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.

------------------------------------------------------------

Send Cruising Compass to a friend
If you enjoy Cruising Compass, why not e-mail a copy to a sailing friend. Even better, why not send a copy to your whole e-mail list so all your friends will know where to go to find the latest cruising news from around the world.

------------------------------------------------------------

All of us at Cruising Compass and Blue Water Sailing extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of the World Trace Center attack. September 11, 2001 will long be remembered as one of the cruelest days in our nation's history.

As so many have said, our loudest and strongest response to the disaster in New York will be to go forward positively with our lives, preserving the values that make this country great, while never losing focus on our need to cure the disease of terrorism that infects the world.

Cruising sailors may wonder if it is safe to venture to foreign lands, particularly lands ruled by leaders hostile to Americans. In our own experience of sailing through southeast Asia and the Middle East in the years following the Gulf War, we learned to travel hopefully, sail conservatively, keep our wits about us, travel in company when possible and avoid flashing either wealth or the Stars & Stripes in the faces of those who may see us as the enemy. This tactic worked for us and many others as we sailed without incident through countries torn by civil war and rife with anti-West sentiment.

The world was not changed by the WTC attack. But our attitudes toward the world have changed. Despite some trepidation, we must not be cowed by the cowardly acts of a few passionate madmen. We should still go cruising, we should still travel hopefully and wisely, and we should still proudly (but not arrogantly) fly the ensign off our transoms. There is still no better life than the cruising life.

--------------------------------------------------------

South Pacific Cruising
A prayer from Polynesia


With the engine running and the autopilot fixed we left for Moorea last Tuesday. Like all of you we were stunned by the news of the World Trade Center Disaster and there was disbelief, somewhat reminiscent of John Kennedy's assassination. We are anchored in breathtaking Cook's Bay, whose beauty must be the work of a loving God and we pray for his grace for all of us directly or indirectly touched by the horror of the disaster. We also pray for the wisdom of those who must make the "what now" decision.

Thursday night we went to a free Polynesian dance show on the beach. Just before the performance we were read a letter from the President of France to US visitors in French Polynesia expressing his and France's sorrow. We all joined hands and the 23rd Psalm was read followed by a hymn sung in Polynesian. It was very touching and helped us realize that we are members of a very large community who share a love for peace and what is right.

Last night was perfect for our 80-mile sail to Huahine. The 18 knot winds were just aft of the beam, the seas were under three feet, the sky was filled with stars. We could not have hoped for more.

Dianne & Garland Flournoy
Cornelia Maria
French Polynesia

-------------------------------------------------------

The Log Of Mahina Tiare - Exploring Norway's fjords, visiting with her people


John Neal and Amanda Swan-Neal run Mahina Expeditions aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 46 Mahina Tiare. We join them as they sail south along Noreway's rugged west coast after spending a month cruising with expedition crews around the high Artic island of Spitsbergen. (If you have an atlas handy, one that shows Norway's west coast, you can follow MT's cruise more easily.)

Our Leg 4 crew joined us in Tromso, Norway, on July 31st as an intense 980 mb low pressure center passed north of us. As we have approximately 1,300 miles to cover in 16 days, we got underway after lunch and initial safety orientation, motorsailing to Hestoy, 23 miles south in driving rain with head winds gusting to 31 kts.

You would think that August 1st would have brought summer weather, but it didn't and we endured winter rains with gusts to 40 kts. At one point a fierce squall piled enough hailstones along the aft deck to make snowballs. Dalton, being a skier from Colorado naturally brought his ski goggles which were in hot demand from the helmsperson as looking to windward into 30-40 kt wind driven hail felt like having one's face sandblasted!

We cut our day short, anchoring at Eidet, 69.05N, 17.11E, a small village we had stopped for a night in on our voyage north. Although we found protection from the seas, we were still being buffeted with 30-40 kt winds. Setting both the 75lb CQR with 250' of chain and the 44lb Delta on 130' of line and 50' of chain in 27' depths we stood watch all night and even though we never budged an inch it was still hard to sleep as we danced around in the squalls. For the first time in months, it actually got dark at night. It was strange, and I missed the midnight sun.

On Thursday, August 2, winds had moderated in the morning and the barometer steadily climbed to 1014. The sun made a welcome appearance and we had a great sail to Lodingen, 68.26N, 16.00 E where we found an empty new visitor's float and went exploring the picturesque town perched beneath magnificent mountains with sea views in all directions.

The following morning we had a smooth sail through some narrow passages to Svolvaer, 68.13N, 14.34E, the largest town in Norway's Lofoten island group. Soon after arrival, Gry and Erling Beara and their five-year old daughter Ingvild, dear friends who first told us of the Lofoten Islands in Fiji three years ago, came down to the boat for a visit.

When we visited Gry on our voyage northward, she was sorely missing Erling and counting the days until he would be sailing home to the Lofotens, eight months and 15,000 miles after she and her daughter had flown home from Hawaii, so that Ingvild could start school. Erling had fulfilled a life dream in the meantime, sailing from Hawaii to Cape Horn, Antarctica, Falklands, Azores and Scotland on their 45' steel cutter. They told our adventuresome crew of a great restaurant where they could sample whale, reindeer, and other Norwegian delicacies and whisked us off for a visit in their little hillside cottage. It was great to hear their stories and new shore side dreams and catch up on news from our friends in Chile and Antarctica. Saturday morning was windless, so we motored to Henningsvaer, the most authentic and colorful fishing harbor in the Lofotens.

We then motored in more light drizzle (where was summer?) to Reine, a small fishing harbor. We went exploring once tied to the ubiquitous (and free!) guest dock, first having slowly bumped aground a few boat lengths from another guest float. We had an embarrassing 30-minute wait for the tide to float us free but not without company. Minutes after we grounded, a local sailing boat glided up to us, saying that they had deep water where they were, half a boat length away. Just after saying that, they came to a shuttering stop, so they also decided to have dinner while waiting for the tide.

We are continually surprised how few pleasure boats we see in these spectacular cruising waters. In large towns like Tromso, Alesund, Bergen, etc. we generally see one or two cruising boats only, usually from Scandinavian countries. The locals mostly favor 30'-35' double-ended powerboats, usually made of fiberglass. Many of the fishing boats, even up to 80' have varnished wooden hulls with painted wood or aluminum deck houses.

The clouds, fog and drizzle cleared away and the afternoon sun turned the spectacular and rugged glacier alight with many shades of ice blue. Everyone put on running or hiking shoes and headed up the mountain, passing bell-ringing sheep and cows along the way, for a closer look at the ice. Once again there was a free and secure guest dock so we could come and go easily, wthout having to wait for the dinghy.

Our intention on Monday, August 6 was to sail offshore, 350 miles non-stop to Alesund. However, when clear of the coastal islands, we found that a combination of the .5 to 1.0 knot north-setting current (a continuation of the Gulf Stream that keeps these waters ice-free all winter) and the relatively shallow waters made headway into 15-20 kts very uncomfortable. When all but two of our crew had succumbed to seasickness, we plotted a new route that took us inshore through the scenic but twisting fjords.

Navigation in Norway's inside waters requires constant vigilance. There is a ton of commercial traffic at all hours; thousands of navigational markers of all types, and many of the channels are narrow with rocks and reefs. Passing one mark wrong spells running into rock! We take navigation seriously and the navigator gets a real work out! With our revolving duty roster, each day a different expedition member is navigator. To ensure that we're prepared and ready to go, the navigator lays out the courses, distances and waypoints the afternoon before their day to navigate. Some days this takes up to four hours, with as many as 40 waypoints and 10 charts! After punching the waypoints into the Garmin 130 GPS, they then read them out for me to enter into the Toshiba laptop which is running Nobeltec and using Softcharts. This helps avoid errors as we instantly witness the route being mapped out on the electronic charts and can quickly determine any inaccuracies. The laptop sits next to the radar at the chart table and allows constant tracking of our course and navigation dangers. Occasionally, like when entering Alesund at 0300, I'll bring it into the cockpit so I can follow our progress while on deck.

At noon on Tuesday we stopped at Bronnyosund for lunch, fuel and a town visit before continuing on, gliding into Alesund (62.28N, 06.09E) at 0300 on Wednesday. After tying to the empty fuel dock in Brodundet, the old inner fishing harbor that resembles Venice, we caught a much-needed five hours of sleep before exploring the vibrant town.

Apparently though we had arrived during a social lull, as the locals whom we chatted with kept sadly reminding us we had missed the Cutty Sark Tall Ship's visit by a few weeks but they eagerly urged us to stay for the Norwegian Gourmet Festival being held soon.

For more information log on to www.mahinaexpeditions.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Fall Boat Show Season


Savvy buyers know that the fall shows are a great time to buy: good deals, new models, and plenty of time for delivery and commissioning for the next sailing season. This year the finance rates are the lowest they've been in a long time. With the new boatsbank program getting a loan has gotten a lot easier. You can apply online, get multiple lenders to compete for your business, and get your loan approved FAST. There's a call center for help, a wide range of financing options, and very competitive rates. www.boatsbank.com

-------------------------------------------------------------

Free Guide to Sailing Adventures


In the July-August issue of Blue Water Sailing, the first annual guide to World Sailing Adventures was published as a free insert. BWS has some of these guides left over and will send you one Free for the asking. The 36-page guide covers bare and crewed boat chartering, sailing schools, offshore sailing expeditions and extreme sailing adventures. All you have to do is e-mail BWS at [email protected]. Please allow two weeks for delivery - and make sure you send your complete address!

-------------------------------------------------------------

On Board for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) 2001


ARC 2001 promises to be bigger and better than ever before as it moves into its 16th year. The event, which sees more than 200 yachts annually crossing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to St Lucia, has already received over 150 entrants with the maximum number of 225 expected to be reached in early July, more than four months before the rally starts.

The popularity of the ARC stems from its all round appeal. There is plenty of room for the serious racer, the gentle cruiser, the family and of course the sailing socialite with events out of the water as crucial as they are on it.

The ARC fleet typically attracts participation from over twenty different countries. In addition to the large contingents from Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and the USA, ARC2001 has entries from Estonia - Hillar Kukk, an engineer from Tallin, sailing his Colin Archer 40 ketch Martha; and Stefanik, a wooden Gallian 72 ketch sailed by Roman Klementis a marine engineer from Bratislava in Slovakia.

World Cruising Club, organiser of the ARC, is also delighted to be welcoming back participants from previous years. This year World Cruising Club welcomes back British yachts Blue Sprit (Neil Bingham), Le Lievre des Marais [Paul-Henry van Hasbroeck] and Brigand [Peter Newlands a former UK Olympic sailor]. Innovision 8, Hans Eekhof from the Netherlands, and from Germany, Rita, [Ackim Turklitz] and Carpe Diem [Harry Glab] are also on-board for ARC 2001.

Andrew Bishop, general manager of World Cruising Club comments: "The ARC seems to grow and grow in popularity every year. Having organized the rally for fifteen years we know what our participants want and have the experience to make the event challenging, worthwhile, safe and, above all, un. "

ARC notes:
ARC 001 starts from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands on Sunday 25th November 2001 and finishes at Rodney Bay Marina, St.Lucia. The 2700 mile passage will take most of the yachts between 17 and 21 days.

World Cruising Club also organize the Yachting World ARC Europe from Antigua every May, and the Yachting Monthly Rally Portugal from Plymouth to Lagos, Portugal, plus cruising seminars also organized to help sailors with their cruising preparations.

World Cruising Club is part of the Challenge Business International Ltd., best know as organizers of the BT Global Challenge, the world's toughest yacht race.

For further information: Full details about World Cruising Club events can be found on the World
Cruising Club website at: www.worldcruising.com

-----------------------------------------------------------

Volvo Ocean Race Report:
America's Sailing Stars Await Start of the Volvo Around-the-World Race


With only five days before its start, American men and women professional sailors are converging on Southampton, England for the first-leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. The nine-month epic is a multi-million dollar investment for competing teams and a 32,700-mile challenge for those sailors courageous enough to face the world's most dangerous seas in state-of-the-art 65 ft. racing sailboats. Among the fleet of international professionals are nine Americans, including skippers Lisa Charles McDonald (NAUTOR) and John Kostecki (ILLBRUCK).

The Volvo Ocean Race, formerly known as the Whitbread, is a highly regarded sports event in Europe and much of the world. Lesser known in the U.S., Volvo is nonetheless eager to raise American awareness for the race and its participants. Each crew will be in constant communications with global media and public audiences, including those in the United States with an interest in extreme sports. This isn't a sailing competition. It's a test of human spirit and technological achievement.

"This competition is unique to sports and to sailing itself. While there are breaks -- the race legs are hotly contested and each boat runs at maximum speed for the duration of each segment. That means 24-hour racing, regardless of weather, crew condition or other factors. This is team racing at its best that requires endurance and strength, with every leg counting as much as the next for the overall win. It's the Formula One championship of the yachting world," said Thomas Andersson, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Volvo Cars North America, LLC. Kostecki and Charles will be joined by other American sailors serving in various capacities and sprinkled throughout the fleet. "This race is a combination of brute force, stamina and endurance," said Charles, skipper of the all-female NAUTOR crew. "Every crew gets tired, so it's a matter of pacing yourself for each of the nine race legs and their individual demands on the boat and crew."

AMERICAN COMPETITORS:
John Kostecki / San Francisco, Calif. / ILLBRUCK: As skipper, Kostecki has overall responsibility including crew selection, the training program and race strategy. Kostecki is an Olympic silver medalist, two-time America's Cup tactician, 10-time world champion in a range of one-design classes and an established Whitbread veteran.

Lisa Charles McDonald / Providence, R.I. / NAUTOR: Was part of the first full female entry in America's Cup 1995; and crewmember on the all-female EF Education during the Whitbread Round the World 97/98. For the Volvo Ocean Race, she will skipper the all-female crew of Amer Sports Too.

Katie Pettibone / Port Huron, Mich. / NAUTOR: Will run the sail program and serve as a watch leader when racing. She will set up the boat and develop sails to capitalize on its performance potential.

Peter Isler / San Diego, Calif. / News Corp.: Is a two-time America's Cup winning Navigator. He was also the top-ranked American on the professional match racing tour from 1987-1992.

Mark Rudiger / Reno, Nev. / Assa Abloy: Navigator on the 97/98 Whitbread winner EL Language, Rudiger is a four-time winner of the TransPacific Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Peter Pendleton / Baltimore, Md. / NAUTOR: Is capable of maintaining rigging, deck systems, diesel engines, water ballast, electrical and hydraulic systems. He has won the Admirals Cup, IMS
Worlds, IMS European, IMS 50 Worlds and China Coast Cup.

Keith Kilpatrick / Houston, Texas / NAUTOR: Has sailed eight transpacific races, sailed on the winning boat twice in the Cape Town to Rio race and many other international regattas during his 20-year professional sailing career.

Dee Smith / NAUTOR: Is a world-renowned tactician and skipper with more the 35 years racing experience. In addition to his skills as watch captain and tactician he is an experienced project manager, rigger, sail designer, sail maker and boat builder.

Steve Gruver / Djuice: Has raced sailboats since he was ten. Most recently he was a pro sailor and trimmer aboard America True challenge for the America's Cup.

--------------------------------------------------------

GET TWO ISSUES OF BLUE WATER SAILING FREE


Are you ready to go cruising to the far ends of the earth or do you like cruising closer to home? Either way, Blue Water Sailing magazine is for you - if you love cruising. Every issue is filled with cruising stories, in-depth reviews of boats, gear and equipment. We offer sound advice on seamanship, navigation and the art and science of sailing a cruising boat. The magazine's regular contributors include circumnavigators Jimmy Cornell, Brian Hancock, Beth Leonard, and Bill Beiwenga - so you know they have the experience to tell it like it is. You can have TWO ISSUES of Blue Water Sailing ABSOLUTELY FREE by logging on to www.bwsailing.com. Look for the 2 FREE ISSUES button.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Send submissions for Cruising Compass to [email protected]

For advertising inquiries contact David McCreary at [email protected]