Stuart, Florida March 3-7, 2020 Seminars March 3-7, 2020 Boat Show & Exhibits March 5-7, 2020 Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & Marina Stuart, Florida Seattle, Washington April 14-18, 2020 Seattle Marriott Waterfront Seminars (April 14-18) Bell Harbor Marina In-Water Boat Show & Land Exhibits (April 16-18) TrawlerFest features an impressive in-water selection of new and pre-owned cruising powerboats, the latest in marine gear and services, and first-class education and demonstrations. Buy tickets and learn more at: But TrawlerFest is more than a boat show; it's where industry, trawlerfest.com education, and community come together in an intimate, rendezvous-like atmosphere. Boat Shows Boating Seminars Social Events Visit a great selection of new and used We offer premium cruising and repair Enjoy engaging social events with cruising powerboats and the latest in seminars from world-renowned fellow cruisers. Share your cruising marine electronics, safety equipment, experts; plus, in-water demonstrations stories and meet a few new people gear, and more. and sea trials. along the way. 20 ContentsIssue #260 March/April 2020 Features Ocean Voyaging 20 The art of becoming fishermen A voyaging couple’s halting efforts learning to gather food from the sea by Liesbet Collaert Special Section 4 26 Multisource charging Alternative energy for the offshore yacht by Bill Morris Departments Chartroom Chatter 4 HUGO BOSS race boat undergoes repairs 5 2019 Chuck Husick Marine Technology Award winner 5 MIT research buttresses sailors’ knot lore 6 A voyager’s favorite gear 26 Marine Tech Notes 26 10 Alternatives to ethanol by Tim Queeney 36 Evaluating modern catamarans Power Voyaging A multihull voyager examines the key 12 Of course, a compass elements of offshore cruising cats by Jeff Merrill 18 by Dave McCampbell Correspondence 1 2 3 4 15 SSCA HF radio service teams with Caribbean Safety and Security Net, Boatwatch.org 18 Shipshape and Bristol fashion Cleat Cleat Safety line Safety line Safety line Safety line released Cleat Boat in from bridle Carabiner reverse when bridle clipped to Walk bridle lines are Voyaging Tips bridle lines forward cleated 33 Grabbing a mooring ball Cockpit Bridle 33 lines (2) by Eric Sanford Grab-N-Go Swivel Grab-N-Go hook hook onto mooring ball On the cover: Susan Hawkins and Diane Goyette take a break from a rig Navigation check aboard Mahina Tiare before passage to Rarotonga (www.mahina. 42 Celestial navigation series, part 11 com). Amanda Swan Neal photo. Location: Mopelia Atoll, French Polyne- sia, 130 miles west of Bora Bora. Nav Problem For more on voyaging, follow us on: 48 Schooner Adix www.facebook.com/oceannavigator 36 by David Berson www.twitter.com/oceannavmag www.oceannavigator.com MARCH/APRIL 2020 OCEAN NAVIGATOR 1 contributors Ocean avigatOr nMarine navigation­ and ocean voyaging CUSTOMER SERVICE: 1-866-918-6972 EMAIL: [email protected] EDITORIAL Liesbet Collaert (Ocean Voyaging, “The art of becoming fisher- [email protected] men,” page 20) is originally from Belgium. She’s a teach- Editor Tim Queeney 207-749-5922 er, freelance writer, photographer, translator and editor. Copy Editor Kate Murray In 2004, she met her husband, Mark, in California, Art dirECtor Kim Goulet Norton while on a U.S. road trip. They bought a 36-foot ContriButing Editors Scott Bannerot Twain Braden Islander Freeport and left for Mexico. In 2007, they Nigel Calder bought Irie, a 35-foot Fountaine Pajot cat. After eight Ellen Massey Leonard Eric Forsyth years of cruising, running a business, writing articles Jeff & Raine Williams and exploring the Caribbean and the South Pacific, they David Berson sold Irie in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Liesbet blogs about Ken McKinley Wayne Canning their adventures at www.roamingabout.com. She is cur- rently writing a memoir about her sailing experiences. ADVERTISING/MARKETING [email protected] Bill Morris (Special Section, “Multisource charging,” page 26) WEst CoAst us & CAnAdA, intErnAtionAL Susan W. Hadlock completed a full circumnavigation via the two canals 207-838-0401 aboard his 1966 Cal 30 from 2000 to 2005, accom- EAst CoAst us & CAnAdA, intErnAtionAL Charlie Humphries panied by his wife, Marilu, during the Pacific cross- 207-939-1929 ing. Bill has contributed dozens of articles to Ocean puBLishEr/ AdvErtising dirECtor Alex Agnew Navigator, sharing notes from his adventures — most 207-450-5363 notably, an attack by Somali pirates in March 2004. CIRCULATION/EVENTS He’s the author of The Windvane Self-Steering Hand- book (Inter. Marine, 2004); Sun, Wind, & Water: The EvEnts & MArkEting CoordinAtor Lee Auchincloss Essential Guide to the Energy-Efficient Cruising Boat (Seaworthy Press, 2017); and The Captain’s Guide to bUSINESS Alternative Energy Afloat (Seaworthy Press, 2019). FinAnCE Ken Koehler BusinEss oFFiCE Lee Auchincloss dave McCampbell “Evaluating modern catamarans,” page ( MAIN OFFICE 36) and his wife, Sherry, voyage aboard their St. Fran- phonE 1-207-822-4350 cis 44 catamaran, Soggy Paws. He’s a Naval Academy ISSN 0886-0149 Ocean Navigator is published in January, March, May, July, September and graduate and spent his time in the Navy as a diving November, with an annual special issue of Ocean Voyager in April, for $27.95 per year by Navigator Publishing LLC, 30 Danforth St., Portland, ME 04101. Peri- and salvage officer, commanding the rescue salvage odicals postage paid at Portland, Maine, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Ocean Navigator, P.O. Box ship Bolster. He has owned eight sailboats. Dave holds 461468, Escondido, CA 92046. Copyright © 2020 by Navigator Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. No part a 100-ton USCG Masters license and spent six years in of this publication may be reprinted in any way without written permission from the publisher. the charter industry with the Florida Sea Base sailing Subscription rate is $27.95 for one year (eight issues) in the United States and its possessions. Canadian subscription rate is $31.95 U.S. funds. Other foreign surface is $33.95 U.S. funds. Overseas air mail is $62.95 U.S. funds program in the Keys. He is a retired PADI and YMCA per year. Distribution: Newsstand distribution, domestically and internationally: Coast scuba instructor. He holds an extra amateur radio to Coast Newsstand Services LTD., 5230 Finch Ave. East, Suite 1, Toronto, ON M1S 4Z9. Phone (416) 754-3900; fax (416) 754-4900. license (KE4BKF). He was a licensed general contrac- Contributions: We solicit manuscripts, drawings and photographs. Please address all material to Editor, Ocean Navigator, P.O. Box 569, Portland, ME tor and has built four homes. He’s been a member of 04112-0569. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the safe handling of con- tributed materials. All other departments, 207-772-2466. the SSCA since 1994 and a Commodore since 2000. Printed in the United States by the Lane Press 2 OCEAN NAVIGATOR MARCH/APRIL 2020 www.oceannavigator.com NMEA Best Ad 2015_ONavigator_Layout 1 7/17/15 4:05 PM Page 1 Only the best will do for your boat THE BEST INSTALLERS THE BEST ELECTRONICS THE BEST SERVICE 2 4 3 13 2 9 2 4 4 25 NMEA Master Dealers 5 14 3 6 173 U.S. NMEA Dealers 2 3 3 4 13 6 15 20 International NMEA Dealers 1 ...committed to bringing you the best service, 1 installations and electronics for your boat 1 5 4 1 2 3 6 Blue pin number indicates the number of NMEA 47 dealers by state www.nmea.org Click on the NMEA Dealer tab to find an NMEA Dealer or a qualified NMEA Master Dealer near you. Chartroom Chatterby Casey Conley Courtesy a lex Thomson Racing HUGO BOSS race boat undergoes repairs The imoca monohull hugo HUGO BOSS sus- hit,” Thomson reported, << boss is currenTly undergoing tained the damage dur- “but it was something big Foiling race boat repairs at Hythe Marine ing the November 2019 under the water, which HUGO BOSS show- Park in Southampton, edition of the 4,350-mile must have been submerged ing its turn of speed. U.K., after sustaining that Transat Jacques Vabre to have hit our keel and Damage sustained most baffling and bizarre double-handed race from physically stop the boat during the Transat damage of hitting some- Le Havre, France, to Sal- at 25 knots. The keel sus- Jacques Vabre is being thing in the water while vador, Brazil. On Nov. 3 at tained a lot of damage and repaired in the U.K. mid-ocean. Following a approximately 0937 GMT it was left attached only by round of non-destructive while sailing at 25 knots, the hydraulic ram. … If testing, the damage was the team of Alex Thom- you were to get in your car, confirmed to be located in son and Neal McDonald close your eyes and drive the keel area; the rest of the were rocked by hitting an at 40 miles an hour into a hull, foils and rudders were unknown object. brick wall, that’s what it felt undamaged. “We’re not sure what we like.” 4 OCEAN NAVIGATOR MARCH/APRIL 2020 www.oceannavigator.com 2019 Chuck MIT research buttresses Husick Marine sailors’ knot lore Technology a Team of maThemaTicians tuations’ — changes in the Award winner and engineers aT massachu- direction of rotation from setts Institute of Technol- one segment to another. every year, ocean navi- ogy have researched knots “If a fiber segment is gaTor gives an award To for us on board as it allows and discovered what sailors rotated to the left at one one marine product that [my husband] Seth to already knew: Some knots crossing and rotated to the improves marine technol- access his work email with- are stronger and more resis- right at a neighboring cross- ogy to aid voyagers.