We’ve finally figured out how to make some of our photos available as screen savers. There is a test collection now available.

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I am interested in knowing about the navigational software the Dashews use? With such a broad mix of cruising locations I am curious if they use one particular piece of software or a combination of several. I think I recall Steve mentioning in the past that he was using Coastal Explorer but I haven’t seen anything mentioned lately.

My second question relates to the blog itself and the photography they post. The system they use to post to their website seems to allow a nice mix of text as well as the flexibility to post varying degrees of picture quality. They seem to be able to post high resolution slideshows which is a very pleasant change. They are in such wonderful, and at times, remote places it is exceedingly enjoyable to be able to see such exceptionally high quality photography. Is there particular blogging software they use which allows this? It seems that most do not have the ability to post the high res photography.

Thanks,

George Laycock

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A higher res version of this slide show is here.

Sea trials for the second FPB 64, Sarah-Sarah, are coming along. She now has 25 hours on her engine and she will shortly be ready to turn over to her new owners. So far the punch list is short. We thought a few photos might be of interest.

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Cape Saint Vincent marks the eastward turn in the coast  of Portugal. It also signifies warmer weather, long white beaches, and tourism (just check the advertisements in the travel section of your Sunday newspaper). Given our predilection for cool and quiet we were not sure if this left turn was right for us.

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Avatar and crew are now happily basking in the Southern Hemisphere winter warmth of Vila in the island nation of Vanuatu. We sent her skipper, Rod Bradley, a list  of questions about the passage which we was kind enough to answer. Rod’s comments provide an interesting look at how the first of the FPB 64 series performs on an ocean passage. Follow Carol and Mike Parker’s adventures with Avatar on their website by clicking here.

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It is getting warmer and our awnings are becoming more important. With the boat head to wind at anchor, and five knots or more of wind, inside temperature during the day is around 82F/28C. Without the awnings things are significantly warmer! Ideally you detail the deck with awnings in mind during the design phase. Our goals are as follows:

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Steve,
The Bayfield 32 I recently bought has old Mariner furling units on both the head sail and the stay sail. These allow easy (relatively) changes of sail configuration as they allow hanked-on sails. I know that you had used and recommended these units in the past and I was wondering if you still had praise for them? What if any trade-offs am I making if I keep them? It seems to me that they might have issues as stay tension is increased. They seem to work, but as I’m a new sailor and this is my first sailboat, I have nothing to compare them to. Thanks

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Here is an unusual but significant reason to use an oversized anchor. We’ve been anchoring in tidal estuaries with lots of reversing current. When we picked up the hook to move yesterday it came up with the chain wrapped three times around the stock. That means under load the pull on the anchor was not as designed, reducing the holding power. But this anchor is so much larger than suggested that it still has plenty of muscle.

Clearing a foul like this is not difficult. Here are the steps we used:

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If you are just joining us, and are looking at the FPB64 Avatar Final Trial photos for the first time, we suggest you take these blogs in order. You will find at the end of each blog a link to our high res photo server which will allow you to view these remarkable photos full screen.

Links for the three articles, in order, are below.

Part one is here.

Part two will be found here.

Part three is here.

For the associated slide shows, with versions of the photos that will play full screen, see the links below.

Part one slide show is here.

Part two slide show is here.

Part three slide show is here.

Since launching we’ve had master aerial photographer Ivor Wilkins on standby for the right conditions to shoot the first FPB 64. The day before Avatar was due to depart for Vila in Vanuatu the appropriate wind and sea state arrived. The photos which follow (with a link at the end to high res versions) were taken in post severe depression conditions.

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Cruising in this part of the world means you will often be rafting or docking stern to both with neighbors on both sides. This requires lots of fenders. Read the rest »

While the first set of Final Trial photos represented the worst of the conditions, in the real world, even in gale force winds, you don’t encounter an unending succession of such seas. This next set of photos, taken during the same shoot, represent more of a norm. We’ll start with downwind, since that is clearly the most fun.

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We’ve now received a few selected images from Ivor Wilkins in high resolution (the source files are 60mb each!), so we are able to crop in really tight and dissect what is going on. We’ll start with this shot and look at the bow and stern a little closer (if you are just joining us there are two preceding blogs which should be read first. At the end of each is a link to a slide show that will allow you to study these photos full screen).

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Steve,

Just thought I would drop you a note of thanks. Followed your websites for years, read many of your publications, including Surviving the Storm.

I don’t remember where, but you wrote something to the effect of: “I spent too much time accumulating the wealth I thought was necessary… go sooner, with less.”

Of all the compelling advice you have, that’s the line that’s ringing in my ears as I hand off our growing business, sell our home and take our 7, 9 and 11 year olds aboard for an indefinite period.

Thank you.

Peter & Lisa
s/v Day Dreamer

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A lovely photo taken by Ed Firth of Circa, showing what every owner, builder, and designer looks forward to – launch day. This is Sarah-Sarah, the second FPB 64, destined shortly for a trip from New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest, on her own bottom of course.

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[slidepress gallery=’sesimbra-sunday’]

Yesterday we realized by this time last year we’d been to Svalbard, touched 80 degrees north, and were on our way back to Tromso, Norway. So we determined to set out on an adventure to see if our anchor still worked after a week of marina living, while checking out a quaint Portuguese fishing village we’d heard about at the same time.

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A few odds and ends to share. We call this the Raven seat. During sea trials  on the FPB 64, Avatar, a legacy from the Owner’s previous yacht was put to good use. When we found something similar in the local Jumbo supermarket we determined to test it on Wind Horse. It worked so well we now have two, and at ten Euros each we can dispose of these when they get nasty looking.

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We have had zero problems with our Frigoboat sealed compressors, three of which are in use with our two freezers and one fridge. But after five years the fridge had lost a touch of refrigerant and was running more than normal. We carry 134A and a charging system for this eventuality, but in the process of adding refrigerant we allowed air into the system. The result was a frozen evaporator system requiring a vacuum pump. This was at 1400 on a Friday afternoon in Spain. What do you think of the odds?

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We had  heard all sorts of comments about  Portugal and its inhabitants. They were said to be morose, unapproachable, difficult with which to interact. This is definitely not the situation. From the moment you first meet the Marina Cascais crew, and are given a welcome bottle of Portuguese wine, to the last cab driver, we have found the locals to be friendly, eager to help and after a period of introduction, as interested in us as we are in them.

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We were walking back from the train station to the marina (this area has wonderful public transport) and noticed MoonBeam lV off in the distance leaving the harbor. By the time we were back aboard she was well offshore, but a 400mm lens and a shooting position on the radar platform brought her into detail.

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Now here is a treat for you. You are looking at the beautifully restored 1915 gaff cutter MoonBeam lV. She is a Wliiam Fife design of roughly 100 feet (30m). In this photo she is heading to the fuel dock. Last night,when she came in,  it was blowing 30 knots down the very narrow marina channel and the crew had to make a right angle turn to get into the slip nearby. You have to be both good and oblivious to the results of mistakes when handling such a lovely large old timer in windy and crowded conditions.

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We’ve just had a lovely run down the coast from Vigo, Spain to Cascais, Portugal. Twenty one and a half hours for 240 NM at reduced revs, with some great surfing thrown in. But the most important aspect of the trip was  reminder of why we design as we do. The photos which follow were taken on an average day with the “Portuguese Trades” blowing, courtesy of the Azores high. The wind is in the 25 knot range, not that strong, yet combine its waves with swells from a force eight gale nine hundred miles away and it is enough to generate waves which essentially bury a very large trawler from our view standing on the deck of Wind Horse.

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One of the great pleasures in cruising is observing wildlife, both exotic as in polar bears and whales, and common, like the various types of gulls. Seagulls are amazing flying machines and very adept soaring pilots. Not the most aesthetic of birds at rest, they are exquisite in flight, reminiscent of the high performance gliders we have flown.

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Part of the cruising experience is occasionally renting a car, getting off the boat, and visiting the countryside. If you are in Galacia at the top of the list is a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, one of the three most visited sites in Christendom. For us, this was more about the journey through some of the interior, and people watching, than visiting a shrine, although the latter has its allure as well. We are hesitant to write this up as pure travelblogs are boring to us, but this one is hard to resist.

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We are always interested in the local commercial boats. Design wise, there are often lessons to be learned. The Galacian Rias have an ongoing commercial fishery, with small craft and large. The punt design above seems to be common for local fishing.

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Astute readers of this blog will no doubt have noted by now the absence of the rust stain on Wind Horse’s aft starboard quarter. The rust stain was a continuing nuisance, courtesy of a not so “stainless” steel smokestack on  our Kabola diesel heater (now replaced in non-staining aluminum). The rust stain removal took a half an hour.

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The Ria de Vigo is a study in contrasts, and a reminder to us of what makes cruising in the more developed world interesting. Take the lead photo, of Baiona, Spain (that’s the Galacian spelling, the Spanish spell it Bayonna). The enormous fort in the background dates to the 11th century. The red tiled roof to the right is the Montereal Club de Yates, a three time challenger for the America’s cup, contained within the fort complex.

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