Hi Sailors!
The Sailing Weekly Roundup brings you the latest in sailing news, trends, gear, events, and training. Every week we’ll send a curated list and analysis by Capt. Teresa and Ben Carey. Instead of sifting through a ton of articles and videos each day – let us do the work for you.
Cruising kids enjoying the playground in Rockland, ME
Editorial:
Sailing with kids is a great way to explore the world and spend family time together. That is a luxury not many parents get to experience. But it means providing school, camp, after-school activities, sports, band, dance, etc., is a task solely on the parent's shoulders. And that requires resourceful and energetic parents!
Haven and I met up with two families cruising with their 3 and 4 kids, respectively. They sailed to Maine for a few weeks and made a stop in Rockland – a convenient stop for fuel, water, marine store, grocery, etc. -- all the cruising necessities.
While the kids ran around at Buoy Park in Rockland, the parents got into an exciting discussion about finding things for the kids to do in town. Cruising guides are excellent references for finding essentials like fuel and water. But as we discussed, they lacked information relevant to having kids aboard, like where to find the playgrounds and the library – the essentials for cruising families!
As all 13 of us walked through town to the library, grabbing a coffee en route, we discussed our vision of the ideal cruising guide for families. We came up with a shortlist of kid cruising essentials:
Museums & Aquariums
Restaurants that are kid-friendly, with outside dining or "mosh-pits," as Behan Gifford of Sailing Totem calls them, where the kids can run around and play while parents enjoy a drink.
Playgrounds. Get that energy out!
Libraries. Even though transients can't borrow books, they are a great place to visit and read magazines, books aloud and generally feel enlightened.
Accessible beaches and lighthouses etc. that don't require long walks for short toddler legs.
What other ideas do you have for this Parent's Cruising Guide?
~ Ben
Reminders:
Have an article you want to be considered for our newsletter? Click here.
Hey! We are always trying to improve our newsletter. Please send us feedback here.
Don’t forget to check out our sail-training expeditions at MorseAlpha.com.
From Morse Alpha:
Join us at Cruisers University, October 2021
We’ll be teaching 9 classes at Cruisers University this fall. Our seminars are: Navigation, Beyond the Bowline, Cruising Couples, Cruising Maine and New England, Intro to Celestial Navigation, Rules of the Road, Sail Theory, Solo Sailing.
Now for the best of the web...
News:
Scientists Accidentally Discover the World’s Northernmost Island off Greenland
The BBC reports that a group of scientists say they have discovered by luck what they believe is the world’s northernmost island off Greenland’s coast.Mississippi River Is Flowing In Reverse As Ida Pushes Inland
The Mississippi River is flowing in reverse in southeastern Louisiana as Hurricane Ida forces vast volumes of sea water ashore, according to flood-control authorities.NTSB: Insufficient Communication, Inaccurate AIS Caused Fatal Collision Between Towing Vessels on Lower Mississippi
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has identified two pilots’ insufficient radio communication and inaccurate AIS info related to tow size as the probable cause of fatal collision between a...Battery-Powered Speedboat Looking To Become The Tesla Of The Sea
Niclas Rolander (Bloomberg) Sweden’s Candela Speed Boat AB is challenging the conventional combustion-engine leisure-craft industry with a new battery-powered speedboat, betting that flight can solve the main hurdle to marine...Artificial intelligence to help predict Arctic sea ice loss
A new AI (artificial intelligence) tool is set to enable scientists to more accurately forecast Arctic sea ice conditions months into the future. The improved predictions could underpin new early-warning systems that protect Arctic wildlife and coastal communities from the impacts of sea ice loss.U.S. Energy Companies Begin Mandating Vaccines for Employees, Gulf of Mexico Workers
Chevron is now requiring expatriate employees, workers traveling internationally, and employees on U.S.-flagged ships to receive vaccinations, WSJ reported.Dump at the Pump with Division of Boating and Waterways’ ‘Pumpout Nav’ App
Division of Boating and Waterway’s “Pumpout Nav” is a free iOS and Android mobile app that shows you where the nearest sewage pumpout, dump station and floating restrooms are located.NYK Sending More Teams to Assist with Crimson Polaris Oil Spill Clean Up
Japanese shipping company NYK Line will be sending additional workers to help clean up an oil spill from the wood chip carrier Crimson Polaris which broke up just off the...Carnival Passenger Dies of Covid, CDC Recommends Vulnerable Avoid Cruises Even if Vaccinated
On a recent voyage from Galveston, TX, one passenger and 26 crew members tested positive for Covid-19 on the Carnival Vista. The passenger, Marilyn Tackett, a 77-year-old retiree from Oklahoma, subsequently died.
Gear & Equipment
Which Sextant can you Trust?
GPS is a wonderful technology. It allows you to glance at your display and see exactly where you are! Chart plotters are even better, granting you the ability to see not only your coordinates, but your live position on a digital chart.Tii-on the best in marine hardware
Tii-on products are quickly becoming the go to choice for many hardware fittings. So, in an article on our website we have explained when and why Tii-ons should be used.The New Crew’s Pocketbook: Book review
The New Crew’s Pocketbook is a useful little sailing book intended to be read in advance of a first sailing trip and kept for reference thereafter.Know-how: Boom Safety
Sailing is a remarkably safe activity, despite the potentially dangerous environment in which it takes place. This is undoubtedly due to the safety-conscious attitude of most skippers and their crews.
Skills & Seamanship
How To Bleed A Diesel Engine
Once upon a time, we used to flow fuel, as they say in boat-testing parlance. That meant disconnecting supply and return fuel lines, splicing in fuel-flow meters, and then running electrical cables from the meters to a computer that would precisely calculate fuel burn.How to optimize route based on weather predictions
One recurring question among the novice offshore sailor is how to optimize your route when sailing. The practice is known among sailors with the French name of Routage or the English name of Weather routing.Towing a boat: how to tow and be towed
Knowing how best to tow a boat on the water is not necessarily something that occurs to most yachtsmen. But knowing how to do it is still a key seamanship skill.Sailboat Racing Tips: How to Hold Your Position on the Starting Line
Professional coach and champion sailor Mike Ingham guides us through the steps to defending a position on the starting line to get a fast and clean start.Salt in the Blood: Two Philosophers go to Sea: Book review
Julia Jones, Yachting Monthly's literary reviewer discusses Salt in the Blood: Two Philosophers go to Sea about two empty-nesters with successful, stressful careers who decided to experiment with life as part-time nautical nomads.How a thorough rig inspection saved my mast and our Atlantic crossing
Dave Carey on how a rig inspection, swages, chainplates and stem fittings; measure up and order new wire and stainless fittings and re-rig and retune the mast on a 47ft cruising yacht... while living aboard with family in the Caribbean.Big-Boat Docking: Tools and Techniques
If you address the dual challenges of communication and sightlines, docking becomes a whole lot easier.Charter: Provisioning Tips
Because food is such a big part of our leisure-time experience, it’s important to plan how you’ll provision your charter boat. Whether you’re a foodie or can survive on SPAM, careful preparation will be time well spent.