January-February 2014

by SOLVIG SAYRE If you want to start racing windsurfers, you have an advantage being a dinghy sailor. Racing dinghies and Techno-293s are almost the same on paper. We have the same governing bodies, rules (with a few exceptions), courses, and basic tactics. As a sailor, you know what sail position does, and because of the Techno-293’s mast track, the mast can be moved easily during a race. The biggest difference is probably the technique of working…

by Hannah Jenner & Rob Windsor Editor’s note: On December 11, Team 11th Hour Racing – Hannah Jenner of Shropshire, England and Rob Windsor of Centerport, NY – finished the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre. A doublehanded race for MOD70 and Multi 50 multihulls and IMOCA 60 and Class40 monohulls, the Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) has a rhumbline course distance of 5,400 miles from La Havre, France to Itajai, Brazil. After a forestay failure forced them to return…

Pettit Marine Paint has launched the latest product in their ablative Hydrocoat lineup, Hydrocoat Eco, which is already shattering the perceptions of what an antifouling paint can be. Hydrocoat Eco incorporates Pettit’s exclusive self-polishing, water-based, ablative technology with an organic biocide, Econea. Hydrocoat Eco can be applied with a brush, roller or spray, and cleanup is done with soap and water. The self-polishing paint film wears away with use, eliminating paint build up and the need for sanding. Hydrocoat…

It is a good time for all those who stand a watch and wait for the return of those that went to sea to think about being the “safety officer” before they go – because spring is just ahead!

Mack Boring Moves to New Bedford Diesel Workshop for Women is March 15 & 16 Mack Boring & Parts Co., one of the nation’s largest distributors of marine and industrial diesel engines, marine transmissions and related powertrain products, has opened a new diesel sales and service facility in New Bedford, MA. As home to the largest commercial fishing fleet on the East Coast and convenient to a large number of industrial and recreational marine dealers, the New Bedford location…

Whether you’re preparing for a distance race or a family cruise, completing a safety at sea seminar is probably the best investment you can make.

Light on a clipper In the article “Tall Ships on Canvas” [July 2013], author J. Russell Jinishian mentions that the clipper St. Mary ran into a British ship, Magellan. The Magellan belonged to Hemenway Browne of Boston (now Wessel, Duval & Co.) and was built in 1873 at the East Boston Shipyards. It was great to see the painting of the St. Mary and know the ship that was involved in the collision. We have been looking for…

by Martin van Breems The Dutchman Flaking System was born out of my frustration with lazy jacks, which catch the mainsail as it’s raised and lowered, cause chafe, and make it harder to properly flake. Since 1986, we have built Dutchman Systems in Norwalk CT, with over 15,000 systems on boats from 20 to 90 feet. The Dutchman allows the sail to neatly flake to either side, without the sharp creases or folds forced in by lazy jacks, which harm modern sail fabrics. Although a little…

by Cynthia Goss This winter, summer becomes a destination when the Providence Boat Show draws exhibitors from throughout New England to re-create a Northeast boater’s favorite season inside the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. The show will be held January 31 to February 2 and will feature boats, gear and equipment, seminars, and plenty of inspiration from experts. Now in its 21st year, the Providence Boat Show was purchased by the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association…

New England Ropes’ STS Stronger than Steel Technology is based on a very precisely controlled process that utilizes the ideal balance of uniform tensioning, uniform heating, and minimized rope rotation from start to finish in order to balance fiber lengths within a rope’s cross section. This process essentially presets the rope, resulting in the maximization of strength, the minimization of constructional elastic elongation, and a longer overall service life for the rope. With STS, sailors have the option to use a…