How-to

Back in May I received a surprise call from the editor of Soundings magazine, Bill Sisson. For those not in the know, Soundings is a well known East Coast boating publication. He wanted to interview me... Well I was a bit flattered and the whole idea... …Read More

If you’ve never been to an owners’ or manufacturer’s or dealer’s rendezvous, you’re missing a great part of the cruising lifestyle. Last weekend’s Northeast Nordic Tug Owners Association (NENTOA) 2010 Rendezvous in Essex, Connecticut, is a great example of how they work and why they’re such a wonderful experience. NENTOA works closely each year with [...] …Read More

BRINGING ALCHEMY TO THE WIND “Because it wasn’t there.” Sir Edmund Hillary All photos by Kimball Livingston Oops, I guess that’s a slight misquote of Hillary. But how else to introduce Rick Cavallaro, who invented an unproblem and then solved it—to the consternation of many an internet flamer—and opened up new possibilities in wind energy extraction, all [...] …Read More

The Coast Guard announced it will be cracking down on the practice of bow riding, meaning you can’t ride in the bow cockpit, as pictured above, while the boat is underway. According to the Coast Guard News website, this will take effect in the 5... …Read More

And what rough beast, it’s hour come ’round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born? All photos by Kimball Livingston Below, friends, is a document that I want on record at the Blue Planet Times. I’ll be referring to it on Monday, when I write the story of the first vehicle ever to go Dead [...] …Read More

Continuing with the theme I began in yesterday's post lets take a look at sea cocks and valves today. The photo below, again taken at the Mystic Classic Boat rendezvous over the past week end show one of the original sea cock valves used "back in the ... …Read More

After testing Sirius satellite weather on the chartplotter, I signed up for the service myself. Since I take my kids out on offshore adventures that may range 60 to 70 miles from the boat ramp, I wanted to be darn sure I knew what weather was coming, and how to avoid it. And avoid it [...] …Read More

Siwash at Cueva Valdez Once she held the Around Catalina record, now she’s 100 years old and it’s time to party. So if you hear a bit of shouting this Saturday, coming from the direction of Howland’s Landing, Catalina, the action is probably on the deck of the redoubtable Siwash, a piece of floating history. Is there [...] …Read More

The Molokai Strait   75 luxury bluewater expedition yacht Hercules is an examples of top-of-the-line everything. For the ocean adventurer, the Molokai Strait yachts are built with steel hulls and aluminum topsides, lots of displacement and fuel. I first saw the 75′ Hercules at the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show in the fall of 2008 and [...] …Read More

This past weekend I had the honor of being one of the judges for the annual Mystic Seaport Classic Yacht rendezvous. This is an event I always look forward to because I get a chance to see some really beautiful boats. Beyond that I also get a chance t... …Read More