Detour to History.

= Newport News.
- From Florida to Newport, R.I

- I drove 1800 Miles. This is the USA for you! It takes a notion of distances to realize how big this country is. Glad I came through in a car rather than on a Cattle Wagon. The detour involves traveling from Norfolk to Newport News. Clearly, I am drawn to the name Newport, from Nieuwport in Belgium to Newport Beach, California, and Newport, Vermont, as well as Newport Beach, CA, and so on. The list is long for a remembering sailor.

Blue Water Ship.

-I have very much neglected this Blog over the past few months.  Many things to deal with; all good though in case you are wondering. So, before I attack another subject or even complete a few of the previous threads that have left in suspend, I am jumping in with a filler prompted by the web site.  https://www.sailing anarchy.com

You have to go to the site on the Cruising Forum and scroll down to the following title:
"Aluminium centerboard 46-52 blue water cruising go anywhere".

Sailing and Foiling.

You are Sailing, I am Foiling. 

Doug Peterson RIP.

As the America's Cup today went back to New-Zealand, the Yacht Designer Doug Peterson passed away. I remember when in 1995, after the victory of the N-Z boat in San-Diego, a design team he was involved with; he told me: "Was it a licking or was it a licking". Straight forward alright, and straight forward dedication to his goal of designing some of the most "bestest" I.O.R boats of the time.

12 Metre and J Class.

                                          

- What could have been before Intrepid, the Twelve Metre Class boat, and now with the elegance of arguably the most Majestic class of Sailboats, the J's.

- With such an introduction, I might have to explain something.

Great Loop Cruiser. What do you think?

When you don't know?
Difficult choices and many questions about what is the ideal Great Loop Cruiser. I think I had the answer when I won the International Design Competition sponsored by the magazine Passagemaker and the Westlawn School for Yacht Design.
If specifically not drawn for the G.L.C, nevertheless this "Trawler" seems to me like a great candidate for a voyage taking you from salty seas to brackish deltas, to freshwater. The name is more associated with fishing the high seas rather than anything else, so maybe she can become the "Traweller".

Ron Holland! Guess what?

- Ron was in town last week. That is Ron Holland, one of the most talented yacht designers in the world. We go back something like 45 years. First, I met him at the Tower, the Carter Offshore office; a submarine observation Tower, lookout for U. Boats during WW11. At the time, Dick Carter was at the top of the rarified world of yacht design, and we always had a string of visitors and clients. - -

- Subsequently, I saw him in Sardinia during the 1973 One Ton World Championship. Where Ydra, a Carter boat, won. Let it be said that another upcoming young yacht designer, Doug Peterson, stole the show by coming in second, but would have won the event except for a navigation mistake.