By admin | April 13, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
Really nice review of Wind Predictor iPhone app here at News from the Bow.
By admin | April 13, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
S
ince March I have been pretty busy on Messing About. Here is what I have done so far:
- Bottom sanded and painted
- Hull compounded and polished
- Deck and cockpit scrubbed
- Rail, stanchions, pulpit and pushpit polished
- Topside teak cleaned and sealed
- Saloon/cabin cleaned and oiled wood with lemon oil
- Stained and sealed the cabin sole
- Prepped the portapotty
- Installed cam-cleat for the Cunningham
- Installed new vang eye on mast
- Unblocked sink and fridge drain (VICTORY!)
- Winches cleaned and greased
- Installed hooks and brackets for docking lines and boat hook in lazarette
- Re-bedded halyard clutch
- Had the outboard bracket replaced
- Bought a whisker pole for the genoa
- Charged and installed batteries
- Touched up a couple of spots with epoxy
- Emptied and sorted out the lazarette
- Bought new better sail ties for the main and rolled-up headsail
Hopefully the outboard will be fixed this week. It needed one of the carbs replacing. My last job is to get the boat to the lift at the club, step the mast and replace the win indicator. I went up the mast but could not fix it that way.
So I am almost ready to launch. Once I am in, I have a few minor jobs to do (install a self-steering line thingy and putz around down below with a pot of glue, sticking laminates back on)
The thing that has been bugging me the last few weeks is how late we launch in the Northeast. The weather has been pretty nice in the last month or so (OK with the exception of a big storm). In the UK people go out their way to get the boats in by Easter and sail over the Easter hols. In the Northeast where the weather is better we go in a month later. Makes no sense to me.
By admin | April 13, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
By admin | April 13, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
The Tideway Rollingstone (IMO: 7814101, Port of Registry: Flushing, The Netherlands) is a stone dumping vessel, built in 1979 as the semi-submersible heavy transport vessel “Super Servant 1” at the Oshima yard in
Japan for the former owner Wijsmuller Transport. She was converted into her current form in 1992 at IJsselwerf, Capelle a/d IJssel, The Netherlands. The Tideway Rollingstone is 139 meters long, 32 meters wide and has an operational speed of 12 to 14 knots. She can operate in water depths up to 300 meters. The ship has two large stone storage areas with a total storage capacity of 13,000 tons. Between these two storages a pipe storage and assembly tower was placed, which suspends the
fall pipe through which the stones are dumped. The vessel has a stone dumping capacity of 700 tons per hour.
The Tideway Rollingstone arrived this morning at the quay of DFDS Tor Line at the Maasvlakte, Rotterdam after finishing a job laying foundation piles for a windfarm off the coast of Barrow-In-Furness.
By admin | April 12, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
The Hadi (IMO: 9362073, Port of Registry: Limassol, Cyprus) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) of 333.2 meters long, 60 meters wide and a maximum draught of 22.5 meters. The Hadi was built at Hyundai Heavy Industries and delivered in 2007 to her owners National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). She has been registered under the Cyprus flag for ease of international operations and to allow stakeholders maximum security over the asset. The vessel was the first of a series of 17 double-hull tankers - 13 VLCCs and four suezmaxes - which NITC had on order at four of the leading shipyards in Korea. The Hadi had been involved in an attempt to hijack the vessel in June 2009 off the coast of the Gulf of Aden. The vessel succeeded in fleeing from the attackers by taking evasive manoeuvres and firing parachute flares.
The Hadi arrived this morning at the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal carrying a load of crude oil from Khark Island, Iran. She will stay unloading for about 30 hours.
By admin | April 12, 2010
Submitted by Sail Southern California - Sailing Blog
By the time you get to 60 days out from your sailing vacation, all plans should be hard and fast. If you have followed along on this planning schedule, the last weeks before departure can be used wisely instead of frantically. Most charter companies require full payment 30-60 days before the start date. So I ask my crew to pay their second half 30 days before the operator requires it.
Provisioning is the last piece of the planning puzzle. Popular destinations, like the BVI, offer yacht provisioning services. There, you can place a custom order for the foodstuffs your group wants or use prepacks many charter companies offer as concierge provisioning services. When I go to the BVI, I know exactly what is going to happen from a food standpoint and have 95% of everything we will need for the week delivered. But when traveling to a new destination I don’t know exactly how many meals will happen on board. If you are trying to economize you should definitely plan to eat the majority of your dinners on board. My usual habit is to have breakfasts on board and nearly all lunches but have dinner ashore as much as possible. Whatever circumstances you have, create and stick to a list. Solicit your crew for favorites and required items they want included . I estimate the cost of the initial provision and split it evenly amongst all the crew. If at all possible at least have your heavy things like drinking water and other beverages delivered. Everywhere you go is different. On our upcoming trip to Italy we anticipate markets, street vendors and fishermen.
I can’t tell you how important it is to travel light. Hardshell suitcases are a no-no on boats as storage space is at a premium. Nearly everywhere we have been was casual, so clothing is based more on comfort than style. I know I’m going to buy a shirt or two, so I take less. I actually pack a couple weeks before I go and then unpack a day or two before, reduce and repack. Whatever works for you. Essentials for me include an inverter, chargers for my cameras, vhf radio, handheld chartplotter and a headlamp.
I spend the majority of my planning time in the final weeks scouring the web for other people’s stories, looking for anchoring tips and contingency plans. About a month out I begin to track the weather pattern to get a guesstimate of what hand we will be dealt. A week long trip will probably deal you two hands while a two week could produce upwards of 4 different periods of weather. We certainly have no control over the weather. We just have to go at an opportune time of year and be prepared for several ways things might go down.
It’s good to have everyone’s cell phone number and travel plans in case things go wrong. I like to have a printed itinerary with names and numbers of any and all stops, overnights and transportation modes all kept chronologically in one folder and if you have followed my recommendations in padding the trip with extra time you have done everything you can to mitigate the delays and cancellations that sometimes come with travel.
The Aeolian Island of Vulcano; first stop on the Captains Cruise Flotilla in May 2010
Finally, when you arrive at your charter base you will be asked to post a damage deposit and pay for incidentals such as local fees and taxes. Make sure you know how this is handled ahead of time so you are not taken by surprise. Now you are just left to alert your credit card company that you are traveling and make sure your home base needs are covered in your absence.
Sailing vacations provide the right mix of relaxation and excitement with an excellent dose of bonding and teamwork. It also brings you closer to the people and the culture of the places you visit. One word of caution though…once you have had a successful sailing vacation it is very hard to go back to a land based one!
Read the whole series ::: Part 1 ::: Part 2 ::: Part 3
By admin | April 6, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
Today was bright blue sky and sun but very windy. Gusts of up to 70 knots were recorded on the ship. We didn’t let it stop us however and we climbed up past gull lake and up to Orca, Hodges and then onto the Petrels. All the summits afforded amazing views down to the whaling statino and King Edward Point and the bay.
Tired after a long day of walking but still had the energy to go aboard a 30 foot yacht which has done one winter down here and plans on doing another. The owner and his wife have lived aboard for 30 years cruising around the world. It was a cozy little boat built in the 50’s. Anyways I am off for a long sleep.
We leave at 8am for Bird Island to see if we can do relief. What an amazing place south georgia is..
By admin | April 5, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
So instead of hunting for yummy chocolate eggs in the grass we were on the look out for baby fur seals in the tussock grass. You don’t want to end up getting bitten by one as the bites are nasty and full of bacteria that requires IV antibiotics etc.
A group of us set out at 6am for a run to Myviken (spelling) which is a beautiful little bay. It was a stunning morning however, the run didn’t go that well in that I had to keep on stopping to take pictures!
Back for a quick breakfast before we set out again to go up Mt Hodges but then the weather came in so with wind and snow we decided to spend time in the museum. The museum is in the house that the whaling station manager lived in. It is a well run place with lots of interesting information. The weather continued to be a bit miserable so we headed for the King Penguin colony about 3km around the bay on the beach. Again it took a long time to get around as there were so many great photo ops!
Now time to go off for a BBQ which will be typically British in that it will continue to rain/snow but everyone will have a great time! Pinch me am I really getting paid for this!
By admin | April 1, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
The CMA CGM Thalassa (IMO: 9356294, Port of Registry: Limassol, Cyprus) is a 346 meters long, 43 meters wide containership built at the end of 2008 and delivered to the ship-operator on 30th December 2008 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Ltd, South Korea. She is one of the largest ships in this sector of maritime transport with her deadweight of over 130,000 tons and a teu capacity of 10,960. The vessel is propelled by a Man B&W 12K98ME-C engine delivering 72,264 kW, which is enough for the vessel to reach maximum speed of 24.7 knots.
The is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the ECT Delta Terminal from Hamburg and will have an expected portstay of about 36 hours.
Click here for the current position of the CMA CGM Thalassa
By admin | April 1, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
 Photo by: Max |
Today’s SotD is a well-known vessel in the port of Rotterdam. The three masted schooner Eendracht (IMO: 8814275, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is used to get anyone, especially young people, acquainted with the adventure of sailing at sea. The vessel was built in 1989 by Damen Shipyards, Gorinchem, is 59 metres long, 12 metres wide, has a maximum sail area of 1,206 m2 and a mast height of 41.7 metres. The vessel has a crew of 13 and a passenger capacity of 40 for trips of more than one day. She has 15 two-person cabins, 6 four-person cabins and one single person cabin.
The Eendracht will return this afternoon to her homeport Rotterdam after 6 months travelling. During this voyage the vessel visited several ports in the Caribbean, such as Surinam and Trinidad & Tobago. After three weeks at sea the vessel will berth this afternoon at the Holland Amerikakade. More info can be found at the website of the Eendracht. |
Click here for the current position of the Eendracht
By admin | April 1, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
The Xin Shanghai (IMO: 9307231, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of the largest containervessels currently sailing with her length of 336.7 metres, width of 45.6 metres and a maximum draught of 15 metres. She can carry a maximum of 18 rows of containers by eight tiers on the weather deck and 16 rows by 10 tiers in the holds which gives the vessel a total capacity of 9,600 teu. The ship is propelled by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6 engine, with a power of 68,520 kW. During sea trials the ship achieved a ballast service speed of 25.4 knots. The CSCL Pusan and Xin Los Angeles are her sistervessels.
The Xin Shanghai is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the port of Rotterdam with the last port of call at Hamburg. She will take berth at the ECT Delta terminal, Rotterdam and will depart with destination Zeebrugge within 36 to 48 hours. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.
Click here for the current position of the Xin Shanghai
By admin | April 1, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
Just a little more to do tomorrow at Signy as the ice in the night slowed us down so we didn’t get here until 11am. Most of the cargo is aboard and the station compliment of 5 are staying ashore tonight and will come aboard with their personal stuff tomorrow.
It was a gray wind wet day today but fun to get ashore and look around the station. It is pretty small and it is a summer only base. They do a lot of penguin science and some moss/lichen. We got to see something pretty similar to grass.
The station is surrounded by elephant seals and they pretty much stink the place out. There are about 20,000 fur seals on the island as well all running around the place – a lot were juveniles.
So back aboard now after moving lots of cargo and time to eat dinner and maybe watch a movie.
Tomorrow we will move on towards King Edward Point which is the BAS station at South Georgia where relief is set to take two days.
By admin | April 1, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
Atlantis at sail, 1904, originally uploaded by amphalon.
By admin | March 30, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
By admin | March 30, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
Last night we loaded cargo and people on at Jubany in the south shetland islands and are now 20 hours away from Signy on the south orkney islands. Jubany is one of the three stations in Antarctica that has a dive chamber so last night I was talking to one of the scientists about the diving there. They do pretty limited diving this season collecting sediment cores from 30m. The station was a large collection of small red buildings with a large rock outcrop (a very miny table mountain) behind. Off to the left was a patch that was slightly green – maybe grass?
Only 4 FIDS got to go ashore to help with cargo. The rest of us watched as they launched the small tiller steered Humber and the large landing craft. The snow had stopped so we did have a good view of the station and it was a lot less windy then our stop at Deception Island.
The wind is behind us now as we rock and roll towards Signy at 12.5 knots. I must go off to the gym to work off all the amazing food that gets laid in front of us everyday onboard. I will be on Gash on thursday.
By admin | March 30, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
The Xin Shanghai (IMO: 9307231, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of the largest containervessels currently sailing with her length of 336.7 metres, width of 45.6 metres and a maximum draught of 15 metres. She can carry a maximum of 18 rows of containers by eight tiers on the weather deck and 16 rows by 10 tiers in the holds which gives the vessel a total capacity of 9,600 teu. The ship is propelled by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6 engine, with a power of 68,520 kW. During sea trials the ship achieved a ballast service speed of 25.4 knots. The CSCL Pusan and Xin Los Angeles are her sistervessels.
The Xin Shanghai is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the port of Rotterdam with the last port of call at Hamburg. She will take berth at the ECT Delta terminal, Rotterdam and will depart with destination Zeebrugge within 36 to 48 hours. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.
Click here for the current position of the Xin Shanghai
By admin | March 29, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
We continue North on the Shack. Unfortunately the visiblity was really poor on the way up the Peninsula so we missed all the amazing views. The Lemaire Channel was a white out as was Port Lockroy. Shame but as I said to everyone at least we hadn’t paid a lot for a cruise and seen nothing! This morning at 7am we were in Whalers Cove at Deception Island. The plan was to launch the small boats and go for a look around the derelict British Base that was closed after the eruption in 1967. Followed by a swim in the cove where the volcanoe vents heat up the water. Unfortunately it was blowing 50 knots when we went through Neptunes Bellows into the caldera. So after a slow cruise around seeing the Spanish and Argentine Bases which are still used as summer only we headed back out to sea for a 6 hour passage to Jubany.
We are loading on people and cargo at Jubany (German base) this afternoon/night. Then we will move on to South Georgia and the British base of KEP which is where BAS have offered me a job starting in December for a year.
By admin | March 29, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
The first AUDI MELGES 32 Series in LERICI ITA
Photo: Guido Trombetta/STUDIO Borlenghi
By admin | March 29, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
Alpina Surfover St. Moritz CH
End of the Sky season in Engadine
Photo: Carlo Borlenghi
By admin | March 29, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
Very high clew jib, originally uploaded by LBena.
By admin | March 29, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
I’m On A Boat!.
I’m On A Boat!
By admin | March 24, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
Today we have the anchor-handling tug Taurus (IMO: 9344978, Port of Registry: St. John’s, Antigua & Barbuda) featuring as the Ship of the Day. The Taurus is 58 metres long, about 15 metres wide and has a gross tonnage of 1767. The vessel’s two MAN B&W 14V32/40 engines deliver a maximum output of 14,000 kW at 750 rpm, which ensures a bollard pull of 207 tons and a maximum speed of 16 knots. Furthermore the vessel is equipped with two 400 KW bowthrusters and one 400 KW sternthruster. She provides accomodation to 21 persons in 16 cabins. The Taurus was built in 2007 at Mützelfeldt Yard, Cuxhaven and is owned by Harms Offshore, Hamburg, Germany.
The Taurus arrived this morning at the Parkkade, Rotterdam.
By admin | March 24, 2010
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
This is a picture of the salt water freezing on Cheshire. Pretty cold here at the moment -23C wind chill. As it is blowing 36 from the south.
By admin | March 24, 2010
Submitted by Messing About in Sailboats Blog
Got this email today. Responses in the comments section please:
I live in Chicago, IL on lake Michigan. Any suggestions where I could try sailing a moth near Chicago?
Any help would be appreciated.
George
By admin | March 23, 2010
Submitted by Ship of the Day
Today Ship of the Day is the recently delivered very large crude carrier (VLCC) Setagawa (IMO: 9391763, Port of Registry: Tokyo). The Setagawa has an overall length of 333 meters, is 60 meters wide and has a maximum draught of 20.5 meters. These dimensions give the vessel a maximum cargo capacity of 349,750 m3. The vessel was delivered in december 2009 by IHI Marine Shipyard, Japan to her owner Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha. She is managed by K Line ship management.
The Setagawa arrived this morning at Rotterdam carrying a load of gasoil and is currently located at the Calandkanaal. She will stay in port Rotterdam for almost one week.
