George Day

George Day



Welcome to Cruising Compass. The newsletter has been designed with cruisers in mind and offers all who wish to participate a forum for new ideas, personal stories, comments and more. Your contributions are welcome. Whether you sail across your local bay or around the world, Cruising Compass is for you.

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We' re back!


After a weeklong hiatus to attend the Annapolis Sailboat Show, the editors of Cruising Compass are back. Here' s CC# 12.

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Annapolis Sailboat Show Report - Part 1


What' s new on the cruising boat front

The annual Annapolis Sailboat Show, which ran this year from October 3 through 8, has long been the largest and best attended sailboat show in North America. Because of the show' s stature, most of the major companies in the marine industry exhibit there, while sailors come from all over the country and Europe flock in to shop for boats, gear and equipment - and to see what is new.

One the cruising boat front, here' s a sampling of what CC found at the show.

New boats


The cruising Worlds Boat of the Year Judges were all over the show and claimed to have 40 boats on their list of "new" boats to test. We didn' t count, but that seems a bit high. Yet, despite the slow economy and the tension following the September 11 tragedies, the show did feature more new boats than usual.

Big boats


The big boat market does not seem affected by the slowing economy. Among the new boats on display the Oyster 62 may well have been the belle of the ball. A stylish, deck saloon design from the board of Rob Humphreys, the 62 is a pure ocean cruising boat that has the amenities of a very high end custom boat. Now in its 21st year at the Annapolis show, Oyster has led the way with the deck saloon design.

Along the outer docks, the new center cockpit Stellar 52 attracted a lot of attention. The boat, which is a Bob Perry adaptation of an S &S design, offers a massive hull with a tall, powerful sail plan. The center cockpit model - which joins two aft cockpit variation - provides for a huge master stateroom aft and plenty of sleeping area in the forward cabins. The main saloon is almost as large as that on the after cabin models. The joinry work on the Stellars may be the best in the show.

At the other end of the outer docks we found the new Silver Phantom 44, which is a Bill Dixon design that is being built in New Zealand. The boat is a real head turner and has a hull design and deck configuration that are both seaworthy and voluminous. The pilot house, with large tempered-glass windows, accommodates a nifty inside steering station. Not a blue water design, exactly, but with hefty storm shutters to put over the windows, the Silver Phantom would be an excellent passagemaker.

The Morris 485, designed by Chuck Paine, is a perfect example of the direction high-end semi-custom boats are headed, with a sleek, fast hull, tall rig and a pleasing deck-saloon configuration. Like the Oysters, the Morris boats are not for everyone, but do set a kind of standard by which the rest of the boat building industry can be measured.
The most interesting and radical big boat at the show had to be the Turner 56 from Canada. Designed by Bill Tripp, the boat has all the style and panache of the custom 88-footer Shaman in a smaller and less expansive package. The hull looks as sleek as any we have seen in a boat show in a long time, with a very narrow entry at the bow and full sections aft. The sloop rig is massive, but laid out simply for a couple or a crew of three to handle. Electric winches are a must for shorthanded sailing. The cockpit is broad and comfortable and well work equally well for sailing fast as it does for enjoying cocktails with a dozen friends. Below deck, the interior is unusual and very light and airy. The main dinette is amidships under the raised cabin top so those sitting there may see out. Two sleeping cabins aft and two forward offer plenty of berths for a cruising or racing crew. The galley is forward of the dinette - quite remote from the cockpit - but being nearly over the boat' s center of gravity should be a good place to work at sea. The big news about the Turner 56, however, is the boat' s blinding speed. The delivery crew who brought the boat from Newport, R.I. to Annapolis found them selves at one point surfing down the northerly swells at 23 knots and once hit 25! And this is a cruising boat.

Smaller cruisers


Among the smaller boats on display, the trend has definitely turned to the racer cruiser model of cruising boat - some with a heavier emphasis on cruiser than others. Among the boats that are dedicated cruisers, the Saga 35 and the Cabo Rico 36 stand out as two attractive new entrants to the scene.

The Saga 35, a Perry design built in Canada, is the little sister to the Saga 43. A great small cruiser, the boat has ample room below for a couple to take it off for an extended cruise and will have the speed and seakeeping qualities of a boat that will be a pleasure to sail. The Cabo Rico 36 is an adaptation of the CR 34 and has all the qualities of the CR line of boats - quality construction, extremely fine detail, a moderate cruising rig and a heavier than average cruising hull.

If the Saga 35 would suit a couple who are seeking speedy passages, the CR 36 will suit those who want a luxurious smaller boat that will do it all and take them anywhere in safety and style.

The new line of boats from German builder Hanse made their debut that the show and gained immediate recognition among those who are looking for fine designs and fair prices. The boats are fin-keel racer-cruisers that are known to have a very good turn of speed and fine sailing qualities. Moreover, with the benefit of a strong dollar and a weak Euro, the boats come into the U.S. very fairly priced.

Beneteau introduced to new boats at the show, the new 393 and First 36.7. The 393 is a continuation of the design trend Beneteau started last year with the 473 - raised deck house over the saloon, wide open decks, huge cockpit and broad transom, plenty of comfortable accommodations below and a very fair price. The 393 sails well and has a good turn of speed. The First 36.7 falls at the racing end of the racer-cruiser spectrum and has a remarkable turn of speed for a 36 footer. It is tender and quick and turns on a dime. Down below the boat follows the trends Beneteau set with the 40.7 and 47.7, with a simple but comfortable mahogany interior that offers three cabins and a standard main saloon. The 36.7 might be more of a speedster than most cruisers would want, but this boat will appeal to those who expect to sail close to the wind, as fast as possible and do so at a moderate price.

Of the mid-range boats at the show, the new Bruce Marek designed Cape Fear 38 stands out as one of the more interesting and radical in attendance. Somewhat like the Turner 56, the CF 38 has a fast looking hull with a very narrow entry forward and full, flat sections aft. With a good breeze, the 38 should be able to get up and really fly. Below decks there is a small double cabin aft under the cockpit, a larger double forward and bench settee berths in the main saloon. The galley is simple and useful, while the chart table is large and will work well for the navigator. The single head is aft of the chart table where is can do double duty as a wet locker. Not a boat for the meek or the weak, the CF 38 will appeal to cruisers who want to make lightning quick passages, good daily runs in lights airs and compete favorable in the offshore circuit. The boat was hull number one of the line and fresh out of a brand new factory, yet it was nicely finished, the detailing was excellent and the finish very good quality.

Multihulls


Every year the number of multihulls at the show increases, as does the average size of the boats on display. A few highlights from the show include:

Contour Yachts of Canada introduced their new 50-foot trimaran, which follows in the footsteps of the C 47. The new boat, shown only in drawings and photos, looks like a solid, fast and fun cruising boat that will be capable of making many miles in comfort. Contour has earned a stellar reputation from multihull sailors over the years, so the new 50 should really shine.

Along the docks we found the Fontain-Pajot and Lagoon series of cruising cats to be better in construction and detailing than ever. Both lines cater to the charter companies as well as the cruising fleet, so the emphasis has been on pure comfort more than fine sailing qualities. Still, both brands offer a lot for the money.

The Voyage cats from South Africa, which also can be found in the Voyage Charter fleet, offer a level of performance not found in some of the other brands as well as ingenious interior design features. Among the production cats, the Voyage designs earn high marks from sailors as being good blue water cats.

At the top end of the cat range, the Lagoon 57, which is built on a semi-custom basis, offers her owners a huge amount of living space, a sensible double headsail cutter rig and a high level of quality in the finish. The Catana 47 has a well earned reputation for being one of the most capable cruising cats out there, with plenty of room below, good seakeeping characteristics and a fine turn of speed. Finally, the new Switch 51 has the look of a pure voyaging machine that will cross oceans with alacrity. Built in France, like the Catanas, the Switch is a family cruising cat on steroids. The boat in the show will be sailing in this year' s Caribbean 1500 and shooting to best the course record set last year by Steve and Linda Dashew aboard their 80-foot monohull Beowulf.

In the next issue of CC, we' ll report on the new gear and equipment that caught our eye at the show.

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South Pacific Cruising:
Tonga Bound from French Polynesia


French Polynesia is such a beautiful island group. We have meandered through these Iles Sous le Vent (islands without wind) only to find this a misnomer. Many days we have seen winds over thirty knots. On our way to dramatic Bora Bora, we had very heavy winds and broke a 1/2 inch stainless steel bolt holding our new auto pilot which was installed improperly in Tahiti. We returned to a marina in Raiatea and have been here two weeks again waiting for repairs. The work is now done
and there is a better weather window forecast for tomorrow. We plan to leave for Tonga in the
morning ( an eleven day trip). Sitting in a marina has given us an opportunity to experience the life of the people. There is a small point of land near our boat which is silhouetted against the sunset. Enjoying cocktails in our cockpit, we watched as our neighbor performed his finely developed Yoga aasanas as the glorious sun dipped in to the sea. Shortly thereafter, three Polynesians came to the point and played drums as they faced the sea and the nearby island of Tahaa. We could visualize the days when drums were the means of communication between islands. Another day, walking to town, we watched as an elderly man sat in his yard patiently cutting each blade of grass at the root with his machete. Everything here is green but in his yard, he wanted no grass. The roots of his flowering trees and bushes created beautiful patterns in the soil. These events of peace contrasted with a notice on our SSB radio of an underwater earthquake which formed two new islands overnight. They are very close to our path and one is two miles long! Fortunately, they gave us the chart coordinates so we won't run into them at night. Imagine! BOOM an island rises out of the sea in hours!

Diana and Garland Flournoy
Cornelia Maria
French Polynesia

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The Log of Mahina Tiare - Hallberg-Rassy Open House


(John Neal and Amanda Swan-Neal run Mahina Expeditions aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 46 Mahina Tiare. Last summer they sailed with their expedition crews to Norway' s Arctic island of Spitsbergen. We rejoin them as they stop at the Hallberg-Rassy yard in Ellos, Sweden for the annual HR open house.)

Since our last update, we had a busy week, managing three coats of varnish on Mahina Tiare' s caprails and four coats on handrails and interior trim around the galley and stairs. Amanda enjoyed daily lap swims at Hotel Sjogarden, next door to the HR boatyard and I ran in the hills and woods around Ellos each morning. I was still vacuuming when the show opened at 10 a.m. Friday morning, but Mahina Tiare was looking tops! Some of the comments we had during the show included, "Are you just taking delivery of this boat" and "Oh, I didn't know that HR did refits!" (They don't, but we work hard to keep her looking like new!)

The show was a packed-out success with over 25,000 people from around the world attending. Our slide show Saturday night was sold out long ago and we were delighted to share a table with Tom, Dalton, Claude, and Karolina from the crew of our Leg 4 expedition, plus Tom and Karolina's spouses and Emil from Leg 5, as well as Christoph Rassy and extended family.

Our slides of Spitsbergen arrived just before the show and it was breathtaking to see them projected on a large screen. By Sunday night we were both exhausted and many of the boats had already moved out of the harbor. Monday it was blowing 25-30 and as we completed our minor projects we watched the HR salesmen take dozens of people out for test sails on the demo boats. Particularly popular was the brand-new German Frers HR 43. Sporting an identical mast to the HR 46 and a more modern stern and underbody, rumors were flying that she is just as fast as the 46! It is a cool looking boat, and I can't think of a better design for two people. Fast, sleek, long waterline, sexy stern, tons of storage. Oops, I'm sounding like a salesman, which I am not!

Monday afternoon saw winds gusting to 45 knots as we surfed south to now familiar and favorite Marstrand, the lovely old resort island halfway to Gothenburg. Breaking seas to 18 feet (no joke!) at the exposed three mile stretch of the passage made for some overly exciting sailing, and after we tied up a three-hour-long thunder, lightning, rain and wind storm clobbered the island. Tuesday brought winds in the mid-40's and we were happy to arrive and tie up in the exact same spot next to the Gothenburg Opera House by 1300. It was strange to be in the same slip that we departed from for Spitsbergen on May 15th.

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Lost and found Department:
The crew of Commotion to receive a medal for rescue off the Florida coast


The crew of Commotion -- Ross Hunton, Astrid Hunton, Garie Blackwell Wood, and Charlie Baumgartner -- will receive U.S. Sailing' s Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal in recognition of their actions on July 22, 2001.

Taking their turn as race committee for the day, Ross Hunton, and crew went out in the 20 to 25 knot winds, and 3 to 5 foot seas for the start at the Gulfstream Sailing Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Air and water temperatures were in the low 80s.

One and a half miles offshore, the crew saw something off to the side, which turned out to be three scuba divers who had been separated from their boat for more than an hour. Fortunately the divers were wearing their buoyancy compensating vests and wetsuits. The divers were waving a 4-foot bright orange inflatable safety tube for signaling. Without this device, Hunton believes he would not have seen them.

As the wind and waves continued to build, Hunton called to the divers that the dive flag tethered to the divers be reeled in, to prevent it from entangling the propeller on his Beneteau 35S5. When Ross came head to wind and stopped, the wind and waves quickly blew the bow down away from their target. During the next pass, he lay the boat ahull, drifting down on the divers position. When in range, Ross' crew deployed three lines, one to each diver to provide connection. Each was reeled over to the swim ladder in the scooped transom, and was amazed to see how well this worked, hauling three exhausted two-hundred pound men, plus their scuba equipment on board.

Since the one boat that appeared for the start of the race had a break down, the Race Committee was relieved of their obligation and headed in. They found the errant dive boat 1-1/2 miles away whose driver explained that the dive flag submerged when the divers went down and could not track them.

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