Category: Sailors & Yachts

2011: “Around the Americas” Voyage Comes full Circle

It was the end of May 2010 when the 64-foot steel expedition yacht Ocean Watch set sail from Seattle on the 28,000-mile “Around the Americas” voyage–the first continuous circumnavigation of North and South American continents. One year and one week later, Captain Mark Schrader and his valiant crew returned to the Pacific Northwest when they… Continue reading 2011: “Around the Americas” Voyage Comes full Circle

Colin Archer and the Viking Tradition

How a 150-Year Old Pilot Boat Became the World’s #1 Offshore Design Pride in the Norse seafaring tradition is kept alive in the Pacific Northwest by immigrants from the Nordic countries and is visible in many forms. In Seattle for example, we have the statue of Leif Ericson, the Viking chief who led the attempt… Continue reading Colin Archer and the Viking Tradition

Scandinavian Canoe Stern Revived in the 20th Century

Colin Archer, the Westsail and More By the 1920s, the sport of yachting had seen several theories of design come and go. There was the narrow beam/long overhang style demanded by the International handicap rule, or the wildly contrasting types used by the earliest circumnavigators: Joshua Slocum’s Spray with its wide beam and shallow draft… Continue reading Scandinavian Canoe Stern Revived in the 20th Century

Around the Americas Voyage Sails the Northwest Passage

Around the Americas Crew Enjoy Portland Welcome When skipper Mark Schrader set in motion his plan to make a voyage “Around the Americas,” he knew he’d need a strong, versatile vessel built to withstand the rigors of the Arctic Circle, the Northwest Passage, and later on Cape Horn and the Chilean channels. The ambitious goal… Continue reading Around the Americas Voyage Sails the Northwest Passage

Ray DeFir–Portland Water Ski Racer and Boat Builder (1930-2011)

Ray Was First Man to Water Ski 1,000 Miles Non-Stop! Ray DeFir, an active and well-known figure in the Portland, Oregon boating scene for over 50 years, died in 2011 at the age of 81. Ray had a lifetime love of water sports and was well-known as a record-breaking water-skier, designer and builder of high-performance… Continue reading Ray DeFir–Portland Water Ski Racer and Boat Builder (1930-2011)

1996: Sailing Back In Time by Maria Coffey

Cruising the B.C. Coast with the Farrells on China Cloud  by P.M. In a literary market awash with regional memoirs and local biographies, Maria Coffey has produced a work so unique it overflows these categories. Ostensibly, it is about “yachting,” a subject which is thoroughly over-subscribed. But this book rises far beyond the typical formula… Continue reading 1996: Sailing Back In Time by Maria Coffey

2011: The Nomadic Nautical Life of Allen and Sharie Farrell

Introduction: Allen Farrell spent 69 years building over 40 wooden boats on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. With his wife Sharie, he lived for almost 50 years aboard many of their handmade vessels or homesteading on the coast, continually building wooden boats and sailing up and down North America and across the Pacific. The… Continue reading 2011: The Nomadic Nautical Life of Allen and Sharie Farrell

2013: Meeting My Vendee Globe Heroes

In March 2012, after riding along the Canal du Midi from the Med to Bordeaux, I rewarded myself with a train ride north to Brittany. But i was soon back on the bike and searching for the sailing center of Port La Foret in Brittany, the training center for the top Open 60 sailors. It… Continue reading 2013: Meeting My Vendee Globe Heroes

2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!

Huge Beam, Giant Rigs, Maxi Sprits Early in October, 2013 I took the train from London to Portsmouth, ferry to St Malo,  and cycled across Brittany via back roads and canal towpaths to see the solo Mini Transat race start in Douarnenez, near the north-western tip of France.  Another big fleet  of 84 MINI 6.5 meter (21′… Continue reading 2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!