WATER TAXI

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Sandy is over, a nor’easter (son of Sandy) is here, the day after the Election. The Storms punctuate the end of the forbidden season as far as insurance companies are concerned. The Hurricane season is almost over.moving. This is the season for moving boats south for the winter.

These boats are regular visitors to Newport now. My first experience was for the America’s Cup Jubilee. When 15 12 meters along with many other yachts shipped to Cowes from Newport.

It is probably less expensive to move your yacht this way. No wear and tear, no fuel, no crew, no hours on the engines.

BOAT BUILD

This time lapse image video is terrific. I have done a few, however much less ambitious. “Kiwi Spirit” a 63 foot sloop built at Lyman-Morse boatyard for Stanley Paris who would like to sail around the world single-handed.

SAY IT ISN’T SO

The East Coast is targeted once again by a strong nor’easter; already being called “Son of Sandy”, close on the heels of Hurricane Sandy and before the cleanup is even close to being finished. For some areas it will be years, and things will never again be the same as they were.

STEVE MOORE

I have posted before about Steve Moore, aka “Wonder Boy”. When I was in school at St. George’s, Steve was unbeatable. I saw him infrequently after that. And then perhaps three years ago I was invited to sail on “Laura-Ann” by Rich DuMoulin. Arriving in Block Island I discovered that the crew was made up of many old acquaintances; Steve being one of them. Someone had pasted “AARP” on the transom. This was a case of old dogs teaching new tricks.

I am saddened to hear of Steve’s passing.

EIGHT BELLS
Stephen W. Moore died in a hospice on October 22nd, 2012 – 4 days after his
66th birthday. In his junior days, Steve was the outstanding junior sailor
on Long Island Sound, winning the Clinton M. Bell Trophy three times, with
crew Peter Rugg. Thereafter, as Long Island Sound sailors know so well, he
became a top notch helmsman and navigator on boats large and small, from
his IC dinghy to many an ocean racing boat. During his sailmaking career,
Steve worked for Hard Sails, North Sails and UK.

Through the 35 years of our Carter 39 Blaze and then our Express 37 Lora
Ann, Steve was our tactician. Always grumbling at anyone within earshot,
Steve pushed us all hard. He had a great sense of humor and an uncanny
ability to write humorous songs (“du Moulin the Long Island Pervert ”
probably the most famous) and New Years Frostbite Regatta Awards (for
skulling, capsizing, getting stuck in the mud, ramming your old man, etc).

Ten years ago Steve had triple bypass the same year he was diagnosed with
diabetes. That spring he could only get around with a two-wheeled
“walker.” We invited Steve to join our house at Block Island Race Week
with the understanding he would stay ashore for festivities but not sail.

As we prepared to depart Payne’s Dock for the first race, Steve came
“rolling” down Payne’s, sat on the edge of the dock and slid aboard. He
hung the walker over the stern pulpit and proceeded to wrap himself around
the backstay daring anyone to put him ashore. He resumed his tactician
role and led Lora Ann to a class win at Race Week, with the walker hanging
over the stern. Some bright competitor placed a “Team AARP” sticker on the
transom where it still resides.

In December there will be a service at Manhasset Bay Yacht Club for Steve.

SUNDAY VISIT TO THE FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM

Nature rewarded the North East with a splendid warm sunny day today. Many leaves still on the trees despite recent events.The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT,has long been one of my favorite places. Considered the home of American Impressionism on the north bank of the Lieutenant River. We have watched it over the last 40 years evolve in a thoughtful way. Never abandoning it’s being. Henry Ward Ranger, Childe Hassam, William Chadwick, Willard Metcalf, Henry Rankin Poore, Will Howe Foote, and others were the clan that was the Old Lyme School.

The Dining room, as you can see from the photo, is covered with paintings, The group would critique each other. having contests in which the painters had to produce a painting in one hour and then be judged by their peers.The winner would paint a panel in the dining room. There remains a hearty warm charm today, I believe. If you are driving on route 95 it is not to be missed.

A GREAT SYNOPSIS OF HURRICANE SANDY

A great review of the weather forecasting and results from Dr. Jeff Masters, click : HERE. He compares the various models used in predicting the track of the storm. The results show me that it should come as no surprise that the French are so good at distance sailing. Anyone who was aboard “Tempest” for the 2005 transatlantic race will remember the remarkable precision of the weather routing from Pierre, sitting behind his computer in France.

In Newport, we were certainly spared the worst.

Unless you are without power the chaos in New York and New Jersey are hard to miss. New England was so fortunate.

MORE “HMS BOUNTY” INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN

I do not want to make a statement that might influence your judgement after watching this video. I must thank Sailing Anarchy for alerting me to it.
What I will add is that the Volvo 70 and many modern designs can sail fast enough to choose where they might wish to be in relationship to a system. A boat like the “Bounty” simply cannot sail fast enough to position itself.

THE “BOUNTY” LOST AT SEA OR WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

THIS WAS ISSUED ABOUT THE TIME THE BOUNTY LEFT NEW LONDON

Given the magnitude of the carnage left in the wake of hurricane “Sandy”. The loss of the “Bounty” will likely not get much ink. For those of us who go to sea, we are left shaking our heads in disbelief. The facts are not all in and so far the story is that the skipper left New London, Ct in route toSt. Petersburg, Florida intending to make enough easting to get around “Sandy” . He would have had to leave the Azores to starboard to leave enough room in a boat like the “Bounty.” we can only wonder what was he thinking.

I cannot say with certainty, but I would guess this boat leaked at the dock and that was fine as long as the pumps were running, which in turn depended on the engine running. She was built as a prop for one movie in 1962. She was never built for a long life. I know that Fall River, Ma heritage festival committee who owned her after Ted Turner finally could no longer keep up with the repairs and sold her.

Seamanship translates roughly into common sense. We all have an idea of what it is. Perhaps that’s the problem. What we know is always framed by what we know, not what we don’t know.

A boat like this probably worked all the time, by that I mean any loading, from the rig or simply rolling in a seaway would cause the boat to twist and the planking to move.

As I said “What was he thinking?”

FEELING LIKE THOREAU

The power is back on. I never thought I would miss electricity so much. We recently drove by Walden Pond. Thoreau’s closing words were :”I left for as good as reason as I came.” Well I like the comforts of home as we say.

Newport fared well, altogether. trees down, damage at beaches, lost electricity, but not everyone. We tried to drive around yesterday morning but the roads near any ocean views were still closed as the cleanup was in progress.

Not even all the leaves were blown off the trees. We had several hours of hurricane winds but out of the north which kept the surge from being anything like it might have been. I consider we were lucky.

2 PM UPDATE HURRICANE SANDY

Sandy is now at 940 MB. very low and therefore powerful. The tide is low, the wind strength is up, still out of the north. I now believe that the wind will still be out of the north through the next high tide, which is very good.

Trees are starting to come down. Real wind now.