In a dinghy at night, carry a light

Have you ever been stopped by the coastguard for failing to show a light while in you dinghy at night. Well it just happened to a friend of mine and he wasn’t too happy to be handed a fine. Having almost smashed into a couple of dinghies that were running through the lagoon without lights, I can tell you it’s a hell of a shock. And over the years, several people have been killed on the lagoon because someone wasn’t showing a light. I had this discussion with another friend of mine, a very experienced captain, and he suggested we take a look at what the regulations call for. So, for my piece of mind as well as yours, here they are. A vessel under oars or paddles of less than 7 meters / 23.0 ft must have an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which can be shown in sufficient time to prevent collision. Now this is where it gets interesting. A power-driven vessel of less than 7 meters or 23.0 ft with a maximum speed of less than 7 knots may display only an all-round white light. However, if practical, these should also show sidelights. Now, the way I read it is that a small dinghy with an outboard must show an all-round white light. What is unclear is what lights you need if your small dinghy and outboard is capable of speeds above 7 knots, and that would include a small inflatable with a 15 horsepower outboard. Does the speed lift you into the next category, which is a power-driven vessel of between 7 and 12 meters and if it does, then should you display an all-round white light and sidelights?

St. Maarten! What if they held a Charter Boat Show and nobody came?

Although you might not know it, as there has been little local rah rah rah this year, the MYBA St. Maarten Charter Show opens its doors on Friday. According to the MYBA website, 28 yachts are taking part and that’s down from the 38 that attended last year. The Concourse de Chef will again be a highlight along with the Taste of St. Maarten and the Yacht Hop. With high bridge and mooring fees still plaguing yachts entering St. Maarten, and the Charter Boat Show in Antigua cranking-up on the 7th, it will be interesting to see just how much support the SXM show receives this year. A poor turnout and bad press could sound the death knell for an event that started out with such fanfare and promise. There’s no doubt that the marine industry benefits from this show, and right now they need all the support they can get. But what about the local population, what would they think if the Exhibition should fold? Well, frankly Scarlet, they don’t give a damn, and that’s a shame. Poor local PR is worse than no PR and MYBA have only themselves to blame for that. The MYBA Charter Yacht Show runs from December 4 - 7

Cup boats fear winds that ten year old in optimist would treat with contempt!

From the announcements made every week, one would surmise that the America’s Cup will take place. But what kind of race will it be, I dread to think. On November 11th the Société Nautique de Genève, in their role as defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, published the Notice of Race that will govern the event. And this calls for the first race to take place in Valencia, Spain on Monday February 8th, 2010. Less than ten weeks away. When I read that, I got all excited, but then I read some more. Included in the notice of race is this amazing piece of nonsense … the races won’t start if the wind exceeds fifteen knots or the waves are more than one meter high. And they say they have done this to ensure the safety of competitors, officials and spectators. All the millions they have spent on developing two of the most advanced sailboats the world has ever seen and they won’t race in winds that a ten year old in an optimist dinghy would treat with contempt. What have they done to the America’s Cup?

What a load of Bull!

Now that disgraced investor Bernard Madoff has been thrown in jail, the authorities are selling of his assets. The latest to go are his three yachts which fell under the auctioneer’s hammer on Monday. The yacht’s, a 55 foot-1969 Rybovich Sport Fisher, a 38 foot-2003 Shelter Island Runabout, and 23 foot- Maverick Boat Co. 2400 Center Console, all have the word bull in their name: There’s Bull, Little Bull, and Sitting Bull. Strangely there’s no Bull Shit, perhaps he’s saving that for when and if he ever gets out. The auctioneers were waiting to see if Madoff’s notoriety would add to the price and push the bids to a higher level.

Hey skip, chuck another shrimp on the barbie!

Who do you think invented BBQ? Well according to the St Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition it was the Arawak Indians of the 17th century. Hard to imagine isn’t it all those Arawaks sitting around drinking beer and saying chuck another shrimp on the Barbie. Anyway, barbecue is the theme of this year’s Concourse de Chef Competition at the charter boat show in December. Competing chefs will be asked to use any fish, shell fish, land based protean, vegetable or fruit found in the Caribbean Basin. This will be a two lunch format, main course and desert. Registration is now open and limited to twenty chefs. You should be able to download the registration form from www.mybacaribbeanshow.com or contact the administrators on 599 544 2436. The exhibition ruins from December 4th to the 7th.

America's Cup... yaaawn ....

Well it had to happen, the New York Supreme Court have ruled that the Société Nautique de Genève cannot hold the America's Cup in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates. The SNG, the yacht club representing Cup Defender Alinghi, had announced the emirate as the venue several months ago. But its challenger, BMW/Oracle, objected in court. Unfortunately for the Swiss syndicate, whose lawyers, I suspect, are now looking for another job, they had already shipped their boat to the emirate. Pretty cocky that. In her ruling, Justice Shirley Kornreich said that the February 2010 event must take place in a venue in the Southern Hemisphere as per the competition's governing document, the famous Deed of Gift, or in Valencia, Spain, where the last America's Cup was held. The Golden Gate Yacht Club, which represents challengers BMW/Oracle, was said to be pleased with the ruling. All the money they have spent arguing, and now they’re back looking at Valencia as a venue. It’s more like a bad soap opera than a yacht race.

SMYC News: Yacht Racing back with a vengeance

November sees the start of the St. Maarten Yacht Club Keelboat Racing Season and the club has come up with a whole new idea. Points will be awarded for yachts that take part in races throughout the season and these include the French side Course de L’Alliance, Captain Oliver’s Regatta, the Anguilla Regatta and the Statia/Nevis Race. There are 13 races and a total of 14 points up for grabs. The season will end with the presentation of perpetual trophies for spinnaker and non-spinnaker classes at the St. Maarten Yacht Club on Saturday July 24th next year. The first of the races is around the cans and that’s on Sunday the 22nd of November and it’s followed the week after by the Course de L’Alliance. People have fought hard to bring yacht racing back to the SMYC and this series deserves everyone's full support. I’ll be talking to someone about how and why this 13 race series came about on YachtBlast next week, in the mean time if you want more details then email info@smyc.com or log on to http://www.smyc.com

Thieves are at it again!

Outboards are the target of thieves operating around St. Maarten’s Simpson Bay Lagoon. Having been shown a heavy stainless steel chain that has been cut by an even heavier set of bolt cutters, and an all but severed stainless steel lock, one of the strongest that money can buy, then I suggest dinghy operators take care. Having been the target of thieves in the past, I know the horrible feeling of finding what you have worked so hard for has been taken by a lowlife. I was sad when I found my self-tailing winches were gone and even sadder when I realized that the sextant and dividers that have accompanied me across so many oceans are now in the hands of someone who probably doesn’t even know what they are. And to think that for years, and on just about every island’s in the Caribbean, we never closed our boat!

On Sea-anchors, Bridges and Chunks of Missing Concrete

Mention of sea-anchors on Sunday’s show drew quite a response on Twitter, and I was delighted to learn that some yachts still carry them. Like life-rafts, sea-anchors are something you hope to never use but, unlike life rafts, too many sea-anchors find themselves shuffled to the bottom of the lazarette, only to be found by the boat’s new owner and either chucked out or sold at the next nautical flea market. The old canvas sea anchors were a bitch to stow, set, and retrieve but the latest sea-anchors or series-drogues are much more user friendly. I would love to hear from anyone who has used a sea-anchor in anger. Please leave your comments below.

St. Maarten’s Simpson’s Bay Bridge has snagged another! I went out of the bridge this morning and noticed a massive chunk of concrete has been knocked off the starboard support. Worse, the wooden fenders attached to the steel pilings on the final approach to the bridge have all disappeared leaving a series of naked steel lugs ready to gouge the topsides of the next vessel that misjudges wind or tide. The lugs will do more than scratch your topsides; they will peel them open like a can of sardines. Mariners beware!

Comments about YachtBlast Sailing Show

Island 92s sailing/maritime show broadcasts from St. Maarten, the Yachting Capitol of the Caribbean. The show is heard by listeners in St. Maarten/St. Martin, Anguilla, Statia, Saber and St.Barts and worldwide via the internet. YachtBlast is also available as a weekly podcast from Itunes or you can download it by following the instructions on www.yachtblast.com If you would like to comment on the show or its contents then please do. The sea is such an amazing subject and the people who work and sail the oceans are a joy to know, although I don't always agree with what they do or say. Your comments will probably be read out on the show, so mean what you say and have at it. Cheers, Gary.

Where have you hidden the Bilge Pump!

Three men were rescued from the overturned hull of their sports fishing boat last week after being adrift for eight days in the Gulf of Mexico. The coastguard searched for the men for seven days, covering an are of 86,000 square miles before calling off the search. Fortunately the men were spotted the very next day by a yacht and plucked to safety. Talking to the press about the ordeal, one of the fishermen said he woke to find the beanbag he was sleeping on was afloat and a few minutes later the boat capsized. He said the accident was caused by a water extractor malfunction...
Fancy going to sea without a bilge pump!

Sailor Ted RIP

Senator Ted Kennedy passed away on Wednesday. A couple of years ago, I was sailing off the Kennedy compound up there in Cap Cod. I was with a friend on his 18 foot day boat when we came across Ted and his wife sailing their lovely little traditional dingy. The winds were very light and Ted sailed right along side us. He shouted, "Good morning, beautiful day isn’t it," and then he tacked away. There was just him and his wife enjoying the water with no security insight. I came away with lovely memories of that day. May Ted rest in piece.

Old farts, young sailors, and those all important records.

Light winds in the north Atlantic have delayed 17 year-old Mike Perham's bid to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Now this is quite an achievement for Perham although he made many stops along the way on what was originally meant to be a nonstop circumnavigation. Perham had all sorts of problems, which had to be solved by his farther and a parade of technicians who seemed to turn up at every port. The lad also lost some credibility when he reportedly turned off his boat tracking device as he sailed through the Caribbean, because he was worried about pirates. Yes, it’s still a marvelous achievement by one so young but, if three teenage girls get there way the young Englishman will soon look like a pussy. The first is 16 year old Australian Jessica Watson. She plans to sail unaided and nonstop east about via the great Capes. Jessica will tackle the 22,000 mile voyage in a 34-foot production sloop and, according to her website; she’s leaving in mid September. Then there’s 15 year old Abigail Sunderland. She’s the sister of 17 year old Zac Sunderland. Zac recently sailed into Marina Del Ray in Los Angeles to become the youngest person to circumnavigate. Abigail says she wants to go one better than her brother and circumnavigate nonstop. Now her family is looking for a sponsor willing to dump 350,000 dollars into the pot to finance her adventure. Also throwing her hat into the ring is Dutch 13-year old Laura Dekker. Her parents say she is ready to sail nonstop around the world. However, civil servants in her home town say no way, and have refused to give her permission to be absent from school. It’s beginning to sound like reality TV isn’t it. The Sailing Anarchy website has taken up this story and reports that the ‘Unborn Sailor Association’ has announced their new effort to break the record. They say an unborn fetus named 'Baby Ernesto', will attempt to sail around the world nonstop and unassisted, to become the youngest sailor ever to do so. “They want young, we'll give 'em young,” says Sailing Anarchy. Given the fact that it’s hard to be younger than an unborn, we feel confident that this record will truly stand the test of time.
I support youngsters who want to sail nonstop around the world. But hey, do it right. If you say you are going nonstop, then make sure you prepare the boat properly on the understanding that once out there your parents are not going to get you out of the s**t. If you succeed, great, until some parent sanctions another record attempt by someone even younger who dies along the way and brings the efforts of all young sailors into disrepute.

Hurricanes. One near miss and now a monster is on the way

Hurricanes are the price we pay for all our Caribbean Sunshine, but sunshine is no consolation to anyone sitting in the path of an approaching cyclone. Experiencing such weather on land is bad enough. Facing the same while at anchor is worse. Going through a hurricane while at sea doesn’t event bear thinking about. Yet, when we experience a hurricane in St. Maarten, usually all three scenarios play out. I’ve been to a remembrance service for sailors who thought they could outrun a hurricane. When hurricane Luis devastated St. Maarten in 1995, people came out the other side knowing what they did right and what they did wrong. Some 1200 boats were sunk or tossed ashore during Luis; it was a sight to see. Most of the sailors who went through Luis have left the islands, and few people remember how it was. This has taken us back to 1995. Now I hear sailors talk about how they once anchored in 60 knots of wind and they aint scared of no storm! They’re the ones who leave their roller furling headsails attached, kick out two anchors on string, and parade around the bars with a rum bottle in one hand and their boat insurance policy in the other. God bless them. Here’s a few links that might help you track the storms: http://www.weathercarib.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane
http://www.crownweather.com/?page_id=29

Storms on horizon as St. Maarten Simpson Bay Bridge closes for repairs

With the tropics heating up and storms on the horizon, mariners should take note! Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation hereby announces that as of Monday, August 17 the Simpson Bay Bridge will be close to maritime traffic for a two-week period to facilitate additional repair work. Boat owners and captains therefore must decide whether they will leave their vessel in the lagoon or in the bay. The last bridge openings will be on Sunday, August 16 for inbound and outbound vessels.

Hurricane updates make me smile.

The weather gurus at Colorado state university have again looked into their crystal ball and rattled the chicken bones and come up with a new prediction for the hurricane season. Not bad now that were half way through it. The scientists, in their wisdom, have downgraded the forecast and now say we can expect ten tropical storms, four of which will become hurricanes. Of those four, they say two will reach major status, that’s category three or more. I shouldn’t knock the prediction because even if they’re only half right it’s better than their December prediction which said we could expect 14 tropical storms and seven hurricanes. The last time I poked fun at the hurricane forecasters I got into trouble, and some one called to say I didn’t take hurricanes seriously enough. Having ridden out hurricane Louis while at anchor and experienced many hurricanes since, believe me I take them very seriously in deed.

America's Cup likened to rabid dog

Let's stick our head into the circus tent of the America’s cup and see what the clowns are up to. The Society Nautique de Geneve, who represents America’s Cup Defender Alinghy, now says the competition will be held in the United Arab Emirates. Of course, rival team BMW Oracle have said have said screw you, or words to that effect, and it looks like the whole thing will now go back to the courts where has been for the last two years. Can you imaging how much money the lawyers are making from all this. Last week I received a tweet from on of our listeners who said the America's cup should just be put down like the rabid dog it has become. What do you think of the America’s Cup? I’ve posted this item on the blog for your comments. Is the America’s Cup beyond hope? Let me know and I'll read out your comments on the show.

Fastnet 2009

Three hundred boats are expected to start the Fastnet Race on Sunday. This is the 30th anniversary of the disastrous race of 1979 when 15 sailors lost their lives in a severe storm. A service will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Cowes on the Isle of Wight in remembrance of those who lost their lives. While we remember those who died, we should also remember the brave people of the rescue services, in the air and at sea, who put their own lives at risk by going out into the storm. The rescue services are often forgotten in the media hype.

Island Water World new E-commerce Super Store

Island Water World - You Click We Ship. (Not a bad logo and I wish I’d thought of it!) With the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association spreading woe over outrageous bridge and mooring fees, it’s nice to see someone with a smile on their face. In an exclusive interview with OceanMedia, Sean Kennelly, Managing Director of Island Water World Caribbean Chandlers based in St. Maarten, was happy indeed as he described how his company’s E-commerce Marine Superstore went live at the weekend. Having navigated through the new site, I think it’s fair to say that in today’s point and click world, it will change the way sailors shop for parts and accessories in the Caribbean. At last something to smile about! To hear the interview, tune in to YachtBlast at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

What the f**k was that (or trimaran to port)!

What an amazing feat! Pascal Bidegorry and Banque Populaire V and Frank Cammas and Groupama 3 scream across the Atlantic in a race against each other and the clock. At stake is Cammas’s record from the Ambrose Light off New York to Lizard Point off England’s south coast. Cammas broke his own record, but Bidegorry set a new record by covering the 2900 mile course in a knee-trembling 3 days 15 hours 25 minutes and 48 second. Yes you read that right, an Atlantic crossing in less than 88 hours. Not only did B P 5 set a new Atlantic time, she also covered amazing 907 miles in 24-hours. Now spare a thought for the old freighter watch keeper on the bridge. His ship is steaming at 22 knots to the west when ahead, on the horizon, a sail pops up. Knowing that small sailboats usually truck along at around 5 knots, he goes to the back of the bridge to pour himself a cup of coffee. Cream and sugar and what the f**K was that? A closing speed of 62 knots is what. Watch keepers beware!

St. Maarten Bridge Closures

We approach the height of the hurricane season with news that the two bridges into St. Maarten's the Simpson Bay lagoon will be closed for maritime traffic some time in the next couple of months. The Simpson Bay Bridge will close for two weeks in mid August and the French bridge will close in September for repairs. If you are cruising the northern Antilles then keep an eye on the weather. Turning up at the entrance to the Simpson Bay Lagoon seeking shelter only to find your bridge of choice is closed for repairs could spoil your day. Mariners should also note that the Dutch Side Bridge will not open once the wind reaches a certain strength, again leaving you nowhere to go. It's happened before with terrible consequences.