Better late than never!

Texas fisherman found sitting on capsized boat after a week missing: "Coast Guard officials say the men survived because they stuck with the boat after it capsized. They also rationed bubble gum and crackers and used a hose to suck fresh water out of a tank used to rinse fish."

Sailing and singing

Sailing and singing: "Now, I own a sailboat. It is a bit of a trial getting around the lake, let alone across an ocean or three. There is no way I could have managed that at 17, like Zac and Mike. And at 13, Laura's age, I was still sleeping with my bedroom door open.

But, still, way cool. And I bet each of their dads doesn’t feel the least bit diminished by it."

Sailing therapy for mental health

Sailing therapy for mental health: "An alternative way of treating young people with mental health problems is to be launched in Cornwall.

Sea Sanctuary, a charity based in Falmouth, will offer placements on a 43ft (13m) yacht.

Sessions led by mental health professionals are aimed at helping young people address their illness and gain sailing qualifications."

Bahamas Officially Bans Harvesting Marine Turtles

DivePhotoGuide.com -: "Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species inhabit the Bahamas. Prior to the decision to ban all turtle harvesting, which will take effect on Tuesday, September 1, 2009, it was perfectly legal to kill all but one species, the hawksbill."

Catalina Island - Little Harbor Campground

Camping the backside: "Located on the Pacific side of Catalina Island, Little Harbor campground can quickly become your own small piece of paradise. With 23 campsites situated a stone's throw from the calming and secluded Pacific Ocean it is no wonder why Sunset magazine rated Little Harbor campground 'One of the Best Campgrounds in the West'"

Be careful when cleaning your boat

Be careful when cleaning your boat: "It doesn’t matter the size of the boat. They are an investment and for some people, a very big investment.

You do almost daily upkeep and maintenance on your home for both pride and to maximize its value for a potential sale at some point in the future. You should do the same with your boat in order to maximize what you can get for it when you’re ready to sell it.

What many boaters don’t realize is that many products you use in and around the home can actually do damage to your boat when you think you’re cleaning it up. The biggest victims are fiberglass boats."

Baby Boobies

Halekai sailing the world: "A sign on the top of the grassy ridge proclaimed the island and surrounding reef a World Heritage site, and gave directions for counting turtle tracks, but we didn't see any. We did see lots of nesting boobies, some black on top and white on bottom, and some just the reverse, and some fluffy babies. Then we snorkeled around the coral just off the beach. Back aboard, it was so nice to be able to cook without having to hang on, take a hot shower and have a good night's rest, to the sound of waves breaking along the reef."

Cruising Annapolis

America's sailing capita: "ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Even without the 40-foot sailboats, Maryland's state capital would be a stunner.

Settled in the late 1600s, this Colonial seaport town boasts some of the country's prettiest historic 18th-century buildings. All four of Maryland's signers of the Declaration of Independence built homes here, including William Paca, whose beautifully restored Georgian mansion - designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 - features the only two-acre pleasure garden of its kind in the country."

Teen sailor plans 'bigger and better' trip

Teen sailor plans 'bigger and better' trip - Telegraph: "A Guinness World Records representative was also on hand to present him with a certificate recognising his remarkable achievement, which came two years after Mike became the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic, at the age of 14."

36 Hours in Juneau, Alaska

36 Hours in Juneau, Alaska - NYTimes.com: "RESIDENTS of Juneau brag that their town is the most beautiful capital city in America, and they have a strong argument. Juneau is inside the Tongass National Forest, part of the world’s largest temperate rain forest. Old-growth groves and glaciers lie within the municipal limits, snow-capped mountains loom overhead, and whales and other marine wildlife are a short boat ride away. But despite Juneau’s overall utilitarian vibe, there’s more to the town’s appeal than natural beauty. Gold Rush-era buildings, art galleries, quality regional theater and fresh seafood make for pleasant companions to Juneau’s stunning surroundings."

Cross Off a Childhood Fantasy?

Crew Aboard an America's Cup Yacht: "With up to 20 yachts and crews coming from across the USA and France, and crews from Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the 12 Metre Worlds are promising to conjure up memories of Newport's America's Cup days.

The 17th crew position comes as part of every 12 Metre Worlds sponsorship package."

California Beaches Blog

A 750-pound Mako shark is turned into 350 pounds of solid meat, enough to fill a bathtub. Then the filets are taken by Kent and other volunteers to parks in Orange County and barbequed by Calvary Chapel WestGrove folks to feed hundreds of people

New Circumnavigation record!

17-year-old British youth sails around the world: "Mike Perham grabbed the record Thursday after sailing 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers) to cross the finish line off the coast of Cornwall, in southern England, after a mere nine months.

Perham is a few months younger than Zac Sunderland, from Thousand Oaks, California, who claimed the youngest solo crown in July when he completed a similar trip in 13 months"

Marine Lab Shows Promise of Sustainability

The Cornell Daily Sun: "About seven miles off the coast of the Maine and New Hampshire border lies Shoals Marine Laboratory, a model for sustainable living. From wind and solar power to on-island composting, SML harnesses Appledore Island’s limited resources with maximum efficiency.

Operated jointly by Cornell University and The University of New Hampshire, SML offers students a wide array of courses and internships in marine biology, ecology and sustainability, with choices expanding each summer."

Worlds First Hybrid Ski Boat?

Epic Boats | 23E -
You can wakesurf for 3 hours on batteries without ever burning a drop fuel!

Launch of historic Norwegian boat

Pacific Fishermen Shipyard : "Pacific Fishermen Shipyard was established by Norwegian-American fishermen in 1946. What better place to have the 150-year-old vessel restored. 'This boat was built by Norwegians and restored by Norwegians whose grandfathers fished in the waters of Norway,' said Dixon minutes after calling the launch a success."

Fishing boat runs aground on Coast Guard base

Hail Mary! |: "KODIAK, Alaska -- An Alaska fishing boat, actually named the "Hail Mary" ran into trouble but found an opportune place to do so.

The 42-foot Hail Mary ran aground on the shore of the nation's largest Coast Guard base in Kodiak."

Gunkholing

YachtPals.com: "The ideal boat for gunkholing is the boat you have, and a boat of nearly any size will work. Paddlers (canoeists and kayakers) also use the term, except they're looking for places to camp, as are those on open sailboats and beach cats, or skiffs, dinghies, rafts, etc. You can go gunkholing in a big, blue water cruiser more places than you can in a weekender, perhaps, but sometimes that weekender will fit in anchorages the cruiser won't (or won't risk). So, in some areas, the smaller (or shallower draft) your boat, the more you have available."

About 20 dead dolphins appear on Uruguay beach

The Associated Press: About 20 dead dolphins appear on Uruguay beach: "MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — An environmental group says about 20 dead Fraser's dolphins have turned up on a beach in Uruguay.

Richard Tessore of SOS-Marine Life Rescue says it isn't clear why the tropical dolphins died in the colder waters off South America's southern Atlantic coast, but some experts theorize they became disoriented or were carried there by changing water currents"

Is thirteen too young to sail solo around the world?

Is thirteen too young to sail solo around the world? "13 year old Laura Dekker spent Monday in court asking judges, Dutch education and child protection officials to allow her to start sailing her boat Guppy around the world starting September 1. 'My parents always knew it was a dream of mine to do this. And I want to do it while I'm still young, so I can break the record,' she said. Judges are scheduled to rule on the case Wednesday."

Fountain Files Chapter 11

N.C. boat firm seeks bankruptcy protection "Until recently, boat-building had been seen as a growth industry in North Carolina. In the middle of this decade, 28 boat manufacturers started in the state or moved here, in large part to take advantage of workers' expertise in furniture manufacturing. Also, costs are lower here than in Florida or other rival states. However, the boat market is cyclical, and the recession has depressed demand for boats."

Boat ramp etiquette 101

Boat ramp etiquette 101 | SeacoastOnline.com: "If you come from a boating family then you should know the rules.

One, you always load your boat with food, water skis, tubes, fishing gear, safety items, drinks, ice, rope, and all other items you deem necessary at the loading area or in the parking lot before you back onto the ramp. The ramp is not the place to finally take everything out of your truck and put it in the boat. Plus, you unhook the trailer tie-down straps, put your transom plug in and unhook the hook that holds your winch strap to the bow."

Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Another Social Knowledge site of interest to boaters.

Cruisers & Sailing Forums:
Members: 24,771
Threads: 23,886
Posts: 296,270

Take Me Fishing | About RBFF

Take Me Fishing | About RBFF: "The Take Me Fishing campaign is about capturing the excitement and the memories associated with boating and fishing. Through this campaign, RBFF utilizes a comprehensive approach to reach boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels in order to help increase participation in boating and fishing and fulfill our mission. The campaign not only creates awareness, but also encourages anglers and boaters to take a step toward participation in a measurable way, like never before."

ScubaBoard

ScubaBoard: "Welcome to ScubaBoard, an online scuba diving forum community where you can join over 100,000 divers from around the world discussing all things related to Scuba Diving."

Women make waves in sailboat racing.

WOW!: "About 150 women gathered last weekend for the sixth annual Women on the Water (WOW) event on Lake St. Clair, which included a combination of sailing clinics and racing."

Agents test out new 75 mph interceptor boats

Customs and Border Patrol on 75 mph boats: "BELLINGHAM, Wash. - At first the engines gently purr. Then the driver opens up the throttle. Within a couple seconds, we're zipping along at more than 70 miles an hour.

Impressed?"

The Beagle Project Blog: The new Beagle: a flagship for science in a new age of sail

The Beagle Project Blog: The new Beagle: a flagship for science in a new age of sail: "‘Science in the age of sail’ came to a gradual end between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, as sails were first combined with and ultimately replaced by coal-fired steam and then diesel engines—an irony considering that the historic specimens collected on such voyages would ultimately be seen as useful to establish pre-industrial baselines for climate change research."

Sailing to Colombia

Sailing to Colombia: "Remember that scene in Romancing the Stone where Michael Douglas says, 'Cartagena? Angel, you are hell and gone from Cartagena'? You probably said to yourself 'I want to walk around Colombia with a bad outfit and a machete saying things like that.' Well don't, because that wouldn't end well, but you can do the second best thing and keep the dream alive by sailing to Cartagena on a private sailboat. You'll probably be just as lost for the most part, but for roughly $300-400 you and a few other intrepid travelers can ease your way between Central and South America alongside the Darien Gap. You'll have an unforgettable voyage and plenty of down time to come up with your own quotes as you wonder if you'll ever get to Cartagena."

SeaKnots

SeaKnots: "The social network for cruisers. Sharing your adventures, pictures, videos and blogs with other cruisers is only a click away."

Crusing the Greek Isles: Cyclades itineraries

Cyclades itineraries: "A group of islands lying in the middle of the Aegean Sea that form an imaginary circle around the island of Delos. The Cyclades are distinguished worldwide for their rough elemental landscape, white washed houses and windmills, narrow paths full of flowers, brilliant blue sea and most recently their never ending nightlife."

MotorBoating

MotorBoating: "The first thing we figured out was, due to hurricane seasons that restrict cruising times in some parts of the world, we needed at least two full years to achieve our goal. That was a problem because we'd only planned to be gone one year. We could make our budget stretch to two, but no more. Early on, we discussed doing the trip on a sailboat. But because sailboats in the size range we were comfortable handling only average 4 to 4.5 knots (course made good), we realized we would spend about 45 percent of our time at sea, which wasn't appealing. Our goal was to see as much land as possible, not sit on the ocean. Plus, the more we learned about sailing, the less attractive it became. Sailing, it seems to us, is complex, has many limitations and can be stressful and even downright dangerous in bad seas."

Rule 53

Rule 53: "The America’s Cup has always been a source of technology break-thrus that trickle down into the sport. Let’s hope this isn’t one of them."

Ask About Sailing in New York - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

Ask About Sailing in New York - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com: "This week, Bob Roistacher, the chairman of the New York City Community Sailing Association — which offers affordable sailing lessons, racing, cruising and day sailing — responded to readers’ questions about sailing in New York harbor."

Living it up at Lake Anna | Charlottesville Daily Progress

Living it up at Lake Anna: "The pier plays host to the University of Virginia’s sailing and wakeboard teams. On summer weekends, the pier’s developer shows movies on a large, portable screen for mariners who anchor their boats and listen to the sound on their onboard FM receivers."

Up for sails?

Up for sails?: "When I think about the sport of sailing, I imagine tanned, toned, wealthy people lounging around in the sun. However, I’ve learnt that while there is some lounging when the seas are calm, it can get pretty exhausting when the wind is blowing.

Whether in dinghies or dhows, sailors have to control a boat with large fabric sails by adjusting the rigging, rudder and dagger (or centre board). This is like kung fu with wind as your opponent. You use the energy and force of the wind to get where you want to go. Sailing requires knowledge not just about sailboats and how to use them, but about wind and sea conditions."

Really Stupid Boat Names

Link "A few weeks ago, I asked for submissions for the Stupidest Boat Names and I was not disappointed. These are beauties. Thank You!"

Considering a prop change?

"If you are considering a change or upgrade from your stock propeller, the following information should be helpful."

Buying a Sailboat: Boat Buyer Guide & Sailing Basics

Sailors are passionate about their time on the water – buoyed by a sense of empowerment as the wind fills the sails and the boat glides peacefully through the water. Sailing is a green activity, is wind powered, and is fulfilling for anyone at any age. This is the lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about – to share with family and friends close to home or in magnificent cruising grounds around the world. Whether you’re interested in day sailing, cruising, competitive racing, or charter vacations, there is a sailboat for you and a lifetime of sailing adventures ahead."

Coast Guard consolidates VHF monitoring in Anchorage

To better serve the boating community, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage is scheduled to move its VHF radio monitoring operations from Valdez to the Sector command center in Anchorage Saturday.

Now Available For Charter: Rupert Murdoch's Sailboat

If you're planning ahead, you may want to take note that you can now rent Murdoch's 'aluminum masterpiece' by the week. It's not cheap—it will run you €220,000, or $310,000, a week.

Homeless Men in Poland Dream of an Odyssey at Sea

"The idea to build a ship first came to Father Paleczny while he was hospitalized with tuberculosis three years ago. After talking with a sailor bunking beside him, Father Paleczny contacted the author of a shipbuilding book in September 2006 and asked if he would donate plans for the homeless men to build a boat."