Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 18:47:01 -0500 (EST)
From: Cruising Compass <comments@...>
To: catalina30ruby@...
Subject: Issue 27—News, notes and more!

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    Dear William,    
 

  Feb. 1, 2007 - Issue 27  

  Welcome to Cruising Compass-your weekly dose of cruising news, notes and fun. Cruising is all about stories; submit yours   here   and share it with the rest of the Cruising Compass community!  
 
  Know someone who's into the cruising lifestyle (or just dreams about it!)? Send them Cruising Compass by clicking on Forward Email at the bottom of the page.

  Cruising Shot of the Week    

  Click   here   to view the Cruising Shot of the Week! Have a great shot of your own (you know you do!)?   Email   it to us.

  Dock Talk    

  Solo sailor disappearance  
 
  On Sunday Jan. 28th, experienced singlehanded sailor Jim Gray, 63, left from San Francisco aboard his C&C 40,   Tenacious   for a day trip to the nearby Farallon Islands. The weather was calm and clear, and Gray has years of experience with his boat. When he did not return by that night, his wife notified the Coast Guard who began an extensive search for the missing boat. After four days, Gray and the red-hulled   Tenacious   are still missing. The Coast Guard is performing an expanded search today, and family and friends of Jim Gray are continuing a private search. Anyone with any new information is urged to contact the Coast Guard Command Center at 510- 437-3700. For more info, see the USCG 11th District's news page,   www.uscgsanfrancisco.com/go/site/823  
 
  7th Annual Summer Sailstice  
 
  It's never too early to start planning your summer sailing adventures! The annual celebration of sailing on the solstice, Summer Sailstice, is taking place this year on June 23rd and 24th. This international event was founded to connect the global sailing community in a fun, creative, multifaceted, multi-location sailing holiday. Sign up (it's free) at   www.summersailstice.com   to let others know about your sailing plans and meet up with other local sailors. There is also the chance that your name might be drawn for a cool prize.  
 
  Voyage of Hokule'a  
 
  Could you imagine navigating without instruments? No GPS or even a sextant? The art of traditional Polynesian navigation does just that, using the sea, sky, stars and birds to make an accurate and safe landfall. The Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokule'a is currently voyaging to the western Pacific using the traditional navigational methods (and no engine). Follow their historic journey at   http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/specials/hokulea07/  
 
  Birth of an island  
 
  You may have seen these photos before (they were taken back in August), but if not, definitely check them out. This is from the blog of the cruising boat   Maiken   , which witnessed the birth of a new volcanic island while sailing through Tonga last year. Check out the cool photos   here

  Receive to FREE issues of Blue Water Sailing!    

  Find out why cruising sailors prefer   Blue Water Sailing   magazine...Every issue is filled with beautiful anchorages around the country and the world... real stories from real cruisers... valuable cruising advice from experts... the technical information you need to equip your boat for safe and fun sailing... and the best and most in-depth boat reviews... that's what you'll find in every issue of   Blue Water Sailing   ... the only sailing magazine published by circumnavigators. Get two issues FREE with no obligation by clicking on   www.bwsailing.com

  Cool Things to Do    

  At home afloat  
 
  Come see cruiser and author Suzanne Giesemann at Fawcett Boat Supplies' Winter Seminar Series. On February 6th at 7 pm, she will be presenting   Living Aboard-How to turn your boat into a home   . Fawcett Boat Supplies is located in Annapolis, Maryland. For more info, visit   www.fawcettboat.com  
 
  Fit to be tied  
 
  One of the skills that separates novices from experienced cruisers is in the way things get lashed down aboard before heading out. All the extra gear (jerry jugs, sail bags, bicycles etc.) that cruising boats carry needs to be secured and lashed properly for safety reasons and to keep them out of Davy Jones' locker. Learn how to do this at the OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship's class   Simple Rigging for Cruisers   , February 7th from 7 to 9 pm. The cost is $35 and the school is located in Newport Beach, California. Check it (and their many other classes) out at   www.occsailing.com  
 
  Don't forget!   Strictly Sail Chicago   starts today at Navy Pier. Visit with the Blue Water Sailing crew at booth 383  

  Boat Rat's Tip of the Week    

  Pests aboard  
 
  Nothing can spoil an otherwise perfect evening aboard like a roach, or mess up meal preparations like weevils. These (and other) uninvited visitors have plagued boats since the beginning. Fortunately, with a little preparation, you can mostly prevent an infestation by the creepy-crawlies. Here are some suggestions that have worked for us-even in the Tropics.  
 
  Weevils  
 
  These nasty little buggars are tough to get rid of once you have them. They are small black bugs that love grains-bread, pasta, flour, etc. They have even been known to munch through boxes to get to the goods. The most effective ways to deal with weevils are prevention and containment. When you bring dry goods aboard, remove the items from their packaging (boxes, etc) and bag each item separately in a Ziploc bag or a Tupperware-style container. Before sealing the item in the bag or plastic container, toss in four or five bay leaves. The bay leaves are to deter the pests, and the bagging is to contain them, should an outbreak occur. If weevils are discovered in one of the bags of goods, you can just toss it and prevent the rest of your stores from an infestation. The bagging and boxing also has the added bonus of moisture prevention.  
 
  Roaches  
 
  Roaches bring one word to mind-yuck! Besides the obvious cleanliness (roaches love messes and dirty dishes) there are a few things that you can do to keep them off your boat. The first is a strict no-cardboard rule. Roaches like to live and lay eggs in corrugated cardboard. Some say that they even like the glue that holds paperboard packaging together. Take no chances and get rid of all packaging before you stow the items. Routinely check, clean and air-out all lockers (not just the food ones). Before leaving your boat in storage, put out roach baits.  
 
  To make an extremely effective roach bait, mix boric acid with a little bit of sweetened condensed milk. Mix it so it makes a stiff paste. Wearing rubber gloves, make small, marble-sized balls out of the mixture and put the balls anywhere you think that roaches might like (head, lockers, lazarette). These are somewhat poisonous, so keep them away from pets, kids and direct contact with food.  
 

  For the Hungry Crew...    

  Who wants to heat up the galley on an already hot day? Lime juice is a popular way to "cook" fresh fish in many tropical areas of the world-no heat required! Poisson Cru is the Tahitian national dish and tastes just right on a summer day. Use only freshly caught fish. Tuna is a good choice.  
 
  Poisson Cru

 
• 2 lbs fresh fish
 
• 2 C lime juice
 
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
 
• 1 C coconut milk
 
• dash of Tabasco or chili peppers - chopped
 
• ginger - grated
 
• garlic - crushed
 
• tomatoes - chopped
 
• carrots - grated
 
• onions - chopped
 
• scallions - chopped
 
• salt and pepper to taste
 

  Cut fish into strips or bite size pieces. Put into glass or plastic container and cover with lime juice and salt. Let marinade for an hour or so.  
 
  Drain juice and combine fish with remaining ingredients (the veggies can be varied to what you have aboard). Serve chilled with rice.  
 

  Sail faster!    

  Want to sail faster... get there quicker... and safer? Then why not invest in a Gori folding propeller? Did you know that on average a folding propeller will increase boat speed around 1 knot over a fixed propeller? You'll go faster to windward... reaching... running and in both light and heavy winds. Something a new sail cannot do for you. Just think of it, by sailing faster you'll be ahead of the others in your fleet... in fact you'll be in a class of your own. For more details go to   www.AB-marine.com   (North American distributors for Gori propellers).

  On the Newsstand...    

  Check out the February issue of   Blue Water Sailing   magazine-on newsstands now! In this issue, you will find:

 
• Multihull Madness!
 
• Cruising Rally roundup
 
• Retrofitting a bow thruster
 
• Repairing a reef-damaged yacht
•   Plus all of the news, stories and tips that make each issue of   Blue Water Sailing   an important part of your library  
 

  You can find   Blue Water Sailing   at most boating supply stores, West Marine and Barnes & Noble Booksellers-or better yet, visit   www.bwsailing.com   to subscribe and never miss an issue.  
 

  Learn ocean cruising from the pros    

  No one was born knowing how to handle a cruising boat in all weather conditions, how to navigate, provision for passages and use advanced high-seas communications. But you can learn. The best way is to get hands on experience on an ocean passage with teachers who have more than 200,000 ocean miles under their keels. That's John Neal and Amanda Swan-Neal. They run Mahina Expeditions aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 46 and have taught cruising skills to hundreds of sailors - many of whom are out cruising the world on their own boats. You can do it, too. Visit Mahina Expeditions at   www.mahina.com

Website of the Week    

  BoatDesign.net  
 
  If you have an interest in boat design or boatbuilding, check this site out. Here you will find an active forum, a huge photo gallery and many articles about all aspects of boat design, materials and construction. Take a look at   www.boatdesign.net  
 

  Mindbender    

  Throw your thinking cap in the wash this week. The master of mindbenders is at Strictly Sail Chicago, but will return with a new puzzle next week.

•   Congrats to this week's winner, Wally Foster, for his solution to how to reeve a new jib halyard that runs inside the mast, through an exit six feet off the deck and through a tight sheave at the masthead.  
   
    "Here's what we do to reeve a new halyard in a mast. Go to the hardware store and get 3' of chain that is used to flush your toilet. (the chain between the handle and the plunger on the inside of your tank. Not your head!) Sew the chain to a light messenger line with sail thread making sure it's not bulky.  
      Take the first 6" of the chain and wrap a small amount of seizing wire around it being careful not to make it bulky.  
      -Make the messenger line twice the length of the mast plus 20'  
      - Someone will have to go up the mast, preferably on the spare Genoa halyard and someone will have to be on deck. Before going up the mast flake the messenger out on the deck, that way you won't have to untangle it when you get to the top of the mast. Also if you have an exit plate on the mast it must be removed. If it is riveted generally they are 3/16" rivets. Drill it out with a 3/16 cobalt bit. That way you can put a 3/16" rivet back in.  
      - When you get to the top of the mast, get comfortable you're going to be there for a while. Take the chain and guide it around the sheave. If you can't get it to go over the top of the sheave try bending the chain but not too much. The seizing wire will allow you to do this. You can help by manually turning the sheave, poking it with a thin-bladed screwdriver will also help. For some reason cussing also helps. Once the chain has gone over the top of the sheave the job is half done. Gravity will take over and the messenger will start to fall on it's own. Don't let it free fall; rather, let it go down at a slow and controlled rate. The person on the deck should have a hooky dook. This is a highly specialized tool made from a wire coat hanger and bent so that it allows you to grab the messenger inside the mast from the exit plate.  
      As the messenger is descending the chain will hit the wall of the mast. You can tell that it is getting close to the exit from the sound, you can also mark the messenger at the halfway point and that will let you know if you need a flashlight to look for the messenger. Once the messenger is retrieved the person up the mast can come down and you can now run a new halyard from the comfort of the deck.  
      TIPS:       Make sure all halyards that are not in use are pulled tight; Keep tension on the messenger at all times so it doesn't jump the sheave; If you have to leave it for a couple of days don't leave against the mast. Tie it off on the bow/ stern pulpit."  
 

 

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