popular cruising destinations

Cruising Norway – Destination Dreamin’

/ Ben Starling / 1 Comment

Howard Steen, at the Cruising Association two weeks ago, spoke about his voyages around Norway over the last 3 years. He did it in a fine craft of a Vancouver 27 called Martha Maria. The clubhouse at the Cruising Association was filled to ‘standing room only’ capacity to hear him.

Howard started sailing about 20 years ago, but since retiring bought in his own boat and has been sailing intensively solo or with friends around Norway ever since.

He has sailed from Oslo to Tromso above the Arctic Circle – and about 1000nm and 50+ sailing days per year. 


Great Reasons to visit Norway according to Howard
  • inspiring scenery – hills, mountains, glaciers
  • midnight sun, northern lights
  • 100,000+ km coast
  • types of sailing is vaired – from open ocean to archipelago to pottering in fjords and along coast
  • Norwegians are very hospitable
  • English spoken almost everywhere 
  • history and culture for example, stave churches only exist in Norway, the Viking museum in Oslo
  • multitude of empty and unspoiled harbours and anchorages
  • usually can anchor in <10m water
  • there are also busy harbours near busy cities if you want them
  • excellent transportation connections: 16 primary and 29 regional airports, ferries, trains, fast ferries, buses…
  • skiing and great system of mountain huts to stay in if you like hiking in the mountains 
  • nearly no insects!
  • …aaaaaaaand he crossed the Arctic Circle!
Sailing in Norway

  • fjord sailing depth can be >1000m deep
  • need to know your mast height accurately in Norway because there are so many bridges between the islands
  • need to use your engine a lot – only sailed about 30% of the time due to low winds
  • used SIM card and a dongle for communication
  • fuel is mostly by hose
  • they have an excellent Coast Guard
  • not allowed to discharge holding tanks within 300m of shores

Wintering in Norway

  • the water is warmed by the Gulf Stream so you can leave the boat in the water over winter
  • but you get snow on the boat so you need to cover it to protect the decks
  • you need to get permission to overwinter from Customs
  • he used a diesel heater and an electric fan heater to keep warm in the winter
  • overwintering in a small harbour afloat was 500£ (Tromso was much more expensive)

   

Harbour fees 
  • only approx 100-150 krone/day (£10-15/day or $16-24/day)
  • in a big city like Tromso they were 200-300 krone/day
    (£22-33/day or $35-53/day)
  • often harbours were free to stay in in isolated harbours 

  

Some info sources

  • weather info at http://www.yr.no
  • sea charts at http://www.kart.statkart.no
  • cruising guides from the Cruising Assocation – free!
  • RCC Pilotage – Norway Guide, edited by Judy Lomax
  • Norway Cruising Guide – ebook, by Phylis Nickel and John Harries    

We love it all! Norway’s on our list…

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin’ 
Previously:  Cape Horn And North To Alaska




Cape Horn And North To Alaska

/ Ben Starling / 1 Comment

Nick Pochin spoke last month about his voyage around Cape Horn And North To Alaska in a Discovery 55. The clubhouse at the Cruising Association as usual was packed to hear him.

I didn’t need to direct the Can Opener to take notes – he knows the drill. Legible notes scrawled on the pad he rested on my backside were double quick and with absolute precision. Well done, First Mate!

(Yeah, too bad this write up is weeks after the fact Furrball –  because somebody shredded them while playing subdue-the fake-mouse games on his sofa cushion… 

Like I said, Mate. You leave ’em on the cushion, you take yer chances…)

The Plan
In 2009, Nick said he knew of only 3 boats going this way at this time. He didn’t speak Spanish, his planned route was against the prevailing winds and current, and his boat was GRP (fibreglass) which many advised him against using for this project. Sounded like a challenge and fun to him ( to us too!), so he sat down and planned his voyage in detail.

He selected a crew with a mix of useful professional skills, that would get along well with each other. He bought a Sat phone, provisions, insurance and tools. He did extensive research with his reading list…

The Reading List
He read an astonishing number of books (many from the Cruising Association library), including: 

  • Brazil And Beyond, by Annie Hill 
  • World Cruising Routes, by Jimmy Cornell
  • RCC Pilot, by Andrew O’Grady
  • The Ice Master, by Jennifer Nibe
  • A Voyage for Madmen, by Peter Nichols
  • Rounding the Horn, by David Slavitt


The Route

  • UK
  • Madiera
  • Canaries
  • Cape Verde
  • Brazil
  • Falklands
  • around Cape Horn
  • Beagle Channel
  • Magellan Straits
  • Peru
  • Galapagos
  • Acupulco
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco
  • Vancouver  
  • Alaska! 

The Highlights

  • scuba diving
  • most officials very friendly – though not all that speedy. 
    • (One aid to speeding up processes is to have a Swiss crewmate on board if say, the spouse of the local quarantine officer is also Swiss. Somehow paperwork seems to melt away…)
  • spectacular waterfalls
  • beautiful easy weather window to get around Cape Horn!
  • minke whales
  • sea lions
  • dreaded kelp
  • williwaws   
  • Falkland Islands have 486,000 sheep and 1500 people
  • spectacular scenery  
  • …aaaaaaaand they passed a Vendée Challenge boat on the way!

We are mighty respectful of Nick’s achievement. Does Captain Cat want to go to such a cold and inhospitable place? I think not. At least, not unless it‘s summer…

Would you consider such a grueling voyage? What ever would possess you to do so?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Destination Dreamin’ 
Previously:  Bora Bora
Next: Cruising in Norway

Bora Bora – Destination Dreamin’

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment
Jon Boon, speaking at the Cruising Association a few weeks ago, described his recent adventures in the Pacific Islands, most notably in Bora Bora. (Yes, the Can Opener has been tardy in writing up our lecture notes…   

Oy Furrball! I’ve spent the last two weeks jigsawing all those ripped up lecture note bits back together that you shredded in some wild-abandon pretend-mouse chase-game you had on your cushion. You should be praising my persistence!  

You should not be leaving your lecture notes on my cushion, my friend… However, your point regarding persistence bears some merit. I will consider it… later.)


…I was mightily impressed with Jon’s lecture, in particular his descriptions of the fish – even sharks – that might be caught there. I can taste the mahi mahi now!


How Jon got there
He did a deal with Sun Sail charter company at the Southampton Boat Show and came away with a big smile on his face. Don’t accept the first offer, says Jon. Bargain with ’em.

Jon rounded up enough family and friends (7 people in total on a Jeanneau 34) which was enough to make the charter cost quite reasonable.

 
How much was it?
  • Flight from UK via LA to Pacific Islands: £1329/person
  • Charter cost for 14 days: £467/person  
  • Plus food.
  • (This contrasts with the cost of the overwater bungalows (like the ones in the picture above) that cost £9000/week/person)
They carried 14 lbs of food (dry goods) each in their luggage to keep costs down. 

The supermarkets on the islands are well stocked with tasty treats as there are still lots of French expats there left over from the nuclear testing, he said. You can even buy a whole sheep in the freezer if you need one. 

But the food is very expensive… and it’s imported anyway. Might as well import it yourself.

Jon also joined the Cruising Association which gave him free access to pilot books and information… but no map. The CA is quite good for maps in Europe and nearby areas, but they are less well-stocked for regions on the other side of the earth.


Notes on the weather and conditions
  • Nov – Apr is rainy season
  • prevailing easterly wind of 15-20kn – associated with choppy conditions
  • west-going equatorial current of 1kn
  • 18 inch tides at Springs

  • you can anchor in 10-20ft of water
  • line of sight navigation between islands – easy day sails
  • the islands are ringed by reefs and there are no reef markers so it makes navigation challenging
  • channel markers are coloured by Region A standards   

Great Reasons to visit Bora Bora
  • clear water
  • unique and friendly culture
  • amazing sunsets!
  • dolphins!
  • horse riding tours along the beach
  • beautiful temples (Fare) to see
  • glorious forests to explore – you can follow rivers in your dinghy deep into them
  • …aaaaaaaand the famous Bernard Moitessier spent ages in the Pacific Islands and Bora Bora. Wrote some pretty good books about his adventures there too.


We are persuaded! Bora Bora’s on our list…


–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Antarctica – Destination Dreamin

/ Ben Starling / 1 Comment
Photo by: Rita Willaert

I spruced the Can Opener up and dragged him down to the Red Tabby Yacht Club last week – for the first evening lecture of the (off-)season!

Steve Powell presented the Falkland Island-Antarctica-Chilean Channel segment (5 months) of his three-year round the world tour. He purpose built Uhuru, an Oyster 62, for the journey.

Wow! (Did we mention – WOW!!?!!?) His photos were spectacular! Both Steve and his brother are pro photographers and – Great Bastet! – does that ever make a difference! 

After posting here, I am off to troll the internet for photo courses to order the Can Opener to take.

Steve’s team
For the Antarctica leg, Steve was accompanied by his buddy Alastair, his photographer brother, an ice guide/climber/diver and a 23 year old First Mate. Steve himself, despite growing up in Lymington, England had only been sailing for a few years before setting out on this journey of a lifetime. 

It was an interesting choice of teammates and ‘fit’ is extremely important to consider when you are planning to be out of contact and miiiiiiiiiiles from anywhere for long periods of time. Steve said they went 6 months once with only 1 day spent sleeping off the boat. It was a team that seemed to get along very well indeed with similar goals and aspirations.

The team did seem, however, to be a little light on the sailing-experience side. Steve said that in the toughest storms only he and the First Mate could handle the steering and that only he and the First Mate ever left the cockpit. The rest of the team really did not seem to have much sailing experience. I would have expected an engineer, a doctor and maybe an IT crewmate to have been included in the mix. 

Steve, however, chose to train himself in extreme wilderness and medical emergency training and to choose a crew that was very fit in the first place. And this worked out well for him. The worst medical crisis that happened in 3 years was that he had to hand out painkiller for hangovers. Also his boat was designed to have backups for every system you could possibly think of on board.

Steve’s boat – redundancy is good
Steve was very involved in the design and build of his ship, insisting on redundancy for every possible system on board.  

People usually choose a steel boat for Antarctic voyages, but Steve preferred fibreglass as more suitable for the overall journey he had planned. Apparently the materials specialist he consulted said that if you hit an iceberg – no matter what you are made of – you sink. It’s just that steel boats sink more slowly. So Steve went with fibreglass.

And instead he added two autopilots to Uhuru, two heating systems, two intake systems, 3 anchors (2 spade, I danforth), redundant halyards and lines, 2 sets of all safety gear: life rafts, grab bags, communication systems… etc etc.


The Route
They went from Falkland Isalnds to Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica (Thunder Bay, Point Lockroy), past Cape Horn, back up through the Chilean Channels (4 weeks, 600 nm), Magellan Straits, and then back to the Falklands.


Why did he do it?
At first, Steve just wanted a challenge… and sailing around the world seemed like a good one. Then it seemed like everyone was doing this. 

But not too many people voyage down to Antarctica. So that’s what he did.


Highlights of the Antarctic leg

  • icebergs and growlers – provided 1000 year old ice cubes for their evening G&Ts
  • volcanoes
  • williwaws
  • wildlife: penguins galore, seals, whales, dolphins, endless birds…
  • fresh fish, crabs, scallops for dinners
  • Force 10-11 storms and 30 foot seas on the way back to the Falklands – he found that heaving-to is the perfect antidote
  • but usually quiet, beauty, amazing contrasts and absolute peace…

  
Any damage to the boat?
Yep. Birds pecked the buttons off his autopilot and there were scratches from growlers on the bow. Other than that… no.

Would Steve do it again?
Now that he’s already done it once? 

Uh… Nope. 

That challenge is done. In fact, Steve’s not sure he’s even going to keep his focus on sailing. …But if he did do it again, he do it in a steel-hulled boat. And it would be an Oyster.

Steve’s focusing now on looking for the next big challenge. We’re looking forward to seeing what he’s up to next…

Photo by: Rita Willaert

Got any fantasy dream-of-a-lifetime journeys in mind? Where would you go?

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Previously: Grenada – Destination Dreamin’
Next: Bora Bora 

Destination Dreamin’ – Grenada

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment
Photo by: nicobilou
Sharon Bernstein, speaking at the Cruising Association’s recent Blue Water Seminar, described all the advantages of including Grenada on your next passage to the Caribbean. 
Of course I ordered the Can Opener to write all this information down – double-time quick and with absolute precision. Grenadian fish are legendary! It’s definitely on our long term horizon…


Great Reasons to visit Grenada
best known for
  • diving: the highest density of scuba-interesting wrecks – it’s the dive capital of the Eastern Caribbean with more than 50 dive sites
  • spices: one of the five top producers of nutmeg in the world
  • excellence: has the highest number of Olympic medals per capita after the 2012 London Games (it’s population is only 109,000… and they are very proud of men’s 400 meter sprint runner, Kirani James!)

history

  • beautiful petroglyphs
  • historical forts
  • picturesque St George’s, the capital city, with Georgian architecture (of course!), old forts overlooking the city and a spice market
  • rum factories!
festivals and landmarks
  • carnivals
  • yachting regattas – especially at the end of January
  • ecotours
  • romance: they are about to launch an ‘underwater marriage ceremony’ option!
  • it has the world’s largest underwater sculpture park (?!?!!)

…aaaaaaaand they produce vegan chocolate – that does NOT melt on boats without refridgeration!!


We love it all! Grenada’s on our list…
–Captain Cat 
(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Italy – Destination Dreamin’

/ Ben Starling / Leave a comment

 
Destination Dreamin’ of Italy

This particular Destination Dreamin’ is dedicated to our most adoring and loyal fan, Giorgio, who has sent in such enthusiastic compliments.   

We hold our supreme-ness to be self-evident – but it always makes the Captain’s day when someone else notices aloud.

Good fans deserve treats too. I’ve got a tin of Bastet’s Best Smoked Herrings sitting riiiight here beside me with Giorgio’s name on it.
 
(–No, no. The fish treats are for me. But I’ll think of Giorgio as I eat them...)

–Captain Cat


(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin’
Next: Malta – Destination Dreamin’
Previously: Sardinia – Destination Dreamin’