Wilderness Adventure
Written by Robert M. LaneThe sun was in its midmorning stretch as we motored into the Gulf of Alaska, 800-some miles and a time zone away from home. The steep hills in the distance and the dots of rock and islets along the shore were bathed in a gauzy purple, violet, faded blue haze.
A couple of miles at sea, well away from the rocky coast of Chichagof Island, we turned south and let the gentle swells roll beneath the canoe stern of our 65-foot Malahide North Sea yacht. We began watching for Porcupine Rock, where we would turn toward shore for a sheltered anchorage. The sun, soaring higher and brighter, suddenly flashed through the haze to reveal forested slopes in precise and exquisite shades of green.
Where Did the Summer Go?
Written by Bill ParlatoreThe end of the season is upon us, miles and hours piled on the new boat we looked so forward to, yet somehow never quite got finished.
Growler, our 28-foot custom lobster boat, remained a simple vessel during her first season, a result of my commitment to take it slow and get a sense of things before adding systems and complexity. And as PMM progressed this year, so did my many travels, resulting in little free time to gunkhole on Chesapeake Bay and beyond. Life just got busy. Sound familiar?
Rat On board
Written by Mary UmstotAt first light on march 6, 1999, TEKA III-OUR Knight & Carver-built 52-foot passagemaker- left the dock at Golfito, Costa Rica, with four people aboard and one four-legged stowaway taking advantage of a free passage to Panama.
The next morning I noticed droppings on one of the pilothouse cushions. A search of the main cabin turned up some more droppings. First impression after a meeting of minds between us and the couple along for the Panama Canal leg-too big for a mouse! Alex, who slept in the main cabin, claimed he had heard paper crinkling during the night. Each time, he grabbed the flashlight near his bed and shined it at the counter. Nothing! After his report, a closer inspection of the bread wrapper showed a nice hole chewed in it and crumbs scattered over the counter behind it. Then hubby Denis found that one of his fish gloves on the aft deck had been chewed on as well. Okay, get out the traps!
Fire Onboard Dabur 861
Written by Moshe TzalelThe year was 1975, the ship, and Israeli Navy 65- foot Swift boat, patrolling Haifa Bay in northern Israel. Time: early afternoon hours. Sea conditions: moderate, with good visibility. We'd departed our base in Haifa an hour earlier, en route to our patrol area off Ras Nakkura.
I was chatting to a couple of shipmates in the mess, preparing to go on duty. With a crew of eight, watches were an on-off affair, with everyone alternating between a trick at the helm, as lookout, then radar observer. Being the chief, however, I headed to the engine room for a quick check before reporting to my station on the flybridge.
Stay Safe Out There
The world is changing and we're all going to have to face facts: Life in this country will be a bit more complicated for awhile. Travel in general carries more risk, real or imagined, and businesses that support that industry, especially the charter companies, find it a harder sell now. Some insist it's just a short-term thing, while those who tend toward gloom and doom feel we&rsquove fallen off a cliff. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
