabine Channel. Steamships landed here, and the post office, school, and store were all within a short walk. But in 1916, a salmon cannery opened in False Bay, and the population and infrastructure followed and remained. During the first half of the 20th century, Lasqueti was home to loggers who nearly stripped the island of its red cedar trees and ranchers who tried to make a go of large beef cattle operations. But in the 1960s, commercial ventures having been exhausted, Lasqueti was discovered by a displaying more than a dozen displays of public art. Outside In an April 2012 episode of new group of people. different kinds of cookies, the wood-framed post office, Global News 16x9, Lasqueti “It offered wild coastlines, muffins, and quick breads for we stopped to read the islander Gerry Chicalo abundant harvests of salmon sale. We each picked a treat handwritten notices tacked to estimated that fewer than 40 and shellfish, and beautiful and put our loonies in the cash the outside, nearly all of them percent of new residents are forests. The climate was box. from residents offering services successful. “People come, get benign, the soil rich, and the For a kilometer, the dirt to other residents. Some were all excited, maybe even buy population sparse. With no and gravel road wound up specialized, others simply land. A couple years later, it’s intervention from government and down through forest, past offered any form of unskilled just all too much, they don’t or police, it was a hippie’s a few homes and occasional labor. have the skills, and they leave.”

38 GoodOldBoat.com Though BC Hydro has its power grid, Lasqueti resi- to live independently and generators. Today, Lasqueti made several offers over the dents have repeatedly turned relying instead on solar, wind, remains the only large, years to connect the island to down the offer, preferring micro-hydro, and gas or diesel inhabited Gulf Island that is off the grid. Inside the post office, Dee Dee stood behind the small counter, next to the wood stove used to heat the space in the winter. Light came from skylights overhead. Residents’ mail was bundled and sorted alphabetically into wall boxes behind her. A young woman with a backpack pulled up on a 50cc dirt bike, excited to collect the parcel of books she’d reserved from the BC library system. She told us that she and her husband and two

Dee Dee smiles from her command post where islanders come for their mail, at left. The wharf at False Bay is the first place most people see when they visit Lasqueti, below.

May/June 2020 39 Short Voyages

Michael’s daughters, Eleanor (left) and Frances (right), provide the perfect frame for one of the many random displays of art found throughout the island, at right. Random island art also comes in the form of vehicles, at bottom right. young children moved to Lasqueti a year earlier, that they committed to the life after just a single visit on the ferry. She could have been a spokes- person for the back-to-the-land movement, her eyes bright as she praised the simplicity of the lives they’d built here. She turned before leaving, “Have you been to the Free Store? kayakers and beachcombers It’s just a bit further down the and photographers. road, past the school and the We walked miles of roads, firehouse.” gazing dreamily at owner-built The Free Store was a small cabins, some quite elaborate house with a wraparound and comfortable looking. As covered porch filled with sailors, the quirks of self-suf- used clothing, books, movies, ficiency, like solar panels and games, kitchenware, and odds cisterns, were familiar to us. and ends. Residents drop off Absent chain link and other what they no longer need, and institutional characteristics, volunteers organize everything. the public school on Lasqueti My youngest daughter, Frances, looked warm and inviting, clutched a children’s book the kind of place we’d like to she found by Maria Coffey, a send our girls if we weren’t Lasqueti Island resident. Back at the head of the pier, we stopped in at Mary Jane’s, a combination deli/grocery store, for lunch. The soups are made from island-grown ingredients and the fresh bread is made in-store. But a visit to Lasqueti isn’t about the food or shopping and services. It’s about the special kind of peace and tranquility that can be found in a place where people celebrate simplicity, embracing the hardship and independence they know is required for self-sufficiency. Away from False Bay, Lasqueti is about the ease with which you can find solitude. It’s about how much more numerous the night stars appear when away from city lights. It’s about the dozen natural bays available to

40 GoodOldBoat.com Del Viento anchored in False Bay, at right. Mary Jane’s Café, one of the eateries on the island, is as comfy as someone’s kitchen, at bottom right. transients. We saw a few cars on Lasqueti, but bicycles seemed to be the common form of transport. Art displays were around every corner. Both Lasqueti’s north- and south-facing shorelines are dotted with small anchor- ages. On the south shore, Richardson Cove is adjacent to the 200-hectare Lasqueti Island Ecological Reserve, established in 1971. The reserve North shore anchorages protects a shoreline forest of are more protected, abutting one of the largest populations a small archipelago just off of seaside junipers in British the coast and in the narrow Columbia, and at least 15 plants Sabine Channel that separates considered rare in the province Lasqueti and Texana islands. occur here. This archipelago includes

small Jedediah Island, an potential for a 19th-century unpopulated marine park and drop-hammer coin mint.” The a destination to include with pair enlisted a Lasqueti artist, any visit to Lasqueti. Jedediah and in 1997, “locals reached is rugged and crisscrossed into their drawers and pulled with trails accessible from the out saved bullion to convert island’s anchorages. into Lasqueti commemorative As we left Lasqueti behind, coins.” There have been several threading our way through mintings since, the most recent the narrows of Little Bull in 2008. The dream is still Liquid assets. Passage, I thought back on our alive that these Lasqueti coins visit, realizing I never heard or will someday circulate widely, saw any reference to a unique throughout the islands. Lasqueti currency. “Do you “Kevin was right,” I said Beauty and durability – Epifanes coatings offer you both. Our long-lasting varnish formulas let you craft brightwork think he was pulling our leg to Windy, “Lasqueti Island is that outshines and outlasts the rest. Our two-part about the money?” I asked my different, I’m glad we made the Poly-urethane paints flow perfectly and apply easily wife, Windy. But I later looked detour.” with a roller-only application, resulting in superior it up on the island community’s abrasion protection and an unsurpassed mirror-like own website. Along with a list Before he was editor of Good finish. Look for Epifanes at of eclectic artists and artisans Old Boat magazine, Michael your favorite marine store. providing goods and services Robertson and his family lived in the community, there it was: aboard and sailed around on their

AALSMEER, HOLLAND ■ THOMASTON, MAINE ■ MIDLAND, ONTARIO Lasqueti Mint. Apparently, “the 1978 Fuji 40. For over a year they 1-800-269-0961 ■ www.epifanes.com ■ mint was conceived when a explored the Pacific Northwest, goldsmith and a numismatist from Washington's Puget Sound became excited over the to Alaska's Glacier Bay.

May/June 2020 41 Learning Experience

ILLUSTRATION BY FRITZ SEEGERS RIDDLES IN THE DARK A night passage in familiar waters nearly ends in disaster. BY MICHAEL ROBERTSON

’m not a great sailor, not and friends and waiting out cover three nights and two at Humboldt too late for the even a very good one. storms before heading south, days, we paid attention also to tide to allow us to cross the bar IBut I enjoy moving from it was time to go. We planned wind and sea-state forecasts if our speed was even a bit less one place to another in that to sail direct to Eureka, for the stretch. than projected. And arriving way, and I’ve long thought my California, a 350-nautical mile All day Thursday, we too late could mean having to seamanship knowledge and coastal passage through The readied for an evening wait outside for several hours. judgment are sufficient to get Graveyard of the Pacific that departure. As evening came, “But if we make good speed, me, my crew, and boat wher- would require we cross two my wife, Windy, in charge of we can still leave tonight and ever we’re going safely. Then notorious bars: the Columbia all navigation, routing, and make Humboldt on time?” I almost lost my boat and my River Bar departing Astoria general planning, took another I asked. family in a chain of events that and the Humboldt Bay Bar look at everything and deter- “Yes,” she hesitated, “if spanned about five minutes. arriving at Eureka. In each mined it might be better to everything goes perfectly.” After almost a week in case, timing the tides was hold off until morning. Leaving I don’t like change. Astoria, Oregon, visiting family critical. As our trip would as planned, we risked arriving I bristled at the prospect of

42 GoodOldBoat.com plan upheaval. We’d sent against the cold night on the channel. Given our roughly the radio to verify, we’re going emails to everyone announcing water and our speed was about 15-knot closure speed, we’ll to pass port-to-port, sure as our imminent departure. We’d 5.5 knots under power. pass each other in about two rain. I remember that we don’t just finished refueling and For 45 minutes, I did little minutes. have a steaming light on this successfully arranged with the else besides make adjustments It’s a very dark night. My boat, there never has been, and fuel dock to remain tied there to the autopilot to keep us on depth perception is off and installing one had been on my for a few more hours until our side of the 600-foot-wide departure time. channel. There was a cross “I say we go.” current, and we repeatedly And we did. drifted off course. Going And you think you know straight required we crab a “I hear new noises, where this is going, right? You bit. A couple of small fishing think this is a story of calamity boats passed in the opposite growing sounds of that stemmed from my direction, but there otherwise impatient urging that we leave, seemed to be little traffic. despite my wife’s reasoned I looked for anticipated marker rushing water, and a counsel. buoys ahead and I looked for Nope. unanticipated traffic from flush of panic wells.” At 7:30 p.m., we left the behind. I listened to big ships fuel dock and motored out on the radio 15 miles out, each of the marina at the base of of them coordinating their bar the Astoria-Megler Bridge. pilot rendezvous. I’m trying to make out a shape. list for a long time, but a low We had nearly two hours of The running lights of I make a million subliminal priority. narrow shipping channels to the next opposing traffic mental calculations as I watch Then a larger boat grabs my navigate through protected were about a half-mile away. this traffic, continuously trying attention, off in the distance, waters before we reached the I thought it might be a large to make sense of the lights all just a smudge in the darkness bar and were free and clear in fishing boat. There was no over the boat, of the lights on about a mile beyond this the dark Pacific Ocean. Windy question in my mind we would the hills and shoreline beyond approaching boat, way outside went below to help our girls pass port-to-port, as we should. it. But my interest is pretty the channel on the other side, clean up after dinner and to “Red-to-red,” is how I’ve subdued; I know it will all be heading the same direction secure things that needed to heard some of the commercial clear as we get closer. as me and merging into the be stowed for the passage. captains on the radio say it. Then I realize we are a bit channel. It’s like a large white I guided our 40-foot sloop Recall I said that I almost closer, closer than I assumed, hull, and the first strange from the cockpit. lost my boat and my family in less than a quarter mile now thought that occurs to me is “Call me if you need a chain of events that spanned and getting brighter, but still that it’s an unlit cruise ship anything.” about five minutes. At this not a concern. We’ll pass by, heading out to sea, strange “Yep.” point in the story we haven’t two proverbial ships in the indeed. This would be our fourth yet crossed the fear-inspiring night. I wonder if they see My approaching traffic is transit of this channel and Columbia River Bar, we me—my little LED running closer, right where he should across the Columbia River haven’t entered The Graveyard lights so low on the water— be. I can see now it looks like a Bar. Even in the dark, this is of the Pacific, we haven’t even but there’s no need to call on large tug. pretty boring stuff. I had all sailed night and day and night the channel-marking buoys, and day and night along a the channel, and our boat North Pacific coastline where displayed as a blue dot on the gales this time of year are a FENDER screen of the iPad clamped dime a dozen and come out of ADJUSTERS to the bimini frame beside nowhere, quickly—nor have me. Most of the channel we made it across the next traffic was reflected on the bar and into Humboldt Bay. tiny AIS screen of our remote But none of those potential, Rail Mount Stanchion Mount VHF microphone on the perceived hazards are relevant; Double-locking Accommodates binnacle. And the conditions we can go ahead and start that cams provide 3/8” to 1/2” lines were perfectly clear; I could five-minute clock right now, quick and easy fender height see everything around me for while things are as straight- Catalog Available miles, a sea of shoreside lights forward and boring as they Lifeline Mount adjustment. Fender Adjuster for Lifelines……………….….$10.95 in the background and the can be. Fender Adjuster for Stanchion/Railing…… $13.95 Made in USA lights of other vessel traffic There is about a half-mile United Mfg., 2190 South Hill Rd., and flashing channel markers between me and the oncoming Milford, MI 48381 248-676-2535 all around. I was bundled up vessel in this narrow shipping www.unitedyachting.com

May/June 2020 43 Learning Experience

But I’m focused on the on the tiny 1.5-inch display to the iPad to confirm we are Windy turned to face new guy, wondering about help me interpret what I’m where I think we are, headed forward. “Uh, ohmygod, uh, this big, white, unlit cruise seeing. The AIS range is set at the right direction. Then um…” ship—though not concerned, five miles and I can’t discern I turn back. The white wall is I know we are in danger he’s still way in the distance anything but a cluster of towering ahead, and I see a and very close to something and he’ll surely merge into this traffic and I drop it, I have no bow wake, but it doesn’t look bearing down on us, but I still channel way ahead of me. This time, I’ve got to keep my eyes right. The lights beyond it are can’t orient what I’m seeing. is probably the closest I’ll get forward. I hear new noises, disappearing, but they had Why isn’t someone blowing a to him. growing sounds of rushing been moving alarmingly to our large warning horn? Wouldn’t Suddenly my perception of water and rumbling. I usually starboard side. that happen before we’re run everything changes. hear little over the sound of Lights jump out from our own engine, and a flush of behind the big, white, unlit panic wells. cruise ship and they’re close, “What is it?” Windy climbs The Takeaway—MR and I realize this cruise ship is quickly out of the compan- not a cruise ship, but a white ionway from the brightly lit There is nothing I did right • We should have had wall that’s growing fast. I can’t interior. She knows something in this scenario. Luck is everything secured below make sense of what I’m seeing, is wrong by the way I called what saved us. In short, I before we untied. It but it’s all growing quickly, her. trusted my senses even when seemed reasonable that eclipsing the lights in the “HELP ME WHAT AM I I knew the darkness was we had almost a couple background. LOOKING AT?” disorienting, comfortable of hours before we both “WINDY!” The approaching tug is now with assumptions I made had to be topsides for I fumble with the remote close abeam, passing quickly and failing to use the tools the bar crossing, but we VHF mic to see the AIS info by. I take a second to look at I had at hand to verify my discounted the value of perceptions and broadcast having both of us in the my position. Specifically: cockpit while we moved through this traffic • I should have referred to corridor. QUALITY MARINE AIS signals long before • I never learned whether EQUIPMENT SINCE 1981 I tried to. I would have the tug captain saw us, set the resolution for a but our lack of steaming quarter mile and would light didn’t make it any have seen that the second easier to be seen, and not tow, hidden behind the having a steaming light is barge, was in our traffic both illegal and unwise. lane. • I should have recognized • I should have been using the pattern of navigation the radar too, from the lights displayed by a tow start. Even though the boat with a barge behind. air was clear, and I could • Because I was already Learn more at Propeller with Velox Plus applied after 12 months at sea! see for many miles, this thinking about the more www.pyiinc.com hazard would have been obvious difficult parts of clear long beforehand. this passage, I was too • I shouldn’t necessarily cavalier about my ability QUALITY MARINE have been in the shipping to avoid the potential EQUIPMENT SINCE 1981 channel. Though we hazards at the start of it. sought to be in the A different attitude would channel for crossing the have gone a long way. bar, the added depth was • I should have considered not important at this that the same current stage, more than an hour that was affecting my from that time. boat would affect other • I should have assumed I vessels; in this case, the was invisible from the start current caused slack in and been broadcasting our the tow line and allowed Learn more at position at each marker the barge to crab into my www.pyiinc.com buoy all along. lane.

44 GoodOldBoat.com down? What direction is this crabbing far into the opposing head with sharp, sickening, And all the while we talked thing moving? In the same traffic lane of this narrow and tactile imagery. I imagine about and learned from the moment, I spin our wheel channel. It is dead ahead, less the popping and cracking mistakes I made. We felt to port, perpendicular and than 150 feet away from us. as all 24,000 pounds of our grateful for the chance to be towards the transom of the Windy says, "No, star- boat is caught beam-on, able to go over each part of it passing tug. It seems safe to board!" as I spin the wheel pushed sideways, a wall of and feel humbled. Something get into his wake, close to an back, hard over to starboard water pushing over our side kept surfacing in my conscious, object I can discern and know and shove the throttle all the as we roll, break-up, and sink a saying popular among pilots the direction it’s headed, at way forward. underneath the hard, flat end that my dad shared with me least until I get oriented. Two or three or five of the barge. when I was young. I knew the At the same moment, seconds pass before I realize Windy and I stare at each saying could be adapted to the Windy points to starboard, her we are clear. other wordless, breathing hard. sailing community, and that’s mouth open, silent. It races by us, right next to For the next hour we stood what my brain had already done Then I see a line or cable, us, a big, unlit metal wall. It together, using the radar, AIS, and was now putting it into the diameter of a small tree seems I could reach out and and each other to gauge traffic heavy rotation in the jukebox of trunk, lift out of the water touch it. in the channel. We used the my mind, something like this: from behind the passing tug. Behind the barge another VHF to announce our position Sailing is not inherently dangerous and received appreciative but is terribly unforgiving of any responses from captains who carelessness, incapacity, or neglect. had us on their radar but Ain’t that the truth. Only couldn’t otherwise see us. Both we’d been forgiven, and “Lights jump out from of us were buzzing and shaking I knew I couldn’t bet on being from adrenaline and eager to forgiven again. the big, unlit cruise ship, get out to the open ocean. We were ten miles out before we Michael Robertson’s bio appears and I realize this is not began to relax. on page 41. a cruise ship, but a wall that’s growing fast.” We Want to Hear From You—Editors We've all been there. We've all experienced how sailing, an activity often associated with the serene and sublime, can be the precise opposite. Care to share your story? Tell us And it keeps lifting, growing large, brightly lit tug appears, about an experience you've had aboard that taught lessons, closer to us. Then everything pushing from the rear. a disaster or near-disaster that stemmed from a cascade of comes into focus; it all makes In this context, all of errors or missteps. Write about the event that made you a sense. The tug passing us to the elements present—the better sailor, the kind of stuff that urged you along on your port has a large, white-walled sound, the barge, the wake, path to becoming an old salt, something we can all learn barge under tow, but the the lights—the scene of what from and relate to. Contact [email protected]. tow isn’t trailing behind, it’s nearly happened plays in my ai157382259039_SpeedSeal Advert NewB.pdf 1 15/11/2019 12:56

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May/June 2020 45 Change of Pace A new mainsail puts a spring in a good old boat’s step.

BY JON KELLER

slept with my sail in my bunk for a the community dock. I struggled to paddle my sail was old, but I wasn’t a racer and a month before I finally set it. That the inflatable canoe I used for a dinghy new mainsail would cost more than I could Ihadn’t been the plan. The plan had into gusty winds, but I made it to the dock, remember spending on a vehicle. I’d rather been to meet Travis Mack, of Mack Sails, and Travis showed up a few minutes later. go slow than pay to go fast. And, I knew I’d at his shop in Stuart, Florida, grab my He carried my sail and battens down the have to replace my old roller- boom much-needed mainsail, rig it, and cross the walkway, a grin on his face. I was wet and a before I even thought about a new main- Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Done. bit worn from the paddle and frazzled after sail. Over 40 years old, it had corroded far Of course, things rarely pan out as what was becoming a long push to reach past the point of rolling, weighed a short planned. Especially when those plans this moment: Not only was this my first ton, and had worn hardware that didn’t pertain to boats and oceans. And me. new sail, it was testament to my renewed belong on a boom that didn't roll. I didn't Progress south had been slow, and commitment to a boat that I’d seriously want to fit a sail to it in case the next boom I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day considered selling. would require a different fit. solo and under motor, watching pods of Then fate stepped in. Only hours dolphins dance and circle the boat. By the The search for a sail had begun in Martha’s after leaving my brother in Onset, time I reached Manatee Pocket in Stuart, Vineyard three months earlier, when my Massachusetts, a 25-knot gust tore the the wind had clocked and was blowing 25 brother, a J-boat racer, began referring to mainsail along the luff. I dropped the sail, knots from the south. I called Travis, and my main as a “worn-out bed sheet.” He’d continued under headsail alone, and made he offered to grab the sail and meet me on razzed me about getting a new one. Sure, it to East Greenwich, Rhode Island, a day

46 GoodOldBoat.com Clear of Current Cut and in the lee of Eleuthera with her new mainsail flying full, Jade, a Tartan 34C, is a livelier boat. The new main is slightly larger than the old one, with a fuller roach, and while weather helm is a concern with the Tartan 34C, Jon can mitigate it between reefing and using the centerboard, opposite page. Replacing the old roller-furling boom was the first step in getting a new mainsail, at right.

later. The local Doyle shop patched it up, and when I asked the sailmaker whether a new one was a good idea, he unfolded mine, shook his head, and said, “This thing’s 20 to 25 years old. At least.” Then came Long Island Sound and a full, unpredicted gale. Sustained winds were just under 40, gusts just over, and while the patch on my main held with two reefs in, I was in constant fear that the sail would shred. I didn’t have the engine power to motor against the winds, let alone the steep, breaking, counter-current chop. It finally sank in that a shredded main could become a real safety hazard. I repeatedly swore that I’d spend the money on a new sail as soon as I safely hit dry land. But, as with most storm-hastened oaths, it didn’t happen. I quickly became overwhelmed with choices and well- meaning, if conflicting, advice. “You need a North,” some said. “No, you need a Doyle,” others said. “Go to a small sailmaker.” Or, “Order one online from Asia, they’re cheap and good.” I decided to just point Jade south and let time do its work. Weeks later I arrived at Bacon Sails in Annapolis where, rather miraculously, BY JON KELLER I spotted a boom that looked like it would be a perfect replacement for my old roller-furling boom. With zero luck I had searched the internet and called around looking for a boom and , but here it was. On the mainsail side, though, not as lucky. When the shop manager told me that the sail we were inspecting would be fine as long as the winds didn’t top 20 UltraShade Sun Shade knots, I couldn’t help but laugh. That sail “The Shade is Awesome” was in better shape than mine. I had to get Ultrashade Awnings serious about a new sail, something that Deep, glare-free shade wouldn’t rip when the winds did. with the black side down. I installed the new boom and Light, durable urethane-coated ripstop. gooseneck with little trouble (my Makita Packs up smaller than a backpacking tent. impact driver worked wonders for freeing Nighttime ambience with white side down. corroded stainless steel screws) and Machine washable. pointed the bow south again. Available online at All along, I had been talking with a half www.crawfordboating.com dozen sailmakers from Maine to Florida Made in the USA before my old circumnavigator friend and

May/June 2020 47 Change of Pace

mentor, Paul, reminded me of Mack Sails The 11-foot replacement boom was an awkward in Stuart. Paul had bought his sails for load in the SOAR a circumnavigation from Travis Mack’s inflatable canoe that father, so Mack Sails felt like a good fit, and Jon uses as a dinghy. He I’d been hearing about this family business had to remove the stern from cruisers for years. seat and straddle the When I finally got Travis on the phone, boom to paddle to where he talked about my boat, my sailing, and Jade waited at anchor in sail longevity—how some sails shredded, Back Creek in Annapolis, some bagged-out, some just became a Maryland. safety issue for sailors in rougher weather. He didn’t drop names of fabrics I’d never heard of or lose me in racing lingo and blowing too hard, salesman-speak; he was brief and to the I didn’t install the point, and I trusted him immediately. His new sail for its price was competitive, and since I was debut en route underway, he said he’d start the sail as to the Bahamas. soon as I got him the measurements and a Instead, I stuffed deposit. it into my bunk in the V-berth, where On the community pier in Stuart, Travis my knees or hips handed the sail to me, then the battens, touched it each which barely fit in my small inflatable time I rolled over canoe. at night. It was “Pretty funny boat,” I said, laughing at comforting just my inflatable canoe. knowing it was He rubbed his cheek and shrugged. there. “Looks like it works.” It wasn’t until a calm day in February With that, we shook hands, and I was that I finally pulled the sail from the on my way. With too much to do to prep V-berth, struck my old bed sheet from the for a Gulf Stream crossing and the wind mast, and slid the new sail on. As I guided the new battens into their pockets, I was amazed at the sail’s toughness, the Tapping the holes to install the reef lines for the new difference between it and what I’d become sail and boom while at anchor in the Abacos. Sale-price accustomed to. Dyneema made light, easy-to-handle reef lines.

48 GoodOldBoat.com Before I could use it, though, I had to determine how to modify my new-to-me boom for the sail. It was fitted for only a single reef, and the lone block was in the wrong spot for my new sail. After removing it, I marked where each block would need to be for the new sail’s three reef points; I chose the tried-and-true, all-external-line reef system, which was the simplest and provided the best sail shape, even if I did have to go to the mast to reef. A cruising friend who also happened to be a machinist gave me a lesson on drilling and tapping holes, and soon the boom had three new cheek blocks mounted aft and cleats forward. I was finally ready to sail. The opportunity came a few days later, and immediately I knew my brother had been right; my old sail had been close to worthless. Suddenly, Jade came to life. Not only was my fear of a shredded mainsail gone, but my boat had become livelier, faster, and much more fun to sail on all points. Double-reefed, I shot down through the Sea of Abaco, then on a day of 20-knot westerlies, the two reefs still in place, I made Harbor north of Eleuthera. The winds persisted, and it would be several more days until I shook the reefs out and saw the sail fly full. I suppose a boat is like anything else that we invest ourselves in, only magnified. Sometimes it can be difficult to invest yourself, be it time or money or emotion— and a boat takes all three—but once we do take that step and see a positive, functional, and beautiful outcome, it can feel very good. Despite months of hemming and hawing about the new mainsail, and then waiting to use it, as soon as I felt Jade moving beneath it with a kind of conspic- uous joy, all that time, investment, and effort was worth it.

Jon Keller, a writer, commercial fisherman, and former Montana guide, divides his time between Jade, his Tartan 34C, and his Down East Maine cabin. His first novel, Of Sea and Cloud, was published in 2014.

With new boom and mainsail, Jade became a more fun and safe boat to sail, above. On the first try with the new mainsail, a breezy day let Jon try out the new reefing system. The full battens and beautiful sail shape vastly improved Jade’s performance, at right.

May/June 2020 49 Refit Boat On the Fly During a running refit, a boat imparts life and sailing lessons. BY EMILY GREENBERG

t all started on a freezing earlier armed with a dinghy, for barefoot peasant, I learned. But not yet. I had to wait winter’s day in a a bicycle, a hammer, and a I called her Vanu and tasked for the thaw, move her to my Iboatyard at the French mission to fix up a sorry Bristol her with taking me down the mooring in Vermont, fix what Canadian-New York border. and teach myself to sail. Champlain Canal, the Hudson was necessary to get her to The decks of the Pearson But that was then. The River, along the New Jersey Florida, and then I could be Ariel 26 I’d just bought were Bristol had been great for a lake coast, through the Delaware underway. With more time covered in snow. The sails adventure, and now I had a boat and Chesapeake bays, onto the to assess Vanu’s condition, were frozen; the canvas that could really go somewhere, Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, I decided that all I had to do crunched as I shoved it into the far beyond Lake Champlain. and across the rivers, sounds, to get her ready for our trip lazarette. I hadn’t checked for The name on the Pearson’s and bays from Georgia to the was to install an electric bilge spongy decks or compromised transom was Vanupied, French Florida Keys. pump, shore-up the bulkheads before I bought her. I most certainly hadn’t checked for a running engine. I was in love with her lines and I was blissfully ignorant. I knew she was a fine sailing vessel by nature, and possibly suited to offshore adventures with a few modifications, or so I’d read in a book. She was a Carl Alberg design built in 1968, and I figured she was more seaworthy than the Bristol 24 I had just sold. She had one upper and two lower shrouds on each side, and each shroud connected to an individual chainplate. The Bristol had only two shrouds on each side and they shared a chainplate. The Pearson was two feet longer but narrower and with longer overhangs. She went to weather better and was faster than my Bristol, that I knew, because I’d sailed her that previous summer on Lake Champlain. She was in the same boatyard and marina at which I’d showed up a year

After sailing—and refitting—all the way from Lake Champlain, Emily enjoys a nice day on Vanu in West Palm Beach.

50 GoodOldBoat.com to prevent imminent failure, In West Palm Beach it was time to replace acquire a new-to-me mainsail, Vanu’s , which Emily did find a motor that worked later, with some friends’ help. (I would have to modify the stern locker to accommodate it), and a few other odds and could be. Little did I realize, ends. Completing that work I was a student of boat life and and the voyage afterward Vanu was about to become my would be no small feat for this teacher. sailor, so early in her sailing life. And I wasn’t blind to the The thaw came and I eagerly fact that for Vanu to really be launched her in early May. seaworthy, there was much, I’d replaced her ancient much more to be done. “But I’ll two-stroke outboard with deal with that later, in Florida,” a modern outboard, but it I told myself. I had a vague plan: wouldn’t start. So, I drifted off get to my mooring in Vermont, the dock and raised the main take care of the urgent repairs, just in time to avoid a collision get to Florida, find work, work with a Beneteau. I continued on the boat, and go to sea. south towards Burlington, You see, I was the planner, Vermont. Along the way, I got I was in charge, I had a lot the outboard started but had to show this boat, what she to continuously feed its little fuel tank to keep it humming. Picture a 27-year-old woman holding the tiller with her foot while filling the little tank I realized I couldn’t wait to debt to the marina. I sailed only (again) and dodging traffic. replace the mainsail, as mine five miles that day, but the next The motor was also a ripped anew every time I raised day I continued south, tacking problem in that it wouldn’t fit sail. On the through the torrential rain in the well. When installed, the owner’s forum, I wrote about remnants of what had been hatch wouldn’t close. Once on my planned trip, asking if there a major hurricane, frying the my Vermont mooring, I bought was anyone who had recently electronic components of my a 6-horsepower, long-shaft replaced their main and had depth sounder. replacement, and a friend an old one in better shape The transducer for the same helped me modify the engine than mine. I’d pay shipping, instrument had been leaking locker hatch to fit over it. In of course. Within hours, the when I launched. But after a what was my first foray into organizer of the owner’s few days on the water, I noticed boat carpentry, we cut a giant hole that the cowling poked through and then used thin plywood and fiberglass to build “I was a student of boat an arched cover over it. The backstay situation life and Vanu was about was far worse. “Please don’t break, please don’t break,” to become my teacher.” I remember saying aloud as I tacked in 25 knots on my way group had a mainsail in the that the wooden spacer on to Vermont. When I finally mail for me. When it arrived, which it was mounted began removed the bolts, they I estimated it had 20 years of to swell, seeming to stop the crumbled in my hand. There life remaining. Mine had about water intrusion. This was a was no backing plate, and the 20 minutes. A friend helped me problem that would come back structure of the wooden knee install second and third reef to haunt me, but for now it was questionable. I added points. didn’t matter, I was off. a thick aluminum backing “I’m not coming back!” By the time I reached the plate, stainless steel bolts, and I called to my neighbors as mid-Hudson, it was time to fiberglass tabbing to the knee. I left. I’d have cut the proverbial make my first repair of the trip. “You saved it,” an old salt mooring line, but I’d sold my The tiller pilot wouldn’t stay remarked. bridle to a friend to pay my connected to the tiller and

May/June 2020 51 Refit Boat

Emily takes a break in the middle of replacing Vanu’s portlights. had stopped steering. I added wood and epoxy as a backing for the pin socket and I used a sock-and-duct tape at the base as a temporary shim to raise the tiller height by an inch. My fears of having to hand-steer overnight along the New Jersey coast were allayed. At New York Harbor, Vanu and I were spit out through the Verrazzano Narrows and into the Atlantic Ocean. The boat still had no business being at sea, but I took it easy, still very cautious. Unfortunately, with just a single 30-watt solar panel, On the Chesapeake, I sailed of a sheet of plywood in her of five friends and the rig of an I could barely keep my house downwind in the cold fronts woodshop. adjacent Ericson 27, we raised battery charged when there and upwind in the warm fronts In West Palm Beach, I spent and lowered Vanu’s mast. was no load. So, from Sandy and came to learn that it was $700 replacing the rest of my I called my stop-and-fix Hook, New Jersey, to Cape time to re-bed my traveler and standing rigging. With the help approach a running refit, May, I used emergency running add new springs to the winch lights powered by disposable on the mast. batteries. Fortunately, the over- By Oriental, North night passage was magical, with Carolina, I’d found a cracked light winds and a swell that my swage in my rigging. A rigger boat pranced across like a pony. told me I was playing Russian I dropped the hook just hours roulette. I replaced the ahead of a gale. Stuck at anchor damaged stay with a piece of while the wind blew, imagining cable from another boat and what it must be like out there, Sta-Lok terminal fittings. I began to contemplate the In Ladies Island, South limitations of my boat. It didn’t Carolina, the folks at the feel good. canvas shop helped me make a new cushion after they found out I’d been sleeping on the original vinyl cushion from 1968. In St. Augustine, Florida, another sailor girl let me build a stitch-and- glue dinghy out

The through-hulls for Vanu’s depth sounder and knot meter leaked, so Emily decided to patch them over. She used a handheld GPS to measure speed and managed without the depth sounder.

52 GoodOldBoat.com I modified me to keep going aboard a boat another boat the next day, a the bridge I’d outgrown. 1977 Great Dane 28. She has a deck to make I painted her cockpit, refin- full keel, transom-hung rudder, the cockpit ished the galley, and reinforced beautiful interior carpentry, better suited the knees where the chainplates and an enclosed head. Her for offshore attach. I painted eyes on her ballast, displacement, and work. I installed keel and dubbed her All Knowing beam are all a big step up from bronze cockpit Vanu, for she had taught me my little Ariel. scuppers and what I needed to know to move Of course, she needed tended to the on, the confidence to breathe work. So far, I’ve glassed rot in the stern new life into an old vessel with in all the defunct through locker as best my very own hands. hulls, replaced the standing I could, without When I splashed, I knew rigging, made half of the new recoring the this would be our final journey, chainplates, and installed entire thing. six weeks to get from St. a wood-burning stove. An I rebuilt and Augustine, Florida, to the electric motor and the rest of refinished the York River on the Chesapeake the chainplates are next. But Working in the cockpit, Emily rocks the V-berth, painted Bay. I had a job on a 100-foot- I’m not daunted. I’m moving respirator. the hull, and installed a manual schooner and planned to sell forward with the lessons Vanu bilge pump. Vanu to buy another. When willingly shared. And much more remained I arrived at the York River, a but some things couldn’t be to be done. part of me still yearned to keep Emily Greenberg is a liveaboard done on the move, like the going, to keep on sailing Vanu, sailor and journalist, currently now-leaking-again transducer It happened that I then headed to keep patching her together. refitting her Great Dane 28 while for the depth sounder and the out on two back-to-back A small part of me. simultaneously traveling the East seriously corroded bronze offshore deliveries, one aboard I sold her sight-unseen to Coast. You can follow along on seacocks for the non-working a Parkins 28, the other aboard a young sailor and I bought her blog, dinghydreams.com. head. With each low-pressure a 28. On these system that passed and the trips I started to see what the more I got to know my boat, ocean was really made of. I was the less I trusted her integrity. at sea in a gale for the first time. I was in Florida now and I quickly came to appreciate I needed dry land to think how beam and displacement things through. I found a place contribute to seakindliness. to live at The Boathouse, owned When I got back to Vanu, I was by a yacht broker and sailing changed. author, and where sailors and Vanu’s decks were too writers alike passed through. narrow. Vanu wasn’t heavy In between odd jobs such enough. Vanu had limited as working on a pirate ship, storage capability, not suited stocking a chandlery, and doing to long-term living aboard. deliveries, I rode my bike 10 And the more I learned, the miles under the Florida sun to more I learned how many the yard where I’d hauled Vanu. more repairs she required to I made a lot of progress. be seaworthy. She needed I ripped out the head and structural work to reinforce her disgusting old holding tank chainplate attachment points. and replaced them with Her sinking mast screamed for a DIY composting toilet. a proper compression post. She I replaced all the old wiring. required deck repairs and an When I removed the corroded assortment of safety equipment. seacocks on the through hulls, And none of those repairs pieces broke off in my hand. would make her beamier or I removed the leaking heavier. It didn’t make sense for rubrail and repaired the delamination I found along the hull-to-deck joint. I replaced Vanu’s portlights. In my second Emily fell for Vanu while sailing her on stint doing boat carpentry, Lake Champlain.

May/June 2020 53 Product Profiles

Filling Fuel Tanks Neatly Just over a decade ago, filling outboards, chainsaw or tiny integral outboard tank in mowers, chainsaws, and small tanks got complete control. Instead of a dual-flow messy when CARB (the California Air spout glugging slowly along, there is a Resources Board) mandated low-emissions separate vent located under the lever that cans. I’ve found compliant cans awkward to opens when you squeeze the lever. This use, spill-prone, and slow. Until now. The ensures good flow when open and closes SureCan solution is so simple, I wonder and locks when closed. Like all CARB cans, why it took so long. I’m in my second the plastic is low-permeation, but this is season using it and can say it’s the first gas the first gas can I’ve used that is odor-free can I’ve used that is spill-proof. The flow is in the car (probably because I haven’t controlled by a valve located at the bottom dribbled gas down the side; that said, never outlet, operated by an internal linkage. To leave any gas can in a car on a hot day). The dispense fuel, I unscrew the small gasketed cans are more expensive than alternatives spout cap, rotate the spout down into the but are a joy to use. SureCans come in tank filler, kick a safety latch out of the way different sizes and colors (for gasoline, with my thumb, and squeeze the dispensing diesel, and kerosene). I see that Edson sells lever. As fuel dispenses from the bottom, replacement parts for them too. there’s no need to lift and tilt a can to pour. For more information, edsonmarine. I can regulate the flow as needed, anywhere com/surecan or surecanusa.com from two gallons per minute to a thin —Drew Frye, Good Old Boat dribble, making it easy to fill the smallest Contributing Editor

Drying the Air Moisture is a problem aboard every boat, 10 minutes on the defrost setting. Besides and there are many approaches to combat- the low cost of buying the desiccant beads ting it, from leaving an incandescent online in bulk, the big advantage of my bulb burning in the cabin to commercial solution over most similar commercial dehumidifiers to passive moisture-ab- solutions is the beads’ reusability. I make sorbing units. I’ve found great success with the burlap bags myself, but the beads my own version of the moisture-absorbing could also be put into plastic containers solution. I buy Dry & Dry indicating silica with holes cut into the lids. Either way, I gel beads online and then fill burlap bags really love the difference these make in with the beads. They change color as they keeping our MacGregor’s cabin dry. One absorb moisture (that’s what the “indi- note: While silica gel is nontoxic, the blue cating” means), and after about a month beads in particular (they turn pink when it’s time to recharge them. Recharging (or they’ve absorbed moisture) contain cobalt reactivating) the beads is easy. I can either chloride, a known carcinogen. I use the spread them out on a cookie sheet and orange beads (they turn dark green), as bake them in the oven for an hour or so at they are nontoxic. Avoid white beads as 200°F or stick them in the microwave for they are not indicating. For more information, dryndry.com —Carol Severson, Good Old Boat contributor Burlap bag of beads (top), Saturated beads on cookie sheet (at left).

We present these profiles as a service, as firsthand accounts from fellow boaters. Neither Good Old Boat magazine nor the folks who profiled the products on this page were paid for these profiles. Most products were sent to Good Old Boat for review consideration by the manufacturers. We profile only a small percentage of the products that marketers contact us about, choosing only those we’re interested in, in the hope you’re interested too. A few products we pick up on our own, because we want to share.

54 GoodOldBoat.com Good Old Classifieds

Boats for Sale new ’14, fridge, cabin furnace. for extended cruising. Sail-away Schaefer RF ’19, FB main ’17, ready. Recent refit incl custom w/sock, D/S/W (Datam- elec panel, H/W heater w/cockpit arine), 4 house, 1 start battery (all + inside shower, Nature's Head 12V), ’16 125amp alt. Deck spotless, composting toilet, 8 new S/S+glass beautiful teak below. Meticulously opening ports, RF w/130 genoa, maintained by current owner since Raymarine radar/chart plotter, ’94. All records. Turnkey cruising Standard Marine VHS w/AIS, ready. Much more! Addl photos EPIRB, handheld VHS, AP, AC, RIB w/8hp Yamaha OB, 4 solar panels, avail. MN. $36,200. Atkin Schooner 33 Harry Mott 1957. Gaff-rigged. 32'9"x9'8"x4'4". MPPT solar controller, wind gen, Vineyard Vixen 29 507-261-7473 Restored 2012-17, new African new battery bank w/over 400 amps. 1974. Ave Marina is hull #6 of 30 [email protected] mahogany plywood/glass deck. Destin, FL. $38,000. built 1974-1986. See a full descrip- Bald cypress deck beams, white Charles Fries tion at Boats We Love: tinyurl. oak frames, 3” floor timbers, 7x6" [email protected] com/yx4ghxgo. Also featured 1 770-331-5860 stem, white cedar hood ends, 1 ⁄8" in Cruising World and Practical carvel planking, both garboards Sailor. A sweet double-ender that and 3 planks above. Set of 5 sails loves to play in the waves, I have including gollywobbler. Bullet- sailed her engineless since 1998. proof Sabb-2H, 18hp, new rings Simple camping-style cabin for 4; and cylinder sleeves ’12. 6’ standing gorgeous seakindliness under sail. headroom, sleeps 3+, July ’18 sur- RI, $12,500. vey. Sale incl hurricane mooring in Tim Murphy -2 Colonel Willis Cove, RI. Wishing [email protected] 1979. Robert Perry design. Length $60,000, best offer. 401-440-8493 27'11" Beam 9'3" Draft 4'4" Sail Area Jim De Reynier Celebrity 19 313 sqft Bal. 2,200lb Displ. 5,200lb 860-305-1582 1968. Evanson-Built, #655, fiber- 15hp OMC Sail Drive (Gas). 130 [email protected] + 150 genoas and yellow/black glass hull/non-cored deck, CB w/ symmetrical spinnaker w/pole. slight keel for IB rudder. Mahog- Imron-painted topsides ’96, still any/teak cockpit + rub rail, Sitka exc cond. VC 17m bottom paint. 2 spruce spars, fore/aft/side storage reefs, Unit O Harken furler, Harken compartments w/flotation racks. main traveler, windward sheeting Decent main w/single reef, jib + car, and Harken mainsheet blocks. genoa, new . ’19 Morgan 25 Placed in several Leech Lake Re- Sunbrella boom tent w/zippered 1967. Go vintage! Well maintained. gattas, winning divisional trophies. forward section, lift-out seats for Fiberglass aft-cockpit sloop, LOA Includes tandem-axle trailer, and camp cruising; HD trailer w/new 24'11" Draft 2'9" Honda 4-stroke 9.9 Ship Shape Products winter cover. Menger 23 tires, fenders, lights, wiring. VT. OB. Ready to sail w/new bottom $10,000. 2004. customized $3,500. sailboatdata.com/sailboat/ paint, professionally cleaned sails Mark DeSchane for cruising. 6.2' headroom, celebrity (2 sets), RF jib, , spinna- [email protected] 22.6x10x2.6, H/C pressurized George Little ker, sail covers, new , head, 218-732-489 water, 55gal tank, heater, AP, [email protected] V-berth, galley, sleeps 4+, new chartplotter, 2 sails, AM/FM radio, 802-864-4003 custom companionway doors still boom tent cover w/windows, encl in box, 1,900lb lead ballast, dual head/shower/25gal holding tank, batteries, many upgrades. Charlie Yanmar 2GM20 18hp diesel, sleeps Morgan said by phone, “It will sail 2/3, nonpressurized alcohol stove around the world.” Sailed Maine to fridge/freezer, shore power, solar Miami, so far. Oak Harbor Marina, panel to charge batteries, D/S/W MD. REDUCED to $4,000. logs, double berths w/removable Michael Thompson S2 7.9 extension, full-length cockpit 410-551-3043 1994. 25'11" Great cond, FW, adj cushions. Aquebogue, NY, $32,500. [email protected] draft w/lifting keel + tip-up rudder, Contact broker. tandem trailer. Yanmar 1GM10 Andrew Galasso diesel w/MaxProp, tiller pilot, [email protected] 1971. Sailed out of Warwick, RI B&G instruments, VHF. Harken 631-722-3400 for 25yrs. Great sailer, loves her RF, North Sails. Fixed vang, mast/ jib! Honda 9.9 4-stroke LS, high- boom refinished, recent standing/ thrust, power-tilt, remote motor running rigging. Interprotect control. RF, teak toe rails, 2000e epoxy barrier coat + VC17 teak sprit anchor roller. Mahogany bottom. Many spares, daysailed hatchboards. Dodger, 2-burner and love it w/the diesel. Ashtabula, Origo alcohol stove, 2 deep cycle OH. $20,000. batteries. Custom trailer, 7' hard Robert Bollman dingy. Northborough MA. $10,000. Allied Seawind MkII Ketch 32 440-812-5616 Richard Chouinard 1977. Freshwater boat. Westerbeke [email protected] [email protected] Allied Seawind II 32 508-393-9559 30 diesel 2,900 hrs, AP w/remote, 1976. Bluewater. All gear necessary new Mack sails, running rigging

May/June 2020 55 Good Old Classifieds depth gauge, gas stove, stereo. New cushions below. Sleeps 6 (4 com- fortably). 3-axle trailer included. Motivated to sell. Norfolk, VA. $7,500. Bill Sotirion 757-613-0998 [email protected] Vancouver 25 Camper & Nicholson 43 1984. Sloop, Robert Harris design. 1970. Alacrity is free to anyone Older sails, recently repowered w/ willing to take over restoration. Pearson 26 Weekender Nanni (Kubota block) 2 cyl diesel Virtually a blank slate ready 14.5hp. This heavy-displ pocket 1976. Great daysailer, exc PHRF for new interior/mechanicals. racer, heavy-duty gear, spinna- cruiser is comfortable and capable. Good-looking boat and she has Includes Ultra Furl RF, Lofrans ker-rigged, lots of accessories. Incl great bones. No longer able to LS OB, car trailer, steel cradle. Royal manual windlass, propane 3 devote time to her due to family burner stove, Avon inflatable, steel Plymouth, MN. $8,000. needs. FREE to good home. Pasa- Michael Barnes cradle. Call for info. Iroquois, ON. dena, MD. $18,000 CAD, negotiable. 763-557-2962 John Clarke [email protected] Keith Whittall 410-255-4070 514-425-2136 [email protected] Southern Cross 31 Ketch [email protected] 1980. LOA 31' Beam 9'5" Draft 4’7 Displ 13,700lb. Full keel. Diesel, Yanmar 2QM 20. Well equipped. Sound. Comfortable for coastal cruising or bluewater passages. Sleeps 4. Owner has downsized. Details/photos at www.rocknaks. com/. Rockport, ME. $18,500. Downeast 38 Hooper Brooks 1975. Cutter rigged. Rebuilt inside/ 914-483-7765 or 207-236-3149 out ’08. New bottom, rigging Lancer 28 MkIV Rocknaks Yacht Sales replaced. Interior exc cond. Recent Laurent Giles 38 1980. Sloop for singlehanding, [email protected] Bare hull and interior need marine survey (09/’19), new zincs, Hoyt jib boom, Garhaeur traveler. 3.5KW genset. A/C blows cold, finishing. Perkins 4-108, Lewmar All teak clad interior, redesigned as self-tailing winches, propane VHF, AP, full instrumentation, elegant daysailer w/2 settees, quar- GPS. Many pics avail. Ft. Walton stove, windlass. Too much to list! terberths, custom cabinetry, stone All new. All main bulkheads in, all Beach, FL. $100,000. countertops, 6'2" headroom. 15hp James DeSimone teak, mahogany, and plywood is Mariner elec. start OB. FB mainsail there. Drawings/plans. Rudder/ 850-939-7241 w/MackPack cover. WS. Dodger [email protected] fittings. New thru hulls/seacocks. + bimini. Isoteek cockpit surfaces In my boatyard since ’84; time Custom winter cover, and more. caught up w/owners. Incredible Always freshwater. Shelburne, VT. Bristol 35 opportunity for the right person! $8,000. 1972. CB sloop, handsome classic I can help w/anything you can’t Joe Nieters designed by Alden, Yanmar 3JH3E do. Nothing reasonable will be [email protected] 3cyl diesel, Beam 10' Displ 12,500lb refused. Flag Harbor Yacht Haven, Draft 3'9"- 7'4" Guest ChargePro Saint Leonard, MD. $15,000. battery charger, good sails, Harken John Little RF, tri-radial/Pryde asymmetrical 443-975-4795 spinnaker/pole available. New [email protected] bottom/freeboard paint ’19, top Seafarer 29 deck needs painting, cockpit 1974. Jabberwocky. Owned 20 yrs, cushions, 2 , windlass, generally good shape, sails well. athwartships head/shower, sleeps Compression post collapsed last 6, twin fuel filters, hull speed 6.53 summer but is fixable. Strong Yan- knots, shorepower cord, 60amp mar 2QM15 diesel, Quantum main/ 30 alternator, huge cockpit, boom jib, lightly used, Harken roller on 1966. Hull #44, Universal 35hp tent, new mainsail cover, owned jib. Custom stern step, newer SS diesel w/226 hr. Mainsail, 150 RF since ’02. Equipped, not stripped. lifelines, new halyards, along w/ genoa, storm jib, drifter all in good St. Johns River. $12,500 OBO. some lines, boat hook, fenders, etc. shape. Hull exc cond, top deck Bob Griffin Hard to move till spring but can Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 needs repainting (never had time 904-338-5812 be looked at. Can be worked on in 1980. Completing interior work, to complete). Full keel w/CB. Elec- [email protected] new cabin sole, hatchboards, tiller. current boatyard in Warren, RI. tric pump for sink + head. GPS, $1,000. RF genoa, main w/lazy jacks, mast Nathaniel Hesse steps, Honda 9.9 just serviced, bottom painted in fall. Several sails 505-471-8255 All of these classified ads and more appear on our website [email protected] including light air. Lovely little OOD LD OAT.com pocket cruiser that needs a new G O B home. Incl trailer. Flag Harbor

56 GoodOldBoat.com Yacht Haven, Saint Leonard, MD. needs hook-up) Magma stern grill. Graham Mellen w/everything necessary to dock $17,000. Marine radio. 2-axle trailer needs 610-299-7399 and anchor. Lines mostly recent/ John Little work. Stored inside, only two own- [email protected] all cockpit led. Many new blocks, 443-975-4795 ers. Moving, must sell. Merrifield, electric halyard winch, 2 sails, [email protected] MN. $5,000. Doyle, spare. Stack-style sail cover. Dave Steele Stock interior recently varnished, 218-820-9282 oven, HW, legal head. Auxilia- [email protected] ry is ’81 Volvo w/saildrive; prof maintained. Currently on the hard under custom winter cover. More pics/equipment list avail. Lake Superior, WI. $29,500. Tartan 37 Classic George Brandt 1969. Original Ted Hood-designed 218-491-4610 Tartan, fully restored, upgrad- [email protected] Dufour Gib'sea 40 ed, all new systems, plumbing, 1984. By Gilbert Marine in France, electric, FW elec. toilet, etc., incl great sailing vessel in need of Westerbeke 35-297 hrs. Full keel, TLC. 2 good-sized berths/2 heads. redesigned main cabin, RF, new Products - General Would be a great cruising vessel or headsail, roll-up inflatable + lightly liveaboard. Perkins 40hp diesel. RF used Yamaha 2.5. Great sailing/ + main, both good cond. Spinna- Marshall 22 cruising vessel. Classic lines, well ker +3 additional sails. Heat + AC. 1973. Fully equipped catboat! maintained. You will not have to 2-burner stove w/oven, large Palmer P-60 inboard, 2 sails, dodg- do anything on this boat. Wick- reefer + icebox. Oak Harbor er, sailcover, VHF, depthfinder, ford, RI. $24,900. Marina, Pasadena, MD. $22,000. solar panel/charger, bilge pumps, More info/photos: breweryacht. Megan Smith anchors, dock lines, cushions. com/boat/1969/tartan-yachts/ 240-490-1985 Compass prof. refurbished. All hood-classic/1450/ [email protected] new: marine-grade wiring, cabin Gary Deangelis fans, spars faux wood painted, 401-868-7090 decks painted w/nonskid, interior [email protected] memory foam cushions, forward bunk, engine hatch, Balmar alter- nator ’12. New head gasket/rub rails/eyebrow, mainsheet/blocks, centerboard pin, sail w/hull#/cat, rebuilt water pump ’14. Interior painted, new battery ’19. Consider trade. Cape Cod, MA. $19,000/ Montgomery 23 OBO. 1984. Lyle Hess design. Seaworthy Brent Putnam rare sloop, 3,600lb, LOA 23' LWL 754-701-2456 21'10'' Beam 8' Draft 3'. Very good [email protected] Westerly 22 sized/high cabin. Lapstrake hull, w/ 1968. Good cond. Interior insu- dual-axle trailer. 8hp OB recently lated + finished w/wood paneling. overhauled. Lots of canvas. Good Pellet stove for heat. Incl trailer. 3+ headroom. Improved over the sails, fairly good cond. Collapsible years. Exc cond. Sleeps 4. Down- Porta-Bote. Head, 2-burn prop. sizing to smaller boat. Phoenix, stove, sink, built-in ice chest. Volvo AZ. $10,500. Penta diesel. Non-slip deck good Ayhan Akcar cond. 5'10" headroom. 6'6" berths 602-938-0711 in cabin w/lockers underneath. 6'3" [email protected] berth in bow. Sleeps 4. Lake Pend O'reille, ID. $12,000 OBO. Lori Steiner Boom support for boats 509-991-3808 14 to 38 feet Simply reliable • 10,000+ sold [email protected] Boomkicker.com Tartan 27-2 Classic 800-437-7654 1979. S&S, CB cruiser. TS. Classic lines. Many upgrades, S/S portholes + dorades, Awlgrip hull + deck, new canvas/cockpit cush- Chrysler 26 ions, FB main w/StackPack, 165 1979. Halsey Herreshoff design, RF genoa. Spinnaker + pole. Teak swing keel, tiller, self-bailing interior. Repowered w/Farymann cockpit, standing headroom. diesel from FW boat in ’19. Well Nonsuch 30C Mercury 110 elec start OB 9.8hp. maintained. Motivated. Westport, 1981. Zephyr in good shape, Origo stove, sink, pump (all new, CT. $12,000. lightly used, FW only. Equipped

May/June 2020 57 Good Old Classifieds

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May/June 2020 59 Good Old Classifieds

Schools/Training small boat specialists canvasandsails.com  Mail Buoy, continued from page 7 the southwesterly wind, we had 215-393-7833   to take a long board to the east to made in Lansdale, PA   I smile and say the very best clear fish traps off the south end STARPATH we can achieve is 42 degrees. of Aquidneck Island. After selling ® —Russ Whitford, the boat and buying a C&C 33 as School of Navigation Tumultuous Uproar, Fakarava, a test boat for Practical Sailor, French Polynesia we were able to point higher, just enough that we no longer had Dan Spurr, Boat Review Editor, to take that tack, sailing direct responds: to Brenton Tower and then into Thanks for the feedback, Russ. Narragansett Bay, thereby saving I agree that it's not helpful to maybe an hour sailing time. How Sail Cleaning offer apparent wind numbers much higher, in terms of degrees, Canvas Cleaning & Waterproofing as indicators of performance, was the C&C over the Pearson? Repairs For Safer, More Efficient as they can be misleading. Our Perhaps only 3-5 degrees, but what 800-273-8398 Navigation... reviewers could, rather simply, a difference it made. sailcleaners.com starpath.com do the math based on compass bearings on two tacks, but one Pacific Seacraft Too 800 955 8328 wonders how helpful that would I read with interest about be. Reporting close-windedness is Columbia Yachts’ refitting a good thing, and I'm comfortable and selling an example of its Boatbuilding with our reviewers offering their classic Columbia 50, complete sense of it without doing the math, with a new-boat warranty New sails, used sails, but I certainly would encourage (Websightings, January 2020). furling gear, off the shelf or custom - anyone who is willing to take the The article posed the question: But always at time to do the math. Why haven’t other manufac- the lowest price - Try us! The 45-degree angle is an turers done this? I want to Sailing doesn’t have to be expensive important and true number, and point out that Pacific Seacraft Phone 800 611-3823 your modern performance-ori- has been doing precisely this Fax 813 200-1385 ented boat exceeds the number by for many years. Formerly based E-mail:[email protected] just 3 degrees. A quick check shows in California and now located www.nationalsail.com that the very latest performance in Washington, North Carolina, racers tack through around 70 Pacific Seacraft is known for degrees, but for most good old its bluewater double-enders Restoration boats, tacking through 90 degrees designed by William Crealock. is the reality. The ability to sail Today, the factory not only Remove 30 coats of varnish closer to the wind has not only to builds new boats, they offer a and paint in 20 seconds. do with the hull (modern Custom Factory Refit Program, No Chemicals generate more lift, helping these under which they update and No Sanders boats point higher), but with the upgrade virtually every piece Lead Safe www.lbifiberglass.com sails in use and how the running of an owner’s older Pacific www.silentpaintremover.com rigging is set up. And even then, Seacraft. On occasion, the Ph# 585-924-8070 most good old boats are not set up company will acquire older for the close sheeting needed to boats, make extensive upgrades Boats pull off 25 degrees apparent. to them, and resell them for Diamond For years I owned a full-keel substantially less than a new Teak . A popular example of the same boat. Fatty Knees destination was Cuttyhunk Island, More information is available www.diamondteak.com A solid dinghy that’s fun to sail TRUE TEAK WOOD maybe 20-25 nautical miles from at pacificseacraft.com PLANING, SANDING AVAILABLE. Newport, Rhode Island, our home —Damon Gannon, Fulmar, For those who yearn QUARTERSAWN TEAK FOR DECKING. for a classic, solidly built T & G • VENEER • CUSTOM WORK port. Returning to Newport on 1982 Pacific Seacraft 37, Darien, dinghy that performs well, ALSO MAHOGANY & SPANISH CEDAR. Sunday afternoon, pounding into Georgia the Fatty Knees is HIGHEST QUALITY • WORLDWIDE SHIPPING truly a distinctive [email protected] • 215-453-2196 little yacht. Are you reading Good Old Boat's monthly 781-307-2466 www.epoxyproducts.com/ www.fattyknees.com marine.html newsletter? SUBSCRIBE TODAY. [email protected] 603-435-7199

60 GoodOldBoat.com Reflections A Tale of Two Waters Fresh sailing grounds of the Salish Sea offer perspective on Lake Superior.

BY THOMAS MISA

othing in four years of summer in luck today. The last gasp of an ebb tide It’s a magnificent expanse of water, sailing on Lake Superior has flushes us south through Cattle Pass, then a but coming here from Lake Superior has Nprepared me for this. Adrenaline flood tide coming in from the Pacific propels provided me with a unique perspective to pulsing, ground speed 8.3 knots, my young us north up the west side of San Juan Island, counter those Pacific Northwest mariners son and I hang on as we tack upwind past Lime Kiln State Park’s well-known who assume that an inland body of water through Cattle Pass. On this December day whale-watching grounds. Later, we ride surely cannot equal it. Stretching 350 we can ride tidal currents nearly 50 nautical the end of the flood tide through dramatic miles east to west, Lake Superior is nearly miles clockwise around San Juan Island and Spieden Channel and back into protected five times larger in area than the Salish back to our home port on Lopez Island. waters near Friday Harbor. Sea. While a sustained 30-knot blow Close-hauled against a 20-knot south- The Salish Sea was named by marine from prevailing winds in the Sea might east wind, carefully positioned between biologist Bert Webber two decades ago to generate waves to just over 7 feet, the same Goose and Deadman islands, we’re pushed help make visible the natural connections conditions applied to Superior’s 200-mile by a 2-knot tidal current into the open of Canada’s Georgia Strait, Washington’s fetch can produce waves nearly twice that waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Across Puget Sound, and the Strait of Juan de height. For our Sunyata, an S2 9.2, the Salish the strait, the Olympic Mountains tower, Fuca. Its complex, intertwined ecosystems Sea at its worst is doable, whereas Lake and their snow caps sparkle. Just beyond encompassing 6,900 square miles and Superior can be threatening. the pass we are hit by confused 5-foot stretching 150 miles north to south vitally If wilderness sailing is about rollers, the result of recurrent winter gales depend on both countries collaborating confronting the primal forces of nature, that have tossed telephone-pole-sized to ensure its future. Native peoples who it’s clear that Lake Superior and the Salish driftwood onto beaches, wreaked havoc claim the heritage of the Coast Salish Sea each offer plenty of challenge. All on ferries plying the treacherous entrance encourage cross-border cultural, judicial, open-water crossings on Lake Superior to Admiralty Inlet, and kept small boats and resource-management ties. should occasion careful planning, an eye tied up. Our bow plunges, burying the on the clock, and sharp attention to anchor. Rounding buoy 3’s mournful weather. Any passage beyond the gong off Salmon Bank, with squat Salish Sea’s inner protected waters Cattle Point Lighthouse pivoting likewise require caution and care. starboard, we ease sails downwind to In each, I find the sailing equal parts the west. The Pacific Ocean beckons. therapeutic, cathartic, and just plain Before I moved our boat to the fun. Pacific Northwest, I thought year- We approach our home port round saltwater sailing was easier, after winter’s immense darkness less complicated, than summer-only has descended, and we can see freshwater sailing; now I am not so almost nothing of the marina’s rock sure. breakwater and finger piers that we Summer sailing on Lake Superior must slide into. We creep through the was tactical. I judged the day’s winds, darkness until spotting the broadside hoped for favorable weather, and set of a large motorboat; our boat’s slip is a course for a destination. I could just to the far side. Home safe, I give a usually spot ominous clouds that nod of respect for the forces of nature signaled summer thunderstorms that we collaborated with today on generating 30 or 40 knots of trouble. this body of water. But where I sailed was largely in my control. Thomas Misa and his sailing spouse, Ruth I am learning that sailing on the Fothergill, moved Sunyata from Lake Salish Sea is more strategic. There Superior to the Salish Sea in summer are more forces at play, and the key is 2018, and thereafter have sailed each anticipating them and understanding month including February’s brisk 38° F. where they aim to push me. We’re tjmisa.com

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