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.
Sailing out to pot-free, deep water this week, as the sun sets.
Analysis:
The annual dusty, sticky, smelly spring boat preparations have ended. We’ve launched Rocinante and completed our first Morse Alpha Expedition for 2021 – our first May expedition in Maine.
It’s typically pretty chilly on the water this time of year, and boat traffic is minimal. We saw very few lobster boats and only one or two sailboats. The wide-open anchorages made me feel like we had traveled back in time to a place where lobstering was a new, undiscovered industry. It was a unique treat. The experience reminded me of Teresa’s and my expedition to Newfoundland ten years ago.
Wait, what? Ten years already?
It was 2011 when we set off searching for an iceberg aboard Elizabeth, our Bristol Channel Cutter. Newfoundland is a beautiful place to sail. Remote, chilly, rugged, with welcoming locals. We couldn’t get to the island this year because of COVID restrictions but are planning a Newfoundland expedition for our 2022 schedule.
Back to the noticeable lack of lobster pots this week – pot buoys are a big concern for boaters in Maine. A priority skill is learning to dodge them, so the rope doesn't get caught in the prop. The buoy stick points downwind, so “stick to the stick side” because the rope is on the upwind side. Leeway when sailing upwind adds an extra challenge. But learning to navigate the pots can train a sailor to understand set and drift and use ferry angles to stay on course in a strong current. (Everything is a teachable moment on a Morse Alpha expedition).
A few years ago was a record-setting year for catching lobster pots on the prop. We caught about four that season. It might not seem like a lot, but if the boat is near rocks, dragging a lobster trap, and drifting out of control in a current – it becomes an urgent situation. We have to clear the prop asap, and sometimes that means getting into the frigid water.
We carry a wet suit and hose for breathing, but this setup looks like a great idea. One time we caught a trap at dusk on the windward side of a ledge. It was not our vision of a good time. Our new protocol is that we must be clear of the lobster traps by sunset. That means getting into water at least 350ft deep.
Sailing Penobscot Bay this time of year makes the notion of lineless lobster traps very enticing and provides a glimpse into what sailing in those conditions might be like. I’d never considered such a possibility. But this week’s article in Soundings Magazine shares new technologies that modernize a tool – called a Pop-Up – that has been around since the 1950s and ’60s. Although I think there’s still a lot of work left to make these lineless traps work, it is encouraging.
~ Ben
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Don’t forget to check out our sail-training expeditions at MorseAlpha.com.
From Morse Alpha:
2 Bunks available on our July 18-23 Expedition
We have 2 spots left for this challenging course. Our expeditions are jam packed with lessons, drills, scenarios, planning, and navigation. One day we’ll head out to sea and sail overnight. The trip starts and ends in Rockland ME.
Now for the best of the web...
News:
Update: Tall Ship Zebu Declared a Wreck
Attempts to salvage the historic tall ship Zebu have failed. Last week, the 100′ long brigantine, built in Sweden in 1938, broke from its moorings and drifted onto the Holyhead New Harbour breakwater in Wales, where she became hard aground.Egyptian Court Rules Suez Canal Can Keep Holding Ever Given
An Egyptian court on Sunday rejected a complaint by the Japanese owner of a container ship that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for six days in...This New Sailing Catamaran Will Be Powered By Yachting’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell
French builder Fountaine Pajot will soon introduce zero-emissions, zero-noise hydrogen power to the cruising world via its Samana 59.‘The Manta’ Sailing Vessel is Designed to Feed on Plastic Waste for Power–While Cleaning Oceans
A professional yacht racer in France, annoyed by the constant sightings of floating mats of plastic garbage in coastal waters, has designed an ocean-cleaning sailboat that is powered by the waste it collects.Secrets Leak About Jeff Bezos’ New 417-Foot-Long Sailing Superyacht
Am I surprised the world’s richest man ordered of what David Pendelton and Brad Stone of Bloomberg Wealth report is a 417-foot-long superyacht that will be equipped with three massive masts? Um…no.Antarctic ice sheet retreat could trigger chain reaction
The Antarctic ice sheet was even more unstable in the past than previously thought, and at times possibly came close to collapse, new research suggests.Technology to avoid collisions at sea
The risk of collision at sea is a major cause for concern among skippers and protagonists in the maritime domain. With three retirements from the Vendée Globe linked to collisions, as well as other impact reported during the race…First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in U.S. Waters Wins Federal Approval
The Biden Administration today announced the approval for the construction and operation of Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. The announcement was made jointly by Secretary of...Alternate U.S. race for Halifax entrants
With the cancellation of the biennial 363nm Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race due to the coronavirus pandemic, co-host Boston Yacht Club has organized for July 8 the Inaugural Michael A. Mentuck Memorial Ocean Race, a 250nm coastal course to Matinicus Rock off the coast of Maine and back.Atlantic-Caribbean Hurricane Outlook; Early Pacific Storm
WRI expects a slightly above average tropical activity for the 2021 North Atlantic tropical season, with an anticipated 15-18 named tropical storms, 7-10 Hurricanes and 2-4 Major Hurricanes (Cat 3+).Why Dodge Pots?
Lawmakers discuss the idea of lobster and crab fisheries with fewer vertical lines. For Kim Sawicki, the issue of props being fouled in crab and lobster pot lines has been personal for years. She grew up sailing in Connecticut, where her job was to spend endless hours sitting on the bow as the lookout.
Safety:
Adrift: 40 Years Later
In 1981, Steven Callahan embarked on an ill-fated journey across the Atlantic and ended up spending 76 days in a liferaft.Freaks of Nature
New wave-measuring technology shows how rogue waves reach up to 100-foot heights.
Spring Outfitting:
Sailboat Rigging Tips from a Pro
Minor rig problems compound quickly under pressure. Strong winds funneling through these volcanic islands can mimic trade-wind sailing, but that doesn’t mean that every boat is ready for the crossing
Educational:
Doing Versus Learning
Just because you’re out boating doesn’t mean you’re improving your skills on things like docking.Where did I put that?
Several years ago I decided to get more organized... and do an inventory and mark a plan of the boat where things were stowed. Easier said than done, Not possible to put all power tools in the same location for example. My boat has lots of lockers and places to stash things. And stash I did.How To Get More Bang From Your Inverter/Charger System
A combination inverter/charger can be great on board, but when it fails, you need options.Choosing the Right Crew
Boats sailing around the world or on smaller coastal passages often take on extra crew as another pair of hands to help out along the way. But as a potential crew member, or skipper, how much due diligence do you do before you get on board?
Lifestyle:
Are you a Shouty Skipper?
I used to love sailing, but whenever I went out I just got yelled at by the skipper so much I just couldn’t bear it any longer, so I gave up.
Electronics:
Tech focus: The future of the chartplotter
A new generation of chartplotters offers sailors more processing power than ever before.