Linus Wilson's Blog, page 22
January 13, 2018
⛵️CAT or MONO? PROs & Cons of Cruising Sailboat Types with Gary Fretz
What are the pros and cons of catamarans versus monohulls? As more and more cruisers such as the crews of Sailing Zatara, Sailing La Vagabonde, and Tula’s Endless Summer are switching from monohull sailboats to catamarans, we drill down on the trade offs of each design with a Olympic class sailor of fifty years, yacht broker Gary Fretz, who has owned many monos and cats and sold hundreds of more. Besides more space, Catamarans won’t heel. This creates many benefits, but also some risks.
Gary Fretz is the
Yachts International, Founder and CEO
Licensed and Bonded Yacht and Ship Broker (since 1989)
Member: International Yacht Brokers Association
LargeCatamaransForSale.com
BigYachts {at} gmail [dot] com
Castle Harbor Boating School, Inc. (Owner)
America’s Oldest Sailing School (since 1949)
Yacht Charters/Boating School/Club/Rentals
CastleHarbor.com and Castle Harbor Boating School.com
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music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, 2018
January 10, 2018
Analysis: Hawaii Sailors’ GPS Track Does NOT Prove “we were no-where near Tahiti” as asserted by Jennifer Appel on the Today Show
by Linus Wilson
The GPS track that Jennifer Appel told the Today Show would prove they never were near Tahiti had less than 48 hours of tracks right before they were rescued by the US Navy. Former Today Show host Matt Lauer questioned the skipper who said they were at sea for over five months before being rescued on October 25, 2017. Mr. Lauer asked about their boat being hailed by the Coast Guard on June 15, 2017, within a day of Tahiti. Ms. Appel waved her GPSMAP Garmin 76cx in front of Mr. Lauer in the video below at about 2:58 and said, “I have no idea, but Garmin makes a great product. This is one of the GPS’s on the Sea–our Sea Nymph–and it shows we were no-where near Tahiti.”
She gave the Garmin GPSMAP unit to Alan Block after her in-person interview on his Sailing Anarchy Podcast. Slow Boat Sailing spoke to Mr. Block over the phone prior to his interview with Ms. Appel. Slow Boat Sailing encouraged Mr. Block to look at her GPS tracks prior to his 8-hour interview with Mr. Appel and her crew member Tasha Fuiava in a Today Show-paid-for hotel in Long Island, New York. He posted a link to the GPX file on January 9, 2018, over a month after the interview, which Slow Boat Sailing has analyzed below.
[image error]
Of course, the track does not go back to June 15, 2017, when the “Sea Nymph” responded to a VHF hail by a USCG plane near Tahiti. Thus, this is just another fib Ms. Appel has been caught in on national TV. Ms. Appel’s accounts of giant sharks and a force 11 storm among other things have been questioned in many news outlets. For a summary, watch our video below:
Slow Boat Sailing obtained Ms. Appel’s reported positions to the USCG in her survivor debrief. There was a large gap of reported positions to where the boat speed slowed to about 1 knot sailing downwind in the trades.
[image error]
The 48 hours of GPS track shows the Sea Nymph drifting slowly west (downwind) from points 1 to 2. From points 2 to 3, they sail less than one knot north, possibly to intercept the Taiwanese fishing vessel. This slow speed is in line with the very slow speeds the SV Sea Nymph skipper reported to the US Coast Guard in her survivor debrief Ms. Appel was interviewed in October. A boat with any sails up should have made better than one knot downwind in the opinion of Slow Boat Sailing. Thus, her reported speeds were more consistent with a sailboat “adrift” contrary to Ms. Appel’s assertions on her GoFundMe page. An other explanation for the slow speeds from June 26, 2017, until their tow on October 24, 2017, was that the SV Sea Nymph visited an island on the way, but Ms. Appel has always denied that too.
From point 3 to 4, the speed averages 4.5 knots upwind. That is well below the SV Sea Nymph’s 7.6 knot maximum hull speed. This is could be when the Sea Nymph was towed. This seems to dispute speculation by Slow Boat Sailing and others that perhaps the distress Ms. Appel and Ms. Fuiava felt was from a too fast tow. Motoring upwind in a mild to moderate ocean swell is definitely less comfortable than sailing or drifting downwind at a slow speed. By their accounts, Ms. Appel and Ms. Fuiava had been sailing downwind for 120 days at that point. Their distress at the tow, may reflect their inexperience motoring upwind in mild to moderate ocean swells. That was something the Slow Boat Sailing crew struggled with on their way to Ecuador.
The fishing vessel was in all likelihood towing the sailboat at a reasonable speed. This upwind course only lasted about 15 hours until the boat speed slowed down to less than a knot between points 4 and 5. That may be when they dropped the tow. This seems consistent with a boat largely adrift and a reasonable towing speed far below the Sea Nymph’s hull speed. There was less than 105 nautical miles traveled on the GPS track.
The local time was 10 hours ahead of GMT (London) plotted on the first figure. For a timeline of the last two days, the US Navy press release is a reasonable guide:
“On Oct. 24, they were discovered 900 miles southeast of Japan by a Taiwanese fishing vessel. The fishing vessel contacted Coast Guard Sector Guam who then coordinated with Taipei Rescue Coordination Center, the Japan Coordination Center, and the Joint Coordination Center in Honolulu to render assistance.
Operating near the area on a routine deployment, Ashland made best speed to the location of the vessel in the early morning on Oct. 25 and arrived on scene at 10:30 a.m. that morning. Ashland dispatched a small team of Sailors to provide aid and attempt to fix the mariners failed engine. Ashland’s boat engineer was unable to fix the engine due primarily to a lack of requisite parts. Given the inoperable engine, combined with other equipment degradations expressed by the mariners, Ashland’s commanding officer chose to take the mariners and their two dogs on board. The mariners and their two dogs were safely aboard the ship at 1:18 p.m.”
The Navy account and GPS tracks line up with the first contact and tow happening in the daylight hours of GMT+10 at points 2 to 4. The USS Ashland arrived at the scene between points 4 and 5 of the GPS track. Ms. Appel must have turned off her GPS shortly after coming aboard the USS Ashland at 13:18 local time (GMT+10) or 3:18 GMT. The last track reading on that day was at 3:23 GMT or 13:23 GMT+10.
It seems likely that the Sea Nymph was towed upwind after Ms. Appel called for the Navy rescue from the satellite phone aboard the fishing vessel. The distress call was made on the 24th but the Sea Nymph stopped moving east at 7:13 local time (GMT+10) on October 25, 2017. Thus, Ms. Appel called (with a satellite phone on the fishing boat) to be rescued from the Taiwanese fisherman on October 24, 2017. She told NBC, “They tried to kill us during the night”. Nevertheless, it seems likely that she did not drop the tow until at least seven hours after she made the distress call. The Taiwanese government has disputed Ms. Appel’s allegations that the fishing vessel posed any danger to the women or their boat.
As an aside, Ms. Appel told the USCG that they signaled for rescue since June 26, 2017, that is 22 days longer that they signaled for rescue by VHF, flares, and hand signals then they reported to the media. They told reporters in their conference call on the USS Ashland in October 2017 that they signaled for rescue for only 98 days prior to October 24, 2017, when they got the fishing vessel’s tow. It is not clear why there is this discrepancy in the number of days that Ms. Appel reported signalling for rescue, but not using her EPIRB. USCG interviewers criticized Ms. Appel’s decision to not use an EPIRB in their phone conversation with her on the USS Ashland.
Dr. Linus Wilson, is the creator of the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast and YouTube channel. He has written three books about sailing including How to Sail Around the World Part-Time. He sails out of New Orleans and his 31-foot Island Packet sailboat at the time of writing was awaiting the next leg of the Pacific crossing in Tahiti. Dr. Wilson holds a six-pack captain’s license.
January 6, 2018
100 DAYS AT SEA IN A JUNK-RIGGED SAILBOAT WITHOUT AN ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS
Kris Larsen spent 104 days at sea in his junk-rigged sailbaot blown off course without an engine or any electronics. Mr. Larsen used celestial navigation forsaking GPS, EPIRBS, and even a toilet on his minimalist sailboat as he sailed around the world.
His wife, Nat Uhing, wrote in her blog that his boat lacked basic electrical gear and an engine. She wrote:
“…since he built his steel Chinese-junk-rigged sailboat and started sailing around without the usual engine, GPS, EPIRB, digital charts, radio, solar panels, water-maker, or toilet.”
Mr. Larsen and his wife dispute that this was a sailboat rescue. He only asked for a tow into Maui because there was no wind.
Photos in Haiti in 2016 by Raymond Bideaux were reproduced with permission.
Public domain photos and videos from the USCG.
Subscribe to get season 2 in the crossing the Pacific and sail the Marquesas.
We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at
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Mantus Anchors is a corporate sponsor of this episode.
We will be running contest where our most loyal Patreon supporters can become part of our crew literally as we explore the paradise islands of the South Pacific.
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Our one Star or Executive Producer patron can join the crew without winning the drawing.
Patrons of the round the world vlog and podcast get bonus podcast episodes and free audiobooks of How to Sail Around the World Part-Time and Slow Boat to Cuba. They get never before released audiobook chapters of Slow Boat to the Bahamas. You can also get access to many podcasts and videos early as a patron.
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
and
How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producer, Anders Colbenson
Support the Slow Boat Sailing vlog and podcast at
https://www.patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Subscribe to the podcast at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast/id1084423845?mt=2
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, 2018
HI, UNITED STATES
02.14.2017
Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa McKenzie
U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific
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USCGC Galveston Island and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Maui patrol offshore Maui in support of Operation Kohola Guardian Feb. 14, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa E. McKenzie/Released)
HI, UNITED STATES
05.21.2017
Courtesy Video
U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific
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Maui-resident Kai Lenny, seven time stand up paddle board champion and all around professional waterman, joins Coast Guard to promote water safety from sunny Honolulu, Hawaii. Lenny addresses the viability and ease of lifejacket use and personal locator beacons. Run time 30 sec. (U.S. Coast Guard video courtesy Jace Panebianco/Released)
HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES
02.14.2017
Video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Levasseur and Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa McKenzie
U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific
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The Coast Guard working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Land and Natural Resources in support of Operation Kohola Guardian Feb. 14, 2017. Crews aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island (WPB 1349) and a 45-foot response boat medium from Station Maui patrolled the Maui Triangle in an effort to protect the migrating humpback whale population, educate the public and deter illegal activity. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Levasseur/Released)
Coast Guard, good Samaritan assist disoriented Australian mariner off Maui [Image 1 of 3]
HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES
01.02.2018
Courtesy Photo
U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific
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The Coast Guard, and a good Samaritan assisted a 62-year old Australian mariner in his homemade sailing vessel three and a half miles west of the Kihei Boat Ramp, Maui, Dec. 31, 2017. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Maui safely towed the 30-foot sailing vessel Kehaar Darwin to Sugar Beach, Maui. (U.S. Coast Guard video/Released)
Filed under: Uncategorized
January 5, 2018
Junk Skipper Plans to Leave Hawaii by January 10, 2018, after “A Dirty Little Media Scrum”
by Linus Wilson
Reclusive Russian sailor Kris Larsen, who is sailing around the world in his junk-rigged steel sailboat, says he plans to leave Hawaii within 10 days of being towed into Maui on December 31, 2017, by the US Coast Guard. Coast Guard pictures of his unusual boat and word of his over 100 days at sea got the attention of many news outlets ever so briefly.
Mr. Larsen sails by celestial navigation and his boat has no engine. The boat, SV Kehaar, has little or no electrical equipment on board, but his wife, Nat Uhing, confirmed to Slow Boat Sailing that he owns an old laptop. Reports on the size of the junk-rigged boat vary from 30 to 34 feet. He left his wife, who lives in a fishing vessel in Darwin, Australia in 2014. He has sailed alone and with her for various legs that included crossing the Indian Ocean, crossing the South Atlantic, and transiting the Panama Canal. The USCG reported that he was blown off course on his 104-day voyage from Panama to Maui and was “disoriented.”
[image error]
Photo by Raymond Bideaux reproduced with permission. Kris Larsen on his boat SV Kehaar in Haiti in 2016.
Mr. Larsen and his Ms. Uhing wrote in Ms. Uhing’s blog:
“Fortunately, yesterday’s media scrum has had no impact on Kris, whatsoever. He is engrossed in stocking up on food and water, the authorities have granted him 10 days waived visa privileges (he only asked for 10…if he wants more, they told him, ‘Just ask.’) and weather maps for the next leg of the trip.”
They continued:
“Unless someone tries to prevent him from sailing onward, he will be quite content, living in his head, making his plans, ignoring the internet. The world will think what it thinks, but you are right: whatever anyone says of his chosen path, he has just sailed most of the way round the world—from Australia to Hawaii—has spent the past 4 years exploring Africa (on bicycle) and South America (on foot), has acquired fluent Spanish as his 8th language, and collected a treasure trove of stories, friends, and unique experiences from all the countries visited along the way. On a budget, I might add, of a few hundred dollars a month. Thanks to a home-built boat that requires no maintenance he can’t do, himself, using materials that can be found in even the smallest Third-World towns, that can take a pounding, and that isn’t worth anything to thieves or pirates but the scrap steel it is made of.
He is that rare thing in these hobbled times: a free man.”
[image error]The Coast Guard, and a good Samaritan assisted a 62-year old Australian mariner in his homemade sailing vessel three and a half miles west of the Keehi Harbor, Maui, Jan 1, 2018. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew from Coast Guard Station Maui safely towed the 30-foot sailing vessel Kehaar Darwin to Sugar Beach, Maui. (U.S. Coast Guard video/Released)
Mr. Larsen is on track for a quick, 4-year circumnavigation by cruising standards. My book found that most successful sailing yacht circumnavigators take 5.5 years or more. Instead,of telling his interesting story, he and his wife lashed out at the media and other sailors in their jointly written letter on her blog:
“What others say he can or can’t do isn’t his problem…in fact, he quite enjoys playing the ‘gormless idiot’ in the presence of scandalised, angry ‘proper sailors’. It makes them feel good about themselves, they pronounce him a lost cause, and swagger off with a ripping good story to tell The Boys back at the yacht club…leaving him alone to get on with his plans.”
Most sailors that follow Slow Boat Sailing far from condemning his voyage want to hear more, but his Mr. Larsen and his wife would rather criticize than entertain us with his fascinating travels under sail. That is a pity. As we reported earlier, his self-published books are impossible to buy, which of course is his own doing. I have interviewed many wildly successful sailing vloggers and writers for the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast. What they all have in common is that they are polite, gracious, and love to tell stories. Mr. Larson may have farther to go on his personal journey before he catches the imagination of cruising sailors like so many of the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast’s guests have.
Finally, most of the most cruising sailors who tell their stories in their blogs or vlogs have not had the benefit of any free media. Mr. Larsen and his wife declined Slow Boat Sailing’s request to clear up any factual inaccuracies that were reported by the AP or other outlets. Most likely, if Mr. Larsen and Ms. Uhing want their story to be told in the future, the’ll have to do it on their own. If they want complete privacy, they should take down their blogs and stop asking for free tows. Given that Mr. Larsen’s boat has no engine, this is unlikely to have been his first or last tow into port.
I will not be the first or last sailor to wish him fair winds on his journey.
January 5, 2018
Dr. Linus Wilson, is the creator of the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast and YouTube channel. He has written three books about sailing including How to Sail Around the World Part-Time. He sails out of New Orleans and his 31-foot Island Packet sailboat at the time of writing was awaiting the next leg of the Pacific crossing in Tahiti. Dr. Wilson holds a six-pack captain’s license.
Filed under: Uncategorized
January 4, 2018
Ep. 44: Muscular Dystrophy Cannot Stop Ryan Levinson of Two Afloat Sailing Interviewed by Linus Wilson on the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast
Ryan and Nicole Levinson left San Diego threw off the dock lines in San Diego and sailed to Mexico and French Polynesia. Ryan is an accomplished athlete and trained for the special Olympics in sailing. Despite being in his mid forties his FSH Muscular Dystrophy is eating away at his muscle mass and limiting many activities which he used to be an expert in like surfing. Ryan and Nicole have been cruising French Polynesia for three years and Linus Wilson spoke to them in Tahiti in January 2017.
You can see Ryan in our latest round the world vlog S2E6 available right now:
Sailing La Vagabonde’s Inspiration, Two Afloat Sailing in Tahiti, S2E6
Subscribe to the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast on Stitcher and iTunes!
Linus leaves the Slow Boat in Atuona, Hiva Oa in the Marquesas and flies to Tahiti where he meets up with the crew of Two Afloat Sailing, Ryan and Nicole Levinson in Papeete Marina. Ryan Levinson was a guest on the Sailing La Vagabonde YouTube channel where he also talked about his FSH Muscular Dystrophy and how his illness encouraged he and his wife to cross the Pacific in a small sailboat. Ryan tells how he copes with his illness while at sea and how he keeps sailing the South Pacific. Ryan and Nicole talk about a bad experience while anchoring with short scope and on a weedy bottom.
Linus gives you the low down on the Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) airport, and the Tahiti Airport Hotel, before he flies back to the USA by way of LAX airport. Linus searches for data SIM cards and propane adapters while he is in the capital of French Polynesia.
Check out their appearance of Sailing La Vagabonde’s video entitled “A Truly Inspiring Story (Sailing La Vagabonde) Ep. 47”
Check out the Two Afloat Sailing channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3WnQG-QeLq1ebfr0gBUhg
Subscribe to get season 2 in the crossing the Pacific and sail the Marquesas.
We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at
http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a corporate sponsor of this episode.
We will be running contest where our most loyal Patreon supporters can become part of our crew literally as we explore the paradise islands of the South Pacific.
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Our one Star or Executive Producer patron can join the crew without winning the drawing.
Patrons of the round the world vlog and podcast get bonus podcast episodes and free audiobooks of How to Sail Around the World Part-Time and Slow Boat to Cuba. They get never before released audiobook chapters of Slow Boat to the Bahamas. You can also get access to many podcasts and videos early as a patron.
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
and
How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producer, Anders Colbenson
Support the Slow Boat Sailing vlog and podcast at
https://www.patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Subscribe to the podcast at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast/id1084423845?mt=2
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, 2017
Filed under: Uncategorized
⛵️ Sailing La Vagabonde’s Inspiration, Two Afloat Sailing in Tahiti, S2E6
Linus leaves the Slow Boat in Atuona, Hiva Oa in the Marquesas and flies to Tahiti where he meets up with the crew of Two Afloat Sailing, Ryan and Nicole Levinson in Papeete Marina. Ryan Levinson was a guest on the Sailing La Vagabonde YouTube channel where he also talked about his FSH Muscular Dystrophy and how his illness encouraged he and his wife to cross the Pacific in a small sailboat. Ryan tells how he copes with his illness while at sea and how he keeps sailing the South Pacific. Ryan and Nicole talk about a bad experience while anchoring with short scope and on a weedy bottom.
Linus gives you the low down on the Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) airport, and the Tahiti Airport Hotel, before he flies back to the USA by way of LAX airport. Linus searches for data SIM cards and propane adapters while he is in the capital of French Polynesia.
Check out their appearance of Sailing La Vagabonde’s video entitled “A Truly Inspiring Story (Sailing La Vagabonde) Ep. 47”
Ryan and Nicole are guests on the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast.
Check out the Two Afloat Sailing channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3WnQG-QeLq1ebfr0gBUhg
Subscribe to get season 2 in the crossing the Pacific and sail the Marquesas.
We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at
http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors is a corporate sponsor of this episode.
We will be running contest where our most loyal Patreon supporters can become part of our crew literally as we explore the paradise islands of the South Pacific.
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Our one Star or Executive Producer patron can join the crew without winning the drawing.
Patrons of the round the world vlog and podcast get bonus podcast episodes and free audiobooks of How to Sail Around the World Part-Time and Slow Boat to Cuba. They get never before released audiobook chapters of Slow Boat to the Bahamas. You can also get access to many podcasts and videos early as a patron.
Slow Boat to the Bahamas
Slow Boat to Cuba
and
How to Sail Around the World-Part Time
have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producer, Anders Colbenson
Support the Slow Boat Sailing vlog and podcast at
https://www.patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Subscribe to the podcast at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast/id1084423845?mt=2
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/slow-boat-sailing-podcast
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Miss Lone Star, and many others.
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, 2017
Filed under: Uncategorized
January 3, 2018
Exclusive: Junk Skipper Towed by USCG Off Hawaii on New Years Eve Left Oz Bound for South Africa in 2014 on Round the World Trip
by Linus Wilson, January 3, 2017.
Slow Boat Sailing has learned that Kris Larsen is the name of the Russian skipper of the SV Kehaar, a 31-foot, steel, junk-rigged sailboat that the USCG towed into port off Maui on December 31, 2017. The USCG was not releasing the skipper’s name. Based on his reported ports, it appears Mr. Larsen has been sailing west-bound around the world by way of Cape of Good Hope and through the Panama Canal since departing Darwin, Australia in 2014. Mr. Larsen sailed out of Darwin, Australian in 2014 bound for South Africa. His boat was recently towed into Maui by the USCG after 102 days at sea after his last port of Panama. His wife, Nat Uhing, wrote in her blog that his boat lacked basic electrical gear and an engine. She wrote:
[image error]
Photo by Raymond Bideaux reproduced with permission. Kris Larsen and his wife Nat Uhing sailing off Haiti in 2016.
He was intentionally vague about his departure…didn’t want any parties, last minute well-wishers, or the generally curious trying to catch up for one last handshake, lame joke, or to ask the same dozen questions he has answered, over and over again, since he first built his steel Chinese-junk-rigged sailboat and started sailing around without the usual engine, GPS, EPIRB, digital charts, radio, solar panels, water-maker, or toilet.
[image error]
Photo by Raymond Bideaux reproduced with permission. Kris Larsen on his boat SV Kehaar in Haiti in 2016.
His original destination was South Africa according to the Nat’s blog.
Public domain photos by the USCG of SV Kehaar right before it was towed into Maui on December 31, 2017.
He was towed into Kihei Boat Ramp in Maui, Hawaii by a 45-foot USCG boat on Sunday, December 31, 2017, after 102 days at sea. His last port was Panama. He meant to sail the South Pacific, but was blown off course, according to USCG interviewers.
Mr. Larson is the author of several books, including an account of his previous 45,000 nautical miles in his junk-rigged sailboat, Moonsoon Dervish. He also wrote a 19-page manual on celestial navigation. Slow Boat Sailing saw several of the self-published titles for sold on Ms. Uhing’s Etsy page, but could find none currently for sale.
Mr. Larsen’s wife described herself on her blog as a “Filipina-American” who lives on a fishing trawler in “crocodile-infested” Darwin, Australia with her cat named Dude.
His wife quoted his reasons for departing without her in 2014:
“I’ll be turning 60 later this year. I’ve been working for a living for the past 40 years and I am tired of working. Humans are the only animals who work for a living. All other creatures live for a living. And I still have five years to go till my old age pension. I have decided I am going sailing for those five years. I will live for a living, like all other creatures in the world.”
On her Etsy page, she said in 2015 that she had rejoined her husband on the boat in Brazil. A pictures in Haiti from 2016, shows Ms. Uhing sitting at the stern of the boat.
Mr. Larsen was sailing alone when he was towed by the USCG on the last day of 2017. He signaled to a passing boat, requesting a tow when the USCG was called out.
Slow Boat Sailing has reached out to Mr. Larsen and his wife, Nat Uhing, to hear more about this amazing voyage, but both declined. Ms. Uhing, wrote on her Facebook page on December 31, she got the following text message from a strange number:
“Relaying a message from your husband: ‘I have arrived in Maui, Hawaii, and I am OK.'”
In an e-mail to Slow Boat Sailing, she said she got her first e-mail from him on January 4, 2018, Darwin time.
Mr. Larsen’s wife wrote on her “The Smallest Forest” Facebook page in response to a comment about her blog celebrating his arrival in Hawaii:
“I have been a nightly sniffles and tears machine for a month…”
In their press release about the incident, the USCG Honolulu wrote:
“The Coast Guard also strongly recommends that all mariners file a float plan with a friend or family member, with an approximate time of return and route. It is also recommended mariners check in regularly especially if plans should change.”
Mr. Larsen, wrote to Slow Boat Sailing by way of Facebook messenger:
“Being alone for so much time has made him sensitive to people, he tends to be very introspective and reticent, being among lots of people all a sudden can be a shock and disappointment for a couple of weeks.”
In his January 4, 2017, (Darwin time) e-mail to his wife which Ms. Uhing posted in part on her Facebook page, Mr. Larsen wrote:
‘”I am entering informational overload, after 3 and half month alone I am very sensitive to people.”‘
In written communications, both Ms. Uhing and Mr. Larsen claimed there were inaccuracies in the USCG’s press release of the account that appeared in the Associated Press and other outlets, but both declined to state what those inaccuracies were. It’s going to be hard for the Associated Press to print a retraction, if they don’t know what is wrong.
One nagging inconsistency is the size of the boat, Kehaar. The USCG says its 30-feet long, the Monsoon Dervish book website says it is 31-feet long, an interview on the Atom Voyages blog says it is 33-feet long, and the Goodreads page from Monsoon Dervish says its 34-feet long. Slow Boat Sailing suspects that Mr. Larsen is the ultimate source in all those cases. We’ll have to wait for the next book sold on Etsy to clear this one up.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Australia, Author, Darwin, junk-rigged, Kris Larsen, Maui, Moonsoon Dervish, Nat Uhing, Panama, Raymond Bideaux, Sailboat, Sailing, steel boat, US Coast Guard, USCG
Aussie in 30-foot junk-rigged sailboat rescued after 102 Days at sea near Hawaii
HONOLULU — The Coast Guard, and a good Samaritan assisted a 62-year old Australian mariner in his homemade sailing vessel three and a half miles west of the Keehi Harbor, Maui, Sunday.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Maui safely towed the 30-foot sailing vessel Kehaar Darwin to Sugar Beach, Maui. Customs and Border Protection personnel will interview the mariner before he resumes his voyage.
[image error]
USCG public domain photo of SV Kehaar Darwin a 30-foot junk-rigged, homemade sailboat towed by the USCG on January 1, 2018, near Maui.
“Being disoriented while at sea in a vessel with no communication capabilities aboard can be deadly if not handled quickly,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Schlereth, a boarding officer and engineer at Station Maui. “We commend the good Samaritan for recognizing the complications and contacting the proper authorities to initiate a rescue.”
At 3 p.m., watchstanders at Station Maui received a report from the operator of the commercial passenger vessel Trilogy V stating the master of the Kehaar Darwin flagged him down asking for assistance.
Reportedly he appeared disoriented and was having trouble making it into port. He departed Panama approximately 104 days earlier enroute to Australia; his vessel became beset by weather forcing him into Hawaiian waters. He was without communications equipment, an engine and his sails were in poor condition.
Weather on scene was reportedly 17 to 23 mph winds and seas to 4 feet.
The Coast Guard strongly recommends all mariners ensure they have proper safety gear aboard their vessel prior to departure. Properly fitting life jackets, a VHF radio or some form of communication and signaling devices are examples of safety gear that can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.
The Coast Guard also strongly recommends that all mariners file a float plan with a friend or family member, with an approximate time of return and route. It is also recommended mariners check in regularly especially if plans should change. Mariners should check current and forecasted weather conditions prior to getting underway, and remain aware of changing conditions once on the water.
[image error]
The above is the USCG “courtesy story.” It seems to conflict with the photo captions by the USCG that say he was rescued on January 1, 2018 (Monday) and not Sunday, December 31, 2017. Also Keehi Harbor is in Oahu not Maui. (Jennifer Appel hauled out and parked her boat at Keehi. That is why Slow Boat Sailing knows that Hawaii boating trivia.) We have contacted the USCG for further clarification. They have not released the name of the 62-year old Aussie as far as we know.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 30-foot sailboat, 62-year old, Aussie, Hawaii, Jennifer Appel, junk-rigged, Kehaar Darwin, Sailing
December 31, 2017
Catamaran Buying Secrets from Sailing Yacht Broker Gary Fretz
We break out the secrets to getting the best sailing catamaran for a great price and maximizing your resale value. Many top vloggers such as Sailing La Vagabonde and Sailing Zatara are selling their monohulls to buy a catamaran. Gary Fretz has been a yacht broker for 30 years. He helped Jessica and Ryan Adventures buy their sailing catamaran and he can help you too. Once you live aboard space becomes so important and cats have more space! Seasonal and Regional Factors are crucial in price you pay for a cat.
Gary Fretz gives a way all his secrets if you e-mail him at
BigYachts {at} gmail [dot] com
Gary Fretz is the
Yachts International, Founder and CEO
Licensed and Bonded Yacht and Ship Broker (since 1989)
Member: International Yacht Brokers Association
LargeCatamaransForSale.com
Castle Harbor Boating School, Inc. (Owner)
America’s Oldest Sailing School (since 1949)
Yacht Charters/Boating School/Club/Rentals
CastleHarbor.com and Castle Harbor Boating School.com
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Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, 2017
Filed under: Uncategorized
It’s a Nice View from the Soggy Dollar Bar Webcam for New Years Eve
Jost Van Dyck in the BVI’s looks pretty nice post Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Happy New Year everyone!
Filed under: Uncategorized
